I woke up this morning to the smell of fresh spring air; wet and heavy with the omnipresent perfume of the cherry trees and damp earth. I wanted something for breakfast that would reflect the abundance of colour outside of my apartment right now, the ground is just bursting with Technicolour blooms right now. All of the plants look neon in contrast with the charcoal soil and I’m left wondering how I could ever forgot the sheer enthusiastic intoxication that is springtime in Vancouver. So I opened my balcony doors wide open and made these fuchsia hued smoothies out of frozen blueberries and leftover pineapple from the night before. I find that if I add chia seeds to my smoothies, or anything really, they make me feel fuller, longer compared to a smoothie made without. They also thicken the texture, giving the smoothie more bulk and heft, which is particularly useful if you’re taking it to work and need it to get you through until lunchtime. I had my regular morning cup of tea with my smoothie, as well as a toasted pistolette roll with salted butter. This was such a nice way to start my day, which included such impressive feats as a short nap and a long walk along Kits beach with my mom and her tiny dog (and a lovely surprise bouquet of sunflowers from my husband).

pineapple and blueberry smoothie:

(makes 2 generous smoothies)

1 1/2 cups of diced pineapple, frozen or freshly cut

1 1/2 cups wild blueberries, frozen

1 ripe banana

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 cup of coconut water

2 tsp. chia seeds

Place everything in a blender and blitz until completely emulsified. Pour into 2 large glasses and enjoy.

I’ve been listening to Wild Beasts almost nonstop for the last couple of days. When I’m struggling with depression, which is how I would describe myself right now, I often will play only one album or one musician over and over again until it begins to feel like armour. Everything is so overwhelming right now, I can’t think past the moment I’m in or I feel full of panic. Wild Beasts is good music and good armour. They’re parts slithery Jeff Buckley, Future Islands, Of Montreal; sexy, moody, sombre, and dark.

Wild Beasts – Deeper