Strawberry Spinach Salad

I love salads. And, surprisingly, I'm starting to get my young kids to love them, too! So far, I think their favorite is Caesar Salad, but my 7 year old was receptive to this one, too! Spinach is such a great super food & strawberries are packed with vitamin C, so this recipe is a great way to get all the good stuff into their bellies... oh, and gown ups love it, too!!

Here are our ingredients:


Spinach, strawberries, slivered almonds, olive oil, Balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, poppy seeds, sugar, paprika & diced onion (I am a deceptive little one here - I pictured a fresh onion but then when it came down to prepping it all I tossed it back in the fridge & grabbed some diced dehydrated onion off the shelf instead! LOL Just didn't feel like having tears in my eyes for just a tablespoon of onion!)

First we'll make the dressing. Ideally, you'll mix this up about an hour before you're ready to serve it. You want to give the flavors a chance to combine really well.

I like to use a mason jar for this - just makes for easy mixing/storing but if you'd rather use a bowl that'll work just fine, too!


Add everything but the spinach, berries & nuts to the jar & then give it a good shake. For a while. Make sure to get everything thoroughly blended. (This is a fun job for the kids if you wanna get them involved!)


Now take this jar of sludge that you're probably thinking smells too strongly of Balsamic vinegar into the fridge (don't worry - the taste & smell do not match up in intensity!)

Next we'll prep that salad part of it. Wash up your spinach, hull & slice your berries & throw them into a bowl with the almonds over the top.


Mmmm.... so fresh, bright & happy!

When you're ready to serve, pour on some of the dressing. You won't need it all - I'd say maybe 2/3 at most.


Give it a toss & let it soak for about 10 minutes before dishing it up!


ENJOY!!! It's SoOoOoOoOo good!

Strawberry Spinach Salad:

1 10-oz bag of spinach
1 1-lb container of strawberries
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp poppy seeds
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp minced onion

In a bowl or jar mix everything but the spinach, berries and almonds. Mix well & refrigerate for an hour.

Hull & slice your berries. In a large bowl mix spinach, berries and almonds. Pour dressing (not all of it!!) over salad & toss to coat. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes before serving.