Strawberry Banana Smoothie

It's berry season!!!

Here in California we are BIG on berries.  This weekend is the...

2011 California Strawberry Festival

Saturday and Sunday, May 21st & 22nd, 2011

10:00am to 6:30pm
Strawberry Meadows of College Park
3250 South Rose Avenue in Oxnard


The California Strawberry Festival celebrates the region’s rich agricultural heritage while raising funds for numerous Southland charities. Since its inception, over $3 million dollars has been collected to benefit others. Twenty-four companies harvest and cool more than 207,646 tons of sweet berries in the area from 11,538 acres with annual revenues topping $300 million to ship them worldwide from the region, known as California’s Strawberry Coast.

Ranked among the top Festivals in the nation. Since 1984, Festival guests have enjoyed award-winning attractions, interactive exhibits, gooey contests, the hottest names in entertainment, the largest collection of Fine Arts & Crafts with 200+ booths, and an unbelievable assortment of delicious strawberry foods and beverages. The Strawberry Promenade offers cooking demonstrations and presentations, Strawberryland For Kids boasts free rides, puppet shows, and more.

So if you are in the area try to go to this great festival!



In honor of strawberries I've brought you this great smoothie recipe.  MGG and I love smoothies...don't you?  He says that I make the best smoothies!  He can't seem to get the right balance or consistency down.  I must say I do make a MEAN smoothie!

I find that I make them all summer long while we have an abundance of fruit.....think I'm becoming a smoothie junkie! 

Who needs to go buy a smoothie when you can make healthy, creamy, real fruit smoothies at home!!!  Go make one now...

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Serves 2

1 individual container of vanilla lite yogurt

1 small to medium banana

1/3 c 2% milk

6 medium hulled strawberries

1 cup ice cubes

Place ingredients in blender, putting the liquid ingredients if first.  Blend on high until smooth and all ice and fruit is crushed.  Serve.

 

 

YUM!!

 

 

Great Tips:

Freezing berries for year-round use…

The best method for freezing is first cleaning, hulling, and then pulsing the berries in a blender. By pulsing the berries, you have a more chunky texture. Add a tablespoon of sugar to each blender portion to prevent the pale pink color of the thawed berries. Pour this mixture into sandwich-sized plastic bags and freeze, placing flat in freezer. As needed, open the bags, break off a piece of the frozen product, reseal the bag and replace in freezer. The frozen section can be thawed for use on waffles, meringues, ice cream or in smoothies.

Sprinkle sugar over the berries once thawed to prevent pale pink coloration and maintain ruby color.

Strawberry fields forever...