enJOY it by Elise Blaha Cripe

my take on blueberry muffins.

I realized last Saturday that while the hot weather makes it tough to cook in the evenings that shouldn't stop me from a baking in the mornings. We recently picked up a ton of blueberries on sale and I remembered that I'd seen this killer recipe. We had guests coming into town last weekend so all together, that seemed like a perfect excuse to pre-heat the oven.

I usually make a few alterations to recipes. Usually it's because I want to cut a bit of sugar and add a bit of wheat flour (which I did here). But also it's because I don't always have the exact ingredients and need to make a substitute (which is why I substituted greek yogurt for plain). Baking, so much more than cooking, is an exact science, but for some reason, that makes it all the more satisfying when I take my own spin on a recipe and it turns out.

This one, thankfully, was a tremendous success. Again, here's the original recipe and below is mine with some adjustments.

Makes 12 muffins and takes about an hour of prep + cooking.

for the muffins:

• 2 cups blueberries
• 3/4 C sugar + 1 t sugar
• 1/4 C milk (we used non-fat, I'm sure the thicker the better)
• half a lemon
• 1 1/2 t baking soda
• 1 1/2 C white flour
• 1 C wheat flour
• 2 T wheat germ (don't worry if you don't have this on hand, but I've found that when I substitute wheat flour, adding a bit of wheat germ levels out the flavor really well.)
• 1 t salt
• 2 eggs
• 4 T butter, melted and cooled
• 1/4 C vegetable oil
• 1/2 C greek yogurt
• 1 1/2 t vanilla

for the crumb topping:

• 2 T sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 T wheat flour
• 2 T white flour
• 1 1/2 T butter, melted

Combine the dry ingredients for the crumb topping and add in the melted butter, stirring with a fork to get a crumbly texture. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 425*F.

Combine 1 C washed blueberries and the extra teaspoon of sugar in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat. Use a wooden spoon to stir and break down the berries. After a few minutes, it will bubble and become thick. This is the blueberry mixture that will turn the muffins that pretty deep blue (we decided it was totally worth it over simple loose blueberries in the batter.)

Pour 1/4 C of milk into your measuring cup and add in the juice from one half lemon. Let sit.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry muffin ingredients (remaining sugar, flours, wheat germ, salt and baking soda).

In a smaller bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together until thick. Slowly add in the butter and oil. Finally, add in the yogurt, milk + lemon and vanilla and mix everything together well.

Fold the wet mixture into the dry. Adding the second cup of blueberries as you go. Be careful not to over mix, but also leave no dry spots. The consistency was like a blend of cookie dough and cake batter (and smelled amazing).

Line your muffin tin with muffin cups (or should you find yourself without them like I did) butter the insides of each cup well and spoon in your batter until you've cleared the bowl. (The cups will be full to the brim.)

Spoon the blueberry mixture from the saucepan into the center of each muffin cup and use a fork or toothpick to mix it in.

Add your crumble on top and wipe away the excess.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes (I hit the sweet spot at 18). A toothpick in the center should come out dry or with crumbs. Let cool in the tin for a few minutes and then remove from the tin to cool some more.

Enjoy!

This weekend we have family in town so tomorrow morning I think I'll try these!

pizza on the grill.

Our go to these past few month (minus whole30) has been pizza on the grill. It's much too hot to do something crazy like "heat the oven" and this process is actually much faster and more delicious anyway.

We use our usual pizza dough recipe (it's heavily Ellerie directed at this point but somehow still always turns out) and give it a few hours to rise.

Then I roll it out on the pizza peel like normal (being sure to use some cornmeal to prevent sticking) and Paul throws it directly onto the grill (heated to about 400*F) for five minutes.

When it comes off the grill, it looks like the photo above, hard and sort of "bubbly" on top.

Our easy summer sauce (again, takes no heat) is just olive oil and this pizza we topped with mozzarella, leftover grilled pork, pear, onion, garlic, feta and salt & pepper.

