I woke up this morning feeling very unmotivated and generally “blah”. I felt like staying in bed all day. Mornings like these suck and my best antidote is: Doing lots of things.

So I first decided to skip pump and get my hair done. To be honest, it’s not much of an amazing thing to me because I hate getting my hair cut. It’s just so boring . However, my split ends were unbearable and something had to be done.

 Me likes very much.

Afterwards I headed to Starbucks and was shocked to find this on my vanilla soy latte:

Snowflakes! Are you kidding me? It’s autumn!

See? Leaves are still on the trees. Which means it’s autumn. Thank you very much.

Afterwards I bought new glasses. Yes new glasses because I’m now pretty sure I lost the old ones! Can you believe it.. (And I never lose anything.. But my beloved glasses…)
So I have to get my eyesight tested next week and they’ll get the glasses done after ten days (which means 17 days in total.. My only thought was “Thank god I get them before the New Moon premiere lol). The glasses are by Armani which automatically makes me a hipster now. Yes indeed.

My lunch date was Selina. I really like her .

We went to the Spaghetti Factory where I had a green Salad and Mushroom Spaghetti. Mmmmm…

And then we went and visited a dear friend in hospital . She can go home tomorrow but it was still really sad to see her like that..

Plans for this afternoon / evening / night are:

• Yoga with my dear friend Dave Farmar
• Making some yummy treats
• Cooking dinner (I’m in the mood for kale and lentils. Is that weird?)
• Watching a film (either Slumdog Millionaire or Sunshine Cleaning… Not sure yet)
• Going out (Girls night!)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! To those who celebrate it. I don’t.

G’day everyone. Or should I say good night? It’s 10:30 pm and any normal 22 year old should be outside, partying somewhere (major sigh) but hey, where’s the fun? I’d rather stay inside and bake muffins. And practice yoga. And maybe watch a film laters. (Duh..)

Well I guess that you all like muffins. If not: You’re weird!!!!
Muffins are sometimes (more often than not) huge guilty pleasures. That’s why I love Angela’s Flax & Oat Breakfast Power Muffins. They’re sweet but healthy and a great breakfast for busy days. They were done in 30 minutes (preparing and baking time included) but this time I made a few alternations because I didn’t have some of the ingredients on hand..

1 ripened banana
2 tsp. Olive Oil
1 organic brown egg
1/4 cup non-packed brown sugar maple syrup
1/2 cup freshly grounded flax seed
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oats buckwheat flour (no oats! GASP!)
1/2 tsp. baking soda

I will try them tomorrow morning. If they’re crap: Please follow Angela’s recipe .

I can smell Saturday! Hooray!!

P.S: I made photos of the amazing muffins but I forgot the cable at work which means that I have to go to the office tomorrow morning before pump. Oh well. But to prevent this post from being über naked I’ll give you:

Karin + Canoe + Tiny Swedish Island + Vest + Ray Ban’s  = Coolness

Edited to add:

They were good by the way

Hold your seats my friends because what follows now is the best olive bread ever!(Tam tam taaaam….) Seriously, I can tell, I’ve had my fair share of olive breads.

Oh my god those flavors!! I’ve never been a  big bread baker before but I really love our little triathlon Wednesday tradition! But now I wonder how any other bread could ever beat this one (I swear it’s that good!). Ah I’ll treasure the recipe forever. Speaking of which: Here it is!

Haha ok, here’s the recipe in English for everyone who can’t read German (alternations added):

Olive Bread

(Makes 2)

Ingredients:

3 tbsp parsley or mint, roughly chopped (We used 2 handfuls of parsley)
1 cube of fresh yeast (Had none so I used one envelope of active dry yeast)
1 tbsp salt
750g flour – Roughly 7 cups (We used WW flour)
225g pitted black olives (I’d say, 2-3 cups. Depends on how much you have on hand)
4 tbsp olive oil, roughly chopped
2 red onions, chopped
500 dl (2 cups) of water (I’d strongly suggest you to start with 1 1/2 cups at first, we thought that 500dl was a bit too much)

Directions:

Sauté the onions in the olive oil for a few minutes. Mix the yeast with the water (we left that out because our dry yeast didn’t have to be mixed with water..) and add a pinch of sugar.

