Red, White, and Blue Salad


With Independence Day celebrations quickly approaching, I thought I would use that as my inspiration for my message today. Today is all about RED, WHITE, and BLUE- FOODS that is.

Today I will highlight 3 ingredients that paired together can create the perfect American side dish to bring out to the pool, to the lake or on the pontoon this 4th of July. 
1.       My Favorite RED summer fruit has to be WATERMELON. Now the jury is still out on the best method of choosing a ripe watermelon, but a good rule of thumb is to look for a large yellow splotch. If it is nice and yellow, your melon is ripe. -- Once you have chosen your melon of choice, it’s time to start cutting. Whether you cube, melon ball, or wedge your watermelon, the beauty is the nutrition inside. In one cup of watermelon, you find only 46 calories and 20% of your Vitamin C and 17% of Vitamin A. BUT, What I find is the coolest nutrition fact of all is it’s UV fighting abilities. Watermelon contains Lycopene, also found in tomatoes, which has been found to help our bodies fight UV sun rays. So while you are applying your sunscreen tomorrow chow down on some watermelon for double duty sun protection.

1 My favorite summer cheese is WHITE FETA. It packs a punch so a little goes a long way. I love incorporating feta into my recipes because it always reminds me of the Mediterranean diet, which was ranked the #1 diet for Diabetes by US News and World Report. Key steps to this diet is focusing on flavor with herbs, incorporate more liquid fats such as olive oil, and let fruits and vegetables be the base of your meals.

The final food we are going to talk about today are BLUE BERRIES . The bright color of these little berries is a telltale sign they are packed with Antioxidants that fight disease and cancer causing free radicals in our bodies. 1 cup of blueberries has 85 calories, 3.6 grams of fiber which will help you fill fuller longer, and 24% of your daily Vitamin C. Vitamin C helps prevent skin damage from the sun and may also improve skin’s natural collagen.



Just like the flag, I think these three colors go better together. Lets join the Red, White, and Blue foods together for a nutritious and delicious summer salad. In a large bowl combine 8 cups of diced watermelon, ½ cup feta cheese, and 2 cups of blueberries. Toss until just combined. To season the salad, drizzle 2 oz of olive oil, ¼ cup mint leaves roughly chopped or torn, a squeeze of lemon, and  ½ tsp of salt and pepper.

It is the perfect celebratory salad! I hope everyone has a wonderful, safe and healthy 4th of July! 

References

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4464475/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4464475/


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