Saturday 20 December 2014

Third Trimester!!!

Feeling so blessed!!! My pregnancy has been wonderful so far!! Cannot believe I will hold our little baby in my arms in a few weeks time!!! 

Wednesday 26 November 2014

Kale juice



Starting my day with "joyous health" kale juice consisting of

4 leafs of kale
thumb size of ginger
1/2 cucumber
1 apple 
1 lemon

For more healthy recipes check out: www.joyoushealth.com


Tuesday 28 October 2014

Joyous Health recipe

just made these Goji Berry Glory Muffins from Joy McCarthy and her fantastic cookbook Joyous Health! Anyone who strives for a healthy lifestyle shoul read her book! Lots of recipes, too. She also had a website: www.joyoushealth.com



Tuesday 21 October 2014

Rainbow lunch

I made this rainbow coloured salad yesterday for lunch - it's so good and healthy that I am already craving it for today's lunch! 
This is what I put in it:
arugula
radicchio
sliced mushrooms
some mixed nuts (walnuts, almonds, cashew, hazelnut)
one mandarin (sliced)
goji berries

I was out of chia seeds but will use them in today's version - and I will add some fresh mango!

As a dressing I used sweet (honey) mustard mixed with a splash of coconut oil and water. 


Friday 3 October 2014

Apple and apple

Creating good habits is easier than you think. In the beginning you might have to force yourself to try new ways but then after five, ten, twelve times it feels natural and you don't wanna ever go back to the old ways. The *good* habit I created for myself a while back is drinking vitamins in the morning. 
Smoothies but even more so juices are my morning addictions. Hence, all I use in the morning is either my blender or my juicer. Today I created this fantastic yellow juice made of one whole pineapple (yes, it's sweet) and two Granny Smith apples. So simple, so yellow so good!




Tuesday 16 September 2014

Basil quinoa and red plums - vegan lunch


Our simple all vegan lunch yesterday: basil quinoa and season's fresh red plums.
I just washed the quinoa and then cooked it in vegetable stock and made sure all the liquid was absorbed. In the meantime I made a dressing from olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, thyme, rosemary and two handfuls of fresh basil. Make sure to use lots more basil than thyme and rosemary. You want the basil flavour. I sometimes add cherry tomatoes but yesterday I didn't. 
I washed and cut the plums, added some maple syrup for sweetness and a splash of lemon juice. Nutritious vegan lunch that takes less than 20 minutes to make!

Thursday 28 August 2014

Raspberries in a glass


I just love raspberries. When I was a child we had raspberries in our garden and I couldn't wait for them to ripen! One of my dream is it to have raspberry and blackberry bushes in my garden. For this smoothie I had to pick up the berries at the local fruit market. They cost a lot but are really good! Here is what I used for my smoothie:
One handful of fresh raspberries
One handful of fresh pineapple
A splash of coconut milk
One frozen banana 
A spoonful of agave syrup
Blend. Done. Enjoy.


Monday 18 August 2014

Vitamin boost

Strange colour but oh so good! Here is what I used: three apples, one pear, one kiwi, one handful of blackberries! 




Sunday 3 August 2014

NYC Bagles at home in Italy


Sometimes I get these cravings for certain foods that are unavailable to me here in Italy, such as my grandma's green bean stew, Nova Scotia chowder or New York style bagels. And when I mean, I am having cravings, I really have cravings, cannot think of anything else. Our of desperation I looked up New York bagel recipes as could not believe there actually were some! After reading carefully through many, I decided to try the one from "the sophisticated gourmet" http://www.sophisticatedgourmet.com/2009/10/new-york-style-bagel-recipe/ -and I do not regret it! The recipe is easy to follow and straightforward. You do need to dedicate some time to the process but it's so so worth it! Have a try. 









Saturday 19 July 2014

Green kind a mornin'

It's a green kind a mornin' here in Italy with way over 25 degrees at 10 a.m. and I decided to start my day with a green smoothie: 2 cups of baby spinach, 2 cups of ice water, 2 cups of frozen strawberries, 1 ripe banana, a handful of shredded flax seeds and some agave syrup. So refreshing and healthy!!

