If you love blueberries too, buy plenty to freeze when they are in season. Just wash and place in a single layer on a cookie sheet (lined with wax paper) to freeze. Transfer the frozen berries to small containers and they will be ready to use all year long. Toss them straight from the freezer into your favorite pancake batter, or use them in recipes, like this fabulous blueberry muffin recipe!

Dr. Pat’s Blueberry Crunch Muffins

1 ½ cup flour
¾ cup yellow cornmeal
¼ cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg
¼ cup canola oil
1 cup low fat buttermilk
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (but not thawed)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (375 degrees convection) and prepare a muffin pan with Pam for Baking (not paper muffin liners; they will stick).
Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl and set aside. In another large bowl whisk the egg, oil and buttermilk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in the blueberries. Spoon batter into the muffin cups.
Bake until lightly browned, about 16 minutes in a regular oven or 12 minutes convection. Cool for 2 minutes in the pan, then transfer promptly to a cooling rack. Serve warm.
Makes 12 muffins.

Did I mention healthy? These muffins have the nutrition of blueberries (with their vitamins and antioxidants) in a low fat, low calorie package, only about 100 calories per muffin! Yum!

Still hungry? Browse more by Dr. Pat…

Some of the top brands in the world have created (RED) products, which altogether have generated over $110 million. With the new music download system, half of each month’s membership fee will go directly to the Global Fund, which means that just five subscribers will provide enough money each year to provide antiretroviral treatment for a year to someone living with HIV.

In case you’re not yet familiar with Bono’s (RED) charity and (PRODUCT) RED, let me fill you in. The primary objective is “to engage the private sector in raising awareness and money for the Global Fund, to help eliminate AIDS in Africa.” The companies that take part in (PRODUCT) RED give a substantial portion of sales or profits from a particular product to the Global Fund.

The new music delivery system isn’t actually available until next month, but you can pre-register (and get more information about the (RED) charity) at joinred.com.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

E!’s Drive Safe campaign will feature on-air spots with popular celebrities as well as simple online and wireless access to taxi services all across the U.S.

P. Diddy said, “I believe that it is important to promote responsible drinking and generate public awareness on the necessity of designating a driver.” The on-air spots will feature celebrities like Tommy Lee, Eva Longoria Parker, Wilmer Valderrama, Gabrielle Union, and others, along with the crew from E!’s Daily 10. The celebrities and personalities will surprise club goers who are about to leave and offer them a ride home, the point being more than just “drinking and driving is bad,: — they want people to realize that “any designated driver is a star.”

It’s a good message, and I’m glad they’re taking real action to get people to realize how that they can have a social life and still be smart and safe with just a little planning.

Photo courtesy of thebestgossip.com

Guests were treated to dinner and a concert, and an auction was held with prizes like a trip to Africa with Elton John. The auction alone raised $20 million!

The Elton John AIDS Foundation’s strives to fund education programs regarding HIV/AIDS prevention as well as eliminating discrimination against those living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. Additionally, it funds programs and services for people living with or at risk for HIV/AIDS. The Foundation recently received its third consecutive 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, and considering on 16% of evaluated charities earn more than two consecutive 4-star ratings, this is quite a feather in Elton’s already fabulous cap.

If you didn’t get a chance to attend (you know, because you forgot your tiara), you still have the opportunity to help out this worthy charity by going to the website and making a donation.

Photo courtesy of dailymail.co.uk

The Phoenix Suns basketball superstar put together a soccer game, nicknamed The Showdown in Chinatown, between fellow NBA players and professional soccer players. The game was free to attend, but donations were accepted to benefit the Steve Nash Foundation. The Steve Nash Foundation “aims to grow health in kids by funding projects that provide direct services to children affected by poverty, illness, abuse, or neglect, and create an opportunity for education, health, and empowerment.”

Among the basketball stars taking part were Baron Davis, Jason Kidd, Raja Bell, and Leandro Barbosa, and they were up against soccer greats such as Barcelona forward Thierry Henry, Red Bulls midfielder Claudio Reyna, and Robbie Fowler, formerly of Liverpool.

While the basketball players worked hard and had a great game plan (”outscore the other team”), the soccer players were in their element and won 9-4 while performing entertaining tricks and theatrics. The players and the crowd had a good time for a great cause, and you can’t ask for much more than that!

Photo courtesy of schemamag.com

This is absolutely, positively the most succulent chicken you will ever prepare on a grill! The beer bastes the chicken from the inside, and because the chicken is roasted vertically, all the fat just drips away.

What about the kids? The alcohol in the beer fully evaporates of course, leaving just wonderfully moist and flavorful chicken…without any drunken children!

