Five days ago I said goodbye to this…
And yesterday I said hello to this.
This has been a brutal winter for most of us. It’s actually been warmer in the Chicago area over the last two days than it has been in Charlotte. My friends at home have been reporting tons of rain, cold and freezing rain. Yuck!
Before I left Thursday morning I whipped up a tropical-inspired green smoothie to get me back in that Mexico mindset before I flew up north.
The star ingredient was this new coconut almond butter from MaraNatha. This stuff is good! The coconut taste is subtle and you get it more at the end but it’s a great twist on their regular almond butter and I’ll definitely be using it on oatmeal and toast and in smoothies.
I gave the smoothie a tropical spin by using pineapple, mango, bananas and coconut almond butter. I was out of coconut milk so I used almond but I think coconut would have put it over the edge and made it even more amazing. I loved the vibrant green color of this smoothie. They’re so much more fun to drink when they’re bright green! One of my tips for a pretty green smoothie is not to use berries. When you add blueberries/strawberries/raspberries it always turns the smoothie a brownish shade. I also just really love how the tropical fruits taste in smoothies and gravitate towards them often.
This smoothie also had a great texture and was thick, cold and a refreshing way to start the morning.
Tropical Green Smoothie with Coconut Almond Butter
1 small banana or 1/2 large
1/2 cup frozen mango
1/4 cup frozen pineapple
1 cup baby spinach
1 cup milk (coconut, almond, skim, etc)
1/4 cup plain greek yogurt (optional, I like it for the tang!)
1-2 tablespoons coconut almond butter (also good with regular almond butter!)
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until completely combined and serve.
Yield: 1 smoothie
What are your favorite smoothie fruit combos?
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July 22, 2026
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July 19, 2026
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July 10, 2026
Happy Friday! I hope this post finds you well and enjoying the summer. We are in the dog days of it over here in Charlotte – the heat and humidity is off the charts – but it’s something I’ll embrace because I deeply appreciate the massive slow down that summer has brought. A lot of [...]
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I recently traveled to Big Bear Lake, California for the inaugural Big Bear Peaks + Pines three-day stage race hosted by TransRockies Running. This was my third TransRockies event in 12 months (see also Colorado + Moab) and I’m here to tell you that they can do no wrong when it comes to race organization [...]
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May 30, 2026
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May 23, 2026
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May 3, 2026
Hi and happy May! As we roll into the first full week of a new month, I have almost a month’s worth of lunch ideas for you. It’s a great mix of sandwiches, bowls, salads and wraps. I hope you enjoy and find some inspiration for your midday meal! Open-faced chickpea salad sandwich on toasted [...]
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