I love spring food. One of my dietitian mom’s mantras that has always stuck with me has to do with eating food that’s every color of the rainbow, and avoiding having a plate full of food that’s only one color, especially if it’s that yellow-ish white carb color.

Eating the rainbow is especially easy in spring, and one of my colorful and easy lunches is a simple strawberry and spinach salad. It’s so easy, I don’t even want to write out a recipe for it. Just toss spinach and sliced strawberries together…

… and then “church it up” with any other toppings. I like to use Craisins, goat cheese, and pecans, walnuts, or sliced almonds (if you want more protein, try adding hard boiled egg or grilled salmon!). As for dressing, you can go with a light raspberry vinaigrette or plain balsamic- but be careful! A salad drenched in dressing sort of negates the light and healthy aspect of this meal, so if your dressing is high in fat or calories but DELICIOUS, try my trusty method of dipping your fork in the dressing before spearing a bite of greens.

This dish works great as a light lunch or as a side dish- I can definitely see this being a crowd-pleaser at Easter brunch as a nice alternative to the deviled eggs or green bean casserole! What do you guys think? Any other healthy alternatives when it comes to Easter potlucks this weekend?