Strawberry season signals the end of a long winter. Here are some recipes from our Web sites and various Zone books.

Strawberry Orange Smoothie
Makes one four-block meal or four one-block snacks.

Ingredients:
14 grams protein powder
1 cup 1 percent milk
½ cup yogurt, plain low-fat
1 cup strawberries
1/3 cup Mandarin orange sections
4 teaspoons almonds, slivered

Instructions:
Place all ingredients except protein powder in blender. Blend until smooth, and then add protein powder. Pour into four glasses and serve immediately.

Fruit Smoothie (slight variation)
Makes one four-block meal or four one-block snacks

Ingredients:
21 grams protein powder
1 cup low-fat milk
1 cup blueberries
1 cup strawberries
4 macadamia nuts, crushed
6 ice cubes

Instructions:
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend at high speed until smooth. Top with crushed nuts.

Strawberry Instant Breakfast
8 blocks

Ingredients:
2 envelopes Knox Unflavored Gelatin
½ cup low-fat cottage cheese
2 cups 1-percent milk
1 cup low-fat yogurt
4 cups strawberries, sliced*
4 teaspoons slivered almonds

Instructions:
Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Garnish with a strawberry if desired.

*Fresh or frozen strawberries can be used. If using frozen strawberries, use whole or sliced berries without sugar or additives. If using fresh strawberries, use only those that are plump and have a solid color. Always store fresh strawberries covered in the refrigerator.

Fruit Salad with Maple Yogurt Sauce
4 (4 block) meals

Vanilla whey protein powder produces the best results. If possible, find a brand sweetened with stevia extract powder, such as Jay Robb’s All Natural Vanilla Whey Protein, rather than an artificial sweetener or fructose. The taste will be smoother, and you’ll avoid the additives. If you use unsweetened protein powder, you may need to add additional stevia or kiwi concentrate.

Maple Yogurt Sauce:

Ingredients:
2 cups organic low-fat yogurt (2 2/3 cup if yogurt does not contain non-fat dry milk)
1/3 cup chopped, lightly toasted pecans
4 (1 ounce) scoops vanilla egg white protein or whey protein
1 teaspoon pure maple extract, in nonalcoholic base or ½ teaspoon maple extract in alcohol
½ teaspoon cinnamon or ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 to ¼ teaspoon stevia extract powder or liquid (optional)
3 cups sliced fresh or thawed, frozen strawberries
3 peaches, halved, pitted, and diced or 2¼cups thawed, sliced, frozen, unsweetened peaches
3 1½ cups seedless red or green grapes, halved
½ teaspoon apple pie spice
1 cup fresh, pitted sweet cherries or 1½ cups frozen, pitted sweet cherries, thawed overnight

Instructions:
Combine yogurt, oil, protein powder, vanilla, and spice. Stir, taste, and add 1/16 teaspoon stevia if protein powder is unsweetened, and a sweeter taste is desired Blend and taste. Adjust sweetness as/if needed. Cover and chill for several hours or overnight if time permits. Combine strawberries, peaches, and grapes with pie spice. Stir and divide between 4 serving bowls. Top with maple yogurt mixture. Garnish with cherries, and serve immediately.

Variation:
* Replace grapes with blueberries.