Recipe: Light Peach & Banana Smoothie

Welcome to the week friends!

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

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Hello all! Hoping you all had a wonderful weekend!

We spent some time doing some more spring cleaning – and by that I mean mostly me. It was time to (finally) get to a closet project I’d been dreaming of for a while (but hadn’t the courage to tackle).

So I did it…and (seriously)……it feels just as good as I thought it would!

Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant.

– Robert Louis Stevenson.

Today is also the first anniversary of the day I woke up and started something new – the idea for Not So Fast was officially born a year ago today. My how time flies!

It is wonderful to see the journey that has emerged from starting this blog (and this super fun project). It is one of true community – and THAT my friends is a (very) beautiful thing – so thank you (truly) for the support, appreciation, & the sharing & sheer inspiration that overflows from this wonderful blogging community!

You all amaze me. Truly, you do!!

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.

– Helen Keller.

So, let’s get to this yummy smoothie now, shall we?

The More:

More fresh fruit to start the day means more simple natural sugars to get you going. More bananas (from fair trade farms) means more good hearty nutrition with minimal calories and heaviness. More blended goodness means digesting is a snap – so lightness is yours for the day!

The Less:

Less sweets and extras in your smoothies means simple ingredients on hand are all you need. Less of the fancy stuff means ingredients are attainable and cheap – so you can get more for less – and feel great doing it!

Light Peach & Banana Smoothie:

• (2) bananas, fresh or frozen
• (1) cup peaches, frozen or fresh (you can also sub nectarines)
• (3-4) dates, pitted
• (1- 1.5) cups almond milk
• (4-6) ice cubes
• cinnamon or cardamom to sprinkle on top (optional)
• a lovely cinnamon stick to dress up the glass (optional too of course!)

Combine all of the ingredients in your blender and blend on high until frothy and beautiful. Feel free to add more almond milk or water as needed to get the mixture rolling.

Enjoy on your deck (in a clean mason jar maybe 🙂 ) with a good book, view, or just one or two quiet moments to yourself.

The best things in life aren’t things.

~ Art Buchwald

Be helpful. When you see a person without a smile, give them yours

– Zig Ziglar

Me and my little inspiration...

With all this nice weather – smoothie season is about to kick in to high gear – I am getting giddy just thinking about it!

Here is a quote that I found particularly awesome this weekend:

Life is not about weathering the storm….it’s about learning to dance in the rain.

• What smoothies are you loving these days?
• Got any tips on how to dance in the rain?

Let’s get moving, shall we? I am already…

🙂

Yours in Less,

Finding More in (just a little) sharing & inspiration.

Hello Bloggers!

This is a shot of a card I bought for a very significant loved one last week. I liked it so much I thought I would share with all of you..

“It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.”

Theodore Roosevelt

Want to know what I am inspired about today? Well let me tell you.

1. Guest Blog Posting!

A fellow blogger has featured me today on her blog – my first guest post is up over at Life More Lived – it’s an article I wrote a little while back, when I was first starting to admit I had to scale back my shopping obsession….for all of you who love to dress well and live well – you can find the article here. Life More Lived is Sara’s blog all about simple living – it’s not food based but looks at all aspects of a more minimal life – check her out – and have a read, maybe drop her a line even..I’d love to know what you think of the writing if you are so inclined!

2. Lingering Inspiration from Tofino

Here are a few shots of our recent trip to Tofino..where less meets more in a most surreal and powerful way. I am so happy to have these great shots!

Tofino is the kind of place that has it all.

It is raw, majestic, stark, and a pure, wild example of a ‘less’ landscape (water, trees, and endless beaches anyone?)..while providing a highly charged ‘more‘ atmosphere – more rain, more wind, more intensity, more calm, more reminders of the intense power present in us and in nature…

Here are a few of my favorite shots from our few days there recently – these were taken by a good friend Niko Pavlo who takes fabulous photos (obviously) over at Follow The Olive Rabbit – memories like this are worth slowing down and cherishing 🙂 Thanks Nik for the beautiful work!

I hope you all get a little hit of inspiration too…..thanks for stopping by…

What are you doing to make yourself proud today?

I’ll be posting about almonds and almond milk next, for all of you looking to make your own…stay tuned!

Yours in Less,

Finding more in (just a little) less on the plate.

A full plate seems like a dream come true. Indeed it is for many.

What does a full plate mean to you?

To many it’s the picture of a literal plate, a plate filled with food, and (hopefully) a plate to nourish and fuel us.

A full plate is a nice thing to have, and I like to imagine most of us are keenly aware that this is not a luxury all are lucky enough to enjoy.

