Healthiful Balance

Imperfection Is Beauty

2013-10-12T00:24:00.004+02:00

“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.”

-Marilyn Monroe

YOU are beautiful. YOU are special. YOU deserve the very best.

Remember Me?

2013-08-21T11:39:00.000+02:00

I haven't blogged in way too long. I've missed it so much but I've been feeling stuck.
I came back from the US in June (blog post here and here) and since then a lot has happened. A bunch of little things just started to pile up and it was just a very hard time and I didn't want to blog about it and be debby downer.

Anyway, the lovely Miss Polkadot nominated me for the Liebster Award. Thank you! :)

11 random facts about myself

The only tea I really really like is peppermint. Green tea and other herbal teas are just ok. And I dont like any fruity teas.
All the scars I have are on the left side on my body (my fingers, my leg, my foot) and I broke my left collar bone too.
I love looking back on old pictures from my childhood. I miss those days!
The airport is my favorite place ever. And I love love love being in an airplane! I want to travel the world.
I used to be with a modeling and acting agency.
I havent had a birthday party since my 12th or 13th birthday.
I lucid dream almost every night.
I like to clean and do laundry.
I'm allergic to sage and cottonwood trees make me sneeze. A lot.
I THINK ALL OF YOU ARE BEYOND AWESOME.
Romantic and comedy movies are my favorite.

Now its time for me to answer some questions...

What is one of your favorite childhood memories? Too many to write about. I loved living close to all my best friends!
Name the three most worn items in your closet? Any workout clothes (even though I haven't worked out for months), skinny jeans and tank tops.
Who's your biggest inspiration in life? My mom. She does so much and I dont know how she manages to do it all.
Is there any book you've read multiple times? If yes: which? I read a lot of American Girl books a few times when I was younger.
Where is your happy place? Don't think I've found it quite yet... But no matter how bad I'm feeling, being around/talking to certain people and being in an airport or airplane always cheers me up.
Tea or coffee? Peppermint tea!
Whats your ideal way to start the day? I wish I lived by the beach so I could go for a run by the water and then have breakfast. That would be perfect.
What are some of the words or phrases you use most often? According to my Mom, I like to use the word bummer a lot. hehe
Are you a planner or spontaneous person? 50/50
Would you consider yourself an introvert or extrovert? A bit of both.
Which famous person would you like to spend the day with and why? Either Dwayne Johnson or Donald Trump. The Rock is amazing and his smile makes me melt and I would love to see what Donald Trump does in a day. I really like them both!

I nominate..

All of you! If you have a blog or don't, you can answer the questions in a blog post or in the comments below!

My 11 questions:

Current favorite song?
What do you like to do to relax and de-stress?
Favorite shoes to wear?
Is there something you wish you could change about yourself? If so, what?
First concert you went to?
What is something you always put in your shopping cart when you go grocery shopping?
What do you tell people when they ask you why you eat healthy and workout?
Celebrity crush?
What are your favorite ice cream or frozen yogurt flavors and toppings?
How would you describe your style?
If you had to move to another country, where would you go?

Rules:

Thank the nominating blogger.
Share 11 random facts about yourself.
Answer the 11 questions the nominating blogger created for you.
Nominate 11 bloggers to answer your questions.
Post 11 questions for all the bloggers that you nominate and let all the bloggers know you nominated them. You cannot nominate the blogger that nominated you.

I'm going to miss...

2013-07-12T15:42:00.002+02:00

Hi! I've been back in Germany for about four weeks now but havent had the chance to blog because I've been busy catching up with school and getting back into a routine. I'm not going to lie, it's been a rough couple of months because I feel totally out of the loop. I think I need a vacation! I missed blogging and wanted to update you all before I take a German exam.

I'm going to miss the Starbucks dates with my friends. Karina, we need to have a Starbucks date soon!

I'm going to miss the wide selection of chocolate!

I'm going to miss the baseball games...

... and jet skiing and tubing with friends in Alabama.

I'm going to miss the most delicious oatmeal from a local cafe. I'm going to miss all the food in general.

I'm going to miss soaking up the sun at the pool.

And most of all, I'm going to miss my friends!

What have you been up to this summer?

I'm In Georgia!

2013-05-18T04:47:00.000+02:00

Hi everyone! I'm sorry I havent blogged in a while, I've been pretty busy over the past few weeks with school, my 18th birthday and traveling.

