The strawberries have arrived, the strawberries have arrived! You have no idea how happy it makes me to see Florida strawberries back in our grocery store. Our season starts in December (hard to believe I know) and I think it’s safe to say that strawberries are probably the most consumed fruit in my family. We go through strawberries like crazy when they are in season (whether from Florida or California).

For the most part, we eat strawberries as is for snacks and as part of our meals. I pack them almost everyday in my kids’ lunchboxes and throw them into spinach salads too. My daughter spotted these Strawberry Banana Muffins (they are whole wheat – bonus!) over my shoulder on Pinterest last night and made me promise I would make them for her.

Of course, strawberries in smoothies are a given. I made this Strawberry, Grapefruit and Ginger Smoothie the other afternoon from the Clean Slate cookbook (I’m giving away a copy of it with three other healthy cookbooks – don’t forget to enter!). I found it in a section of the cookbook that is dedicating to “rebooting your system” and drinking to your health. There are 8 pages filled with smoothie and juice combinations and honestly, I want to try every single one of them. This Strawberry, Grapefruit and Ginger Smoothies falls into the “detoxifying” category and is recommended to drink whenever you are feeling sluggish (or to prevent feeling that way). I’ll take one every day.

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You know I’m all about salads. I am usually inspired by whatever ingredients I have in my fridge, but usually the basics often include the trifecta of fresh greens, cheese and nuts. It’s just a no-brainer to an awesome salad mix in my opinion. Add in any extra veggies or fruit and you are set.

I happen to come upon plenty of grapefruit regularly around this time of year, my grandpa’s tree is an amazing producer and I love that he sends me home with large bags of them whenever I see him during the grapefruit months. My mom just brought me some this past weekend and I couldn’t help but remember this simple grapefruit vinaigrette I made a couple of years ago. I ate this Spinach and Pistachio Salad pretty often drizzled with that bright vinaigrette and I’m ready to make it again. Like today, for lunch.

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I’ve always loved grapefruit. Since moving to Florida when I was 10, my family has been growing lots of pink grapefruit on trees in the backyard. When season hits, we always have an over abundant amount of grapefruits to deal with. You could always count on finding a carafe of freshly squeezed juice in the fridge, a huge bowl of them on the counter and bag fulls ready to bring to neighbors and friends. For anyone else who grows grapefruit, does this sound familiar?

For obvious reasons, I’ve never really had the need to buy grapefruit, but now that I live an hour away from my family’s backyard I definitely don’t have access to them as much as I used to. I usually get sent home with at least 1 or 2 shopping bags from my grandpa a season, but it really depends on the timing of our visits.

Last week, I came home to a TREAT. Since my visit with Harry & David last fall, I’ve been receiving the Fruit of the Month club from them (a wonderful and generous gift from H&D themselves, best gift ever!). Each month a box of fruit arrives, and my family and I have enjoyed it so so much. The grapefruit that were sent this month have got to be some of the best and sweetest tasting grapefruits I have ever tasted (ssshhh don’t tell my grandpa!). They are seriously amazing. The day they arrived, I posted a pic of them on Instagram and was asked by Brenda what I was going to make with them. Honestly, it never dawns on me to make anything with grapefruit, I love eating them straight up – halved, placed in a bowl, then juiced by hand in a glass (a grapefruit spoon like this has made eating them even more enjoyable over the years). Brenda’s question got me thinking…maybe I should try making something with them.

That’s where this bright and simple grapefruit vinaigrette comes in. It was the perfect homemade salad dressing to put over a bed of baby spinach, pistachios, a little red onion and gorgonzola cheese. I love adding citrus to vinaigrettes, and this one turned out wonderfully.

Homemade vinaigrettes are so easy to make and can really help change up your typical salad. Here are a few more delicious homemade salad dressings for you to enjoy:

Maple Vinaigrette

Mustard and Herb Vinaigrette

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Smoked Paprika Dressing by Cookin’ Canuck

Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette by Kalyn’s Kitchen

Balsamic Vinaigrette by Bell’alimento

Red Wine Tomato Vinaigrette by Skinny Taste

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