Pineapple Turmeric Smoothie
Happy Friday, friends! I hope it really is happy--it is HOT, and feels so busy. The combination can lend to sluggishness and overwhelm. All I've wanted for meals is smoothies, salads, and ice waters. This Pineapple Turmeric concoction using Organic India Turmeric is quick, easy, and pure sunshine--the kind that lifts, refreshes, any just kind of radiates contentment.
Bright as sunshine but light and refreshing, this Pineapple Turmeric smoothie is just what summertime calls for, with every sip a restorative taste of the tropics. ORGANIC INDIA Turmeric Formula lends powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties while adding extra radiance to this naturally sweet, cooling beverage. And that’s pretty much all I’m going to say about this uplifting blend right now, so please jump to the recipe unless you’re one of those rare kind souls who wants to hear me waffle on about insomnia, a blistering throat, a big swim, and joy.
A couple of posts back, I mentioned a big adventure I’d been looking forward to—a 5.25 mile end-to-end swim across Coniston Water. When I wrote that, I was feeling just a little bit freaked out, but not as much as I probably should have been. That’s because, when you see 5.25 miles stretched out in one long thin finger of a watery line, it is staggering just how far that is to swim, especially for a runner playing at swimming like me. I wasn’t all that phased about that, though, partly because I had actually prepared pretty well for the distance, but more so because I was exhausted.
The previous week I’d had a couple of absolutely artic swims in icily remote Scottish Loch Katrine. (Oh my, the beauty beauty and solitude stirred such aliveness and vulnerability, but I’ll ramble about that another time, maybe). Not long after, we spend a few days as just our small trio on the edge of Lake Windermere, where the water felt so much warmer and more comfortable. One windy day, though, the water was so choppy, I gulped down a whole bunch, noticing a slight acrid taste as I did so. There was a faint but observable smell that day, too. I didn’t think much of it, but the next evening, I was bowled over by a sudden, raging flare-up in my throat. Oh, did it burn. I opened my mouth wide to the bathroom mirror and saw it was coated with blazing spots.
That was Tuesday night. Wednesday, still in pain and gargling TCP and salt water alternately as much as I could bear, we saw a BBC article warning of algae bloom in the area and citing the exact part of the lake I’d been swimming in those few days. Pay attention to those algae awareness signs when you see them, friends. They’re for real.
I will skip over a few feelings roller coasters now, and cut to the chase of why I’m even sharing all this (aside from sneaking in a kind of-sort of event report for my own memory box). The thing is, I didn’t think I could do the swim on Saturday, but by Friday the infection started to lift, and Saturday morning, after 48 hours of absolutely no sleep (again, another story, but the meat of it is the throat pain and a clock tower), I started the swim—enjoyed the swim—finished the swim. Whee!
After that leadup, of course there was self-doubt. But, there was also a quiet confidence I’d get through just fine. Better, I had one of those mantra moments. You know the ones—they pull you through without feeling like you’re thinking. As I was being tossed by a rolling wave in a sea (actually a lake) of people, there was this clear encouraging echo in my brain saying, “happiness is now”. Of course, the instant I heard it I thought, eek, that’s the mantra complement to a ‘first-world problem’ if ever I heard one. But also of course, what I really meant is ‘life is now’. Right now. “Happiness is now”, though, resonates that much more, doesn’t it? Either way, whichever word you use, it’s a reminder to seize the day.
Wishing you a weekend of happiness right now, wholehearted presence, and sunshiny refreshment! xo
Pineapple Turmeric Smoothie
1 serving
½- ¾ Cup light coconut milk (or sub in other plant milk)
½ very ripe banana, cut into chunks and frozen
1 cup pineapple chunks, frozen
1 Teaspoon ORGANIC INDIA Turmeric Formula
½ Teaspoon fresh ginger, minced or grated
Blend ½ Cup coconut milk and all other ingredients, adding additional milk as needed until smooth and creamy. Enjoy!