I’ve been waiting and waiting for March!  It’s not because I like March – I’d say it’s easily a leading candidate for my least favorite month of the year.  But March is like the Gateway to Spring.  We have to get through it for spring to get here, so we might as well get it started.

Today I have a smoothie recipe that’s perfect for March – it’s green which feels appropriate for St. Patrick’s Day while also being a healthier choice than green beer, and it’s full of foods that make me feel like summer’s around the corner (like mangoes and coconuts)!

It’s not actually feeling tropical outside yet, but we can pretend it is by using tropical fruits.  TGFFF (Thank God For Frozen Foods.)

I have been excited to find reasons to use the new Ninja blender I got for Christmas which means I’ve made a slightly higher than average number of smoothies lately.

This post is almost entirely brought to you by my Christmas gifts this year – I also got these new stemless wine glasses which (turns out) are capable of containing all kinds of liquids.  (On a side note, I have also learned through my years of acquired wisdom that the reverse is true as well – almost any type of container can be used to hold wine.)

Just like any reasonable person, I love coconut.  I am especially fond of these unsweetened coconut flakes –  another great Bob’s Red Mill product.  Using these unsweetened flakes doesn’t add extra sugar like the typical sweetened shredded coconut that’s so familiar.  And because they’re flaked instead of shredded, they have a little more texture.  I added some to the smoothie to be blended in, and I saved some for garnish because it looks pretty on top, but also because the texture adds something interesting to an otherwise texturally homogeneous smoothie.

To make this smoothie, I didn’t measure ingredients – I just eyeballed it.  (Hey, no one pays me to write this blog. Lower your expectations… )  This is roughly how I made it!

Mango Coconut Green Smoothie

Combine the following ingredients in a blender:

• 1 c frozen mango chunks
• 1 ripe banana
• 1/4 c unsweetened flaked coconut
• a couple handfuls of mixed leafy greens or spinach
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1-2 c unsweetened almond milk (more or less depending how thick you’d like)

Blend it up and then use a little extra coconut to garnish the top.

It’s so pretty, I almost didn’t drink it, but then I realized that was dumb.  And I finished it.

Happy March!  – the llama