Picking strawberries on a hot summer day is an iconic memory for some people. And it happens year after year. The process of picking your own strawberry off the vine, taking it home, to wash and eat, tasting the cool sweetness on your tongue, there is not much quite like it. (Unless you also pick blueberries, raspberries, blackberries..)
Strawberries are a great fruit to incorporate into your diet.
In early history, strawberries were a luxury item that only royalty were fortunate enough to enjoy. But because of modern technology, transporting systems, and now wide spread crops all over the planet, strawberries are the most popular berry fruit in the world!
California even produces more than 80 percent of the strawberry supply for the United States. (Us east coasters are thankful for fast transportation so we too can enjoy some of that 80 percent!)
Benefits
Strawberries are high in antioxidants and boost immune systems. They protect against inflammation, cancer, and heart disease. They help to strengthen the walls of blood vessels and promotes iron absorption.
Nutritional Facts
In one cup or 144 grams of strawberries:
Calories – 47
Fat – 0.4 grams
Carbohydrates – 11 grams
Protein – 1 gram
Also full of vitamins and minerals to help maintain a healthy body which includes Vitamin C, Fiber, Folate, Potassium, Folic Acid, Biotin, and Vitamin B6.
How to use strawberries
Theres not too much more delicious than taking a big ol’ bite out of a fresh red plump strawberry! But you can also use frozen strawberries in smoothies, desserts, Salads, add to a serving of plain greek yogurt, oatmeal, or cereal.
They are a great option to eat in the morning, before or after a workout.
Recipe
To be honest we eat strawberries so fast that I don’t normally have a chance to make anything with them. As soon as they come home from the market, we wash and eat them as a snack.
I did recently get to add a few to a blueberry crumb bar dessert. It was so good that I don’t think I can make it again without the strawberries!
Strawberry & Blueberry Healthier Crumb Bars
What makes these “healthier” is that I use vanilla greek yogurt in the crust. It takes a little bit of work to incorporate it into the flour but it is worth it?
Ingredients
Crust and Topping
- 3 Cups Flour
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder (I usually mound it)
- 1 Cup Vanilla Greek Yogurt (You can also substitute butter)
- 1 Egg
For the Filling
- 3 Cups of Blueberries
- 2 Cups of Strawberries – cut up into bite size pieces
- 1/2 Cup Sugar
- 4 Teaspoons of Cornstarch
- 3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice (about 1 lemon)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a 9×13 pan with non stick cooking oil.
- Sift or whisk together the dry ingredients for the crust and topping. With your hands mix the greek yogurt into the dry ingredients until well mixed and feels like a dough. Once incorporated, add in the egg until mixed well.
- Press half of the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Make the filling by mixing together the 1/2 cup of sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Then add the berries and stir until coated.
- Put the berry mixture over the pressed crust and evenly spread out. Scrapping out any juices left in the bowl from the berries.
- Crumble what is left of the dough over the top of the berries.
- Bake for about 47-50 minutes. Keeping an eye on it the last few to make sure it doesn’t turn too brown. The crust will become too tough if over cooked.
- Let sit on counter until completely cool and cut.
What is your favorite way to eat strawberries?
Fill out the form below to download your Strawberry PDF!