It’s funny the way that pregnancy can change your what you like and what you don’t. I’ve never once had an aversion to peanut butter, but now if I smell the stuff I feel sick. Yup, the Mr isn’t getting any Oatmeal Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars anytime soon. And tomatoes. I’ve gone the past thirty-odd years not really liking tomatoes. I would take them off sandwiches and hamburgers, I avoided “tomato-based products,” like marinara sauce, like the plague. But now, all I want to eat is tomatoes. Why? I have no idea.

So this salad. A co-worker was eating it at work. He’s a diligent cross-fit kind of guy and always seems to have the most amazing homemade lunches. Apparently he and is wife eat this salad multiple times a week and make it for each other. Cute huh? It’s full of tomatoes. The little cherry kind that come in all different colors. I’ve been popping those things like candy over the past couple months. In fact I’ve made multiple trips to Costco this week, since my regular grocery store doesn’t seem to carry the multicolored “Constellation” ones. But it’s not only the tomatoes, there’s something about the salty feta. I’ve never been one who craves salt, I have always had more of a sweet tooth. But not anymore. I could eat this feta right out of the package. It’s from Costco too. ***I swear this post isn’t sponsored by Costco, I just happen to have a lot of hungry mouths to feed, so we go there often.*** This sheep’s milk feta is the best feta I’ve ever eaten. Don’t worry, it’s made from pasteurized milk, so it’s totally safe during pregnancy.

There are other vegetables in this salad too. Bell peppers, cucumbers, avocado, kalamata olives and red onions. Oh I can’t get enough of the red onions too. I’ve been snacking on those raw. I know, I smell lovely.

Well this salad has every color of the rainbow in it except for blue, so you know it’s jam packed full of nutrients. For seasoning I use a dried Italian seasoning and olive oil. This Bell’olio Nuovo olive oil from Queen Creek Olive Mill is so flavorful. It’s great if you like the strong olive oil flavor because it’s completely unfiltered. It’s not for everyone but I love it. If you are local to Arizona or stopping through you should go to the olive mill. They have the most adorable shop and restaurant. Plus you won’t believe all the different flavors of olive oil they have (I love the blood orange olive oil!)

Yield: 4 servings

Rainbow Tomato Feta Salad

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

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Ingredients

• 2 cups multi-colored cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1.5 cups sweet mini bell peppers, de-seeded and chopped
• 2 cups chopped English cucumber
• 1/4 cup red onion diced
• 1/4 cup kalamata olives, chopped
• 1 avocado, chopped
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta
• 2 teaspoons Italian spices
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients into large salad bowl. Refrigerate for an hour to mix flavors. Top with a little extra crumbled feta and some freshly ground black pepper to taste.