This Month’s Featured Fruits are
Melons
Health and Nutrition go hand in hand
Eating a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables and getting daily physical activity can help you and your family stay healthy, feel good, and may lower the risk of serious health problems like obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and certain types of cancer.
Why Eat Melons?
One cup of watermelon, honeydew, or cantaloupe cubes is an excellent source of vitamin C.
One cup of cantaloupe or honeydew cubes is a source of potassium,
What is Vitamin C?
Vitamin C helps the body heal cuts and wounds and helps lower the risk of infection.
What is Potassium?
Potassium helps the brain tell muscles when to move. Potassium also helps maintain a healthy blood pressure.
Recommended Daily Amounts of Fruits and Vegetables*
*If you are active, eat the higher number of cups per day. Visit www.mypyramid.gov to learn more.
Kids, Ages 5-12 Teens and Adults, Ages 13 and up
Males: 2½ - 5 cups per day 4½ - 6½ cups per day
Females: 2½ - 5 cups per day 3½ - 5 cups per day
Let’s Get Physical!
Beat the heat by moving your workout to the morning while it is still cool outside.
A brisk walk or bike ride is a great way to start your day
Shopper’s Tips
- Select cantaloupes with a sweet smell.
- They should give slightly to gentle pressure near the stem end.
- Select honeydew and watermelons that feel heavy for their size and sound hollow when tapped.
- Store whole melons on the counter and eat within two days.
- Refrigerate cut melons in a sealed container for up to three days.
- Avoid melons with shriveled, punctured, or cracked rinds.
Healthy Serving Ideas
- Slice and eat melons as a snack or side dish at meals.
- Serve sliced or chopped melons with lowfat yogurt or cottage cheese.
- Scoop fruit into melon balls.
- Freeze melon balls and enjoy as cold snacks on hot days.
- Blend lowfat yogurt, chopped melon, frozen strawberries, and a banana. Pour into cups and serve.
Recipes
Watermelon Salsa: http://www.cachampionsforchange.net/en/docs/Snacks/Watermelon-Salsa.pdf
Melon Fruit Bowl
Ingredients:
- 1 cantaloupe or honeydew
- any other assortment of fruits and berries, chopped
- honey/agave nectar
- salt
- fresh lime juice
- fresh mint leaves, finely chopped or shredded + some more to garnish
- very lightly toasted sliced almonds or any other nuts
- Optional: some ginger juice or thinly sliced crystalline ginger
Preparation:
Cut a thin strip around each end of the cantaloupe without making holes; this is to make the cantaloupe halves sit straight and flat.
Divide the cantaloupe into half, horizontally. Scoop out and discard the seeds and the membrane
Use a melon baller to scoop out the tiny balls from each half of the cantaloupe shell. remove them in a big bowl.
Combine the other fruits, sugar, lemon juice, ginger juice/chopped ginger and mint leaves and toss well. Refrigerate till ready to use.
Spoon the fruit mix back into the cantaloupe halves and top them with nuts and fresh mint. Pour in the fruit juice that accumulates in the bowls.
(If you need to serve it later, refrigerate the fruits and fill in the bowls only when ready to serve.)
Serve chilled.
Watermelon Popsicles and Ice Cubes
Ingredients:
Watermelon
Chunks of fresh fruit - try grapes, strawberries, or kiwi fruit
Instructions:
Puree watermelon and pour into Popsicle molds. Drop in chunks of fresh fruit, insert caps and place in freezer. Serve when frozen.
You can also puree your seedless watermelons and pour into ice trays. Drop in a pretty cube into your juice or seltzer for a refreshing summer time drink. Enjoy!