Summer Meal: Nectarine & Summer Veggie Grain Salad + Orange Cherry Healthy Spritzer

This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.

As I write this, I’m sitting out in the garden enjoying a rare cool Vegas morning with my cats, watching the rising sun trickle through the trellis vines. I love summer. One of my favorite summer activities is going to u-pick farms for peaches, berries, whatever it is. There are not a lot of those here in the Vegas desert, but I have plans to visit Raspberry Days up in Logan, Utah in August. Fresh, colorful summer produce is so satisfying to the eyes and belly, isn’t it?

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I recently received a box of new foodie treats to try and they all came together for a perfect summer meal. This is what I received:

• Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar Blends in Orange Tart Cherry and Citrus Ginger, plus a carrot ginger prebiotic shot
• Mighty Sesame Organic Tahini, Original and Harissa
• Minute Ready to Serve Jasmine Rice and Brown Rice & Quinoa

All I did was grab some of my favorite summer ingredients at the store, and I made a grain bowl/salad with these layers:

• Minute Ready to Serve Brown Rice & Quinoa
• arugula
• heirloom baby tomatoes
• nectarine slices
• avocado slices
• microgreens
• salt & pepper
• Mighty Sesame Organic Harissa Tahini for the sauce

And for my drink:

• 2 Tbsp Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar Orange Tart Cherry
• filled to the top of the glass with sparkling water (maybe 3/4 cup?)
• leftover nectarines

This is what I call a feel-good meal! So much color, freshness, and good-for-you ingredients, it just makes you feel great. Here’s my take on the products:

Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar:

Apparently apple cider vinegar is great for your health. Now, I would never drink it straight up, which is why Bragg’s concoctions are so nice. They’re mixed with honey and fruity flavors, and this drink legit tasted like KOMBUCHA you guys! Literally, I was sipping it and thinking, this tastes so familiar…it’s literally kombucha! After that realization, I was like, this thing is good for my health and tastes like kombucha…I love this discovery so much.

Mighty Sesame Organic Tahini:

The last time I had tahini in my house was like 9 years ago when I wanted to make hummus. Oh, how times have changed. There are so many great recipes online using tahini nowadays. The harissa tahini was great on this salad, and I ended up using the original tahini in overnight oats for the next morning. I did tahini, peanut butter, cinnamon, maple syrup, almond/2% milk, and bananas. It was so good! Tahini is so versatile and Mighty Sesame’s advantage is that it’s organic, in an easy squeeze bottle, and high-quality (no unnecessary ingredients, perfect texture, etc.). I know I’m not a tahini connoisseur, but I can absolutely recommend this brand.

Minute Ready to Serve Rice:

It’s ready in 1 minute, what more could you ask for? Haha, no, for real though, I have definitely had terrible instant rices and this is not one of those. My mom raved about the brown rice & quinoa, it was very good.

Some more info on the brands:

Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar:

Here’s a tidbit: Bragg Live Food Products is the oldest independent natural food company in the United States! They focus on wellness and vibrant, healthy lifestyles, so you can find them in natural grocery stores. Their Citrus Ginger recipe adds ginger to the tropical flavor to take advantage of its anti-inflammatory properties. The Orange Tart Cherry is a sweet-tart mix that includes cherry for its powerful immunity-boosting abilities. You can use these blends in smoothies, dressings, marinades, etc. Use code BABBLE10 on bragg.com to get 10% off your order on their website!

Mighty Sesame Organic Tahini:

The Mighty Sesame Organic Tahini is only one simple ingredient and is Organic, Gluten Free, Vegan, Non-GMO. Apparently it’s a great vegan replacement for mayonnaise and, like I said, so so versatile. Think smoothies, veggies, hummus, dips, etc. Both flavors are also a great source of protein, and the harissa is especially a great source of calcium.

Minute Ready to Serve Rice

Minute Ready to Serve Rice has no weird processing or bad chemicals. The rice is just simply cooked then dried, so it’s just convenient rice. These particular Ready to Serve Rices are perfectly portioned to add to any meal and heat up in only 1 minute.

I’ve said it before, but this is honestly why I love working with Babbleboxx, the quality of the items they send has never disappointed me. I always end up with new favorite products and feel great that I have products to recommend to my readers.

Did any of these pique your interest?