For the LOVE of COCONUT!!!

 So recently, a bunch of the BeachBody coaches went to the yearly summit in LA.  They had a competition for the best recipe with each flavor of the Shakeology (chocolate and greenberry).  The winning recipe is shown below (stolen from the P90X newsletter at http://tinyurl.com/3mxjlp7.)

 

Recipe: Crocked Coconut Macaroon Shakeology^®

At this year's 2011 Beachbody Coach Summit, the Shakeology chefs came out in force with the ultimate recipes they'd developed to shake up their daily Shakeology regimen. In the Chocolate category, the winner was Suzy F. She's lost 25 pounds with INSANITY^® and Shakeology, and she actually had to have her dress altered so it wouldn't fall off when she went up to receive her award!

• 1 scoop chocolate Shakeology
• 1 cup coconut water
• 1 tsp. rum extract
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup light coconut milk
• 1 oz. frozen Thai coconut meat
• 1 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 1/2 cup ice

Place ingredients in blender and blend until thoroughly mixed and creamy. Makes 1 serving.
Nutritional Information (per serving):

Calories	Protein	Fiber	Carbs	Fat Total	Saturated Fat
499	21 g	8 g	31 g	31 g	25 g
NOTE: If you're feeling a little "sticker shock" from the calorie count and fat grams, remember that coconut contains some of the healthiest, most heart-smart fat out there. But if you want to reduce the calorie count to 359, just cut the amount of coconut milk, meat, and oil in half. Now I LOVE coconut.  It's delicious and so good for you!  In fact, talking about coconut gives me the chance to talk about some biochemistry, so that makes me pretty happy.  :) I couldn't find any frozen coconut meat and the shredded coconut at the grocery store was all sweetened, so I chose to do battle with a whole coconut.  Here was my opponent.    It may not look like much, but coconuts are quite protective of their goodness.  The first step is to drain the coconut water out of the coconut.  This is when having some metal skewers would have been awesome, but I improvised with what I had on hand....... Yup, that's right.  I used my corkscrew to open up my coconut.  Had to use the hammer to get it started.  But it worked out in the end.  Then I drained the coconut water into a glass (with much shaking) and then filtered it to remove the fibrous bits from the outside of the husk. I got almost a cup of coconut water; I made up the difference with regular water.  Just nough to make the shake.  Next I had to CRACK the coconut.  From previous experience I knew that the best way to do that was to walk downstairs and throw the coconut on the sidewalk.  After that, I began chiseling the meat out of the shell.  It's quite the tedious task and I put the other half in the freezer and will thaw it later -- it's supposed to make the chiseling easier after you thaw it.  Then you cut off the last of the brown stuff and we're in business.  I actually stopped at this point because I was hungry and could wait no longer to make the shake. So I began to assemble the shake.  Added the coconut water, coconut milk (I used the Silk brand but like the SoDelicious brand as well as Thai kitchen out of the can), vanilla extract (I didn't have rum extract), and then it was time to add the coconut oil. This is my chance to talk a little biochemistry :).  I've been a fan of coconut oil for awhile.  The fat in coconut oil is totally saturated, which makes most people cringe because of what they've been taught about butter and other sources of long chain saturated fatty acids.  The fun thing about coconut oil is that it's a short chain fatty acid (10 or 12 carbon chains vs. the probably mostly 16 carbon chains in butter or lard).  This changes it's physical properties.  It means that unlike butter, which  is still a solid in or out of the fridge, coconut oil goes through a phase change.  In my air conditioned apartment, it's a soft solid, as you can see on my measuring spoon.  If the room was about 80 degrees, however, the coconut oil would be liquid.  It's pretty cool!  Yes, I'm a nerd.  lol Anyway, the saturated fat in coconut oil is actually heart healthy and studies have shown it to actually increase your metabolic rate.  It is also sold as anti-fungal and anti-bacterial supplements (caprylic acid) and is known to demonstrate those properties.  After adding the coconut oil, I was left to guess how much an ounce of coconut is.  So I went with the amount here.      I figured those four chunks were close enough.  :)  Then I loaded it all in my trusty Ninja and blended away! Oh.  My.  God.  So delicious!  Next time, I would definitely blend it longer because I still had coconut chunks.  But it was SO good.  This was my dinner tonight at approximately 5 pm.  It's now after 11 pm and I've only had a handful of almonds the rest of the day.  And I'm WIRED and energetic... since then I've done 4 loads of laundry, ran the dishwasher, and cleaned the kitchen and the bathroom.  I NEVER have this much energy lol.  The combo of the Shakeology (and it's maca root and green tea) with all this coconut goodness has me feeling good!  So good maybe I should save this recipe for breakfast lol. About an hour later, I had to go back and finish chiseling out the coconut half.  I got about this much from the rest of the half of coconut -- a snack sized ziplock bag. I stuck it in the freezer so I'll be able to make plenty more of these delicious shakes.  I don't have any more coconut water, but I'm sure it will still be delicious with regular water.  This one coconut should last me quite awhile but I guarantee I'm looking for something like this http://tinyurl.com/3kyyra3 next time I'm at the Whole Foods.  Maybe I'll pick up some coconut water, too.  :) I'm usually really lazy making my Shakeology for breakfast, but this was definitely worth the effort.  Now that I have the coconut prepared it shouldn't take much longer than my normal just "mix it with water and drink".  Can't wait to have another one for breakfast...... I'm going to keep posting recipes here... not all with Shakeology.... I need to make my magic lentil soup tomorrow so I'll write about that as well.  (I call it magic lentil soup because I always lose at least a pound a week if I eat it for 5 meals).  But if any of you ARE interested in the Shakeology, check it out here www.myshakeology.com/jesilynkelts.  It truly is the healthiest meal of the day and has made a huge difference in my weight and health in the 7 months I've been drinking it (along with working out, as well). Hope you guys enjoyed my blog!  Sign up to follow me if you're interested.  :)