Picking Fruit Seaside and a Chilled Cherry Almond Smoothie

This is one of the best parts of summer.

That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet.

~ Emily Dickinson

Oceans are beautiful, aren’t they?

I am lucky to have grown up on the ocean, spending my youth just a few minutes from the peaceful rocky beaches of British Columbia. I still live near the ocean here in Vancouver, and admit I might find it tough to ever live away from it.

I am also lucky enough to live in one of the top cherry producing regions in the world. You know, those dark red fruits that grow up to the size of small plums and stain your hands and clothes as well as your palate, rendering it useless to enjoy any other fruit as much (at this time of the year).

Oceans and cherries. Two wonderful things.

Don’t worry about a thing, every little thing is gonna be alright.

~ Bob Marley

You have to be someone.

~ Bob Marley

Well you can imagine the sheer glee on our recent island weekend at the discovery (by me, my daughter, and my visiting younger sister) of cherry trees laden with ripe fruit growing seaside not far from our parents home.

There isn’t a much better way to cap off a leisurely afternoon of sunshine and swimming at the beach than taking a spontaneous detour down a country lane to find bushels of your favorite fruits – just hanging there amongst the shipwrecks and sun-laden stillness.

It was a perfect day if there ever was one.

You can only lose what you cling to.

~ Buddha

My sister and I felt like kids again without a care in the world, except maybe being late to dinner at home as a result of our spontaneous excursion to the seaside orchard. Not far from when we were kids really, now that I think about it. And it felt good.

Today I’m excited to share those photos with you all as well as this simple and truly delicious recipe for a memorable summer drink. Another simple recipe requiring no more than 2 ingredients, this summer chiller really, truly, hits the spot.

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.

~ Ghandi

The Less:

Fewer ingredients to play with means each one stands to play its part. Less time to prep once you are ready means having it in hand in minutes. Less packaged, store-bought fruit drinks means less waste and cooked sugars, and more reasons to use what’s seasonally on hand.

The More:

More fresh fruit and whole ingredients means more easy simple nutrition. More fresh fiber and whole fats from soaked nuts means more natural fuel, protein, and roughage. More easy simple recipes means more ways to enjoy your favorites, and these two are a match made in seaside cherry heaven.

*photos of the recipe were not made with the cherries picked that day : – )

Chilled Cherry Almond Smoothie:

• (1) heaping cup pitted ripe cherries
• (1) cup almond milk (homemade how-to is here)
• (6) ice cubes

To pit cherries, use the ripest fruit you can. If you have a cherry pitter, go ahead and use it, but I never have and (like usual) prefer to use my own tools (my hands). If the fruit is ripe, simply tear the cherry open and remove the pits with your hands. If they are more on the firm side, you can open them with knife (like an apple) and remove the pit then.

If you have the almond milk handy, simple combine the milk and cherries in a blender and add the ice cubes. Blend on high until frothy. Serve as desired and enjoy! A simple, easy way to cool down and enjoy two healthful and delicious foods.

Nothing fancy. But somehow it still seems fancy to me – how about you?

The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it

~ Henry David Thoreau.

All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make, the better

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Summer is here and it’s a beautiful thing, my weekend at home was such a fabulous one, and much love to my folks and to my sister for the time together!

On another note, we are in the 10 day countdown until we leave for our trip to France for 3 whole weeks! I’ll be blogging from there as there will be just too much to keep up with, especially as we try to work our way through it all in true ‘less is more’ fashion.

As well, we are adding a link to the sidebar, but for those who wish to follow me on Instagram, you can do so by following @shiramcd.

I’ve really been enjoying this new way to keep up with friends, as pictures really can be worth a thousand words. There, you can bet I’ll be adding shots daily while we are away.

• Are you an Instagrammer?
• What is your favorite way to eat cherries?
• Ever picked them from the trees?

Do let us know. Until next time, IPOM readers, and I wish you all a truly wonderful day wherever you may be 🙂

Yours in Less,

Recipe: Coconut Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

Sometimes I feel like I live in a dream.

Dream no small dreams for they have no power to move the hearts of men.