I arrived in my home town Georgia on May 5th so I've been spending a lot of time with my friends. I'm staying here for a few more weeks before I head back to Germany. I'm so so happy to be home!

I've been having a great time here and don't want to leave! It's great to see all of my friends spend my summer with them. A lot of shopping and eating delicious food included! :)

You can follow me on Instagram to see what I'm up to here in GA this summer!

My Family Loves Chocolate {WIAW}

2013-04-17T11:30:00.001+02:00

Before I share some recent eats I want to start off by saying my heart goes out to all those affected by the tragedy that happened in Boston this week. <3

Thanks to Jenn for hosting this foodie party. As always, I’m going to share some recent eats from the past couple of days.

My mom made chocolate chip cookies and they were delicious!

Recent Breakfast: A yogurt mess (plain full fat yogurt, one sliced banana, strawberries, walnuts, granola and cereal).

Chocolate never lasts long around my family and I.

Recent Breakfast: A yogurt mess (plain full fat yogurt, raspberries, walnuts, granola, cereal and honey) and an egg with feta cheese (the feta cheese is inside).

Recent Post Workout Smoothie: 1 serving whey protein, one banana, raspberries and buttermilk. Topped with granola.

Oh, would you look at that. More chocolate. ;)

I love looking through cookbooks. Right now I’m trying to decide on some birthday cake. :) My birthday is in less than two weeks.. time is flying by!

Where do you like to look for recipes.. in cookbooks or online?

Current Workout Routine {Spring 2013}

2013-04-12T13:09:00.001+02:00

Thank you all so much for the nice comments on my previous post. The blogger community is so supportive!

Today I’m going to share my current workout routine with you all. This is what my routine has looked like since February 2013. It’s most likely to change this Summer since I’ll be traveling a lot. (My workout routine from Fall 2012 is here.)

When it comes to my workout routine, every week looks different since my schedule changes. The workouts that I do stay the same. Sunday is always my rest day and I go to a Zumba class every Wednesday.

I do this once or twice a week. I used to be in a competitive jump rope “group” and we’d compete against other groups. That was at least 5 years ago and my jump roping skills aren't that great anymore, but I do still love to jump rope because it gets your heart rate up and I don’t even feel like I’m working out.

This is how I split up the workout:

10 min. jump roping // 5 min. on the mat // 10 min. jump roping // 5 min. on the mat // 10 min. jump roping // 5 min. on the mat

I do this at least twice a week. I start with weights and then do cardio. I mix up the exercises I do with weights and it always leaves me feeling sore the next day or two. I love it! When I’m lifting weights I lift heavy and do fewer reps.

I wrote a blog post on my first Zumba class here. Our instructor switches up the routine every few weeks and they’re always really fast paced so we leave the class sweaty and on an endorphin-high!

This one is pretty self-explanatory. I do this workout once or twice a week. When it’s nice out I’ll go for a run with my mom or brother. If I’m on the elliptical I either listen to music or watch You Tube videos on my phone while working out. It makes the time fly by!

Again, pretty self-explanatory. Sunday is always my rest day. Then on Monday I start of the week with more energy and have a killer workout. :)

This month I’m also doing a squat challenge. I do a certain amount of squats everyday and every other day I do them with weights. It’s really challenging but I like it!

I track all my workouts on TribeSports.

What is your favorite workout? Have you ever done a squat challenge?

I’m Still Here!

2013-04-09T12:34:00.001+02:00

Hi everyone! Whoa, long time no talk! I’m sorry I haven't updated you at all in the month of March. It was a very rough month for me but I’m finally back in the swing of things. To all of you that stuck around and asked me if I’m ok.. thank you, I really appreciate it!

Thanks to everyone that filled out the survey in my previous post. I got so many responses that I still haven't had the chance to go through all of them. I love reading your feedback and will do my best to improve my blog for the better. Expect some fun changes in the near future (nothing drastic). :)

Based on the feedback I got, you all love my “recent eats” blog posts the best. So here are some recent eats from the past couple of days.

Recent Breakfast: Oatmeal (1/2 cup rolled oats cooked in water and milk) topped with raisins, raspberries and honey.

Speaking of raisins, they’re a new food favorite of mine! I didn’t like them very much when I was younger but now I love them. I like added them to oatmeal, yogurt or homemade trail mix.

Recent Snack/Dessert: Homemade chocolate chip cookies. Yum!

Recent Dinner: Brown rice, peas and chicken.

