How I Open a Young Coconut

A word or two to begin...Every young coconut (sometimes called baby or Thai coconuts) is different. When my son took these photos of me opening one recently, it happened to have a lot of coconut meat and only about 1 cup of coconut "water". Usually I get thinner coconut meat and more "water", about 2 cups worth. So keep this in mind, especially if you've never opened a young coconut before.

There are many uses for young coconut meat (or "flesh") and it's liquid or "water". I will have a good use for this demo because of the next recipe I intend to share with you to use the meat. The water in it can be used for many purposes...one of which is green smoothies (of course!). I am just touching the tip of the iceberg with the many things you can do with fresh coconut. And I'm just thinking of the raw uses.

So gather your tools...mine on this day were a cutting board (with cloth underneath to keep it in place), cleaver, mallet, a smaller knife, and a 2 cup measuring cup for the water... and a young coconut.

Ready to go!

With a mallet and knife together, I make 4 cuts in a square shape centered around the top "tip". I always leave the plastic wrap packaging on.

When the cuts are sufficient, you should be able to lift off a "cap".

Usually when you get this far, the liquid will start to run out some.

As you can see, my coconut "cap" came off without the meat attached to it.

Here I am cutting a small opening for the liquid to get the liquid out.

It's a thick one this time.

Getting my measuring cup handy, I pour in all the liquid, a total of 1 cup.

After the liquid is out, I make another deep cut with the cleaver to split the whole thing in two.

I'm pulling the two halves apart after another deep cut down the middle. This will make it easier to get the meat out.

This is very thick meat. This is why so little liquid came out.

Using a spoon, scraping the meat out. Sometimes turning it the other way also yields good results. Try both ways.

Ideally, your white coconut meat will separate from the dark brown "skin", but sometimes you have to take it off by hand. The meat will not always come off in this big of a piece, but each time is different. 

After this point you will want to have a bowl nearby to put your coconut pieces in. I would add that a swish in filtered water will get rid of any husk still clinging to the meat and while doing that you can further clean off any dark brown "skin" by removing them by hand.

Now you've got coconut "water" and "meat" ready for your recipes. Things like coconut milk, for starters...not to mention eating the meat fresh, as is, and drinking the liquid straight up...especially good if you've kept them chilled like you should - yum!

A Slim Chance: Part 2

And now... continued from Part 1...

Anyone that has known me since childhood, can attest to the fact that I really was a slim child. But that all changed once I hit junior high school. I was heavy in my teen years. I had stretch marks to prove all the weight I gained in high school!

It followed me into married life and until I had my first child, I really hadn't known what it was like to be thin as an adult. My first taste of being "adult" thin was after I had my firstborn child. Apparently I had lost my own weight, while being pregnant. Of course I gained weight overall, but within a week of the birth I was under what I weighed 9 months before!


In fact, to tell you how big I was when I graduated from high school...I weighed the same as when I was 9 months pregnant! That first child weighed 8 pounds, 9 ounces! The weight simply was not a issue for me then...that was in my 20's.  I had only gained 15 pounds in that pregnancy.



After a while, I gained back some of the weight, although never to see my high school numbers again, thankfully. When I was pregnant with my second, I was in my 30's, and this time things were different. I had less energy, didn't eat nearly as well...I gained about 50 pounds! The weight was hard to get rid of this time around. My second child, at birth, weighed 8 pounds even.


We moved to Ghana for two years when this baby was 4 months old. With a food change and walking more (no car), the weight pretty much left ...and easily too. When it's hot out, it's hard to eat too much and water was about the only thing I drank. Easily we had a change of lifestyle that had weight loss built in.


I did get down to a slimmer weight this way... But moving back and the stress associated with an overseas move put about 10 pounds back on. Give it another 3 years and you've got a few pounds to lose.

As I would soon learn, there was a website that I could use to track my calories and exercise. It also had "friend ability" (you could get help from others and be accountable to friends). When I first started, I could hardly believe how many calories I was really eating! I had no idea. It was then I realized...No wonder I was not thinner! I had been fooling myself.


I like seeing all the numbers and the Lose It! website (and phone app) are helpful to many who have lost weight using this food diary. You use any food plan and exercise regimen you like. This is just a tool to keep track of food and exercise, with an emphasis on weight loss. And it's free!


So I continue on this vegan path I've been on, emphasizing smaller portions, more raw and lean foods, and exercise, a little more lately. Using a free website and my rebounder (mini trampoline) at home is working for me to, once again, get slim.


My journey from late July till now has been a good one. In that time I have lost more than 16 pounds and I'm almost to my goal weight. A real dream goal weight. I have never been this light in my entire adult life.

And guess what? Two months after I started actively losing weight, my husband also joined me. Our weight loss goals (number of pounds to lose) are within one pound of each other and he is almost there as well. It's fun to support each other this way! =)

I won't say it's easy, but the work has been good and rewarding to have another chance at being slim!

A Slim Chance: Part 1

I know that for many people reading this, you will relate to the following, in one form or another... about being overweight.

Recently in late July this year, I decided to do something I've never done before. Count calories. The reason being that I felt I wanted to rid myself of that last 20 pounds or so that I was unable to shake just by "eating well."

I remember telling someone within the last year that I really never "had" to count calories, because I didn't feel (at the time) that I had any weight issues. I think that as soon as I said it, I felt a twinge of guilt knowing that I wasn't really at a good weight....meaning that I wasn't particularly heavy, but I knew I wasn't very fit for sure. I realized that I'm not getting any younger and fitness doesn't just happen.

