Happiness is a toasted plain bagel for breakfast, with ricotta cheese and jam

 

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Happiness is heart healthy sweet bing cherries, on sale last week for $1.99/lb

This week they're $3.99, alas.

A serving is about one dozen cherries, giving you 12% of your daily dietary fiber and 16% of your vitamin C. You also get vitamins A and K, folate, potassium, calcium, zinc, iron and copper, and some important anti-inflammatory compounds.

The dark red color of cherries comes from anthocyanidins and proanthocyanidins, which are compounds that help decrease inflammation in your body, according to Michael T. Murray, author of "The Condensed Encyclopedia of Healing Foods." A 2006 article published in the "Journal of Nutrition" reports that Bing cherries can reduce inflammation associated with cardiovascular disease and stroke. The study also suggests that eating cherries can lower your cholesterol. The beneficial compounds in cherries can ease the discomfort of arthritis as well, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service.

More at the link.

Oat muffins with dried Montmorency cherries

Oat Muffins with dried Montmorency cherries

This recipe is adapted from the POST 100% Bran Muffin recipe of old. The only substitution is the oats for the bran cereal. The only addition is the cherries. The yield is about 15 muffins. Calories per muffin are about 194. Total fat is 2g, total carbs 38g (dietary fiber 3.2g), and total protein is 6g. 

Ingredients:

1 cup unbleached flour

1.5 teaspoons baking powder

.5 teaspoon baking soda

.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 cups whole rolled oats

1.25 cups 2% milk

1 egg 

.5 cup unsweetened apple sauce

.33 cup brown sugar

.66 cup dried cherries

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Whisk dry ingredients together in one bowl.

3. In another bowl whisk together the wet ingredients, and the sugar and cherries.

4. Add the dry to the wet, mixing well with a wooden spoon.

5. Lightly grease 2 8-bay muffin pans with Crisco.

6. Add .25 cup of the mixture to each bay.

7. Add water to the last unfilled bay.

8. Bake 15-20 minutes on the center rack of the oven.