Beer Can Chicken

1 whole chicken, 4 to 5 lb.
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons dry spice rub* or prepared grill seasoning
1 tablespoon oil or cooking spray
1 can beer (16 oz.)

Remove the neck and giblets from the chicken cavity and set aside. Remove any excess fat, then rinse the chicken and dry inside and out with paper towels. Coat the chicken with oil, then rub on the salt and spice mix, covering the inside, outside, and in between the skin and breast meat.

Open a can of beer and pour half into a glass (for later consumption!). Place the chicken over the beer can and transfer to the grill, positioning the can and legs like a tripod to support the chicken upright. Cook on indirect medium for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer placed between the thigh and breast registers 165 degrees. Remove the chicken from the grill and place in a shallow pan to rest for 10 minutes. Lift the chicken from the can and cut into serving pieces. (Reserve the carcass for another use, like next week’s recipe!)

*A simple mix: 2 tablespoons each paprika and brown sugar, 1 tablespoon ground black pepper.

Try different dry rubs for variety; just look for more recipes in your favorite grilling book. If you have extra rub, pour a tablespoonful into the beer before cooking for even more flavor. And for the faint-hearted, you can even buy a stand to support the beer can if you don’t mind one more piece of equipment in the kitchen!

While the chicken cools, grill the corn on the cob and take the Zucchini, Apple and Raisin Slaw out of the refrigerator. Dinner is served!

Find more of Dr. Pat’s recipes in Healthy Lifestyle…

The donations will be given to four different organizations which will help children who have lost parents, homes, and schools in Iraq. Three organizations in Iraq will split $500,000 which will pay for the basics, including school supplies, rehabilitation programs, and refugee aid.

The $500,000 that is staying in the U.S. will go toward the Armed Services YMCA Operation Hero Program. The program assists children who are affected by either a parent currently serving or the loss of a parent who served. Operation Hero knows that children of military families face special challenges, such as feeling isolated and experiencing low self esteem, having a parent deployed (or both deployed) for long periods of time, and problems with school work because they’ve moved around so much.

With Angelina and Brad busy expecting their newest additions, it’s great to see them bringing attention to other children in the world!

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Gwyneth wasn’t alone in warbling for a worthy cause. She was joined by celebrities like Lily Cole, Lou Reed, Bruce Forsyth, and Stella McCartney. Altogether the event raised $440,000 for the HOPING Foundation.

The HOPING Foundation believes that the next generation of Palestinians hold the key to peace, and HOPING stands for Hope and Optimism for Palestinians In the Next Generation. HOPING works to show Palestinian children that their struggle for even the smallest daily victories is noticed and encouraged by people the world over, specifically in Britain. Grants go toward small community initiatives that make instant improvements to the community and “are provided to encourage and improve all aspects of children’s lives; through art, music, social and sporting activities, and through their education and health needs.”

We might not all be able to raise thousands of dollars by belting out our favorite songs (in fact, I think people would be more likely to pay me not to sing, personally), but if you’re interested in donating to HOPING, you can do so on their website — no singing required.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Steve held a premiere of his new film, Get Smart, to raise money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to benefit the Zachary Carson Brain Tumor Fund. Tickets were $100 per person and included a chance to see the movie as well as the opportunity to spend more money at an auction. One of the items up for auction was the chance to have Steve Carell record a voicemail message. I’d probably rather bid on jewelry, but hey — to each his own.

This isn’t the first time Steve has gotten involved in raising money for the Zachary Carson Brain Tumor Fund. Last year he held a similar premiere for Evan Almighty. This seems like a brilliant way to raise some money for a great cause and bring attention to his films — I hope more celebrities catch on!

Photo courtesy of stevecarell.net

This is the third year of the Cartier Love Charity Bracelet, and this year’s version has a silk cord in different colors depending on which charity it’s connected with, and they feature a white gold and a rose gold link. Involved celebrities each chose a charity, and the sale of a bracelet in the color associated with the charity will net that charity $200 of the $995 price tag.

Some of the celebrities and their charities are Janet Jackson, whose grey bracelet corresponds to the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance; Fergie, whose orange bracelet will benefit The Black Eyed Peas Foundation; Good Charlotte, with a deep green bracelet helping out the Richie Madden Children’s Foundation; Hilary Duff, whose purple bracelet will benefit Blessings in a Backpack (which is run by USA Harvest); and Ashanti, who has a royal blue bracelet raising money for the Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs of America.

In the three years since Cartier began the Love Charity Bracelet, well over $2 million has been raised for 16 different charities. Great jewelry for great causes? Sounds like a beautiful combination to me!

Photo courtesy of celebrity-gossip.net