Fruit & Walnut Salad - $$

Since I’ve been eating so many fruit smoothies lately, (checkout my top smoothie recipes here) I forgot how easy it is to throw together a fruit salad – there really is no rhyme or reason to what you include. Mix in your favorites and serve. This one started off as a melon salad and I added the grape for the color and the strawberries are just a must have for me. I’ve been adding them to everything this summer, from green salads and breakfast bowls to smoothies and desserts. It makes me wish I had kept up with the strawberry plants my dad bought me when I was a half-hearted 4-H member in elementary school. As always – if you grow any fruit you can save yourself some serious cash. If not this salad could easily cost $10 (but that’s for a large bowl that serves 4-6 people). I used about a half of the cantaloupe and melon so there was plenty of leftover un-cut for other uses throughout the week.

Fruit & Walnut Salad

1 cup Strawberries, sliced – Sale $2.99

2 cups Cantaloupe, chopped – Sale $2.99

2 Cups Honeydew Melon, chopped - $3.99

1 1/2 cups Grapes, sliced in half – Sale $1.99 per lb

1/4 cup Walnuts, chopped

Sweet Lemon Balsamic 

2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice

2 tsp. Balsamic Vinegar

1 Tbsp. Honey 
2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil 

Instructions: Cut fruit and mix together in large bowl. Add in walnuts at the end. Drizzle with balsamic if desired. 

Wait there's more -  

Fruit salads last a couple days in the fridge and are great for the summer when fresh fruit is available and not as pricey. You can make them in any size so if you are one person like me it's great for a snack or you can make a lot to share with family.

This salad was fun to put together. I cut up the fruit into small pieces and decided to get creative. I hollowed out half of the honeydew melon and added the fruit. A little imagination and viola! The sweetness of the melon and more tartness of the strawberries blend wonderfully – and the nuts for added texture and crunch this is sure to be your new favorite! Also the walnuts are fairly resistant to liquid so if you keep it in the fridge overnight they will keep just fine.

Lastly, you can add a little of my sweet lemon balsamic to make it extra special! I do mean only a little – the recipe makes just enough for a large salad.  I would recommend waiting to put this dressing on until it’s being served or let people add it themselves, as it can make it watery if it sits overnight. Enjoy!