This morning I quietly watched as the first rays of sunshine touched Mexico
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To begin any other way, just wouldn't have felt quite right
In the weeks leading up to my ten-day hiatus from life, conversations with others had become all too familiar. “Wait, you're going on vacation by yourself?”
“I am (!) and when I get back, I”ll hold down the fort while my sweetie heads off to the Badlands to play golf.”
An ever-so-slight tilt of the head. Processing the unconventional. An awkwardness settling in shortly after, “You're not going together?”
At first, I struggled to fill the gap with an explanation. Comments about what works for us, never finding words that seemed quite right, and feeling a strange need for approval. Realizing it would never come, I simply stopped mentioning it.
The night before I left, I found myself listening to a clip from Oprah. Though the greater context was to address the chorus of critics who claimed she'd taken the weight off for Stedman. About halfway through she put words to it, in a way more beautiful than I ever could have
“He wanted what was best for me. He wanted me to be in a body that was fulfilling to me, and to live what he believed to be my greatest potential” ~ Oprah
So as I practice yoga on the beach, take long walks in the sun, find new internet cafe windows to sit in, eat lots of fresh fruit and seafood, read books, and miss all of our puppies and kitties at home
I intention a re-charge, from a place of peace. Realizing this beautiful gift, I intend to pay forward
“He wanted me to live up to my greatest potential.”
Thank you, Loves
The weekend before I left, I spent some time filling the fridge with some of his favorites, as well as travel snacks for me.
The notion of banana ice cream has been written about in many spaces throughout the web, and this recipe in self magazine was a nice reminder to give it a try. Topping it with his favorite snack, roasted almonds
It didn't disappoint, satisfying the craving for something cold and smooth. A little salty, as well as sweet. That bit of crunch sprinkled on top. The end result having the consistency of whipped ice-cream, with more depth and interest than the addition of sugar alone could provide.
The original recipe calls for the bananas to be sliced before being frozen. I don't think I'd go to the trouble, grabbing some from our freezer and slicing through them without effort
Another wonderful addition to our snacking Rolodex
Enjoy!
xoxo
ps: You can find Oprah's clip .. here
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~ Adapted from It's All Good by Gwyneth Paltrow and Julia Turshen
Sweet and Salty Banana Soft-Serve with Roasted Almonds
Ingredients
- 4 ripe bananas, frozen
- ¼ cup roasted almonds, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp + 2 tsp maple syrup, divided (or honey)
- ½ tsp coarse sea salt
- ½ cup almond milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp coconut oil (or olive oil)
- optional add-ins: coconut, peanut butter, 1 scoop protein powder (flavor of your choice)
Instructions
- Place bananas in the freezer for at least 3 hours. When you're ready to make the ice cream, cut them into smaller pieces for easier blending
- In the meantime, roast the almonds. In a small saucepan heat the oil over medium-low for a minute or two. Add the chopped almonds and roast them for a couple of minutes until they're starting to turn brown and are fragrant.
- In a bowl, combine the roasted almonds with 2 tsp maple syrup and salt.
- In a food processor, pulse frozen banana slices, almond milk, vanilla and remaining 2 tbsp syrup, scraping down the sides as necessary, until mixture is the texture of soft-serve ice cream.
- Spoon into bowls, sprinkle with almond mix
2 Comments
I has to snag your opening photo as a desktop…lovely!
It doesn’t get much prettier .. that’s for sure.
Wish you were here .. xoxo