Fresh Fruit Salad

Fresh Fruit Salad ~ Blackberries, strawberries, apple, nectarine, mandarin oranges in a honey, lemon, and pineapple juice dressing.You know how stores roll out a holiday’s candy just as the previous holiday candy goes on clearance? Each holiday has their own particular chocolate for me. I will indulge in a small amount of my specific holiday chocolate and be satisfied. Then Valentine’s Day candy goes on clearance and out comes the Easter candy; my small indulgences get tested.

I was holding strong. I ignored Easter’s indigo bags for weeks now. I was determined to wait until it was time for the Easter Bunny to build a basket before I gave in and purchased that indigo bag.

Then I went to Boise.

Lindsay bought the indigo bag. I was secretly hoping she’d share a few, just ease the jones-in’. Then she declared those were hers. I cannot fault her. I buy bags that are just for me. I don’t share.

I bought a bag too. It remained unopened for 72 hours. A feat pretty much unmatched in my life. I was proud of myself.

Then I opened it.That was the first mistake. The second mistake was sharing them with Elizabeth. I know they say sharing is caring, but really? She is my daughter and her love for candy and all things sweets is only rivaled by my love of coffee.

Before too long I found myself back at the store, for bag number two. But I wasn’t going to let my love of the indigo bag undo all the steps I have been taking to eat healthy. You might have noticed a lot of sweet goods lately here on TCS, but I have been strong, only eating those in moderation.

While I was at the store, giving into my desire for indigo bag #2, I stocked up on fruits, vegetables, and Healthy Choice Simply Cafe Steamer meals. I am great at eating a nutritious dinner. It’s the first two meals of the day that I have issues with.Healthy Choice Simply Cafe Steamer meals simplify my life, allowing me to just pop one in the microwave, press some buttons, and a few minutes later I am eating a meal with 100 percent natural proteins and absolutely no artificial ingredients. Win-win for me. Healthy Choice Simply Café Steamers are steamed to transform simple ingredients into vibrant, crisp vegetables and juicy proteins for a delicious, fresh taste by using a tray-in-tray steam cooking method that separates ingredients during heating to unlock freshness can be seen and tasted.Work has been extremely busy lately, something for which I am incredibly grateful for, but that busyness means I forget to eat or worse, I snack. These meals allow me to stick to my healthy eating lifestyle I have developed over the years but are quick and easy to prepare, allowing me to keep up with the demands of my job. To accompany my Healthy Choice Simply Café Steamer, I made a big bowl of Fresh Fruit Salad and dressed it in a pineapple, honey, and lemon dressing.

While I was photographing this, Elizabeth came home from school and saw the set up. She already has large eyes like her mama, but they became saucers when she saw both the Grilled Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo along with the Fresh Fruit Salad. She’s learned not to touch the set up but I could see the struggle was REAL for her this time, to not reach in and take samples of the food. She was bouncing in eagerness for me to finish the photos so she could eat the food. And that she did. Everything pictured here, she ate it the second I gave her the green light. When she handed me the empty plate of chicken back (which did have to be reheated–not something I’d normally recommend doing, but it goes with the food writer/recipe developer territory, cold food is a fact of life around here.), she declared “that was SO good Mom, you have to make that for me again, I love it.” Great, she loves a recipe that isn’t mine, but at least I can feel good about serving it to her. Well, she did love the fruit too, so my pride isn’t completely bent out of shape.If you’re on the fence on whether or not you want to try Healthy Choice, they are the only major brand in the frozen meals section that can call 100% of their products “healthy” as approved by the FDA. This is important to me. As a food writer and recipe developer working with brands (and I only work with brands and products I love), I am not allowed to use certain words or phrases when describing products. Healthy is one of those words I am rarely allowed to use, even if I use the product in a healthy way because of FDA regulations.To learn more about Healthy Choice and their line of products, you can check them out on their Facebook page or on their Website. You can find Healthy Choice Simply Café Steamers in the freezer aisle of your favorite market for the msrp of $3.29…a price you cannot beat. Which of their new meals are you most excited to try?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Thank you for sharing!