Healthy Coconut Milkshake

Waitrose is so bad for me. Last week I discovered coconut milk. I love coconut, and I'm trying to cut down on my dairy intake because it reacts badly with my skin, so when I saw this I was like, YES, I'm getting that.

I think milk alternatives take some getting used to. Having drunk cows' milk for the first 21 years of my life, it was very strange the first time I tried almond milk, but I'm all for learning to love healthy things, like when I was little and first introduced to vegetables, and fruit – which I now love. And coconut milk is actually great. I'm so pleased with the huge range of milk alternatives available these days.

Why coconut milk is so good:

• Tastes good
• Naturally low in fat and has zero animal fat
• Only naturally occurring sugars in this drink
• Lactose free so easy to digest :)
• It's a source of vitamin B12 which is good for when you're feeling lethargic and run down
• Free from colours

The first thing I used my new found love for was a milkshake – a simple, two ingredient milkshake full of good stuff and no added sugar.

Enter my favourite fruit in the whole entire world – the banananana!

All you have to do is pour a glass of coconut milk (or almond milk/cows' milk – whatever milk you want) into a blender with your banana and whizz it up with a bit of crushed ice.

Just a chilled Saturday afternoon, you know. 

Straws to make it extra milkshake-y. Use half a banana or add more milk if you like it a bit thinner. I'm not at all a fan of the coconut water that's in fashion at the moment, but this coconut milk actually tastes like coconut and it's very refreshing.

You can adapt this 'recipe' however you like. I might add a teaspoon of cocoa powder next time to make a chocolate version. I seriously love this milk substitute and it probably wins over almond milk, even. It has such a refreshing, coconutty taste and I think it will be a great fridge staple for the summer months. Think you'll give this a go? Let me know your suggestions for even more exotic coconut milkshakes/smoothies/cocktails @hello_flower on Twitter or in the comment box below :)