We enjoy light snacks and meals during the summer, and who doesn’t? Light food that’s easy to prepare and requires no cooking is welcome during these hot summer days. This granola fruit salad can be made with any of your favorite fruits and favorite yogurt. Healthy granola adds crunch and sweetness to this salad, and we encourage you to try it for yourself – you won’t be disappointed!

Healthy Summer Granola Fruit Salad

Try this granola fruit salad for a healthy snack during these hot summer days. Customize it with your favorite fruit and yogurt, and don’t forget the crunchy granola!

Ingredients

• 1 6 oz. container Key Lime yogurt
• 1 small pineapple, chopped
• 1 cantaloupe, chopped
• 2 cups green grapes
• 1 cup strawberries, chopped
• 1 cup blueberries
• ½ cup honey almond granola

Instructions

1. Add all the fruit to a large bowl and top with the yogurt. Toss until combined.
2. Put the salad in the fridge until it’s ready to serve. When serving, sprinkle with granola.

Photos: Carl’s Bad Cravings.

Fresh fruit is perfect for hot summer days. It’s light, thirst-quenching, and is great for a healthy snack. These fruit skewers are great for balancing out all those salty snacks, and they make a wonderful healthy dessert. Make them for your July 4th BBQ, picnic, or get-together! Read the recipe below to find out how to put together these tasty patriotic skewers.

This is what you will need:

– 12 wood skewers

– 6 oz. blueberries

– 1 lb strawberries

– 3 bananas

– serving tray

Directions: Rinse the berries and dry them. Take the strawberries and chop off the stems. Cut them in half from the stem to the point. Then, cut off the point and set it aside. Cut the bananas into slices and set them aside. Start with the blueberries and skewer 6 on top and alternate between 2 banana slices and 1 strawberry slice. Do this until you reach the end. Place the skewers on a platter and keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.

Photos: Evite Blog.

Crepes are just like classic pancakes, only thinner. The best part about that is you can eat more than you would with traditional pancakes! That’s a good thing, since they’re so delicious. Crepes can be made with sweet or salty filling, and almost anything goes well with them. Nutella, mascarpone, and strawberries were used in this recipe that is sure to become a family favorite!

Chocolate Strawberry Crepes

These crepes are so moist and delicious, they’ll be gone in seconds! Easy to make, they’re great for weeknight desserts.

Ingredients

Crepes

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup milk (room temperature)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/8 tsp fine sea salt
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 12 cubes

Filling

• 1 cup strawberries (chopped)
• 1 cup mascarpone (room temperature)
• 3/4 cup Nutella

Instructions

1. For the crepes, combine eggs, milk, flour, cocoa, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Whisk until the mixture forms a smooth batter.
2. Preheat a skillet over medium-low heat. Melt 1 cube of butter in the pan and add 1/4 cup of batter. Quickly tilt the pan to form an even coating of batter. Cook until set, about one minute. Carefully flip the crepe over. Cook for another 1 minute. Repeat with the remaining batter and butter.
3. Spread each crepe with 3 tbsp of mascarpone and top with chopped strawberries.
4. Fold the two opposite ends of the crepe inward and roll into a tube. Repeat with all the crepes and mascarpone and strawberries. Arrange the crepes on a large plate or platter.
5. Heat Nutella over low heat in a saucepan until warm. Spoon or drizzle over the crepes and serve immediately.

Photos: Timothy Nguyen, How Many Grams in a Cup.

Growing strawberries in hanging baskets has always been popular, mostly because strawberries are really easy to grow and maintain. There are several varieties of strawberries to choose from, but most only require minimal but frequent care. These will look great hanging from your front porch, or on your patio! Read the following steps on how you can get started planting your own!

Step 1: Prepare the Baskets

The most popular baskets to use for strawberries are wire baskets lined with Coco fibre. However, any hanging basket or pot with good drainage will work well. Before adding soil to the basket, make sure that you soak the basket or pot that you will be using.

Step 2: Soil

You’ll need to create a mixture of soil for your basket. Use peat moss, vermiculite, and perlite in a 8-1-1 ratio and mix well. This will be a lightweight mixture that won’t weigh the basket down. It’ll also retain water better than most potting soils and keep your strawberry plants from drying out too quickly.

Step 3: Add the Soil to the Basket

Take the mixture you created and fill the basket to a depth of 2-4 inches from the top. Create a hole in the soil that is large enough for the strawberry plants. Try to spread the plants out to help stimulate growth.

Step 4: Water

Next you need to water the plants thoroughly so that the soil and the roots of the plants are soaked.

Step 5: Hang the Basket or Pot

During the first few days after planting you’ll need to make sure that the plants are in a location out of direct sunlight. Keep the plants in that location for 3-4 days while they are adjusting to their new basket or pot. After, you can gradually move the strawberries into the sunlight. Only leave them in the sun a few hours a day at first, and gradually increase the time until they are left in sunlight for 6-8 hours a day.

Step 6: Maintenance

Make sure that the soil is moist but not soaked. Use a water soluble fertilizer every 10-14 days. Use fertilizers that are high in phosphorus because this will promote growth.

Photos: Tumblr, DIY Crafts Mom, Growing Days.

There’s nothing better than eating some sweet frozen yogurt after a delicious outdoor BBQ. This strawberry frozen yogurt is really easy to make, giving you plenty of time to prepare the rest of your BBQ meal. Simple ingredients like fresh strawberries, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and sugar are used in this delicious recipe. For a healthier alternative, try substituting the sugar for honey. Your guests are sure to enjoy it!

Home-made Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

Easy and quick frozen yogurt perfect as a dessert after a summer BBQ. You can substitute the sugar for honey for a healthy alternative.

Ingredients

• 1 pound strawberries, washed, hulled, and sliced
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 2/3 cup sugar (or honey)

Instructions

1. Stir strawberries and sugar in a bowl until the sugar begins to dissolve. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
2. Put the strawberries in a blender and add the yogurt and lemon juice. Blend until smooth.
3. Chill the mixture in the fridge for 1 hour, then place in freezer and freeze until firm.

Photos: Two Peas and Their Pod.