Slowly add flour and salt as well as the onions, olives and parsley. Mix everything in you bowl and transfer the dough to a floured surface. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes (I know that’s tough but it’s worth it!) until the dough doesn’t stick to the surface anymore.

Put the dough in a bowl and cover it up. Let it rest in a warm place for 30 minutes – 1 hour until it’s twice the size.

(We were a bit confused by the “warm place” and so we simply put it on the old fashioned heater)

(It got super big)

Preheat the oven to 220°C / 425°F and put a baking paper on a tray (you might want to use 2 trays if you have a small oven..). Knead the dough again and separate it in two halves. Make two round loaves and put them on the baking tray. Cover them up and let them rest again (no time written but we let it rest for 10 minutes). Cut in a few stripes (this sounds silly but I have no better description) and bake them for 40 minutes. Bake them until they sound hollow when you knock on them.

Let them cool & try a piece as soon as you won’t burn your mouth.

They’re truly fantastic. The onion and olive flavors work really well together. An other proof why they’re worth the effort: We snuggled in bed and watched True Blood and FELL ASLEEP! I woke up 20 minutes after we’re supposed to take them out (imagine my shocked sleepy face – I bet I was quite a stunner). But no harm done, they were still amazing and yummy. (See? Nothing can kill this bread!)

Of course I had to make a sandwich this morning. Ah, that’s what I call love.

Yesterday’s dinner was – may I say it – quite a stunner. But honestly; anything with quinoa will please me .

Silvio (the boyfriend, in case you didn’t know) and I adapted this recipe a little bit. I loved the flavors of this dish, especially the pumpkin seeds, which was quite a surprise.

Please note that we didn’t have any 1/3 cups or ¼ cups on hand which is why we eyeballed everything..

Here’s our adapted recipe, the original was made by the great Heidi on 101 cookbooks.

Quinoa pesto mix

Ingredients:

a splash of extra-virgin olive oil
a pinch of fine grain sea salt
1 shallot, minced
3 cups cooked quinoa* (or brown rice, or other grain)
1 cup corn, fresh or frozen (I used one can of corn)
1 1/2 cups kale, spinach or other hearty green, finely chopped
2 cups extra-firm nigari tofu, browned in a skillet a bit (had none at home)
1/3 cup pesto
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
1/4 cup roasted cherry tomatoes** (or chopped sun-dried tomatoes)
½ cup water

Directions:

In a big skillet or pot heat the olive oil and salt over medium-high heat. Stir in the shallot and cook for a minute or two. Stir in the quinoa and corn and cook until hot and sizzling. Stir in the kale and then the tofu, cooking until tofu is heated through. (Edited to add: I added ½ cup of water as well because the quinoa started sticking to the bottom of the pot. It might not be necessary if you use frozen corn..) Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the pesto and pumpkin seeds. Mix well so the pesto is spread throughout. Turn everything out onto a platter and top with the cherry tomatoes.

Serves 4 – 6.

*Rinse about 2 cups quinoa in a fine-meshed strainer. In a medium saucepan heat the quinoa and 4 cups water until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer until water is absorbed and quinoa fluffs up, about 15 minutes. Quinoa is done when you can see the curlicue in each grain, and it is tender with a bit of pop to each bite. Drain any extra water and set aside.

** To roast cherry tomatoes: Heat oven to 350F degrees. Cut each tomato in half and arrange in a large oven-proof baking dish. Mix together a big splash of olive oil, a spoonful of brown sugar, and a few pinches of salt – pour this over the tomatoes. Gently toss them a bit, making sure they all get coated, finishing with each tomato facing cut-side up. Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes or so, until the tomatoes are shrunken and sweet.

We served everything with Silvio’s delicious garlic bread (garlic, butter, olive oil, salt and pepper mixed and spread on the bread. Topped with parsley and chili flakes).

Can you believe me that it’s the first time I had kale?? I haven’t found any in the groceries and almost screamed when I found some yesterday. Honestly, I had quite a party for myself right there. Kale’s cool . My green monsters will get a new addition.

Isn’t that a beauty??

Yesterday was also a day for beer. Sometimes it’s just necessary to drink beer while cooking.

After dinner we made the (possibly) best olive bread ever. The recipe will follow later. Stay tuned!

Good morning everyone!

Working 9am-10pm two times in a row is really confusing. I was pretty sure that today was Friday. Too bad that I’m wrong. Le sigh.

