Growing up. fresh New Zealand strawberries were a dessert; they were a treat. Served at the end of the day with icing sugar, and if we’re lucky, cream; they weren’t something we enjoyed all the time.
WELL, I’m here to change this; because strawberries are LIFE. Strawberries aren’t meant to be saved for a special occasion – they’re meant to be enjoyed at every given opportunity!
New Zealand grown strawberries are packed with vitamins, fibre, and particularly high levels of antioxidants. Not only that but they’re low in sugar, and taste absolutely delicious – making them the PERFECT addition to any meal!
When they come into season (between September and March), you can guarantee fresh NZ strawberries will be in my supermarket trolley. When you buy locally grown, not only are you supporting New Zealanders, but you’re also buying the BEST product you can. Ensuring you get fresh and delicious strawberries.
When do we eat them though? EVERY GIVEN OPPORTUNITY.
BREAKFAST:
You can brighten up even the most boring of cereals with slices of strawberry, or add them to plain yoghurt to add flavour. If you’re not a cereal person, have you ever thought about trying peanut butter and sliced strawberries on toast?! IT’S A MUST!
One thing we do every single day though, is have a smoothie. My husband blitzes one together and LOVES freezing strawberries to use in them. When you freeze the strawberry, not only does it mean you make it last longer, it makes the smoothie crisp and cool. And if you’re anything like my husband, he LOVES sneaking vegetables into the smoothie, so the Strawberries help to keep it sweet.
LUNCHES / SNACKS:
When the NZ strawberries come into season, I love popping them in my kids’ lunch for a bit of variety. They’re super easy to prepare too – I just put them in! The same goes for snacks, I simply add it to their plate along with the rest of the food and my kids LOVE IT!
SALADS:
Summer is the season of strawberries, AND the season of salads; and what better way to enjoy both by combining them. You can make the basic of salads taste scrumptious by simply adding sliced strawberries.
DESSERT:
There’s nothing quite like having strawberries for dessert. Cheesecake, Pavlova, Brownie, Shortcake – pretty much anything turns out amazing when fresh strawberries are added. However, as I mentioned above, growing up we used to have strawberries, icing sugar and a little cream; this is sometimes what my kids have too. Sometimes we just use pouring cream and other times we whip the cream – depends on how we are feeling!
So as you can see, fresh New Zealand strawberries can be incorporated in ALL aspects of what we eat; not just as a treat! It’s a convenient, healthy and tasty; and are truly what memories are made of!
Strawberries are summer’s favourite fruit. Why else would summer make them heart shaped?
What’s your favourite way to eat a strawberry? For breakfast, in a salad or just on its own? Let me know below!
Thank you to Strawberry Growers NZ for sponsoring this post to help us all realise that the super strawberry shouldn’t be saved as a treat – it should be embraced and enjoyed with every meal!
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