Greetings to everyone this midweek! May life be bringing you much joy, health, prosperity, and plenty of reasons to celebrate. Yesterday was a different kind of day. My husband and I have been running errands, so we're hardly ever home. We went out yesterday and didn't have time for breakfast (we're not fasting, because we're walking about 5 kilometers a day and need to replenish our energy early). We ended up drinking a smoothie made with oats, barley, and chia seeds and then left the house. Around 2:00 p.m., we were walking back home, but we were tired from the exertion and the heat (it's been unbearably hot where we live), so we stopped to drink coconut water and eat some coconut and piloncillo preserves.

Saludos a todos en esta mitad de semana, que la vida les esté dando mucha alegría, salud, prosperidad y también motivos para brindar. Ayer fue un día diferente. Mi esposo y yo hemos estado haciendo diligencias en la calle, por lo que casi no estamos en casa; así que ayer salimos y no nos dio tiempo de desayunar, (actualmente no ayunamos, porque estamos caminando alrededor de 5 kilómetros diarios y requerimos reponer energía temprano). Lo cierto es que bebimos un batido de avena, cebada y chía y salimos de casa. Ya a las dos de la tarde regresábamos caminando a nuestro hogar, pero estábamos cansados, por el esfuerzo y el calor (está haciendo un calor excesivo en donde vivimos), así que nos detuvimos a beber un agua de coco y a comer una conserva de coco y piloncillo.

We ordered two coconuts of water, which cost $1.05 each, and two sweets of coconut at $0.75 each. When we finished drinking the water, we asked the vendor to cut the coconuts in half so we could take them home. The man kindly agreed and even gave us two more coconuts that he had previously emptied to sell only the water. So it was a simple but nice gift. We continued on our way, and found another vendor, this time selling pumpkins. We've known him for a while and know that he has a large plot of land where he grows various fruits and vegetables, which he then sells in town. We stopped to buy a pumpkin, and he gave us another one. It was wonderful to receive something extra from the universe. When we got home, the neighbor who gave us the mangoes over the weekend brought us five more kilos, so I can say it was a day full of blessings, and even though we didn't manage to accomplish everything we had been working on, it was a happy day.

Pedimos dos cocos de agua, cuyo precio unitario fue de 1.05 $ y dos conservas a 0.75 $ cada una. Cuando finalizamos de beber el agua, solicitamos al vendedor que nos partiera los cocos a la mitad, para llevárnoslos a casa. El señor amablemente accedió y además nos obsequió dos cocos más que él había vaciado previamente para vender solo el agua. Así que fue un obsequio sencillo, pero chévere. Seguimos a casa, y conseguimos otro vendedor, esta vez de calabazas, a él lo conocemos de hace tiempo y sabemos que tiene una extensión de terreno en donde cosecha diversos frutos y vegetales, que luego vende en el pueblo. Nos detuvimos a comprar una calabaza, y él nos obsequió otra. Fue algo genial recibir algo más del Universo. Al llegar a casa, la vecina que nos obsequió los mangos el fin de semana, nos trajo cinco kilos más, por lo que puedo decir que fue un día lleno de bendiciones, y aun cuando no logramos concretar todo lo que habíamos estado gestionado, fue un día feliz.

Since I had a good amount of coconut pulp, I decided to use it up and make a delicious drink that's popular throughout Venezuela: Cocada. Cocada is basically a milk-based smoothie made with coconut pulp, to which you can add other ingredients like sweet spices and condensed milk. I decided to keep it simple, just the way I like it, with only milk and a touch of vanilla, and that's the drink I'll be sharing with you today. That said, let's get to the recipe!

Ya que tenía una buena cantidad de pulpa de coco, decidí aprovecharla y hacer una bebida sabrosa que se consume en casi toda Venezuela, me refiero a la COCADA. La cocada es básicamente un batido a base de leche y pulpa de coco, al cual se le pueden añadir otros ingredientes, como especias dulces y leche condensada. Yo decidí hacerla sencilla, tal como me gusta a mí, es decir sólo con leche y algo de vainilla, y esa es la bebida que compartiré con ustedes hoy. Dicho esto, ¡vamos a la receta!

• Preparation time: This drink can be prepared in less than 10 minutes, as it is very easy to make.

• The quantities can vary according to individual taste and availability.

• Servings: Here I prepared approximately 700 ml of cocada.

• 1 cup of young coconut pulp.

• 350 ml of milk.

• Sweetener to taste. I used 75 grams of white sugar.

• ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract.

• Ice to taste. I used 6 cubes.

• Spoon, measuring cup, plate, blender, glass, etc.

• Tiempo de preparación: Esta bebida la podemos preparar en menos de 10 minutos, pues es muy sencilla de hacer.

• Las cantidades pueden variar de acuerdo al gusto y a la disponibilidad de cada quien.

• Raciones: Aquí preparé aproximadamente 700 ml de cocada.

• 1 taza de pulpa de coco joven.

• 350 ml de leche.

• Endulzante al gusto. Yo usé 75 gramos de azúcar blanca.

• ½ cucharadita de esencia de vainilla.

• Hielo al gusto. Yo usé 6 cubos.

• Cuchara, taza medidora, plato, licuadora, vaso, etc.

Remove the pulp from inside the coconuts and place it in a bowl or dish. It's worth noting that one of the coconuts was more tender, so I decided to set that pulp aside to make another drink. From the three remaining coconuts I got more than a cup of pulp, so I only reserved one cup for this recipe and saved the rest.

Place the coconut pulp in the blender jar. Then add the milk, sugar, vanilla, and ice cubes. Cover the jar and blend on high speed for approximately one and a half minutes. NOTE: I didn't strain this drink because I like to feel the grainy texture of the ground coconut in the blender, although it is usually strained before serving.

Once the mixture is blended, pour it into a chilled glass. And the COCADA is ready! This is not only a delicious drink, but also refreshing and nutritious, and should be served very cold to fully appreciate its flavor and benefits. Cheers!

• These photos are my own, and were taken with a Galaxy a04e phone / Estas fotos son de mi propiedad, y las tome con un smartphone Galaxy a04e

• The separators are my own and have been made using the CANVA application; and I DO NOT authorize its use in other publications, except for community publications and my own.