There is no better way to celebrate summer than with a big slice of watermelon (especially with the 4th of July right around the corner.) But if you are looking to spice things up, try this watermelon smoothie! It has that great watermelon flavor with a little extra kick.

Plus it is packed with lycopene. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather have a frosty glass of watermelon juice than tomato juice!

(Lycopene is a bright red carotenoid pigment and phytochemical found in tomatoes and other red fruits, such as watermelon – and it’s one of the most potent antioxidants out there!)

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 2 cups Chopped Seedless Watermelon
• 1 cup Crushed Ice
• 1 tsp Honey
• 1 tsp Lemon Juice
• 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
• Watermelon wedge (for garnish)

Step 1: Prepare.

First, chop watermelon into chunks. Second, crush some ice. (Or, what I prefer to do is freeze the watermelon chunks. You can skip the ice in this case.)

Removing the seeds isn’t a bad idea, either, because even the little white ones can be annoying in a smooth drink like this.

Step 2: Blend.

Blend the watermelon and ice into a thick drink.

Step 3: Add extra flavor.

Add in the honey, lemon juice, and black pepper. Make sure the pepper is finely ground or it will sink to the bottom.

(Don’t be concerned about the black pepper. It actually adds a nice kick, but you don’t really taste the pepper itself.)

Step 4: Blend.

Now blend it all together.

Step 5: Garnish.

Pour the finished drink into a glass.

Slide a watermelon wedge on the side of the glass to garnish. (Just like you’d do with a lemon wedge.)

Then serve!

One day I was watching the morning news and saw a segment about avoiding sugar or cutting calories by cutting out sugar. They had an expert on as a guest, and if I remember correctly, it was someone from Good Housekeeping magazine.

Good Housekeeping is pretty big, but you never know if the news shows are getting real “experts” or just someone that will create controversy to boost their ratings…

They starting going over drinks like fruit juice, sports drinks, and soda, while offering comparisons of nutrition facts such as sugar content. You know, drinks that seem like the healthy option (juice) up against the evil, unhealthy option (soda.) The segment really focused on sugar content and calories though, leaving out any other health benefits (or drawbacks.)

What was the conclusion?

That fruit juice is bad for you because it has so many calories. We’re talking about orange juice and apple juice here, and they say it’s the unhealthy option!

Worse, they went on to recommend that you stay away from juice, and instead go for the drinks with artificial sweeteners. The recommended lineup included Diet Pepsi.

Are you kidding?! Diet Pepsi instead of apple juice?!

No thanks, I’ll take my fruit juice and Gatorade and the extra calories, along with the health benefits. You can keep the diet sodas full of aspartame, and the resulting cancer, for yourself.

Although I’ll admit that claiming that diet soda is healthier than fruit juice was a great way to catch people’s attention!

Photo credit: Maulleigh