Red, White, and Blue Caprese Salad with Blueberries

There’s no time like summer to enjoy fresh salads that are not only exploding with flavor but also bring fabulous color to the table – like this Red, White and Blue Caprese Salad.

Everyone loves a Caprese salad with juicy tomatoes, aromatic sweet basil and creamy mozzarella cheese all drizzled in balsamic syrup. My patriotic version of the classic favorite summer salad that adds blueberries in honor of the USA and Red, White and Blue. Perfect for summer entertaining.

Who doesn’t love a Caprese salad with juicy tomatoes, aromatic sweet basil and creamy mozzarella cheese all drizzled in a balsamic dressing or syrup?  This is my patriotic version of the classic favorite summer salad that adds blueberries in honor of the Red, White and Blue. This beautiful salad can be tossed together in two minutes and is a delicious and easy way to celebrate the Fourth of July, Memorial Day, or any warm-weather gathering.  This is a must-make for berry season and summer entertaining by the pool, patio or a potluck!

Everyone loves a Caprese salad with juicy tomatoes, aromatic sweet basil and creamy mozzarella cheese all drizzled in balsamic syrup. My patriotic version of the classic favorite summer salad that adds blueberries in honor of the USA and Red, White and Blue. Perfect for summer entertaining.

TIPS FOR MAKING BLUEBERRY CAPRESE SALAD

Mozzarella: This creamy, mild cheese is the cornerstone of a Caprese salad and I like that it brings a little protein to the party. I used mozzarella pearls (so cute and perfect for a salad) but you can also use a bigger ball of mozzarella and cut into bite-sized pieces.

Balsamic Syrup: To keep life easy, I used a prepared balsamic syrup rather than make my own by reducing balsamic vinegar in a saucepot until thickened. The particular prepared balsamic syrup I used was infused with ginger, it was SO DELICIOUS. Also, as an alternative, you can use the balsamic salad dressing of your choice or simply olive oil for a less sweet effect on this tomato cheese salad.

Basil: You can’t skip the fresh basil in a Caprese salad! I like to grow a pot of my own sweet basil in the summer, to have in abundance for my recipes as inspired. But you can also grab fresh sprigs in the market. To store your clipped basil sprigs, place stem ends in a cup with a bit of water and store on the countertop to use within a few days – in the fridge, leaves will turn black-brown quickly.

Everyone loves a Caprese salad with juicy tomatoes, aromatic sweet basil and creamy mozzarella cheese all drizzled in balsamic syrup. My patriotic version of the classic favorite summer salad that adds blueberries in honor of the USA and Red, White and Blue. Perfect for summer entertaining.

Note: This post contains affiliate links.

Red, White & Blueberry Caprese Salad
Prep Time
5 mins
Total Time
5 mins
 

Everyone loves a Caprese salad with juicy tomatoes, aromatic sweet basil and creamy mozzarella cheese all drizzled in balsamic syrup. My patriotic version of the classic favorite summer salad that adds blueberries in honor of the USA and Red, White and Blue. Perfect for summer entertaining.

Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: balsamic, blue cheese, blueberry, mozzarella, salad, tomato
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 4 oz. mozzarella pearls drain if packed water
  • 4 oz. grape or cherry tomatoes halved
  • 4 oz. fresh blueberries or thawed frozen berries
  • ¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves
  • 2 tbsp (+/-) balsamic syrup or balsamic dressing
  • Optional: slices of mozzarella to punch out star shapes with a cookie cutter
Instructions
  1. Toss mozzarella pearls, tomatoes, blueberries and basic in a serving bowl. Drizzle with balsamic syrup.
  2. If desired, used cookie cutter to punch out star shapes from slices of mozzarella cheese.
  3. Best served when made, but leftovers stay good in the fridge for up to 3 days (although basil may oxidize a bit, it’s still fine to eat).

Blueberry Baked Steel Cut Oats with Protein – Make-ahead Breakfast

Set yourself up for a winning (and tasty) day with Blueberry Baked Protein Oats, an easy breakfast to make early in the week and reheat, as needed. Each hearty serving has 290 calories, 39 carbs, 7g fat and 21g protein.

I feature LOTS of oat and grain bakes on this site, the variations are endless — see my Mix & Match Master recipe! That master oat bake recipe makes a big batch (9-12 servings) and that’s fantastic if you have a big family or available freezer for meal prep. However, if you don’t have either — don’t fret! This blueberry oat bake recipe is half-sized, making 4 servings, which will stay fine in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days.

Use fresh or frozen bluberries — make in summer or any other time of the year!

