I love the summer holidays! And I love anything red, white and blue. I have the deepest respect for the men and women that willingly sacrifice time with loved ones, convenience, comfort, financial means, and unfortunately sometimes their lives in order to fight for my freedom.  So Memorial Day and The Fourth of July are so fun, and so meaningful to me.

The best part of the summer months (besides the great holidays)? The great produce in season!

My favorite fruits to take advantage of this time of year are berries. They’re cheaper and sweeter, and turns out they’re pretty versatile. You can use them for breakfast, desserts, drinks, and even salads!

Strawberries have more Vitamin C than an orange and are an immune-boosting food. Blueberries are packed full of strong antioxidants and some research tells us that eating blueberries has been linked to good vision, acuity and brain development. They are also high in manganese which is a power player in your metabolism. Eat up!!

So if you’re looking for a lighter summer salad to serve at your Memorial Day or July 4th celebration this year, whip up this Sweet Summer Spinach Salad. A tongue twister, AND nice on the taste buds too!

All you need for this sweet, refreshing, flavorful salad is:

– 1 bag of baby spinach

– 1 cup of blueberries

– 1 cup of sliced or diced strawberries

– 1/2 cup of feta or Gorgonzola cheese

And the assembly is as easy as you would imagine. Just toss all of the ingredients in a bowl together and mix ‘em up! Serve with a nice balsamic vinegar dressing or a strawberry vinaigrette.

The fun thing about this salad is you can add different ingredients depending on your preferences. Avocado, shredded chicken, craisins, or walnuts would all be a great addition!

This WHOLE salad (if you use one 10 OZ bag of spinach) is only 395 Calories, 18 g fat, 46 g carbohydrate, and 21 g protein!

Enjoy your Memorial Day celebration! And to all of you service men and women, I can’t wait to celebrate you and America this summer. To any man or woman who has served in our military, thank you from the bottom of my heart. And for you, my heart has no bottom!