November 22, 2009

a tribute to a very special friend

this is not going to be a happy post. I have thought very carefully about posting about this topic since it’s a very personal issue. My major motive was  afer reading all the wrong information that is currently floating around the internet about my friend Daul Kim.

Daul Kim passed away on November 19th in her Parisian city centre apartment. When i heard the news from a friend i could not believe that this happened to the person i had spent so many memorable and precious moments with during my high school.

Daul and me meet when we were 16. Both of us had been on a bumpy rollercoaster ride in the last years of our lives and our friendship somehow seemed to bring back that grounding that we both needed and looked for. In High School Daul had a difficult time fitting into the system of our school. The College that we attended emphasized a lot on social involvement, caring for others and dedicating a lot of your own time to others. Daul was different, she was a genuine person, but in a very different way. She cared about the people who meant something to her.

I was often thrilled to take a peak at the ‘outside’ seeming glamorous model life that Daul had outside of school. I often accompanied her to castings and interviews only to realize that the model world is a tough world. Not only does one need to look perfect all the time, you also need an ego about the size of the universe. Who on earth has that? But never had i imagined and thought about the lonliness that this world can isolate you into.

Daul, when i read that you were lonely and depressed my heart breaks apart. I would have been there for you if you would have asked for help. Or should i go blaming myself? Why did i not email you more? Why wasn’t I in Singapore when you were here for a fashion show? There are so many questions no one can answer me now.

Daul, i do not want to grieve over your death. I want to celebrate your life. You were so full of creativity and life. At every show you were the little sparkle that spiced up the fashion world. Your honesty always amazed me. Even though many people did not understand your dry humor, you know i did and that’s why we connected.

I will miss you with all my heart. Wherever you are take care of yourself.

But please remember in your next life, our lives do not just belong to us. When we leave this world we leave behind the people who loved us, who need to face this world without you by their side.

November 20, 2009

autumn/winter 09 top 10 tends

A special post dedicated to those who use it as an inspiration for their own lives

1. spending time with the ones that you love the most

 

my family means everything to me

my family means everything to me

in good and in bad times we support and love each other

in good and in bad times we support and love each other

without my friends i'd never be the person i am today

without my friends i'd never be the person i am today

This time should be spend with them. In peace and in harmony. Loneliness should never be apart of this season. It’s all about moving closer together and celebrating the ups and downs of this year.

2. Eating your way through Pumpkinland

kabocha- quinoa- tofu with cinnamon, nutmeg and maple syrup

kabocha- quinoa- tofu with cinnamon, nutmeg and maple syrup

stealing fancy pumpkin shots from maya ;)

stealing fancy pumpkin shots from maya ;)

3. Drinking your weight in Tea (or maybe even more because it just feels so good)

classic peppermint enjoyed with InStyle

classic peppermint enjoyed with InStyle

Nr.4 Eating Fall/ Winter inspired Oatmeal’s

nourished nutritious oatmeal

nourished nutritious oatmeal

for Neela in November

for Neela in November

Nr. 5 Wearing hats, scarves, Jackets no matter how warm or cold it is

who cares if i live in the tropics?

who cares if i live in the tropics?

6. Giving something to others and sharing what you have been blessed with

Katie’s Operation Kindness

Holly’s support for children in Cambodia.

Small differences in your life can make a huge difference in other people’s life.

 

7. Eating for what your body wants and needs

I’d rather glow like i did on my graduation and live on a  diet with less wholemeal, fruits, nuts and fiber jazz for my stomach, then to stuff my face with raw veggies, whole grains and Health Foods and feel horrible and miserable thinking i am eating super healthy according to the doctors, nutritionists etc. No wholemeal for me! AMEN!

 

8. Going Green

do your part to safe the planet

do your part to safe the planet

it takes so little time and we all can make a change to go green

bring your own bags to the grocer (Singaporean out there do you hear me???)

turn of the lights when not needed

switch of your air cons, replace your light bulbs with eco-friendly ones

and maybe plant a tree in your garden today to make up for the fact that you did use that car today instead of public transport ;)

9. Celebrate being ALIVE

awkward photos? who cares??? it's your life and we only live ones! ENJOY IT!

awkward photos? who cares??? it's your life and we only live ones! ENJOY IT!

you can never turn back the time so make the best of it right NOW!

you can never turn back the time so make the best of it right NOW!

