Coo Coo for Coconut Milk: Food Storage for Babies/Toddlers

One of the hardest parts of food storage prep for me has been making plans for my 1 year old. The doctor recommends tons of dairy intake and dairy is just hard for food storage. If you get the food storage milk that has fat it is put through a hydrogenation process which converts it to a trans fat and if any of you know me you know I'm a weirdo about trans fat! Stuff just freaks me out! But then if you buy the nonfat kind I feel like that isn't helping my baby get the fat that is so key for his brain at this stage. The other day an idea for me that was just ground-breaking hit me so I figured I would share...

My husband and I went crazy a couple months ago and did a "whole 30". If you aren't sure what that is you can Google it but for a foodie like me it was basically a 30 day torture. A couple good things came out of it though and this is one of them! We bought up tons of full-fat, unsweetened coconut milk for that challenge and still had a couple of cans left over. I was organizing them in our pantry and it hit me--Food storage!!! Coconut milk is so good for you and has tons of fat which is great for babies and toddlers! Here is a little snip it on the health benefits...

"Coconuts milk contains significant amounts of fat, but unlike other nuts, it provides fat that is mostly in the form of medium chain saturated fatty acids (MCFAs) in particular, one called lauric acid. Lauric acid is converted in the body into a highly beneficial compound called monolaurin, an antiviral and antibacterial that destroys a wide variety of disease causing organisms. It is therefore now thought that consumption of coconut milk may help protect the body from infections and viruses. Coconuts are highly nutritious and rich in fiber, vitamins C, E, B1, B3, B5 and B6 and minerals including iron, selenium, sodium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorous. Unlike cow's milk, coconut milk is lactose free so can be used as a milk substitute by those with lactose intolerance".

The canned form can be stored at room temperature for a long time. Yay!!!! Once it is open though, you need to consume quickly or put it in a container, refrigerate, and eat within a couple days. In the case of an emergency I would just have the family split a can and eat it all in one meal. Right now I am rotating through my supply by making oatmeal for Nixon and it has been a hit! I use my quick oats so that I can also rotate through those. I make the quick oats as the directions state but instead of using water I use whole milk (Just to get in extra fat and protein) and I use a little less liquid than the directions say so that it comes out really thick. Once it is cooked I add a little bit of sweetener (usually fruit but you could add brown sugar or maple syrup or whatever you use to sweeten around your house) and then I add a bunch of coconut milk to make it kind of seem like cereal. The coconut thickens up pretty well so don't be alarmed when the consistency seems a little "pudding-like". Nixon loves it and Kyle and I end up sneaking tons of bites- it really is delicious. 

One caution with the coconut milk in the can- when you open it all the fat is at the top since it naturally separates. I throw it into a blender bottle and shake it around and use that to store it in the fridge, but you can stir it or use any other mixing techniques. I usually have enough to make 3-5 batches of oatmeal for Nixon, depending on the size, which we can easily use in a few days before it goes bad.

I know it's kind of strange but for me it was huge to be able to find something that I know could easily help increase Nixon's fat intake in an emergency and be something that I would be comfortable feeding him frequently to rotate. You can find it at any health food store or even Walmart. I always just make sure that it is unsweetened and full fat.

Thanks again Emily for getting us all thinking about this and thanks for letting me share!  

-Shanell Beecher :)