Have you wondered how people pack a smoothie in a school lunch? Today I am going to show you how I do that and share with you one of my favorite smoothie recipes, the Coconut Pie Smoothie. Watch how it’s done step-by-step in the video below.
I’ve partnered with Thai Kitchen to share the Coconut Pie Smoothie from my cookbook The Best Homemade Kids’ Lunches on the Planet. The final chapters are filled with my family’s favorite smoothies, dips, snacks, and treats. It is by far, one of my favorite sections in the cookbook.
My youngest son is nearly dairy free. We introduced coconut milk into his diet when he was 11 moths old and never looked back. For him, taking him off dairy and switching to full fat coconut milk, was the best nutritional decision (you can read his journey here).
There are many health benefits to real coconut products, milk being one of them. It’s a staple in Gabriel’s diet as a good fat source. From a nutritional perspective, it’s an excellent choice. It’s high in saturated fatty acids and medium-chain triglycerides (MCT), which are both easily burned as fuel by the body. MCTs are particularly beneficial in that they don’t require bile acids for digestion, and they’re directly sent to the liver via the portal vein (all good things). He is the only one in the family who doesn’t take an MCT supplement.
Both Gabriel and I love the creaminess of the texture and it really tastes and feels like you are having dessert! We often drink this smoothie for breakfast or I send it to daycare as an afternoon snack.
Packing a smoothie in a school lunch (or his daycare lunch bag) isn’t difficult. Check out the video below where I show you step by step how I do it. Also, the smoothie jars can be found here.
One of the awesome things about using coconut milk for our smoothies is that unlike juice or low fat milk it doesn’t separate as much. It also gives your smoothie a creamy delicious consistency that it’s hard to turn down! For my family I use the full fat coconut milk version; of course, you can always use Thai Kitchen’s Lite Coconut Milk (either regular or organic) if you prefer a lighter version.
Once you try this recipe, I promise your entire family will ask for more! Good thing you can make smoothies ahead of time and keep them in the freezer.
Prepping tasty favorites like this ahead of time is one of my top secrets to success when eating clean foods with my family.
While I don’t stress about every last thing that goes into my kids’ mouths, we have eliminated processed foods together for 30 days at a time, a few times now! And I don’t have to twist anyone’s arm to do it, because I make sure the recipes I use and the foods I serve include favorites like this smoothie, clean pancakes and so many more recipes my kids actually love!
Check out my full, family-friendly clean eating program here!
And if you want a sneak peek at the recipes included in the program, I’ve got you covered. Grab a free sample of the Family KickStart Program here.
Coconut Pie Smoothie & How to Pack a Smoothie in a School Lunch {video}
Rich, creamy coconut smoothie with just the right amount of sweetness!
- Prep Time: 3 minutes
- Total Time: 3 minutes
- Yield: 4 smoothies 1x
- Category: Drinks
Ingredients
- 3 bananas
- 1/4 cup (65 g) cashew butter (or any nut or non-nut)*
- 1 13 ounce can Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk (1 1/2 cups/355 ml)
- 1/2 cup (40 g) coconut flakes
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup ice (120 ml)
Instructions
- In a blender, combine bananas, cashew butter, coconut milk, coconut flakes, vanilla, and ice.
- Blend well. Add ice and blend. If it’s too thick, add more coconut milk or water.
Notes
In the video I use almond butter since it’s a less expensive alternative. If you have a high powered blender, you can use raw cashews as well.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 284
- Sugar: 10.8g
- Sodium: 10.6mg
- Fat: 20.2g
- Saturated Fat: 12.3g
- Carbohydrates: 26.2g
- Fiber: 2.6g
- Protein: 4.9g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Disclosure: This post was created as part of my partnership with Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk. The recipe, process, and opinions are my own.
This looks great! What kind of cups do you use and are they leakproof?
I use these and yes they are leakproof.
Looks great! Is the coconut in the recipe Sweetened or unsweetened?
I use unsweetened.
Thanks for the reply!
Could I use raw cashews instead? Butter is a little pricier and I have a Vitamix… Thoughts?
Nina, yes. you can!
Is the butter mandatory in this recipe? Is there a healthy non dairy alternative? It’s a bit hard to find cashew butter where we are
Juliana, use peanut butter or almond butter.
Can you use peanut butter?
Of course! Enjoy.
Can’t wait to taste this one! If I use raw cashews do I substitute it for equal amount – 1/4 cup raw cashews? Thanks!
I use about the same amount as well. somewhere between 1/4 – 1/3 cup. Enjoy!
Laura,
thank you for this yummy recipe …. except we couldn’t use it for my son. Apparently he has banana allergy .. super bummer. Hope to see more healthy recipes (lunch for school especially) that doesn’t involve banana or peanut … thank you so much!
Oh man! more recipes are coming your way. Don’t worry!
This looks amazing. I would really like to try it. Is there a nut free alternative to the almond or cashew butter? We have allergies to tree nuts, and our schools are also peanut free because of allergies.
You can purchase soy butter or sunflower seed butter if you can tolerate them. Enjoy!
I made a batch of these last night and enjoyed one today at lunch. I just wanted to tell you how delicious it was! I used peanut butter as my nut butter, and I was worried that it might taste too peanut-y to taste like coconut pie. I am glad to say that I was wrong. Thanks for the recipe; I look forward to more.
Awesome! I’m thrilled you were able to enjoy it. More to come for sure.
Can you use cow or almond milk or does it need to be coconut. Or is the coconut milk something diff. then what’s found next to the almond and soy? Thanks
Yes, you can absolutely use another “milk”… it just won’t taste like coconut pie 😉
OMG! Yummy! my daughter will love this.
Delicious!!! Thanks for the great recipe. I added a handful of spinach as well. It was so good!
★★★★★
great idea!!