Red White & Blue Salad

We've been trying to cut down on the carb intake these past few months (mainly pasta, rice & bread), and by cut down I mean we pretty much don't eat them.  We'll cheat on the weekends, or if someone has us for dinner, but at home? None. I love carbs, of course - it's just that it became a slippery slope.  What was once a healthy portion of pasta on our plate soon became the two of us splitting a family size bag of egg noodles..smothered in amazing sauce and topped with a loaf of bread. oops.   I'm exaggerating (barely) but it IS time for a little reality check.

So when we go to a BBQ I try to bring something non-carby.  I'm totally going to mow down on the carbs tomorrow fyi, don't you worry, I'm just figuring there would be plenty of pastas, breads, etc. Mmm.. I can't wait! So here's what I'm planning for tomorrow, I think it will be delicious. Perfect blend of sweet to savory:

Source

I thought of it last night, trying to figure out a fun & fresh salad to bring.  This morning I browsed Pinterest for ideas to see if others had done it, and sure enough, roughly one million people had also thought Red Strawberries, White Feta, and Blueberries would be adorable and delicious for fourth of July. Glad I'm on the right track....

But as Pinterest tends to go, almost NONE of the links actually went anywhere they should (biggest pet peeve about Pinterest) but I figured, this is the simplest thing in the world, we don't need a recipe, right? Photos say it all.

Here's my plan, toss these things in a bowl (layering might be cute, in a clear bowl...):

• Mixed Greens, maybe some fresh basil
• Sliced Strawberries (abundant out here right now!)
• Blueberries
• Feta or Crumbled goat, whatever's fresh at the store.
• Candied pecans or walnuts (might keep this on the side to sprinkle, never know who's allergic)
• Balsamic Vinaigrette (might home make, might buy.... )

That's it. One thing I've learned is to BRING the dressing on the SIDE because salads love to get soggy while they wait to be eaten.  Before serve time just toss a little in the salad and coat everything (I mean a LITTLE).  Then leave the dressing out for people to add if they wish.

Here's another idea (with absolutely no link...) and if I had a star cookie cutter on hand, I'd probably do it, it's so easy and cheesy I love it:

So that's probably what I'm going to make. But who knows, sometimes I get to the store and things change directions completely. I'll probably end up coming home and making twice baked potatoes, topped with garlic bread.. and artichoke dip..... haha.  Or tortellini, I've been craving the tortellinis.. 

Happy Fourth of July everyone, have a fantastic holiday & be safe! Fireworks be crazy.

-Jesse

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