Vita Coco Recipe Redux Sponsored Contest - Smoothie

About a week before we were sent this Recipe Redux recipe contest sponsored by the Vita Coco Pure coconut water, I was Googling date honey. My interest was due to a Diabetic Cookbook using date honey as a natural sweetener to replace cane sugar. Although easy to order online, it is quite expensive and I choose to make my own using dates and coconut water (half the cost less shipping). Yes, that's right. When I read my email I had to laugh. I already had a recipe brewing in my fridge.

Best part was the healthy aspect of drinking pure coconut water. I didn't even know it existed. The possibilities were endless.
Since date honey wasn't one of the categories and did not totally qualify as a dessert, I got busy using my honey in each category of the contest.
This smoothie was the first.

Let's introduce you to the wonders of coconut water. Different than coconut milk or cream, coconut water is the liquid that resides in the interior of fresh green coconuts.
You have seen the travel shows were somewhere on an island a native climbs a tree, knocks down a coconut, cuts off the top, sticks a straw into it and the host drinks the liquid inside.
That is coconut water.

Now for the good part:

• Vita Coco Pure coconut water contains 45 calories per 8 oz serving (note flavored varieties have up to 60 calories per serving)
• Vita Coco Pure coconut water contains key electrolytes and nutrients such as potassium, magnesium and calcium
• One serving of Vita Coco Pure coconut water has more potassium per serving than a banana
• Vita Coco coconut water is ‘never from concentrate’, offering the natural refreshment of electrolyte-rich water from younger coconuts
• Vita Coco is a nutrient rich, yet calorie poor beverage
• Vita Coco can be found in over 60,000 retail outlets, Whole being one of them.

An excellent replacement for regular water in any recipe.
I used 12oz in this batch of a whole food smoothie. We have become huge fans of breakfast smoothies in this house and I make a large blender-full and The Nudge takes a travel coffee mug full to work every other day.

Coconut Date Honey
makes 8 ounces
* 10 Majool dated, pitted and quartered
* 1 cup coconut water

1. Place the dates in a glass container with the coconut water in the cooler for 1 week.
2. Puree the mixture and press through a fine mesh sieve. Reserve the pulp to use in cakes, cookies or anything you would use dried fruits for.
3. Keep cold, will last for months in the fridge but you will use it up faster than that.

Banana, Yogurt, Coconut Honey & Coconut Water Smoothie
makes 1 quart
* 4 ripe bananas, peeled
* 2 tablespoons coconut date honey
* 1 1/2 cups Vita Coco Pure unflavored coconut water
* 1 cup Greek yogurt

1. Place ingredients in the container of a blender and blend until smooth. Keep refrigerated.

“By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by Vita Coco and am eligible to win
prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.”