After being built it goes back on the grill (just directly onto it - no pan or anything) at 400*F for another 10-12 minutes.

The difference of a grilled pizza vs. an oven pizza (aside from the fact that it doesn't heat my house) is so noticeable. Crispy crust and sort of smokey taste. Worth cooking up before summer officially ends, for sure.

whole30 wrap up.

Today (Wednesday when I am writing this) is the last day of Whole30.

I'm super excited to be completing the program.

First - I wasn't perfect. Close, but not really. So if you're a purist, I did not complete Whole30. But I did adjust my diet for 30 consecutive days. I did remove all dairy, gluten and all forms of real or artificial sugars. I didn't eat any peanut butter and (this should be no surprise given that I'm pregnant) I didn't have any alcohol.

Second - I gained four pounds in the five weeks between prenatal appointments that spanned about the same time period as my Whole30 experiment. I wasn't trying to lose weight (again, pregnant) so I am glad to know that I gained a healthy pregnancy weight throughout. As a sidenote: Paul, my husband, lost about six pounds and he didn't follow the rules as strictly as I did.

SO WHAT DID I THINK?

Overall ... it was a good exercise. As mentioned, we decided to do this more as a "meal jumpstart" to get some new recipes going than anything else.

The best "habit" takeaways :

More veggies at dinner. We ate so much green stuff this past month. It was awesome. I learned better ways to prep (thank you food processor) and cook our veggies (tons of fresh garlic). I see us sticking with tons of veggies at dinner for the long-term.

Left-overs for lunch. We did a decent job making extra dinner food so Paul had something to take to work and I had something to eat the next day that didn't require a lot of prep. This is easy and cheap and something I hope we keep up with.

No random snacking. To be clear, I ate plenty of snacks on whole30 - usually fruit which isn't recommended but it is what it is. What I didn't do was grab a handful of crackers or pirates booty or something else random and "easy" out of the pantry. When I ate a snack it was more deliberate. Something that I quickly prepped and then "took a break" to eat. In general, that's probably a good habit to keep up.

But...

I feel the same physically today as I felt when I started. I felt good when we started. And I feel good now. I never noticed the sugar crash or headache issues that are often talked about. I didn't have a significant lack of or burst of energy at any point. It would be interesting to try it again when I wasn't pregnant to see if I notice a difference when I am more strict with not snacking.

I am going to do the food re-introduction and see if I notice a reaction to dairy or gluten or soy/beans/peanuts. If I do, that would obviously influence my "results" and I'll be sure to report back if anything crazy pops up.

So FOR ME, the reason that the program started to drag on was much more mental than physical. I wasn't physically craving cheese or bread. But I like cheese and bread. When Ellerie asks to make "dough?" I like to make dough and grill a pizza for dinner. I like to go out for coffee and get a really well made cappuccino. I like to stand behind the counter and order my favorite donut on a Saturday morning. I like to look at a menu at a great restaurant and see options, not land-minds.

"Food is fuel." You hear this a lot. I have dealt with "food issues" in years past and have subscribed to this theory. But now? Today? Food is fun. Food is not an enemy or a savor. It's not bad or good. It's a part of life. I like to enjoy food. Whenever possible, I like that food to be whole, healthy, delicious and well-made but I am not adverse to bread, sugar, dairy or alcohol. My food mentality for the past four years has been everything in moderation and it's served me really well. If anything, trying Whole30 helped me to remember that.

So that's my honest take. I'm not going to go crazy and make all this tomorrow, but I'm going to eat some cheese. And in November, I am going to enjoy some wine. (I miss red wine.)

whole30 halfway point.

Yesterday was day 15 of Whole30. If you are unfamiliar with the program, you can read more here.

The quick gist is, no grains, no beans, no rice, no dairy, no sugar of any kind, no artificial sugar, no alcohol. It's sort of like Paleo but there are a few differences. There are other guidelines worked into it too like no (or minimal) snacking, no "cheats," and no weighing yourself for 30 days.

