Easy Strawberry Agua Fresca

It's Monday, and that means no heavy mental lifting or complicated recipes here.

No, simple is the best way to start off the week so I am going to share our simple little strawberry favorite. Whenever we go out to the U-pick patch we work up quite a thirst. My kids are always asking for juice, and I try to entice them with a big glass of water.

So here is my compromise.

Refreshing agua fresca is fast to make and delicious to enjoy. It seems to keep popping up in all my favorite magazines recently. My kids are hooked and I think it is a good compromise. Note, I don't add any additional sugar to our strawberry agua fresca since I use vine ripened, sweet berries. Just natural sugars in our version. If your fruit has been picked to ship, it might not have the same sugar content and you might want to add a little honey or other sweetener to suit your tastes.

So grab your blender, fresh hulled berries, a little mint, a little water and some ice... then let the blender work it's magic. Throw in a splash or two of fresh squeezed lime juice for kicks.

I put ours through a fine mesh sieve to remove any chunks and most of the seeds. My husband is not a fan of strawberry seeds. Add more water and sweetener if you so desire. Serve cold and over ice for a refreshing treat.

Strawberry Agua Fresca
You will need:

• 3 c. hulled strawberries
• 1 sprig of fresh mint, stems removed
• 2 c. water, and more if desired
• 2 c. ice
• fresh lime juice, to taste

Put your berries, mint, water and ice into the blender and blend. Pass the juice through a fine mesh sieve to remove pulp and seeds. Add a few squeezes of fresh lime juice to taste and sweetener if you desire. Add additional water till you achieve the desired consistency. Serve cold and over ice.

Enjoy!