Cantaloupe-Tomato Salad with White Balsamic Vinaigrette: My Diet Continues

Do you tend to eat less in the summer?

I definitely do...although "less" is sometimes still too much!

I'm happy to say that I've been really, really good the last couple of weeks, 

and lost two pounds.

I was even pretty disciplined over this holiday weekend...

keeping my portions small, and having no more than a bite of dessert. 

Just three more "ell-bees" to go!

The trick will be keeping it off over the next several weeks,

with lots of food challenges ahead.

We've got dinners with friends, birthday parties, and a wedding.
Temptations everywhere! 

But...I'm feeling motivated, because additional weight 

is not the souvenir I want to come home with from vacation. 

Last night for dinner, we used up leftovers from the weekend's barbeque...

steak, potatoes, cole slaw, tossed salad. 

Because I'd be forgoing the potatoes and the creamy cole slaw, 

I wanted to make another side dish that I'd actually enjoy eating.

And you know me...it had to be e.a.s.y.

The time was ripe -- and so was my cantaloupe --

to make a salad that my cousin had brought on Mother's Day...
a cantaloupe and tomato salad with mint.

Although her salad was delicious,
I wanted to change mine up a bit by adding a different dressing.

I found this recipe at Relish.com, and modified it a bit to suit my own taste. 

It is SO good, and SO refreshing.
I hereby declare that it will be my go-to side dish of Summer 2015!

If you make this, there is one thing you must promise me.

You MUST use a sweet, ripe cantaloupe.

Repeat after me:

Sweet. Cantaloupe. Only. 

If you cut open a cantaloupe and it's not sweet, don't make the salad. 

Seriously. 

You'll be disappointed.

The dressing recipe is enough for two batches of this salad.

Feel free to cut it in half, or reserve half for another use.

I made the full recipe,

and now I have home-made dressing for the rest of the week.

I suggest that you make it a couple of hours before serving,

and let it sit out at room temperature,

so that the cantaloupe picks up some of the mint flavor,
and the salad has time to marinate. 
But, it's fine if you make it right before you serve it, too. 

Cantaloupe-Tomato Salad With Mint, and White Balsamic Vinaigrette

Recipe adapted from Relish.com

3 cups cantaloupe, cut into small chunks (about 3/4 of a medium cantaloupe)

1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped

For vinaigrette (Makes enough for 2 batches of salad):

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Combine cantaloupe, tomatoes and mint.

Whisk oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper in a small bowl.  

Add *half* of the dressing to salad; toss well. 

Reserve remaining dressing for a second batch, or another use.

 I was happy that I ended the holiday weekend with another healthy meal 
under my soon-to-be one-notch-smaller belt.

Uh, but then, I blew it.

I couldn't resist a s'more.
I just had one...and used dark chocolate, so it could have been worse. 

Junior Goo Shoes and his s'more.

Toasting marshmallows on a  gas grill campfire just isn't the same.

I'll be back on the diet wagon again, tomorrow,

and I'm promising myself I won't stray n'more.

Good thing I have s'more Cantaloupe-Tomato Salad in the fridge.

 

  

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