Summer 'garbage' salad - A Life From Scratch.

Friends.

Can we talk real for a moment?

Summer can be so weird, don’t you think? I mean obviously it’s amazing and we love it and summer forever and ever, Amen. Yet I was having a conversation with girlfriends the other evening and it totally stuck with me. The topic was how you think you’d be your most ‘in shape’ self during summer because, you know, summer bods and all that but in reality especially for us mamas with younger ones 24/7 it’s hard.

We are thrown from our routines, right? We can’t just jet out for a run or to the gym because we have actual human beings constantly at our side (not in school) that we are responsible for and can not abandon.

And then there is the drinking. Doesn’t it feel like somehow someway every single night of summer there is something to celebrate? It’s so and so’s birthday. It’s a pool party. It’s our first time at the lake. We won a baseball tournament. It’s the Cubs game. It’s so and so’s anniversary. And so on and so forth until what you end up with is this: CHEERS! Now let’s open the new rosé. Again.

And then there is the traveling. Whether it’s via road trip or airplane it’s a lot of sitting. Oh, and then there is 40+ baseball/soccer/lacrosse take your pick games. One mom put it so perfectly: bleacher butt. Enough said.

So there you have it. While you think we’d be all summer bod baby in reality we are all omg can we please jet out for a quick ten minute run so I can fit into my cover up?

Enter the summer garbage salad.

This was created in my mind shortly after Montana. While I definitely was active (ok, exhausted) there, what I did consume was ALL THE MEAT so it was time to reign things in a bit and give my system a serious dose of fruits and veggies.

That is the magic part of this salad. It’s all wonderful good for your bod stuff. You can do whatever you want. Whatever looks fresh at the store/market/garden. The combo I came up with was pure magic though so you may want to stick with that. I may have thought about it hours (ok, days) before creating so there was a definite plan for it all.

This summer garbage salad is the perfect combo of freshly chopped romain and butter lettuces. Peaches and cherries and corn for sweetness because, hello, summer. Cucumber for extra hydration, avocado because of a million reasons, cherry tomatoes because they are everywhere, roasted chick peas for crunch and a simple honey balsamic vinaigrette because you don’t need any fuss here. The fresh ingredients are the star.

This salad is exactly what you’ve been craving without even realizing it. Promise.

SUMMER GARBAGE SALAD
Recipe from ALFS

Ingredients for dressing:

2 TBS balsamic vinegar
1 TBS honey
1 tsp dijon
salt & pepper
1/3 cup olive oil

Ingredients for salad:

Lettuces, chopped up. I used a mix of romaine and butter
Handful of cherries, chopped
One peach, chopped
1/2 seedless cucumber, chopped
Handful cherry tomatoes, chopped
One ear of corn, cut off the cob
Few TBS each of cilantro, dill, basil all chopped up
One avocado, chopped
Roasted chick peas (most stores carry these now, or you can make your own)

Directions:

Whisk together your dressing ingredients and set aside.

Prep your salad ingredients and gently toss together. Drizzly dressing on top and toss again. Enjoy!

If you liked this post, check these out!

About
Latest Posts

Courtney

Courtney is a wife to M and a mom of two boys, L (8) and B (3). Most of her blogging is done frantically during nap time in between laundry, cleaning, and the occasional housewives rerun. Or the brief hour or so that she can stay awake after the boys go down for the night. She loves her sleep. Read more...