July 31, 2011

Raspberry Pickin'

I woke up this morning with the feeling that today was going to be a great day. Whenever my mom is visiting I know that we will get up to something fun! What better way to start the day than with a delicious breakfast. 


I had my usual smoothie with fresh BC blueberries and some Kashi Berry Crisp cereal for added crunch. Breakfast just isn't the same without some kind of satisfying crunch!


Delish...

After breakfast my mom and I decided we wanted to make a trip out to Dan's Farm again, only this time we had another berry on our mind. RASPBERRIES! Oh how I've been waiting for raspberries to be in season! They are by far my favourite berry. I could eat them morning, noon and night. non stop. breakfast, lunch and dinner. I normally don't talk about my top favourite foods because there are SOO many of them...but I can safely say that raspberries are in my top 5!


The raspberry fields were full of huge, juicy berries ready for us to pick. We ended up with about 9 lbs.


Mom with the berries.


Another one...just cuz she's so darn cute!


A pound of berries didn't make it into the flat...but they did make it into my mouth :) My tummy was a happy camper.


Berry pickin'


So beautiful. It's amazing what mother nature provides us with.


We froze one container and left the other one in the fridge. Fresh berries seem to compliment any summer meal perfectly! Salads, fish, oatmeal, ice cream, yogurt, pancakes...


Not only are they delicious but they are extremely nutritious as well. Obviously. Mother nature wouldn't produce anything that wasn't. They are full of anti oxidants, which have potential health benefits against cancer, inflammation, aging and neuro-degenerative diseases. They also contain compounds, such as vitamin C, A and E that act as protective scavengers against oxygen derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species that play a role in aging and various disease process. 

Raspberries also contain minerals such as potassium, manganese, copper iron and magnesium. Potassium helps control blood pressure and heart rate and copper is required in the production of red blood cells. They are also rich in B-complex group of vitamins and vitamin K and contain Vitamin B-6, niacin, riboflavin and folic acid. These vitamins help the body metabolize carbohydrates, protein and fats!


We also picked up local carrots, cauliflower, beans, tomatoes, garlic, onion and basil. The basil stole the show. My mom and I decided that spaghetti sauce was on the menu for tonight's dinner. Nothing beats a fresh spaghetti sauce with fresh basil.


Local onion, garlic, tomato, mushrooms, zucchini from my mom's garden, tomato sauce, veggie ground round and a mound of basil on top! The basil leaves were huge, the aroma was incredible and the taste was out of this world. It made the sauce!


Served with organic brown rice noodles. Yummy! 

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend,
Happy BC day to all my fellow British Columbians!

Night,
Amy

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