Summer is the season for simple foods. With the heat turning up, I don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen in front of a stove. Adding this simple to make healthy fruit salad makes any meal better!
In fact, my usual summer menu looks a little bit like this:
Breakfast: smoothies
Lunch: salad
Dinner: homemade ice cream (healthy, of course!)
Not much stress involved, and full of fresh fruit and veggie goodness!
With fruits and veggies plentiful during the summer months, sticking to my menu is pretty easy. And in keeping with my easy menu, I like to keep my recipes as simple as possible.
This simple and healthy fruit salad with yogurt and chia hits the nail on the head.
Don’t be fooled into thinking that simple means lacking in flavor, though. This little salad is bursting with fresh fruit flavor, amplified by the yogurt. And for an added boost in nutrition, I like to sprinkle in chia seeds.
Chia seeds have become a popular superfood over the past few years due to their high content of vitamins (A, B, E, and D) and minerals (calcium, potassium, magnesium, sulphur, iron, iodine, manganese, niacin, zinc, thiamine). They are also a wonderful source of protein, antioxidants, and omega 3 ALA (Alpha Linolenic Acid), a healthy fat that protects the heart by lowering blood pressure, bad cholesterol, and inflammation. All that packed into a tiny little seed!
Adding in yogurt not only gives this fruit salad a creamy delicious texture and taste, it also provides a probiotic quality to support digestion, boost your immune system, and reduce bad cholesterol. Yogurt is high in minerals potassium and magnesium, too, and in vitamins B2, B12, D, and E.
As for the fruit, I usually just toss in whatever I have on hand. Sticking with the simple theme, I usually don’t put more than four fruits in my salads at a time. For this version, I used oranges, bananas, strawberries, and grapes. It also tastes great with melons and other berries, too.
I usually shy away from apples in my fruit salads, to keep the fruity texture uniform. But if you like to spice things up with a crisp and crunchy apple, be my guest! The sky is really the limit when it comes to a fruit salad!
- 1 orange
- 1 large banana
- 6-8 strawberries
- 2 c. seedless grapes (I used green)
- ⅓ c. plain yogurt (use coconut yogurt for dairy-free version)
- 1 t. chia seeds
- Wash and/or peel fruits.
- Slice into roughly uniform sizes (I don't usually slice the grapes) and place in a large bowl.
- Gently stir in yogurt until fruit is coated.
- Sprinkle with chia seeds and stir in.
- Store leftovers in the fridge.
I would never had thought to put chia seeds in a fruit salad but that is brilliant and an easy way to get my kids to get those extra nutrients. Great recipe!
Thanks, Emily! My kids enjoy them in fruit salad. They’re lovingly referred to as ‘tiny dinosaur eggs.’ 😉
What a nicely balanced recipe! Simple recipes are great in the summer. And with beautiful, fresh fruit like this, you don’t need to complicate things.
Exactly, Annemarie! 🙂 Simple is usually a winner. 😉
Until now, i have only chia seeds in my smoothies and puddings. Now I learn a new use.
I hope you enjoy them in fruit salad, Aish! 🙂
I love yoghurt salads with chia and make them all the time for breakfast!
They’re delicious, aren’t they? Thank you so much for stopping by, Diana!
This looks so good. Love the addition of chia in salads 🙂
Thank you, Kushi!
I would have never have thought to put Chia Seeds in a fruit salad. Love it!
It’s a great addition, Chrystal! 🙂
This looks so yummy! Love the addition of the chia seeds. So inventive!
Thanks, Elle!
I put chia in pretty much everything and I love it in breakfast recipes!
Chia is pretty wonderful, isn’t it? 😉
I could really go for a bowl of this right now! I always seem to buy grapes, eat a few off of the vine, and then never know what to do with the rest. Freezing zaps the flavor right out of them. This is a great idea.
I hope you give it a try, Erica! I have to fight my kids to save grapes for fruit salad… Haha!
Yogurt is the perfect way to dress it up! (Plus POPPY SEEDS <3 )
Yes, I love adding yogurt!
Um, chia seeds in a fruit salad? what a great idea
Thanks, Celeste. 😉 I’m always trying to find fun ways to use it!
Just wanted to stop by and let you know you’re featured on Inspire Me Monday. 🙂 Congrats!
What a creative use of chia seeds! Would never have thought to add those to a fruit salad. 🙂