Eat Me: Blueberries

{source; google}

Hello dears, hungry at all? Today we are looking at Blueberries. You may have encountered them in your local Sainsburys or Tesco shopping centre, or even at your local farmers market. Here's what I'll say about them; Blueberries are delicious. If you get them from the right place, and you pick the right type; round, purple juicy blueberries, you will never ever want to stop eating them.

Blueberries are grown and can be found in most continents around the globe, including; Africa, Asia, Europe and the Mediterranean. They are usually indigo in colour, small, and perfectly round (unless squashed!).

So what's so amazing about Blueberries?

Well, there are a number of things that make them great.

Anti-oxidising

Firstly, like a lot of other common berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries), they are high in anti-oxidants. Antioxidants are enzymes or organic substances that limit deterioration of tissue through oxidisation. Essentially, they help keep our bodies in optimum condition for longer. Blueberries contain an antioxidant known as anthocyanin, which is helpful in keeping your body feeling younger.

Memory

Apparently, daily consumption of blueberries also helps with our cognitive function. All this means is that it is good for our brains, and one study even showed that daily consumption over a 12-week period resulted in better memory function.

Phytonutrient Content

In my last Eat Me post, I mentioned phytonutrients (plant compounds with apparent health protecting qualities). Phytonutrients are anti-inflammatory which means they limit the effects of inflammation and swelling. Blueberries, much like Olives, are also rich in phytonutrients.

Caretaking for your Heart

Tests have shown that a consistent and moderated intake of blueberries can lower cholestorol and systolic and diastolic blood pressures.

Good for your pee!

Blueberries contain molecules which reduce the growth of bad bacteria in the urinary tract, reducing infection.

Other benefits

• High Vitamin C content
• Very low in fat - only 1 per cent
• High in fibre - fibre helps you feel fuller for longer, helps regulate your stool and stops you feeling constipated
• Good potassium content - diets that are high in potassium reduce the risk of hypertension and the chances of a stroke
• They contain quite a lot of water, and are fairly low in calories, but be careful with overconsumption because most of the calorie content found in Blueberries comes from their sugar
• Some studies show that blueberries reduce sun-damage to eyes, not much more has been uncovered yet on this front, but see what happens!

Ways to eat Blueberries:

• In juice - to my knowledge, blueberries have not been available for long in juice form, but now that they are more readily available you can probably find them in blended juice drinks (My local Sainsburys sells a Blueberry and Pomegranate juice blend) or if you are extremely lucky, on their own (I know Marks and Spencer sell a litre of Blueberry juice)
• In a crumble - this is my favourite way. A lot of recipes will tell you to cover the blueberries in some lemon juice or add some sugar, but you don't need to. Just make the crumble mix as you would usually; flour, sugar, butter; rinse the blueberries, throw them in a greased pan, pour the crumble mix over, and place into the oven until the blueberries have melted and are a lovely gooey purple mess. Enjoy with ice-cream or vanilla custard. Mmmmm!

*Nutrition Data

**Wikipedia

***WHFoods

****Woman Fitness

Restaurant Review: Welcome to the Brasserie

{image source; Brasserie Blanc Website}

Sunday just gone, my lovely family; mother, father and sister, drove down to see me for some quality family time on Easter Sunday. The day started beautifully; a wonderful Easter Celebration service at Church in the morning, and lunch and wine in the afternoon.

The restaurant we chose for lunch was Brasserie Blanc, one in a chain of restaurants first started by French chef Raymond Blanc, with the other restaurants being in Berkhamsted, Bristol, Cheltenham, Chichester, Leeds, Milton Keynes, Oxford, Portsmouth and two other locations in London.

Upon arrival we were kindly greeted by staff, who politely asked for our reservation name before guiding us to a table. We sat upstairs, actually directly opposite the table in the photograph, with a nice view outside on our right. The only complaint I would have about our seat would be the noise of the kitchen; it would have been nice, if possible, to be offered the choice of where to sit, but where we sat was cosy, and had a nice private feel to it.

Brasserie Blanc have excellent lunch and dinner offers that run throughout the week. The lunch offer allows you to choose between three options for each of the courses at a price of £11.50 for two courses, or £13.95 for three; and the dinner offer is much the same at a price of £14.00 for two courses or £16.45 for three.

