5 Christmas Salads That Will Brighten Up Your December

It’s the time of year when your schedule starts filling up with holiday parties and your plate is piled high with Christmas cookies. But peppermint bark and hot chocolate aren’t the only ways to celebrate the holiday season. Among the sweet treats and traditional dishes, leave some room for these festive salads filled to the brim with tasty seasonal veggies, tangy winter fruits, and refreshing herbs. RELATED: 3 Ways to Stop Emotional Eating This Holiday Season These salads are loaded with fibrous fruits and vegetables that may otherwise be missing from your diet this time of year. Plus, their vibrant colors and fun flavors are guaranteed to brighten up any table spread. Next time you’re headed to a holiday gathering, throw together one of these satisfying salads for a festive addition to your dinner. Healthy Christmas Salads Cranberry Walnut Salad Short on time? Try this simple crowd-pleasing salad that takes less than 10 minutes to prepare. Mesclun greens and frisee, which are rich in folate and immunity-boosting vitamins A and C, are topped with apple slices, dried cranberries, and heart-healthy walnuts for an easy and nutrient-dense holiday salad. You’ll be using the three-ingredient apple cider vinegar dressing on many salads to come. Farro Salad With Halloumi & Pomegranates Protein-rich farro, fiber-packed acorn squash, and halloumi combine to create a hearty and satisfying salad. But it doesn’t stop there. Fresh raw ingredients like leafy greens, carrots, apples, and pomegranates are also added to create a seriously nutrient-dense salad, full of lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidants that have been shown to protect our eyes from within. Sweet and savory, hearty and fresh—this salad has it all. Shaved Brussels Sprouts Christmas Salad Brussels sprouts fans rejoice. Shaved sprouts—rich in gut-friendly fiber—provide a crunchy, fresh base for this festive holiday salad from Green Kitchen Stories. With sweet oranges and pomegranates, this salad will definitely brighten up your holiday. Herbed Green Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette Say hello to your new favorite dressing. The star of this Minimalist Baker salad is a vibrant tangy cranberry vinaigrette that’s packed with cold-fighting vitamin C. Add candied pecans and fresh mint, and you pretty much have Christmas on a plate.  Herbed Kale Salad With Persimmon, Pomegranate and Maple-Cumin Dressing Your favorite leafy green tastes better than ever in this antioxidant-rich salad from Bonjon Gourmet. Kale is massaged with a toasted cumin maple dressing, resulting in a tender and juicy green ready to be devoured. Persimmon provides sweetness and flavonoid antioxidants, which have been linked to a reduced risk of heart disease. Add a little parsley and festive mint, and you have a healthy winter dish everyone will love.   (Photos: Shutterstock and Nutritious Life)

9 Effortless Red, White, and Blue 4th of July Recipes

4th of July recipes are special. Just ask Pinterest. It’s one of the few times a year that no matter your culinary skills, you’re bringing something somewhere or serving something somewhere because festivities are everywhere. And if that something is red, white, and blue, you get MAJOR cool points from pretty much all of America. So, today I’m sharing some of my most patriotic, healthy recipes that put the Murica in Happy Birthday Murica. And don’t worry, these 4th of July recipes won’t have you sweating it out in the kitchen.  In fact, they’re effortless, so you’ll have more time to spend winning a fierce game of corn hole. 9 Effortless 4th of July Recipes: Make your own red, white, and blue chips. Thinly slice beets (red!), parsnips (white!) and purple potatoes (blue-ish!). Lightly drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake at 350 degrees until crispy. Create a patriotic dip with a kick.  Dip blue corn tortilla chips in plain, white Greek yogurt mixed with ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes. Whip up a festive flag-like fruit salad.  Combine sliced strawberries, blueberries, sliced apple & mint, or try pomegranates, blueberries & sliced dragon fruit. Slice up some crunchy veggies.  Serve slices of white jicama with red, chunky, homemade salsa. Serve in a blue bowl. Fire up the grill.  Grill a healthy, grass fed beef burger and top with a slice of tomato, white onion, red-leaf lettuce & crumbled bleu cheese. Serve with blue potato oven roasted fries. Add color to your simple salad.  Assemble an endive salad with dried cranberries and/or radish and drizzle with a blueberry vinaigrette dressing. Discover the different colors of corn.  Prepare a basket of red, white and blue corn on the cob! Bonus: Red corn contains anthocyanins, which are powerful antioxidants and blue corn has more protein and vitamin A than white corn, so load up on these vibrant colored kernels. Mix and match colorful kebabs.  Mix and match your favorite red, white and blue protein and veggies like chicken, pork, shrimp, scallops, red peppers, cherry tomatoes, and cubed blue potatoes or purple onion, and eggplant (hey purple is close to blue and blue is hard to find in nature!). Make a simple sangria. Combine a bottle of white wine with 1 cup fresh raspberries, 1 cup fresh blackberries, 1 cup sliced white peaches and 2 tablespoons agave.