Make it easy to eat summer fruits and veg!

Tomorrow is July 4, a national holiday celebrating the birth of America. A day dedicated to grilled food, sentimental patriotic music, and dangerous flammable objects being handled by children. It is also the day chosen for my nephews' graduation party - and so it is guaranteed to be a day of family fun.

My contribution to this day of festivity is my regular healthy "hippie mommy" stuff: a cool and refreshing fruit salad from the melons and berries at the farmers market (with a bit of lemon and fresh mint tossed in for good measure!), and a crisp crudite selection (with a spinach dip for those who require something to douse their veg in!). These are easy, no-cook selections that many people leave for "special occasions", but for my family they are are available most of the summer for snacking and meals on days "too hot to cook".

I tend to prep veggies and whip up a batch of dip each weekend, to enable "pain-free" veggie meals all during the week. And we enjoy a never-ending fruit salad as a way of ensuring that no fruit goes uneaten :)

Fruit salad "recipe"

Fresh fruits and berries from the market
Fresh citrus juice (squeeze your citrus of chioce!)
A few mint leaves from the garden (optional)

Wash the fruit, peel anything that needs it, remove stems, chop anything large into bite-size piece, toss all into a large bowl (with a cover if you plan to keep for during the week), sprinkle in the fresh juice, throw in the mint, stir. Let it sit for 1/2 hour for the flavors to blend.