Balsamic Watermelon Salad – so light and refreshing it’s perfect all summer long!
Tomorrow is Reece’s last day of school and for us that means summer is just about here! We spend lots of time outdoors during the summer and grill several nights a week. One surefire way to get my boys excited about dinner is to serve them up some hot dogs and some fresh watermelon. Watermelon is THE summer fruit in my opinion. So sweet and juicy – it’s the perfect way to cool off! Sometimes I like to kick our weeknight meals up a notch and do something special like with this Balsamic Watermelon Salad. This salad is so light and so refreshing it’s perfect any night of the week.
One of my favorite components of this salad is the fresh mint. I’m a bit of a mint fanatic. I love to just chew on the leaves, throw it in water or lemonade, or sprinkle it over fresh fruit. I have tried SO many times to grow it but it just hasn’t worked out for me. Does anyone know the secret? What am I doing wrong??
Summer always seems to go by so fast so I try to make each week special for the boys in some small way. We go to the Railroad Museum or to the Children’s Museum, maybe meet Chris for lunch or head to Discovery Kingdom on the weekend.
Each year we go to the California State Fair. Last year I had the honor of meeting Jeff Mauro at the Seattle’s Best Red Cup Showdown at the fair – SO COOL! He is seriously hilarious. I’ve gone to the state fair every year for as long as I can remember. My parents used to take us five kids and I look back now and realize something…they were flat out crazy. I can hardly keep my sanity with just my two because they want to go every direction at once. There are so many beautiful exhibits and so much to do that it makes for a very special day.
The highlight of our summer will be our trip to Disneyland at the end of July. This time we are spending four days at Disneyland and one day at Universal Studios. The boys have never been to Universal Studios and Chris has had them watching YouTube videos of the rides and they are SO excited! They are really big Transformers fans and I think they are pretty much going to LOVE it 🙂
We’re wrapping up our summer with a weekend trip to Lake Tahoe. We usually just go up for the day but hubby booked us a hotel so we can spend the whole weekend and really enjoy our time up there this year. It is just breathtakingly beautiful and the boys think it’s a blast. I, for one, don’t get in that freezing cold water but Chris and the boys get in and have a great time.
Our summer is going to be TONS of fun this year but I truly believe some of the most memorable days are those where we’re just having fun relaxing at home enjoying some awesome barbecued hot dogs and a sweet, refreshing salad like this one 🙂 Simple. Sweet. Nothing is better than that. What fun plans do you have for #99summerdays?
- 2 lbs of seedless watermelon cut into planks
- 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 3 Tbls extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar (GOOD balsamic vinegar)
- ¼ mint leaves, chiffonade
- Combine olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
- Gently toss watermelon, red onion, mint and oil mixture together.
- Serve immediately.
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Tabitha says
Mint can easily take over a lawn or garden.. It’s probably a good thing that you haven’t had much luck growing it before you know that it is extremely invasive! With that said, it is best for mint to be grown in the ‘evening sun’… Too much (hot) direct sunlight can wither your plant. It is highly dependant on its root system to thrive and will grow back year after year when the root system is developed. I am a lover of mint and am merely speaking from personal experience. I have noticed mint thriving best along wooden fences and other structures that help to shade while allowing water to trickle down onto the plant.. beware though, this family of plant is boss!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
I’m going to try again this summer but I’m thinking maybe somewhere along the side of the house might be good. Thanks for all the great tips!
Brian Fake says
Fresh mint is so easy to grow. Are you trying to grow it indoors ? Plant it outside where it will get plenty of water. I have found that it grows very well by the spickets. It will get plenty of water there. Plant it in the ground and not in a pot. If you have a fountain it grows very well there too, because you are always cleaning it.
Cant wait to try this recipe.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Alright 🙂 I need to try one more time! Thanks Brian!
Niki says
we just do watermelon, mint, and maybe some other fresh fruit we have around the house… that alone is mmm good .. I bought wild mint, and put it in different spots around my house, near the windows… helps a bit with the bugs… wild mint grows so much better than the kind you buy for herbs… and has so much better punch.. I even thow a few leaves on the grill … burning it under the lamb gives it flavor too 🙂
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Hey Niki! So where do you get the wild mint from? I really, REALLY want to grow mint but just haven’t been able to yet. I’d love to give this a try!
Spikeygrrl says
Low-carb dieters, PLEASE do not be fooled; this recipe is anything BUT “healthy!” Balsamic vinegar is PACKED with simple sugars, let along the watermelon itself. SOUNDS great, but you’ll see 3-4 extra lbs on your bathroom scale tomorrow.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Thanks for the tip 🙂 I think you’d have to eat an awful lot of this salad to gain 3-4 pounds though 😉
LuAnne says
I grow mint on the west side of my house along the foundation. I grow 3 kinds spearmint, orange & and a chocolate mint. It grows very well with just afternoon sun. I never have to water it and it comes back every year. Nothing beats fresh picked mint. Good luck. I hope you succeed in growing your own. Thanks for the wonderful watermelon recipe
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
You know LuAnne, I think I always put my herbs in places with too much sun. I need to look for a better location. Thanks for the tips!