When I was a kid I had this massive love for watermelon. Like most food-related things in my life, it all stems from my mom. Since Mother’s Day is around the corner (tomorrow), I think it’d be fun to bring up a memory about my mom and how she’s the one who got me hooked on this juicy fruit.

I remember sitting in my dad’s den when I was little, watching Law & Order SVU with my mom once and her sitting in front of the TV with a spoon and half of a whole watermelon. She handed me a spoon and we both just dug in and went to town. My mom always said when she was a teenager and lived in the Florida Keys she would sit on her back deck, chop a watermelon open and just eat it all with a spoon. If she could, she admitted, she would eat the whole thing. Silly move, mom. But also, who can resist it!?

Things you gotta love about your mom, am I right?

Following my mom and I’s Law & Order watermelon feast, I would always ask for watermelon in the summer and have her slice it up for me as a mid-day snack or dessert. While I loved the taste of it and those natural sugars, I never really knew until a year ago how hydrating watermelon was!

I remember walking into Whole Foods and stumbling across this cold-pressed juice that I knew I had to get my hands on. It’s called WTRMLN WTR (yes, watermelon water without the vowels! how cool!) and instantly wanted to try it. The beverage contains watermelon rind, watermelon flesh and organic lemon juice. Nothing more and nothing less.

It has no added sugar, fruit concentrates or preservatives and contains 6x the amount of electrolytes as a regular sports drink.

In fact – random spur of the moment tale – I got my blood drawn two months back and when the doctor asked me if I wanted a Gatorade, I declined, thinking of the massive WTRMLN WTR I had in my fridge at home that would make me feel much better than any Gatorade could. After feeling a bit light-headed, I drank half of a WTRMLN WTR and within moments felt good as new.

If electrolytes don’t make it fancy enough for ya, it’s a yummy option for a post-workout drink since it’s packed with L-Citruline, an amino acid that improves endurance and does wonders for your muscles.

Last but not least, the amount of sugar in one bottle. Only 12g! If you think about it, that’s less than any cold-pressed apple or beet juice on the market (my weaknesses) and DEFINITELY less sugar than your standard electrolyte-enhanced beverage filled with nasty artificial colors or added sugars (ahem, Gatorade, I’m lookin’ at you).

As the weather warms up in Chicago, WTRMLN WTR’s are perfect to throw in my bag before I head to yoga or after an upbeat spin class. I love pouring them over ice in the summer time, which I think I’ll be doing daily in the next coming weeks. They’re a prime option as a cocktail mixer or even in smoothies in replace of milk or water.

My favorite way to incorporate WTRMLN WTR into my smoothies is by using 1 cup WTRMLN WTR, 1 cup strawberries, 1 cucumber, 1 tbsp coconut butter, 1/2 cup raspberries and 1 tbsp chia seeds for a hydrating and refreshing snack or breakfast.

Now if The Chickpea in The City herself can’t convince you enough to drink WTRMLN WTR, let’s talk about Beyoncé doing it for a sec.

Beyoncé just recently invested in the company this past Tuesday after her album ‘Lemonade’ dropped, stating in a press release, “it’s the future of clean, natural hydration”. I couldn’t agree more, B! And since Beyoncé is fabulous in every way possible, I can foresee WTRMLN WTR being the biggest foodie trend of the summer.

Now in celebration of Beyoncé’s investment, celebrating Mother’s Day and the heat in Chicago… I think it’s time we all twist open a bottle of WTRMLN WTR. What do ya say?

Happy Saturday, babes!

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This post was sponsored by WTRMLN WTR, however all thoughts and opinions are my own. This is a product I truly and genuinely love and care to promote to my readers! Thank you for making Chickpea in The City possible.