Favorite WW Friendly Ways to Enjoy Watermelon
Staying calm, cool and collected can be challenging here in the desert this time of year.
My favorite survival strategies include hibernating at home with a good book, hanging out in the comfort of air conditioned movie theaters and planning as many escapes as I can.
Thankfully, there's plenty of watermelon in the fridge to keep me happy and hydrated. I love watermelon and try to keep a container of it on hand all summer long so it's ready for grabbing whenever the urge for a snack hits.
Juicy and sweet, a slice of chilled watermelon usually keeps me from diving into the freezer in search of ice cream.
Strategically placed in a clear container in the front of the refrigerator, thankfully it's usually the first thing I see.
While delicious all by itself, there are all kinds of ways to enjoy watermelon in recipes too, which is what this week's Friday Favorites is all about.
I've taken a lap around the web, stopping at all of my favorite Weight Watchers friendly recipe sites to assemble a delicious collection of ways to enjoy watermelon, from spicy to sweet. Enjoy!
Favorite Easy Delicious Ways To Enjoy Watermelon
Watermelon Pizza
Top a slice of watermelon with whatever suits your fancy and then cut into wedges to create a light, fresh and delicious Weight Watchers friendly appetizer, snack or dessert. Take your pizza in a sweet direction by topping it with fruit, blueberries, sliced bananas, sliced strawberries or go savory like Gina from SkinnyTaste did with this Watermelon Feta Balsamic "Pizza."
Watch this video to see how easy it is to make your own watermelon fruit pizza:
Watermelon Cheese Skewers
Start with 3 pieces of Mini Babybel Light and 16 one-inch cubes of watermelon (about 1-½ cups). Cut each piece of cheese into 4 wedges. Thread the following onto each skewer: watermelon cube, cheese wedge, watermelon cube, cheese wedge, watermelon cube, cheese wedge, watermelon cube. Enjoy!
Watermelon with Chile and Lime
Sprinkle chunks or wedges of watermelon with chile powder, salt and drizzle with lime juice. An amazingly simple way to add zing to fresh fruit.
Watermelon Agua Fresca
Light and not too sweet, this is a terrific thirst quencher on a hot summer day. Just blend watermelon with water, a bit of sugar and a little lime juice.
Refreshing Watermelon Smoothies
We love using watermelon as a base for smoothies, while mixing it with other favorite fruits and vegetables – so we gathered some of those recipes here to share with you. Enjoy!
Simple Watermelon Feta Salad
This simple salad is perfect for a hot summer day. The flavor combination might sound odd at first. Truthfully, I wasn't sold the first time I tasted it several years ago. But, I decided to give it another chance today when I was craving something light and refreshing for lunch.
Orzo Salad with Watermelon
Juicy watermelon and tangy feta make this a refreshing and unique pasta salad. (WeightWatchers)
Grilled Shrimp and Watermelon Chopped Salad
Chopped romaine tossed with sweet, juicy watermelon, grilled shrimp and goat cheese and a golden balsamic vinaigrette - a perfect summertime salad for seafood lovers. (SkinnyTaste)
Watermelon-Jalapeño Gazpacho with Feta
Again, it's amazing that something so flavorful can be whirred together in the blender (affiliate link) in minutes, for so few calories and WW Points. Talk about a Weight Watchers dream recipe.
Indian Spiced Tilapia with Watermelon Salsa
This refreshing watermelon salsa is no exception. Served atop tilapia fillets that had been lightly dusted with garam masala (a blend of Indian spices) resulted in a really delicious dinner with minimal SmartPoints.
5 Minute Watermelon Strawberry Sorbet
This sorbet is ready in minutes, and it is the perfect treat on a hot summer day. The best part is, there is no added sugar, and it is packed with vitamins, so you can feel good about eating it. (Dashing Dish)
Watermelon Cake
Want an impressive looking cake that's not only healthy but also requires zero baking? These fresh fruit "cakes" made from sliced watermelon, peaches, strawberries and other fruit combinations, are just the thing — perfect for summer birthdays and outdoor cookouts! (Craftsy) Or for an easier version, decorate a round of watermelon with whipped cream, fruit and nuts like Jennifer did.
Find More WW Friendly Watermelon Recipes
Watch this video to learn how you can make your own no-bake watermelon cake:
*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.
6/27/16 GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED!
The winner of the kindle fire is: Judy H, who said, "I ride my bike over the same route nearly every day. On my way home, I stop at a garden behind a church, there is a little water feature, a small labyrinth, blooming flowers and trees, and benches with memorials and/or excerpts from scripture. Every day, I read most, if not all of the bench messages, but I always read my favorite. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love never ends. The words never fail to calm and comfort me."
