Summer is great, not only because it is hot and you get a golden tan and there’s tons of lake time, but the salads are great!! Okay, for me it’s only because the salads are great, because I am pregnant and hot doesn’t like pregnant, although the lake does.
I love summer foods. Salads make up most of my meals during the summer months, and when there’s fresh fruit to pick at farmers market or from your yard it makes for a great dessert of salad. Melons are finally in full season, even a bit early this year. Most individuals think melons are in season end of June, but in reality in the northern climates it’s August and September.
These two fruit salad recipes I am about to share with you are super easy to prepare and don’t really require any type of dressing. I do have a yogurt dressing I do for one, but the other salad is just flavored with mint and a variety of different fruits.
My yogurt dressing is basically yogurt and cinnamon, yep that is it!! Nothing more and nothing less. YUM!! I find that the bold flavors of summer shouldn’t be masked with dressing and sauces!!
Cinnamon Honeydew Watermelon Fruit Salad
I added some cinnamon to this fruit salad for it’s anti-inflammatory properties and some yogurt to make it creamy and add some probiotics. Just cut up some fruit and add the spices and yogurt and do some mixing. It’s a great addition to summer barbeques!! Great way to add some important vitamins and minerals, and antioxidants as well. 🙂
Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- 7 cups watermelon, chopped (one small watermelon)
- 7 cups honeydew, chopped (one small honeydew)
- 4 cups grapes (purple of green)
- 2 cups strawberries, sliced
- 2 cups blueberries
- 1 1/2 cups almond yogurt (or whatever yogurt you chose) you can add as much or as little yogurt as you like, it will get runnier the longer the salad sits
- 2 tsp cinammon
Directions: Throw all the chopped fruit, berries and grapes into a large mixing bowl. Add the cinnamon and yogurt and mix all together. Enjoy!! (told you it was easy)
Keep leftovers in the fridge and enjoy for a couple of days. Marc thinks it’s great for breakfast. This makes a big salad!!
Servings: 8-10 (big portions)
Cinnamon Honeydew Watermelon Fruit Salad Share on XMinted Summer Fruit Salad
Summer is almost drawing to an end folks, okay a few more weeks before school starts. The days shorter 🙁 and the nights cooler. I decided to use mint and some great fruit. I love how refreshing mint is and just adding a few sprigs to ice tea, ice cream mix, and salads does the trick!! There’s something about a hint of mint that makes everything seem so fresh and satisfying.
These salad only requires fruit and mint. It’s that simple!! If you are me, the most time consuming part is chopping. I have a tendency to cut myself, so chopping doesn’t always go so well. My husband is always quick to volunteer to chop bigger items, like melons for the sake of saving my fingers.
Time: 20 minutes (depends on how fast you chop)
Ingredients:
- 1 whole honeydew, cut into bite size pieces
- 3 quarters small watermelon, cut into bite size pieces
- 4 peaches, cut into wedges
- 1 1/2 cup blueberries
- 1 cup raspberries
- 1/4 cup fresh mint sprigs (or to your taste)
Directions: Cut the honey dew, watermelon, and peaches into bite size pieces (I leave the skin on the peaches). Throw into a big bowl and mix together. Add the blueberries and mint and mix together. (I just tore mint leaves off my plant and threw in the salad). Gently add in the raspberries. (I do the raspberries last because they are so fragile and easily get mushy).
*Letting the salad stand in the fridge for an hour or two, allows for the mint to really soak into the fruit and add flavor. If you can’t wait, dig right in.
**If you don’t like your salads to get runny with juices, I wouldn’t mix in as much fruit. This makes a big salad. I like the juices. My salad kept in the fridge for a few days, but the longer it was in the fridge, the juicer it gets.
Servings: 10 (big servings)
Minted Summer Fruit Salad, refreshing and no dressing required Share on XHappy Monday and the start of a new week!!
Until Next Time Be Whole and Be Fit