Loving Coconut Lately

I have been LOVING coconut this summer!

Did you know that coconut oil has an amazing variety of uses?

I use it on diaper rash and it seems to be the miracle cure.

It soothes and works almost instantly.

My littlest guy is 11 months old.

I'm about ready to be done nursing him, but I don't want to have to go buy a ton of formula.  He's almost old enough for milk, but not quite.  Plus, my kids seem to start off a little sensitive to cow's milk.  We've tried soy, but that seems to upset their stomachs.  We love almond milk, but I'm too afraid to give something made with nuts to my baby before he's one.

So, while I was trying to decide what to do, I came across coconut milk and decided to give it a try.  I actually really love it!  It has a distinct coconut flavor though, so I'm not sure that I would pour it on my cereal, but I love to drink it, and so does Dalton.  I read a suggestion online where someone froze it in a popscicle mold and made coconut pops :)  I can't wait to try.  I want to make all kinds of smoothies with it too.  It just tastes like summertime.  So far, we haven't had any negative reactions.  It seems like Dalton handles it just fine.

Another benefit is that is has less calories than milk, and more added calcium.  It has about 5 grams of fat per serving (and since my sister-in-law is always reminding me) kids need some fat in their diets.

 About a week ago, I was at Costco and they were sampling VitaCoco.

It's coconut water made from green coconuts.

I liked it because it reminded me of Brazil.

In Brazil, they have street vendors that sell coconuts.

They use huge knives to cut the top off the coconut and stick a straw in it.

I might have bought it just because it reminded me of living in Brazil, but the lady giving out samples really sold me on it.  She said it has more potassium than 2 bananas and more electrolytes than gatorade.  She said it's great for when your kids are sick to re-hydrate them.

So, I bought some.

My kids don't love it, but I put a little spoonful of apple juice concentrate in it and then they think it's juice :)

I saw an ad for VitaCoco in flavors.

Mmmm, I'll have to try them out...

I have been thinking lately, that making a birdhouse with my kids would be a fun summer activity.  My kids are fascinated by birds.  In fact, today they found a dead baby bird that they wanted to keep, and a bird egg that they also wanted to keep.  Ummm...no.

So, I googled "birdhouses" and found this cool step-by-step to making a coconut birdhouse.

Check out the instructions here. 

It's so natural and original, I can't wait to let my kids make on and hang it in our neighborhood.

I'll let you know how it goes... :)