Growing up, I would love when my mom would make summer salads – lettuce with whatever fruits were in a season. Therefore, I am obsessed with Panera’s Strawberry Poppyseed Salad, and I get excited every summer when their menu features it. I decided to try to replicate it at home, and I thought it was pretty tasty!

Prep Time: 10-20 minutes

Feeds: 4 people. Yields about 11 cups.

Ingredients:

• 6 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1 cup strawberries, sliced
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 cup mandarin oranges
• 1 cup pineapple, chopped
• 1⁄2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup grilled chicken breast, chopped
• Poppy seed dressing

Prepare your chicken. You can grill it, pan sear it on the stove, or buy pre-grilled chicken (such as Foster Farms Grilled Chicken Breast Strips).

Add chopped head of romaine heart or romaine lettuce (about a 6 oz head) to a bowl. Toss
in prepared strawberries, blueberries, mandarin oranges, pineapple, and pecans. Feel free to toast your pecans! (See the Don’t Head the House (Healthier) Chicken Salad recipe for nut toasting instructions.) Next add your chicken. Gently mix your salad.

You can make your own poppyseed dressing from a myriad of internet recipes, or just buy one at the store. I am partial to Newman’s Own, which is creamy but doesn’t have mayonnaise. I would recommend that you let everyone add their dressing individually, as Grandma may like to drench hers in dressing. This also allows you to keep leftover salad from wilting as quickly!