Super Blue

After getting up at the crack of dawn (5 am) for work during the week, I relish in my bed. I love to sleep in on weekend days. I don't sleep the day away; I just sleep in enough to feel caught up and yet still able to get some things done. A great sleep deserves a great breakfast. The latest addition to the breakfast menu is blueberries.

When I was a kid, I turned up my nose to blueberries. They weren't wildly sweet. I didn't even like them when they were fresh picked from the bushes of my back yard in Massachusetts. Despite my childhood feelings, I had the urge to pick up a package at the store a few months ago, and fell in love. I'm glad my tastes have changed, since blueberries are grrrrrrreat for you.

Blueberries are high in antioxidants, vitamin C, and vitamin E. They are great with cereal, in yogurt, on waffles, or by themselves. I've been eating them on waffles lately. My favorite waffle mix is Bob's Red Mill. They are fluffy and stretchy. Pamela's are a little more reminiscent of Bisquick. The Trader Joe's waffles come out crispy in on the outside, light, and stretchy on the inside. The only problem with them is they want you to make the whole box at once. It takes some math to divide it down to a few batches.

Here are the nutritional facts, via www.blueberry.org. Very convincing.

USDA National Nutrient Database For Standard Reference, Release 19 (2006)

		Blueberry (fresh)	Blueberry (frozen, unsweetened)
		1 c (148 g)	1 c (155 g)
Energy	kcal	84	79
Protein	g	1.10	0.65
Fat	g	0.49	0.99
Carbohydrate	g	21.45	18.86
Fiber	g	3.6	4.2
Calcium	mg	9	12
Iron	mg	0.41	0.28
Magnesium	mg	9	8
Phosphorus	mg	18	17
Potassium	mg	114	84
Sodium	mg	1	2
Zinc	mg	0.24	0.11
Copper	mg	0.084	0.051
Manganese	mg	0.497	0.228
Selenium	mcg	0.1	0.2
Vitamin C	mg	14.4	3.9
Thiamin	mg	0.055	0.05
Riboflavin	mg	0.061	0.057
Niacin	mg	0.619	0.806
Panthothenic acid	mg	0.184	0.194
Vitamin B6	mg	0.077	0.091
Folate	mcg	9	11
Vitamin B12	mcg	0	0
Vitamin A	IU	80	71
Vitamin E	mg	0.84	0.74
Vitamin K	mcg	28.6	25.4

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g=grams mg=milligrams kcal=kilocalories IU=International Units ug=micrograms ATE=alpha tocopherol equivalent