Spring Salads & Summer Smoothies

As the weather starts warming up, many people tend to shift their diets just a bit to incorporate lighter meals filled with fresh fruits and veggies. Whipping up a cool, refreshing smoothie or salad makes for a great meal on a spring or summer day because they are quick to make and since you don’t have to use the oven or grill, you’ll stay nice and cool while preparing your meal!

If you’re in need of a few new ides for fresh fruit smoothies and salads, check out some of these great recipes we’ve recently come across.

This mango-peach smoothie includes a little bit of orange juice and vanilla soy milk, creating a creamy, sweet treat.

Photo via All Recipes

A Kiwi Sensation smoothie made with kiwi, mango, and pineapple can also be made with spinach to get a little bit of your daily dose of veggies in!

Photo via All Recipes

When it comes to salads, you can stick to traditional fruit salad recipes or add an extra splash of flavor and texture to a vegetable-based salad. Either way, you’ll have a delicious dish that is also nutritious.

If you’re craving for a taste of your favorite island paradise, this tropical fruit salad will do the trick. Its ingredients include mangoes, pineapple, pomegranate seeds, and dried coconut. Yum!

Photo via Epicurious

Radiance Fruit Salad combines some of the best flavors of spring and summer – kiwi, cantaloupe, and strawberries topped with a honey, lime, and mint dressing.

Photo via Food Network

Or give this Crunchy Fennel and Green Apple Salad a whirl. Extra-thin Granny Smith apple slices add just the right touch of tartness for a refreshing summer salad.

Photo via Cooking Channel

Of course, you can always make your favorite fruit salad into a smoothie by altering the recipe just a bit and tossing it in the blender. Or, you can use this fruit salad smoothie recipe for guidance. It’s made with grapes (red or green – your choice), an orange, pineapple, cucumber, carrot, and apples.

Photo via Food Network

What are your favorite fruits to mix up in smoothies and salads during the spring and summer? Leave a comment to share with us.

Cute Snacks for Outdoor Play Dates with Kids

After being cooped up inside all winter long, kids (and parents) are counting down the days until its prime, outdoor playtime weather! The arrival of spring opens the door to tons of options for fun activities to enjoy with kids. One of our favorite ideas is to arrange an outdoor play date with friends at the park, bringing along cute snacks that kids will love.

Lots of pre-packaged snacks for kids are made in the shape of animals, but they’re not nearly as much fun as trying to make your own. This fruit peacock is made from juicy pears, grapes, blueberries and a baby carrot. You can add in other fruits to make it even more colorful and tasty!

Photo via Be Different Act Normal

You can use cookie cutters to make meat and cheese sandwiches into fun shapes. What kid could resist this dinosaur sandwich and kiwi tree?

Photo via Play and Learn Pals

How about these adorable hardboiled egg mice chasing after tiny bites of cheese? These are sure to make kids giggle and make them actually want to eat their lunch!

snacks for outdoor play dates with your kids

Photo via DairyGoodness.ca

But don’t let the fun stop at animals! Here’s a creative snack made of slices of meat, cheese, and veggies that will inspire kids to put on their pretend astronaut helmets for a space mission around the playground.

Photo via Rafa Kids

Who wouldn’t love making their own edible flower gardens? In fact, you can simply bring lots of tasty snacks and let kids use their imagination to make their own creative display. Tell them you are making an exception to the “don’t play with your food” rule just this once!

Photo via Creative Kid Snacks

What types of fun snacks do you carry for outdoor play dates with your children? Leave a comment to share with us, or better yet, share a picture with us on the Hickory Farms Facebook page!

Birthday Gift Ideas for Chefs & Foodies

The Mystery Box – a box of seemingly random ingredients from which contestants must formulate a gourmet meal is a popular challenge in reality cooking shows, such as Top Chef and MasterChef, and it is undoubtedly the most exciting.

Hickory Farms gourmet gift baskets can infuse a bit of fun in a gathering of your culinary-inclined friends as you create your own fun cooking challenges. If you have a friend or family member who is an aspiring or amateur chef, why not give a birthday gift that inspires with a fruit gift box or food gift ideas?

Imagine all the fun an at-home chef could have with the Very Special Variety Fruit Gift Box as the inspiration for a cooking challenge. This luscious, fresh fruit basket contains red and green Bartlett Pears, Fuji Apples, a Granny Smith Apple, Navel Oranges, kiwis, and a mango. And these are not your average pieces of fruit. These gorgeous fruits are fit for a top executive chef. From summer salads to sweet and savory sauces to decadent desserts, a creative cook has many ways to turn this gourmet food gift into a culinary work of art.

Gourmet food gifts from Hickory Farms.

Gourmet meat from Hickory Farms. (Photo via My Recipes)

A gourmet food basket makes a great gift for those who love to entertain. Every host or hostess likes to be equipped to throw parties and get-togethers with plenty of flavor and style. Because when it comes to entertaining, presentation is just as important as taste.

A selection of gourmet meats, gourmet cheeses and condiments that can instantly create a delicious and beautiful spread makes a wonderful gift for those who love to play host. Better yet, our Family Favorites Gift Box, which includes meat, cheeses and even Mini Melt Away Mints, has everything you would need to throw an impromptu gathering.

Gourmet food baskets from Hickory Farms.

Another great foodie gift for cooks and entertainers is gourmet nuts. Our Colossal Cashews Gift Tin is filled with only the freshest of cashews that are lightly sprinkled with just the right amount of sea salt. They are perfect for a gourmet recipe or simply for placing on the bar for guests. Roasted nuts are always an easy and tasty treat that chefs of any skill level can whip up for an event. This cinnamon roasted cashews recipe, for example, is so simple, yet so delicious!

Gourmet nuts from Hickory Farms. (Photo via Work It Mom)

What do you think are the best birthday gifts for chefs and foodies? Share with us your ideas in a comment below.