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Friday, June 29, 2012

Strawberry Cheesecake Smoothie


Michael and I picked a flat of strawberries at the u-pick place. I made 8 pints of jam; we sliced and froze loads; we ate some plain and with ice cream, alone and with friends. Then we picked another flat of strawberries.

I am like the chipmunks with the bulging cheeks, on their endless quests for seeds, seeds, more seeds! Because it is June, but just barely, and winter is coming.


That said, here's one of my carpe diem strawberry recipes (although you can make this in the winter with the berries you were smart enough to freeze). It's tangy and pink, lush and protein-packed. Also, despite the cottage cheese, it falls into the children's category of "not weird" smoothies--which means that I have not, at the last second, added a large handful of weeds. If you were ever thinking of serving smoothies for dinner--and you know I'd encourage you to--this is a good one.

Happy weekend.

xo

Birdy has pajamas to match every smoothie!
Strawberry Cheesecake Smoothie
Serves 2-4, depending on whether it's the whole meal

The cottage cheese turns completely smooth, I promise, and really makes this taste like cheesecake. There are no discernible curds.

1 1/2 cups sliced fresh or frozen strawberries
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt (or plain or strawberry yogurt)
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup milk
3 ice cubes
1 teaspoon vanilla
Agave syrup or another sweetener, to taste (optional, but I use about a tablespoon)

Whir everything together in a blender until smooth.

25 comments:

  1. That is funny about the curds because it is me not the kids who would want to know this!

    Looks yummy and since I just got a new blender after using my wedding shower one for 15 years I can't wait to try some new recipes.

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  2. Anonymous1:02 PM

    If your strawberries are frozen, can you skip the ice cubes? (I mostly have the first but not the second)

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  3. great idea, i'm going to make this right now. this made me panic about the berries going away, which they will. such a small window to get it together to preserve. maybe raspberry or blackberry season will find me ready......

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  4. PS Have you seen those lids you can screw on a mason jar to make it into a to go cup? It was at the fancy grocery store.

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  5. Yum! Although our strawberry season is long past, here in NC. I just had to tell you though that I bought my hubby several stainless steel and glass straws after you mentioned them last year (or the year before?) My then 4 year old promptly bit off a 1 inch section of the glass one. Lovely. :)

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  6. Sounds delicious. Here's another easy strawberry recipe: slice about a pint's worth and freeze them. Then throw them in the food processer with a splash of cream and a few sprinkles or drizzles of your favorite sweetner or honey. Process until smooth. It tastes like soft-serve ice cream--my kids love it (peaches work great, too)!
    Also, thanks for the advice back in the bean post about getting a pressure cooker. I've had mine for the better part of a week, and am completely head-over-heels in love with it!!!

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  7. I wasn't hungry till I stopped by your blog. Now I'm wishing I had some cottage cheese! BTW, I am so LOVING Birdy's haircut. I wish I could do that with my hair and have it look that good!

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  8. That looks delicious and I love the matching pajamas.

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  9. Monica12:00 AM

    This sounds wonderful! I also love Birdy's haircut, pajamas and oh so clean fingernails!

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  10. Don't forget you can always add some peanut butter since it compliments yogurt and strawberries well. Not only will it taste amazing you get the extra fiber and protein.

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    Replies
    1. I love adding peanut butter to my smoothies. It makes it taste like a pb&j smoothie and the extra fat, fiber and protein helps me stay satisfied until lunch.

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  11. I just got my last Brain, Child issue (sniff!) and flipped right to your article. I laughed at least 10 times out loud. Great, as usual! Thanks!

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  12. We had this for lunch yesterday and again today for breakfast. Yum! I'm going to try it with frozen blueberries next time.

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  13. Will try the smoothie! However, very pressing hair question here :) , my daughter has been asking to have her hair cut short, just like Birdy's for the past year. Every time I take her to get it cut the stylist tells us it will be SOO much work to take care of (lots of product and styling necessary)!! Is that true for Birdy?

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    1. Smooches1:34 PM

      My girls have super curly thick hair, it looks gorgeous long but tangles & is SO much work. We keep their hair cut short in either a bob-like style or a pixie cut and it is SUPER easy to manage! When we first cut my older daughter's hair into a pixie cut we were almost kicking ourselves for not doing it sooner. A good stylist should be able to cut your daughter's hair into an easy to manage style.

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  14. Birdy's haircut looks so cute and really accentuates those killer cheekbones! Lucky girl. Cottage cheese in smoothie is inspired, and I will try it since you promise no curds. No one in my household will eat "lumpy" smoothies (although they seem to be okay with 'weeds' thrown in!). Sounds delicious though - can't wait to try it.

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  15. Alright Catherine, I'm trying this for the family's breakfast right now. I have all the ingredients, we're late for swimming, so this is the true test, is it fast AND tasty? I'll report back later.

    Caelen

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  16. Wow! We are now dressed and fed, in no time. Smoothie was a hit with 3/4 of us, and now they've requested real strawberry cheesecake for dinner this weekend. Awesome!

    :)

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  17. Anonymous12:46 AM

    I do not know why I thought of this just now. Maybe it is the food. If you ever happen to be in Washington State, I believe you and yours would really enjoy visiting Holden Village near Lake Chelan. We prefer Christmas time: fewer people, snow, and the annual Holden Olympics events. Summer time can include ice cream, watching the fire works in the outdoor "movie theater". Communal living at its finest.

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  18. Kathy Cornett12:36 PM

    Unrelated - have you seen the Tupelo Honey cookbook from the restaurant of the same name in Asheville, NC? Yhey have a chicken marinade in there that reminded me of you - pineapple juice, olive oil, garlic, ginger, soy sauce. Really good. I did the chicken over salad greens with a pecan vingarette from the same cookbook.

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  19. Anonymous7:47 AM

    So yummy! My kids have been drinking this every morning. We use buttermilk instead of regular milk, extra tangy!

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  20. nicemom936:15 PM

    Oh my, have you ever found something that you had forgotten you lost? I was looking at smoothie recipes and there was one from Ben and Birdy, and I thought, hey...I know them. Long, long ago, when my about-to-be-a-5th grader was about 6 months old, I started reading a column called Bringing Up Ben. I followed that little family while they were also bringing up Birdy for close to 4 years. Then, they were gone and life moved on. Today, I found them again. Look how big they are. How does that happen? I guess it makes sense since I do now have an about-to-be-a-5th grader and I didn't back then. What a nice surprise - I will have to subscribe again.

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  21. This was an interesting article. I look forward to more. I think there are a lot of people who are going to benefit from your postings.
    Blendtec

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