Summertime has many great things, but one of my favorites is the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables! Honestly, it's much easier for me to eat healthier in the summer, because we have so much fresh produce from my garden, and anything I can't grow is easily found at a good price at the local grocery store!

I particularly love making salads, because you don't need to use the oven, they sit lightly, and they're full of nutrition to give us energy for all the fun activities we're doing! Don't you feel like your body just naturally craves salads more in the summer months? I love that our bodies are so intuitive like that!

While salads are one of the easiest things to just throw together, sometimes it helps when you have a recipe or two up your sleeve as well! Here are 3 great salad recipes that are sure to be a hit!

Loaded Chicken Taco Salad with Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing. I'm just a fan of anything with taco seasoning in general, and salad is definitely no exception! I love the colors in this salad as well! It's perfect for summer and makes a great meal! My kids prefer this salad over other ones as well, because there's crushed up Doritos, which makes them feel like it's a little bit more fun than your typical salad ;). The dressing is very sweet and flavorful and gives the whole salad a tangy flavor that hits the spot! Besides the dressing and lettuce, the basic toss-ins are cooked chicken, tomatoes, avocado, black beans, corn, and shredded cheese. Tasty and filling!

Loaded Chicken Taco Salad with Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 7 minutes


Serving size: 5
Calories per serving: 397

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil olive oil
1 1/4 pounds chicken breasts
1 packet taco seasoning mix
4 cups Romaine lettuce
1 or 2 tomato (I use vine-ripened; Roma or cherry tomatoes may be substituted)
1/2 cup corn drained (fresh or frozen may be substituted)
1/2 cup black beans drained and rinsed
1 avocado peeled and diced
1 cup cheese (I use a monterey Jack and cheddar blend)
1 cup seasoned tortilla chips crushed (I crush Doritos in my palm)
1/2 cup mayonnaise mayonnaise (lite okay)
1/4 cup sour cream (lite okay plain Greek yogurt may be substituted)
3 to 4 tablespoons lime juice or as necessary for flavor and consistency
1/4 cup cilantro leaves minced
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar optional and to taste


Directions:

To a large skillet, add the olive oil, chicken, evenly sprinkle with 1 heaping tablespoon taco seasoning, and cook over medium-high heat for about 7 minutes, flipping intermittently so all sides cook evenly. Cooking time will vary based on thickness of chicken breasts and sizes of pieces. Allow chicken to rest in pan off the heat while you assemble the salad. To a large platter, add the lettuce, and evenly sprinkle with the tomatoes, corn, black beans, avocado, cheese, tortilla chips, and chicken; set aside. To a small bowl, add the mayo, sour cream, lime juice, 1 heaping tablespoon taco seasoning, and whisk to combine. Add the cilantro and stir to incorporate. Add additional lime juice to thin out dressing if desired. Taste dressing and depending on how much lime juice was used, add sugar to taste. Evenly drizzle dressing over salad. Extra dressing will keep airtight for up to 5 days in the fridge and makes a great veggie dip.

Garlic Lime Chicken Salad. This is a simpler salad with fewer ingredients- but still packed with flavor, making it a delicious option for dinner! It also makes a great lunch (you can cook enough chicken for a couple days' worth of lunches) because it's simple to put together, low calorie, and still very filling! It's basically just lettuce, chicken and avocado, but the dressing really packs in the flavor! I love to add some coarse salt and pepper to top it off!

Garlic Lime Chicken Salad

A simple salad packed with flavor! This recipe is for one, but can easily be adapted to feed more!

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes


Serving size: 1
Calories per serving: 167.333

Ingredients:
1 cup garlic lime chicken, cooked
1/3 medium avocado
3-4 cups Romaine lettuce
Marinade
3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon lime juice
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon pepper


Directions:

Combine the marinade ingredients, and set aside about 2-3 tablespoons for dressing. Marinade the chicken for 15-30 minutes. Grill until cooked through, then put on top of lettuce along with avocado and dressing.

Grilled Chicken and Berry Salad. As a child, I never understood why people would want to put fruit on their salad- fruits and vegetables don't mix! As an adult- I LOVE fruit on my salad! A berry and chicken salad is one of the most summery things I can think of, and it's so refreshing on a hot day! I love serving it to my kids as well, because as picky as they are, they can't resist berries! Basically, put together a salad of romaine lettuce and spinach, grilled chicken feta cheese, berries (whatever you have on hand!), and sliced or chopped almonds. If I'm really being lazy, I'll just serve a salad with poppyseed dressing from the store, but if you've got the time and energy, you'll definitely want to make this special berry poppyseed vinaigrette!

Berry Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

Yield: 2 cups

Serving size: 8
Calories per serving: 226

Ingredients:

1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup honey (or sugar)
1-2 clove garlic
1 tablespoon grated onion
1 teaspoon , kosher or other coarse salt
10 about cracks of freshly ground black pepper
1 cup strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries
2/3 cup canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds


Directions:

Combine the vinegar, honey, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and berries in the jar of a blender. Blend until smooth and then, with the blender running, add the oil in a steady stream. Turn off the blender and whisk in the poppy seeds. If possible, refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Salads can be so simple, but such a refreshing and healthy dinner option in the summertime! What is your favorite salad recipe to serve?