10. Wear Red in all ways possible to get in the Christmas mood

it's okay to be the only one at a party to wear red lipstick

it's okay to be the only one at a party to wear red lipstick

oh and of course RED wine is included in the whole theme ;)

oh and of course RED wine is included in the whole theme ;)

I hope you enjoyed the top 10 trend for autumn/ winter 2009 from my crazy little Life that includes me Neela

now tell me what are your trends?

 

November 18, 2009

bumpy humpy day

Happy Hump Day everyone!

I think the rain man got lost on the way to singapore. right now there are loud thunders and lightening outside and it’s almost as dark as during night time but there it NO rain!?! This tropical weather does have it’s unique feature i guess. But i do enjoy the slightly cooler temperature right now, even though we are actually just talking about 2-3 degrees. But for most Singaporean that’s cold. You can even see some wearing jackets due to the ‘colder’ winter month. Remember it’s still about  83 Fahrenheit here ;)

this morning i was in the mood for some fun! I want to test how good your eyesight still is. So here’s the deal. Where’s my oatmeal?

can you see it??

can you see it??

okay i'll give you a clue

okay i'll give you a clue

aww found it!

aww found it!

1/2 cup thick cut oats, 1 cup soymilk, maple syrup, dorset musli, nana, PB and some love.

Perfect!

Today i am having a rather quiet day. I really need to get my acts together and do some hard core revision for one of my modules. I am actually feeling really anxious about the exam because i have no idea how on earth i am suppose to memorize all the work that is presented in this module. Any studying tips maybe? Do you just go through your lecture slides or do you just start with practice questions. I usually just read lecture slides but i thought about switching it up to get into problem solving faster than focusing on theory for too long. Hm…

I keep my mind fueled on study days with some excitement ;) the other day me and my best friend were studying together and after 1 hour i had to leave. My best friend is constantly hungry when she is studying and every 15 min she’ll get up and nibble on something. So i tried encouraging her to just have a full meal or one of my bars but then she said it makes her too full and tiered. Hahah.. girlfriend are never easy to please. So we decided that we’d study on our own in order not to both fail our exams. Yet i tasted this

After my first bite i was really reluctant to even finish this bar. The first piece i had in my mouth was just a salty peanut and i was expecting a sweet tasting bar so i was really disappointed at first. But then after tasting this sweet and salty thing that these bars promote i really liked it. I don’t think I’d have it again but it was a nice change for a while.

Last night i got the wonderful job to cook for the family again. And i knew exactly what to make

olive oil and garlic?? you can count me in

olive oil and garlic?? you can count me in

i am usually not a big fan of packages products like this but i was really craving some rice and i remember the last time i tried to make some nice and fluffy rice it turned into some soaked i don’t know what. The fact that this promised to cook, and did cook in 20 min was perfect.

while my couscous was cooking i roasted some zucchinis with EVOO, salt and pepper in the oven and mixed the two together with some fresh basil. My parents had some meat on the side so i was lazy and just made myself a Sun Warrior shake with Soymlik and Almond Butter to go along.

Sorry for this random post but being a soon to be in exams student, my life has not been to exciting sadly.

Never the less i shall complete this little survey that several lovely ladies tagged me for

1. favorite variety of apple? Pink Ladies! (lexi???)

2. apples dipped in? more like drowned in musli and soymilk

3. favorite way to enjoy pumpkin? steamed is all i need

4. favorite soup? with crackers or bread? Oma’s (aka Grandma) Tomato Soup with fresh German Rye Bread hmmmm…. :D

5. do you eat orange foods all year round? i would say so, i love all orange foods!

6. most used spice in your autumn cooking: well singapore doesn’t have season so i don’t any change in my meals and flavoring either. I eat what i feel like

7. you are baking some homemade bread, what flavor combination of bread would you like to make? Probably some wholemeal- pumpkin seed bread or walnut wholemeal bread. Anything seeds and nuts embedded in the bread is good to me

8. favorite autumn vegetables and ways to eat it? Kabochaand all other Winter Squashs

9. hot chocolate, hot cider, coffee or tea? Tea, peppermint please!

10. favorite seasonal dessert? i’m obsessed with Carrot Cake but is that seasonal?

