Food Friday: Chocolate Chia Pudding

For today's recipe I've got inspired, once again, by one of my favorite American Health Sources Mind Body Green and they showed a chocolate chia pudding recipe and a strawberry version. Of course I didn't really follow the instructions and just made mine up :)

Ingredients:

Chia seeds,

soy milk or other milk,

almonds or nuts,

cocoa powder,

some cinnamon and honey.

Mix two cups of soy milk with two to three tablespoons chia seeds, do one tablespoon of cocoa and stir until the colour of the milk is even. 

Shred one cup of almonds and stir into the chia-soy-cocoa mixture, let the bowl sit in the refridgerator for at least one hour. The mixture will thicken and the longer you will let it sit, the thicker it will be. Have some honey, cinnamon and fruits with it :) 

Enjoy it as a super healthy desert after dinner or let it sit until the next day and have it as a morning breakfast with frozen or fresh fruits :) Opening up your refridgerator you will find a super duper puddingy bowl of chia and chocolate!

Oh and do the double or triple amount of it if you want to share it with others :) 

My Food-Tip: Try to use it up as fast as possible, the combination with chocolate don't last long.

Watch out: Superfood Flaxseed Oil

When I was at my friend's house whose mum is a health advisor, she gave me some flaxseed oil to try. Of course I knew about flax seeds and I'd always add it into my oatmeal, but the oil of it? Made me curisous! She told me to have a spoon. Yes, pure oil =D At first, I was like.. okay, well, why not. I mean, I'd sometimes do it with coconut oil but not with like.. vegetable oil? Anyways, I've then added it to my oatmeal and it didn't really taste differently, but eaten pure I'd say that it has a special taste, not bad, just rich and significant.

Reading more and doing some research about this special oil, which contains 50% of omega-3-fatty acids, convinced me to buy it and add it into my everyday foods. So, before posting tomorrow's food friday recipe I've just wanted to tell you some good-to-know-facts about this superfood. 

Omega-3-Flaxseed oil comes from the Flaxseed plant and is one of the healthiest oils in the world. The flaxseed plant is growing in my area for many, many years and people would trade with it. Nowadays people make oil out of the plants through decating and studies found out that it has a lot of health benefits:

- contains about 50% unsaturated fats 

- antioxidant effects

- improves concentration

- may help with blood pressure, diabetes, eye and heart diseases

- helps fighting cancer

- anti-inflammatory and so on...

If you want to read more about flaxseed oil, follow this link to the Medical Center of the University of Maryland or read this post about the health benefits by the Global Healing Center. 

I am taking flaxseed oil for more than a week now and I don't know if it's the oil, but I do feel healthier, also because me adding more of chia seeds into my everyday foods and trying to get back on track ;-) So, where did I get this? Mine is from Agriluna, here you will find it and will get your own dose of plant-based goody-fats :) 

Oh and be aware that you have to keep it in your refridgerator, add it to freshly made salads, your muesli, oatmeal or just have a spoon ;-) No heating up or cooking! Sooner or later I'll post another food-statement of myself because for now, I'm heading more into 'vegetarian' and 'raw' food :)

Best of Berlin: Sports

Feeling alive, being active, love, passion, soul.

Staying healthy x my food routines

How is this post going to be? Let's see.

Sometimes, when you're busy and exhausted, being tired all day and don't have time to think about a recipe or you just don't want to cook, anyone tends to just have a snack or eat something fast. And yes, I have to admit that I haven't worked out since two weeks now (skating is no workout for me, it's more like a pleasure) and I do feel kind of guilty, but I am not saying that I don't have time. 

I honestly don't like it when people say that they don't have enough time for something because if it's important they'd make time. Anyways, my point is that if I do not workout, I have other priorities like seeing friends and doing activities like skating, cooking, visiting the baltic seas since I'm going to leave Berlin in two weeks :( :( 

Still, the thing is you can actually stay healthy when you are aware of what you eat. I just want to give you some tips to stay healthy when your calender is about to explode. And no, there's no calorie-counting or making-oneself crazy about food choices. But I guess, that's everyone's own choice if you want to nourish your body with fuel or rather with a short sugar-spike.

Breakfast: Start your day with carbs and fruits, be it a fruit salad with some bread and cheese, an egg-omelette with a bagel or oatmeal topped with sliced fruits. Load up on carbs, prefer whole-grain and oats. No processed food at all.