Recent Snack: Full fat yogurt with granola, blueberries, walnuts and raisins.

Recent Study Snack (already half eaten before snapping a picture): An apple and almonds.

Recent Lunch: Homemade fries (x2), peas and feta cheese.

Recent Breakfast: Oatmeal (1/2 rolled oats cooked in water and milk) topped with a heaping spoon of PB and some cinnamon.

For more pictures of what I’m eating, follow me on Twitter:

And my friends also made me get an Instagram and now I’m addicted. You can follow me here.

I hope you’re all doing great! <3

Blog Reader Q&A

2013-03-03T15:24:00.001+01:00

I hope you’re all having a nice weekend so far!

I’ve been thinking about putting a blog post like this together for a while now to help determine what you would like to see more or less of on my blog. I know this is my blog and I can post whatever I’d like to, but of course I want to make you, my readers, happy and provide content you’d be interested in.

I would love it if you could take the time to answer a few questions. This survey is totally optional, so if you wouldn’t like to fill it out you can simply leave a comment with your blog post requests in a comment below.

Blog Reader Q&A What would you like to see more or less of on my blog? I want to make you happy and provide content you’d be interested in.
Which blog posts are you most interested in? I'm interested in blog posts related to...
Recent Eats Fitness Personal Recipes Reviews Giveaways Beauty Fashion Check all that apply.
How often to you visit Healthiful Balance? I visit Healthiful Balance...
Everyday Once a week 2-4 times a week Every few weeks Check one field that applies.
Have you ever suffered from an eating disorder or are still suffering from one?
Yes No I don't know Check one field that applies.
Would you be interested in guest posts from and interviews with fitness & health professionals?
Yes No Check one field that applies.
Do you have any special blog post requests?
If you have any special requests, please feel free to share.
What would you like to see less of on Healthiful Balance?
Constructive criticism, please.

If you took the time to fill out the survey or leave a comment with your requests, thank you! I appreciate that you took the time to do so.

And now some motivation from TribeSports to help you start the new week tomorrow!

(Source: TribeSports Instagram)

Chocolate Giveaway Winners

2013-03-01T21:03:00.001+01:00

Hi everyone! Another stressful busy week is over and the weekend is finally here. I have a lot of recent eats to share with you.

Before I do that, I want to announce the three chocolate giveaway winners. Congrats to Adrian, Be Yourself Stay Healthy and Nikki. Please send me an e-mail with your address so I can send you the chocolate. :)

Recent Breakfast: Full fat plain yogurt with blueberries and honey, two pieces of whole grain bread topped with butter and berry jam.

Recent Breakfast: A yogurt mess (full fat plain yogurt, one sliced banana, honey, cereal, walnuts, cashews and blueberries).

Recent Lunch: Two egg omelet, potatoes, carrots and peas.

Recent Dinner: An apple, carrots (with unpictured PB) and two pieces of whole grain bread with peanut butter. Random but good!

Recent Breakfast: Banana bread pancakes (with chocolate chips) topped with maple syrup and chocolate sprinkles.

Recent Snack: Kettle Chips (Mature cheddar and red onion)

Recent Dessert: Hot chocolate and a pudding roll (my mom made them and I’ll share the recipe soon).

Follow me on Twitter for more of my eats!

What are your favorite kind of chips? What are your plans for the weekend?

Moser Roth Chocolate Giveaway

2013-02-21T15:38:00.001+01:00

A lot of you commented on my blog post yesterday about the Moser Roth chocolate. I wasn’t planning on posting this today but found some free time to do so.

I went to the store and picked up some chocolate to giveaway today! It’s nice to know there are more people out there that share my love for chocolate. And when I say “love” I mean “I can not live without chocolate”. :)

I will be giving away three different kinds of chocolate. There will be three winners. This giveaway is open worldwide. It starts today, February 21st and ends on Tuesday, February 26th 2013.

Dark chocolate (70%)

Dark chocolate (85%)

Milk chocolate (32%)

I personally love all three of these, they are so delicious! I love that one serving is already portioned out.

To enter, all you have to do if leave a comment telling me which chocolate you would like.

I hope you have a great day my chocolate loving friends!

Busy Bee {WIAW}

2013-02-20T11:59:00.001+01:00

I’m sorry I haven't blogged in a few days, I’ve been really busy and don’t have much free time to blog at the moment. I’ve really missed reading all your blogs and writing blogs posts I made sure to make time for it today.

