We've been picking strawberries lately. A lot of strawberries. Organic of course. Perfectly sweet, juicy, and ripe. So, naturally, we've been eating a lot of strawberries!

We just got back from visiting family in the midwest. This recipe is one my mom likes to make often, though I have put my own twist to it. She asked me to make it one evening for dinner, but we were out of sliced almonds, which she toasts on the stove with a little bit of honey and sprinkles over the salad.

have something beautiful and delicious for you—just in time for your 4th of July celebrations. This no-bake raw berry tart is not only stunning to look at, but also packed with nutrient-dense ingredients that deeply nourish your body while satisfying your sweet tooth. Tarts might look complicated, but once you try making this one, you’ll see how simple it really is. No oven required. Just a tart pan, a food processor, and your favorite summer berries.

Today we have another guest post from a fellow blogger and friend, Hallie Klecker, who has created an amazingly simple and nutritious "cheesecake" recipe for a mini muffin pan.

Homemade jam is usually so full of sugar, but it doesn't have to be! Using Pomona's Pectin, one can make a low-sugar, honey-sweetened, or fruit juice-sweetened homemade jam. This particular pectin comes from citrus peel. The jelling is activated by calcium water (mono calcium phosphate) which comes with the pectin. It is so easy to make jam from all of your freshly picked fruit of the season. Making and canning jam is one of the great ways to preserve the harvest!

It is still strawberry season here in the Pacific Northwest. The other day I picked about five pounds of those tasty, sweet early summer morsels right from our backyard patch. If you have extra berries I suggest hulling them and freezing them on a cookie sheet to use for smoothies or strawberry lemonade throughout the summer.

Back to the blog at last! I am sharing with you today one of our favorite high protein smoothies, without protein powder! Soaked raw almonds: one of nature's most digestible vegan protein sources.

What to do when the weather turns warm? Make ice cream, of course. We’ve been making “ice cream” quite a bit lately. Last week, the temperature lingered in the low 80s for days, and this week has been just as beautiful—hovering in the 70s. These early warm spells always inspire us to bring out the blender, freeze fresh organic fruit, and get creative in the kitchen. This ice cream is a favorite with our kids—we love scooping it into bowls and topping it with extra sliced strawberries and fresh mint leaves. Sometimes I pour the mixture into popsicle molds instead of the ice cream maker, which makes it a fun frozen treat for summer afternoons (and an easy way to sneak in more fruit!). However you serve it, it’s simple, luscious, and satisfying.