Blueberry “Glosettes”

I was just surprised to find out that “Glosette” is an exclusive Canadian brand of confectionary!  Who knew!  I thought that Cadbury made them, but apparently Hersey bought them in 1987 from Nabisco so I wasn’t even close!

Basically a glosette is bit of dried fruit or nut dipped in some glossy chocolate.

So over the holidays I had a young visitor who for health reasons is not supposed to eat much sugar.  I didn’t want him to feel left out while everyone else was pounding back the sugar cookies and shortbread, so I tried to make him some healthy items so he would feel like part of the gang.

One thing I came up with was to make my own blueberry glosettes.   It was a bit labour intensive, but worth it in the long run.

I also made up some of these :  CLICK HERE

But for the glosettes I had to first dry out the blueberries!

Out came the trusty Excalibur dehydrator which really hadn’t been getting it’s fair share of use lately.

Start by thoroughly washing and picking over your blueberries, discarding any dodgy ones.   And then I put them into a clean tea towel and  try to dry them the best you can.

Then onto the dehydrator try and in they go.

If you don’t have a dehydrator……..and I understand that many people don’t!  You can just put them on a parchment covered baking sheet and pop them in the oven on super low.  Like 200 degrees if you aren’t trying to make them “raw”.

Which ever method you use, leave them until they resemble raisins.

Once they are done, let them cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, in a double boiler, melt some good quality dark chocolate.  I used the 70% cacao bars.

Melt the chocolate until it is just runny enough but still quite viscous.

Toss in your blueberry raisins , coating well, working quickly.

Now I’m sure at the Hershey factory they have some sort of fancy conveyor belt thing that makes them come out perfectly round, but at home you have to make due.

I tried letting them harden on a fresh sheet of parchment but will admit they came out flat on one side.

Or I tried putting them on a baking cooling rack with small squares, that seemed to work better, but it was a bit of work getting them off.

Perhaps you might have an even better idea of how to cool them and keep their shape??

Which ever the case, once they hardened they were a delicious, NOT so sugary treat!!

Skinny milkshake

What with summer upon us, who doesn’t like a good milkshake from time to time?  But there is a hefty calorie price tag attached with all the fat and sugar.

Well here’s a version that will save you a bundle!

You have to plan ahead a little.

Start by peeling a few bananas and put them into an air tight container and toss them in the freezer till they are good and frozen.  ( results may vary by freezer!)

Meanwhile, you need to get your hands on something called “Chia”. (click here to read about Chia)  Yes chia just like a chia pet that you see on TV.  It is a funky little seed that is FULL of goodness that looks like of like poppy seeds, small and black.   But what’s great is the way it reacts when you get it wet.  When you soak it for a little bit in liquid, it goops right up.  Stand by to see why that’s a good thing.

So get yourself some chia.  You can buy it in any health food store and now even in most reputable bulk stores.  Buy it in bulk first, if you can, to try it out.  Then if you like it, you can buy a real bag worth of it.

So back to our skinny milkshake.

Get out your blender.

Put in about 2 tbsp of chia and about two cups of the “milk” of your choice.

Here is where it can get “skinny”.  You can use anything from skim milk to whole OR the non dairy milk of your choice, like almond, hemp, rice etc.  OR if you make the “milk” yourself, like live almond milk, this whole drink can become a “raw” item.

At this point you are gonna want to let the milk and the chia sit quietly for about 10 minutes to let the chia goop up.  Now this is a great thing, because instead of the full fat ice cream which usually gives a milk shake that thick deliciousness, the chia will do this for you.  Only instead of unwanted saturated fat, you are getting protein and omega 3’s!!

Next, you can add your flavouring.  If you don’t mind or are okay with sugar you can add chocolate syrup.  But if sugar is your enemy ( and let’s face it sugar is NOT our friend) then you can add plain ol coco powder.

Or you can add a combo of coco powder and the “healthier” sweetener of your choice like agave or stevia.  Or you could use something like strawberries or blueberries if you prefer a fruitier drink.

Whiz this stuff up for a bit.

Then last but not least add in your frozen bananas which will add both sweetness and substitute the coldness of ice cream.

Whiz it all up until it is well mixed and enjoy!!