Recipe; Make Your Own Lite Coconut Milk Drink

I am pretty hard core about my smoothies. Smoothie calories can tabulate quickly so, the only ingredients that make my cut are typically for nutrition purposes, not taste.

To minimize an additional calorie bomb, I usually just use filtered water as a base.
But, sometimes my taste buds call for a tropical treat and a shake more on the creamy side. That's where my homemade lite coconut milk drink comes in. You can also use it to infuse a coconutty burst into your cereal or oatmeal. It does add a serving of fat to whatever you are pouring it in though - so be sure to account for that!

The fat in coconut is a unique lipid called a medium chain fatty acid. Studies recently have shown that the body metabolizes this type of fat differently, and may be beneficial for the heart, weight loss and cholesterol levels. You can learn more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut_oil

It's easy to prepare your own lite coconut milk drink. It's easy, delicious, about one fifth of the cost of prepackaged, refrigerated versions and lighter on the fat. Plus, there is no tree climbing, machete wielding or shell pummeling involved.

Lite Coconut Milk Drink:

1 - clean, preferably reused glass container - I like using glass, organic milk gallons, but a plastic pitcher is fine too
1- can of Lite coconut milk (Trader Joe's)
Filtered water

Open the can of lite coconut milk and pour into glass container.
Using the empty can, add four to five cans of filtered water to the glass container
Shake well and refrigerate
Be sure to shake before each use

That's it - now you have a tasty liquid that will remind you of the beach all winter!

Here is an easy, beachy smoothie recipe:

1 cup lite homemade coconut milk drink
3/4 cup frozen raspberries
1 scoop vanilla protein powder ( I like using brown rice or pea protein)

Blend all ingredients - enjoy!

(photo from: comfytummy.com)