Quick and Easy Fruit Salad

It had been in the upper nineties most of this past week and I thought something cool and refreshing with dinner would do us some good.  I haven't made this fruit salad in about ten years, so I pulled the recipe out and did some tweaking to make it a bit healthier as well.

You can use almost any fruit that you have on hand and the glaze comes together quickly, with no cooking required, as I've seen in other similar recipes.  My girls all gobbled this down and practically licked the bowl clean.

Enjoy!
Nichole

Quick and Easy Fruit Salad

1 can (about 15 oz) fruit cocktail in juice, juice reserved
1 can (about 15 oz) mandarin oranges, drained
8 oz berries, can use strawberries or a mix of strawberries and blueberries works best
2-3 large apples, chopped
1 c. halved grapes
2-3 T. instant vanilla pudding mix
1 T. maraschino cherry juice, for color. (optional)
I have also used sliced bananas and sliced peaches in the past

Mix all of the fruit together in a medium-sized bowl.  For the glaze, whisk together the reserved fruit cocktail juice, the pudding mix, and the cherry juice if you are using it.  Use just two tablespoons of the pudding mix if you prefer your glaze less sweet.  Pour glaze over the fruit and mix gently to coat the fruit.
Chill salad for 2-3 hours, stir before serving.  Makes 6-8 servings.