Holy melons! Bet that got your attention! Who doesn’t like a good melon during the summertime?
Watermelon, honeydew, and cantaloupes are refreshing and delicious snacks to enjoy poolside, at a picnic, or simply at home. These fruits are great alone, can be enjoyed in a fresh summer salad, or even blended up in a refreshing smoothie. There are many delicious recipes with melons that benefit your health as well!
Before I showcase some of my favorite smoothie recipes, I want to highlight the wonderful health benefits of melons as well as other “hot” produce that is best enjoyed in the summer months.
Summer Melons:
Summer melons contain mostly water which helps ward off dehydration, especially in the heat. The juicy flavor makes eating it raw delightful but it’s also great in salads, shakes, or desserts. Besides tasting amazing with natural sweetness, melons are also packed with nutrients your body needs daily.
Health Benefits:
Cantaloupe:
This melon is a “go-to” to nourish your skin’s healthy glow and keeps your hair moisturized and healthy. It contains antioxidants to protect your eyes from age-related health issues such as macular degeneration.
Cantaloupe also contains vitamin C, choline, and potassium so it supports heart health, as well as preserves your bones’ mineral density! This fruit is also excellent to provide some relief for asthma, digestion and inflammation issues.
Honeydew:
With only 60 calories per cup, honeydew melon is a perfect fruit to cure a sweet tooth craving. It’s an excellent source of vitamin A, B complex, C, & K, folate, magnesium, fiber, thiamine, niacin, and contains high levels of potassium.
This melon also helps with eye health, boosts immune system, prevents and treats diabetes, aids with hypertension, nourishes the skin, promotes stronger bones, hydrates the body, and promotes weight loss.
Watermelon:
This juicy and flavorful melon is full of nutrients that heal the body.
It’s 92% water and get this: It’s technically a vegetable! It contains a large dose of vitamin C, which helps your immune system produce antibodies to fight disease. It also contains vitamin A which is great for eye health and preventing age related issues such as macular degeneration and cataracts.
Citrulline is a natural chemical found in watermelon, which is processed in the kidneys into an amino acid to promote heart health and maintain your immune system. Watermelon is an all-around excellent fruit to enjoy and nourish your body.
Fun Facts
- Melons grow on a vine
- Unripe melons can be used as a vegetable
- Most melons will not ripen once harvested
- You can juice the rinds, which is great for glowing skin
- The seeds can be dried, roasted, and eaten as a snack
- Melons are in the same family as the cucumber and related to the squash family
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2 Popular Summer Vegetables:
Avocados:
Generally, an avocado is referred to as a vegetable. However, it is actually a fruit in the berry family due to its seed or “pit.” California Hass avocados are at their peak-picking season during the summer months. They are noted for their high quantity of healthy fat, potassium, magnesium, folate, and vitamins C and B6.
Avocados are also so amazing for your skin and hair to produce that natural summer flow. Add them to a salad, grill them, make some chocolate mousse, or blend them in a smoothie!
Cucumber:
This fruit (yes, cucumbers are a fruit in the melon family) with its properties are extremely beneficial for overall health. They are mostly composed of water and loaded with essential nutrients such as vitamin A, C, and folic acid.
The outer skin is rich in fiber and minerals including magnesium and potassium. They also contain silica, which is a mineral that helps strengthen connective tissues. Cucumbers are known to treat skin issues such as eye swelling, sunburn, and dermatitis.
Enjoy cucumbers raw in salads, dipped in hummus, pickled, or in juices or smoothies. They also add flavor when mixed into a frosty beverage treat!
Benefits of Cucumbers:
- Helps reduce blood pressure
- Hydrating
- Flushes toxins
- Aids in weight loss
- Keeps kidneys healthy
- Helps manage diabetes & other diseases
- Low in calories, high in fiber
- Provides glowing complexion
Best Summer Herb:
Mint
Mint is an easy-to-grow herb that spreads like wild flowers. It can actually take over a whole garden! Mint not only has so many health benefits, but it also serves as a remedy for medicinal properties. Here are some ways to incorporate an abundance of mint leaves into your daily life and diet.
Benefits & Fun Facts of Mint:
- Curing hiccups – The menthol in it helps calms muscle spasms
- Heals a headache – Mint’s strong and refreshing aroma is a remedy that helps relieves nausea and headaches. Rub a balm or mint-based oil on the forehead or nose for a quick headache relief.
- Aids in digestion – Soothes the stomach and helps settle the gastrointestinal tract. Try drinking peppermint tea, adding pure essential oil drops to water, or by adding a few mint leaves to a salad or smoothie.
- Promotes weight loss – Mint stimulates the digestive enzymes that absorb nutrients from food and turns fat into usable energy!
- Promotes hair growth – Applying a blend of peppermint essential oil has a positive effect on growing new hair follicles!
- Soothes Poison Ivy rashes – The cooling effect of mint can sooth skin irritations. Next time you get attacked by poison ivy, try applying cold mint tea bags, or a solution of water and peppermint essential oil!
- Repels mosquitoes – Mint essential oil is effective at both preventing mosquitoes from landing and biting the skin.
- Scares off ticks – If you live close to woods or hike trails, be aware of tics crawling into your skin. They just “love” to stay away from peppermint! A few drops of essential oil applied to the skin will have the ticks bug off!
- Enhances memory – Increase memory function and alertness by using peppermint aromatherapy. Try diffusing essential oils in your home, add a few drops of oil to a bath, or boil fresh mint leaves in water to allow the scent filter your home!
Get Your Blend On:
Minty Melon-sicle
- 1 cup of fresh cantaloupe
- 1 cup of unsweetened coconut or almond milk
- 3 – 4 fresh mint leaves
- 1 scoop FIT Blast protein
- 2 – 3 ice cubes
- Blend to perfection and enjoy!
Cool as a Cucumber Melon
- 2 cups of fresh watermelon cubes
- 2-inch piece of cucumber
- ½ cup of coconut water
- 4 – 5 fresh mint leaves
- 1 scoop of FIT Blast (optional, for protein)
- 2 – 3 ice cubes
- Blend until smooth. Sip and enjoy!
Melon Crush
- 1 cup of fresh honey dew
- 1 cup of coconut water
- 4 – 5 fresh mint leaves
- 1 scoop of FIT Blast protein
- 2 – 3 ice cubes
- Blend until smooth. Refreshing and satisfying!
FIT Blast Vanilla Protein
FIT Blast is a vanilla protein powder by Total Gym that supports a healthy weight loss meal replacement and can boost fat-burning properties. Its time-released protein blend contains 24 essential vitamins and minerals. It is gluten free and contains 17 grams of whey protein and milk protein isolate per serving.
These recipes contain FITBlast. If you are sensitive to dairy products, please substitute a vegan option or omit the protein.
Summer Salad: Cucumber, Mint, & Watermelon
- 8 cups of seedless watermelon chunks (from a 6 lb. melon)
- ½ cucumber sliced to your liking
- ¼ cup shallots or 1 small sweet onion
- ½ – 1 cup mint leaves (chopped or whole leaf)
- ½ cup good olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- Optional: 2 cups of crumbled feta
- Flavor with sea salt and pepper to your liking
- Mix all ingredients in a large bowl
- Toss and garnish with extra mint
- Serve and savor
*Check out the video to see how to make the Cool as a Cucumber Melon Smoothie.
Get creative and experiment in your kitchen by combining these delicious fruits, vegetables, and herbs together. These summer foods will provide energy to nourish your body and feel satisfied when it’s hot outside. You can’t go wrong trying these recipes. They taste great and they’re all so simple to create!
Happy Summertime,
Maria