11. lets make a fall stew! pick any 6 ingredients to create your one: Lentils, Potatos, Carrots, Bay leaf, balsamic vinegar and stock

12. pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts or almonds to snack on? all of them!

13. popcorn flavor/seasoning? don’t really like pop corn

14. bowl of hot cereal you have been wanting to try: mix my granola!!!

15. post a link to a recipe that you recently bookmarked. Pumpkin Chickpea Cakes

Alright my loves! That’s all from Studyland!

I’ll leave you with last night’s snack ;)

maply-PB- nana oatmeal

maply-PB- nana oatmeal

November 16, 2009

maply love in mid of November

whoa! and another week is gone and we are even closer to Christmas and the merriest time of the year!

let’s do a quick reap of what’s been happening in my crazy little world. well i have to say that i felt quite special after hearing that i seem be one of the only few of  you all that has seen Mr. Obama. Tada! Feels pretty damn good ;)

Saturday ahh Sunday  morning started with an amazing breakfast that was inspired by the Olsen Koplowitz Twins Maya and Eliza

1/2 cup oats, cup soymilk, nana, tahini, figs and quinoa flakes

1/2 cup oats, cup soymilk, nana, tahini, figs and quinoa flakes

I don’t think there is a better combination than tahini and figs for an bowl of oatmeal. I loved this! Even though i had expected my figs to be a tad bit sweeter.

So while having breakfast my dad mentioned that we has planning on going shopping this afternoon. I had actually decided to finally do some revision but then again its Sunday and who would pass the offer of going shopping with the family? I wouldn’t. So we made our way into town and first stop was one of my families favorites. Banana Republic

i <3 this brand
i <3 this brand

yes the doors were wide open for us and i managed to find a beautiful top with some design to the neckline. Wearing this thing is like a workout of its own for the neck because it’s so heavy. But i don’t mind paying such a little  price for looking fashionable.

paired with skinny jeans and my new heels maybe?

paired with skinny jeans and my new heels maybe?

we setteled down to a nice little cafe that is located inside the shopping mall that we were in. It’s called PS Cafe. Reminds me of the book PS. I Love You. A great book to read when all exams are over and Christmas time is near ;)

their fresh moroccan mint tea is more than amazing

their fresh moroccan mint tea is more than amazing

and of course, Carrot Cake ;) and mama's Latte

and of course, Carrot Cake ;) and mama's Latte

i tried to snap a picture before our beautiful cake fell to it’s death but without luck.

Right now i wish i could go back to that moment. I am currently sitting in my room and our neighbor house is having some construction work done to their house and i can’t even hear my own voice. So i guess the studying time won’t be as productive as i hoped it would have been today. But it’s only the first day of reading week. I am still okay i guess.

For dinner my parents were headed to out to a restaurant not far from our house but i decided to give some of my new buys a try. Quinoa flakes and Seitan were the lucky ones and i was quite surprised by the taste of both of them.

kabocha- quinoa ans seitan pilaf

kabocha- quinoa ans seitan pilaf

i just cooked up the quinoa in 90 seconds!!! amazing! chopped some of the Kabocha that i roasted in the oven with EVOO for 30 mins and added some heated up chunks of Seitan. I cooked the qunioa in brooth with a few strips of Safran and later added some nutmeg and ginger for the final menu. Oh and i drizzled some of my new maple syrup on it! OH MY GOD! and i was in love.

IMG00528-20091115-1834_edited-1

This morning while still on a maple high i could not let my Nut butter steal the limelight of the show. This time it was Maple Syrup that took the center stage for me

1/2 cup oats, cup soymilk, Almond butter all stirred in, nana, Maple syrup

1/2 cup oats, cup soymilk, Almond butter all stirred in, nana, Maple syrup

'maple syrup out of control oatmeal', yeah that's what i'll call it

'maple syrup out of control oatmeal', yeah that's what i'll call it

This again shows me the wonderful things you can learn and discover from the blogging world. Maple Syrup is really not a very common product to eat in Germany, we usually use honey or just Jams. But thanks to all you wonderful international people out there i get to know and taste flavors from all over world. Now that’s food globalization!

love is all around you

love is all around you

my mum left me this sweet note today and it made me realize that when you love yourself and are good to yourself, that’s when other people can begin to love you back. Only when you have found the reason for why you deserve all the happiness and well being in the world, that’s when you can enjoy all the happiness and the beauty in this world.

