Coconut Almond Ginger Protein Shake

Ingredients

For the nuts:

3/4 cup raw almonds

1/4 cup unsweetened shredded dried coconut

2 cups warm water

For the shake:

2 cups cold water

1 teaspoon kosher or celtic sea salt

1 rounded scoop vanilla protein powder (with no added sugar)

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons coconut butter (or substitute coconut oil)

Honey, to taste (optional)

Directions

The night before: Combine almonds, coconut, 2 cups warm water, and salt in a container. Make sure the nuts are completely covered with water, if not, add more water. Cover and let sit 8 hours or overnight at room temperature. This is a key step as it will help you activate the nuts, breaking down the naturally occurring phytic acid which can cause bloating and other digestive issues. It also activates the enzymes in the nuts, again making them easier for your body to digest.
In the morning: To prepare shake, drain the almonds and coconut from the soaking water. Discard the water and add the soaked almonds and coconut to a blender. Add 2 cups filtered cold water to a blender along with ice, protein powder, ginger, cinnamon, vanilla, and coconut butter or oil. Puree until very smooth (about 4 minutes with a conventional blender). If you prefer a thinner shake, you can pass through a fine sieve to remove the almond meal, though I like the additional fiber. Sweeten if desired and serve immediately. (I don't as the natural sweetness of the nuts, coconut, and whey is enough for me.)
Variation: If you prefer, you can skip using whole nuts and simply replace the 2 cups of cold water in the shake with 1 cup of boxed coconut milk and 1 cup of almond milk, and proceed from there.

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