Melon Infused Water

Most of my clients have a goal to drink more water for so many reasons. Some work out a lot or have fitness goals and so they need more. Many actually walk around dehydrated most of the time; forgetting to drink water and experiencing headaches and fatigue because of it. Others find themselves needing to replace other beverages like coffee, energy drinks, juice, soda, or even alcohol with plain water for health reasons. If you need some inspiration to drink more fluids, you definitely need my melon infused water recipe.

Having pitchers of infused water around the house is just one example of how you can increase your intake. This is such a big discussion with so many of my clients that I actually created a whole blog post on it: how to drink water when you don’t like it. I have so many tips and tricks in this post on how to increase your intake. It’s actually easier than you may think.

Cutting Melon

In my previous post about pineapple, cucumber, basil infused water, I teach you how to cut a pineapple properly. I thought this time, I could chat about how to cut a melon. Since they’re round and have seeds inside, it’s nice to know exactly how to tackle a melon so you don’t lose a lot of fruit and so you can cut it quickly, in minutes to enjoy it in melon infused water or just as a snack to keep in your refrigerator.

Before you even start, think about food safety. The rinds of melon are rough and may have been handled by a lot of people on the road to get to you. Make sure to wash it and scrub it under running water for safety. You don’t want to bring bacteria on the outside onto the inside as you slice through the melon.

First, for safety, cut the ends off the top and bottom. This way you can get a better grip and more easily cut the rind off.

After you do that, you’ll be able to place it flat on the cutting board surface. Make sure to use a large, very sharp knife. A smaller knife or a thin knife just won’t do and could cause you to slip and cut yourself.

Start to cut the rind in thin sections along the outside. Go deep enough to get rid of the green, but try not to waste fruit. Let the rind fall away and remember that you can flip it over and finish the underside when you’ve got the majority of the top part done. Once you cut around the whole melon, simply turn it to the other flat side where you cut off the bottom part to make it flat and work your way around that end.

Finally, cut the melon in half. I take a large, metal spoon and gently loosen the inner seeds and guts. It reminds me of cleaning out a pumpkin! Except softer. Scoop it right into your compost and again, try not to lose any fruit. Just get rid of the seeds and strings.

Once you’ve finished scooping out the inside, flip it onto the large flat, open surface face-down on the cutting board. Use your large knife to gently slice it lengthwise and then width-wise into cubes. You’ll only need about a cup in the water pitcher for flavor and so you’ll have the majority of the melon to save for a snack.

Package the melon into separate storage containers and grab them any time you need a sweet treat at home or on the go. This is such a great replacement for sugary items like baked goods, candy or cookies. Not that those foods can’t be consumed but rather most of us get too much added sugar in the diet and so a replacement is helpful to have on hand. Melon is sweet, refreshing, and very healthy, too.

Nutrients in Melon

First off, a cup of melon has about 50 calories so it’s extremely low in calories and high in nutrients. It’s rich in both water and fiber so it’s filling, making a great snack, breakfast or dessert.

Cantaloupe is packed with nutrients – both vitamins and minerals. It is especially rich in vitamin A like squash and carrots are, as well. You can tell this right away by the rich, orange color – that’s the give away. It’s also high in vitamin C, an antioxidant, and potassium which is good for balancing blood pressure. It also contains good amounts of copper, folate and B6.

I love tossing cold melon into smoothies like this melon vanilla smoothie up on the blog. Let me know if you try this one!

Making Melon Infused Water

Making this ‘recipe’ is quite simple. The hardest part, actually, is cutting the melon like I outlined above for you. Once you wash it (scrub it) and cut it up, placing the cubes in storage containers for later, you’re mostly finished.

I love keeping a couple large, glass pitchers around for when I have company over. If I’m having dinner or serving drinks, it’s an encouragement for people to stay hydrated. Another way to use a pitcher is just for yourself or your family. Keep it filled in the fridge and you’re so much more likely to grab for it. Make easy healthy!

I love to layer the pitcher in my melon infused water so it looks beautiful. I put half the ice cubes on the bottom, then pour in the melon and then top that with ice. Finally, I fill it up and then my goal is to get through a pitcher per day.

You can refill the water and ice several times with the same melon – for up to 4-5 days. I really hope this inspires you to stay more hydrated and drink that water!