Paleo Winter Salad

Spiriteds, I don’t know about you, but I am not even messing around this week. Christmas is almost here, shopping is done, plans are set, and I have no interest in complicating matters. This includes the food. Want me to bring something for the family gathering? Done. It’s gonna be this Paleo Winter Salad. And it’s not messing around either.

Why? Because when I put this recipe together, it had to meet a few requirements. One, it had to be easy to throw together. The holidays are here, and I want recipes that are delicious, crowd pleasing, and stress-free. Two, this fresh fruit salad had to be appetizing in the new year. Fresh, rejuvenating, and energizing come to mind. Paleo Winter Salad ticks those boxes and then some.

Honestly, this is the salad I’m making for the holidays and again in January when I dust off the sugar and plunge head-first into the New Year. Also, side note. Am I the only one who geeks out about the new year? I used to be all about Christmas (which I still am) and only Christmas. But now I get jazzed at the thought of setting goals and mapping out plans to make those goals a reality. Pre-kids, K-Hubs and I used to go shopping in the first few days of January to buy PAPER PLANNERS. Nerd. Alert. And proud of it. We were the only ones in the mall, just strolling by Montgomery Ward, dreaming about which patterned paper we’d pick for our binders in the Franklin Covey store.

Then enter Toodle and Twinkle. We don’t hit the mall quite like we used to. And God only knows whatever happened to Montgomery Ward. K-Hubs still uses a paper planner, but it’s much more condensed now. Also, he just learned to send photos via text on his iPhone a few days ago.

So big things are happening in our house.

When he sent me the picture of the wrapping paper at Costco, though, making sure he was picking out the one I had described to him, I grinned from ear to ear. It was, indeed, the right wrapping paper. I’m convinced the camera phone can save marriages. Forget naked pictures. Nope. I’m talking about being at the store and photographing brands and ingredients and sending pictures with the caption, “Is this what you were talking about? I want to make sure I get it right before I pay at the register.”

Have you ever heard the joke about the wife who says to her husband, “Please go to the store and buy a loaf of bread. If they have eggs, get a dozen.” And the husband comes home with 12 loaves of bread. That’s K-Hubs.

So, I guess you could say we won’t be eating 12 loaves of bread. But we will be pouring over goals, planners, and pictures of wrapping paper with large helpings of Paleo Winter Salad perched on our laps.

To perfect this delicious paleo recipe, K-Hubs and I did do a few tests for you to give you only the best, unfussy salad ever. Should there be walnuts in your Paleo Winter Salad? Like, does this salad with lots of crunch need MORE crunch? Here’s our answer. Totally delish. Entirely optional.

Then there is a question of dressing. Should Paleo Winter Salad have one? We experimented with honey dressings for Fresh Mixed Berry Salad and liked the honey-lemon combo. But this time, we decided to SKIP IT. No dressing, just straight fruit. The flavors will start to run into each other in only the best way possible. So here’s our answer. Not necessary. Add only if YOU want it. And if you do, a little honey with a splash of lemon juice ought to do the trick (agave nectar will also work for a vegan dressing).

As for preparing Paleo Winter Salad, I throw everything together just before serving it. Although it tastes delicious, even after sitting out for a while, the fruits will start to turn, losing many of their fresh qualities. If you are worried about serving this during a family holiday, worry no more. The most labor intensive part of this salad is peeling the pomegranate seeds, and that you CAN do well in advance. Store them in a little airtight container and take them along to wherever you’re headed. Cut or peel the other fruits, throw your pomegranates on top, give a good stir, and SERVE. You are seriously done with your meal. You’ve done your part for the food portion of the holiday.

I’m not joking when I say Paleo Fruit Salad is unfussy, tastes delicious, and is the complement to paper planners and New Year’s goals everywhere. It’s all true, every last bit of it.

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