(follow my tumblr for more pictures like this)

I know sometimes it might be hard to eat healthy during busy times. What helps me is to plan out my meals (in my head) and to always have some healthy snacks on hand. What are your tips on eating healthy when you’re busy?

As always, I’m going to share my eats from the past couple of days. Thanks to Jenn for hosting!

Lets start off with pancakes.. because who doesn’t love pancakes?!

Recent Breakfast: Banana bread pancakes (2 eggs, one banana) topped with honey and peanut butter.

Recent Study Snack: Chocolate with almonds. Delicious and great brain fuel!

Recent Lunch: A sandwich (two pieces of whole grain bread topped with a thick layer of full fat cream cheese, lettuce, an egg and a chopped babybel cheese) and a full fat yogurt with blueberries and honey on the side.

Recent Breakfast: Oatmeal (1/2 rolled oats cooked in water and milk, with cinnamon and honey) topped with walnuts and blueberries.

Recent Dinner: Whole grain noodles with an egg sunny side up. Really boring but tasted good!

Recent Breakfast: A yogurt mess (plain full fat yogurt, one sliced banana, cereal, sunflower seeds, walnuts, cashews and honey) with fresh juice (oranges, carrots, apples and ginger) on the side.

Recent Lunch: PB&J on whole grain bread, a large apple, baby carrots with unpictured peanut butter and a full fat babybel cheese.

Recent Breakfast: Oatmeal (1/2 cup rolled oats cooked with water) with almonds, honey, cinnamon and blueberries.

Recent Study Snack: Coffee and dark chocolate.

Recent Lunch: More pancakes! Again, banana bread pancakes (2 eggs, 1 banana) topped with maple syrup.

Recent Breakfast: Two pieces of whole grain bread topped with full fat cream cheese and honey, 2 scrambled eggs on the side.

Recent Dinner: Whole grain pasta with arrabiata sauce and parmesan cheese (at Vapiano).

Recent Snack: Homemade “ice cream” (made with raspberries and milk) topped with shredded coconut and brown sugar.

I also had some really yummy (unpictured) homemade lasagna, garlic bread and chocolate chip cookies on the weekend. Delicious!

I hope you’re all having a great week so far!

What is your favorite study snack?

My Weekend In Pictures

2013-02-04T20:24:00.001+01:00

Welcome to the new week! How was your weekend? Mine wasn’t too great. I’m not feeling my best so I had a very low key weekend.

I painted my nails. Essie’s pearly white is my favorite.

I made pizza for the family. It was delicious, I had four slices.

I ate oatmeal on the couch…

…while watching old TV shows. Old TV shows are the best and when I’m sick I love watching them.

Good thing I also had my phone to keep my entertained.

I read the bible and wrote in my journal.

I chose a giveaway winner (with a random generator)…

Congrats Sarah! You left your e-mail with your comment so I’ve e-mailed you!

What did you do this weekend?

Your Questions Answered

2013-02-02T17:41:00.001+01:00

After a rough start to my weekend, I’m happy to finally relax and write a blog post. My whole entire body is sore (a good kind of sore!) from my workouts this week. I really pushed myself and can feel myself getting stronger!

If you haven't already, enter my giveaway! Today is the last day to enter. I really wish I could send you all a package. I know I say this a lot and that’s because its true. You’re all amazing! That’s why I’m going to start doing a few smaller giveaways every month. If you have any requests, let me know!

Today I’m answering some questions I get often.

Recent Lunch: Spelt spaghetti with bolognese sauce. Ah-mazing!

1. What did you eat for breakfast?

Breakfast this morning was whole grain toast topped with cream cheese (we ran out of PB, sad!) and a sliced banana. A handful of almonds and green tea.

2. What is for dinner tonight?

My mom is making a potato veggie soup and I’m already looking forward to it!

Recent Breakfast: A yogurt mess (plain full fat yogurt, one sliced banana, blueberries, walnuts, almonds, cereal and honey).

3. How much water do you drink a day?

I drink about 1-2 liters of water a day. It really depends on how busy I am and if I have time to pee every 15 min.

4. What is your current favorite workout?

Going to Zumba class, jump roping, lifting weights and running. Those will always be my favorites!

Recent Breakfast: Two pieces of whole grain bread topped with peanut butter, one sliced banana and cinnamon. Fresh juice (oranges, apples, carrots) on the side.