Lunch: And then usually I'd have some fruit between breakfast and lunch again, just to have something fresh and enough sugar for the day. For lunch I often have a whole-grain sandwich with protein, salmon or cheese. Spread some vegetable spread on it or have a salad and bread. I'd always try to have some carbs, raw vegetables and protein.

Afternoon-Snack: Working or being at college all day, I usually have a down-turn around 3 to 5pm, in which I just want to sleep or rest a bit. There's no way out but having an afternoon snack since power-napping doesn't really work with me. Try it out, maybe it does work for you? It's recommended to be 20 to 30 minutes long. As an afternoon snack I'd have some fruit again, almonds, dark chocolate, green tea or self-made granola bars.

Dinner: For dinner I usually stay low-carb. Yes, I have to admit that I try not to eat carbs at all for dinner. It's not a diet for me, because I still eat carbs now and then but since living in the U.S. I've noticed that having no carbs at night I do not feel full as much so that I sleep better. Furthermore eating low-carb at night I can maintain my weight and I think it's reasonable that you do not need carbs at night anymore, since you're heading to bed afterwards. 

Oh boy, this is another food post I guess but I think you guys should know what my food habits are, you might question some of my recipe-posts. So, yeah, these are just a few tips to stay healthy and if you try it out, you might feel better, too. Be aware that I'm not saying this will work out for everyone of us and that this is the best to follow. It works for me, so try things out and see what works best for you :) We're all different and therefore have different needs and intentions. Maybe you're an athlete and you need tons of carbs, so go ahead, your body will thank you for ;-) Some of my friends, which have been influenced a bit by me, said that they feel much better and their skin is becoming better from day to day. I sincerely believe that you can eat your way to a healthy body, skin, appearance and will gain more benefits from it.

Start with healthy food shopping. And YES, I definitely indulge in some ice-cream, chocolate bars and pizza now and then, too. My mantra is: Go for 80% healthy, clean and raw and then 20% anything you're craving for (mine would be ice-cream in the summer). Many have asked me: Aren't you lusting for some cheese cake or chips and nutella sometimes? My answer: No, I think it's because I try to eat as clean as possible so that my body does not crave for artificial sugars and so on. Nevertheless, if there's a party or a BBQ, I definitely eat, lots, but do not feel guilty at all since I'm eating clean most of the time.

And never forget: Always have fun by doing it. If you do not want to make small changes in your food habits, then don't. This is a post for everyone who likes to experiment!

Click for more food pictures I've taken of my eats in the past, just found them on my computer...

Food Friday: Granola Bars!!!

When I was travelling through California last year we took a roadtrip with a guide and a group of cool Internationals. Hiking and camping in the woods, we ate a lot of granola bars and yes, our group name was GRANOLA! :) Haha, super funny!

How come that I made some? Well, working in the office eight hours a day, I always have a down-point in the afternoons. It's like I'm totally unfocused then and not as creative as in the mornings, additionally I'm super tired and tend to drop off into dreams. The solution: maybe a bit of sugar would help: fruits, nuts, dark chocolate and a cup of green tea are my go-tos. This time I've wanted to try out the no-bake granola recipe from Mind Body Green, but of course I did transform it.

Some Power for Yoga

 

It occurs that once in a while my body does not feel strong enough to go for a run or to do an hour of strength workout. Then, I try to do some stretches and add some power to my yoga exercises. These days I really feel like I need some stretches in the a.m. since I'm sitting all day in front of the computer.

So, this is just a yoga video to help you get started in the mornings. Only ten minutes per day can help you to stretch out and start the day right.

Have fun with yoga! :)

Bread x Seeds x Nuts x Quinoa

I just LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe, maybe one day I'll open up a health-store selling my own bread and health-foods like green juices and stuff! Haha! Anyways, super easy, super fast, use this signature recipe:

3 and 3/4 cups OR 500g whole-grain flour

2 cups of different seeds (pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds) and nuts (almonds)

and I'd say 2 small cups of uncooked red quinoa

1/2 liter water

1 package active- dry yeast

2 regular teaspoons salt

2 regular tablespoons vinegar.

Just wanted to try out some quinoa, more seeds and nuts in my bread. Friends and I loved it! You should go ahead, make some bread and experiment with different add-ons!

