For me, there’s no better way to enjoy a beautiful weekend morning than to stroll around a Farmers' Market. Our Old Town Temecula Farmers’ Market is great. It's held every Saturday morning, rain or shine but if for some reason I can't make it we have one not too far away held on Sunday and many of the same farms sell at both: local cheeses, plants and flowers, artisans selling their homemade items like salsa, jams, soap and of course lots of just picked fruits and veggies.
I usually walk around once to see what everyone has to offer, find a little spot somewhere to sit down to develop a game plan based on what's available before I go back around again and make my purchases.
A Premier Protein Bananas & Cream Protein Shake (30 grams of protein, 24 vitamins and minerals, low in fat, only one gram of sugar and just 160 calories) and local blueberries powered my morning.
Here's some of my haul and those berries (well, minus the handful I ate) became this delicious, super easy to make Berry Crumble with a protein-packed topping.
Shelly's Farmer's Market Premier Protein Berry Crumble
3/4 cup Almond Flour
1/3 cup Premier Protein Vanilla Milkshake Whey Protein Powder, dry
1 Tablespoon Butter
2 Tablespoons Almond Butter
2 Tablespoons Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup (or liquid sweetener of your choice: honey, agave)
2 cups of Berries (I used Raspberries and Blueberries)
Preheat oven to 350. Wash berries and divide equally in 4 ramekins. Mix crumble ingredients together (hands are best) till clumps form (add a teaspoon of water if needed, it'll depend on almond butter brand some are thinner or thicker than others.) I used Premier Protein Vanilla Milkshake Whey Protein Powder, it has 30 grams of protein per scoop, no artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners but Premier Protein Chocolate Whey Protein Powder would be great too. I mean hello?! Chocolate and berries. Yum!
Sprinkle clumps of the topping equally over each ramekin of fruit. I place the ramekins on a baking sheet it's easier to remove them from the oven and saves any oven clean-up if your berries are especially juicy.
Bake at 350 for 25 minutes till golden. Serve warm, room temperature or cold with or without Homemade, No Sugar Added Whipped Cream or a dollop of Greek yogurt.
Cooks Note: Almond Flour is just ground blanched almonds. Almond Meal may be subbed that's ground almonds with the skins on but Almond Meal is a little denser so I prefer Almond Flour in this recipe with delicate berries. Almond Meal would be fine for heartier fruits like peaches or apples in the summer and fall.
Make the most of your Farmers' Market shopping experience with these 5 tips:
- Bring a sturdy reusable shopping bag or folding shopping cart if you anticipate a large haul or are planning on buying a giant watermelon.
- Bring small bills especially if you are shopping very early in the day; breaking $100 bill for a $3 basket of berries is not good market etiquette. Set aside dollar bills during the week for market day.
- Be respectful of the produce: don't squeeze all the avocados looking for the perfect one (or let your kids play with them) if you're not sure about how ripe something is or need something to be ready for a recipe later on in the week, ask the farmer to help you pick out the best.
- Ask questions. Farmers' markets are a great place to learn about a culture or areas local cuisine. Not sure what something is or how to prepare it? You may even score a sample or learn a new recipe.
- Take advantage of your Farmers' market's website, info booth or bulletin board. Many have rules like no dogs allowed (except for service dogs) based on your county's health & safety codes. Some markets offer "Veggie Valet" service so you can pick up your purchases later in the day if you do buy that giant watermelon. Some market's even offer cooking demos or market tours and there's also usually great info available on what fruits and veggies are in-season with recipes.
This post is sponsored by Premier Protein® #TheDayIsYours For the purposes of this post Premier Protein provided me with products used. Want to learn more about Premier Protein products LIKE their Facebook page, Twitter and Instagram and tell them The World According to Eggface told you to stop by. Hope you find a Farmers' Market near you and give this recipe a try!