I hope i don’t sounds arrogant when i say this. All i am trying to say is that you must love yourself in order to live a happy and fulfilled life where you and other share the beauty of this life.

 

November 14, 2009

i went shoe shopping! oh oh!

crazy! yep! that’s all i can say to my Friday!  I decided that before i would break into my exam study I’d take one day, and i mean one day, off to go and go what i want and enjoy myself.

of course my day started with the nothing more than fabulosity!

coconut- carob oatmeal
coconut- carob oatmeal

in the mix i had 50 grams of oatmeal, cupa soymilk, 2 tbs carob powder, 1/2 nana wipped in, 1/2 nana slices on top and some coconut and PB. fuel for the soul

if you made this and you’re still craving more chocolate, i can totally understand! so why not head over to katie’s bog and make some fudge babies while you’re at it?

and then it was time for a special kind of shopping, Shoe shopping ;)

which color should i pick?
which color should i pick?
i like it, i like it ALOT!
i like it, i like it A LOT!

and this one!

and this one!

from the left

from the left

to the right! i love my new babies

to the right! i love my new babies

i can't even remember how i got into Topshop?? weird this shopaholic disorder ;)
i can’t even remember how i got into Topshop?? weird this shopaholic disorder ;)

didn’t fancy that dress, but my show shopping put my shopping desire at ease at least for now.

And then guess  who i saw??? BARAK OBAMA!! yes i did! if you didn’t know Mr. Obama is in Singapore for the Apec Meeting that is currently taking place here between many Asian Leaders. And your truely was lucky enough that at the time she made her way home about 10 monstrous trucks made their way through town to stop at the St.Regis where he alighted. Well i guess i have accomplished one of the things i had planned on getting done in my life. Seeing the president of the United States. And i didn’t even need to fly to Washington, he cam here. Thanks Barak!

Have you seen the president of the USA??

By the time i came home i had 1 thing on my mind and 1 thing on my tongue. Dinner and the flavor of loads of good spices. And that all came out to be Moroccan Polenta

Middle-eastern inspired Polenta with a green Monster
Middle-eastern inspired Polenta with a green Monster

i cooked up the polenta as my usual spinach/ kale polenta ( i used Spinach for this one only) but omitted the Miso pasta and used a blend of Spices instead.

cloves

cumin

nutmeg

cinnamon

all spice

caraway

coriander

salt, pepper

Once the polenta was done a added some Raisins and drizzled the top with EVOO and lemon juice.

Alongside came my green monster that contained a cup of soymilk, scoop of Sun Warrior protein powder and the remains of my spinach with some AB.

the flavor of all the spices and the raisins just melted together beautifully
the flavor of all the spices and the raisins just melted together beautifully

actually green Monsters have been part of some more meals that i had the last days. A simple German Rye Roll (nothing beats this, German Rolls are the best) and a Green Monster nourished me just as well.

IMG00490-20091112-1828

nothing beats a simple dinner of a German- baked Rye roll with Tomato, Evoo, Basil, Salt n Pepper and some Hummus.

and then i made a little shopping trip to an organic Market and came back with loads of new goodies to feed me.

IMG00516-20091114-1433colorful no?

in the bag i had

Quinoa flakes for a new kinda porridge, Almond Butter, Cashew Butter, Bananas, Cherry Tomato, Zucchini, Hazelnut Nut thins, Dried Figs, Spinach and SEITAN!! Never had Seitan before but i thought well why not today?Oh and the purple thing is German Apfel- Rotkohl. Katharina?

Alright my precious i am off to see what my mum’s FIRST EVER CARROT CAKE is doing. She was so fascinated by the Carrot Cake she has seen floating around the Blog World and decided to bake one herself. Let’s see how it’ll taste ;)

November 12, 2009

more than that

happy Thursday everyone!

well Thursday means this week is almost over, which means only one more week till my exams! Help!  I really need to get myself in the study mode and start revising. Aw if it all were so easy to begin with ;)

Never the less i started my day with some comforting oatmeal and a Ginger- Green Tea for the tummy. So good!

IMG00487-20091112-0831

I actually got very touched by a documentary that i watched yesterday on TV. After i finished watching the documentary i realized once again that i had completely fallen into the spoiled brad hole once again. I demand so much from my environment, my family and myself that i never seem to be satisfied with what i have.