I can’t tell you about my work because this is the internet and I don’t feel super comfortable with talking about it but for your info: I work for the state. Or something like that . We “hosted” a concert last night so I knew that dinner would be difficult (doors opened at 6pm and the concert started at 7pm). I had to check the reservations and prepare the snacks and drinks and for dinner I had a tiny banana on the run. Now, that was probably the problem.

I ended up eating tons of chips (or “crisps” for my British friends ). I had some off time after the concert has started and that’s when that bag was staring at me, begging me to grab some chips that was inside of it (I swear it was like that! ).

I munched and munched and couldn’t stop. Ok I did stop eventually . Resisting the “urge to munch” is pretty easy for me and I don’t mind skipping the “bad stuff” but sometimes it just goes overboard. And in these situations I simply have no self control at all. The reason for attacking the chips was (and that’s a guess I’m pretty sure about) the lacking dinner. So if I would have eaten a propper dinner, I might have resisted the evil chips. Or not .

How do you prevent mindless munching? I’d love to hear your thoughts..

Last night I ended up working until 10pm (major sigh..) but set the alarm for 5am anyways. I managed to get up at 6pm and do some 25 minutes of morning yoga and then 20 minutes of detox yoga. I actually wanted to do a longer session but I really needed some sleep . I feel super awake now though, hehe.

 Now on to an other story: My mum’s a dental hygienist and is really fascinated by teeth (isn’t that weird?). It’s great that she loves her job but she sometimes gives me things to try out which are.. well.. different.

My mum is also Japanese and Japan is quite well known for inventions that no one needs . It was only a matter of time until she brought something weird / tooth related back home .
And here it is, my personal weird toothbrush:

Gotta love my mom.

She gave me this toothbrush ages ago and I dug it out last night (it was hidden somewhere and I just discovered it yesterday). I have to admit that brushing my teeth became so much more fun!

Here’s me striking a very sexy pose this morning:

Yes I know how to rock the hot toothbrush look.

On a different note: I got the hemp seeds that I ordered the other day!

That’s how to make a girl happy!

Tonight we’ll have to work til 10pm again. Oh I love two incredibly long working days in a row! ..Not..

Ohmygod, two posts within a few hours. I’m taking things overboard today, am I not?

I have to work until 9:30pm tonight so I wanted to make something super filling for lunch today as I don’t really have that much time for a “real” dinner. I went to the organic food store and picked up some vegan ravioli and spinach, prepared everything in the office and added some olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

The ravioli is quite amazing; the ingredients list is super short (spelt flour, mixed veggies, salt, oil) and each piece was a bit mushy, not typically pasta-like, but I loved it.

So yes, the title of this post is Vamp up your pasta but that was just due to lack of creativity. I loved the mix though and got in some really nice greens.

The organic question

There’s so much talking going on about organic food and so I decided to add my opinion as well (as if there weren’t enough opinions floating around already). I am extremely pro organic food because I simply believe that it’s better to eat food in the natural state (or cooked of course but pesticide-free). I’m not comfortable with the pesticides that are in the products  and most of the produce I buy is organic. However, I also go for the non-organic version when there’s no “organic option” around or if it just doesn’t matter much if it’s organic or not. Avocado for example is ok non-organic because it’s less susceptible. Over here avocados are much more expensive when they’re organic and I’m not the richest person on earth so my priority on the organic list are products that are most prone to pesticide contamination (like apples, spinach, bell pepper, strawberries…).

Talking about organic food naturally leads us to the money. I also live on a budget but don’t get all worked up if there’s no organic food because let’s be honest: life gets in the way and we can’t eat organic food 24/7 (or at least I can’t – I would have to stop eating in 99,8% of the restaurants of Bern). I however have to smirk sometimes when people say that they don’t eat organic food because it’s so expensive. I agree that it’s more expensive than non-organic produce but aren’t these pennies worth it for your health? I would rather eat good food than getting a haircut every month. If your budget isn’t that big try reducing the costs with preparing food yourself. Today’s lunch cost me 10 Swiss francs (which is probably around $11 right now). And yes, I was a bit surprised by the 9.- ravioli as well but I probably would have paid more than 15.- if I ate out.

