We love salads around this house and to keep from heating up the kitchen, opt for them often during these hot summer months. There are so many ways you can mix up a great simple summer salad by adding fruit, nuts, and bacon.
Yes, bacon makes anything taste better, doesn’t it?
Here’s one we recently tossed together for a simple salad at home. Who needs to hit a restaurant for a salad like this. It’s so easy to do at home!
We keep fresh greens and summer fruits around for many types of recipes and it’s great to have them to enjoy this time of year. I love mango, blueberries, dried cranberries, pecans, and crumbled cheese of your choice. There are so many ways to mix them up with your choice of fruits and nuts.
The ingredients that went into this one:
Torn romaine lettuce
Diced mango
Blueberries
Dried Cranberries
Crumbled bacon
Pecans
Blue Cheese crumbles
Add your choice of dressing and it’s a wonderful filling summer meal. I also change out the crumbled cheese from goat cheese to blue cheese and it changes the flavor from one to the other.
We had some leftover chicken so that went in there too for extra protein.
How about you? Do you love summer salads and how do you mix yours up for variety and using those fresh summer fruits?
I’ve never used mango, but will try! I use apples, grapes, or strawberries. I find I don’t have fruit that spoils because I use it all up in my salads!
Looks yummy, Love salads like this, I add diced apples and dried apricots instead of mangos to mine, we call it a harvest salad, and use lite caesar dressing.
What kind of dressing did you use? Was it homemade? If so, what’s the recipe?
Hi, Courtney, normally I just do a simple oil & vinegar: 4 parts olive oil, 2 parts red wine or balsamic vinegar & a squeeze of honey is a great little dressing recipe.
Rhoda, this salad looks delicious! My daughter made some mango salsa and it was wonderful. I didn’t even think I liked mango, but I was wrong!
Another way I get my fruits and veggies is by making spinach smoothies. I know it sounds gross, but they are delicious and don’t even taste the spinach. I like to mix it up differently as it doesn’t really matter if it’s the same all the time. I like to throw in some frozen banana and strawberries, any kind of berries and sometimes yogurt and sometimes not. There are so many ways to eat healthy and especially this time of year. Thanks for sharing 🙂
This is sort of off topic, but I haven’t kept up with my blog reading. I think that I missed out on who the “we” in your home is. Does our DIY heroine have a romantic co-star?
Hi, Kimberly, I have a roommate, named Rhonda. And she has a doggie, they are my companions.
I love a good salad. . especially when it’s so hot down here in Florida. Yours looked very yummy. I tend not to mix my fruits and veggies together. Don’t know why. I just don’t. Maybe I should try it. I might very well like it. My salads usually have a lot of protein in them. If I don’t have enough protein in my salads, they never hold me over. I’ll be starved in a few hours. Needless to say, I am a huge fan of a Chef Salad and Cobb Salad!!
Hi Rhoda~
That looks delish! I love fruit in a salad. I made one yesterday with mandarin oranges and apples in it. Along with red and yellow peppers and cauliflower. It was delicious as well! Thanks for sharing!!
~~Nancy from OHIO
Love a good salad in the summer! This one looks delicious!
Okay, there is no way I could read this post and not end up with a serious craving for salad. And since it is currently past lunch time, I know what I’m doing next! 😀 Thanks for the idea! (Just saw the blueberry bread pudding…? post Will check that out next!)