What do i mean? Well i thought about it that way, i buy organic most of the time and sometimes i get these days where i only will eat the BEST food that is out there. It must be the organic bread or the greek yogurt that i am eating and can not be anything else. Which in the end is ridiculous!?! How many people are out there that are just happy to eat something, no matter what it is, what brand and if its super-healthy. I have been struggling with eating no-wholemeal pasta, bread etc because i need to do this for my stomach. I need to listen to what it can digest, yet my mind yells at me for not eating healthy foods and just buying some of the random commerical breads that are out there.

But what is the point of being ueber- healthy when all it does is make you even sicker in the end? There is more to life than just eating healthy, there is laughter, fun, creativity and socializing. Yet to combine all these things is hard to do. How can i enjoy going out for a meal if i am concerned about if all the vegetables that i will be served are organic, fresh and healthily prepared? I don’t, but i also don’t want to choose to not go out at all. It’s about making compromises to live happy.

Being happy with what i have done and will be doing in my life is what i will focus on and if that involves white rolls, and white pasta for a while. SO BE IT! I want to be healthy to help those that do not have an illness that can be cured just by adjusting their food and their mental health. Those people that need medical support but do not have the money do get this support. I have been fortunate enough to be brought up in a family where money is not a big issue but i am aware that around me there are millions of people who need my help. Even though we might think we can’t make a difference, i know i can. Because there is so much more to life that that.

phew! it feels good to get that off my chest, now let’s move onto something more tasty!

I decided to try and make my own pesto but at the same time i was looking for some sauce for my pasta that would give it a bit of creaminess. And then it hit me! Creamy-tofu pesto! amazing

IMG00486-20091111-1835
paired with penne pasta

this was so easy and quick to make

~150 grams silken tofu

handful ruccola or spinach

fresh basil

salt

pepper

garlic and onion spice mix

drizzle balsamic vinegar

1 tsp EVOO

mix all the ingredients in a blender and serve over your desired pasta. For this sauce almost all shapes work well. I paired mine with some zucchini that i roasted in EVOO, salt and pepper for 30 min in the oven before.

so creamy
so creamy

please excuse the quality of these photos. i wish i had a lovely Canon Rebel to assist me in my cooking photography. Maybe Santa Claus will read this post

The other day i was a lazy chef and just decided to open up my first can ever of Amy’s Cream Of Tomato Soup. I must say that this soup was much better than i had expected. Maybe canned soups are not so bad after all

and nothing tastes better with this than german rye bread

and nothing tastes better with this than german rye bread

this morning i was reading an article about this

IMG00488-20091112-0831

and i thought GREAT!! now that i am trying to cut back on whole grains Singapore newspaper decided to publish a huge article on why you SHOULD eat them. But then i remember what i  wrote earlier on in this post. I can eat a whole day worth of whole grains in one sitting and on top of that fruits, veggies and what not but will that make me a better and happier person? Well maybe i might live a year longer or two but what’s the point of living longer when you didn’t fulfill your life? Their is more to life than living healthy all the time. There is so much more!

i can sacrifice everything to live the healthiest lifestyle or i can just eat what’s available and doable for me. I choose the second, because it involves exploring that EXTRA bit of life.

have a great day ya all!

November 10, 2009

20 years of unification

i want to dedicate this post to a very special event that happened 20 years ago on November 9th. The day western and eastern Germany were reunited to form Germany as it is know today. Not only did this day bring about peace, harmony and unification but also Freedom. The freedom for west German citizens to go to East Germany and vice verse. Berlin, the capital city ones again became the capital and slowly the two sides that had been divided after the second world war could start growing back together again. Yes this was 20 years ago and sadly before that time many innocent people lost their lives trying to flee the communist east side of Germany that was isolated from the world. May all Germans from east or west live in harmony and freedom for many more years to come.

If you ever get the chance to visit Germany you should plan a visit to Berlin. This vibrant city is full of memories and images from the division of the DDR and Western Germany. Not only is it fascinating to see some of the remains of the Berlin wall but also to see how the different area of Berlin are different to each other due to the division even after 20 years.

10136070-the-berlin-wall

i was thinking of letting this image speak for itself today and that i will only do a few product reviews today and have a proper post coming up tomorrow maybe.

I have had my first try at Almond Milk, i tried both Almond Breeze Vanilla and Pacific Food Company’s almond milk.

