CocoNUTS for Summer :)

Remember my ButterNUTS for Fall post way back when? No? Then you should go read it! It was the beginning of a school year; my half-way point through college. Today, I have less than a week before my graduation ceremony! A lot has changed since then, but my love of inspiring health is one of the few things that hasn't. I no longer have to worry about chemistry labs (ha!), or even 40-hour work weeks (yet). I'm taking my year before starting a dietetic internship off not only to save money for it (because they're dang expensive!), but also to gain new experiences in nutrition, become a DTR (dietetic technician, registered), and hopefully start working part time in a hospital.
For now, though, I'm enjoying life simply, loving my job at Dutch Bros. Coffee, and finding new ways to inspire, enlighten, and teach others how to improve their health.

So tonight I bring you: Simple Saturday. A delightful recipe with 5 (unprocessed or minimally processed) ingredients or less.

Featuring:

 This recipe really only needs 3 ingredients, but so much more goodness can be added to it if you want. The main base is:

Coconut water
Mango puree
Chia seeds

If you have this lovely mango chia 'jam' already made in the fridge, you could even say there are only 2 ingredients for this drink.

 To make the jam, you need:

2 ripe mangoes
1 tbsp chia seeds
lemon or lime juice (optional, but it cuts the sweetness a little)
water (optional)

Simple peel and chop the mangoes, then add to a blender and puree until smooth. It will be thick, and you can add some water if you would like to make a larger recipe (I added about 1/3 cup). If you don't add water, use less chia seeds because it will already be thicker. If you pick good mangoes, they should be sweet enough on their own and won't require any added sweeteners.

Place the jam in the fridge for at least an hour before making the drink. This way the chia seeds can gel up.

When you're ready to serve, simply place the desired amount of mango chia jam into the bottom of a cup. The more mango, the sweeter, so I put more! Top with ice and chilled coconut water, and you're done! Relax and enjoy out by the pool with a good book or while sitting on your couch in the air conditioning writing a blog post about it ;)

Coconut Mango Chia Refresher

2 tbsp mango chia jam 
8 oz. coconut water
Ice
Desired add-ins


As you can tell, I added some sliced strawberries and fresh, raw coconut pulp to mine (fresh coconut water is amazeballs). If you add chunky things, I recommend using a boba straw, which are now available in a lot of major grocery stores. This recipe is extremely flexible, so if you don't like mangoes, try using peaches, strawberries, pineapple, or any other fruit you like for the jam.

Coconut water is rich in electrolytes, making it a wonderful, natural alternative for sports drinks like gatorade. This recipe sweetens it up naturally and healthfully with the mango jam, and adds in some fiber from the chias (by now you should all know: fiber is my fave), as well as omega-3 fatty acids. I hope you enjoy this drink as much as I did!

I'm so excited to finally have time to contribute more to the blog, and hope to have another post up in the next week, so be on the lookout for more soon!