Lately I have been feeling pretty clouded... same old story, come back from Vacation feeling fresh and excited and after a month or two you feel kinda drained again. I have read somewhere that when you start to feel that way you should actively seek out situations that you enjoyed while on holiday. Or look at pictures and close your eyes and imagine you are back there- it said it brings that holiday feel back and relaxes you. I decided to go swimming, nothing better than a 30min lap swim, a hot shower and a cool bike ride home. Brain is back on!
I have been so inspired by food lately, I LOVE to eat and I think about what to make all day. Food is something very special to me. Normally I get excited about something and then after trying it out for a while or learning about it my excitement sort of dies down, certain people might call that ADHD but I think it's just my personality and there is nothing wrong with it, I like things to change quickly...
BUT. food? I feel like I never ever get bored of it. First off- I need to eat it every day. Secondly- there are so many different foods that I haven't even heard of, so lots of new ideas! and Lastly- for the first time in my life I can let my creativity flow. I always thought I was creative, somewhere in my brain... but I could never tickle it out. Painting? Took too long. Sculpting? Naaah. Writing? Yeah. ok. Photography? I would really have to spend a ton of time to learn it...
But food? If you have an idea you make it, EAT it and giggle. What a dream come true. I've always had food as one of my top loves but our relationship has grown deeper, fresher, more exciting and adventurous.
Food. I. Love. You. You always make me feel happy.
This morning I wasn't feeling like my usual oatmeal self and made the most delicious breakfast I have ever made. I NEED to share this. So please, make it, and hopefully you will be crazed as much as I was. AND I had a craving for an egg and made my first poached egg! I DID IT! I DDDIIIIIIIID IIIIT! yum yum.
Breakfast madness
You need (for 4 peeps):
1 Large Sweet Potato
1/2 Cup Kale-Basil Pesto
16 Mini Tomatoes
4 Organic Eggs
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
1 TBSP Vinegar
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 200 Celsius. Slice the sweet potato (with skin) into medium-thin slices, lay out on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.
Cut the tomatoes in half, inside facing up- lay them on the baking sheet. Pop in Oven (20 minutes or so)
Last 5 minutes bring a pot of water to a boil, add 1TBSP Vinegar and turn the heat down so the water simmers. Crack the eggs and pour each into a cup before you slowly let it drop into the pot, use a spoon to help the egg-white to stay together. After 3-4 Minutes, take it out and place it on a cloth to let the excess water dribble off.
Turn the Oven off, take the baking sheet out and add 1/4 tsp of pesto onto every other slice of potato. Stack them however you want, add tomatoes on the side, drizzle with olive oil if you like, add some more pesto around the plate ( I should've swirled it around first... next time...) and plop the poached egg on top. Add salt and pepper, serve while hot and OH EM GEE enjoy.
Kale Basil Pesto:
1 Cup of chopped kale
2 Cloves of crushed Garlic
1 Bunch of fresh big leafed basil
4 TBSP Olive oil
Hand full of Walnuts
Salt and pepper to taste
Squeeze of lime
BLEND TOGETHER UNTIL SMOOTH
Guten Appetit!!!
(inspired by www.mynewroots.org -as always. lol)
I like routine after 4 weeks of spontaneous living, I like getting up around the same time every day, going for a run, having my breakfast and cruising the interwebs, going to work, school, coming home, relaxing, dinner, some fun etc. So, I was looking forward to some home time.
But... the first week was really tough. I was grumpy every single day-- you could also say that I felt underwhelmed. My expectations were so much sweeter than reality. I thought that my co-workers/patients/co-students had a nice relaxing summer as I did and that everybody was full of energy and ready to grasp life at its horns. But... it was just like it was before the break and nothing had changed. Everything seemed so incredibly lame. What a bummer. So yeah, I fell into the common after-holiday-blues...
I really tried to get out of it, I smiled and laughed a lot, I ate yummy healthy food, I forced (FORCED) myself to go to yoga and go run in the morning, met some friends and yet it really didn't work. poop.
Mh.
Good news? the second week was not so bad and now- IM OUT OF IT! yipee! I feel good! Da nana nana nanaaa SO GOOD. dang dang. SO GOOD.
I steered clear of the downers
and embraced all of my fire. I enjoyed the small things, I smiled on the inside just as much as the outside, I really looked at my life and what I am grateful for.
awesome? Yes, I think so too!
I threw myself into baking, cooking, reading new recipes and gave my creativity space. I enjoyed some rain and sun, some new tv shows and friends. Oh. and cuddles with my kitty. What a king of a cat.
After a down the up is always THAT much better!!!
Here's a random plate of food that made me happy in time of a pick-me-up.
Random veggie plate!
