Now that we’re well into the new year, have you made any plans to eat a little healthier? If you have, I think you’ll enjoy this Apple-Pear Salad! It’s a great salad for this time of year, sweetened with chopped apples, pears, and dried cranberries, which give it a nice crunchy texture and naturally sweet flavor. This fruit tastes great with the sliced almonds that are sprinkled in this salad, too!

This salad is really easy to put together. You can use a container of pre-washed mixed salad greens (or chop up your own, if you prefer). The apples, pears, and red onion need to be chopped, but you can purchase sliced almonds and shaved or shredded Parmesan cheese, so those are time-savers! You can use your favorite kind of apples in this too—I like using red apples for the added color, but use whatever you like best.

Just a note about the dressing—the salad ingredients are tossed with olive oil and apple cider vinegar, and seasoned to taste with salt and pepper. But if you prefer, you can toss the salad with your favorite vinaigrette instead—you would want to use 5 to 6 Tablespoons of vinaigrette, or to taste.

You’ll need a large bowl to make this salad in, and I made mine in the Large Enamelware Salad Bowl from MaryandMartha.com—it’s the perfect size for this salad! I really like the inspirational message on the bottom of the bowl that says, “We have shared together the blessings of God.” Philippians 1:7. After all, meals are meant to be shared and enjoyed together! 🙂

Salads like this are so good and healthy! And with all these ingredients, it works as both a meal in itself, or as a side dish for lunch or dinner. Do you have a favorite salad recipe?

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