Watermelon...An Easy Way to Cut It!

My favorite way to eat a watermelon is COLD!  I remember when Mom and Dad would get a watermelon they would put it in a bucket or a cooler and let water from a hose run on it til we were ready to eat it.  Oh soo GOOD! We would always slice a huge piece for everyone and lay it on a big plate, then dig in!

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Here is how I cut my watermelon.

 Wash your watermelon.  I wipe it down with a wet paper towel.  When cutting, you push stuff from the outside through the watermelon. I set the watermelon on a cookie sheet to keep the juice from getting all over.

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Cut a slice off the top and bottom.  It will stand on it's own then.

Cut the rine off in sections going from top to bottom.

 Cut into 4ths

Take one of the 4ths, lay it on a flat side and slice into 1"-2" slices.

Take half of the section you are working with, lay it on the flat side with slices stacked ontop of each other and slice into 1"-2" strips. 

Turn the section a 1/4 of a turn and slice again creating little squares/chunks. Cut the other section of the 4th that you were working with.  Continue cutting the rest of the watermelon the same way.

 Place in a large bowl and serve.

**It seems when I have a watermelon all cut up we eat it better.  If we just cut a slice off at a time, we never finish it. This watermelon is a seedless watermelon.  Watermelons with seeds have such a better flavor, but trying to remove the seeds for all the kids gets frustrating.

**I learned this way of cutting it from a sister in my Hyrum ward. This is about the only way I cut a watermelon.  I catanlope the same way...but I only cut it into halfs then start with the slices.

Fruit Smoothie II (G&G Norman's Version)

1/2 banana (can be frozen)

1/2 cup fruit (any variety, be creative!)

1/4-1/3 cup fat-free strawberry yogurt

1/2-3/4 cup orange juice
2 Tbl lemon juice
*if you are using thawed/fresh fruit, add a couple icecubes.  I use frozen fruit.

Place all ingredients in blender/smoothie maker and blend till all ingredients are flowing smoothie through mixer.  Pour into cup and enjoy!  If you want your smoothie thinner add more orange juice.  If you want it thicker decrease the amount of orange juice.

**This is our new favorite treat when we go to G&G Norman's house! They have a Magic Bullet Smoothie Maker and can whip these up very quickly.  The base ingredients are the same as the fruit smoothie that I previously posted, but changing a few ingredients really makes a difference in the flavor.  The strawberry yogurt instead of plain, orange juice instead of milk, and the lemon juice really adds too it too!

**The Pictures speak for themselves.  These Smoothies are MMM, MMM, GOOD!

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MORE PLEASE!

 The mark on the forhead is from her drinking from her cup and tipping it clear up til it is gone!

Fruit Dip

1 (7 oz) container of Marshmallow Creme

1 (8 oz) container of Strawberry Cream Cheese

Mix Marshmallow Creme and Cream Cheese together in a bowl.  Stir well and serve with your favorite fruit.

So quick and easy and YUMMY!  It goes well with Strawberries, Apples, Bananas, Pears, Pineapple.  I'm sure it is great with many other fruits.  These are just the few I have had with it.  

Fruit Smoothie

1/2 banana (can be frozen)
1/2 -3/4 cup frozen mixed fruit
1/4-1/3 cup plain fat free yogurt
1/4-1/2 cup skim milk

I don't have exact measurements because I just through it all in the blender.
Blend ingredients till smooth. Pour in glass and enjoy. If too thick add more milk or even a little water and blend again.

Just a few tips.
*When you have over ripe banana's, don't throw them away. Peel them, cut in half and put them in a baggy in the freezer and save them for your FRUIT SMOOTHIE! Banana's never go to waste at my house! In fact, I even get excited when they get over ripe because then I have more for smoothies!
*Try different fruits. I'm not a blueberry person, but they are a must when it comes to the smoothies. Also, cherries add alot to smoothies and most recently I found a frozen fruit mix that had pomegranites.

I have been making these for about three years now for breakfast. (Not every day, but atleast 3-4 times a week.) I find myself craving them. YUMMY TREAT!