Fresh Berries and Chicken Summer Salad

  Have you noticed that strawberries and grilled chicken seem to be the salad stars of the summer lately? Everywhere you go, from chain restaurants to fast foods, you seem to see a salad on the menu with grilled chicken and strawberries. I've always been a big fan of of sweet/savory dishes, so this one is right up my alley. So I decided to take this seasonal trend and go a little further with it. Strawberries, yes, but how about some blueberries too? Grape tomatoes, absolutely. And how about some avocado? LOVE 'em.
 So here's my version of this summer's salad. There's really no science to it at all, and there's really no recipe. It's just a salad, I know, but I seem to keep coming back to this combination of ingredients. Just toss everything together! It always hits all the right notes! The sweet from the berries, the richness from the avocado and cheese, the freshness from the tomatoes and lettuce. I just love it! Add as much or as little of each ingredient as you like. Try it!  I know you'll like it!

For the salad:
grilled boneless chicken
grape tomatoes
cubed American cheese
strawberries, halved or quartered
blueberries
avocado, sliced
romaine lettuce (or other favorite salad greens)

For the dressing:
red wine or apple cider vinegar
a little honey or sugar (Splenda works too if you're counting carbs)
a tbs Dijon mustard
oil
salt and pepper

 Tips:
 I like to place the dressing ingredients in a mason jar and just shake until well combined. To continue with the berry theme, try using raspberry or blueberry vinegar. Delish! Balsamic vinegar also pairs famously with strawberries. You should definitely try it.
 Not a fan or strawberries or blueberries? Add whatever kind of fruit you like! Peaches? Mangoes? Pineapples? Go for it.
  The chicken can be served warm or chilled, so I like to grill a lot of it and then keep the extra in the fridge so it'll be already ready already for the next salad. Then it's a snap to just throw everything together!
When you make the dressing, taste it on a piece of lettuce. You'll get a better idea of whether or not it needs more of this or that, instead of just tasting it on a spoon.