Spring is a wonderful time to lighten up your diet and swap out heavy carbs with more fruits. In addition to eating fresh fruits raw or making smoothies, there are lots of ways to get more fruit in your daily routine.
Here are some spring-inspired recipes that focus on fruit to embrace the freshness of the spring season.
Spinach, Strawberry, and Kiwi Salad
Who says salads have to be packed with only vegetables? Here’s a salad recipe that’s perfect for spring to help you feel light and refreshed.
INGREDIENTS:
- 8 cups spinach
- 10 strawberries
- 2 kiwis, peeled and sliced
- ½ cup walnuts
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp. raspberry vinegar
- 2 ½ tsp. strawberry jam
DIRECTIONS:
- Combine the first 4 ingredients in a large bowl
- Mix the oil, vinegar, and jam in a small bowl and combine with salad
- Toss and enjoy!
Fruit Spring Rolls
Spring rolls are a favorite appetizer in Asian cuisine, but you can take the spring roll concept and give it a twist to get more fruit in your life. These spring rolls are sweet instead of savory and work well as an appetizer or a desert.
INGREDIENTS:
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- ½ tsp. cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp. tahini
- 1 tsp. honey
- Spring roll wrappers
- ½ green apple
- ¼ cup pineapple
- ¼ cup watermelon
- ¼ cup mango
DIRECTIONS:
- Cut all fruit into short, thin strips and set aside
- Mix yogurt, tahini, honey, and cocoa powder in a bowl
- Dip each spring roll wrapper into a bowl with warm water before placing them on a cutting board and patting dry with a paper towel
- Add a few pieces of each type of sliced fruit into the wrapper
- Roll up each wrapper when full
- Cut rolls in half
- Dip rolls into the yogurt sauce and enjoy!
Light Lemon Bars
There’s nothing quite like the taste of lemon to welcome in the spring season. This is a healthier take on traditional lemon bars that would be perfect for your next backyard barbecue or treats on-the-go.
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 tbsp. light butter (for crust)
- 2 tbsp. unsweetened applesauce (for crust)
- 1 cup whole wheat flour (for crust)
- ¼ cup Truvia cane sugar baking blend (for crust)
- Lemon zest from a whole lemon (for crust)
- 4 eggs (for filling)
- 4 tbsp. light butter (for filling)
- ¾ cup Truvia cane sugar baking blend (for filling)
- Lemon zest from a whole lemon (for filling)
- 2 tbsp. cornstarch (for filling)
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Lightly coat an 8” x 8” pan with olive oil
- Combine the first 5 ingredients to make crust and press down into the dish
- Bake crust for 20 minutes or until golden brown
- Combine filling ingredients (except for cornstarch) together in a pot on the stove
- Allow to cook on the stove on low heat for 2-3 minutes
- Remove from heat and add cornstarch
- Add filling mixture on top of baked crust
- Put pan back in the oven for an additional 20 minutes
- Allow lemon bars to cool and then refrigerate for a few hours before cutting and serving