Name: Quinoa Salad with Spinach and Berries
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1 cup quinoa cooked and cooled; 2 cups baby spinach (washed, dried and chopped into small pieces); 1 cup fresh blueberries; 1 cup fresh strawberries (halved); 1 cup pecans (chopped); For Dressing:; 1/4 cup grapeseed oil (or olive); 2 tbsp red wine vinegar; 1/2 tsp dijon mustard; salt and pepper to taste

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This Quinoa Salad with Spinach and Berries is always a hit with everyone who tries it. It’s healthy, light and refreshing with sweetness and crunch. It’s full of antioxidants and gluten-free too. You can’t lose with this favorite salad.

Hope you guys all had a relaxing Memorial Day weekend! Mine was filled with trips to the pool, cook-outs, and relaxation with family and friends.

Back to reality for just a few more days: 10 to be exact. Ten more school days for my kids and they are filled with sports, parties, exams and more parties. I can’t wait for the year to be over. No more packing lunches, doing homework or volunteering at school.

Each year as school wraps up I start to think about what I want our summer to be like. Sure it’s fun to plan vacations, day trips and summer camps but I also think about the everyday routine. How can I get my kids started off on the right foot with chores, reading, homework packets and limited electronics? It’s like I have to retrain them each June so they don’t get out of school and think they can lay on the couch all summer, texting friends, watching Musical.ly and eating potato chips.

Not. Going. To. Happen.

Maybe I’m a mean mom but I start off with chore lists each day. Nothing too hard, mind you…unload dishwasher, feed dog, make bed, put away laundry etc. It usually works for awhile but by mid summer, we are all slackers. I loosen up and they fall apart. I start to get frustrated bc I feel like I’m the unpaid hired help who cleans up after them each day.

My goal this summer is not to get to that point. Wish me luck!

My crankiness about chores can easily be calmed by this Quinoa Salad with Spinach and Berries. It has been a HUGE hit every time I make it and I’ve made it at least 268 times. Seriously. It’s that good. The best part is, you won’t even notice it’s healthy because it’s sweet, crunchy and delicious.

Chopping the spinach is a must because it just tastes better when everything is small and similarly sized. The strawberries and blueberries give it natural sweetness so pick the ripest and juiciest ones you can find. The pecans give it a bit of crunch and saltiness which go a long way to round out the flavors. Quinoa adds protein to make it heartier and keep you fuller longer.

This salad can easily be made on a Monday and kept in the fridge without dressing for a few days. Take it to the pool and pat yourself on the back for avoiding the chicken tenders and hot dogs for sale at the snack shack. I mean, after all, you are in your bathing suit! If that’s not motivation, I don’t know what is.

Happy summer and here’s to eating healthy lunches like this Quinoa Salad with Spinach and Berries all summer long!