Fruit is such a delight for both body and spirit. I have never eaten this much fruit in my life (have always been a big fan of veggies, though) and i feel great. Pure, connected, clear, energetic, open. Really i wish this upon everybody.

Smoothie Wonderland
The main way i eat fruits nowadays, is through smoothies. I’m still in Thailand as i’m writing this, and that obviously means i am in Smoothie Wonderland. If you have never tasted tropical fruits, let me tell you: you’re missing out. Your average fruit tastes twice as rich, sweet and juicy over here. Just saying.

Exotic apples
What’s truly ‘exotic’ here though, is apples. Yes, really! Apples, the fruits that are so normal to those of us who live in moderate climates, are imported into Asia and are therefore quite expensive, especially on this island (we’re in Koh Phangan in the Thai Gulf).

So my appreciation for our super-healthy, crunchy, refreshing apple has skyrocketed. This smoothie recipe really does it justice: it’s simple yet delicious. I use green, mildly sour apples for this one, they’re probably Granny Smiths.

Young, fresh coconuts… if available
So there is a luxury here that not all of you get all the time: easy access to young, fresh coconuts. While i can, i like to use a coconut shake as the basis for most of my smoothies, including this one. If you can’t, please find some substitute ideas below the recipe.

Recipe: Apple Lime Mint Smoothie (with young, fresh coconut)

1 green apple
1 young fresh coconut
2 limes
4-5 stalks of fresh mint
raw organic honey
handful of ice cubes

First, chop the coconut, catch the fluid (coconut water or juice) and scrape the meat from the shell. Blend the coconut water and meat to make a coconut shake (really fresh coconut milk: the best!!).

Then, cut the apple in small chunks and squeeze the limes. You can use both the stalks and leaves of the fresh mint. Only discard the sturdier bottom part of the stalk.

Add the honey and icecubes. Go slow on the honey; you can always add more.

Blend everything together until smooth. Taste to add more honey if desired. It’s nicest when the sweet and sour experience are about equal, if that makes sense.

To substitute the coconut
While we don’t get young, fresh coconut everywhere, in some places we can still get ‘older’ coconut (how to open one). You can use coconut water from this thing and still blend some of its meat, too, although it will be more fibrous. Add a few extra ice cubes.

Many stores sell coconut water in glass or carton nowadays. Not the same, but still close. Probably the best substitute even, but… can be pricy.

Add a small cup of coconut cream from a carton or can plus a few extra ice cubes. Very different taste from fresh coconut shake, but probably still nice. Although i think it may take away from the deliciously fresh and tangy apple taste. Let me know if you try this one!

Finally, you can also just add ice cubes (or water). You want to use an extra lime and spoonful of honey in this case.

That’s it for today, enjoy!