I have this bad habit of working so hard to preserve the harvest and then actually forgetting all about it until the next harvest rolls around… Amazingly, I broke the habit this past weekend when I remembered the bags of frozen berries stacked up in our freezer. I decided it was a good time to whip them out and into some tasty smoothies.
My version, as with most I suppose, is super easy to make. They really packed us full of nutrients and even managed to lift our spirits a little with that familiar taste of summer days spent out berry-picking on nearby Sauvie’s Island. That’s one of my favorite ways to spend a Friday afternoon in the summer – only a 15-20 minute mad dash out of downtown Portland to the small farming community to pick berries in the breezy evening. Here is my basic smoothie rundown:
1 c. plain yogurt
1 c. 2% milk
1 c. raspberries
1c. blueberries
1 whole banana, peeled
2 T. honey
Everything goes in, blended until smooth. Then I add more milk if necessary to thin things out. I have a hard time remembering to eat fresh fruit, so I figure one of these every now and then makes up for my forgetfulness.
I also tried out a new recipe for breakfast bars that I read in the January issue of Sunset magazine. It’s really simple: just dried fruit, nuts, seeds, and some orange juice. I had some issues with it fully binding together, so my bars didn’t look quite as pretty as they did in the magazine – I would just add more orange juice next time. They are so delicious though… I might start making them every other week in double batches.
The ingredients were a little pricey altogether, since I used organic fruit/nuts/seeds from my local co-op. Since fast, healthy breakfast foods seem to be such a sought after item though, I think the cost is completely worth it. I have a whole new reason to break out the food dehydrator this summer to help shave that cost down too.
Winter time is always a great time for good food and sleeping in. Hope you’re eating well and staying cozy too!
