Summer, as wonderful as it is, can bring high heat, humidity and higher levels of physical activity, making unappealing even moderately heavy meals. As a result, it’s perhaps the only time of year that the environment deeply promotes the innate desire to eat healthy.
Unfortunately, it’s also often the case that the business of summer can hijack our best intentions and get the best of us. Planning, preparing and cooking can be, to say the least, a challenge. Who wants a stuffy and hot kitchen and dining room now?
This is why a simple salad can go so far.
A healthy meal includes proteins, carbohydrates and fats. The percent of each can vary, but it is important to get a bit of each. Proteins provide the amino acids necessary for cell repair, neurotransmitter synthesis and immune function. Carbohydrates are the body’s primary fuel source, and they sustain reproductive functions. Fats help with satiation, storing essential vitamins and protecting nerve tissues.
This simple salad has the three major building blocks. For protein, it has cottage cheese—or macadamia nuts if dairy is problematic. The carbohydrates include strawberries, pineapple, mango, lemon juice and cucumber. Finally, the fats include avocado and olive oil.
The dressing for this salad is from the wonderful website Simply Scratch, created by Laura McNamara.
Ingredients
- 1 pineapple
- 3 mangoes
- 15 strawberries
- 2 cucumber
- 3 avocado
- 1 cup of cottage cheese (can be substituted with crushed macadamia nuts)
- 1 lemon
- White wine vinegar
- 1 clove of garlic
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Dice 1 pineapple
- Dice 3 mangoes
- Quarter 15 strawberries
- Slide and halve 2 cucumber
- Dice 2 avocado
- Deskin 1 avocado and place in food processor
- Peel 1 clove of garlic and place in a food processor
- Pour ¼ cup white wine vinegar in food processor
- Pour ¾ cup olive oil in food processor
- Juice 1 lemon into food processor
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Turn on food processor until smooth texture is produced
Presentation
- Put cottage cheese base at the bottom of a bowl
- Add the fruit/vegetable salad above cheese base
- Pour the dressing over top
Allow the summer to inspire your healthy eating habits. Make sure to be prepared by connecting with simple recipes made with nutritious foods, so you can act without hesitation when you’re in the mood for a healthy meal.
Food this tasty should help put you in the mood quite often!
