Delightfully Fresh Strawberry Spinach Salad

I stumbled upon this simple, but delightful combination at Torque Moto Cafe, a woman-owned space that seems to have been one of the local small business losses coming out of this pandemic. Although it’s bittersweet to share this ‘recipe’, this fresh and nourishing dish helps lift my spirits! Here’s my flexible take for you do what you’d like with it—

INGREDIENTS

strawberries

spinach (any mix of salad greens is equally delightful here!)

salt and pepper to taste

Make it a super healthy meal by adding your protein of choice—Try any combination of lightly roasted pecans, walnuts, pepitas, sunflower seeds, roasted garbanzos, edamame or even feta cheese.

I love this just as is, but if you’re a dressing-on-your-salad person, try a vinaigrette.

Strawberry Orange Popsicles

Beautiful simplicity (two ingredients—maybe three if you wanna get fancy) and a gentle exercise in planning and patience (gotta think ahead and wait for them to freeze) followed by an exercise in focus (gotta eat it before it melts). Homeschooling looks like this sometimes…activities that serve me just as much as my kids and are best completed outside in the sunshine. So, here it is—a flexible Strawberry Orange Popsicle recipe (adjust proportions to your liking):

1 cup strawberries (chopped)

2 cups orange juice

ideas for a third ingredient—mint, basil, or even microgreens (we’ve got purple kohlrabi this week!) if you’re feeling adventurous or are looking for ways to get your kids to eat more greens.

Instructions:

1. Blend all ingredients.

2. Pour into your popsicle mold. Here’s an article with ideas of how to make popsicles without a mold.

3. Wait a few hours.

4. Go outside, sit in the sun and enjoy.

Citrus Strawberry Cabbage Salad

Here’s a quick and easy salad using this week’s fruit and veggie rainbow. Adjust the ingredient proportions to your liking and enjoy alone as a refreshing snack or as a side to a hearty meal.

Ingredients:

Lettuce (this week, we’ve got red romaine)

and/or

Kale

Cabbage (this week it’s red cabbage, which is really more purple)

strawberries (sliced)

microgreens (this week, it’s tatsoi and kale mix!)

citrus (orange, tangelo or tangerine will do! peeled and cut in wedges)

vinegar (balsamic or apple cider)

olive oil

salt and pepper

nuts (optional to add protein—Use whatever you’ve got around—try almonds, pistachio, pepitas, walnuts or pecans)

Instructions:

Just rinse, chop and mix or layer ingredients. Save the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper to drizzle and sprinkle over the top. Feel good about the mountain of vitamins and flavor you’re putting into your body.