Je Veux un "Ice Lolly!"

Finally, popsicles, and finally, the summer weather to go with them. I was inspired to make a cool and refreshing treat with the first few days of hot weather last week, with trips to the lake and riding on the scooter in shorts and flip flops, but as soon as they were made, wrapped in parchment, and stacked in the freezer ready to be eaten, there were clouds filling up the sky. The day following, these same clouds broke, and for the days after, and continuing over the weekend, it was a steady stream of heavy rainfall. 

I was thrilled the "first" evening we could have our windows and doors open again, and finish a relaxing day with a chocolatey and delicious ice lolly that filled taste buds with as much satisfaction as knowing they were made from the same whole ingredients we could pronounce and hold in our hands during a trip to the grocer. No added preservatives, no refined sugars or fats. 

Real ice lollies? You might not feel like it with a bite through its coconut coating and into the creamy chocolate filling. However, you'll be sure once the cool taste of it will be just the refreshment for a hot summer's day. 

I'm sitting in Quebec City airport now, the beginning of my summer in Quebec only an hour away, to when we'll board the bus and make the final leg of our journey, a three hour drive to Rivière-du-Loup. Despite traveling across Canada together, and going to schools practically next door, I have only just met another girl from Vancouver while we gathered bags from the rotating carousels and found the sign held by an animateur which will lead us to our summer "home." 

I'm glad the plane ride was easy, because the anticipation and nerves that I built up about being away from family for so long were not. A couple of hours in the Vancouver airport left me drowsy and wiped out for the plane ride, causing me to sleep most of the way, but so did spending a full couple of days with my sister who had just arrived home before I was expected to set off. 

And those days were full of ice cream dates, which have been planned for years, and thus fulfilled only twice over two days, plus a series of hours spent sorting through old clothes, toys and photographs, and drawn out mornings together with teas and coffees, pancakes and eggs, all which were enjoyed in our pajamas and glasses - finally my sister and I looked similar in our differences, my hair in tight curls, hers long and wavy, to name only one. 

We also kept busy late into the evenings, mostly because I didn't want the day to end, and be left with one less day to spend with my sister. Even the first night she was home, catching the last ferry and arriving just past ten pm, we stayed up by a plate of cheese and apple slices, while my mum and sister sipped on wine and we felt the ease of being back together, and our relaxation showed as we poked fun of each other and laughed.

However, as Saturday came to an end, it was almost the time when I would be dropped at the airport and begin travelling Quebec and exploring en français. We picked my sister's boyfriend from the airport and drove out to the southern coast of Vancouver, the ever-growing popular fishing town, Steveston. The cannery has become a tourist attraction, and the park with its expansive field has become an attraction to young and old who enjoy letting their kites out to the wind and pulling the strings to hold them in place. We walked through these flutters of colours, and even stopped for our second round of ice cream amidst the heat and crowds of picnickers and cyclists who thought the five o'clock treat was just the thing. Finally, we made our way back to the center of the town, and sat on the pier to enjoy a dinner under the heat of the sun, and with the flurry of wind off the water to cool us down. 

I was quieter and quieter over the time we sat there, the anticipation and emotions rolling over me and blocking my view of those last hours with my family. Mentally I was checking I had everything, and whether I knew exactly what I was going to do in order to avoid confusion in the airport as I boarded or went through security. 

I've found my way here though, made it through two flights and a bus ride. I've met people, and can manage the language with a little patience and perseverance. I'm sure that with a few more days my jetlag will have subsided, and I'll have settled in to a new routine, new classes, new people, and a whole new culture and environment, but with it a whole new excitement for the summer. Until I take a train in the middle of the night to visit my sister in Montreal that is. 

Avocado Chocolate Ice Lollies 

For a rich and creamy treat while sitting on the beach, or while enjoying the sunny weather as afternoon fades, plus the delicious taste of cocoa, these are the perfect refreshment to be taken straight out of the freezer! Simple preparations make these ice lollies quick and fast to be ready when you need them during busy summer plans.

To make the ice lollies raw, substitute the maple syrup for agave.  

{Makes 6 small ice lollies}

{Ingredients:}

2 ripe avocados

1/2 cup cocoa powder, raw and dairy-free

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup water 

75 grams coconut oil

4 tablespoons heavy coconut milk, from a can

3 tablespoons maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder

{Directions:}

In a blender, pulse pitted avocados until smooth. Add in cocoa powder, maple syrup, and water, and blend until fully combined. 

Transfer mixture into popsicle molds, inserting sticks on top and place in freezer. Freeze overnight. 

To make coating, melt coconut oil before stirring in coconut milk, maple syrup, and vanilla. Allow mixture to cool slightly before coating ice lollies. 

In a tall and skinny glass, just wide enough to insert the ice lollies, pour in the coating mixture. 

With squares of parchment prepared for each ice lolly ready, dip each lolly one by one into the coating, allowing it to drip off and harden slightly before wrapping in parchment and placing back in the freezer. Continue with all ice lollies, and repeat again to thicken the coat. 

Enjoy! 

xx S