Sweet Treats

Blueberry  Crumble Cake

My sweet treat indulgence for this week is a delicious blueberry crumble cake. Keeping true to my retro roots, the recipe comes from a Retro Baking book with a healthy update, while still keeping the flavor and decadence alive. Enjoy this treat while taking a break from the day and sipping on some tea of coffee.

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup truvia baking sugar
• 2/3 cup butter
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsps baking powder
• 2 eggs, seperated (reserve the whites)
• 1 cup of almond milk
• 1 cup of fresh blueberries

Grease and flour the bottom of a 12x8x2 inch rectangle pan. In a large mixing bowl sift together flour and sugar. Using a fork cut in butter until mixture becomes crumbly. Measure 3/4 cup of flour mixture and set aside. To remaining flour mixture beat in baking powder, salt, egg yolks, and milk; beat about 2 minutes. In a small mixing bowl beat egg whites until stuff and still moist. Gently fold into batter and pour into pan. Spread blueberries over batter and sprinkle crumb mixture over top. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes.

Simple Pleasures

Have Your Cake and Eat It Too

When it comes to dessert time, that signals all sorts of warning bells in my head. Basically, how bad the sweet treat can be for my body and health. One thing I have learned though, like most things in life, is moderation is key. I always watch the sugar content in all types of foods be it the appetizer, main course, or dessert, due to the toll it takes on the body. Sugar can literally make you look older, yikes! Cutting sweets completely out of the diet would be ideal, but as I have learned in the past, cravings can come on strong and take over, leading to an eventual dessert fest of all sorts. To keep the cravings at bay moderation comes into play. Either make healthy comprises like swapping milk chocolate out for healthy 70% dark chocolate, which is filled with flavanoids and becomes more like fiber at 70%, or treat yourself to one dessert a week so as not to completely limit yourself, but also keeping the sugar at bay. This way, you can have your cake and eat it too, the best of both worlds being had.

Finding that balance can be tricky, but simply takes some planning and good decision making. Instead of bleached flour, buy whole wheat flour, and instead of white rice, try the ever healthy quinoa. I've used whole wheat flour and quinoa in many of my recipes for cooking and baking, and they come out fantastic. Instead of grabbing a bag of chips from the vending machine, try to pack an apple instead or bring some berries and almonds to munch on. Having that one dessert at the end on the week, or whenever you prefer, will not seem so bad after all of the healthy choices being made. Not only that, but it gives you something to look forward to, a nice reward for all of your hard work!