The Best Fruit Salad You Will Ever Eat
I love this fruit salad recipe. Of all the things that I remember and enjoyed throughout the holidays, I love the fruit salad my mom makes every year.
I can’t wait to share this holiday tradition with my kids. Mostly, I love this fruit salad because it’s more than yummy-it’s fantastic. It makes a great dessert that’s slightly healthier than a pie…or a great breakfast for the morning of the big day or the few days afterward…or a great snack during the weekend, if you’re not feeling another leftover turkey sandwich. All-in-all, this is totally my favorite and most diverse item on my Thanksgiving menu.
But there’s more to it than that. The making of the fruit salad has become a way for my family to get together at the beginning of the holiday, maybe a day or two in advance for those traveling, and we make the fruit salad together. Even if we’re just making it the night before, there’s always more folks in the house cutting up fruit than will help on any single dish for Thanksgiving dinner. I really feel like every one of us puts a little bit of themselves in the salad and what we get out of it is more than just a side dish or dessert-it’s a little of everyone’s love. And let me tell you-it’s delicious!
So, if I can have a drum roll, please…
Here’s What You Need to Make the Best Fruit Salad You’ll Ever Eat:
- A few family members, each armed with a knife, cutting board and a smile.
- 3-5 Bananas
- 1 Lemon
- 3-5 Red Apples
- 3-5 Green Apples
- 1 lb. Grapes, seedless preferred or dig out the seeds yourself-or delegate that to someone
- 1 large can of mandarin oranges (in 100% juice, please)
- 1 large can of crushed pineapple (make sure it’s crushed, not diced)
- 1 small can of cherries OR 10 strawberries (this is just for color, really, so if you hate either, just leave them out)
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
With Lots of Laughter, Here’s What You Need to do to Put this Fabulous Fruit Salad Together:
- Have each family member begin chopping their delegated fruit into 1/4-inch sized bits (banana, apple, grapes, cherries, strawberries–not the lemon or canned fruits). The goal is to make the bits small enough so you get a little bit of every fruit onto the spoon as it makes its way into your mouth.
- Pour everything into a very large, preferably plastic bowl and squeeze a little lemon over it periodically as the chopping continues. Please stir following the sprinkle of lemon so it’s evenly dispersed, especially over the bananas.
- While all those folks are a-chopping, pour the mandarin oranges and pineapple into a small colander to drain. Once drained, break-up the oranges into mashed/mushed bits and make sure the pineapple is thoroughly crushed. Again, the goal is tiny bits so we can get a bite of everything in one spoon.
- Mix everything together, including the sugar.
- It’s better if you have one small bowl for everyone following the chopping-event, but the flavor will improve exponentially overnight, too, so you should try it again in the morning. Maybe with some whipped cream…
Fruit Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- A few family members each armed with a knife, cutting board and a smile.
- 3-5 Bananas
- 1 Lemon
- 3-5 Red Apples
- 3-5 Green Apples
- 1 lb. Grapes seedless preferred or dig out the seeds yourself-or delegate that to someone
- 1 large can of mandarin oranges in 100% juice, please
- 1 large can of crushed pineapple make sure it’s crushed, not diced
- 1 small can of cherries OR 10 strawberries this is just for color, really, so if you hate either, just leave them out
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
Instructions
- Have each family member begin chopping their delegated fruit into 1/4-inch sized bits (banana, apple, grapes, cherries, strawberries–not the lemon or canned fruits). The goal is to make the bits small enough so you get a little bit of every fruit onto the spoon as it makes its way into your mouth.
- Pour everything into a very large, preferably plastic bowl and squeeze a little lemon over it periodically as the chopping continues. Please stir following the sprinkle of lemon so it’s evenly dispersed, especially over the bananas.
- While all those folks are a-chopping, pour the mandarin oranges and pineapple into a small colander to drain. Once drained, break-up the oranges into mashed/mushed bits and make sure the pineapple is thoroughly crushed. Again, the goal is tiny bits so we can get a bite of everything in one spoon.
- Mix everything together, including the sugar.
- It’s better if you have one small bowl for everyone following the chopping-event, but the flavor will improve exponentially overnight, too, so you should try it again in the morning. Maybe with some whipped cream…
Video
Nutrition
Yum!
