Photo: greenlagirl

Who wants to cook dinner on a beautiful summer Monday eve? Not I. Especially when the ChowBaby mostly refuses to eat dinner generally lately. I’ve been pulling out all the stops to make dishes that are unexpected and appetizing and fun. But still easy on me so that I don’t feel disappointed when my little guy tells me he isn’t hungry and wants to be excused from the table.



You know I’m big on dinner salads (like this Watermelon Arugula Feta Salad or this Pineapple Almond Spinach Salad). Today’s summery salad took minutes to make. Was full of peak seasonal flavors. And it surprised Atticus by featuring fruit (usually a dessert in our house) as a main course—enough that he ate more than I expected, if not as much as I wanted. More for me!

Strawberry, Arugula, and Walnut Salad

(for kids 12+ mos)



1 pint organic strawberries, washed and halved

1 5-oz container organic baby arugula (preferably prewashed to save time)

4 oz organic walnuts, toasted and crumbled

organic balsamic vinaigrette to taste (about 1/2  cup)*

sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste



1. Toss all ingredients in a large bowl and serve immediately.



Note: A basic vinaigrette is 2 parts oil to 1 part balsamic with a pinch of salt and a grind of pepper. I make 3/4 cup b/c it is easy to measure. Take a liquid measuring cup, fill it the the 1/2 cup mark with oil, now fill it to the 3/4 cup with balsamic. Add salt and pepper and whisk right in the cup. Use whatever you need on the salad and store the rest in the fridge.



Additional note: I know that Stacie often laughs at the idea of salad-as-dinner, but this salad is huge. And there are nuts in it! And you can even add goat cheese if you want. I swear no one went to bed hungry!