5. How many calories do you eat a day?

I don’t count calories (and I don’t recommend it either, because it’ll make you obsessed) but if I think about what I eat in a day it comes to 1,800 - 2000 calories. Some days it might be more or less, I just try to focus on what my body is telling me. I eat when I’m hungry and stop when I’m full.

6. What are your favorite healthy snacks?

Apples or baby carrots with nut butter
Fruit and mixed nuts
Spoonful (or two.. or three) of peanut butter
Yogurt with honey

Recent Lunch: Breakfast for lunch.. woohoo! Oatmeal (1/2 cup rolled oats cooked in water and milk with cinnamon and almonds) and a pancake wrap (my mom made pancakes and I had one with cream cheese and blueberries.. yum).

7. What is your favorite body part to strength train?

Upper body!

8. What is one food you always crave?

Chocolate and peanut butter. Always.

9. Do you take vitamins or supplements?

I use protein powder (haven't had any for weeks, ran out and I need to stock up again) and I take a magnesium supplement.

Cozy pajamas and slippers and coffee by the fireplace.

10. How often to you eat out?

Not often. But I do like to eat out sometimes.

11. Do you eat junk food?

Yes! I eat junk but in moderation. When leading a healthy lifestyle I think it’s important to not deprive yourself and to not be too strict with food.

12. Who is your biggest supporter?

God! He is such a big part of my life and He is the reason I am alive today. All glory and praise goes to Him.

Making juice. Delicious combo!

13. How many hours of sleep do you get a night?

Lately I’ve been staying up way too late. So one of my goals this month is to go to bed earlier. I make sure to get 6-8 hours of sleep a night.

14. Do you have a “cheat” day?

No. I “cheat” a few times a week (sometimes even everyday). But in moderation.

15. Do you have a workout buddy?

My mom and I take a Zumba class together (we run together too sometimes) and Karina and I want to start running together once it gets warmer out. Yay!

More raw chocolate from OmBar. I’ll be doing a review and giveaway soon, stay tuned!

16. How often do you workout?

I posted a workout routine a while ago but I’ll be posting an updated one soon. I workout 5-6 days a week.

Answer one of the questions from this post!

Health Facts, Food & Giveaway {WIAW}

2013-01-30T11:55:00.001+01:00

Last week I picked up some goodies for a giveaway and I’m really excited to post that today! If you’re interested, check the end of this post for more details.

And, every day until February 22nd you’ll find a health fact posted on the Healthiful Balance Facebook page.

Now onto the food! As always, I’m going to share some recent eats. Thanks to Jenn for hosting.

Recent Breakfast: A yogurt mess (plain full fat yogurt, one sliced banana, peanut butter, walnuts, sunflower seeds, cashews, granola) and unpictured fresh juice (oranges and carrots on the side).

Recent Snack/Dessert: Homemade biscotti my neighbor made.

Recent Breakfast: Pancakes (the famous 1 banana, 2 egg ones) topped with peanut butter and shredded coconut.

Recent Snack/Dessert: Some pudding rolls my mom made.

Recent Breakfast: Oatmeal (1/2 cup rolled oats cooked in water and milk with almonds and cinnamon) and fresh orange juice.

Green tea with an unpictured muffin (my mom made muffins from scratch the other day, they were delicious).

Just wanted to express my love for cream cheese. By far one of my favorite spreads (besides peanut butter). But, the full fat one is always the best!

Recent Post Workout Lunch: Who says you cant have breakfast for lunch? I had pancakes (again, the famous 1 banana and two eggs recipe) topped with chocolate PB2 and slathered in cream cheese after the picture was taken.

Recent Snack/Dessert: Raw chocolate I found at my local health store. So good! Review and giveaway coming soon.

Starbucks. Tall cappuccino. No surprise there.

There will be one giveaway winner. The giveaway starts today, January 30th 2013 and ends Saturday, February 2nd 2013. The winner will be announced on Monday, February 4th 2013. This giveaway is open worldwide. The winner will receive:

One box of Higher Living Cinnamon tea

A bar of organic dark chocolate (70%) from dennree

Natural Sweet organic black liquorice

To enter..

Just leave a comment about anything. :)

Shopping & Starbucks {WIAW}

2013-01-23T22:00:00.001+01:00

A blogger friend (Karina) and I didn’t have school today so we decided to meet up (we’re so close now!) and spend the day hanging out together. We went shopping, to Starbucks and talked for hours, we cooked and baked at my house and made some delicious juice.

