So the awesome folks at Zico sent me over a case of both plain and chocolate coconut water, and I have to admit, I totally didn’t even know what the heck to do with it.

I like coconut candies? I like shredded coconut, but for whatever reason, me and coconut water never got on particularly well. But it’s been all over lately, and I think it’s worth another look.

So Zico Pure Coconut Water is marketed really well. It comes in sweet little bottles that look chic, so you’d actually want to be seen drinking it. The draw of coconut water, as a supplement to your normal water intake (not a replacement!) is that it contains a few additions that you might need, especially after prolonged periods of exercise. Endurance athletes, especially, may find this useful, because coconut water can replace sodium and electrolytes lost without laying on a ton of sugar or calories.

The way I chose to incorporate it was to use it in a recipe!

Excuse the fact that my life is a complete mess there on the coffee table. Just…don’t judge me.

Okay, so I tend to use this one for a kind of meal replacement for breakfast, as I tend to only do like a piece of toast or something like that before I do an early morning long run, to replace lost sodium and such. I know, that for me in particular, this is important, because my sweat seems to be a little saltier – usually after a long, long run, if I let the sweat dry before I hop in the shower, I literally have salt crystals on my face.

sweet-ass recipe with less dairy and sugar than your normal

-Get your frozen fruit together. For the plain coconut water, I stuck with the tropical theme and did a sort of tropical medley. This is like mangoes, pineapples, strawberries, and a few peaches. Fill up the cup you’re gonna sip this out of like 3/4ths of the way.
–Protein/Iron/Nutrition Addition do a little dollop of plain Greek yogurt or a handful of spinach in the blender. The yogurt will make it creamier, and the spinach will turn it green. Don’t let the green freak you out.
–Dump it in the blender. All of it.
–Cover the fruit with the coconut milk. And blend til the center tornado in the blendah is really moving.

And drink it up! Feeling creative? Do strawberries, and swap the plain coconut for the chocolate! Or if you love the taste, chill some, and keep it on hand (along with a protein source) for after a long workout!