Refreshing Pink Lemonade Smoothie

L-E-M-O-N-A-D-E

A word that naturally conjures up sweet summer memories.

Like so many others, my first business venture involved:

1| ice-cold lemonade

2| dixie cups

3| a tiny pink lock box garnished with dolphin stickers

4| a marketing campaign crafted with the colorful assistance of Crayola markers

I sat behind my first lemonade stand at the sprightly age of 5 during the summer of 1989 and touted cups of the good stuff for a sticker-shocking 5 cents.

Believe you me, slow and steady wins the lemonade stand business.

At the age of 31, I’d happily make this pink lemonade smoothie by the bucket and hand it out for free just so you could have the opportunity to taste its refreshingly-tart glory.

Frozen strawberries, frozen bananas, fresh lemon juice, and water are blended until smooth to create a beverage that’s as crisp and tart as it is perfectly sweet. If you’re questioning my use of bananas in a pink lemonade smoothie, I hear you; I was hesitant to use bananas in this too. I figured they would dominate the flavor, but the acid from the fresh lemon juice and strawberries cuts through their flavor, and the only banana remnant is the sweetness.

This smoothie caught me off-guard in the best way. Good? Yes, I expected it to be good. Great? I hoped so. Spot-on, damn delicious? I honestly didn’t expect that outcome given the teeny ingredient list. But there I stood, wildly gulping the smoothie straight from the blender before I had a chance to photograph it.

A smoothie that leaves nothing (but summer) to be desired.

• 1½ cups frozen strawberries
• 1 cup sliced bananas, frozen (about 2 small bananas)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (juice of approximately 1 lemon)
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon baobab powder, optional

1. Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides as needed.