There aren’t enough mocktails in the world. Ok, there probably are, and I just don’t know about them. It just seems like there are all kinds of cool cocktails, but I don’t seem to find as many cocktails.
Awhile back, I had some friends over on a Sunday afternoon for an impromptu pot luck, and I wanted to do something sans alcohol.
I thought back to the chia fizz I saw in Clean Eating Mag, but I wanted to do a twist.
I recently read about a blackberry simple syrup in a magazine, and when I remembered that I had a bunch of blueberries in the fridge, the idea for the Blueberry Chia Fizz was born. A quick google search yielded two recipes for inspiration on the syrup (see recipe below for links). The blueberry simple syrup was super easy. I went light on the blueberries, but I think you could easily double or triple the amount of berries for a stronger flavor.
And for the chia seeds, I decided to keep those separate in case my friends didn’t want them. I let them soak in water in the fridge just before they arrived.
Since I wasn’t sure if they’d even like this concoction, I started with a half pitcher.
But, the drink was a hit!
The drink was barely sweet and barely fruity in a totally good way. The hints of flavors with fresh mint and citrus made the drink taste so perfect for a hot summer day.
I’m definitely making this one again, and I’m hoping to try some other flavor variations.
Blueberry Chia Fizz Recipe
Inspired by Clean Eating Magazine, Closet Cooking, and Simple Bites
A few years ago, I tried a fun drink I found in Clean Eating Magazine called “Chia Fizz” that reminded me of a mojito sans alcohol, add chia seeds. Since then, I’ve thought about a couple variations and how I like simple drinks like the “Chiz Fizz” and classic mojito – light liquids mixed with muddled fresh limes and mint. Nothing like a little citrus and mint to make something feel like summer.
This drink is light in all ways – lightly sweetened, lightly blueberry in flavor, and made with light ingredients. If you want more flavor in any area, adjust the ingredients as you prefer.
If you want to prep early, make the blueberry syrup in advance and let it chill all morning, all day, or overnight. The rest of this recipe is a cinch!
*Vegetarian, Vegan, Not So Sweet*
Time: Approximately 20 minutes active, plus an hour to one and half hours chill time
Serves: 6-12 (depending on how many refills you serve!)
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup, plus 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup chia seeds
- 4 limes, cut into quarters, plus 1-2 limes for garnish
- 4 sprigs mint, approximately 20-30 leaves, plus top sprigs for garnish
- 2 1-liter bottles of Pellegrino
Directions:
- Make the blueberry syrup:
- Add blueberries to a medium-sized pot. Mash with a potato masher until no blueberries remain whole.
- Add sugar and 1 cup water and bring mixture to a boil. Simmer 10 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes to an hour in the pot.
- Place a mesh strainer over a heat-proof container (use a funnel as wide as the strainer, if needed) and carefully pour blueberry mixture into the container. Press all the liquid through the strainer using a spatula. Note: You can reserve the blueberry solids to put into a smoothie or oatmeal later.
- Cover blueberry syrup and let cool in the refrigerator.
- Assemble drink at least 10 minutes before serving:
- In a cup, combine 1 cup water and chia seeds and stir. Let chill in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes.
- In a pitcher, combine limes and mint leaves and muddle (using muddler or back of a wooden spoon). Add blueberry syrup and Pellegrino.
- To serve: you can either pour the drink over ice in individual cups and spoon in some chia seed mixture or you can pour the chia seed mixture into the pitcher and pour over ice (either way, the chia seeds need about 10 minutes to soak up the liquids of the drink). Garnish with a lime slice and mint sprig. Enjoy!
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Hope you all have a wonderful summer full of delicious eats, great drinks, and lots of fun!
Thanks for reading! If you liked this post, please consider sharing it with your friends using one of the share buttons on this post or on my Facebook wall. Thanks again!
A new cookie has taken the lead as my favorite cookie – oatmeal chocolate chip. The old favorite was chocolate chip. I know, it’s not much of a difference. And yet, that simple addition of oats gives the texture and flavor something special that I just love.
