The warm days ahead are an excellent opportunity to increase the intake of various nutrients with a wealth of fruits and vegetables, and along the way ensure a sufficient intake of water.
The very mention of heat, fruit and water must have immediately associated you with watermelon and cantaloupe, the queens of summer that are most often associated with fruit salads. But why stay there? If you are a fan of these refreshing fruits that make us all look forward to summer, try something new and see how, with just a few additional ingredients, they can become a part of every meal, a delicious dessert – a wonderful and light summer refreshment from morning to evening.
I hope you enjoy these little tastes of summer!
1. Summer breakfast
Ingredients (for 1 portion):
- 50 g of oatmeal
- 130 g of fresh cheese
- 80 g of yogurt
- larger slice of watermelon (150 g)
- a teaspoon of coconut oil
- spoon of coconut flour
- cinnamon
- stevia
Preparation:
Cut the watermelon into smaller cubes. Mix the fresh cheese with a few drops of stevia and cinnamon, add 3/4 of the watermelon cubes, mix well and set aside. Mix the yogurt with the rest of the watermelon in a blender. Grind half the amount of oatmeal into flour and mix it with coconut oil (and stevia or honey if needed and desired) in a separate bowl.
Press the resulting oatmeal mixture into the bottom of a tall bowl. Put a mixture of fresh cheese and watermelon on it. Take the rest of the oatmeal and sprinkle it over the fresh cheese, cover it with the yogurt and watermelon mixture, and decorate everything with coconut flour.
Leave it in the fridge overnight and enjoy a refreshing breakfast!
2. Watermelon and feta cheese salad
Ingredients (for 1 portion):
- 200 g of ricotta
- a cup of diced watermelon
- 1/2 cup (80 g) feta cheese, cut into small cubes
- half a large cucumber, cut into pieces
- 100 g of cherry tomatoes
- some basil
Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
- spoon of olive oil
- half a teaspoon of salt
Preparation:
Mix all the ingredients well in a small bowl and pour the sauce over it. Serve immediately or leave in the refrigerator, but not too long because of the high water content in watermelon and cucumbers.
3. Light watermelon and strawberry smoothie
Ingredients (for 2 servings):
- 2 cups diced watermelon
- 1 cup frozen strawberries
- 1 banana, previously cut into pieces and frozen
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- honey and agave syrup
Preparation:
Pour almond milk into the blender and add pieces of watermelon, strawberries and banana and blend well. Sweeten with honey or any other sweetener as desired and continue to mix until smooth. Serve now!
Tip: for an additional dose of protein, add a scoop of whey protein , cottage cheese or yogurt. You can also use fresh fruit, but in that case add a couple of ice cubes!
4. Melon sorbet
Ingredients (for 4 servings):
- 1/4 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
- 3 cups cantaloupe, cut into pieces
- 3 spoons of honey
Preparation:
Blend all ingredients well in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 45 minutes or until the edges harden. Mix well once more and freeze again for 2 hours. Before serving, put it in a blender and mix again for 2-3 minutes until you get a smooth mixture.
5. Melon soup
Ingredients (for 6 servings):
- 3/4 cup orange juice
- a cup of yogurt
- 1 medium melon, diced
- 1 spoon of honey
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 6 mint leaves for decoration
Preparation:
Place orange juice, yogurt and melon in a blender and blend until smooth. Add honey, salt, nutmeg and cayenne pepper and blend well until the end. Cool in the refrigerator for 1 hour before serving. Garnish with mint leaves.
6. Colorful salad
Ingredients (for 2 servings):
- 2 cups of cantaloupe
- 2 red peppers
- a cup of diced cucumber
- 1/2 cup of finely chopped red onion
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- a bit of salt
Preparation:
Mix all the ingredients well and serve immediately or leave covered in the refrigerator for a maximum of 1 day.
Tip: add pieces of chicken to this delicious salad for a complete and balanced meal.
