Blueberry Jam Sweetened with Maple Syrup!

Hey guys! I have been feeling a little bit under the weather today, so I am snuggled up with my kids and watching TV. Sometimes it's important to listen to our bodies and give ourselves a day or two of rest. 

We went blueberry picking again last week and this time enough made it home that we could do something with! Last time we picked, my 4-year-old decided to eat most of them on the way home. My bad, but at least he filled up on his antioxidants and fiber!

I decided to do something a little different than most of the jam recipes that I have seen on Pinterest. Instead of sweetening the jam with sugar or honey, I thought I would use maple syrup. Maple syrup is super rich in minerals and is an unrefined sugar. I LOVE that this jam isn't too sweet. It has the perfect amount of sweetness and tartness. The natural sweetness and flavor of the berries really come through by not using cups of sugar.. And also, talk about unhealthy!

If you are into canning and storing, by all means... can these babies! I have heard of people doing a water bath method of canning for jams, or using a canner. I don't really have a lot of experience with either, and I knew that we would eat this super fast.

Another difference between this recipe and others you will see is that I didn't use fruit pectin. I chose to use gelatin as a thickener. It worked like a charm!

Another thing that we have been doing is making our own organic yogurt in the instant pot, so we have been using this jam with our yogurt for a healthy alternative to "fruit on the bottom" yogurt. It's a huge hit with my 4-year-old and 9 month old. One of the best parts? My baby can eat this treat since it doesn't contain honey. It's a total mom win!

Let me know what you think.

Elizah

Easy, Maple Syrup Sweetened Blueberry Jam
(paleo, refined-sugar free)
Makes 1 Pint

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon gelatin dissolved in 1 1/2 teaspoons water (do not let sit for longer than 10 minutes)

Process:

1. In a medum-large non-reactive saucepan, add blueberries, lemon juice, and maple syrup.

2. Bring to medium heat until mixture reaches a boil.

3. Boil for about 5-7 minutes until blueberries start to break apart.

4. Remove from heat. Add your "bloomed" gelatin and mix well until gelatin is completely dissolved and incorporated.

5. Let cool slightly for 2 minutes, and then pour your finished product into canning jars.

6. Use your favorite canning method to store the jam, or just be sure to use fresh within one week!

My GreenChef Exerience.. a 100% Honest Review!

Hey guys! I was excited to try something a little different today. I reviewd a popular meal subscription box, Green Chef! They were generous enough to provide the food for me to write this review, and I hope you enjoy!

 THE INGREDIENTS:

Pros: 

• All ingredients were color coded. Since I received a total of 3 recipes, I loved this!
• Everything was organic AND fresh.. I have tried HelloFresh and their produce is never this good, or organic.
• I understand that with meal subscription boxes, plastic is necessary. I really felt that they were as conscious as possible on the plastic factor and that their insulation to keep the food cool was eco-friendly!

Cons:

• I really don't have much to complain about other than me having a difficult time storing the different ingredients in my fridge. I am sure this could easily be fixed with some cardboard boxes to separate everything!

THE RECIPES:

 The recpies that I received were SO tasty! The one I chose to highlight was the Cajun Pork and Eggplant dish. The flavors were spectacular and well thought out. My husband is also a passionate home cook and had nothing but good things to say about the meal. The chicken dish pictued above was also delicious. The flavors were incredible composed. We loved it all!

THE COOKING:

The directions provided were super easy to follow. I have been cooking for quite some time, but I know that these recipes would be just as easy for beginners. I loved that the recipes were all around 30-35 minutes and they were very true to time. I love that their is a photo attached to each step. I can see this being super helpful for beginner home cooks who are starting to learn to cook healthully!

THE FINISHED PRODUCT

Honestly, I was really really hungry before taking this photo. I probably could have taken better photos, but it was dinner time, I had screaming children, and here was this delicious looking meal staring right at me. I DEVOURED it. It was absolutely delicious. My picky 4 year old LOVED the pork and eggplant. Mom win!

Interested in trying GreenChef?! Be sure to use my special coupon code for 
$50 Off your first box !

Spiced Pork Tenderloin with Apple Chutney and Apple Sauce

Can you feel it?! Fall is almost here.. I know I know. You may want to hit me for rushing Summer. I enjoy Summer, but I LOVE Fall.. Call me basic. I love pumpkin spice, apple picking, New England weather, sweaters, boots, and all things cozy. I especially love preparing a warm meal on cool fall evenings like this one. The secret to the best, juicy pork is to bring the meat for 12 hours beforehand. It makes ALL of the difference. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP. I know you may have little ones running around at home like I do, but I promise you, you will thank me for the added work.

I actually developed this recipe last Fall, but I never perfected the recipe until now. I NEED to know.. Are you as Autumn-obsessed as I am? Please comment below!!

Paleo Spiced Pork Tenderloin with Apple Chutney and Apple Sauce

(paleo, primal)
Serves 4-6

Brine Ingredients:

• 1 cup cold water
• 1/4 cup of salt
• 1/3 cup maple syrup or apple juice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon black pepper cloves

Brine Process:

1. In a large bowl, whisk all ingredients until well-comvined.
2. Add in whole pork, cover, and refrigerate for 8-12 hours.

Chutney Ingredients:

• 4 fresh apples, peeled , cored, and diced into even 1/3 inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Chutney Process:

1. Preheat a large skillet to low-medium heat. Add butter until melted and slightly foamy.

2. Add apples to pan and gently toss with the butter using a rubber spatula.

3. Add seasonings, except vinegar to the apples.

4. Cook on low for about 20 minutes, stirring gently every few minutes until the apples are just soft and beautifully caramelized.

5. Add vinegar to the bottom of the pan and gently combine all ingredients.

6. Remove from heat and store in fridge until your meal, unless you're making this while you are cooking your loin.

Tenderloin Ingredients:

• 1, 1 1/2-2 lb. pork tenderloin, left whole
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Tenderloin Process:

1. Preheat oven to 400 and have a cast iron pan ready.

2. Remove the tenderloin from brine, and pat tenderloin dry with a paper towel.

3. In a small bowl, combine all seasonings and using your hands, rub the tenderloin down with the seasonings.

4. Let the seaoned pork come to temperature for about 10 minutes on the counter.

5. Heat your cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. 

6. Drizzle olive oil in cast iron pan, and sear tenderloin on one side until browned,about 5 minutes.

7. Flip tenderloin over to the other side, and immediately place in middle rack in oven.

8. Roast in oven for 25-30 minutes, OR until a meat thermometer reads 140-145 in the thickest part of the tenderloin.

9. Remove from oven, and let loin rest for about 10 minutes before slicing. 

10 Serve with caramelized apple chutney and apple sauce.

Serve with toasted sage, optional.