Strawberry Sunrise

Good morning, gorgeous!
What better way to start your day than with a glass full of fresh, strawberry beauty? This is what I woke up to this morning and it was so delicious. With strawberries now in season, the time has come to worship their mouth-watering deliciousness with a drink fit to raise to the rising sun!

Strawberries compliment just about everything. Stars in salads, beauties in baked goods, decadent in desserts, but because they love being the center of attention, I tend to eat strawberries on their own or blend them up with just a few mild-tasting friends. This smoothie is a perfect example of that: sweet, yet mellow flavours serve to enhance the juicy, red ripeness that only summer berries bring! This combination of power-house foods and flavours is sure to wake you up and give you the kick-start you need to go play in the park, or jump in the lake, or fly a kite. Hey, it’s summer – and having fun requires lots of healthy energy!
To receive the most nutrition from your nuts, make sure to soak them overnight. Can’t remember why? Make sure to read my previous post on soaking nuts!

Strawberry Sunrise Smoothie
Ingredients:
15 soaked organic almonds - protein to maintain health hair, skin and nails, magnesium to build and strengthen bones, vitamin E to protect your delicate skin form ultraviolet light.

1 cup filtered water (or freshly squeezed orange or apple juice)

2 dates, washed and pitted - with fiber to scrub your whole digestive system clean, relatively low in calories, but high in natural sugars for quick-delivered energy.

1 cup organic strawberries, fresh (if possible!) or frozen, destemmed - vitamin C to protect cells from free-radical damage, cancer-fighting ellagic acid, manganese to keep your bones strong and healthy.

1 ripe banana, peeled, and broken into 2-inch pieces – potassium to help lower your risk of high blood pressure, pectin to help normalize movement through the digestive tract.

splash of fresh lemon juice (optional) – vitamin C to regenerate your vitamin E supplies and improve iron absorption, limonoids to help fight cancers of the mouth, skin, lung, breast, stomach and colon.

Directions:
1. In a blender, place the almonds, and process for 30 seconds to finely chop.
2. Scrape down the sides of the blender container, add the water (or juice) and dates, and process for 1 minute.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and process an additional 1-2 minutes or until smooth and creamy. Serve immediately.

This recipe also makes delicious popsicles! Just double or triple the smoothie recipe depending on the amount and size of your popsicle molds, pour liquid in molds and freeze overnight. Now your covered in strawberry from sunrise to sunset! How sweet is that?