Enjoy some Breadlove! ♥

Food Friday: Couscous Patties x Ratatouille

Do you know these days, when you come home and just want to chop and cook? Yeah, that was Monday night when I came home from work and was lusting after burgers. You'd say: How, you've just had some last friday! Well, yeah, but I was lusting after VEGETABLE burgers, the ones, which a good-friend's-mum made out of millet. This time I didn't have millet, so I did some with couscous. 

Sitting in the kitchen and talking to a friend I've just started chopping up some vegetables and the night ended up having friends over who stayed and a big meal with more additions like ratatouille and stir-fried chicken. Haha, I felt like a mum feeding all her kids, but why not? Cooking is just so much fun for me, I want to share with everyone :) Click for the recipe!

Frozen Berries and Orange Juice

Need some vitamins? What about a dose of antioxidants paired with a fresh orange and some currants? :) For many people orange juice is essential for a good breakfast and most of the time they'd get the store-bought one. My question would be, why not make your own juice because then you wouldn't have any added sugar. 

On sunday mornings when I'm having a big breakfast or brunch - oh yeah, I'm totally a breakfast-gal - I always need some fresh fruits. This time I went for some juice. Just throw some frozen berries, a peeled orange and other fresh ingredients in your mixer and there you go: A cold summery juice to give you a kick in the morning and start your day right! Simple as that, just try it!

My health and food-tip: If I cannot get fresh berries I always try to have a bag of frozen ones in my freezer since it's so easy to just make some juice or even dessert in the summer. And yes, the berries will still have their vitamins and antioxidants, do not worry: read the difference between fresh, dried and frozen blueberries here at the NY Times health section.

Beat the heat with Frozen Bananas!

Yesterday I was putting some bananas into the fridge, don't ask my why I came up with this idea. I've read about this in several food blogs living in the U.S. that this is such a healther choice comparing to ice-cream. Indeed!

I've put them cutted up in the middle for like 2 hours in the freezer and there you go: Frozen Bananas! Peeling them might be hard, I did it with my teeth and a knife =D But for next time, I might peel them first and then put it in the freezer but when I had my first bite: it was love!  Haha, yeah love at first bite! It's super duper delicious!!! Try it and have some healthy frozen banana to beat the heat in the summer. Swap it for ice-cream and popsicles, this is natural sugar, guys, you cannot beat this! I think kids will love this, too ;-)

Since I love ice-cream, especially chocolate or fruity flavours, I've tended to eat a lot in the summer. This here is just the perfect substitute for sugary ice-creams. I could imagine doing this again with some dark chocolate or coconut sprinkles on top :) Will try and then post it ;-)

Happy summer! xx

Getting back on track: #3 Muscle ache and maintaining

How do I feel after a good workout the day before? I can feel my muscles which I haven't used for a while and don't you feel great?! :) Yeah, it might hurt and you're feeling like: Oh my, I cannot move anymore, just want to lay down and sleep forever.

Trick: Do not! MOVE instead! What? Yes, really, I'm telling you, the muscle ache will leave when you keep on exercising and moving. If not, the ache will take much longer to heal itself. Then you'll wait another week for the next workout and then the day after you'll have another ache. So, get moving and try to get used to exercise. 

I try to exercise most of the days rather than working out one day per week and skipping six. With this method, I can skip one or most of all two days in a row and then get moving again. You do not have to go for another run or do the same workout again, find some light exercise like yoga or find a sports hobby like longboarding, soccer, tennis, biking, beach volleyball, inline skating or climbing. Anything fun!

How to find a hobby? Try things out and do it for one week, and then another and see if it fits your lifestyle and if it has the right purpose for you. For example: Yoga and meditation for me is to keep me focused, to clear my mind and to calm down in this hectic world. Longboarding is passion and freedom, I'm feeling like a kid again. Need this for new inspiration and energy. Find YOUR active hobby!

Furthermore: Working out hard you might also feel: Okay, I can now allow myself some ice-cream, cake or cookies. My thought would be: Did you workout the first time in your life or do you do it every single/or other day? If so, then hell yeah, go for it! If it was your first time, I'd try to stay away from sugar and fats or did you workout to maintain bad food habits? And NO, I do indulge as well, but just not as often ;-) 

I choose to nourish my body with greens and engery. Just anything which lifts me up. At the end it's your body, it's on you!

