Double Strawberry Smoothie

I had strawberries all over my mind last weekend. Suddenly spring had arrived and the weather was amazing, hitting 70° both days! Ford (The Teen) had been sick the weekend before, who gave it to Walker (The Toddler), who then gave it to Kirk and I on Friday. Stuck at home, feeling run down I figured I could either sit on the couch feeling bad or go outside and sweat in the sun. That turned out to be a great (if tiring) idea. I weeded, removed dead plants, transplanted items and went plant shopping. I planted 20 new strawberry plants, 2 tomatoes and a few new herbs. My garden/yard looks a lot better but more…I know what direction I want to go now, and where to put my vegetable garden finally. Helps not being pregnant for once…the past few years I was too tired to care deeply.

And can I just say strawberry plants make me happy? It occurred to me that I had always wanted a place to call home, where I could grow as many as I wanted, to let them have runners. Enough for the squirrels, the birds, the kids and maybe, just maybe, some for me! I still want to try the method of making hanging containers for fences, using gutters. We shall see.

On one side of our back yard we inherited a large raised bed. It was a horrid mess, solid weeds. Over the years I killed everything by smothering with fabric, then last year I planted 2 rows of blueberry and huckleberry bushes (which I talked about last summer). I had left the center open, covered in fabric and mulch. So, I moved the mulch and removed the fabric, then transplanted 3 2-year old blueberries to the center. They had been in a shaded area which left them stunted. My experiences last year is moving them will pay off. I still need to pick up 2 more bushes to plant, to complete the row. Which should boost my plantation to um….nearly 35 plants. You can never have too many B-Berries!

It is spring when this tree flowers – so what is it? I thought it was a Dogwood but I am not sure? Any ideas? It is about 20 feet high and flowers in March every year. EDIT: My Mother In-Law emailed me and said it is a “magnolia Kobus stellata, Royal magnolia”. Well cool!!

But after 2 days of working through fevers and feeling like a mule ran over us, Kirk asked for a smoothie before dinner. Something creamy, cold and full of vitamin C and potassium. Poking through the kitchen, this is what came together.

Double Strawberry Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 2 cups frozen unsweetened strawberries
• 2 small ripe bananas
• 1 container strawberry yogurt (coconut or soy or regular)
• 1 cup unsweetened almond or coconut milk

Directions:

Add everything to a high-speed blender. Process on high, tamping as needed, until smooth. If desired, sweeten to taste (we didn’t need any).

Serve with wide straws.

Makes 2 16 ounce drinks.

~Sarah