Easy Healthy Recipe – Berry Coconut Smoothie

Our good friends at Tropical Traditions gave us a 32oz of there Virgin Coconut Oil to experiment with, and over the next few weeks we’ll be hard at work in our test kitchen.  Thankfully they also gave us their book “Virgin Coconut Oil, How It Has Changed People’s Lives and How It Can Change Yours” which includes more than 85 recipes.  Phew!  To be honest with you, I have never put coconut oil in anything before.  Coconut Milk, lots of recipes….oil – NONE!

I thought I would start with something simple, an easy healthy recipe….a smoothie (perfect!) which will be refreshing for this record-setting hot weather we’ve been having here in Vancouver.

• 1 cup of following berries, (or a mixture) blueberries, strawberries, raspberries or
• ½ banana
• ½ cup regular milk
• ¼ cup orange juice
• 1.5 tablespoons protein powder
• 2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil, melted
• 3-4 ice cubes

Berries & banana should all be frozen. Place all ingredients into blender except oil and slowly pour oil in while blending. Beat all ingredients for 2 -3 minutes, or until well mixed and blended.

I was very pleasantly surprised.  There was just a slight hint of the coconut oil that perfectly complimented the other ingredients.  I also have to say that after I drank the smoothie, I was not hungry for a good 4 hours after.

Did you know that coconut oil is actually a very healthy alternative to most other cooking oils?  Apparently it contains medium chain fatty acids that are more easily assimilated by the body so that the fat actually fuels the metabolism instead of being stored by the body.

You can receive your own complimentary copy of the book through Tropical Traditions Referral Program.  We are also going to be giving away 32oz of Virgin Coconut Oil in the near future!

Have you ever made anything with coconut oil? Please share!