Sunday 13 July 2014

Orange breakfast

Love my new juicer!! And the recipes I try. This morning zu had a delicious carrot-apple-pineapple juice! It was Heaven!!!
 

Saturday 3 May 2014

Colourful fridge

What's in you fridge? Love mine packed with colours! Ready for the weekend! 

Monday 28 April 2014

Shopping spree

These bags are the result of a three day shopping spree with my sister and her friend! No, these are just my bags. Yes, my sister shopped as much as me if not more. And yes, I am officially broke!! 

Friday 28 March 2014

A pink heaven on my feet



It's lovely to live close to one of the most beautiful cities (if not THE most beautiful city) in the world: Venice! We spent last weekend there, enjoying the museums, window shopping and real shopping (obviously), sipping overpriced coffee, visiting the oldest casino in the world, eating ice-cream and loving life! 
There is just one down side when you're from around here: you do wanna dress "Italian style"; fashionable, trendy and not touristy. You wanna show you are from the area which usually comes with pretty but pretty uncomfortable shoes! That, again, is a huge problem when you're in Venice where you walk miles after miles after miles while discovering new streets, trying to find the exhibition site and eventually getting lost on your way back to the hotel. Not so easy. I opted for sneakers for my weekend trip, but trendy ones with a wedge. I admit I had previously never worn them for more than three to four hours at the time while mostly standing or sitting. In Venice however, we walked for hours and hours straight. The first day was somewhat okay but I suffered after just 30 minutes the next day. I obviously needed new sneakers, real ones. I managed to get comfy yet trendy ones: I loooooove my pink Nike Dual Fusion sneakers!!! They feel like heaven and saved my weekend in Venice. I will definitely wear them next time to the lagoon city and make sure to combine them with an Italian brand purse. They already go with my opi nail polish. Good to go!

Monday 17 March 2014

Stylish water intake

Once in a while my old problem of drinking too little reemerges. I need to constantly pay attention to get enough fluids into me throughout the day. Once every now and then I get a headache attack at night right before going to bed and it happens usually because I forgot to drink a lot.

Italians drink lots of water during meals and I got used to this custom. This helps to hydrate my body but the water with the meals alone is not enough. 
That's why I like to come up with healthy drinks that taste better than plain water and that make me crave fluids even more. Today I made a non-alcoholic Hugo - not so low-calorie but definitely one of my favourites.

Don't know what Hugo is? Hugo has been a popular drink for the past decade around here. It originated in Northern Italy and is the popular summer drink here as well as in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It's base is a prosecco and the special taste comes from the elderberry flower syrup and the mint leaves. Here is the original (alcoholic) Hugo recipe for a great summer drink:
3 ice cubes
2-3 tbs of elderflower flower syrup (the more you use the sweeter the tase)
100 ml of Prosecco 
50 ml of sparkling mineral water
1 tbl of squeezed lime juice
4-5 mint leaves
for a hint of colour throw in a raspberry or a small strawberry

And this is my non-alcoholic Hugo version, basically just leave out the prosecco and add more water:
3 ice cubes
2-3 tbs of elderflower flower syrup (the more you use the sweeter the tase)
250 ml of sparkling mineral water
1 tbl of squeezed lime juice
4-5 mint leaves
for a hint of colour throw in a raspberry or a small strawberry

For a healthier Hugo version use less syrup. This drink does obviously not substitute plain water, as the non-alcoholic Hugo is sugary due to the syrup. I like to sometimes just add some lime and a hint of the syrup to my water just to make water more fun! By the way, I buy the elderberry flower syrup at my local Ikea! Cheers! 








Tuesday 25 February 2014

Morning redness

My healthy smoothie of the day after my morning run along the beach in Italy:
Frozen red berries, apple sauce, yoghurt, almonds, popped amaranth - blend! And yum!!




