I love a quiet, lazy, summer weekend! Going to bed early with a good book, the fan gently whirring its white-noise breeze through the warm night. Sleeping as long as necessary and still waking early-ish. Caring for pets while the coffee drips; sipping coffee and Bible: flowing, life-giving streams, both.
Gearing up for a workout or, if not too hot, a dog-walk around our lovely neighborhood. Two days in a row scorched, which makes me (and pooch) extra grateful for lower temps and a slight breeze. I laugh that the dog knows, once I indicate left or right at the bottom of our street, what our route will be. She anticipates, pulling slightly, her favorite sniff-and-water spots. I watch the progress on landscaping or home reno projects; I look for newly bloomed flowers since our last stroll. I pray for neighbors I know living in houses we pass. Sometimes I remember to pray for neighbors I don’t know.
I breathe deep the beauty of this quiet, suburban town. The undeveloped ridge lines, the California bleached-blonde hills, the deep green trees. The bright blue cloud-dappled sky. As we pass I greet neighbors walking and running, some with their own dogs. We pause briefly for a quick hello with a mother-daughter duo jogging to the local pool for a swim—it is, truly, a gorgeous day.
Summer has a golden glow.
As a kid I was a huge fan of the ice cream truck that inched through our neighborhood, tinny canned music popping through bad rooftop speakers announcing its delicious approach. Yum… What would I get this time? An Astropop, a Fudgesicle, a Creamsicle?
These days, I lumber up and down neighborhood streets, stepping-in-time to tunes thumping through my earbuds. And still, sometimes I anticipate a delicious cold treat to enjoy at home.
A healthy one, to boot. One that can truthfully qualify as Breakfast, Lunch, Snack or Dessert: you choose!
A few weeks ago at the library I picked up Healthy Happy Vegan Kitchen by Kathy Patalsky. I am loving it! Although I try to get most of my books from the library, I’m tempted to buy this one.
And while I most often make a green smoothie (meaning my smoothies almost always have spinach in them), the Golden Wellness Smoothie has fast become one of my new fav’s. It’s perfect for summer’s golden-hot days!
I described it recently as “spicy ice cream” with a hint of Creamsicle. It might not have appealed to the little girl waving a dollar at the Ice Cream Man, but it sure appeals to me now!
Here’s the thing: most of those ingredients are in my house at most times. My kids love bananas, but only for that hot second between too-green and spotted. Once spotted, I peel them, cut them in half, and stick them in a freezer bag. I can defrost a few for banana bread or add them to a smoothie. We all like oranges, but if you buy a big bag and don’t get to them fast enough, the peel loses appeal. So I cut the peel off and toss it in the blender (Kathy recommends freezing oranges, too; I haven’t tried that yet, but I will next time I buy a bag of oranges). Almond milk is our go-to milk (I add a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract to this smoothie since I always buy unflavored non-dairy milks); maple syrup our go-to sweetener; spices always on hand (mine need to be restocked, actually).
Golden Wellness Smoothie
1 serving
1 large orange, fresh or frozen
1 c vanilla almond milk–or 1 c almond milk + 1 tsp vanilla extract
1 banana, fresh or frozen
1/2 tsp maple or agave syrup
1 tsp turmeric powder
a few pinches of cinnamon
a pinch of cayenne
Blend from low to high speed in a good high-speed blender. I add a handful of ice to make it super-duper extra-frosty cold, which might require adding another glug of almond milk to make it blend properly.
Go check out Kathy’s blog and buy her book. Good stuff, I’m telling ya!
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