IMG00454-20091103-0802

well sorry to say this but i wasn’t impressed by this. I find that Almond Milk is quite watery!?! I am used to drinking my Silk Soymilk which i love more than anything. So sorry Almond Breeze you can beat that.

the other day i finally tried my first protein bar. I bought some thinkthin bites in cookie’s n cream flavor

IMG00458-20091103-1502

this was actually pretty good. i loved that they had 11 grams of protein but i did not like the insanely long ingredients list and the sweeteners that are in there. Oh and now i know what you guys mean when you say something has a ‘protein taste’ to it ;) overall it was nice to try them but i think i’d rather eat some tofu or seitan for that protein.

speaking of protein, thanks to my secret importer i got myself some Sun Warrior rice protein in Vanilla Flavor.

IMG00474-20091109-1459

of course i could not sample this product without getting the approval of the other ‘warriors’ that live in our house.

this dude approved!

this dude approved!

my mum being the Yoga fanatic she is loved that it is called sun warrior (she literally went into the warrior pose and raved about how good it feels) yeah my mum is kinda funny.

So how did it taste? well i tried it with some almond milk which wasn’t so great. But then with Soymilk, nana, and almond butter this powder was really good. And a really great way for a vegetarian to get their protein in without having to eat protein bars.

best Muesli snack

best Muesli snack

if you have a chance to get your hands on these i highly encourage you to try them. These are so yummy just like the muesli themselves. Great Snack or dessert for all occasions.

that's a sweetie

that's a sweetie

clif bars are really great snacks but this one was seriously sweet. I had to drink almost a liter of water afterwards because the sweetness of this made me so thirsty. But you know once in a while its good to go really sweet.

so let’s end this post with something savory shall we so that our taste-buds can get an overall experience of the flavors of food ;)

last night i cooked dinner for my family and decided to make 101 cookbooks Lentil Soup with Saffron Yogurt.

saffron and lentils = love

saffron and lentils = love

this was wonderful, thick and creamy just like i like my soups to be. My family enjoed it too and we all had some German Rye Bread on the side.

 

alright my loves, that’s all for today, if you didn’t know about East and West Germany you now have a new goal for this week. To read about it and pay for attention in your school history classes ;)

November 8, 2009

rest, relax and recover

i am trying to find some words to say how much your concerns and comments mean to me. I seriously can not think of a nicer way to be welcomed back home than reading all of your wonderful comments yesterday. You are all amazing and such wonderful and caring people. I am so glad to be back home, sleeping in my own bed and eating REAL food again after living on fluids for 2 days. I will not be discussing what i went through these days because it might be a little triggering for recovering people to hear but if you want to know more about what happened and what surgery i had feel free to contact me anytime. I can only say that i am blessed to live in a country which is medically advanced and that i have a good doctor to look after me and support me in cope with my condition.

So i guess my plans for the weekend have been interrupted a bit, i am taking it very slow and trying to rest as much as possible. Yesterday i still felt really spaced out from the anesthesia and just enjoyed watching some movies and TV. You know just a little break form it all.

Of course i could not hesitate to treat myself to some oatmeal when i came back home. Even though it was no where near morning all i wanted was this warm bowl of my classic muesli-oatmeal

1/2 cup oats, 1 1/3 cup soymilk, nana, PB, muesli and some nuts

1/2 cup oats, 1 1/3 cup soymilk, nana, PB, muesli and some nuts

Perfection in the making

dinner had to be something extravagant i figured so i decided to finally try my luck at making some quinoa. I used red quinoa for this one since it was the only i found but it tasted wonderful.

IMG00466-20091105-1828

now the recipe of this dish was quite randomly mixed together but turned out wonderful and creamy

1/2 cup quinoa

some zucchini

pine nuts

Greek yogurt or just plain yogurt

thai sweet chili sauce

fresh parsley

olive oil

salt, pepper


I cooked the quinoa beforehand in some water. Meanwhile i cut the zucchini in halves and brushed them with some EVOO, salt and pepper and roasted them for about 15 min. Let them cool and cut into chucks. Then i mixed together the dressing of greek yogurt, sweet thai chili sauce, sallt, pepper and fresh parley and poured it over the cooked quinoa. Add the zucchini and top with your pine nuts.

