It’s so hard to keep that vacation feeling. That feeling that lets me linger in bed to read a book instead of jumping up to chase the alarm and caffeine. The smell of sunscreen, the sound of the ocean, the beauty that I don’t immediately need to Instagram. Clean sheets, card games, lazy laughs. It’s so good. It always feels like waaaaay more than I deserve, with a teeny-tiny sprinkle of something that I’ve earned, but really it’s just a big fat blessing.
I spent some quality time on a tiny stretch of beach on the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica last week. Way more than I deserve. I learned a lot.
I learned a lot about sunsets and how to sit and enjoy them with surfers and beach dogs.
I also learned some how to survive the heat of the dry season in Costa Rica: liquids! For real. I spent the entire week flailing around in the waves with a surfboard tethered to my leg and developed a healthy thirst… totally undeserved based on my surfing skills, but healthy nonetheless.
One of my favorite smoothies of choice in Costa Rica was Bananas y Leche: a simple mixture of bananas and milk. Of course, because few things are just left to be as they are in my kitchen… of course I added coffee and chocolate.
This smoothie is just what I needed to help that vacation feeling linger a bit. The cancelled flights and rushed airports can really harsh the vacation buzz. Nothing a little Banana, Leche y Cafe con Chocolate can’t help! I mean… right?
We stayed in a beautiful house that was indoors and out. The walls were bamboo. Monkeys liked to linger outside. Awesome and AAHHHH!!
Also, that pineapple was part food and part room fragrance. Beyond!
Down the hall, far and away.
Late breakfasts at Zwart Cafe, where the pineapple cilantro smoothies would make any juice-loving Californian want to weep just a little. They were that good.
Art and surfboards at Zwart Cafe because…. duh!
We bought super fresh fish from a market and restaurant called Product C.
They buy fresh every morning from the local fishermen, clean the fish up right, serve really lovely fish bowls with brown rice, and have ceviche flavored with just the right amount of dill. All worth the little bit of snark you might receive from the chef when you order.
We roasted a fresh Red Snapper, made brown rice, and a spicy caper and garlic tomato sauce.
It was the best meal of the trip due mostly to the fact that the fish was straight from the ocean (and I’m an awesome cook) (and really really humble).
A hike through rocks and shade to Montezuma Falls.
I know you only live once but I still didn’t jump.
If only I took the time to make this colorful, well-diced, and juicy a breakfast everyday. Also… more bread baskets please!
Hanging vines and purple petals.
Dogs everywhere in Costa Rica! Some with owners. Some strays.
This dog attached herself to us. We named her Low Tide and she liked to guard me while I watched my friends surf. She also followed us home and chased away spawning Halloween Crabs. I dunno… there was a lot of nature happening!
The last sunset with pinks and purples and silhouettes. The last before the airport dash and passport panic (I always think I’m going to lose that dang thing mid-trip!).
Back home and back in the mix! It’s weird and cool to come home to a new home in New Orleans. It feels like an extra vacation and that at some point I’ll have to make my way back to California.
Until I settle and adjust, I’m going to stack banana, milk, a dash of honey, coffee, and chocolate in my blender.
I’ll extend the vacation flavors as long as I can. I’d also like to extend the rather pathetic tan I acquired. Here’s hoping.
This drink exists somewhere in the world between a smoothie and a milkshake. It’s definitely rich with bananas and milk. It has hints of breakfast with the addition of coffee. Chocolate just makes the whole dang thing totally over the top.
This smoothie is the perfect refresher after a morning spent flopping around in the waves trying not to embarrass myself. The trying not to embarrass myself part of the trip was actually the most challenging. This smoothie serves as a necessary and delicious reminder.
Banana, Leche y Cafe con Chocolate
makes 2 drinks
5 ice cubes (mine were medium in size)
2 small ripe bananas, sliced
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped dark chocolate
2 tablespoons used coffee grounds
2 tablespoons lukewarm coffee
1 teaspoon honey
1 cup cold milk
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and well combined, about 3 minutes. Add more ice or more milk to create your desired consistency. Divide between two glasses and enjoy immediately.
Travis C
Wow, can’t believe you made it to Playa Santa Teresa! Stayed there in summer of 2011; what a magical environment. The local restaurants were amazing – first rate meals like almond-crusted seared tuna with freshly crushed mojitos for the price you might pay at Applebee’s here in the states. Howler monkeys were fierce. Hammock siestas. Barefoot trips down the ragged road. Best of all was the surfing in warm Pacific water. Such good memories.
Been following your blog for several years now & especially enjoying the vegan recipes. Peace, love, pura vida.
– Travis
Jbmckeon
Hi Joy,
My family and I are planning a trip to Costa Rica, any chance you would provide me with the house details you rented? Thank- you!
emmajeanne16
I would be pretty happy to start my day with one of these. Heck I would end it with one of these too. I went to Costa Rica on my honeymoon. A marvelous place!
