I am part of the Balance Your Plate team and help to spread the word about CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN® oven-ready pizzas. As part of that team I receive product and incentives in exchange for participating in brand-related activities.
Whether you work in the home or out, you probably have many busy nights when dinner just needs to be quick and convenient- between practices, doctor appointments, housework, and the thousand other things that need your attention. But, convenience doesn’t have to mean you have to sacrifice better eating for quick and tasty. You can have all 3- quick, tasty, and healthy when you balance your plate! One way to do this is to a grab a California Pizza Kitchen® frozen pizza and combine it with a delicious salad for a more balanced meal. Our favorite is the California Pizza Kitchen® Thin Crust White with spinach, garlic, ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, romano, asiago cheese, and a creamy garlic sauce. I pair mine with a delicious spinach and fruit salad topped with my homemade Rasperry Citrus Vinaigrette ( see recipe below!) Check out the other recipes and pairings on the California Pizza Kitchen ® site. It’s not just to fill our plates and make them pretty that I add a salad with fruit on pizza nights- I really don’t want to be one of the 98% of Americans who only meet the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for proper nutrition about 7 days out of the year! So, we add lots of veggies and fruits to our meals. It does fill our plates, but it also helps to get those servings of fruits and veggies that our bodies all need to stay strong and healthy.
Making dinner choices that are quick doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice healthy options…the key is balance. There are usually about 20 minutes until that frozen pizza is cooked in the oven, so take those minutes to whip up a fresh salad and some fruits (or put the fruit IN the salad like we do). This offers balance to your plate, and adds some of those ever-important fruits and veggies into your daily intake. Stick to the recommended serving sizes for your pizza, too. I often add my own veggies on top of pizzas because no one in my house agrees with me that broccoli is amazing on pizza. But that added serving of broccoli gives me more veggies, bulks up my 2 slices, and helps me to fill up on the recommended serving sizes. Our friends at California Pizza Kitchen understand serving sizes and are ALL about balance on your plate, so much so that they even give you both the recommended serving sizes and some pairing suggestions so that you can have quick, convenient AND balanced meal options for your family.
Raspberry Citrus Vinaigrette Dressing
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Olive oil
1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup fresh Raspberries
1 Tbsp. Orange Juice
1 Tbsp. Honey
1 tsp. dried Basil
1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
Directions:
Place all ingredients in blender and mix until well combined.
Pour into a glass, air tight container and store in refrigerator.
Drizzle generously over salad.
For the salad I tossed together a mixture of fresh spinach, mandarin oranges, dried cranberries, and walnuts then topped with my Raspberry Citrus Vinaigrette dressing. Add a couple slices of your favorite California Pizza Kitchens® Pizza for a complete and easy meal the whole family will love!
- 1/2 cup Olive oil
- 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup fresh Raspberries
- 1 Tbsp. Orange Juice
- 1 Tbsp. Honey
- 1 tsp. dried Basil
- 1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
- Place all ingredients in blender and mix until well combined.
- Pour into a glass, air tight container and store in refrigerator.
- Drizzle generously over salad.
- For the salad I tossed together a mixture of fresh spinach, mandarin oranges, dried cranberries, and walnuts then topped with my Raspberry Citrus Vinaigrette dressing. Add a couple slices of your favorite California Pizza Kitchens® Pizza for a complete and easy meal the whole family will love!
Amanda says
Great recipe! I have salads almost everyday for lunch. This dressing would be a good tool for changing it up a bit.
Thanks for sharing your wisdom with us at the #homemattersparty! We love hearing from you.
Joanne/WineLady Cooks says
This is a delicious Raspberry Citrus Vinaigrette Dressing. I can’t wait to try this. Thanks so much for sharing with Foodie Friends Friday party this weekend. Pinning/sharing. We look forward to seeing you again soon with another delicious recipe.
Joanne
Joanna @ Everyday Made Fresh says
I love fruity vinaigrette dressings! This sounds delicious. I can see it now on my green apple crispy chicken strip salad for lunch!
Ty @ Mama of 3 Munchkins says
I love trying out new recipes and this looks fantastic. Thanks!
Krista says
This recipe looks really good. I love anything with raspberry!
Debbie says
That’s my kind of salad! That dressing sounds PERFECT right about now – not heavy but light and refreshing.
Victoria Sconion says
I prefer vinaigrette over the heavy dressings especially for the summer time! Thanks for sharing this. I love raspberries.
Meagan says
I love making my own salad dressing. I’m going to have to try this! Love the idea of pairing it with pizza!
Liz Mays says
This sort of vinaigrette would be awesome to start using on my salads. It’s an awesome choice for a side salad to go with a CPK pizza.
Tammy Roy says
I am loving all the great salads this summer. I will have to try this dressing on the weekend. I think it would make a great marinade as well.
nicole b says
We love this pizza too. I have a bunch of raspberries that would be perfect for this dressing recipe.
Mama to 5 BLessings says
Wow this sounds great! I love fresh salads and this dressing sound like a great way to season it up!
Shauna says
There is nothing like a really great salad along with pizza. Especially pizza like that, that looks super light-and delicious.
Marcie W. says
I am a big fan of making my own salad dressing. Once you try it a couple of times and see how easy it is, store bought dressing seems so processed and like a waste of time.
Sabrina says
I love raspberry salad dressings! This one looks so delicious!
Danielle says
I absolutely love California Pizza Kitchen frozen pizzas. They are delicious! It’s like a treat any time we have one for dinner.
Amy D says
I’d love to make this dressing! The recipe looks so tasty and easy!
Danielle H says
I love raspberries so this vinaigrette is right up my alley. Looks delicious.
Dawn says
This absolutely the perfect pairing! A nice, light salad like that is such a great partner to that spinach pizza.
Jennifer says
That is an amazing pairing! I love that salad with the spinach and cheese pizza.
Jeanette says
I am going to do this! I can’t eat most dressings and raspberry is one of my favorite fruits, this is a total win/win for me! Thank you for sharing! I will be doing this soon!
Robin Rue (@massholemommy) says
That sounds absolutely delicious. I can’t wait to make this for my family!