~ Goethe

Well it is officially summer here in Vancouver. After a long spring, and many, many cold & wet & rainy days, the temperatures here are now warm again! I thought it would never come, but it did!

And oh, how sweet it is. One can hear many times the words of those who live and love in this dear part of the world. The words that forgive the endless days of rain and cold to be grateful to live in such a stunningly beautiful place.

It’s a good life.

I am one lucky girl.

Today’s recipe comes from an ingenious idea for a salad that captured my attention here at Sprouted Kitchen. I was so intrigued at the idea of cooking quinoa with coconut milk that I knew I had to try it.

But instead of salad, something about the combo said breakfast to me the day I read it (likely thanks to the long run the day before), and so with that, I went to work that very day.

Coconut is a vegan favorite, prized for richness and flavor that fills the gap when other things just won’t. I used full fat coconut milk for this (I use full fat everything or nothing at all) and the result was gloriously rich and satisfying, not to mention loaded with healthy fats to provide long burning fuel all day.

It was dreamy. So whether you are celebrating summer or the start of winter where you are, rest knowing you can be taken away to a delicious dream like state with a mere heavenly recipe. I hope you like this one. I sure did!

The Less:

Less boxed, packaged convenience cereal means more whole grain, whole fibre goodness. Less refined sugar and carbs means less sugar spikes and crashes. Less boredom at breakfast time means more looking forward to morning, because kitchens are delightful at the start of the day too 🙂

The More:

More fuel at the start of your day means less likelihood to crash later. More whole grain and high protein quinoa means more high nutrition for less cost. More creative vegan options means eating lighter can be easy, without worry about calories or content.

Coconut Quinoa Breakfast Bowl:

• (1) cup quinoa
• (1) cup coconut milk
• (1) cup cold water
• (1/8) tsp salt

Add per serving:

• (3) tbsp shredded coconut
• (1) tbsp brown sugar or maple syrup to taste
• (1/4) cup fresh blueberries
• (5-6) fresh cherries, halved and pitted
• (3-4) chopped pitted dates (optional)
• (1/4) cup plain yoghurt (optional)

Combine the coconut milk, quinoa, water, and salt in a medium saucepan and stir to combine. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat with the lid on, once it boils, turn the heat to low, and cook (covered) for 25 minutes.

Once the quinoa is cooked and all the water is absorbed, remove from the heat and fluff with a fork inside the pan.

To serve, scoop one cup of the coconut quinoa into a bowl, add the brown sugar (or maple syrup), and stir. Top with coconut, fruit, and optional dates and yoghurt. Serve warm or at room temperature and enjoy!

Local summer fruits are abundant here now and I know there are many of you who (like me) revel in the beauty and taste of fresh stone fruits and ripe sweet berries.

I wish the world over could enjoy them with me this time of year, and I am always grateful for each morsel.

One becomes older in order to become kinder.

~ Goethe

I always imagine the long hours it took for whomever picked my fruit to do it. It is fun to go for an hour or two, but could you do it all day? It’s tough out there in the hot sun. I try not to waste even one if I can help it.

This bowl came courtesy of the ‘leftover’ runt cherries my daughter didn’t eat.

They sure were the stars of this dish. Her loss.

Nothing should be prized more highly than the value of each day.

~ Goethe

To all of you who left me comments on my last post – thank you – I am looking forward to catching up on my blog reading and friendships this week!

You know how much I adore hearing from each and every one of you, and it was wonderful to see that some of started rolling right away!

• What is your favorite way to eat quinoa?
• Have you enjoyed it for breakfast too?
• Are you a fan of coconut like me?

This new way to enjoy one of my favorite nutritious grains will now be added to the permanent rotation of hot hearty breakfasts here at the world IPOM headquarters (just writing that makes me laugh – sorry I can’t help it!). You can also find this recipe submitted as part of Healthy Vegan Fridays.

I felt pretty amazing the day I ate this combo ~ almost as good as I feel knowing summer really has come for good here.

It’s a good thing! A very, very, good thing 🙂

Yours in Less,