Tropical Coconut Fruit Bowls

PARADISE, HERE I COME! Or... close enough, right? God, have I had the travel bug lately. Ever since Sam and I came home from our Canadian adventure, I've been counting down the days until our next trip away. Not that I don't love Baltimore and all but, you get it: hot beach + frozen drinks with the cute, baby umbrella sticking out at the top = undoubtedly anyone's ideal Summer. Especially on a Monday when I'm standing at my new stand-up desk (that's a thing now) for 9 hours straight and my feet are swelling to the size of large grapefruits and my bra is digging into my side and I'm wondering out loud what I'm doing with my life. Well... that escalated quickly. I get it. But, I kind of had to do something to relieve my recent travel bug (at least until we can get away in 2 weeks again - YAY!) 

How adorable are these fruit bowls, anyway? Even if you didn't have a travel bug (or an early mid-life crisis), why wouldn't you want to eat your breakfast out of a fancy, little coconut? If I'm choosing between this and the scratched up Tubberware container hiding in the corner of my pantry, the coconut wins every time.

Sam and I created these bowls last weekend with the most amazing, fresh fruit and ingredients from our local Farmers Market downtown. Sam did the hard work (like literally sawing the coconut open) and I did the pretty stuff (aka organizing the fruit by color and size) and we scarfed down every last bite on the roof while imagining ourselves lounging in sandy, beach chairs and surrounded by palm trees. Bringing paradise to the bustling city the best way we know how: in a snack. 

Ingredients:

• 1 tropical coconut
• 1 cup mixed dried fruit, nuts, and granola
• 1 tsp honey
• mixture of fresh fruit (blackberries, raspberries, blueberries. kiwi, bananas, peaches, strawberries, etc)
• edible flowers (for garnish)

Directions:

1. Using a handheld saw, apply pressure to the middle of the coconut and cut through the middle until separated. (You can also use a hammer/other tool but, they won't turn out as symmetrical).
2. Rinse the inside of the two coconut halves with water until clean. Let dry until ready to use. 
3. Spoon a little granola into the bottom of each coconut to cover. 
4. Slice fruit into bite-sized portions. Layer the fruit until almost full. Sprinkle granola on top. 
5. Carefully place edible flowers around fruit and granola. Drizzle with honey and enjoy!

Let me know how your tropical coconut fruit bowls turned out!

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xo Anna Elizabeth