Today, I have no story. The kid and the dog are playing on the floor, sort of throwing the tennis ball back and forth. It’s cute. My guy and I have just started house shopping and my brain is reeling a bit from our first excursion out looking yesterday evening. We’ve started packing up this house and it’s already mayhem. And then the daycare I had just started taking my little one to a couple of mornings per week – the daycare that took me months to find, that took me even longer to wrap my brain around, the daycare that my little one was loving, the daycare that allowed me to have a few blessed uninterrupted hours to work on Kitchen Treaty – just fell through.
And so I’m processing. Lots of processing. No story, but there is a smoothie.
This smoothie makes me giggle because it’s been on the figurative back burner for awhile, and every time I’d mention I need to make one to photograph, my guy would light up. “You know it’s not a cocktail, right?” I’d say. “It’s a smoothie.” I think he’d hear “lava flow” and then the rest would become a buzz. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still a fan of the smoothie, but I think we need to whip up the cocktail that inspired it soon. I believe the last time we drank one was on the patio of an oceanside restaurant on Waikiki Beach. Ahhhh…..
Oh, are you still there? Sorry, sorry. I just closed my eyes and remembered that perfect day. Warm breeze, soft crashing waves, creamy and cool lava flows in our hands. Ahhhh. That was heavenly. I needed that. Thanks.
So! Lava flows are essentially a pina colada with some pureed strawberry thrown in for a little volcanic action (see, the strawberry kind of looks like lava, right?) The combination of strawberry, coconut, and pineapple is pure heaven. Especially in Hawaii. But also at home, and in smoothie form.
It’s kind of fun to make, too. But still easy, like a smoothie should be! It’s just one extra step – you just puree the strawberries first, pour them into your glass, then whip up the rest of the ingredients and pour them in slowly so the strawberry creeps up the side. So it’s kind of a special smoothie, but still healthy (and vegan!). And the jolt of tropical transport is always a welcome bonus.