Fallynn
Thank-you so very much for sharing your life and yourself! It is always a JOY to read about your life. Thanks for taking care of the dog in CR! I love kindness and animals. Thank-you SO MUCH for all that you do in the world. You are amazing!
Fallynn
ragdoll
I actually ran to the kitchen and made this! Or a version of it anyway…Frozen bananas are a brilliant way of “rescuing” old bananas and make fantastic smoothies whenever!
Claire
Oh my god, not to get all Fatal Attraction on you but I SAW YOU at the airport in Costa Rica! Specifically, I saw you go into a cafe next to the airport and eat with a group of people. I am a long time follower of you and your podcast, and wanted to say hi, but I assumed I was just jetlagged (plus I feel creepy bum-rushing strangers). That is so crazy. Anyways, hi! Hope you enjoyed your trip!
lizykat
ok I MUST tell you I have made this delicious combo 3 times already… fortunately I am sharing so I have had only ONE glass per blending! I wanted to offer that I used frozen bananas in my Vita Mix and no ice was needed. deliciousness. thanks for the recipe.
Barbara
Oh! You found my bucket list……and I will prolong that vacation feeling with your smoothie; it sounds absolutely perfect.
Gigi
It took me a minute, but then I realized I went to the same area of Costa Rica last year! I went to Zwart Cafe too! Santa Theresa/Malpais is a magical part of the country. So happy to see it brought back to life in the smoothie. Xo
Arielle Moore
your trip sounds so relaxing and wonderful! The heat. the food. The ocean. I could get into that. You’ve become quite the traveller lately! I love all the long distance posts! you write them beautifully
Kirsten @ Fit + Fab
I really want to take up surfing now (well have wanted to for 15+ years!) and drink those drinks at the beach! Gorgeous!
Pri
So we could-ve had that coffee you always say after all! :P
So glad you had a great time here and from what I see you had to be at Santa Teresa, which happens to be one of my favorite beaches!
Please do keep baking and I will follow, repeating your recipes here in lovely Costa Rica :)
Kristina
This post brought a little tear to my eye! I lived in Montezuma for a year and it was the best year of my whole life! Such a wonderful place to be. Your pictures brought back so many memories!! We lived 3k down from Montezuma toward Cabuya and I can literally still hear the waves crashing. Glad you found that little piece of perfection!
Shikha la mode
Costa Rica looks like sic a beautiful place – and I love that you are still cooking on vacation! Remember to relax as much as possible!
amiechristo
Your trip looks like it was wonderful. Your commentary always brings things right to life. Definitely going to have to throw this drink right into my mix as I try and coax spring to come forward.
Meredith
I need this immediately!
Seppy's Montreal
I grew up on milk & banana smoothies..!! My grand-father use to make them for us all the time!
http://www.seppysmontreal.com
sundiegoeats
Your vacation pictures are magical and totally agree that for some reason adding bananas to smoothies with milk (regular or nut) takes smoothie to a creamy territory where they tip toe the line into milkshakes….love.
Hannah
Your vacation looks absolutely incredible… definitely need to get to Costa Rica some time. I love the way you write, gorgeous! Would love to see some photos from around New Orleans- I’m from Australia and will be doing a trip to the US & Mexico in June-July, and my partner and I will be in New Orleans for a couple days before heading up to Memphis, any tips?
Thanks for your post!
xo Hannah
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar
I love costa rica so much! My sister in law is living there right now giving insect exploration tours and yoga classes. I swoon over her fabulous pictures! And yours are just the same :) Also, love this drink!
Erica
Yum! I think Latin America is on to something with such simple smoothies. In Argentina, you can find fresh fruit licuados in any cafe — choose a fruit, and either milk or ice, and that’s it! I am also partial to the banana and milk variety :) Adding coffee and chocolate sounds amazing!
Tracy
I’m going to Costa Rica this summer with my majs’s to celebrate our collective 30th birthdays this year. This drink totally got me super excited!!
Heidi - Apples Under My Bed
Bananas. It looks like such a magic getaway. Love shacks selling fresh fish with a side of attitude, have come across them on my island travels, for sure. Sometimes creepy, sometimes loopy, often obnoxious, always worth it. And the fruit! Bliss. x
Anne
I’m normal a lurker, but I have to chime in today. I’m so glad that you loved CR! I’ve lived here for several years now, and I sharing it with people is still one of my very favorite things. This whole post made me smile down to the Britt saucers and the beach sunsets. I’ve made a ton of your recipes here in my Costa Rican kitchen (your strawberry banana pie is now one of my signature desserts!) so of course I already think we know each other. I hope you can hold on to the pura vida for a long, long time!
Bella @ Domingos Gourmet
Hello Joy! I’m glad that you enjoyed your vacations in Costa Rica! My country is small but has a lot to offer! And our sunsets are great! If you ever come again, I would be honored to meet you!
For you and all the readers that have/would like to come to Costa Rica, I leave you this video: http://vimeo.com/68277276
Krietta
Wow I was just in Costa Rica too! Fruit was definitely the highlight. Did you try the Guanabana??
cindyhgpv
I’d take one of those smoothies any day! and I would not be able to resist jumping off of that rock and into that water.