As always, I’m going to share recent eats from the past couple of days. It’s mostly breakfasts, the best lighting is always in the morning. Expect more lunch and dinner pictures in the Spring! Thanks to Jenn for hosting!

Recent Breakfast: Fresh juice (oranges, apples and carrots) and a yogurt mess (plain full fat yogurt, one sliced banana, sunflower seeds, walnuts, cashews, almonds and cereal).

Recent Breakfast: Fresh juice (oranges, carrots, kiwis and lemon) and two slices of whole grain toast topped with butter and jam, plain full fat yogurt (Andechser Natur) with cashews.

Recent Breakfast: Protein French Toast (made with one egg and one egg white this time) topped with honey and walnuts. Fresh juice (oranges, carrots, apples, kiwis and lemon) on the side.

Recent Snack: An apple and a handful of almonds.

Recent Lunch: Spelt noodles topped with tomato sauce and feta cheese, carrots and an egg on the side.

Recent Post Workout Snack: A smoothie (mixed berries, buttermilk, cottage cheese, one banana, cinnamon).

Recent Lunch: Peas, a hardboiled egg and spicy coconut veggie chicken stir fry my dad made.

Recent Post Workout Snack: I was hungry and I listened to my body and fueled it well after my workout. An apple, a hard boiled egg, oatmeal (1/2 cup rolled oats cooked in water and cinnamon) with almonds, honey and cinnamon.

Recent Breakfast: I really like fresh juice and yogurt messes. Fresh juice (oranges, apples, kiwis) and a yogurt mess (plain full fat yogurt, one sliced banana, walnuts, honey, cashews and cereal).

My 10 year old brother made Karina and I juice. How sweet!

Recent Snack/Dessert: Ritter Sport mini chocolate! Love these.

Karina and I spilt this bar of raw chocolate. More on this chocolate soon so stay tuned!

Karina and I spent a long time in Starbucks talking. We ended up ordering two drinks, I got a cappuccino both times.

I hope you’re all having a great week so far! I' have some more giveaways coming up soon.. hint hint!

What is your favorite breakfast at the moment? Do you like feta cheese? Favorite oatmeal add-ins?

PB Hot Chocolate, More Food & Winners

2013-01-18T19:50:00.001+01:00

Phew, the week went by fast! I had a successful week (as in, not too much procrastinating) filled with school work. I managed to keep up my workouts even during the busy week. I post most of my workouts here, so if you’re interested in what I’m doing, take a look.

Before I announce the giveaway winners and share new recipe I’m going to show some recent eats from this week. Read my WIAW post from this week to see what else I’ve been eating.

Recent Lunch: Homemade mac n’ cheese (I made it myself from scratch), peas and a hard boiled egg.

Recent Snack: An apple and a cup of green tea.

Recent Breakfast: Fresh juice (oranges and carrots) and a yogurt mess (full fat plain yogurt, one sliced banana, sunflower seeds, walnuts and cereal).

Recent Breakfast: Two pieces of whole grain bread topped with cream cheese and jam, a plain full fat yogurt with cashews on the side.

Recent Lunch: A two egg omelet with cheddar cheese, peas and roasted potatoes.

Recent Snack/Dessert: Oatmeal cookies my mom made.

Recent Snack: A cookie (or two) and green tea.

I've been using chocolate PB2 to make homemade peanut butter hot chocolate. Yum!

Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate (Serves 1)

Ingredients:

1 cup water or milk
2 heaping tablespoons cocoa powder
2 tablespoons of powdered peanut butter or chocolate PB2
Sweetener of choice (1-2 packets stevia, 1 tablespoon sugar …)

Instructions:

Put the water or milk into a large mug and heat it up in the microwave for 2 minutes.
Once it’s heated up, add in the cocoa powder and stir well until there are no clumps. Add the powder peanut butter or chocolate PB2 along with the sweetener of choice and mix well again.

Last but not least…

Thank you to everyone that entered my giveaway! I really wish I could send you all something. There will be many more giveaways in the near future, so stay tuned!

The winners are: Rina and Peg. Please send me an e-mail with your address so I can send out your prizes!

Do you have any plans for the weekend? What is your favorite food combo? Best meal you had this week?

Busy Wednesdays {WIAW}

2013-01-16T10:10:00.001+01:00

If you haven't entered my giveaway, tomorrow is that last day you can enter. Be on the lookout for more fun giveaways coming in the near future!

Thanks to Jenn for hosting. As always, I’m going to share some of my recent eats.