Blueberry Protein Oatmeal Bake Tips

This half-batch oat bake recipe cooks up perfectly in a traditional loaf pan, measuring about 9.5″ x 5″ — or any other 1.5 quart casserole dish.

It’s easy to double, just pour ingredients into a 9″ x 13″ baking dish, and cook for the same amount of time.

Berries: I prefer to use fresh blueberries, but frozen can be substituted. You will get a little more juice “bleed” from the frozen, but it doesn’t affect the taste. You can also substitute the same amount of fresh or frozen raspberries or chopped strawberries.

Oat Type: This recipe is specifically designed for steel cut oats. Do not substitute old-fashioned, “rolled” oats or instant-oats. However, you CAN substitute half of the steel cut oats for uncooked (rinsed) quinoa! I have done this many times and the blueberry protein oatmeal texture is amazing!

Watery Appearance: Prior to cooking the mixed-up ingredients will look very watery, almost sloshy. Don’t worry — all that liquid gets absorbed as the grains bake in the oven. If it still looks a little watery after the cooking time has passed, then it’s not quite done — let it go 5 or 10 more minutes.

Protein Powder Selection: Use an unflavored or vanilla protein powder — whey, pea protein, and even collagen powder will all work well. In fact, this time I used Collagen from Great Lakes Wellness — a brand I’ve used for nearly 10 years. Happy to share my Great Lakes Wellness discount code with you — it’s THEFITFORK100ff to save 10% on your order.

save 10% Great Lakes Wellness collagen and products with code THEFITFORK10off
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Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

5 from 4 votes
Blueberry Steel Cut Oat Bake with protein is sweet, simple, make-ahead goodness. 290 cal per serving, 21 g protein, healthy whole grain carbs. Perfect fuel runs and workouts.
Blueberry Steel Cut Oat Bake with Protein

Blueberry Steel Cut Oat Bake with protein is sweet, simple, make-ahead goodness. 290 cal per serving, 21 g protein, healthy whole grain carbs. Perfect fuel runs and workouts.

Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup milk 2%
  • 1 cut water
  • 1/2 cup cottage cheese 2%
  • 1/3 cup vanilla protein powder or collagen powder
  • 1 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1 cup steel cut oats
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp liquid stevia drops
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Rinse berries(if fresh), place in standard loaf pan.
  3. Whisk egg, add milk, water, cottage cheese.
  4. Stir in protein powder until absorbed, then add chia seeds and steel cut oats.
  5. Add salt, stevia, vanilla, stir well.
  6. Pour in loaf pan with blueberries. It will seem very runny, but don’t worry, the liquid gets absorbed during baking.
  7. Bake at 350 for 65 to 70 minutes or until set.
  8. Let cool 10 minutes before cutting into 4 pieces.
Recipe Notes

Makes 4 servings: Each hearty serving has 290 calories, 39 carbs, 7g fat and 21g protein.

Granola Berry Frozen Yogurt Cups

Granola Berry Frozen Yogurt Cups are a delicious and healthy treat that combines the tangy flavor of Greek yogurt with the sweetness of blueberries and the crunch of granola. Simple to make with just five ingredients and basically no cooking, these little frozen desserts are a low-stress, no-guilt delight!

I’m a huge fan of Greek yogurt to fuel my active lifestyle. It’s high in protein to help me build and repair muscle and promote satiety. It provides probiotics for gut health, it’s a good source of calcium to keep my bones strong. I also love that rich, creamy taste and the versatility to eat right out of the carton or to use in all sorts of sweet and savory recipes.

It’s worth noting that not all Greek yogurts are created equal, nutrition varies between products. I read the back label to ensure I’m getting a Greek yogurt with no added sugar and minimal additives. 

Five simple ingredients!
Nut butter, honey (or alternative) and granola make a bottom layer crust (no baking needed)!

TIPS FOR MAKING GRANOLA BERRY FROZEN YOGURT CUPS

Container Choice: You’ll need appropriate vessels to freeze/firm up the prepped recipe. I prefer individual silicone muffin cups, they are reusable and very easy to peel off. You can also use 8-oz ramekins or a traditional muffin tin where the cups are attached – it’s just a tad harder to release the frozen treat before eating.

Yogurt Selection: You can use any kind of Greek Yogurt you like – no fat, 2%, full-fat, etc. Flavors are fine too – however, I prefer to use an unsweetened Greek yogurt and stir in a few drops of liquid stevia or liquid monk fruit sweetener. I’ve never tried to make with a non-dairy yogurt, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.

