This week we'll explore watermelon recipes and a hydrating juice that tastes like summer sunshine. We'll also delve into a creative novel about our pasts and tips for treating our bodies right during summer travel.

Eat Colorfully

Seasonal Ingredient Spotlight: WATERMELON

Now that summer has officially begun, let's celebrate one of the season's most iconic ingredients: watermelon. Slices of watermelon are a delicious and hydrating summer treat, but did you know that there are many other ways to use this juicy fruit? Here are a few tasty ways to enjoy it (hint: some may surprise you!).

• Add it to seasonal salads. The sweetness is a perfect complement to something salty. This Watermelon, Snap Pea, and Mint Salad, shown below, is one of my absolute favorites.
• Use it as a base for nachos. Wait what?? Yes indeed, ditch the heavy chips and use small slices of watermelon instead, then drizzle them with luscious avocado sauce and whatever other toppings you love. Check out these Vegan Watermelon Nachos with Avocado Sauce if you want to have your mind blown.
• Use it in salsa. Watermelon salsa is a true summer delight. Check out the fruit salsa guide on my blog for inspiration (scroll down to example #7 in particular).
• Juice it. Watermelon is almost all liquid anyways, so it's an incredibly satisfying fruit to juice. See the recipe below for an example. If you don't have a juicer, just blast it in the blender and pour the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve.
• Make a watermelon cocktail. Watermelon juice is a fabulous cocktail ingredient and it goes beautifully with tequila, gin, or vodka. It especially excels in a cocktail with lime, like this Watermelon Mint Gimlet.

Try This Week: SUNSHINE JUICE

Do you have a juicer? Although I admit to originally being a bit skeptical about how much I'd use it, I have to admit that I'm absolutely smitten with mine. I've had it for over a year now and can honestly say that we use it at home at least a couple times a week.

One of my favorite summer sips is a Golden Watermelon, Lime, and Ginger Juice. It's a simple but super-refreshing (and very hydrating!) combination of about half a golden watermelon, two limes, and half an inch of fresh ginger. It looks like golden rays of summer sunshine!

If you're thinking about getting a juicer, my experience over the past year has been wonderful. I feel like it has opened up a whole new world of creative possibilities. I have the Nama J2 juicer, which is powerful (you should see it chew through ginger and turmeric, it's amazing), easy to use, and easy to clean. I recommend it highly and I'm happy to be able to offer a 10% discount to this newsletter community if you use the code BRUSSELSPROUT10 at check-out. Pro tip: add the sorbet attachment to your cart (you'll get the same 10% discount) and make your own sorbet at home all summer long.

Live Colorfully

A Book to Explore: ANN PATCHETT, TOM LAKE

I just finished a great book that I'm excited to share with you: Ann Patchett's novel "Tom Lake". It has a unique premise in which an older woman is telling her grown daughters the story of a summer fling she had in her youth. The book explores how we carry our pasts with us as secrets that are both beautiful and ugly. One of the central themes is choices we make in our lives and the many forks in the road that lead us to exactly where we're meant to be.

If you've read other Ann Patchett books, you'll know that she writes really wonderful, complex character development. Tom Lake is definitely a great example. If you're looking for others, I think Bel Canto might me my favorite of hers, and I talked about The Patron Saint of Liars in this October newsletter issue.

One tip: if you enjoy audiobooks, I highly recommend the audiobook version of Tom Lake. Meryl Streep reads it and the fit is perfect.

Remember that you can always browse my favorite book list if you need some ideas.

Self-Care Pick: HEALTHY SUMMER TRAVEL TIPS

I recently flew home from a family visit down to North Carolina, so I have travel on the mind. Since I know many of you are planning summer adventures, I wanted to share some of my favorite tips for how to take care of yourself in transit, whether you're on the ground or in the air.

• Bring snacks. Don't trust fate to deliver you good food on the road; you could end up disappointed (or hungry or forced to eat something you otherwise wouldn't). My favorite travel snacks are these homemade Larabars because they're not fragile, they store fine at room temperature, and they pack a lot of nutrition in a small package.
• Bring veggies. I like to fly or drive with baby-sized veggies like cukes, peppers, and carrots; they're less temperature-sensitive than cut veggies and are a great snack or addition to whatever sub-par airport meal you can find.
• Plan ahead. If I'm forced to eat on the road, the Whole Foods salad bar is my #1 choice if I'm driving. If I'm flying, Chipotle or Qdoba are good bets since they have lots of great, customizable options. All airports have their terminal maps online, so look them up before you arrive at your layover location.
• Take Vitamin C. I like to take Vitamin C supplements for a week before I fly and a week after. I also carry Emergen-C packets with me to add to water and drink on the plane.
• Stay hydrated. Almost anything that can go wrong in our bodies is exacerbated by dehydration. Flying is an especially huge culprit because the air on the plane is so dry. Having some fun drink options (single-serve electrolyte packets, matcha packets, etc) can help.
• Take breaks to move. If you're driving, pull over at a rest area with a place to walk and stroll around for a while. If you're flying, use layovers as a time to walk the terminals and get some exercise.

I hope some of these travel tips are helpful for wherever your summer adventures take you. I travel a huge amount both for my day-job and in my personal life, so don't hesitate to get in touch if you have questions or want some additional ideas.

Thanks for joining me for this issue of Eat Colorfully, Live Colorfully! I'd love to hear from you, so please feel free to reply with questions, thoughts, or requests. If you missed a previous issue, you can view all my newsletters here. Have a great week!