pina colada for breakfast

This is not a commercial for Silk, however I love their various milk products and there are a couple of new selections in the grocer’s fridge! Over the holiday break, I decided to make more fruit-based smoothies and needed a lactose free liquid. I came across Silk Pure Coconut Milk Unsweetened while shopping for my favorite, Silk Dark Chocolate Almond Milk and thought I’d give it a try; didn’t like it with berries, pears, and peaches because the coconut flavor overpowered everything else. What it does pair well with is bananas and pineapple with a touch of nutmeg and some rum flavoring for a scrumptious breakfast variation on a pina colada (freeze the bananas and make sure to have equal parts of each fruit; I used canned crushed pineapple with 100% fruit juice; put in blender, cover fruit with milk and blend).

Top with a strawberry or some pineapple for color, maybe a paper umbrella along with a straw and (during this week of frigid below zero temperatures across the land) pretend you’re on a faraway island somewhere sitting under a warm sun. When you get back, share with your little ones if you have children because this breakfast or anytime virgin colada is a creamy and not overly sweet healthy, delicious treat! I actually found these crunchy coconut chips at the grocers that I sprinkled on top and when I was about to finish my drink, ate them like cereal…yum! That said, this brand is a bit pricy though they are extremely flavorful all on their own as just a sweet crunchy snack.

As for my berries, I went back to the store, bought and blended Pure Almond Milk Light, a second new Silk product, with frozen black cherries, straw-, black-, blue-, and rasp-berries. This one needed a touch of sweetness, a little honey helped me create another silky smooth treat that is easy to make since there is no prep work involved. So as you shop, remember that there are many wonderful products to not only inspire but also expedite the creative process in the kitchen, so…

keep your peepers open!®