Katie from Katie Elizabeth

Hello and happy Thursday, ladies.I can't believe the week is almost over, vacation is just flying by to quickly. Today I have the fabulous Katie guest posting.  I've been following Katie for the last few years and love her take on decor, she just has such an eye for style. She also has some amazing recipes in her arsenal and all you foodies won't want to miss this post.

Hi everyone!  I'm Katie from the Katie Elizabeth blog where I write about a variety of topics including (but not limited to!) life with my husband and Golden Retriever puppy in Michigan, my favorite recipes and my love for any and all beauty products.  I'm so excited to be here on P!nk Persistence today while Pinky is on vacation! :)   As I mentioned, I love to cook (and eat).  We seem to be SO busy in the summer though and sometimes dinner is a last minute thought.  Not to mention, it's so hot out that the last thing you feel like doing is slaving over a steamy stove.  That's why salads are a great option for summer lunch or dinners - they're healthy and easy, plus you can prepare them ahead of time.  And I promise they don't have to be boring!  I've rounded up 5 of my favorite flavorful summer salad recipes below, hope you enjoy!  

Southwest Pepper Jack Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing I don't know about you, but I was sold at creamy avocado dressing - holy yum.  This salad has just the right amount of kick to it and the black beans make it very filling.  

Strawberry Chicken Salad with Strawberry Balsamic Dressing We're smack dab in the middle of strawberry season right now so this is the time to try this deliciousness!  Strawberries + balsamic is such an unexpected combination but they really do go perfectly together.  And then topped with feta cheese?  Yes, please.  

Harvest Cobb Salad A Cobb salad is a classic and I love the spin on this one - give me all of the apples and cranberries.  You can honestly never go wrong with a Damn Delicious recipe.  

Caprese Avocado Chicken Salad Of course I had to sneak one of my own recipes in here ;)  Caprese is possibly my favorite thing of all time.  It is so good and so fresh and so good, did I mention that already?  We have this salad at least once a week - it's a great Monday meal when you want to detox a bit after the weekend!  

Thai Cashew Chopped Salad Sometimes you want a salad... that tastes nothing like a salad.  This Thai version is perfect for that and I love the crunch it has thanks to the peanuts.   You can also find so many more delicious salad recipes on my Pinterest 'Food' board here!  Thanks for letting me hang out today - make sure to come by and say hi sometime :)

Oh my goodness, Katie, my mouth is watering just looking at all your salads. #yummy! I definitely will be indulging in a few of these when I get back, because we all know what happens on vacation #eatallthefood. Thanks so much for guest posting, lady!