A Healthy Fourth Of July Treat

Makes 10 servings

 There are so many creative treats that you can make with a watermelon.This watermelon cake is perfect for the those hot summer days when you want to avoid using the oven. It’s hydrating, packed with electrolytes, and is great for any BBQ or picnic. Your kids will love this patriotic cake, so get creative and experiment with different fruit combinations to add to its festive appeal. Or if you want something easy just cube , juice and freeze in popsicle holders

Ingredients:

I large seedless watermelon

2 large wooden skewers

1 quart strawberries with their stems removed

1 pint blueberries

1 large  pineapple peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch triangles,

1 ½ pounds seedless green grapes

2 large oranges, peeled and sliced into ¼ inch thick quarter-moons

3-4 kiwifruit, peeled and sliced into ½-inch-thick cross sections

1 box toothpicks

Directions:

1. Cut the watermelon about 2 inches from each end. Remove the outer skin of the watermelon and slice into circular layers. The first layer should be about 8 inches in diameter, decreasing the size of each subsequent layer about 2 inches. When finished, you should have three slices of watermelon, 8, 6, 4 and 3 inches in diameter. 

2. Arrange the watermelon layers on top of one another. The smallest layer should be on top.

3. Use skewers to hold the layers in place. Place the skewers so that they are not visible.

4. Using toothpicks, fasten additional fruit to the cake

5. Slice the “fruit cake” how you would for any other cake or pie and avoid the skewers as you eat and enjoy this refreshing summer snack.

Watermelon

Watermelon is sweetest during the summer. It makes the perfect summer snack that’s both hydrating and packed with electrolytes, including potassium and sodium, which we loss when we sweat. Watermelon is an excellent source of carotenoids, especially lycopene, which has powerful antioxidant properties. In fact, it contains more lycopene than any other raw fruit or vegetable. Watermelon is packed with B vitamins that are essential for energy production. Additionally, watermelon seeds are a great plant source of protein if you want to juice the whole watermelon

Nutritious and Delicious fun for kids for 4th of July

Here is a fun, delicious and fun activity for kids of all ages to enjoy for this 4th of July!It will make your kids feel liberated.

Involving your children in the preparation of food can help gain their interest in trying healthy foods they might normally turn up their noses at. This is the perfect activity and recipe that will get your kids involved in food preparation and get them to eat all their fruits and maybe even try a few new ones. Definitely better for a bbq party then chips and cookies this holiday weekend.

The fruits we will be using for this recipe are strawberries (red), blueberries (blue), and chucks of fresh coconut (white). Strawberries have a wide range of nutrients, including fiber, vitamin C,
Blueberries are very high in fiber and and are rich in Vitamins A, C, E and beta-carotene as well as rich in the minerals potassium, manganese, magnesium.
Coconut is a tropical fruit that is rich in protein and is also a great body builder . It is a super omega 3 fatty acid.So your kids will be happy and will not have the usual holiday meltdowns from to much sugar and processed foods

Here are the simple steps for this 4ht of July Fruit Kabob:

Ingredients:
Strawberries
Blueberries
Chucks of Fresh Coconut, Apples, or White Peaches
Bamboo sticks/chop sticks

Directions:
Cut up all the fruit and place it in a bowl, then let the children make their own kabobs! You can also substitute watermelon or banana's and still have a festive fruit kabob. Let your kids be creative and make any designs they want!