Coconut Banana Smoothie

I love smoothies! Especially this time of year..they are the perfect treat! When you can't consume dairy, it may be hard to find or make a smoothie because a typical smoothie has yogurt and milk in it. Also, a lot of smoothies that you might get out at the mall or out at a restaurant may contain whey protein, which does contain lactose, which is in dairy. Although this coconut banana smoothie contains little to no protein (which is the opposite of most smoothies), it is still delicious! The other issue with using coconut milk in products, it is a bit higher in fat...and it's higher in the bad fat, saturated fat. The same goes for coconut oil. Coconut oil contains the highest amount of saturated fat, as far as liquid fats go. All in all, if you follow this blog on a regular basis, you probably won't be seeing much coconut oil within recipes..mostly because as a dietitian it freaks me out :P. Okay..I totally got off topic..back to the smoothie. This smoothie is very refreshing! Especially if you like the tropical type foods.

3/4 cup coconut milk
1 banana
1 Tablespoon honey
2 Tablespoon shredded coconut
5 ice cubes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place shredded coconut in pan and toast coconut in oven until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.

2. In a blender, combine coconut milk, banana, honey, and ice cubes. Blend until smooth, about 30 seconds.

3. Pour smoothie into glass and top with toasted coconut and enjoy!


This recipe is pretty simple. If you like more of a tropical feeling, you could definitely put some crushed pineapple in or some almonds!  Both would be yummy!