Congratulations Judy! Contact support@simple-nourished-living.com to claim your prize. And thanks to all of you who stopped by and participated. I'm so grateful for each and every one of you being part of this community. The more I have the opportunity to read your delicious, thoughtful comments, the more I realize how much we have in common.
And Now for the Giveaway…
TO ENTER GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED, SEE WINNER ABOVE!
To enter the giveaway, just answer the following question in the Comments section of this post:
- How do you show yourself love/kindness/compassion?
(Click Here to Read How I Am Working on Showing Myself More Love, Kindness and Compassion)
Just let me know how you show yourself love/kindness/compassion and you'll be entered to win the Kindle Fire! (The Kindle Fire that will be given away has a 7" IPS display, fast 1.3 GHz quad-core processor, rear and front-facing cameras and 8GB of internal storage).
THE RULES
One entry per person, please
Winners will be announced next Tuesday. Be sure to check back to see if you won.
Good luck!
Martha is the founder and main content writer for Simple-Nourished-Living.
A longtime lifetime WW at goal, she is committed to balancing her love of food and desire to stay slim while savoring life and helping others do the same.
She is the author of the Smart Start 28-Day Weight Loss Challenge.
A huge fan of the slow cooker and confessed cookbook addict, when she's not experimenting in the kitchen, you're likely to find Martha on her yoga mat.
This giveaway is sponsored by Simple Nourished Living. Awarded prize may differ slightly (color, design, etc.) from images that appear here - based on availability. Giveaway prizes may be forfeited if not claimed within 90 days.
This post contains affiliate links to products I like. When you buy something through one of my Amazon links or other (affiliate links), I receive a small commission that helps support this site. Thank you for your purchase!
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Becky
I show myself love/kindness/compassion by taking 15 minutes at the end of each to think of all the positive things that happened to me (ex. wrote everything down in my food journal EVEN if it was not a good choice or gave my cart at Aldi's to a person WITHOUT taking the quarter back) & throw a dime in a jar for each positive thing. After a few weeks I take the money in that jar & buy myself something nice....like a music cd or a VERY nice skein of yarn.
Diane L
I try to show myself love, kindness and compassion by being authentic in everyday life, knowing that I have faults and excepting them but knowing I can move forward; and trying to be a positive roll model to others and show them love, kindness and compassion.
Kathy Scholl
I have begun to take care of myself. I saw chiropractor to begin correcting long standing problems that have prevented me from sleeping in my bed for many years. Now that my back is much improved, I have made an appointment with my dentist to have some broken fillings replaced. My dental care has been neglected for many years as well. It feels so good to honor myself this way.
Sherry Stephens
I give myself love, kindness and compassion by showing these traits to others. Being able to show these traits to others in turn has it come back to bless you. I also allow myself down time to do something just for myself so I can "rejuvenate"!
Carol Brady
Presently, I am focusing on eating healthy and increasing my fitness. This isn't always easy to remember when you get busy taking care of everyone else.
Maria B.
How I like to show kindness/compassion to myself is to not be so hard on myself. I think sometimes we are our worst critics. I try to be forgiving to myself, if things aren't "perfect" like I believe they need to be then I just accept it for what it is.
Barbara F
I take a cardio kick class 3 times a week. Gets me out and moving.
Sandy B.
I show myself love and compassion by catching any mean self-critical thoughts and saying "No, cancel that!".
Debbie
Kindle drawing
Jennifer Alwardt
I show myself love/kindness and compassion by taking some time out of every day and telling myself that I AM loved and lovable and caring and that as long as I keep God by my side, everything will turn out the way it is supposed to. Then I hug my dog and cat and play with them!
Becky S
I show myself love and kindness by making sure I make time to get to the gym for aqua aerobics and meet up with friends I've met in class and sharing good times.
Tracy
I try to have "me time" for 10-15 minutes each day. It is not always easy and some times its at 11:30pm
Anne Huthnance
I show myself love and kindness by having "me time." My favorite is a weekly massage,
Kathy Bradley
I am not as hard on myself as I used to be. I celebrate victories...esp non scale victories like clothes pitting better. I am on the heart transplant list , so every time I lose a pound, or gain strength is a victory for me!
JulieWeidman
I show myself love by eating healthy foods that will help improve my health.
Linda Galatas
I show love for myself by taking "me" time by attending Weight Watcher meetings. And compassion, that instead of beating myself up over a weight gain, with the support of WW leader, staff and all attendees of the program, getting a new resolve to try a little harder the following week(s). Kindness is when another member gets down by not having successes, you feel their discouragement and offer them the encouragement they need at that moment.
Robin M
I do these things by having me time.At least one hour per day.
amy
Naps and nice long baths!
Sis Sahms
My love is for reading and walking and all outdoors!
Chris
Making sure I get a good nights sleep by going to bed early.