Of course, this meant I needed to come up with a recipe so I could make the oatmeal chocolate chip cookies just the way I like – a little chewy. I started with this recipe for butterscotch oatmeal cookies that I made a couple years ago with good success, but I made a couple changes, also looking at my dough ball recipe for some ideas. I liked the flavor and chewiness of those butterscotch cookies, but I wanted to reduce the sugar and make them less flat, plus I wanted to make far fewer cookies. I played with the recipe over several batches, about 8 or 9 over the last couple years. I started by halving the butterscotch cookie recipe, adding flour, and reducing the sugar amounts. The first couple tries were decent but not great. I thought simply adding flour would make the cookies less flat, but it didn’t work as I expected. I tried some batches with far less sugar, far less flour, different amounts of butter, using baking powder instead of baking soda, and many other variations. Each try was just okay but not just right. I tracked my adjustments and made notes along the way. Most recently, I tried doing some google research.
I did some online searching for how to make cookies chewy, and it turns out sugar is one thing that that helps make them chewy (so much for reducing it lol). Apparently using melted butter and baking soda instead of baking powder helps, too. So, I tried a couple more times, tweaking things all along the way. The final result is what I’d consider a “just right” oatmeal chocolate chip cookie – a little chewy, a little soft, and a little crispy all in one delicious package.
Just Right Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
The ingredients are simple and the results are delicious. They whip up pretty quickly, too! I started with this cookie recipe and experimented, analyzed, and re-experimented, and re-analyzed over several batches until I was happy with the results. According to some google research, melted butter, sugar, and baking soda help give the cookie a chewy texture, so keep that in mind if you modify the recipe at home, especially if you like chewy cookies, too. Be sure you use kosher salt or reduce the amount if you use table salt instead. And mini chocolate chips distribute better than large ones, so I was able to reduce that amount versus the 3/4 cup of the regular size chocolate chips I’d recommend. Hope you like these cookies as much as I do!
*Vegetarian, vegan options listed below*
Prep time: 10 minutes
Bake time: 10-12 minutes
Total time: 20-22 minutes, plus cooling time
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cup quick-cooking oats (old-fashioned would probably work just fine, too)
- 3/4 cup flour
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (reduce amount if you use table salt, maybe 1/4 – 1/2 depending on how you like your cookie flavor)
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled slightly (vegan – sub Earth Balance or similar product)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg (vegan – sub a flaxseed egg)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (or use 3/4 cup regular sized chocolate chips)
Directions:
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare three baking sheets with parchment paper. Note: I could bake all the cookies in one batch with 2 shelves and 3 baking sheets.
- In a large bowl, add oats, flour, salt, and baking soda. Whisk to evenly combine.
- In a medium bowl mix butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Make sure butter mixture isn’t too hot so it doesn’t cook the egg when add it, and add the egg and vanilla. Whisk to evenly combine.
- Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and gently mix with a large spatula. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Using a medium sized sorbet scoop (2 tablespoon), scoop dough and evenly distribute on baking sheets, leaving about 3 inches of space in between each ball of dough.
- Bake 10-12 minutes, until edges are slightly brown. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheets to room temperature. Enjoy!
Happy baking! Thanks for reading!
Which do you prefer: regular chocolate chip or oatmeal chocolate chip?
Speaking of lack of breakfast-eating, one thing I’ve been able to sneak in now and again is my tried and true egg bake. These truly are SO much easier than making a fried or scrambled egg. Each of those requires dedicated attention during the cook time. With an egg bake, you just throw some stuff in a bowl, mix it up, and pour it into a prepared mini baking dish. Instead of hanging out by the stove, I get ready for the work day while the egg bake cooks in the oven. I love the multi-tasking!
However, I haven’t been grocery shopping much lately, so I’ve had to get creative on my recent egg bake ingredients and flavors. Since I’ve been so big into spices lately, my latest thought was to add in one of the new spice blends I recently purchased – Berebere Ethiopian Style Seasoning. Would it work? It worked great! The spice blend added a zesty flavor to the egg bake that I’ve really enjoyed.
