Liven Up the Lunch Box

School may have only been in session a couple of weeks in some parts of the country, but my son's school resumed the beginning of August.  If your child takes lunch everyday, liven up the lunch box by replacing fresh fruit with fruit salad.  The recipe I'm sharing uses fruit most kids love:  apples, bananas and pineapple.

When I was growing up, my mother made a fruit salad that her mother made for her when she was a child.  I make the same salad for my son, the fourth generation to enjoy this salad.  My mother always called it fruit salad but, to distinguish it from my other fruit salad recipes, I call it Lillie's Fruit Salad in honor of my grandmother.

Start by emptying the pineapple with its juice in a mixing bowl.  The pineapple juice will help keep the apples and bananas from turning brown. Now that I own a pineapple slicer, I substitute fresh pineapple when I have one on hand.  If you use fresh pineapple, put some orange juice in the mixing bowl first as a substitute for the pineapple juice.

 Fresh pineapple cut into smaller chunks.

I use a Red Delicious apple, but you can use your favorite variety or pair two different varieties for a contrast of taste and texture.  Peel and core the apple, dice it into bite size pieces and put in the mixing bowl with the pineapple.  Slice the bananas into rounds and add them to the mixing bowl.

Made with fresh pineapple.

To make sure the fruit doesn't turn brown, cover the mixture with orange juice or an orange juice blend, such as orange pineapple or orange pineapple banana.  These blends work well because the juice enhances the fruit used in the salad.

Store the salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  To keep the salad cold in a lunch box, pack it in an insulated container.  If you don't have one, put the salad in an airtight container and use an ice pack in the lunch box.  Ice packs like the ones pictured below are inexpensive and reusable.

If you don't have to pack a lunch box, the salad makes a great side dish, snack or dessert.  It's a tasty way to eat a variety of fruit at one time.

Lillie's Fruit Salad

4 to 6 Servings

1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple in its own juice (undrained) or desired amount of fresh pineapple, chopped into small pieces

1 or 2 apples, peeled, cored and diced into bite size pieces (I use 1)

2 bananas, peeled and sliced into rounds

orange juice or orange juice blend (enough to cover)

Empty the pineapple and juice into a mixing bowl.  (If using fresh pineapple, put some orange juice in the bowl first.)  Add the remaining ingredients, stirring to combine.  Keep refrigerated.

© Margaret's Morsels