Voila, zucchini- quinoa yogurt salad

This might taste even better when you let it sit overnight to let the flavors melt together even more. But it also already please me like this.

IMG00467-20091105-1829

Well its only morning here and i haven’t quite figured out what to do with this beautiful sunday yet but after watching Jenny’s tutorial about curling iron i am very tempted to finally go out there and buy myself one today. We’ll see. But first i need to get out of my Pajamas and start looking like myself again ;)

IMG00468-20091107-1406

not only will i respect my body for what it has today but also respect it for what i don’t have. Accepting myself the way i am and living with what i have been given in this life. I might not be able to live the ‘healthiest lifestyle’ in terms of eating only whole-grains and vegetables because my body just can’t cope with all this fiber and ‘wholemeal’ food. I  need to be gentle with myself and remember that i should not compare my diet to anyone’s because we are all different.

Food is suppose to make us feel good, not worse. If I’m feeling worse after eating all these ’super healthy’ foods then clearly something is not right. I eat to live!

now go and check out Katie giveaway plz… maybe while having some banana brulee?

November 6, 2009

please pray with me

i just got back from my doctor’s appointment to find out that i will go into surgery tomorrow morning. I hate writing negative things on my blog and have therefore stopped talking about my problems regarding my stomach. Things sadly have still not gotten any better which is why i will be admitted to the hospital tonight. Please keep me in your prayers that all will go well and that i can finally find some peace with my stomach.

please excuse my absence in commenting as i will not be able to go online

all my love to you all

Neela Marijana

November 5, 2009

some quantum, some raw and some BBQ stuff

I have just made my way home from uni where i sat my quantum physics test. Well needless to say i have no idea what the outcome of that test will be but right now i am more happy to think about the fact that all the work for this module is over and done with. I do not need to perfect at everything and its okay to not know the answer to some things or even many things. Otherwise life would be pretty boring with nothing left to learn right?

I am so glad once again that the weekend is near and eve better for me i have a long weekend with no classes tomorrow so technically i just easing into my early weekend mood.  i am planning on doing another pampering weekend where i just let myself go and enjoy the moment instead of making a million plans for the days to come.

surely i will start my day with something like this

IMG00455-20091103-0822

coconut in oatmeal is seriously good.  after seeing this on several blogs i decided to just dress up my oatmeal with some of Dorset’s muesli which contains chunks of coconut. Totally hit the spot for me.

The other day i wanted to take part in the whole ‘raw’ food movement. I do eat loads of raw food but i had never had a raw soup. I decided to try out Gena’s Raw Zucchini Soup for a change.

IMG00459-20091103-1835

The soup turned out wonderfully creamy however sadly something was wrong with the spinach that i added. Maybe i should have used baby spinach instead of the big leaves. I could only take a few spoonful of this soup when i had to stop. I really started feeling nauseous from the taste of the Spinach in the soup. Since i absolutely love Spinach i blamed it on the type of Spinach that i used and it being a bid unsuitable to be used for raw cooking. I am going to make this soup again soon but without the Spinach for sure. But it looked fantastic

IMG00460-20091103-1835

i did change the recipe a bit

1/2 cup soymilk

1/2 cup water

1/2 avocado

1 cup zucchini

1 cup spinach (omit this next time)

1 tsp miso paste

pepper

herbs

1/2 pack of silken tofu

i really enjoyed the addition of the tofu and the soymilk as it gave the soup a little more body. i paired this with some olive oil roasted kabocha.

and last night i was feeling a little snacky and BBQ-ish. So i decided to just  make some BBQ Tofu, with some roasted veggie skewers drizzled with lemon juice and olive oil, a small yogurt dip (yogurt, Sweet thai chili sauce, Ketchup, pepper and fresh parsley) and a packet of Kashis on the side.

IMG00461-20091104-1831

Totally satisfied all my cravings for BBQs.

IMG00462-20091104-1832

Which once again made me realize that the best way to overcome a craving is to give into it. No matter what your focus in terms of health is. As in weight gain. weight loss, cholesterol, if we  eat and taste in moderation our bodies will take us to the place they need to be. Our bodies are fascinating living things. Let’s give them some credit. And as Leslie said, we’re in it for life, so we better take good care of our body.

so now before i pass out on my poor laptop i think I’ll better try and reach my bed for a little nap before my eyes shut!

later chickas!