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Family BBQ

Quick Summer Salad Recipes

Getting ready to celebrate the long weekend? Don’t settle for a boring salad with your grilled meats and veggies. Try these simple recipes so you and your loved ones can eat foods that are as nutritious as they are delicious.

Sweet and Sassy

Strawberry Salad

Summer is the perfect time to mix sweet and juicy fruits with crisp greens! Mix a handful of cut strawberries with raw spinach—make sure both are thoroughly washed before prep. Add a handful of chopped pecans and feta cheese. Top it off with a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette and a hint of salt and pepper.

Corn Confetti

Corn Salad

Create a party in a bowl by filling it with colorful chopped veggies to make edible confetti! Start with canned sweet corn. Throw in a chopped red onion and yellow, red, and green bell peppers (one each). Finish with a touch of rice vinegar and a hint of salt and pepper. Mix it altogether and enjoy the party.

Tasty Tomato Basil

Tomatoes Salad

This salad tastes as bold as it looks. To begin, rinse and cut grape tomatoes in halves. Toss in chopped basil and delicious feta cheese. Gently pour olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette. Top it all off with salt and pepper for taste. It’s as easy as that!

The best part? Each dish can be made in about 15 – 20 minutes. Make these recipes part of your own healthy eating habits and share the love with your friends and family.

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Watermelon

Star—Spangled Snacks

Fun fact—Americans consume approximately 150 million hot dogs on the Fourth of July! Here at AltaMed, we understand the importance of tradition, and hot dogs are about as all-American as it gets.

It can also be fun, however, to declare a little of your own independence from what’s tried and true, and celebrate our United States of America with these yummy alternative Fourth of July snacks.
 

  • Wave Your Watermelon Pizza: Yup, you heard us right. Spread a one-inch thick watermelon slice with a layer of Greek yogurt, then add cut strawberries and whole blueberries as toppings. Make it sparkle by finishing it off with a drizzle of honey and torn mint leaves, and serve by slicing as you would a pizza.
  • Deviled Red, White and Blue Eggs: Cut six hard-boiled eggs in half and mash the yolks with ¼ cup Greek yogurt, two teaspoons brown mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Add blue food coloring until desired shade is reached. Fill the egg whites with the yolk mixture and generously sprinkle with paprika.
  • Salute the Flag Toast: Top your favorite bread with a layer of peanut butter and/or cream cheese. Then, using whole blueberries as the stars and sliced strawberries and bananas as the stripes, create your own American flag. Guaranteed to make anyone you serve smile.
  • Let Freedom Ring Rice Krispies Treats: In a large saucepan, melt three tablespoons of butter with four cups of marshmallows. Divide into three heat-safe bowls and separately add blue and red food coloring to tow of these bowls before adding two cups of Rice Krispies cereal to each mixture. Starting with the blue mixture, press into a 9x9 pan, then press in the mixture with no food coloring, and finish with the red.
  • Veggie Party in the USA: Dye your family’s favorite vegetable dip blue, whether it’s hummus or a sour cream/Greek yogurt combo, and transfer into a square dish. Place dish in the upper left-hand corner of a flat tray, then arrange sliced cucumbers, cauliflower, radishes and red bell peppers into alternating stripes of red and white.
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Fruit

Eating Until You’re Color-Full

Colorful foods aren’t just nice to look at, they offer a lot of benefits to your health!

Colorful Berries

Red, Blue, and Purple Food:
 

  • They can lower the risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, urinary tract infections, and memory loss.
  • These foods contain potassium, vitamins A and C, and folate.
  • They are known for anti-inflammatory properties, helping to protect against cell damage, and keeping the heart, blood, joint, and immune systems healthy.
  • Foods include tomatoes, pomegranates, berries, watermelon, cabbage, beets, eggplant, grapes, raisins, cherries, kidney beans, and red pepper.
Bunch of Lemons

Orange and Yellow Food:
 

  • They can improve immune function and lower the risk of heart disease, vision problems and cancer.
  • These foods contain folate, potassium, bromium, vitamins A and C, iron, and calcium.
  • They are known for flushing out toxins and keeping the eyes, skin, teeth, and bones healthy.
  • Try carrots, lemons, oranges, corn, peaches, nectarines, mango, squash, pineapple, bell pepper, cantaloupe, and sweet potatoes.
Green Vegetables and Fruits

Green Food:
 

  • They can lower the risk of cancer and vision problems.
  • These foods contain folate and vitamins A, C, and K.
  • They are known for fighting free radicals, helping prevent blood clots, and regulating blood sugar.
  • Foods include leafy greens like kale, spinach and arugula, green apples, limes, kiwi, avocado, cucumber, asparagus, green beans, grapes, and broccoli.&
Bunch of Garlics

White Food:
 

  • They can lower the risk for stroke, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, and cancers like colorectal cancer.
  • These foods contain potassium, folate, niacin, riboflavin, and vitamin C.
  • They are known for providing essential dietary fiber and supporting the immune and circulatory systems.
  • Try pears, bananas, cauliflower, mushrooms, ginger, dates, potatoes, garlic, onions, black eyed peas, and white nectarines.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, we should all try to eat five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables per day in a variety of colors. So go ahead and fill your plate with a rainbow of fruits and veggies!

Quick Summer Salad Recipes