My advice is not to get too stressed out about organic food. Yes it’s good for you and yes I’d recommend it to everyone but don’t worry if you don’t have access to organic food. It doesn’t make you a  worse person if you really can’t afford it or if there’s no good organic food around you. Life happens.

Do you often eat organic food?

I have a love / hate relationship with Sundays. I think they’re great because they’re mostly relaxing but I always dread them because they mark the end of the week. They also give me the “oh no, tomorrow’s Monday!” feeling.

But yesterday was great.

The boyfriend and I made a huge brunch with delicious food.

Ah love. I love indulging with moderation on weekends .

My mom is an amazing cook and we usually go to our parents house on Sundays for dinner where she spoils us rotten (food wise ). Yesterday she whipped up a dish that I haven’t had in forever..

Okonomi yaki!

Aubergine and leek on the side.

Okonomi yaki is a Japanese dish that is made differently in the regions of  Japan but mum made it the way she knows it – batter and cabbage mixed together. So it’s actually like a cabbage pancake. Absolutely amazing. I’ve missed it .

I wonder where my love for food comes from .

Why do I always think that I don’t like fondue? (Probably because I’m a raclette girl). Oh the traditional Swiss food.. I might not generally like dairy that much but I love some good cheese.

Fondue isn’t the lightest or healthiest food out there (ha! ) but it’s great for eating with friends and family..

First we cooked the cheese with white wine, garlic and a little bit of cornstarch on the stove top

We needed lots and lots of garlic

Mmmm good stuff And now everything to the table…

On the side:

Lots of bread

And some organic chardonnay that we got in Paris.

The bread was stirred in the cheese.

mmm, so good.

The indulgences continued as we left for the wine exhibition..

Haha.

That annual wine exhibition in Bern is lots of fun because it’s open to everyone (not only “wine people” who buy 80.- bottles..) which might also be annoying for the sellers because there are tons of people who go there for getting drunk.

We however were on the hunt for some good wine. One guy was particularly awesome and presented us various wines (white and red).

I ended up buying some Riesling from Germany, Syrah from Lebanon and some good old Moscato d’Asti.

It probably would be better to go maybe 2-3 times a year because it was simply impossible to try all the good wines! (Well.. theoretically you could but just imagine in what state you’d be at the end of the night )

Great night with great company!
And now I’m off to tackle the day. In a few minutes. . A certain someone is still asleep next to me. How boring .

Hello there!

I got up this morning and was greeted by this:

Le sigh. But my plans for the morning were bodypump anyways so I didn’t mind the fog. However, when I got to the gym I was told that it was open house day and they’d offer all group fitness classes so people could see how it’s like. So every “class” was only 20 mins long. I decided to go to dance aerobic as I was there anyways (bodypump came afterwards) and let me tell you: I hate dance aerobics! Maybe it’s the ten years of ballet that I did but I just can’t stand weird moves and some chick screaming into the microphone. It might work for other people but not for me.
Pump was good and I accidentally put too many weights on them so my legs will probably kill me tomorrow.

Afterwards I met up with Silvio (the boyfriend) and Selina for lunch. We wanted to go to that Japanese restaurant at the “new” mall as Sel and I both have a weakness for Japanese food (where does that come from? ).

I am extremely obsessed with ramen but most places don’t have any veggie options (there’s fish in the soup) but I knew that Namamen had veggie ramen.

I wasn’t hungry this morning so I only had a fig and banana but I was starving by lunchtime. We started with some lovely edamame.

I am also a little obsessed with edamame. I could keep eating them forever.

The menu was good but it only had one veggie ramen option which was fine by me because it seemed really nice.

I loved the ramen! It was topped with lots of veggies.

Amazing.

We then walked around a bit and checked out the health food store where I got:

Arame, mungbean chips and coconut banana water.

I was super thrilled to find the arame (as any other normal person would be ). The mungbean chips seemed to be fun as well & the coconut water is something that I buy all the time..

Tonight we’ll have fondue for dinner and then go to a wine exhibition! I’m not the biggest fan of fondue and haven’t had it in forever but hey, we’re Swiss !

The weather turned out to be so much nicer too. (Yes I know that roof is weird but the white things aren’t tents.. I think )

I will take a nap now and laters do some yoga and reading. I also just opened the bag of the   chips and somebody please take them away!!! They’re so crunchy and light and yummy and addictive! Argh!

Have a great Saturday!