Coconut Lime Detox Drink and a Caterpillar Invasion

From my morning Coconut Lime Detox drink to the brilliant green and orange caterpillars who have single handedly demolished my year old parsley plant, life here in San Diego has been all shades of green the last few days.

Parsley is an herb I use infrequently, hence I have (had) a gorgeous plant that has been left to grow somewhat untamed over the last year or so. Needing a sprig or two the other day I sent Liv out to pick and moments later heard a not so happy yelp followed by, "Mom!! Your parsley plant!! It's been invaded!!!".

I have to preface this with the fact that Liv also has claimed tarantulas were crawling in her room one night, however what I found was a pencil eraser-sized, teeny tiny, spider on her screen... outside. As such, I didn't really rush to her rescue regarding the invasion of my parsley plant.

In this case though, she was right. An army of various sized green caterpillars, brilliantly marked with brilliant orange dots, has indeed invaded my parsley plant. An internet search informed us that these beauties will become even more beautiful as they transform into Black Swallowtail Butterflies sometime in the near future.

I have no idea how long the caterpillars have been there, but we've been watching them closely over the last few days, and I'm positively amazed at the amount of parsley they are able eat. Apparently they enjoy host plants in the carrot family, including carrots, dill, parsley, fennel and a few others.

Eggs laid by an adult female hatch into the caterpillars who take a few forms before entering the chrysalis stage, and my first hand experience tells me that they can eat an incredible amount of parsley as they grow.

Today one of our caterpillars seems to be entering that chrysalis stage, and we are eager to watch what happens! I only hope we get so see one of the butterflies before they all fly away. We'll keep the photos coming over the next few days/weeks.

In the meantime, how about a lovely green detox drink? Featuring some of my favorite flavors, lime and coconut, I'm joining Eat. Drink. Be Skinny's 30-Day Juice Challenge. Teresa, a local San Diego Girl like me, suggests substituting a nutritious juice or smoothie for one meal a day, which I can see valuably increasing the veggies and fruits that I'm sorely in need of. Want to join me in the challenge? Check out her Facebook page for more info.

Perusing the counter my fruit stock proved fairly low this morning, but a bowl of limes called to me. Working with our Lemon and Kale Ice as a guide, coconut water became our base enhanced with freshly squeezed lime juice and a squeeze of lemon. Spinach added the rich green color and a dash of pure maple syrup brought a delightful sweetness to balance the sour.

So, joining our hungry caterpillars, here's to a green start to the day... Enjoy!

Coconut Lime Detox Drink

With lime bringing a nice dose of detoxifying properties and coconut water adding incredible amounts of potassium, spinach rounds out the nutrients with doses of Vitamin K and A in addition to lutein and an abundance of antioxidants.

• 2 handfuls baby spinach
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 3-4 Tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 cup coconut water
• 2 handfuls ice (more if desired)
• maple syrup to taste (I used about 3 Tbs - the kids like it with more)

Place all ingredients into your blender and blend until smooth. Add more water or ice to obtain desired consistency. Enjoy!!