Wednesdays are always a busy day for me. It’s the middle of the week, the day I realize I still have a few more busy days and early mornings before I can relax and sleep in. It’s the day I am drooling over so many yummy looking meals on your blogs and it’s the day where I have Zumba and extra classes.

I started off my morning on a good note by having some tasty breakfast.

Todays Breakfast: Two pieces of whole grain bread topped with PB&J, a plain full fat yogurt from Andechser Natur, fresh juice (oranges and carrots) and coffee.

Recent Lunch: An apple with peanut butter, one slice of whole grain bread topped with cream cheese and honey, and some “Milchreis” casserole. Followed by some unpictured dessert, chocolate.

Recent Lunch: Homemade chicken noodle soup my mom made, x2.

Recent Snack: An apple and a handful of almonds.

Recent Dessert: Spelt cookies with chocolate cream in between (Rewe Bio).

Recent Breakfast: A bowl of oatmeal (1/2 rolled oats cooked in milk and water), fresh juice (oranges, carrots, apples) and a plain full fat yogurt from Andechser Natur.

Recent Post Workout Snack: A smoothie (mixed frozen berries, a banana, buttermilk, cottage cheese, stevia, water) topped with chocolate granola.

Recent Lunch: Homemade chili con carne my mom made.

Recent Snack: I love having a handful of almonds with an apple, some yogurt or a banana.

Recent Dinner: My aunt made us an Indian dinner. It was so good!

Starbucks with a friend. I got a cappuccino.

Coffee date with my mom.

I thought winter was over because it was so warm. But I was wrong, winter is just getting started. It’s fahh-freezing outside and snowing!

Sometimes I tweet pictures about what I’m up to or eating. So if your interested in seeing more, check out my Twitter!

Do you have one day of the week that is extra busy? If you go to Starbucks, what do you order?

I Like…

2013-01-14T19:54:00.001+01:00

I had a nice weekend. We had a family friend from the States stay with us, we visited a castle ruin and my aunt made a delicious Indian dinner.

I started off the week with school work, a great workout and peanut butter hot chocolate (cocoa powder, chocolate PB2, milk and stevia).

{Photography} I’ve always loved taking pictures, not only pictures of food. I’m often left behind because I have to take more than enough pictures of everything.

{Smoothies} I drink them year round. They’re easy, quick to make and taste delicious! You can check out my smoothie recipes here.

{Peanut Butter} I go through jars of peanut butter like it’s my job.

{Ice Cream} There is always room for ice cream.

{My Dog} Eva is my best doggie friend!

{Giveaways} I love hosting giveaways on my blog for all of you. Have you guessed yet? YES, I’m holding a giveaway! This giveaway is open worldwide, it starts January 14th 2013 and ends January 17th 2013. There will be two winners.

Each winner will receive one packet of erdbär freeze dried bananas, one nakd bar and one small box of yogi ginger lemon tea.

I want to do more small giveaway on my blog more frequently, so stay tuned!

TO ENTER:

Leave a comment telling me something you like. It can be a food, a TV show, a hobby etc.

Cake, Cake, Cake {WIAW}

2013-01-09T09:07:00.001+01:00

Thanks for sharing your foodie favorites in the comments on my previous post. You gave me some ideas for foods to pick up at the grocery store soon.

After a long early morning walk with my mom and dog, Eva, I had a big bowl of oatmeal and fresh juice. Now I feel energized and ready to take on the day!

Thanks to Jenn for hosting. As always, I’m going to be sharing some recent eats from the past days.

Recent Breakfast: A smoothie (1 cup frozen tropical fruits, 1/2 cup full fat yogurt, one banana, stevia, water) topped with chocolate granola. A handful of almonds on the side (unpictured).

Recent Lunch: Two slices of whole grain bread (one topped with cream cheese and a hard boiled egg,the other topped with a spicy spread and red meat) and an apple of the side.

Recent Breakfast: Fresh juice (oranges, apples) and a bowl of oatmeal (1/2 cup rolled oats cooked in water and milk) topped with peanut butter.

Recent Snack/Dessert: Red wine cake my neighbor made.

Recent Lunch: Brown rice, mince meat, peas and an egg.

Recent Snack/Dessert: An orange cream cake my grandpa made.

Recent Snack: A slice of whole grain bread topped with cream cheese and jam. An apple on the side.

Recent Dessert: Crispy m&ms while watching a movie with my family (no, I didn’t eat the whole bag. My brothers helped.).

