Do you need a light yet sweet and juicy snack or dessert idea?
While this treat makes a nice afternoon snack or a fun party food for a picnic or potluck, offering fresh fruit as a dessert option teaches kids that it doesn’t have to be filled with added sugar to still be a “treat!” MOMables has tons of great fruit-as-treats ideas!
MOMables doesn’t just stop with amazing ideas, but we also provide you with a fantastic weekly meal plan that gives you step-by-step directions and even pictures to show you what the finished product should look like! Interested in getting some extra help? Join us here!
Dessert pizza!
First, slice a watermelon into roughly 1-inch-thick round slabs. Then slice the desired number of slabs like a pizza, into 6 to 8 triangular wedges each.
Then mix and match as many toppings as you’d like for a treat that’s sure to please! Try mint, sliced strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, sliced or halved grapes, sliced banana, shredded coconut, raisins, dried goji berries or cranberries, thinly sliced peaches, plums, or pears—so many yummy flavor combinations!
For an added Summer-y twist, you could even add chopped frozen berries and bananas instead! What a great way to cool off on a hot day!
Make it saucy!
You don’t need a “sauce,” but if you’d like to include one, some great options are honey or agave syrup, honey glaze (honey mixed with a little water to make it more spreadable), plain nut or seed butter, plain or flavored yogurt, yogurt mixed with a little honey, or yogurt mixed with some peanut butter or other nut or seed butter (any ratio you’d like)!
Add some crunch!
Seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, chia, poppy, etc.), whole or chopped nuts (almonds, pecans, macadamia, walnuts, etc.), granola, and/or whole-grain small or crushed cereal (rice puffs, corn flakes, O-shaped cereals, mini ball-shaped cereals, etc.) make great and healthy additions to your fruity “pizza!”
Sweet and savory!
Don’t be afraid to try savory toppings as well! You can try a “Greek Salad Pizza” with some basil, Feta, red onions, and kalamata olives! Or just mix and match a mild cheese (crumbled Feta, ricotta, or mozzarella) with kalamata olives or basil. Or use ingredients from your favorite watermelon salad!
With a protein (yogurt, cheese, or nut butter) and a whole grain (cereal or granola), this could even make a great breakfast option! You could do most of the prep the night before and store your slices in a covered casserole dish in the fridge. If you want them to stay crispy and chewy, just save the “dry” ingredients like coconut, cereal, and raisins until you’re ready to serve!
For some more easy fruity treat ideas, try MOMables Frozen Fruit Kabobs, Fresh Fruit Yogurt, Banana Split Bites, Watermelon Pops, Fruit Ice Cubes, Chocolate-Covered Banana Bites, and Fresh Fruit & Lemonade Popsicles!
I love your ideas. I’m making this to be served at lunch as more of a fruit salad. Is the jam to make it stickey to get things to stay on, reduce the water content, or because you like the taste. Since I’m using it for a salad, I would like to leave it off, but not at the expense of food landing on someone’s lap!
thanks.
Penny.
I hadn’t thought of jam! That might be a fun option! I didn’t use any “sauce” for the ones shown (I offered chocolate chips, so didn’t want to be adding any more sugar than that,) but the ones listed (yogurt, honey, nut butters) can help the toppings stay on if that’s an issue for you, or can add protein (in the case of nut/seed butters or yogurt) to turn this into a breakfast option!
As for bits sticking in a salad situation, watermelon tends to be moist enough for small items to stick, especially when chopped smallish and everything gets scooped up with a fork. You could combine ingredients first to see how you like it, then add watered-down honey or a little yogurt to toss with as a “dressing” if you need the toppings to stick better.
I would definitely chop the toppings fairly small, since you don’t want them to be too big and heavy to stick. When eating in slices, the toppings stay on like pizza, if the slice is held horizontally, so you can get away with bigger chunks.
What a fun idea, the kids will love decorating it!!