I might post an article on how to say NO to bad food choices soon, so stay tuned, keep moving and never give up! :)

Getting back on track: # 2 Strength training

Today was the first time since three weeks that I started my strength workout again. I would do this two to three times a week, 60 minutes each session. So, I try to mix it up, one day going for a 45 to 60 minutes run and then the next day strength training. 

Why? Because I feel sooo much better when working out. I'd do this in the a.m. to kick up my metabolism and to just have a fresh start into the new day. You know what I do before major exams? Meditation and then working out! It frees my mind and then I can really focus on the important things. Try it.

And girls! Don't be afraid of some sit-ups and push-ups, I think strength training is essential since you're just toning up your muscles a bit. And no, I don't want to bulk up and become a female hulk! I just think that especially when you get older it's more difficult to gain muscles or to actually keep them, even more when you're a girl. Why start exercising when you're already  sick? Start now when it's still easy to kick your butt and get moving!

Tips?

Food Friday: Mango x Green Salad

In summer I'm always longing for fresh and raw food. The other day I was invited for an International dinner at friends' place. Everyone had to bring some food from their own culture. This is just a nice activity to spend some quality time with friends, good food and to get to know their roots better.

This was another improvisation session for me. I wasn't thinking about any special dish from Vietnam, instead I bought some ingredients and mixed everything up with a bit of fish sauce. Read on for the recipe.

Getting back on track: The time is NOW!

# 1: Food habits

Oh wow, after binging on food and having a döner here and there it's just super hard to get back on track. I mean going for a run once in a while is okay, but keep doing it is the real thing. Being dedicated to your actual lifestyle is hard especially when you're stressed out, having friends over who'd eat fast food and so on.

Here's the deal: I've been eating 'badly' for my standards for like three weeks now and I do feel unhealthy. I'm always tired, feeling sick and sluggish. Additionally there was the Berlin Fashion Week three weeks ago and then I had friends over from home for like.. yeah, they stayed three weeks long. Result: No meditation, no strength workout, bad food choices and being inconsistent with my routines.

You know what I really do not like? When people around you say things like: Hey, don't be hard on yourself, you can have that once in a while... Well, what if that 'Once in a while' happens every other day?! NO MORE! I do not understand how people would be like: Hey, yes you should definitely eat fast food when you actually know that's bad for you. I get that it tastes good and stuff, but it slows down your metabolism and you'll feel like me: Sick. 

I think it's not worth it when you pay with your health, so I rather stay away from fats and sugar.

I'm lacking of energy, so what my body really needs is: REAL food meaning vegetables, fruits, whole grains and seeds. Tons of water as well!   

It's so easy to just give in and to indulge in food cravings, but what I ask myself right now is: Do I really want this long-term? Did I start eating healthier and mindfully to give up after almost two years? NO! And this is not a diet, this is a lifestyle change. Let's get back on track starting NOW.

Here are some tips if you want to get healthier and read my weekend food shopping post for a refridgerator-makeover!

YES, call me a health-freak ;-)

Rest.

The reason why I haven't posted anything over the weekend or not as much as I'd liked to, was because I was busy caring for others and doing so many things all at once. I'm not going to talk about my problems here but the only thing I have to realize once more is: Listen to your body.

Listen hard. When your body is showing you signs like a bad headache over days, bad mood or you're just exhausted, stressed out and easily annoyed, something IS wrong.

Your body then is telling you to pull the handbrake! Slow down. And this moment right now, I need to admit that my body and my mind need a rest, I have to take responsibility of myself. If not, I can tell you that your body will force you to stop. How? You'll get sick, get a fever and will stay in bed for days. Back in April/May I had a really bad fever I've never had before. My lymph nodes were totally swollen and I was just weak.

Weak to even get up and to dress up myself. After the first day of staying in bed I was like: Oh my, I do not want to stay in bed all day and waste time doing nothing. You're actually NOT doing nothing. Your body is trying to heal itself by forcing your mind to keep calm. Although the doctor told me to take medication, I did not. I've wanted my body to heal itself, not depending on medication, how I cured myself? Next time I'll tell you. 