I was very impressed by the number of options available from the offer menu, as well as the add-ons that were available for little extra cost.

The starters were Spring Vegetable Soup, Beetroot and Watercress Salad, and Potted Smoked Mackerel with Horseradish Cream. My dad, like myself, had the Potted Smoked Mackerel which also came with a small salad. I loved the Mackerel, however I found that the salad that came with it was a little warm, but once mixed with the horseradish cream it was cooler.

For the main course, both my dad and sister opted for the Roast Sirloin, with the only issue being that the when the sirloin arrived it was medium rare, and the option to have it well-done had not been offered to either my dad or sister. This was the only issue, which considering my dad's appetite and the fact that he wasn't hungry after eating it, tells you that the portion sizes are generous.

Mum had the grilled marinated sardines with braised fennel and tomato sauce, and whilst she enjoyed the accompaniments, she found the number of bones in the sardines off-putting in what would otherwise have been a perfect meal.

My main course was the smoked pepper, grilled courgette, potato and onion omlette. I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the omlette, and was delighted to have selected it over all the other options on the menu.

Finally for dessert, we all opted for the sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice-cream, which was the right sweetness for its size; had it been any bigger, it would have been too sweet, had it been any smaller, it would have been a stingy offering.

The atmosphere of the restaurant is formal but relaxed, the staff are friendly and make sure you have everything that you need without hovering around you annoyingly making sure you eat your food, and the food is of a good standard.

As a venue, I think it's perfect for an intimate dinner, or dinner with a group of friends or family party (not kids that are too young). Service is prompt, the presentation is elegant but not over the top, and you don't pay through the nose for your food.

Rating: ****

Brasserie Blanc

Eat Me: Olives

{Source; tumblr}

Things I didn't know before writing this post:

1. Olives are a fruit
2. Olives are super fatty
3. Olives are not necessarily Italian, but can be from anywhere in the Mediterranean, Asia or Africa
4. Olives are a fruit

I know I said the last one twice, but seriously? I always had trouble thinking of them as a proper vegetable but I find it even stranger to consider them a fruit. Ignorance on my part probably.

Olives are good for us for a number of reasons; here are a few:

Fat Content

I hear you, how can something that has a high fat content be good for you? Here's how: Most of the fat found in Olives comes in the form of something known as Oleic Acid; a mono-saturated fat that apparently has the power to lower cholesterol and as a result, reduce the risk of Cardiovascular (heart) disease and lower blood pressure.

Antioxidant

Antioxidants are good for you because they help build up and protect your immune system and the cells in your body, slowing down the process of ageing. Olives contain Vitamin E and minerals Selenium and Zinc, all good sources of antioxidants, however the main reason Olives are such a good source of antioxidants is because they contain a lot of phytonutrients (plant compounds thought to have health protecting qualities). Oleuropein is a phytonutrient found exclusively in Olives and has been shown to protect nerve-cells and lower some markers of oxidative stress.

The Anti-inflammatory

If you have ever suffered from an allergic reaction, you'll have been recommended anti-histamines. Anti-histamines are drugs used to fight the compound histamine that is released in allergic inflammatory reactions, and some of the phytonutrients found in Olives have similar properties to them, making Olives good for reducing the inflammatory effects of allergic reactions.

Cancer-Fighting

As a result of their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, Olives are also good cancer fighters. This is because if our cells are exposed to too much oxidative stress or become chronically inflamed they can aid the development of cancer, and so eating a food with phytonutrients that work against both of these can reduce the effect of cancer.

So how can one enjoy olives?

1. As a snack - Olives make a great finger food and are a great snack when you're in a rush or want something savoury
2. In a pasta dish - Add Olives to your pasta, throw in some sun-dried tomatoes, garlic and basil and you have dinner
3. In a salad - Chop them up and throw them in; they can be delicious with fish or chicken based salads
4. As a starter dish - pair with feta, anchovies or capers
5. With a glass of wine or a Martini - perfect to set off the taste
6. On a homemade pizza - I usually make mine with a pitta bread base and add Philadelphia (light), tomato purée, mushrooms and a couple of leaves; watercress/rocket/basil
7. In a bread - try making your own homemade focaccia; you can add red peppers, mixed herbs and tomatoes; HEAVEN

*WHFoods

**BBC Good Food

***International Olive Council

****Wikipedia