Strawberry Serendipity

Don't you love it when something just comes together so effortlessly?  You know - serendipity? That magical happy accident?  That vortex where the stars align to create a fortunate mistake? I think I will apply that to this food combination that happened to me quite by desperation, quite by careless abandon. And I deserve no credit what-so-ever for its success.  These ingredients came together in seconds when trying to create a healthy breakfast for my daughter on the fly. My cupboards were bare and I literally threw what I could find in a blender and sheepishly handed the concoction to her as she was leaving for school.  I admit, I didn't even have time to taste it.  But, if I had, I may not have given her any.   

Make a Date with A Date

Really, we should all include these in our diet more.  Here is why I threw them in the blender:

• Continuous intake of dates helps to inhibit growth of unfriendly organisms in our digestive tract, thus, helping the growth of friendly bacteria in the intestines.  A healthier digestive tract means better absorption of other nutrients, too.

• Dates are rich in minerals like calcium, sulfur, iron, potassium, phosphorous, manganese, and copper -- all support bone strength.

• Fiber rich they are in both soluble and insoluble fibers.  These are both a great aide to digestive health, intestinal disorders and act as an abdominal cancer preventative.

• Dates are a good source of various vitamins such as thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, folate, vitamin A and vitamin K.

• Dates have impressive levels of iron making them a great food to alleviate anemia.

• Try dates to reduce the levels of LDL cholesterol in the body, which is a contributing factor for heart attacks, heart disease, and stroke. 

• They add a great amount of sweetness to a dish if that is what you are looking for with no refined ingredients.

Strawberry Date Shake

I chose to call this a shake as it tastes like dessert.  But, no sugar here!  This smoothie/shake, whichever term you want to use, is dairy-free, sugar-free, vitamin and fiber rich!

Serves 2 for a medium sized shake or 1 larger one

Gather:

• 1 cup almond milk or coconut milk
• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• splash of vanilla
• 2 teaspoons flax seed
• 2 tablespoons coconut - optional
• 3 large dates 
• 1 cup fresh spinach
• 1/4 cup filtered water-optional

Now do this:

• Throw it all in a blender and whirl until smooth.
• Adjust seasonings and add more water if it is too thick.

photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tcmorgan/7491398876/">Tc Morgan</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">cc</a>