DIY Sports Drink

I'm dedicating recipes this week to my sweet family. There was a second I almost named this blog "You, Me, and Little P" because I just love my little fam so dang much. But then I figured that was way too cheesy, and a more appropriate name wouldn't stop me from writing about them. In case you live under a rock, or just don't follow me on instagram, little p (pumpkin) is our dog. 

My other half is pretty incredible. The other day while cooking dinner together, he brought up the fact that once upon a time I thought I wanted to marry a tall, dark, and handsome sweater-wearing artist of a man, and what I ended up with was a dorky balding engineer. But turns out that dorky engineer is the man of my dreams in so many ways (and he's really barely balding). And next month just so happens to be our second anniversary, and he just so happens to be taking me to Napa, whose food scene I just so happen to have researched for almost three hours today. To say I'm excited is a huge understatement. But more on that later. 

My dorkalicious love of a man is huge into mountain biking. So huge that he leaves me in bed almost every Saturday morning to wake up at the ass crack of dawn and go for a 2-3 hour ride. Then he comes home covered in a combination of sweat and dirt, which blended together has formed mud, and spandex. Nothing sexier, people. Kidding.

With only minimal resistance he's jumped on the my bandwagon of eating a healthier, plant-based diet, cutting out pretty much all processed foods. That is, with one exception. Gatorade. Have you ever looked at the ingredients on the backside of gatorade? Well it wouldn't really matter if you had because the ingredient list is completely filled with chemicals, additives, and colorings that a normal person could never pronounce nor understand. It's gross, people. "But the electrolytes!" says every person has who ever exercised. 

Enter: my DIY Sports Drink. Complete with all the electrolytes of gatorade and oh so much more! I did my research people, and both citrus and coconut water are natural sources for electrolytes. They contain vitamin C, potassium, and coconut water in particular is cooling to the body, which is perfect after a sweaty hot work-out. The fresh-squeezed citrus and coconut water are naturally sweetened with agave and topped with just a touch of salt which dissolves into the drink (I wasn't kidding about the electrolytes, people). 

The result is a fresh, real, version of gatorade. Don't believe me? Try it yourself. 

DIY Sports Drink 
Makes 1 quart 

1.5 cups freshly squeeze citrus juice (I use 2-3 oranges, 1/2 lemon, 1 lime) 
2-3 tbsp agave nectar (or honey)
1/2 tsp sea salt 
1 cup coconut water 
1 cup water 

Place water, salt, and agave in a saucepan over low heat until salt completely dissolves. Remove from heat and set aside. Using a citrus juicer, juice oranges, lemon, and lime (or whichever citrus fruits you'd like). In a quart size mason jar, combine juice, sweetened water, and coconut water. Refrigerate until cold. 

Summer Peach Breakfast Smoothie

If you're like me and OD'ed on carbs this weekend, this post is for you! This summer I (re)discovered the smoothie. Particularly the breakfast smoothie. Until about June my attempt to eat better breakfasts had been by way of granola, eggs, and oatmeal. But waking up on hot summer mornings, nothing sounded more disgusting to me than warm breakfast. Even the idea of food grossed me out. But smoothies - sweet, cool, and refreshing? Now you're talking. So I started exploring the art of the green smoothie. I realized you can pack in a ton of spinach in and so long as you match it with a little bit of fruit it will taste fantastic. 

As summer began to wind-down, and I started buying peaches like a crazy person, this became my go-to smoothie. It's sweet and creamy, and leaves me full for hours and hours. 

Let me preface this by saying, despite making these sweet treats almost everyday this summer, I do not own a Vitamix. In fact, the blender I've used every morning we recently saw on sale at Target for $15. That's right, hold your laughter please. I survived daily summer smoothies with my husband's old $15 blender from college. #firstworldproblems? And though it wasn't without frustration, if I can do it anyone can. I believe you shouldn't let fancy gadgets hold you back from cooking your little heart out, because I sure as hell don't. 

That being said, can I say, I am currently OBSESSING over Vitamixes online. I never thought I could justify spending $600 on a blender, despite the rave reviews. But then I discovered that they sell certified-reconditioned machines, which are apparently, "almost" like new, and literally cost half the price! So my finger is on the trigger, and with a summer's worth of blender-frustration, I just might pull it.

So Vitamix users, I want your input, is it worth the splurge? Will it really change my life, homemade almond milk and all? 

Summer Peach Breakfast Smoothie 
Makes 1 quart 

1 banana 
1 peach
3 large handfuls baby spinach
1/3 cup frozen mango chunks
1/4 cup greek yogurt (optional)
1 1/4 cup almond milk
2 tbsp ground flax seed

Place all ingredients in blender, and blend until smooth. 

Notes: I find if you have a lower-quality blender, like me, placing the ingredients in your blender in the order listed, hugely improves blending ease. 

Perfect Piña Coladas {Dairy-Free}

Happy Labor Day weekend! Can you believe summer is almost over? Normally summers in the valley creep by, each day hotter and more miserable than the previous, but not this one. It flew. Wasn't it just fourth of july like last week? I'm not ready for Fall, I haven't even made zucchini bread yet! I'm buying peaches and tomatoes and artichokes like a mad woman before they are quickly swooped up and replaced by apples. I think summer's fruit makes its heat manageable.  

My greatest food discovery this summer was without a doubt coconut milk. I'm not talking about the kind you pour over cereal, I'm talking about the thick, creamy, canned kind, most commonly used in asian cuisine. I've been trying to cut back on dairy for a million reason, though not always succeeding at it (thank you, burrata), and coconut milk allows my dairy-free treats to stay creamy, decadent, and like I'm not missing out one bit. Oh, and the fact that it smells like vacation helps too! 

These piña coladas are perfection. Creamy, sweet but not sugary, and so so satisfying. They make me feel like I'm on a beach somewhere beautiful rather than sitting at the bistro table, I literally found by the dumpster of our apartment complex, on our dinky patio in the middle of a heat-stricken valley. So sit back, relax, and sip one of these bad boys down. They make life a little easier. You deserve it. 

Perfect Pina Coladas {Dairy-Free}
Serves Two

Ingredients:
1 pound frozen pineapple
1 can full-fat coconut milk
1 medium ripe banana
1 tablespoon agave nectar (or honey)
1/2 cup ice
1/4 - 1/2 cup rum (optional)

Perfect Piña Coladas {Dairy-Free}
Serves Two  

1 pound frozen pineapple 
1 can full-fat coconut milk, refrigerated & shaken well*
1 medium ripe banana 
1 tbsp agave nectar (or honey) 
1/2 cup ice 
1/4 - 1/2 cup rum (optional)**

Blend the pineapple, coconut milk, and banana until smooth, add ice, agave nectar and rum and adjust to taste. 

* When you refrigerate the coconut milk it has a tendency to separate - becoming coconut cream on the top with coconut water on the bottom. Give it a good shake before opening the can, but if you still find that it's separated that's OK. Everything will get blended together even though it may come out of the can a mess.
 
** I may be boring, but I'm actually a bigger fan of these without the rum, but feel free to add it!