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Maine is the largest producer of wild blueberries in the world and last week, Liz was there to experience the tiny sweet berries in all their glory. With her family, she traveled to a picturesque area called Sebasco Bay and enjoyed the local cuisine (lobsters, mussels, potatoes and blueberries, of course). If you’re lucky enough to get a hold of some Maine wild blueberries, try our Blueberry Snack Muffins. You can also use frozen blueberries so don’t worry if you can’t find the fresh ones.

Blueberry Snack Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

Topping:
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon wheat germ
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Batter:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large omega-3 eggs, beaten
One 6 to 8-ounce container lowfat blueberry yogurt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen wild blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil or coat 12 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Prepare the topping by combining the sugar, wheat germ, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside. To make the batter, whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, yogurt, sugar, canola oil, and vanilla and stir until well blended. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. Gently stir in the blueberries. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle evenly with the topping. Bake about 20 minutes or until the muffins are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for 5 minutes. Remove the muffins and cool an additional 5 minutes before serving.

Nutritional Information per Serving: 190 calories, 6g fat (0.5g saturated), 31g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 150mg sodium, 4g protein

On average, children consume over 850 snacks per year. Wow. That’s a lot of nibbles! For many kids, snack time has unfortunately become junk food time. To turn snacks into the healthy mini meals they were meant to be try our new Grab-and-Go Breakfast Bars (a makeover of store-bought granola bars). This is one of our best recipes yet! In fact, it took us ten tries in the Meal Makeover Moms’ Test Kitchen before we got it just right. It’s super nutritious thanks to ingredients like walnuts, dried fruits, and whole grain cereals, and kids love the taste. What could be better?!

Grab-and-Go Breakfast Bars
Makes 16 Bars

1 cup quick cooking oats
1 cup shredded wheat cereal*
1 cup walnuts
1 1/2 cups dried fruit (we use a combination of dried apricots, dried plums, and dried cranberries)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large omega-3 eggs
1/3 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil or coat an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
2. Place the oats, shredded wheat, walnuts, dried fruit, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is finely chopped (the dried fruit will be the size of a dried pea or lentil).
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, honey, and vanilla. Add the oatmeal mixture and chocolate chips and stir to combine.
4. Transfer to the baking pan and flatten down gently with the back of a spoon or spatula to spread evenly.
5. Bake about 18 minutes until the edges turn golden brown and the bars are done. Let bars cool completely in pan before slicing and serving.

* We like Mom’s Best Naturals Toasted Wheat-fuls for this recipe.

TIP: These bars freeze really well. So, if you have leftovers, wrap individual portions in plastic baggies or aluminum foil and freeze.

Nutrition Information per Serving: 160 calories, 7g fat (1.5g saturated, 0.7g omega-3), 85mg sodium, 23g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 3g protein

We’ve been told for years that we should be on the Oprah Winfrey Show to share our ideas & tips for feeding families a healthy diet. Janice finally had the opportunity to talk with/beg Oprah to let us on her show. Unfortunately, Janice didn’t get a response from the Diva of Daytime TV because the Oprah Janice spoke to was made of wax. “Wax, you say?” Yes, since their meeting took place at Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum in New York City, it was impossible to get any sort of dialog going (though Janice did do her best). If anyone knows the real Oprah, feel free to tell her all about us!