Tropical Honeydew Melon Smoothie

I’m happy to say that Fake Food Free has transitioned to the Substack Newsletter called Every Corner of the World.

I hope to see you there.

My plan was to get figs and peaches at the farmstand last week. I found them and filled my bag, but as I was turning towards the checkout stand, something else caught my eye. 

I have an on-again, off-again relationship with melons. It’s not unlike my relationship with shakes and smoothies, now that I think about it. 

Watermelon is in last place. I can have a few bites of it for the summer, or not, and I’m good. 

A super ripe cantaloupe is second. I buy at least a couple each summer. 

I’ve narrowed down my favorite to honeydew melon. That being said, I’m not sure if you’ve had a tasteless honeydew from a salad bar like I have, but if so, then you know that a good one is hard to find.

But this time, I didn’t find it. It found me. More accurately, I smelled it.

The best sign of a ripe melon…the smell. 

I bought it without another thought because I knew it would be good. And I was right. 

The only problem is, I’m the only one that eats it around here. 

So as I was trying to figure out how to use it all up, I decided to throw it into a shake one morning. I also decided to add frozen mango and frozen pineapple. Hence the name tropical. Because everything that is tropical has mango and pineapple, right? I tend to stereotype my fruits. 

To finish it off, I blended in some spinach and unsweetened vanilla almond milk. You can also add a protein powder if you’d like, but it’s not required. I’ve been adding unflavored pea protein powder lately. 

The best part, though, is the Tajin. If you are unfamiliar, it’s a mild chile, lime, and sea salt seasoning. It’s most often sprinkled on fruit, especially if you find yourself buying a cup of fruit from a stand in an area with a lot of Mexican culture. Like, say, California’s Central Valley. 

It turned out to be a pretty great breakfast so I thought I’d take a few photos and share it here. I expect I’m not alone in the fact that I can never get enough shake and smoothie ideas to keep things exciting. 

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup chopped frozen mango 
1/2 cup chopped frozen pineapple
1 cup chopped fresh honeydew melon
Small handful of fresh spinach
1 teaspoon chile, lime, sea salt seasoning (Tajin or Trader Joe’s brand)
1 scoop unflavored protein powder (optional)
1/2 to 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (depending on desired thickness)

PREPARATION

Add the mango, pineapple, and honeydew melon to a blender. Toss in the spinach, seasoning, and protein powder, if using. Pour in a 1/2 cup of the milk. 

Puree until smooth, adding more milk as necessary to reach your desired thickness. 

Pour into a glass and serve. (Sprinkle with more seasoning, if desired.)