Blueberry Crumb Bars

I saw these the other day in Starbucks and told myself I could do way better than that bs so I decided to prove it. They’re tart and buttery and fruity and tangy and crumbly… 

I could imagine easily swapping another fruit or berry for the blueberries–I’m especially thinking something tart like sour cherries or cranberries in the fall (I’d use orange instead of lemon with cranberries). But if you have blueberries on hand, do not miss a chance to make these.

 

These are easiest to cut once chilled, and store even better in the fridge than they do at room temperature–something unusual for cookies!
 

Yield: I cut these into 36 smallish rectangles
 

1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cold unsalted butter (2 sticks or 8 ounces)
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
Zest and juice of one lemon
4 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch
 

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9×13 inch pan.
 

2. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and lemon zest. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.
 

3. In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.
 

4. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. (This took an extra 10 to 15 minutes in my oven.) Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Lazy Beach Sundays

I had such a nice Sunday last week, one of those days you just feel grateful for living in California. I woke up, went to the Farmer's Market and got some fresh lebne and hummus, cage free eggs and grass fed beef. One of my favorite things about the golden state is the availability of fresh produce, healthy clean food options and awareness of what goes into food and how that is metabolized in your body.

So after drinking fresh green juice we headed down to Venice Beach for a relaxing day of sun and sand. Armed with an Ipad and Maui Babe we swam in the ocean, napped on the beach and shopped on the boardwalk. With sun on your face and sand in your toes what's there to not smile about? Oh besides the 875907 degree weather?? Speaking of torturous heat, can I get an amen to how muthafuckin' brutally hot its been in LA. the last few days? sweatin' like a rapist over here. So the beach is the essential way to nail the dismount on Summer and a perfect way to wind down from the weekend..

Cherry Almond Smoothie Bowl

I remembered that I had some frozen cherries in the freezer, so I used those to make what has to be one of the best smoothie bowls to ever come out of my kitchen…the Cherry Almond Smoothie Bowl.

To make your own Cherry Almond Smoothie (Bowl), combine the following in your blender:

• 1 frozen banana
• ~1/2 cup frozen cherries
• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• Enough water to get things moving (~1/4 cup)
• 2 tsp chia seeds
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I used SunWarrior)
• 1/4 tsp xanthan gum, optional

I topped my smoothie bowl with some Kashi Go Lean for a little added crunch. I was full for a long time and putting goodness into your body after wreaking havoc on it after a holiday weekend makes you just feel better. Detox , retox ya know? Happy Back to work Tuesday everyone!!