Fruit salad is an easy sell on the menu and most of us don’t need a recipe to stress over when making it. It also is a simple suggestion when friends ask what they can bring to your festivities; which by the way, I prefer not to have my guests feel like they need to make anything….that is unless I spontaneously decide to follow that wild whim idea of let’s have a party tomorrow!
Which is exactly what I did for our July 4th celebrations and my long time friend, Melissa, asked me what she could bring. I without commitment said, she didn’t have to make anything but she could bring some fruit. I wanted to make it as easy as possible for her knowing she doesn’t fancy being in the kitchen so much.
With that said, my friend has many skills and talents that I admire but she leaves the cooking up to her husband {lucky girl}! Shame on me for doubting Melissa {I really didn’t M I was just trying to make it easy} because this recipe is all hers and I practically licked the bowl clean when all my guests left!!
I had an inkling the sweet & tangy dressing might not have had me licking the bowl if I knew what I know now but ignorance is bliss and I was very blissful in that moment {wink}. When I did finally get her recipe I was a bit smug that I could exchange the sweetened condensed milk with a cleaner version without compromising the flavor!
I am so excited for you all to have this simple and refreshing recipe that everyone will love! Even the clean-eating foodie that I am was in love with the eye appealing, terrific tastes of this fruit salad but just had to make a little change to do right by my healthy ways.
Also, it turns out today is my friend’s birthday {and debut for her recipe}; I didn’t even plan my post for that but I just love when the timing is perfect and I believe there are no coincidences in life! So Happy Blessed Birthday me dear friend Melissa 😎 !
I have to admit, I was starting to wig out when I read how much sugar is in sweetened condensed milk and if you are a calorie counter you would flip out too. NO names here but the popular brands in a can have 166 grams to 220 grams of sugar {the icky kind} and up to 1300 calories…..now before you get all in a tizzy, let’s break it down per serving.
If 2 tablespoons was what you ate and I had my fair share, remember I licked the bowl, then you would only ingest 22 grams of fake and hopefully not hydrogenated corn syrup. If that wasn’t enough to send you over the top, that measly 2 tablespoons is 130 calories!
I don’t count calories but that is because I eat real, whole foods. Although, if I was ingesting processed foods like that I would have my pocket calculator {if your under 25 never mind} phone out adding up those numbers! You can put your calculators away because this fruit salad lives up to it’s healthy standards!