Xochi
How do I be your real-life friend? Thanks for sharing this, I’ve been inspired to make smoothies and book a vacation. :)
Kara
This…is perfection. And I want it…now.
kellybakes
Thank you for giving me a delicious use for my used coffee grounds and for letting me vacation vicariously through you :)
JK
Many years ago, I lived in CR for a year. Beautiful country, nice people, and great food. The coffee, the gallo pinto, and refrescos of all kinds, but especially guanábana…amazing. Thank you for sharing your vacation, and bringing back such happy memories for me! :)
Melissa @ Treats With a Twist
This sounds delicious and your trip looks so lovely. When I ache for my beach vacation from last year I always try to buy tropical fruits and make a drink that I had while I was there.
Hope your tan lasts ;)
Scrumptious and Sumptuous
I just returned from the gym and whipped up this milkshake. Mmmmmmm…. I used instant hazelnut coffee and semisweet chips since that was in the cupboard. Oh, and I added a bit of cardamom just b/c it was staring at me from the spice rack. You make me want to visit Costa Rica with the lovely pics.
Becky
What a fun and relaxing vacation. I love bananas blended with almond milk, so I will have to give this smoothie a try. I don’t do coffee, so I guess I’ll just have to add extra chocolate!
Michelle
Lovely post! Makes me want to go back to the land of pura vida…
figsinmybelly
Looks like it was a magical trip! I like that the drink has some used coffee grounds in it. Crunch!
Jamie
Since I recently jumped on the leftover-coffee-ice-cube train, I’m going to try this using those, for the extra coffee pop. And maybe skip the ground coffee. = )
Taylor
The vacation sounds like blast! Glad you got the chance to go. Being a cat owner myself, I’m curious as to what you do with your little guy while you’re away. Any suggestions?
xoxo
Taylor
Beth
Oh this post makes my heart ache. 8 years ago I spent 3 months wandering in Costa Rica, finding myself, even though it meant leaving the person I’d gone with. Your pictures brought back the wonderful smells, foreign sights and sounds, and also the scared girl that dared to venture out on her own and chase after independence that I didn’t know I had. It really is a wonderful place and I’m so happy you got to experience it!
Marie
Warning: do not sub chocolate hazelnut butter for the chocolate. Some kind of voodoo just went down in my magic bullet and my smoothie came out tasting like BBQ chips. Lol
joythebaker
hahhahahha! weird…
coralcrue
I make this after i get back from the gym sometimes. it’s a good one :)
Mallory
Thanks for the minute of vacation …
rachel
is this a hotel in costa rica? what’s it called? it’s beautiful!!!
joythebaker
it’s not a hotel. it’s a house!
Rebecca
Joy- was the house a rental or were you staying with friends? If it was a rental, would you please share the name? Looks like a little slice of vacation perfection…..
Abby @ The Frosted Vegan
Ah,your trip sounds relaxing and perfect, so jealous!
Rebekah {aCricketSang}
Mmmmm the most delicious form of a milkshake.
hcnickerson
Love how your travels are working their way into your recipes lately!
foodlikecake
Costa Rica looks amazing! This smoothie/milkshake looks delicious :-)
Averie @ Averie Cooks
In 2001 I spent a month in Costa Rica getting my first yoga teacher training certification. It was such a magical gift, that I didnt fully even appreciate at the time. But seeing your pics, the surf boards, the sunset, the inside of the cafe, the totally rustic nature of everything, yeah, brings back so many memories! And 14 years or so ago, talk about rustic. Wasn’t even the word :) But Montezuma Falls, was there! Not much has changed :) Thanks for sharing the pics and what a great recipe. Even though we weren’t supposed to be drinking coffee b/c of the yoga aspect, the Costa Rican coffee was so good!
cheyenne
costa rica looks absolutely stunning. it has been on my go-to list forever, hopefully not to long anymore! and that drink sounds pretty darn perfect as well.
xo, cheyenne
gorgeousminute
Beautiful! :)
Jessica
The dappled light in that picture…oh gosh! It’s stunning and it looks like time is suspended for that moment. Thanks for the beautiful pictures and the gorgeous drink. I’m going to take a breath here in grey England and dream of sunsets, sand and salty surfboards.
Belinda Lo (Moonblush Baker)
Oh my your breakfast is like a party on a table! I am in love with the vibrancy your trip to Costa rica has brought to your photography too.
While I never can pass up a banana smoothie; the additions of coffee and chocolate have me planning this for my next morning pick me up
Sarah | The Sugar Hit
And suddenly I desperately need to go to Costa Rica.
Kezia
That place looks truly magical – I’m a tiny bit (ok, a lot) jealous! This smoothie looks awesome – I love how you put chocolate in it, I would never have thought to do that. I’m dying to trying it!
Vera
Ahhh it looks so beautiful and relaxing. I love your vacations guard dog too lol. So cute. I can;t wait to try the smoothie, I love anything coffee so, hey, why not add bananas and chocolate?