Strawberry Carrot Orange Smoothie

Remember that Great Green Smoothie Experiment I told you guys about a while ago? Well, it’s still going strong, but some days I just feel like sipping on something on the sweeter side.

Strawberry Carrot Orange Smoothie
4 ounces fresh strawberries, hulled
1 large carrot
1 large navel orange, peeled
Cold water

Combine all ingredients in a blender, and blend until smooth. Yields about 16 ounces, depending on how much water you add -- I suggest starting with ½ cup and adding more until you get the desired consistency for easy sipping.

Feeding my cold with plenty of fluids

I’ve been under the weather for the past couple days. I try to consume as many fluids as possible in order to to stay hydrated, and I’ve got a few standard go-to comforts when I’ve come down with a cold -- brothy soups, Emergen-C and lots of hot tea (caffeine-free peppermint’s my favorite). Smoothies like this one are also pretty great, and I’m drinking this particular blend in hopes that it does keep the doctor away and that I’m back to good in no time.

An Apple a Day
1 Pink Lady apple, cored and sliced
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup coconut water

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.

Summer of Smoothies: The Classic

Strawberries and bananas go together like peanut butter and jelly. These classic flavors taste great together when mixed up with some yogurt and milk.

The Classic
1 ripe banana
2 cups strawberries
¾ cup plain lowfat yogurt
½ cup nonfat milk

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.

Summer of Smoothies: Peachy Keen

We’ve been hard at work this weekend cleaning up the house, cars and yards. This smoothie totally hits the spot, providing the perfect cool-down for when you work up a sweat.

Peachy Keen
1 cup frozen sliced peaches
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 ripe banana
½ cup plain yogurt
½ cup orange juice

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.

Summer of Smoothies: Watermelon Wowza!

I’ve got an enormous, delicious watermelon taking up prime real estate in the fridge. This newest Summer of Smoothies creation is a great way to enjoy this juicy summer treat without making too much of a mess. This drink is so refreshing and tasty that you’ll just have to exclaim “Wowza!”

A couple notes before firing up the blender:
• I didn’t need any ice for this one because all the ingredients were either in the fridge (the watermelon and juice) or the freezer (strawberries). If you’re using fresh fruit try adding some ice to make it nice and chilly.
• The next time I make this I might omit the apple juice to thicken it a bit — the watermelon was nice and juicy.

Watermelon Wowza!
4 cups diced watermelon
2 cups frozen strawberries
½ cup apple juice

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.

Strawberries sing in this refreshing smoothie

The strawberry is one of my favorite fruits. So much flavor in such a small package! This second Summer of Smoothies concoction is quite refreshing and not overly sweet. It made for a great cool down after a sweltering run the other morning. This recipe made enough to fill two pint classes plus a little extra.


Strawberry Mango Tango
1 pound strawberries, washed and hulled
1 mango, diced
½ cup plain yogurt
½ orange juice
1 tablespoon honey
16 ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth.

May 9 Salad

I fondly recall picking strawberries in my Nana Dollie’s backyard. We’d bring the berries into the house and after we washed them and she’d let us dip our harvest in powdered sugar. It was absolute heaven.

I’ve always been a fan of strawberries, and they’re showing up quite a bit in the produce department these days. So why not put them in a salad? This salad of baby spinach, sliced strawberries, goat cheese crumbles and grilled chicken with a touch of balsamic vinaigrette hit the spot. The most time-consuming element of this particular salad was allowing time for the chicken to marinade in a quick mix of olive oil and balsamic vinegar before going on the grill.

Making wine syrup turns drink into dessert

We were so full after a delicious Valentine’s Day dinner at home (steaks from Roseville Meat Company, spicy asparagus and scalloped potatoes made with an awesome truffle cheese I found at Trader Joe’s) that we didn’t get around to dessert.

We also didn’t get around to finishing the beautifully bold Luna Canto we’d cracked open for our special meal, and it sat out on the kitchen counter in the decanter overnight. There was just around a serving left, and while the wine was probably fine, I thought I’d try turning it into wine syrup. I put equal parts wine and sugar (in this case, about a half cup each) in a saucepan and stirred over medium heat for a few minutes until the sugar had dissolved and the mixture developed a syrup-like consistency.

Because I’m impatient, I spooned the still-warm syrup over scoops of vanilla ice cream topped with blueberries and chopped strawberries to make a sort of adult ice cream sundae. The syrup tasted just as sweet, and had thickened a little more, when pulled out of the fridge the next night for ice cream, round two. I’m sure this would work just as well with white wine as it did with red.

On a side note, forgive me for not posting for a few days, as our Internet has been on the fritz for a good chunk of the week ... keep your eyes peeled for more new posts in the next couple days!