Fireworks, enjoying time with family and friends, soaking up the sun at the pool, or relaxing on the lake!

If you’re like us, you are probably looking forward to celebrating all things summer – and especially celebrating our upcoming patriotic holiday with family and friends!

Just in case you’re inspired to make this red, white and blue holiday even more special by creating a fun theme with your food, we will warn you – don’t go googling “red, white and blue recipe ideas.”  Your REAL food lifestyle will go right out the window!  You are bound to find red and blue food coloring in nearly everything.  And you will be flooded with cakes, cupcakes, cookies, marshmallows, red and blue Jello, and neon-colored drinks.

REAL food to the rescue!

It IS possible to enjoy delicious and fun ideas for 4th of July – REAL food style!

We want to share some great ideas, including ones your family and friends will LOVE!  There are lots of REAL ingredients that can fit into a color theme for this patriotic holiday.  So, let’s embrace REAL fruits, veggies, and natural colors like strawberries, blueberries, cherries, watermelon, tomatoes, beets, jicama, kohlrabi, yogurt, and even natural vanilla ice cream…just to name a few!

Star-Spangled Start to Your Day:

Banana Split Breakfast Parfait – healthy enough for breakfast.  Delicious enough for dessert!

Very Berry Smoothie Bowl – take your smoothie to the next level with this “scrumptious” idea!

Fruit-Topped Dutch Baby Pancake – loaded with fruit and nuts – and no flipping required!

Blueberry Overnight Oats – incredibly refreshing, cholesterol-sponging breakfast.  Ideal for overnight guests too!

Super Summer Salads:

Dreamy Fruit ‘n Nutty Salad – a unique salad with fruit, nuts, yogurt, honey and chia seeds.  Colorful and refreshing!

Red, White and Blueberry Salad – crunchy jicama or kohlrabi meets berries, basil, and a light citrus dressing.  Simple and delicious!

Mixed Fruit Salad – always a crowd pleaser.  A splash of honey and white balsamic vinegar gives it a sensational twist!

Salad with Addictive Spicy Pecans and Berries – salty, sweet, and spicy.  This combo brings flavor and crunch.  It might surprise your guests who don’t expect REAL food can be this fun!

Watermelon Blueberry Salad – Zonya and her sweet mama enjoyed a version of this salad at a local restaurant.  It was so good we had to recreate it!

Diced Caprese Salad – a simple Italian salad with a refreshing twist.  Adding blueberries or strawberries provides even more fresh summer flavor!

Roasted Beet and Mixed Berry Salad – if you have never roasted beets, this salad is definitely one to try.  The flavor of the caramelized roasted beets pairs perfectly with the sweetness of the berries.  And the poppy seed dressing brings it all together!

Montana Inspired Beet Salad – a re-creation from an inspiring restaurant in Montana.  Amazing is the only way to describe it!

Healthified 3 Bean Salad – this favorite will disappear quick.  So much flavor that gets even better the next day!

A few Sizzling Summer Holiday Main Dishes:

PBR Beer Can Chicken – WOWZER!  One taste of this juicy, tender chicken and you will be lucky if it makes it to the dinner table.  A great way to enjoy America’s blue-ribbon beer!

Goat Cheese Chicken with Blueberry Salsa – chicken stuffed with goat cheese and seasonings.  And then topped with blueberry salsa – amazing flavor!

Pork Chops with Blueberry Ginger Relish – marinated pork chops topped with a Blueberry Ginger Relish, which would also be great on chicken or fish!

Balsamic Watermelon Chicken Salad – the flavors of the watermelon, blue cheese and balsamic reduction come together for a refreshing summer meal!

Beat the heat with these fun summer dessert and drink ideas:

Red, White and Blueberry Popsicles – no food coloring here.  These popsicles are bursting with color from the blueberries and raspberries!

Grilled Banana Split – you read right – a banana split on the grill.  Summer dessert at its best!

Oatmeal Cookie Parfait Cups – excellent with yogurt or vanilla ice cream.  And loaded up with fresh berries!

Berry and Raw Brownie Parfait – layers of color and flavor, including chewy chocolate brownie!

Almond Butter Brownies topped with yogurt and berries – transform our delicious brownies into a yogurt parfait!

Strawberry Daiquiri Mocktail – delicious and refreshing – even without the rum!

Red, White and Blueberry Spritzer – one of our Eat REAL America members made these with sparkling wine and said, “it was a huge hit!”

Mountain Berry Iced Tea – fantastic for any time of the year, and especially perfect and seasonal for 4th of July!

Another one of our favorite dessert ideas is to make the In-Season Fruit Crisp because it is so versatile and lets you take advantage of your favorite in-season fruits, whether it is berries, peaches, apples, or pears.  Watch our video to see how easy it is to whip up this delicious dessert!

We hope this helps inspire you for your 4th of July holiday plans to keep it fun, delicious AND healthy!

Have a safe and relaxing holiday!