Another trick? I scored some Van’s frozen whole grain English muffins on sale at Whole Foods recently. They have been lifesavers considering my lack of grocery shopping as of late. Both the egg bake and the English muffins are great pantry dishes, really, since I didn’t need fresh ingredients. The English muffins were in the freezer, the eggs and milk were in the fridge, and the spices were in my cabinet. Busy-bees, rejoice!
Oh, and for my long-time readers, yes, this is basically a slight adjustment to my previous versions of this recipe, but I like to type it all out so you and newer readers don’t have to click back and forth.
Berebere Spiced Egg Bake
A simple addition of the zesty Berebere Ethiopian style spice blend adds great flavor to this easy breakfast dish! Mix, pour, and multi-task while your egg bake cooks in the oven.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 16-19 minutes
Total Time: 21-24 minutes
Serves: 1 (multiplies easily)
Ingredients (multiply by each serving for multiples):
- non-stick spray
- 1 cage free or farm fresh egg
- 1 tablespoon frozen, chopped spinach
- 1 teaspoon milk
- 1/8 teaspoon Berebere Ethiopian style spice blend (see link at top of the post for details on the one I used)
- pinch of salt
- a bit of fresh-ground pepper
Directions:
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly spray individual casserole dish(es) with non-stick spray.
- Combine egg, milk, Berebere spice blend, salt, and pepper in a bowl and whisk together. Add spinach and mix in.
- Evenly distribute egg mixture to individual casserole dish(es). Bake until edges are golden brown and egg is set in the middle, about 16-18 minutes (depending oven temperature, etc.). Note: I used a toothpick to check doneness, sort of like you would for cake.
- Remove from oven and let sit for a couple minutes till it’s safe to eat. Enjoy!
Happy cooking!
Thanks for reading!
Reader question: What do you eat for breakfast when you haven’t been grocery shopping in awhile?
I may be the only one excited for the time change. I know we lose an hour, and that is no bueno, but I’m in it for the extra sunshine every day. I’ve already started enjoying it. Days will seemingly last longer, I’ll have better (more?) light for photos, and maybe I’ll even get a few more people into my Zumba classes. People seem to like to come more when there’s more light outside. Anywho, on to the food…
I made this simple and healthy breakfast for a pre-Zumba meal this past Saturday and posted a photo of it to Instagram. It’s a hot blueberry-honey breakfast quinoa. People immediately started asking for the recipe, so I decided to fast-track it ahead of a couple other posts in the works.
When I’m feeling extra organized, I like to make a batch of quinoa and use it in a couple different dishes. I think most grains taste better cooked in broth, but I like to cook quinoa in water so I can make savory and sweet dishes from it. This particular breakfast was as easy as combining a few ingredients in a pot and gently heating through. Top with almonds. Eat. Enjoy. Rock the day.
Hot Blueberry-Honey Breakfast Quinoa
Make a big batch of quinoa cooked simply in water, and this breakfast will come together in a jiffy. Just toes everything in a small pot and cook until it’s the consistency you like. So easy! I’ve given you some portion ideas, but you can tweak this recipe to suit your appetite. I can’t eat a lot before I work out, so I made a very small amount, but just adjust as you prefer. Try fresh blueberries when they’re in season.
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10-20 minutes
Total time: 15-25 minutes
Yields: 1 or so, depending on ingredient amounts used
*Vegetarian, Vegan options listed*
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
- 1/4 cup blueberries (frozen or fresh should work – I used frozen wild blueberries that were a little smaller than most)
- 1/4 cup milk of choice (I used rice milk; use vegan milk for vegan option)
- 1 teaspoon honey (or sub agave/maple syrup/etc. for vegan option) for a lightly sweet flavor, add more if needed
- dash or two ground cinnamon
- small pinch salt
- sliced almonds, optional, for garnish and texture
Directions:
- Combine quinoa, blueberries, milk, honey, cinnamon, and salt in a small, non-stick pot. Heat over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until quinoa has reached your desired consistency. Note: Exact time will vary on your consistency preference and stove heat.
- Serve in a small bowl and top with sliced almonds. Wait until it’s safely cooled to eat and enjoy!
I’m looking forward to eating this more this spring…especially with fresh, local blueberries from the farmers market!
Reader question: Do you like or dislike the spring time change?
