Simple Meal for a Simple Life

I like to live in harmony with the seasons when meal planning. It makes meal planning simple and leaves me unstressed. The fresh produce that I want to use is readily available at grocery stores or better yet, at farmer's markets or fruit stands.  

When I worked it was often easier to go through a drive through than to make something at home. However, it never tasted as good. A year or two ago, the fast food chain, Wendy's, came up with a delicious salad. There salad is a combination of mixed greens, strawberries, blueberries, walnuts, and poppy seed dressing. My salad uses many of the same foods; however, because my ingredients are organic, and some may be fresh picked that day, served on chilled plates, I think mine just taste better. 

Going out to pick up meals from Wendy's may seem like the simple way to serve get a salad for dinner. Yet, for me there is something almost magical about preparing fresh food...smelling the delectable aromas of the fruit and nuts while the meal comes together. Besides, with gas prices soaring I am not using extra gas.

The recipe below is a very loose rendition of the salad that I make, as it varies with the availability of ingredients.  

Strawberry, Blueberry, Walnut Summer Salad

4 cooked chopped chicken breasts (can use rotisserie chicken)

8 cups mixed greens

1 quart strawberries

1 pint blue berries

1/4 c toasted or candied walnuts

1 can Mandarin oranges (drained) optional

Gently toss salad together. 

Poppy Seed Dressing

1/3 c sugar

1/2 c  white balsamic vinegar

1 t salt

1 t dry mustard

1 t grated onion

1 c light olive oil

1 T poppy seeds

Blenderize all ingredients but poppy seeds for 30 seconds. Stir in poppy seeds. Serve with the Strawberry, Blueberry, Walnut Summer Salad.