We decided to try it without much research. Basically, I had seen a lot of folks (both real life friends and social media friends) talk about it and I was interested. Last pregnancy, I had gestational diabetes (which usually presents around 28 weeks) and controlled it easily by monitoring what sorts of food I ate (basically a low carb diet). I figured this would just be a bit stricter GD diet AND there was a chance that the clean eating would help prevent GD this time around (I'll let you know if that turns out to be true).

Overall, I wanted a reason to feel motivated in the kitchen again. I wanted to refocus our meal prep and stop defaulting to the same (less healthy) meals. I'm not trying to lose weight (I'm pregnant) but Paul said he wouldn't mind dropping a few pounds.

So that's the introduction.

How are we doing 15 days in?

I'd say like a 7 on a scale of 1-10. Dinners are a 10. We are eating more veggies and finding some really fun recipes. The photos at the top of this post are of some dinners these past few weeks. Clockwise from top right : coconut chicken (we are using almond flour) and broccoli sauteed with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper, salad with a homemade olive oil and vinegar dressing with steak, Trader Joe's turkey burger (no bun) with mustard, tomato, avocado, caramelized onions and mushrooms & sweet potato fries, sweet potato "nachos" similar to this.

Breakfasts are a 5. Taste wise, I'm so over eggs. I want to wake up and eat oatmeal. Energy wise though, eggs just can't be beat. I am consistently making it until 11:30 before I am hungry again - something I am not sure I have ever said in my life. I'm eating scrambled eggs with avocado and some meat (usually leftover from the night before) and fruit. It's filling but getting boring.

Lunches are fine. Generally, we just eat leftovers (Paul brings them to work and I eat them here).

In the beginning I was snacking a ton. Mostly on fruit, nut butters and Larabars. Now though (actually just in the past few days) I am finding those snacks less necessary. It appears I am adjusting to the new routine. Increasing my weight gradually is important while pregnant though, so I am monitoring that and making sure to get enough food (and obviously, eating whenever I'm hungry).

I feel great energy wise. No headaches, no hunger, no physical cravings, no afternoon crashes. All good news. I am struggling to drink enough water though (just need to commit to it). I've done some reading and while veggies are more fibrous than whole grains, they take a lot more water to process through your system. Good to know. Working on it.

One of the big pros of the program is supposed to be better sleep and a clearer mind. I was getting decent sleep and felt "clear headed" before starting though so I can't say that's improved.

Paul says he feels pretty much the same physically, but better mentally about the choices we are making. So there's that. We also learned Ellerie loves cooked broccoli! So that was a bizarre and unexpected side effect.

In sum: not a lot to report. It's an intense way of eating, but it's 30 days. 30 days. You can do anything for 30 days. If you want a jump start, it could be a great fit. Hopefully I'll have a more exciting update when we complete the program on August 5!

this post is not sponsored or affiliated in anyway. just sharing an update. be sure to check with your doctor before starting a new food routine!

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Fun episode of ELISE GETS CRAFTY this week! I'm chatting with Erin of Cotton and Flax about creative burnout. Subscribe through iTunes or stream here.

simple grilled corn.

Sometimes we make something and I think "I should blog this." Then I think "nah, too simple." But then, occasionally, it tastes good enough that I decide it's worth a post anyway.

And so, I bring you, grilled corn: so easy your toddler can watch you make it. So good your toddler just might eat it.

Basically, it's just prep work - peel back the corn husks (leaving them on the cob) and remove all the "strings." Rinse the corn and pull the husks back into place.

Run them under water a tiny bit (so everything is mildly damp).

Throw directly on the grill (ideally heated to about 400*F) for 25 minutes total. (Flipping three times - about every 8 minutes.)

Remove from the grill and enjoy! We like to cut ours off the cob for Ellerie's ease and mix with a bit of pepper and season salt. We find that the mid-summer sweet corn generally doesn't need butter, but of course you could top with anything.