watermelon for breakfast
start the day with
fresh fruit in
healthy juices

The best food to eat in the morning is fruit. Fresh healthy fruit on its own or in a smoothie. This time of year, watermelons are abundant and not too pricey.

For those who like paleo recipes, this is an excellent addition to your collection.

watermelon for breakfast sounds good,
but what about those seeds.

My lovely watermelon for breakfast cocktail looks good, but as you see, there are seeds in it.  I could have picked them out, but it is actually healthy to eat watermelon seeds. They contain:

1. Protein     They are good for heart problems and for regulating blood pressure. As                         you see in the seed picture above, there  is 8 gm of protein per serving.
2. Fats          They contain healthy fats which are good for lowering your cholesterol
3. Niacin      They are a good source of niacin and other B vitamins.
4. Minerals   magnesium, phosphorous, iron, potassium, sodium, copper, manganese                        and zinc.

Watermelon seeds are a healthy treat. For those counting calories, you should be aware that a half cup of seeds contains 300 calories.  I never count calories, but then 1/2 cup is a lot of seeds.

The seeds may be roasted like pumpkin seeds or just eaten with your watermelon.
When you are eating roasted seeds, you are meant to crack the shell with your teeth and eat the inside. Then you throw away the hull. That seems like work so I usually just eat the whole thing fresh from the watermelon. If you roast them, you could have watermelon for breakfast with seeds on the side. Yummy!

Making a watermelon breakfast coctail

1.   You need to cut some watermelon and put it in the blender. The amount you use will   depend on your family. I made one just for myself.  First pulse the watermelon until     it is pulpy. It only takes a few pulses. 
2.  Next, Chop some watermelon in small cubes and fill your glass with them. Pour the    blended watermelon over the cubes in your glasses.
3.  Eat it with a spoon. This is so yummy, so easy to make, and everyone in my house    loves it.  It is fairly filling. I do not strain anything out. Enjoy it, seeds and all.

watermelon nutrition

Watermelon's nutrients are:

• Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Vitamin B6
• Calcium and iron
• magnesium
• potassium
• lycopene - significant source of this nutrient

Since watermelon is mostly water, it acts as a diuretic which can help lower your blood pressure. It is also antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-coagulating. 

We are down to the rind. Now what?

I was amazed to learn that the rind of the fruit is also good for you. Our parents used to seem very worried when we got close to the rind. I'm not sure why, but it scared me to dig into that green stuff.

What I have discovered is that the rind is edible and very good for you. Rind can be blended in a smoothie, made into pickles, and grated into a salad. It is also good for making homemade salsa.  It is better to get organic watermelons so there is no danger of pesticides. I believe that if you can't find organic, you could peel off the outer layer of rind or just wash it thoroughly.

Watermelon Rind smoothie

This smoothie is soooo refreshing. It was easy to make. You will notice that if you spend time taking pictures of your smoothie, the juice will separate, but all you need is to give it a stir. 

Ingredients: Watermelon (you choose the amount)
juice of one lemon or lime (I prefer lime)

Make the smoothie: 

1. Cut a slice of watermelon. Cut the meat into chunks and put them into a small bowl or measuring cup if you like. Now cut the rind into small pieces and put in a bowl. Cut off the very outer part of the rind if your melon in not organic.
2.  Put melon and rind in your blender. Peel the lime and add to the blender. You can add some peel if you like or  you can use lemon instead.
3. Turn on your blender and whirr until it is the consistency you like. I set my Blendtec on whole juice for this recipe

chocolate dipped watermelon

1.    Cut watermelon into small wedges with rind left on.
2.    Dip the pointed end into melted dark chocolate (milk chocolate if you prefer).
       You can use melts made for dipping or simply melt your favorite chocolate chips in the 
       microwave or in a double boiler. Quick and easy.
3.    Serve. 

Watermelon Salsa

1/4  C orange marmalade                                 2   C seeded, chopped watermelon
14   C chopped jalapeno or chili peppers         1   C chopped sweet onion
2     T vinegar                                                   1   C peeled, seeded orange sections or
1     clove minced garlic                                         use clementines or tangerines (chop)
1/2  t salt

Stir marmalade, cilantro, peppers, vinegar, garlic and salt together. Add remaining ingredients and gently toss. Refrigerate from 30 minutes to an hour. Serve with kale chips or toasted Ezekiel tortilla pieces. 
This recipe was slightly modified from the one in The Old Farmer's Almanac Garden-Fresh Cookbook - page 238. There are more good recipes in the book.

For a good a good site with a recipe for roasted watermelon seeds click here.