My soul needed storms this week.
Wild, unrestrained, and fiercely beautiful.
I needed madcap nights where the rain fell in sheets instead of drops and gales hurtled leaves through the air as if they were snowflakes in a blizzard.
I needed to be out in it, buffeted and drenched and gloriously alive.
My soul needed the soaking as earnestly as our parched and thirsty soil, and both were fed most lavishly this week as we got hit with one storm after another.
It is so good to see green grass hurtling up through the rich, brown earth, thriving now that their roots have had a good soaking.
The trees look wonderfully vibrant too, their dust-coated leaves washed clean.
Even the animals have perked up. I loved looking outside during the worst of the storms only to see the ducks and geese all over the yard, faces into the wind, luxuriating in the coolness of the tempest.
Last night, in the fine drizzle between two storms, I went outside and beheld the most wondrous skies I’ve ever seen. Brooding and purple, wild and magenta, simmering and blue, like magnificent paintings splashed from one horizon to the other.
Everywhere I looked was a different palette, changing with the light, slashed by bolts of lightning, muddied by sheets of rain.
This sky is one of my favorites: so ponderous and heavy and powerful and marvelous.
It made me smile to see how the colors of the storm were echoed in the dessert I made: Raw Dark Chocolate Cranberry Pudding. It may be gluten-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free but it is lusciously decadent and packed with so much goodness it’s like a jolt of health to the body. Not only that, it’s easy as can be. Five minutes from start to finish.
Simply dump all ingredients – raw cacao, coconut or other non-dairy milk, fresh or frozen cranberries, real maple syrup, and chia seeds – into a blender or food processor and blend 3-5 minutes until it reaches desired thickness. Spoon into glasses and chill until ready to serve.
What sort of weather is nourishing you this week?
Raw Dark Chocolate Cranberry Pudding
Serves 2-4
Ingredients:
1 can coconut milk
1 cup almond/rice milk
1 cup frozen cranberries
5 tbsp chia seeds
1/4 cup good quality, raw cacao
1-2 Tbsp real maple syrup
Directions:
- Pour all ingredients into blender and blend on high 3-5 minutes until mixture begins to thicken.
- Pour mixture into 5-6 dessert bowls or glasses.
- Chill until ready to serve.
Stunning skies. 🙂
They put on quite a show, didn’t they, @LindyLouMac:disqus ? 🙂
Such gorgeous pics Krista! Some of my earliest memories as a kid involve storms so it’s amazing how something so “unrestrained” can make us feel so alive. Thankyou for sharing as always 🙂
I’m so glad that makes sense to you too, @119c2cee80d4ff8a6f3916096ddfc8dd:disqus 🙂 I’ve loved storms I was a little girl as well. 🙂
Beautiful, stunning!
Thank you, @lizposmyk:disqus 🙂 I’ve never seen such wondrous skies as I have in your beautiful Australia. 🙂
Awesome sky pictures, Krista. Nature scores well for producing them, but you win for managing to record them so spectacularly.
Thanks so much, @ken_powell:disqus I’ve never found such incredible sky inspiration as here in Australia. 🙂
When all around us were getting tennis ball sized hail, we got little piddly things. (thankfully) We did get some rain today (finally) but it all fell in about 15 minutes. We need soaking rains over here.
I’m so glad you only got small hail, @OrgasmicChef:disqus ! The big ones sound so scary. Wishing you good rains very soon. XO
What a show you had. . .love the clouds. . .much more colorful than those storms we have in the Pacific Northwest, wouldn’t you agree?!
Isn’t it a glorious show, @disqus_WseMqaTPwi:disqus ? You’re right, I never anything like this in Washington. 🙂
There’s nothing quite like a spectacular return of seasonable weather 🙂 Here, it was miserable late rains finally giving way to glorious snow – a swirling overnight blizzard that gave us just piles of it. Love the pictures and the words – makes me wish I was there to experience the power of the storm.
I’ve been admiring the pictures and descriptions of your wonderful snowfall that I’ve seen on Facebook, @rachelfriesen:disqus 🙂 It looks absolutely gorgeous and magical. 🙂
There have been jaw dropping sunsets here on the West coast as well Krista and I have seen them plastered all over Facebook from around the world .the planet is in turmoil, washing and cleansing itself.
The planet does seem to be doing crazy things, doesn’t it, @disqus_2LQ5qLN5aY:disqus ? I’m so glad that in the midst of all the mayhem, there are still stunning shows of beauty too. xo
Such glorious colors I can hardly imagine!
I was in complete awe, @tracyaltieri:disqus 🙂 I’d never seen anything like it. 🙂
omg! insanely gorgeous pictures of the sky krista. you captured it all so well. sorry i’m late to come and enjoy them!
http://mlleparadis.blogspot.com
No worries at all, @9d73767d10227efff04c7307e331304c:disqus 🙂 Hopefully one day you will get to visit Australia in the summer and see them in person. 🙂
Such gorgeous images!!!
I love the idea of this pudding too, healthy but chocolatey YUM!
Thank you so much, @GourmetGetaway:disqus 🙂 Yes, you’re so right about the pudding. It is SO good for you but tastes absolutely decadent. 🙂
Wow, so dramatic! I think I would really enjoy spending more time up in Queensland – I love a good storm!
Oh – those skies!! Too wonderful! Makes me homesick for South Africa – you just don’t get those skies in Europe 🙁