Piña Colada Smoothie

When I was in Clearwater, Florida two weeks ago, I went to the beach one day with my friend Lori while my other two friends went golfing. The beach had a little tiki bar which we ponied up to while we contemplated lunch. After seeing the bartender hand a piña colada to the guy next to us, sinfully rimmed in honey and shredded coconut, we decided to forget our diets and forgo lunch for one of those decadent drinks. As we slowly enjoyed the high-caloried rum cocktail and licked the honey off our fingers, we talked about how a low-caloried Piña Colada Smoothie could easily be made at home, even as a cocktail with a shot of rum. With today being Lori’s birthday, it seemed only fitting that I post this in honor of her and our memories of the tiki bar that sunny day.

I’m weird about my smoothies and prefer them made with frozen fruit instead of ice. Frozen fruit tends to blend easier whereas with ice, I can never get it as smooth as I like. I already had frozen pineapple in my freezer and also had leftover coconut milk from the mahi mahi dish I made last week so all I had to add was a banana. The coconut milk adds the slightest coconut flavor without adding sweetness but if you like more coconut, consider adding in a little shredded coconut (but keep in mind, it will add more calories). A shot of white or coconut rum will make this a low-fat piña colada that you don’t have to feel guilty about.

Piña Colada Smoothie (makes 1 smoothie):

1/2 cup frozen chunk pineapple
1/2 small banana, sliced
1/2 cup light coconut milk

Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Garnish with a pineapple wedge and a maraschino cherry. To get even more decadent, rim your glass with honey and dip in shredded coconut for a fun presentation (like they did at the tiki hut – it was worth the sticky fingers!).