Yes, another dessert smoothie, coming right up! Going on thirty-one weeks pregnant, I still can’t get enough of the sweet stuff. As always, healthy sweets are the goal, and this decadent treat is no exception.

Naturally, the star of strawberry shortcake is the strawberry. This super fruit is loaded with vitamin C, fiber, and antioxidants. I recently stocked up on a bunch in my Bountiful Basket and froze them, as you can see below. Ready for smoothies any time!

How will I achieve the shortcake portion of the equation? A very basic cake batter includes some type of flour, sugar, fat, liquid, and extract. For today’s shortcake-in-a-smoothie, I’m using rolled oats in lieu of flour (learn more about the health benefits of rolled oats by checking out my granola formula!), medjool dates for sugar, a variety of seeds for fat, almond milk for liquid, and homemade vanilla extract.

Packed with nutrients, sweetness, and traditional strawberry shortcake flavors, this dessert will check all of your boxes…and you can drink it guilt-free, any time of the day. Enjoy!

FORMULA BASE: DESSERT SMOOTHIE

Serves 2

• 2 frozen bananas (or fresh bananas and ice) –> Since my strawberries are frozen, I’m using fresh bananas today.
• ½-1 cup specialty ingredients –> My whole, frozen strawberries equate to about a cup, but if they were chopped fresh, I’d use ¾ cup. I’m also using ¼ cup rolled oats.
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tbsp ground flax seeds
• 1 tbsp hulled hemp seeds
• ¼-½ tsp extract of choice (optional, and amount depends on flavor intensity) –> I’m using ½ tsp vanilla.
• Pitted medjool dates as needed for sweetness –> I’m using 2.
• Juice or plant milk until desired consistency (start with 4 oz) –> I’m using almond.

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Taste and adjust specialty ingredients as necessary.