Blueberry Goodness

Hello Friends!

My name is Lindsey. I'm a mother of one and a wife of 5+ years to my best friend. 

I love crafting, creating, and cooking. I also adore gardening and everything that comes with it. However, living in a condo in the city doesn't create the greatest atmosphere for the sprawling acres of garden that I'd love to have. One day.. one day. :) 

Mandy has asked me to do some writing for The Organic Family. I, of course was honored and excited at the opportunity. 

I have recently gone vegan, which I am still working through and trying to find the best and healthiest things to eat. I've been searching for new recipes to try and stumbled across this recipe for vegan blueberry scones I knew they were begging to be created in my kitchen! After a light dinner tonight, it was time, and they did not disappoint! I found them on the Earth Balance page. The recipe made 12 scones... I think. Maybe I should have counted before we started munching on them! :)

The original recipe called for two things that I swapped out for other ingredients. You could use gluten-free flour if you have it and coconut spread instead of regular vegan butter spread if you'd like. I didn't have either so I just used what I had. 

I also used frozen blueberries, but really the possibilities are endless! Blueberries, dried cranberries, raisins, orange zest, nuts.. Let your taste buds guide you! :)

So.. enough talk, more food. Enjoy one of my favorite new recipes!

Vegan Blueberry Scones

• 6 Tbs. warm water
• 2 Tbs. flaxseed meal
• 2 cups flour
• 1/4 cup raw sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 4 Tbs. coconut spread or regular vegan butter spread
• 3/4 cup soy vanilla yogurt
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• 2 Tbs. raw sugar

Preheat oven to 400 F and line your baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.

Add the flaxseed meal and warm water to a small bowl, mix together with a fork, and let stand for 10 minutes.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon in stand-mixer bowl.

Switch whisk attachment to paddle attachment on mixer and add in butter spread. Mix until combined, but do not overwork.

Stir in flaxseed meal mixture and yogurt into dry mix until just combined. Gentle fold in berries or any other additions you choose. 

Generously flour surface and roll out to approx. 3/4 inch thick. 

Cut into triangles or use a large ravioli stamp to cut scones. 

Place scones onto baking sheet, sprinkle tops with raw sugar.

Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

And ENJOY! 

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Loves to you all,

Lindsey :)

Back up and running

So I've pretty much let this blog go, but I'm in the process of bringing in contributing writers and invite anyone who has something to share to send in guest posts.

When I started this blog, we lived in the suburbs and desperately wanted to escape "city life".  Now we live in the country on twelve acres, so a lot has changed.

One thing hasn't changed through. It can be a real struggle to eat clean, healthy foods, especially when life becomes busy and rushed.  I have learned that it doesn't have to be all or nothing.  It's okay to splurge now and then. It doesn't mean you have to throw your whole diet (and by diet, I mean "eating lifestyle") out the window.  It's really easy for me to feel overwhelmed when it comes to meal times.  I have five children, I homeschool, and I have a lot on my plate (well, figuratively speaking).  Sometimes supper time sneaks up on me, and I have no clue what I'm going to make.

I often forget to eat breakfast and lunch because I'm so busy making the kids' meals. I drink my cup of coffee and fool my stomach into thinking it has eaten, and then I snack on things as I put together the critters' lunches and... then when dinner rolls around, I realize I haven't actually had much of anything to eat!  It's not that I am purposely depriving myself.  I love food! But it's easy to get distracted and busy and forget to take care of myself. (Which I should, especially because I'm still nursing!)

Sometimes I don't plan ahead, and so I'm out and about and STARVING, so I pull into the drive thru lane and chow on some fries and burgers because, let's face it, when you are hungry, you often don't care about how healthy it is! You just want to fill the belly up and make the cranky go away.

Anyway, I figured it would be good for me to work on this blog a bit more often to keep myself more accountable and to share what I'm going through as I try to get back on the right nutritional path.  I've invited some of my friends to share as well!  Let's be honest with our struggles.  I want this to be a place to share successes, but also our goof-ups, hardships, and dislikes.  Let's share what works for us and what doesn't work for us.  Let's share information that we find useful.  It's not to scare people into eating healthy or to judge those who choose to eat differently than we do, but to inspire and encourage one another.

And, of course, I do hope to continue sharing posts on frugality, cloth diapering, elimination communication, gardening, and such!  If you have a post, link, photo, or recipe to share, please email me at talkto (at) mandymom (dot) com! :)