Then there is the other full plate: the fuel of our lives, made up of to do lists, obligations, chores, passionate pursuits and promises made to ourselves and loved ones.

This plate is rarely empty for many of us, as we hustle through the day trying to keep up with all we commit to.

Our hungers for achievement and successes drive us with voracious appetites…we pile the plates so high until we actually can’t see it all clearly anymore.

When my plate gets too full I start to lose my appetite.

When I get a plate that’s too full for too long – I have to say I stop knowing real hunger anymore. Literally, figuratively, or otherwise.

When this happens to me I know something’s got to go.

So whether you are looking to lighten your load by streamlining what you eat….or dropping a few commitments you’ve made, feel strong in knowing your strength and your wisdom can only do you good.

When times get tough, I always try to lighten the load (just a little).

Step 1: Don’t be ashamed, no one can do it all! Admitting weakness is healing and empowering. Better to know now than further down the road.

Step 2: Look objectively at your life. What brings you joy? What isn’t working?

step 3. Take action! You aren’t going to change overnight, but you can start tomorrow. March forward fearlessly!

Begin to make changes in small doses. This will show real results and can be very motivating, it also won’t overwhelm you.

If you need to devote 10% less time for a friend you just aren’t getting anymore, or even spend 10% less time volunteering because you haven’t time for yourself, you are only going to gain somewhere else. The same goes for your diet. Try cutting meat one day a week, or dairy, or sugar. Give yourself a small boost and try again. Small victories add up.

Chances are, when you streamline, you’ll start to see clearly again. And you may just end up finding that sweet spot, the modern holy grail, that sweet blissful spot known as  ‘just right’.

When you cut out what's not working, you will start to see clearly....you can even add a little more variety. Less is more.

I’m working on it constantly, and it’s why I am here today.

Because many of us could all do to live with (just a little) less.

I am so glad to have found some friends along the way….stay tuned next week – I’ll introduce you to two of my friends who are doing just that! We’ll follow their journey as they both give something up for the good of others….I am so excited to share their story.

I love this response from the Dalai Lama when asked what surprises him most:

“Man, because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then he dies having never really lived.”

• Is your plate too full?
• If you had to drop one thing from your life, what would it be?
• Could you live with (just a little) less?
• Are you already?

I’d love to know.

Stay tuned for a killer raw recipe tomorrow….a little something sweet!

Yours in Less,

Finding More in Tofino. And (just a little) oatmeal.

Finding more in just a little less busy-ness. We spent the weekend away. It was quiet, it was relaxed, it was oh so needed! (We spent the weekend in beautiful Tofino).

The Less:

This week I felt great during my fast. I thought a lot about clutter and how I can really streamline things and get rid of a lot of junk. Now I’m home and feeling inspired to organize and tackle a few big home projects I have been putting off (time to clean out that garage). Being away does wonders for the mind. I disconnected. Less clutter and less noise meant more much needed sleep and quiet time.

The More:

Delicious and satisfying oatmeal provides more energy, more stability, and more gounding than many other breakfast foods:) I always find fasting on a vacation travel day superb…no driving stress or routine demands. Just music, the sounds of my family, fresh hydrating water, and best of all, my husband doing the driving! Bliss. More relaxing, more family time, more peace of mind!

Here is how I found more this week with glorious healthy oatmeal:

Apple Oatmeal:

• 1 cup quick oats
• 1.5 cups water
• pinch of salt
• 1 apple, peeled and chopped
• a few generous dollops of fresh Cashew Cream
• nuts and currants for the top
• Cinnamon and brown sugar or maple syrup (optional)

Combine oats, water, apples, and salt and bring to a light boil. Turn the heat down. Cook, 8-10 minutes on medium low with the lid on until the apples are soft.

Serve, topped with a sprinkle of cinnamon, Cashew Cream, toasted nuts, and currants. Add extra sweetener if you like.

This is fiber-rich, super-inexpensive, and wonderfully satisfying in the morning!

I sometimes call it endless oatmeal, there is no need to specify servings here as leftovers can go right in the fridge. The next day, simply add more water, more apple, more whatever and heat up again! It never ends and there are so many different ways to enjoy it. I like to use soft or slightly wrinkled apples – It’s economical and makes me feel good not to waste (I am very picky about fresh apples).

I am feeling rather invigorated after a mellow weekend catching up on sleep and fresh air with friends and family. Amen.

I’ll start planning the impending spring clean this week. I just want to enjoy this feeling a little longer…

• Are you feeling cluttered in life?
• What are some things you could do to get rid of?
• What brings you peace of mind?

I’d love to know.

Yours in Less,

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