Citrus Spinach Salad

Week 472. Spring 2025. I am 42 years old and standing in my kitchen — the Bench house kitchen, the one that held cancer and divorce and cinnamon rolls — and the stove is on and something is cooking and the house smells like fresh herbs and possibility and this is my life. This is the life I built.

I went for a run this morning — the Saturday routine, the greenbelt, the river, the particular meditation of feet on a path and lungs filling and the body doing what it was told it couldn't do. The running group meets rain or shine.

Mason is 14 and navigating middle school with the quiet competence that has always been his way — focused, kind, certain of who he is in a way that took me thirty years to achieve.

Lily is 12 and riding horses with the fearlessness of someone who has never considered the possibility of falling.

I made spring vegetable stir-fry this week. The food continues. The food always continues. It is the thread that connects every week to every other week, every year to every other year, every version of me to every other version — the woman on the kitchen floor, the woman at the chemo recliner, the woman at the grill, the woman at the outdoor table under the string lights. All of them, connected by the food they made with their hands. All of them, me.

The stir-fry I mentioned was the kind of meal that doesn’t demand anything from you — just a hot pan, a handful of whatever spring has to offer, and enough presence to stand at the stove and let it happen. This Citrus Spinach Salad has the same quiet energy: bright, simple, alive with the particular optimism of a season that keeps its promises. After 472 weeks of cooking through everything life handed me, the recipes I return to are the ones that feel like breathing — easy, steady, and good.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 10 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

6 cups baby spinach, washed and dried
2 medium navel oranges, peeled and cut into segments
1/2 cup mandarin orange segments (canned in juice, drained, or fresh)
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Toast the almonds. In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the sliced almonds for 2—3 minutes, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant. Transfer to a plate and let cool.
Make the dressing. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the olive oil, orange juice, lemon juice, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper until emulsified. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Build the salad. Place the baby spinach in a large salad bowl. Arrange the orange segments over the top, then scatter the red onion slices evenly across the greens.
Add the toppings. Sprinkle the toasted almonds and crumbled feta over the salad.
Dress and serve. Drizzle the citrus dressing over the salad just before serving and toss gently to coat. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Citrus Spinach Salad — The Food That Connects Every Version of Me