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Fruit is one of those foods I rarely have to force my children to eat. Unlike vegetables, they love many and quite a variety of different kinds of fruit. Of course, they have their quirks about them too. Browning fruit is a no go (thank you lemon lime soda!). If you are slicing apples, no part of the core can be included in the slices. Same goes for the white pulp part of oranges.
Watermelons have to be seedless which is more of my rule than theirs. If we got seeded watermelon I could just imagine a thousand seeds all over my floor. Probably from a spitting seed war. No, thank you! They sure do love watermelon, though. We typically only buy it in the summer when it’s in season and they go to town.
We cube it or slice it with a Watermelon Slicer. This kind of slicer looks like you are trying to replicate a t-rex, using claws to cut into the fruit, but it’s really quite simple to use. You cut the watermelon in half, preferably long ways, but either way will work and insert the slicer right up to the edge of the rind. Push downward as you slice your way along the bottom of the rind to the other side. Reinsert slicer to pull out a piece. Voila!
I love that you can also go right then and there and start cubing the watermelon with the edges of the slicer. No need for extra tools! This set even comes with a melon baller too. It’s a great deal and invaluable with how much melons we eat in the summer.
The thing about most watermelons is that they are HUGE. Yes, there are mini ones but what’s the fun in that. It’s summer, live a little. We have a household of 5 and still a large cut up watermelon takes up a ton of room in the fridge. It has to go into a pretty big container making us sacrifice what we chose to buy.
Sometimes I just say the heck with it and make Homemade Watermelon Fruit Roll-Ups. These take up a good portion of the watermelon allowing for the remainder to go into a small container. Yes!
Plus it’s a pretty healthy snack too. I bet you didn’t know watermelon has science-backed health benefits. That’s right, eating healthy never tasted SO good!
Homemade Watermelon Fruit Roll-Ups
Ingredients
- 10 cups watermelon cubed
- 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp Splenda optional and to taste
Instructions
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In a food processor, blend watermelon and 1/4 cup sweetener until smooth.
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Line a colander with cheesecloth or a kitchen towel and drain all excess fluid. Place back into food processor and add 1 tbsp sweetner. Blend until combined. Drain again if necessary.
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On a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat, pour mixture onto the center of the mat spreading about 1/8 to 1/4in thick. Rotate baking sheet every hour or so to ensure even baking. Bake until not tacky. Let cool completely.
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Once cooled, flip baking mat fruit side down onto a sheet of wax paper. Carefully peel off fruit onto wax paper. Using scissors, cut fruit/wax paper into strips and roll. Store in airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
What is your favorite fruit roll-up flavor?
Krystle Cook – the creator of Home Jobs by MOM – put her psychology degree on a shelf and dived into a pile of diapers and dishes instead. She is a wife and mother to two rambunctious boys, sweating it out in her Texas hometown. She loves cooking, DIY home projects, and family fun activities.
“Every day is another chance to get stronger, to eat better, to live healthier, and to be the best version of you.”
We have made berry fruit rollups before but I would have never thought of making watermelon. I just bought a new food dehydrator so I am going to have to try this.