Strawberry Lemonade Smoothie
Berries every day!
If I could pick just one food to eat for the rest of my life, it would be berries — although I’d like all berries, not just one.
Strawberries have this unique way of lighting up a smile on your face. They evoke memories of childhood, playfulness, sunshine, and summer.
Technically, strawberries aren’t really berries.
One more time: technically, strawberries aren’t really berries.
That’s right. They’re accessory fruits, meaning the flower has multiple carpels (the female reproductive part of the flower) on an elongated receptacle. Each carpel matures into a fruit (achene) that has a single seed. But as each carpel develops into a fruit as the receptacle becomes fleshy and enlarges.
From Biological Science (1993)
This diagram above, shows the carpels in figure A as the white smaller formations at the base of the stamen. The ovary is the portion that becomes the “receptacle” or that fleshy red part of the strawberry that you enjoy so much.
Botany lesson is over for the day. Next up, the nutrition part.
From a nutritional standpoint, strawberries are fairly low in calories, offer a sweet profile that’s also a bit tart and versatile in cold and hot recipes.
Strawberries, are a cousin to the plum, apple, rose, and pear. NJutritionally speaking, they are rich in phytochemicals such as anthocyanin, catechin, ellagic acid, and querciting. They’re also a wonderful source of vitamin C and some folic acid.
Ingredients & Directions
Estimated time: 6-7 minutes
Effort/Skill: Easy
1 lemon wedge, peel on
1 tbsp chia seeds
2 tbsp oat milk yogurt
1 cup frozen spinach (or other greens such as kale)
1 cup frozen strawberries
zest of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup oat milk (or more, depending upon your preference)
optional: vanilla extract
Add all ingredients to your blender and mix well. If you like a thicker smoothie, or you’re using fresh greens or berries, add some ice. I like a splash of vanilla extract to make this more dessert-like. You can also tap in some protein powder!
Enjoy, Sunshine!
Sources:
Keeton, W. T. (1993). Biological Science (5th ed.). WW Norton.
Krikorian, R., Shidler, M., & Summer, S. (2023). Early intervention in cognitive aging with strawberry supplementation. Nutrients, 15(20), 4431. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15204431
Miller, K., Feucht, W., & Schmid, M. (2019). Bioactive compounds of strawberry and blueberry and their potential health effects based on human intervention studies: A brief overview. Nutrients, 11(7), 1510. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11071510
