Lemon Blueberry Cake Bars

For me, holidays and celebrations centre around family…and food! Just this past holiday season we had family staying with us, who haven’t been able to be a part of our festivities in years past, remark that perhaps there might be a bit too much food. Those who have seen it all before just laughed and let it be known, it’s not enough until it’s excessive!

It’s healthy abundance though! Several vegetable sides, both raw and cooked. At least a couple different quality proteins to meet everyone’s needs. Since we’re celebrating, I’ll usually include some sort of starchy veg, maybe even potatoes or rice.

Of course, no celebration would be complete without a treat of some sort. One of my favourites is cake bars! It only takes a few minutes to put the ingredients together and best of all, can be made ahead so I can enjoy my company!

If you’ve been following my blog for a while you’ll know that my family has some unique dietary needs. That means we eat gluten and cow dairy free and stay away from corn and refined sugars, for starters. I’ve come to learn that this does not mean we have to compromise on TASTE!

I found some gorgeous fresh organic blueberries when doing my shopping so I scooped them up feeling inspired. I want the food I eat to be not only tasty but nutrient dense, and you don’t get much more nutrient dense than blueberries.

These lovely little guys not only provide important nutrients such as vitamin C and folate, but are low on the glycemic scale since they are also a source of fibre — meaning they won’t spike your blood sugar. Blueberries also contain anti-inflammatory phytonutrients. The same phytochemicals that make blueberries so hardy can help protect you too! Consistently showing an ability to reduce the risk of oxidative stress caused by free radicals and unwanted inflammation in blood vessels; blueberries are great for your heart, blood pressure and even your brain!

Ok, so clearly I love blueberries. But don’t you think blueberries are even better with lemon? Plus that brilliant sunshine-y yellow is going to look great on my Mother’s Day spread!

This recipe is quite flexible, this time I used almond milk and maple sugar as one guest has to avoid coconut. Easy peasy! I’ve made this as an Orange cranberry cake at Christmas time. It works out great! When I’m making this as a muffin, I’ll halve the sugar. It’s sweet enough for me!

If you try another combination or substitution with good results, let me know in the comments. Until then, Happy Mother’s Day!