Thursday 20 February 2014

Weirdness: green tea lattes


The whole coffee culture is still a myth to me after having lived for four years in Italy. A few years ago I learned that a "coffee latte" is a "latte macchiato", the translation meaning "spotted milk"; hot milk with a spot of coffee - makes sense. A "caffè macchiato" though is a "spotted coffee" whereas "coffee" here means espresso, not your German, American or Canadian Tim Horton's filter coffee. We conclude: "caffè macchiato" is an espresso coffee with a spot of milk. 

You need to specify here though if you want your "caffè macchiato" "caldo" or "freddo", "warm" or "cold". You can also ask for "senza schiuma", "without "foam" or you can ask for the milk on the side rather than poured onto the coffee. 

Once you understand the ordering process, it doesn't end here. For example, when I wanted to order coffee in Trieste a few months ago, which is only about an hour car drive away from where zu live, they did not understand me. In order to get a "decaf espresso with a bit of milk" (that was what I wanted) I should have asked for a "capo deca" - kind of like a decaffeinated mini cappuccino. Though some people would add here "capo deca in b" where "b" stands for "bicchiere"; "glass" instead of coffee in a cup. I have yet to see a what I consider "real cappuccino" in Trieste, I am sure you can get it somehow, but let's not go there. Ordering coffee in Trieste seems to be difficult even for Italians.

What I really wanted to say today is that I find it astonishing that Italians make all this fuss about how to order your coffee and when to drink it. The first rule I mentioned here before is that Italians never, and I mean never, drink cappuccino any other time during the day than in the morning. They just don't do it. And most of them think I am weird - and give me that look of "really?!" - when I order green tea with some milk on the side to make my "green tea latte" in the afternoon? I would say: everyone as they wish. 

Maybe Starbucks is still not present in Italy (!) because they are intimidated and are afraid to not keep up with all the coffee rules in this country. I would for sure love a "skim milk salted caramel hot chocolate no cream" from Starbucks once in a while. Ordering in front of the green-aproned staff members seems like a walk in the park after having lived in Italy. Trust me.

Saturday 15 February 2014

Happiness in pink

I received this fabulous bouquet of orchids from the best man in the world! I'm over the moon. Happyness.




Saturday 8 February 2014

Bring on the spring

I love it when my ikea couch slipcovers are white and shiny and newly washed. They smell like spring. The tulips enhance this feeling and make me think it's May not February! Gotta love your home. 

Friday 7 February 2014

One year, one challenge, one success



After one year of sweating, studying and contemplating, I can proudly say that I completed my yoga teacher trainings with Sadie Nardini today: the Evolution and the Rockstar training!
My intention was to blog about my experience as I went along with the courses, however, I realized that that was impossible to do. In order to do the training, you need to dedicate a full day of class, yoga and contemplation. Usually the discussions are about 1.5 hours long and there are two in a day. I took lots of notes and sometimes paused the video and replayed parts of it. Then there is the practice, two sessions, between 1.5 and 2 hours each. I usually did the practice session once while doing yoga and then I played it one more time to take notes about Sadie's instructions. This helped me a lot as her words really sink in this way and her language becomes very familiar and easier to replicate.
Whenever I practice now, I hear Sadie's voice in my mind as I know what she would say. This should make it easier to teach as well. Theoretically anyways. I think I would be able to teach yoga classes after this intense training and after having been practicing yoga for about 10 years. However, I would have a hard time finding students who would want to practice yoga with me and listen to my English instructions. I live in Italy and the language might be a problem. Before I can acually teach I would have to translate Sadie's instructions and get my anatomy vocabulary in Italian straight. Who knows how long this will take me to do. 
However, I will not give up as this is what I learned through the training. Baby steps can make the difference and here I am. Done with the courses.
Thank you, Sadie, for this beautiful experience and for sharing your knowledge with me. 
If you are interested in Sadie Nardini's courses, books and wellness tips, please check out her lovely website: www.sadienardini.com