Do not push too hard. Yes, being ambitious, having high expectations of yourself and all is good, but do not push against your health, your well-being. Take rests if you need it. Really! I know we're all young and there is this stupid saying 'You can sleep when you're dead' but what's the point of pushing to the limits, so that you have to stay in bed for three weeks (or even longer) and then be annoyed of yourself that you've let it come to that. Honestly, who wants to be sick, weak and not being able to step outside of the bedroom? Slow down, do not rush, breathe. Time flies anyways whether you're rushing through life or having some rest once in a while.

So, I'm very much looking forward to some down-time this coming weekend, let's see if I can stay unplanned for the whole weekend. No plans, no schedule, just living in the day and resting. 

Take care :)

Food Friday: Kristin's Vegetable Curry x Bok Choy

Having friends from home over is a real luxury, especially when they cook for you :) This friday I want to represent you a super-duper-delicious recipe from my dear friend Kristin. It's funny how she cooks because she does not use any salt and pepper, and whenever I ate her food I was like: Really? NO SALT AND PEPPER?! She'd answer: Uhm..yep! Still, it's surprisingly delicious!

Have some vegetables: Broccoli, Green Pepper, Bok Choy.

Cut them into small chunks and then stir-fry them in the pan with some vegetable oil.
Add two table spoons of curry powder, one quarter spoon of cilantro, 
add one can of coconut milk. Dash some pine nuts, almonds and sunflower seeds
and then depending on your taste: add more curry.
Oh totally forgot the pineapples: add some for a bit of sweetness!

Have some healthy wild rice with it :)

I love the idea of cooking with no salt and pepper, you will taste the vegetables differently.
Try it and have a new experience in cooking. 

Worth a sweat

When you're stressed out, go for a run! It's worth a sweat because afterwards you will feel super good. Yeah, so that's how I look like after a run =D Being a fulltime-intern and then having friends over from family I barely find time for myself. I have to admit that I didn't meditate for about two weeks and didn't workout again until last weekend. Whenever I come home from work I'm like: Okay... I'm super tired, would love to just hang around and sleep. Then I'll tell myself: NO! Kick your butt and get back on track! Get out of your comfort zone and don't become lazy. Lazy about you, about life and its struggles. 

MOVE. You're one run away of being happy.

And indeed: It's worth a sweat and I do feel much better afterwards. 
Loving it!

Vegan Burger x Sunday Shopping

What are you guys doing on sundays? For me, I just love sundays fleas and markets. Right now, I'm having friends over from my little hometown and we've made it to the handmade supermarket. I was very much looking forward to the vegan burger and the fairtrade products. The vegan burger from Sunday Burgers with tofu, red beets, sprouts and three different sauces was just delicious. I'm telling you, go there, get it, have it, you'll be instantly happy. The sauces were chili-chipotle, peanut-coconut and mango-chutney, everything self-made! Besides I had the berry juice, full of antioxidiants and super healthy, love the pink colour!

Strolling through markets I'm always tempted to get myself some handmade jewelry. I had to get the bracelet from Maugold Berlin because it's something different and I'm drawn to anything gold and green. I think this is a statement bracelet. Whenever I see things like that, I'm always like: I should start doing more DIY-stuff, but I just don't take my time for it. Are you up for DIY?

Happy Sunday! xx

Food Friday: Stir-fry tofu x Bok Choy x Soy curry

What is it called? Yeah, improvisation with ME! Last night, I had some friends over and we were like: What to cook? What to eat? No idea! The only thing I knew was: I was longing for tofu and curry. We bought chinese bok choy, wanted to steam it and then dip it into fish sauce. A simple dish. Instead I did something totally different. Have a look.

This moment right now, I choose to be happy

The Habits of Happiness

‘Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.’ ~Dalai Lama

By Leo Babauta

I’m not one who believes you can be happy all the time, but I have learned you can be happy much of the time. And that’s not something that depends on how your day is going or how others treat you — it depends on what you do on a regular basis. I remember being unhappy most days, at one point in my life. It wasn’t because I hated the people in my life — I had a lovely wife, great kids, other wonderful family members and friends. It was because I was unhappy with myself, and that caused growing debt problems, unhappiness with my job, health problems and more. I felt like I couldn’t change any of that.
Then one day I sat down and made a list. I make a lot of lists — it’s one of my favorite habits — but this list seemed to have a magical power. It was a list of the things I was grateful for. Amazingly, there were a lot of things on the list, from things about my wife, kids, relatives, and friends, to things about my job, about nature around me, about my life.