Nut Butter Choice: Use what you like!!! A natural nut butter is best – but the nut base is up to your preferences. So is “crunchy” or “smooth”. On this last batch, I used smooth cashew butter and it was so good. Also, don’t miss the step to pop nut butter in microwave for 20-30 seconds to help soften it up enough to incorporate the natural sweetener and granola.

Syrup-y Sweetener: This helps soften up the nut butter so that granola can be mixed in a coated. I used honey, but other choices are maple syrup, date syrup, honey substitute, zero-carb syrups, etc.

Granola Choice: Again, it’s up to you. I use store-bought for convenience, but homemade granola would be the bomb. Also, feel free to use a grain-free, gluten-free, or whatever you need to suit your dietary eating pattern.

Berry Selection: For this frozen yogurt cup recipe, I have to save frozen berries have an edge over fresh. Frozen berries can be stocked in your freezer for anytime use and I like how they juice up a little when thawed and mashed– that makes a nice “syrup” to blend into the yogurt without having to macerate them with sugar like one would do for a fresh berry. I used blueberries, but blackberries, raspberries are chopped up strawberries would be amazing too!

Storage:  This Greek yogurt fruit dessert obviously needs to be stored in the freezer. I let them freeze for 2 hours (the optimal time before eating) and then remove all from their muffin liners/ramekins and place in an air-tight storage container meant for the freezer. When the cups go into a deep freeze after a couple hours, the consistency will be pretty hard. For a more enjoyable consistency, I place my FroYo treat in a small bowl and let set on the counter to soften up for about 5 minutes before enjoying.

Macros: Recipe makes 4 servings, each serving has 167 cal, 23g carb, 5g fat, and 9g protein.

Did You Know? This healthy dessert recipe was adapted from MY Cooking for One for Dummies ! It’s an easy recipe to scale up or down depending on your needs.    

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

5 from 5 votes
Granola Berry Frozen Yogurt Cups are a delicious and healthy treat that combines the tangy flavor of Greek yogurt with the sweetness of blueberries and the crunch of granola.
Granola Berry Frozen Yogurt Cups
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
1 min
Total Time
2 hrs 10 mins
 

Granola Berry Frozen Yogurt Cups are a delicious and healthy treat that combines the tangy flavor of Greek yogurt with the sweetness of blueberries and the crunch of granola.

Course: Dessert, Snack
Keyword: blueberries, frozen yogurt
Servings: 4
Calories: 167 kcal
Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp nut butter
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • ½ cup + 1 tbsp store-bought granola of choice
  • 2/3 cup frozen blueberries thawed
  • ¾ cup unsweetened Greek yogurt
  • optional 5 to 10 drops stevia if you like sweet yogurt
Instructions
  1. In small microwave-safe bowl, heat nut butter for 20 seconds or until softened. Stir in honey until incorporated.
  2. Add granola to nut butter mixture and mix well until coated.
  3. Place ¼ of granola mixture into each of four silicone standard muffin cup or four 8-ounce ramekin, pressing down with spoon to form a thick crust layer.
  4. If desired, stir in liquid stevia or monk fruit drops into unsweetened yogurt and stir well.
  5. Top each crust with an equal portion of yogurt.
  6. Mash of thawed blueberries in another bowl. Divide among top of yogurt layer, using tip of spoon to slightly swirl into yogurt.
  7. Freeze for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight. Let thaw on counter for 1 minute before peeling out of silicone cup or removing from ramekin.
Recipe Notes

No-bake Blueberry Coconut Protein Cheesecakes

Another flavor variation in my love affair with making protein cheesecakes with cottage cheese and protein powder. Blueberry and coconut make a tasty filling atop a crust of coconut butter, coconut flour and shredded coconut. Low carb and lucious — plus, as with all my protein powder cheesecakes, the ingredients and macros make it ideal for a post-workout snack, healthy dessert . . .or even breakfast! No Bake Blueberry Coconut Protein Cheesecakes - 24g protein, 10g net carb and perfect for a post-workout snack, healthy dessert, or even breakfast!

Read on to get the the easy recipe for No-bake Blueberry Coconut Protein CheesecakesContinue reading

Blueberry Brie “Cake Slice” Appetizer

Delight your guests with Blueberry Brie “Cake Slice” Appetizer, a beautiful prelude to dinner or cocktail party conversation starter. Blueberry Brie Cheese "Cake" Appetizer

This “impostor” recipe looks just like a slice of sweet cheesecake piled high with plump berries and pomegranate arils but it’s actually savory-sweet cheese dish to get the flavor party started!  Read on to get all the yummy details and easy recipe:  Continue reading