strawberries

Strawberry, Swiss Chard and Wild Rice Salad

June 23, 2014 by Erica

We’ve been making our way through a long list of movies to watch, and this weekend was The Five-Year Engagement with Jason Segel and Emily Blunt. Have you seen it? Maybe a bit chick flick-y for Nate, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a liiiittle close to home at times, as the whole premise of the movie is that he is miserable after they move across the country for her post-doc. Had I seen it a few years ago, I probably would have been terrified to make the same move for Nate… well, more terrified than I already was! But all’s well that ends well. Our engagement is going to be a short 10 months, and I haven’t even become a sweater-knitting crossbow hunter during my time in Utah. Nope, just a running-obsessed food blogger… is that better or worse? I’ll let you decide.

Between our list of movies, Nate’s House obsession, and the World Cup going on right now, it’s shocking that our TV ever gets turned off. And I even skipped last week’s episode of The Bachelorette! That’s how you know there’s too much other TV being watched.

Speaking of The Bachelorette, have you seen this Jim Gaffigan bit about McDonald’s? Nate says The Bachelorette is my McDonald’s. I say my McDonald’s is gorging myself on peanut butter and chocolate. Or reading People magazine on the elliptical. Anyone want an update on the Kardashian wedding? I didn’t think so. That’s OK… I could have worse flaws, I think.

This salad, on the other hand, is completely virtuous. It’s got nothing in common with McDonald’s. I mean, hello – look at all that Swiss chard!

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Strawberry Basil Balsamic Ice Cream Sundaes

June 14, 2013 by Erica

Strawberry Balsamic Ice Cream Sundaes

I don’t mean to alarm you, but that’s not chocolate I poured on my ice cream.

It’s vinegar.

A balsamic vinegar reduction, to be exact.

And you know what? It tastes way better than chocolate with this sundae.

And that’s me saying that. This girl.

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Strawberry Spa Water

June 5, 2013 by Erica

Strawberry Spa Water

Yes, yes, a recipe for water. But one that I promise is worth your while.

Despite using no fruits or vegetables in Monday’s recipe, I really have been enjoying summer produce. Strawberries are right up there with brownies on my list of favorite foods, actually.

Strawberry Spa Water

And also up there on my list of most beautiful foods. Please excuse the dozens and dozens of photos that I am cramming into this post… I just can’t help myself.

So, strawberry spa water. I first learned about it during a fitness bootcamp at the Canyons Resort a few years ago. Some co-workers and I were getting our butts kicked by a crazy woman named Helen, who to date is still one of the fittest and also most enthusiastic people I’ve ever met. (I guess that’s how you get to be a fitness instructor.) She warned us, “You’ll be thinking of me this weekend!” And it was true… as I had to use my arms to lower myself down into every chair I wanted to sit in, I definitely thought of Helen… and cursed her name.

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Thai-Inspired Fruit Salad with Lime and Thai Basil

May 1, 2013 by Erica

Thai-Inspired Fruit Salad with Lime and Thai Basil

Happy May!

I think this fruit salad is the perfect way to start off such a glorious month.

Fruit salad just screams “summer barbecue” to me. It doesn’t make an appearance unless you have warm weather, a grill, and enough friends present to make a dent in a huge bowl of fruit. Yep, it doesn’t get much better the kind of occasion that features fruit salad.

But I’m not a fan of what I’ve come to think of as the typical fruit salad: pineapple, melon, and grapes. Maybe I’ve eaten too many continental breakfasts, but that just does not appeal to me. It always seems to sit out too long, the pineapple is all sour and hard, and does anyone actually like the melon in that salad? If so, the world – or at least hotel breakfast buffets – needs more people like you. And fewer people like me, who pick out all the grapes for themselves.

So instead, I created this Thai-inspired fruit salad featuring my favorite spring and summer flavors. No melon required.

Thai-Inspired Fruit Salad with Lime and Thai Basil

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Strawberry Spinach SunButter Smoothie

March 29, 2013 by Erica

Strawberry Spinach Sunbutter Smoothie

There’s nothing like a mug of strong French press coffee and a big, delicious smoothie to start your day off right.

Oh, and some birthday roses from your sweetie… and a couple smooches, too.

But sweet boyfriends aside, smoothies are the breakfast treat I’ve found myself looking forward to most lately. There are just endless combinations, and the fact that they’re sweet and frosty just makes them so much fun. Recently, I’ve been obsessed with making mine with sunbutter. Although I’m not a huge fan of sunbutter plain – as a spread, I prefer peanut butter – I love it in smoothies, especially with spinach, for some reason. It’s what makes this smoothie extra special!

Strawberry Spinach Sunbutter Smoothie

Speaking of spinach: I don’t really make green smoothies, but I do like adding spinach to my fruit smoothies. Especially if there are berries involved, the spinach doesn’t change the flavor much, although it does turn your smoothie kind of garbage-colored. (I considered naming this post “strawberry sunbutter garbage-colored smoothie,” but something about that just didn’t seem so appetizing… not sure why.) Anyway, it’s the flavor that counts, and the fact that you are eating green stuff for breakfast!

These are also my favorite way to recover from hot summer long runs. Those are a few months away at this point, but I’m looking forward to them lots! I have been dying a long, slow death by treadmill this winter. It has just got to stop.

Strawberry Spinach Sunbutter Smoothie

If you look at the ingredient list below, you’ll see an ingredient that looks a little out of place: apple cider vinegar. Weird, right? Well, I took Faith’s advice recently and added just a tiny bit of apple cider vinegar to my smoothie. And it totally made it more flavorful! So, odd though it may seem, definitely don’t skip the vinegar.

I like my smoothies so thick that they have to be eaten with a spoon. If you prefer a more slurpable smoothie, you could sub the Greek yogurt with more almond milk or just add another half cup of almond milk or water.

Enjoy this garbage-colored, I mean, green smoothie!

Strawberry Spinach Sunbutter Smoothie

5.0 from 2 reviews

Strawberry Spinach SunButter Smoothie

Hands-on time

5 mins

Total time

5 mins

Author: Erica

Yields: 1 smoothie

Ingredients

1 frozen banana, sliced
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 large handful spinach leaves
2 Tbsp SunButter
1/2 cup Greek yogurt (I use Fage 0%)
1/2 cup plain unsweetened almond milk
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1/2 Tbsp ground flax seed
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

Add all ingredients to blender or food processor and blend until smooth, scraping down sides and breaking apart chunks of fruit as necessary. Pour into a glass or bowl and enjoy!

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