May 20, 2013

EAT TO YOUR HEART'S CONTENT PREPARES A HEALTHY STRAWBERRY SALAD


You don't have to go out and splurge every last dime when you are celebrating special occasions like Mother's Day. Since my mom does not want to go out as often as I wanted her to - it seems she gets sleepless nights whenever she sees how much I paid for every dine out and gets dizzy with the maddening crowd at malls.


Whenever I am at home, I would whip up something healthy and delicious. Summer days, though the heat is unbearable, brings an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables that are very affordable.

Fresh greens abound during the summer months

For a few months now, my mom and I have been savoring the summer's freshest produce - vegetables like lettuce, carrots, Baguio beans, alfalfa sprouts and fruits (often are on sale with a Buy1Take1 promo) like apples, grapes, oranges and strawberries.

Love strawberries?! I do! I do! I do!

Strawberries range from the really expensive ones, where a pack costs Php500++ to the reasonably priced Php75 per small pack of about 25 pieces. I opt for the latter ones but carefully choose each pack - make sure the strawberries are not overripe or in the brink of spoilage. Just a tip though, don't let strawberries seat in the refrigerator for several days. I prefer that we consume them the moment I arrive home from the supermarket or just the following day until lunch. Before eating, wash them with cold water just to take out some unseen undesirables.


Fresh Lollo Rosso


Now for the uber healthy Strawberry Salad, all you need are the following fresh ingredients washed with cold water (washing with cold water would help retain the freshness and vitamins - but only wash those that you will eat right away or else the veggies will be soaked in excess water) :

(according to your desired serving)

Ice Berg Lettuce
Lollo Rosso
Alfalfa Sprouts
Tomatoes
Strawberries


Dressing :
This would depend on the amount of vegetables you have and how much dressing you really want on those veggies

2T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1T Balsamic Vinegar

Pepper if desired.
I prefer not to add salt.



Before cutting the mixed greens of ice berg lettuce and lollo rosso, make sure there are no more water dripping from it. Cut in bite sized portions.


Plump tomatoes! They look so cute!!!


Sliced strawberries looks really good!!!

Plump tomatoes and strawberries are sliced resembling a coin.


Alfalfa sprouts anyone?

Grab some alfalfa sprouts. A pack of alfalfa sprouts usually costs Php75.


Vinaigrette for the Strawberry Salad is a mixture of Balsamic Vinegar

For the dressing, mix the 2T extra virgin olive oil with 1T balsamic vinegar. I prefer to use the same brand so they complement and not overpower the other.


Place strawberries at the center of your platter to give that vibrant feel


You may arrange your ingredients where the strawberries becomes the focal point in your platter and have the dressing on the side.


Eat to your heart's content with this Strawberry Salad

What I like about this simple yet healthy Strawberry Salad is that aside from the vitamins and minerals my mom and I will be getting for every serving, it helps me not to pack on the weight. Strawberries and alfalfa sprouts are just some of the best produce you can consume to aid in slimming down - for having low calories yet high in fiber. Strawberries are packed with various vitamins to keep you healthy. With just about eight medium pieces of strawberries, you get more vitamin C than when you eat a piece of orange. "One serving of strawberries contains 51.5 mg of vitamin C—about half of your daily requirement. Double a serving to one cup and get 100 percent," according to Madeleine Edwards, a registered dietician in Toronto. Antioxidants found in strawberries help fight some cancer causing cells, fights diabetes and even promotes hair growth. 


Fresh Strawberries



I utterly adore strawberries and I can't seem to get enough of them - whether I eat them in this Strawberry Salad, my favorite low-fat yogurt in strawberry flavor topped with fresh strawberries, strawberry smoothies and even strawberry ice cream. That's why strawberries ends in my Monday Madness section!

        
Mother's Day? If you're still searching for ideas, continue to check Eat To Your Heart's Content as I share with you more dining destinations that I am sure you, your mom and the rest of your family or even barkada will enjoy!



Hope you continue to check out Eat To Your Heart's Content for deliriously delicious dining discoveries. You may also want to check my travel blog Savvy Sojourns which is still on its soft launch. As I always say, Live Well, Laugh Often, Eat To Your Heart's Content!


SECTION : MONDAY MADNESS


Pie Rivera is a food columnist of Republic of 7107 Island Travel Magazine. For subscriptions to the magazine, you may email them at subscription@7107magazine.ph. 

Feel free to email me at eattoyourheartscontent@gmail.com - I love to hear from you.

For more deliriously delicious dining discoveries and updates, feel free to follow and connect via these sites :

Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
Twitter

All photos in this site were captured by Pie Rivera unless otherwise stated.

All rights reserved. Eat To Your Heart's Content.


7 comments

  1. What a beautiful salad Pie!! So delicious sounding too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love strawberry salads and with a balsamic dressing they're even better! Yum!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yum! What a fresh delicious salad!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I've never tried strawberries like this and will give it a try next spring when our strawberries ripen, looks very good!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Nothing like berries in a salad... yummy! This looks great!

    ReplyDelete
  6. This salad just looks so refreshing! A bit of summer in our early fall days. Love the ingredients you've put together here. I know I would enjoy this salad!

    ReplyDelete