Moo-ve Over, Bessy… Coconut Milk Coming Through!

I’ve had coconut milk a few times, but I’ve never really HAD coconut milk until this morning. I don’t know what changed, but when I opened the can that I refrigerated overnight and had a taste, I was like, “OMG, this is freakin’ amazing! Buh-bye cow juice!” Well, ok, that’s probably being a bit dramatic, I don’t think I’d give dairy up that easily, but if I really had to, it’s nice to know that there’s deliciousness on standby.

I’ve been daydreaming about this smoothie for awhile now and finally found a good day to make it being I was in a hurry to leave the house today for my hair appointment and shopping—no more grays! YAY! I’ve had a patch of grays since I was 10-years-old. They’re actually considered a birthmark when you have them from childhood. That’s never been comforting to me, though, LOL. I digress.

Strawberry Coconut Milk Smoothie
(vegan – gluten-free – dairy-free – grain-free)

Ingredients:

• ~1.5 cups frozen sliced strawberries
• 2/3 cup light coconut milk
• 1 TBSP agave nectar

Add all ingredients to blender and mix until smooth. Drink right away.

So yummy! I couldn’t stop drinking it once I started. I kept sipping until it was gone, lol. You could add a little protein powder to it to make it a complete meal. I wanted something light to tide me over and this worked like a charm. Actually, it kept me satisfied for about 6 hours, but when I’m busy I’m not especially hungry until I get a minute to think about it, haha.

We were out most of the day; I was at the hair salon for 2 hours, then we grabbed a bite (burger + salad, no pic, sorry!) and then we went to Target to pick up paper and soapy essentials, and our final stop: Hannaford! I haven’t replenished my fresh produce since last week, so I went a little crazy. I almost didn’t have enough room for everything in the produce drawers. I wasn’t crazy about their leafy green selection—probably because it was so late at night—but I got a decent haul.

• Bag of fresh spinach
• Bag of butter lettuce
• Tub of baby Arugula
• 2 lbs of fresh strawberries (can you tell I’m on a strawberry kick?)
• 2 limes – HOLY shizzle! .70 cents each and they’re small. Lemons were .80 cents each and on their death bed so I passed them up.
• A huge, gorgeous bunch of fresh kale
• Gummy bears Bunch of celery
• Baby cukes
• Sweet baby peppers
• Fresh brussels sprouts
• Portabello mushrooms
• 3 avocados
• 4 plum tomatoes
• Bag of broccoli slaw
• Bag of bean sprouts
• Head of Napa cabbage
• Baby carrots

Let’s hope nothing on this list has contributed to the heartburn that I have right now. When I got home, I washed almost all of my produce (in plain cold water), dried it, and stored it in damp paper towels and baggies like I usually do (I have green bags somewhere), and I sampled a few goodies from the store; A few strawberries and one of the teensy tiny sweet multi-color peppers and an ice pop. Now my chest is on fire. I tried to avoid dairy all day today after an unpleasant episode directly after eating Cheez-Itz over the weekend. It seems like everything that has whey in it REALLY upsets my stomach. Odd considering I didn’t have these issues when I was little. I mean, I would have noticed considering we owned an ice cream stand where I had dairy products 8 days a week, lol. I’m wondering if living in such a sanitary environment (read: disinfecting everything, antibacterial everything) induces food intolerances later in life due to an imbalance of good bacteria? I grew up using antibacterial soap almost exclusively and had doctors that prescribed antibiotics at least once a year for whatever sniffles I had. I can see a possible link. This article touches on that theory as well.

I’m going to make a bigger effort to avoid antibacterial soaps and disinfectants, pasteurized dairy, and general over-sanitizing. And I’d like to find a good probiotic supplement—any recommendations?

Going to chill for awhile. I’ve been going nonstop since I woke up. But on the bright side the day went by quickly. No threat of boredom around here!

Tagged as: coconut milk, dairy-free, fruit, gluten-free, grain-free, smoothies, strawberries, vegan