Ingredients:
- 1 large Aubergine
- 1 Fennel
- 1 Hokkaido Pumpkin
- Ingredients for a green salad (I used romaine lettuce, spring onion, radicchio, parsley)
- Dressing for the salad (olive oil, maple syrup, mustard, salt and pepper, apple cider vinegar)
- potatoes
- 2 cloves of garlic
Heat oven at 220 Celsius
Cut the hokkaido in half, scoop out the middle, place in the oven (about 40 mins/ until soft then chop into big pieces)
For the aubergine:
wash, dry and cut lengthwise in half, cut into the aubergine crisscrossed at a 45 degree angle (not through it though, just almost to the bottom), drizzle with lots of olive oil and stick chopped garlic into the creases.
Fennel and Potatoes:
Salt and pepper, chop em up, drizzle some sunflower oil over
Take a baking sheet, line it with parchment paper and place everything on it (you can mix, I preferred separate sections) pop it into the oven at 220 Celsius (about 20-30 minutes)
For the salad:
Chop everything, mix it well
Dressing:
1 Tbsp Olive oil
2 tsp mustard
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp maple syrup
Arrange however you want on plate, mix or separate foods! (You can also add a yummy tzatziki sauce- peel a cucumber, grate it, squeeze out all the juice (drink if you like) add 1 cup of greek yoghurt or your preference, add a crushed clove of garlic, salt and pepper. mhmh drizzle over all of it)
Guten Appetit!
I'
m back in Berlin and am feeling rejuvenated! My time in Singapore was spent by the pool in the sun, in restaurants and giggling with my brother.
I was however mistaken with my last post, saying that singapore has lots of rice dishes with fresh food. It DOES have lots of rice dishes but less fresh food than I expected. Being a vegetarian was harder than I thought it would be this trip (for some reason I can't remember it being this difficult the last trip).
I did, however, always find vegetarian dishes (at Non-veggie restaurants) or was able to eliminate the meat but it was more like the ONE vegetarian dish on the menu that in the end I had to get because there were no more options. Going to a vegetarian restaurant of course is always an option if you are with other veggie lovers (also in little India there are LOTS of Indian veggie options yuuuumy) But that was an unexpected struggle.
I made the granola bars, carrot and cucumber sticks and rice crackers to take on the plane, I also made a salad and I must say- best decision ever. I didn't eat the plane food, I asked the stewardess for a big 1,5l bottle of water and drank around 3-4 l (over the span of 13 hours). I slept and when I arrived I felt so incredibly NORMAL like I have never before after a long haul flight! So. It really does work!
I think it's vital to keep hydrated on a long trip but also to keep moving after you land. I went for a swim (pretty sweet to have that option!) and walked around in the sunshine. Also what is REALLY helpful is to walk barefoot on grass for 20min also called grounding/earthing.
The next day I did wake-up in a bit of a fog but ignored it and jumped on the treadmill and did some free weights, stretched like a maniac, drank A TON of water and guess what, my energy level was back up and the jet lag never hit me!
Amazing.
Another funtastic thing I did this trip? get ready guys-- I BOUGHT A RICE COOKER!
I already have a rice cooker but its the simplistic kind us europeans know- cooking and keep warm. This rice cooker I bought looks like an awesome space ship. I can cook any type of rice, steam, slow cook and even BAKE A FREAKKING CAKE. I am so excited about this new machine you can't even imagine. I L.O.V.E. rice in any shape size or form and now I can make it which EVER way I desire (even set a timer... yes! I can set a TIMER to when I want it READY.)
Bring it on asian influenced dishes cause this girl is excited!
This fun and easy dish I made for lunch before I flew--
Fresh and easy Stir-fry
Ingredients:
Brown Rice
Medium Onion
3 Carrots chopped
2 Medium size Zucchini (yellow and green) chopped
Hand full of Cashew Nuts
2 Cloves of Garlic
thumb size chopped fresh ginger
1.5 tsp Curcuma
2 tbsp of soy sauce (I use 'less sodium soy sauce')
1 tsp coconut oil
pepper to taste
1. Heat coconut Oil on medium heat in a pan, add chopped carrots and let them fry for a bit, add a splash of water if they start to stick to the pan
2. Add the chopped garlic and ginger, keep adding tiny splashes of water to make sure the garlic doesn't burn! let simmer 1-2 min
3. Add chopped onion and saute until the carrots are soft outside but hard in the middle
4. Add chopped zucchini, cashew nuts, Curcuma and soy sauce
5. Stir-fry until the zucchini are soft but not mushy
6. Serve with brown rice (you can also use brown rice from the day before and just add the cold rice and stir-fry to heat up. I would add it 1 min after step 4)!
Guten Appetit!!!