I love dealing with food and that is an area I feel well rounded in health-wise. But I needed to get moving, in a big way. About early July, I decided to walk my husband to work in the mornings for exercise. We moved into town one year ago and he's been walking to and from work everyday since (unless in rains, busy schedule, etc). Since the days are longer in July, it was a nice way to greet the morning and watch the sun rise. Considering he leaves the house at 5:45 am, I think it went well. And we could talk on the way... Every woman needs to talk to her husband.

When it was got too dark and cold to keep doing this in the mornings, in October, I decided to do my workouts at home instead. My husband still walks to work and has for this entire year. Yes, we have snow and ice in the winter here. And his walk to work is 1 and 2/3 mile one way. He's a hard worker on the job too. He is amazing. =)

Stay tuned for Part 2...

"Forks Over Knives" Documentary Film

With all these documentary reviews I written lately, it feels like I've switched my focus on the blog. It isn't so. The films I've been watching lately just seem to get better. I think it's because my realization of what they are saying is hitting home.

Much of the time, watching this, I found myself just nodding to myself...not because I know this already, but I'm really glad to see the whole foods, plant-based diet being promoted in a big way. They present it in a "just see this to believe it" sort of way. Following some people who changed their eating habits on the path to better health, doctor monitored and all, you find out their results.

Featured are Dr. T. Colin Campbell, a nutritional biochemist from Cornell University, and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, a former top surgeon at Cleveland Clinic. Two men of near the same age and both raised on farms, finally meet after decades of work in their respective fields of research. They put their knowledge to use to help those "least likely to succeed" in their personal health journey. They practice what they preach and still maintain active lives using a whole foods, plant-based approach.

You see everyday people, changing what they eat, with wonderful results. I want to emphasize whole foods here. Being vegetarian and now vegan for a number of years, I can honestly say that my journey has not always been whole foods.

Of course, pre-veggie days, it might have been slightly better that most standard American diets out there, but not "whole" in any sense. Just the processing alone of the foods we Americans eat is just plain crazy. Some foods don't even resemble their plant based "roots". Did you know that some children don't know what many vegetables are, let alone know that they grow out of the ground?

Seriously, we are so far from our farmer "forefathers" that we just buy it in a package, take it home, freeze it, then "nuke" it in the microwave, in its own bag, nonetheless. Then we eat it on disposable plates with paper napkins on the side. And throw the whole disposable mess away when we are done. It's like fast food, only "homemade" instead.

Did you know there are actual cooking shows on television that you can watch that feature someone putting cans of this and boxes of that, a little artificial this and, throw in some decor for your next party, and "your done" kind of stuff? 

Granted some people actually do this. It's a modern trend happening because people don't know how to cook and prepare food that tastes homemade. What people know is pre-made food, mass produced for the grocery shelves, that is warmed up at home.

And yes, you can gain weight and not be in the best health as a vegetarian, even  vegan....ask me how I know. I would also venture to say though, that most people everywhere eating whatever they eat, also gain weight and are not in the best health. That being said, we all could use some pep talk now and again to make us aware that we all must plan to thrive by doing better and not just do it "good enough."

"Good enough" just isn't...You must make it a goal to eat well and avoid the "knife" that the title of this documentary alludes to. We must take back our health and show our children the way to pass it on to the next generation.

I believe the film claims correctly that a whole foods, plant based diet is the way to go.

Soapbox is put away now...Just want to make sure you know that this is a must see.

"Ingredients" Documentary

Another documentary that focuses of local foods and farmer's markets in called "Ingredients - The Local Food Movement Takes Root". Here's a link to the website: http://www.ingredientsfilm.com/. It talks about how local foods are so much more sustainable, as there are minimal costs involved in transporting foods.

There is also more variety available because some produce doesn't ship well for long distances or over time. I have realized that the less time there is from garden to the table, the tastier and more nutritious the food is. It is so fresh looking and beautiful.

The film is only a little over an hour long and is similar to the "Food Matters" documentary that I wrote about earlier. Our family watched it recently after we put a hold on this film at our local library.

It is encouraging to see how chefs and restaurants are tasting the difference that local, organic foods have on their menu and customer's enjoyment. In fact, some are writing their menus daily based on what is available that day in the gardens.

They feature one woman, a local foods advocate, who has been growing all her own food. Very interesting that she doesn't go to the store for any of the produce she eats. She simply grows it all.  A whole different twist on "farm to table" that many (especially city folk) don't see.

It focuses on sustainability-minded farmers in Oregon, New York and Ohio. There's also a good explanation of what the "bio-dynamic" agriculture method is all about. 

I encourage all to view this film. It has excellent photography to appropriately show the beautiful local foods we all can enjoy.

Potlajella: Eggplant Dip

I tried a new recipe yesterday and it was a hit at our house. Even my five year old daughter gave it a "thumbs up". I found this in an old Vegetarian Times article, "A Father's Hands", by Lisa J. Solomon, September 2003 issue. I had an eggplant to use and figured I'd give it a go.

Archie's Potlajella (Eggplant Dip)

2 large, firm eggplants
1 small white or red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small red tomato
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
pinch crushed red pepper
1 Tablespoon olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Wash eggplants and prick with a fork a few times. Put into a baking dish and bake for 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

When cool, peel and discard skin. Place the eggplants in food processor or blender and pulse until  they are coarsely chopped. Add onion, garlic, tomato and seasonings (not oil) pulsing until mixed. Be careful not to overprocess - you do not want it smooth or liquid. (You can also do this by hand instead of using a food processor or a blender.) Place eggplant mixture in a serving bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Cover and refrigerate until serving time.

"Food Matters" Documentary

I recently watched "Food Matters" with my family. I highly recommend it to everyone. Informative and eye opening. It reinforces what I've already learned and reminds me to stay vigilant on matters of food and health care.

You really are what you eat! Watch the video.