Power Peach Smoothie

My kids love smoothies, especially my oldest son Max. I like sneaking different healthy ingredients into these breakfast shakes, to see how much more fiber or nutrition I can pack in before they notice something different.

Enter quick oats. Yes, oatmeal in a smoothie is so, so good!

We had a few packets of no sugar added plain instant oatmeal in the pantry and a bowl full of overripe peaches in the fruit bowl.

Could I make a smoothie that stuck in my boys' bellies a bit longer than usual? Yes! And so can you.

The great thing about the oatmeal is that it adds a milkshake-like consistency to these breakfast drinks. This is a big plus for Max (and me, too!) We don't like an icy smoothie.

We've tried these with nectarines as well as strawberries, and they were just as yummy.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Power Peach Smoothie
This recipe serves 2 adults and 2 children.

1 1/2 frozen bananas (peeled before freezing)
1 1/2 cups almond milk
3 packets sugar free instant oatmeal (or 1 scant cup quick oats)
6 ripe peaches, pealed and chopped
1 single serving cup plain or vanilla Greek yogurt
1 or 2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
1/4 to 1/2 cup water
*Note: Be sure to adjust the amounts of any of the above ingredients to suit your own tastes.

Place bananas, almond milk and oatmeal into blender container. Let sit for about 5 minutes to soften up the oatmeal.

Add peaches, yogurt, vanilla, honey or maple syrup and 1/4 water. Blend until smooth. If smoothie is too think, add another 1/4 water. Blend again and pour into glasses.

After you serve this to your kiddos a few times, try letting them in on the "secret" ingredient. My oldest didn't care about the oatmeal, saying all the smoothie needed was a little more sugar.

Strawberry Salsa

It's strawberry season out here in Central Illinois, which means a trip to the local you-pick berry farm. This year the timing worked out quite well as my Mom and Dad were visiting. We loaded my boys into the car and headed out for a little adventure.

After 30 minutes, we had two boxes overflowing with strawberries. About 30 pounds worth, to be exact.

What's better than berry picking with Grandma and Grandpa? Eating the fruits of your labor – and all the goodies you can make with fresh strawberries.

These babies are so much sweeter than those in the grocery store. We used them in numerous ways: strawberry milkshakes, fruit salad, strawberry smoothies, freezer jam, strawberry sauce and piled on top of angel food cake with whipped cream.

After freezing enough strawberries to fill three giant ziplock bags, I decided to try strawberry salsa.

Say hello to your new summertime appetizer and topper for grilled chicken, pork, steak or seafood. Slightly sweet and spicy, this salsa is fresh and pretty to look at, too.

I've made multiple batches already, as an easy way to use up all those berries.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Strawberry Salsa
**Note: Adjust amounts to your personal taste

2 cups strawberries, chopped
1 or 2 tablespoons pickled jalapeño slices, chopped
or
1 fresh jalapeño pepper, seeds removed, chopped
1/2 of a red onion (about 1/2 cup), finely chopped (or substitute green onion)
2/3 to 1 cup of chopped fresh cilantro
1 yellow, orange or green bell pepper, chopped
Juice and zest of 1 lime
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: If using pickled jalapeño slices, toss in a few teaspoons of the brine to spice things up a bit more.

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.

Serve immediately or chill for 30 minutes or more to let flavors develop.

I served strawberry salsa with tortilla chips and grilled scallops and shrimp.

Summer Salad with Berry Vinaigrette

Here in the great Northwest, school doesn't start until September. It was the same when I was growing up in Buffalo. So I've been flabbergasted by all the back-to-school pictures plastered on my Facebook feed this week.

In my crazy brain it goes something like this, "These kids look so cute with their fresh haircuts and backpacks! Wait...backpacks. What? How are these children going back to school already?! It's mid-August! I'm not ready for school supplies! Or leaves falling! Or cold weather! It's practically Christmas. Oh, geez. And where's my snow brush. I should put that in the car..."

See the slippery slope to snow? Yeah. Not cool.

So I'm here to remind all of us that it's still summer. Hear that? IT'S STILL SUMMER! Eat the corn! And the ice cream cones! And the berries! Allllll the berries. We'll start with this glorious Summer Salad with Berry Vinaigrette. And we'd better make it quickly, before the snow gets here.

Let's get cooking!
Erin

Summer Salad with Berry Vinaigrette
Dressing adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction

For the Dressing*:
1 cup raspberries
1 cup sliced strawberries
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

For the Salad:
8 ounces mixed greens
1/2 cup raspberries
1/2 cup sliced strawberries
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup toasted pecans
3 ounces crumbled goat cheese

Using your food processor or blender, blend together all the dressing ingredients except for the poppy seeds. Once the dressing is smooth, stir in poppy seeds. Refrigerate until you're ready to serve.

Place greens in a large bowl and top with berries, pecans, and goat cheese. Drizzle with some of the dressing just before serving. You can serve extra dressing on the side.

*This recipe makes about 2 cups of dressing, which is probably more than you need for this amount of salad. But the dressing is so delicious you'll want to drizzle it on everything for the next few days! Just use what you need and keep the leftovers in the fridge.