Recent Breakfast: Two pieces of whole grain bread topped with PB&J. Full fat yogurt with a sliced banana and chocolate granola on the side.

More cake.

More cake, cheesecake.

Recent Post Workout Snack: A smoothie (frozen tropical fruits, banana, yogurt, milk, stevia).

My tummy is very happy with all the cake around. We still have a bunch of leftovers!

What is your favorite kind of cake? Do you like m&ms?

Five Foodie Favorites

2013-01-07T21:43:00.001+01:00

I hope you all had a nice and relaxing weekend! It’s nice to get back to a more normal routine after a really long holiday break.

It’s been requested that I share my current food favorites more often. Today I’m going to share five foodie favorites.

{Apples} These will always be on my foodie favorites list. I like having apples as a snack with some peanut butter, with a meal, in juice or plain.

{Sunflower Seeds} Even little seeds like these are packed with great health benefits. I like eating them plain, adding them to yogurt or my oatmeal.

{Green Tea} I usually only drink tea during the winter. I’m not the biggest fan of other flavored teas right now. Green tea is my go-to drink to warm up.

{Organic Eggs} I’m becoming more and more cautious of where my food is coming from. I’m learning more about the importance of buying organic (if it’s available).

{Cottage Cheese} I like adding cottage cheese to my post workout smoothies. I buy the Andechser Natur brand whenever I can. Their products are real organic and taste great!

Follow me on Twitter to see what else I’m eating and loving!

What are your 5 current foodie favorites? Do you choose organic over non-organic? Is it important for you to know where your food is coming from?

Hurom Slow Juicer HU-400 Review

2013-01-05T15:38:00.001+01:00

I mentioned weeks ago that we finally got a juicer and a lot of you requested I do a review, but I wanted to wait a few weeks to test the juicer out first.

We have the Slow Juicer HU-400 from Hurom. We use it everyday now (sometimes more than once) and my whole family absolutely loves it! It’s a great way to eat fruits and veggies.. especially for those that don’t get enough of them.

(source)

You can see the juicer in action here:

The juicer comes with a juice container and a pulp container. It also comes with a useful brush to help clean the machine. It takes me about 5 min. to clean the whole machine.

Why do I recommend this juicer?

I honestly can not think of any cons. I’m honest in all my reviews and only have pros for this juicer. My whole family is very happy with the juicer and we all agree that it’s worth the money.

You can also make ice cream, jam, ketchup and milk with this juicer. Click here for some recipes.

(source)

Hurom Slow Juicer VS Standard Juicer

Why buy a slow juicer?

Before buying just any juicer, I highly recommend you do research. We were about to buy a standard high speed juicer before we discovered slow juicers. When you have a slow juicer, you definitely get more health benefits out of your juice.

(source)

Pricing

What’s always really important to my family, is quality. We wanted a great quality juicer that wouldn’t clog up or break after just a few uses and were willing to invest in one. We got the Hurom HU-400 for under 400 Euro.

We’ve been using this juicer everyday for weeks now and it still works perfectly.

What is so special about this juicer?

Hurom introduced SSS (Slow Squeeze System). The juicer squeezes produce quietly and efficiently.

(source)

A Hurom Slow Juicer has a different motor than others. It works quietly and it very durable. This juicer can juice this such as nuts and carrots without a problem.

(source)

My favorite produce to use are apples, oranges, clementines, carrots, ginger, lemon, lime, blood oranges, pears and grape fruit.

*This is not a sponsored blog post, I am not affiliated with Hurom. All opinions are my own.

*The giveaway winner for the OpenSky Robin Mcgraw wellness giveaway still hasn’t contacted me. So I had to choose a new winner: Ashley! Please send me an e-mail.

Do you have a juicer and how often do you use it? What is your favorite juice to make?

Welcome To 2013 {WIAW}

2013-01-03T12:14:00.001+01:00

Going into the new year I feel refreshed and ready to take on 2013! This is a big year for me, I have a lot of important things happening. Things related to school, a job, my blog and more. When I look back on 2012, I feel like I personally made some great improvements. I had my ups and downs but I definitely grew as a person.

Wishing you all a wonderful and blessed new year!

As always, I’m going to share some eats from the past couple of days. Thanks to Jenn for hosting!

Edited to add (Thursday, January 3rd): I wanted to join the party yesterday but the internet connection was down all day in the area I live in. So, I’m joining a bit late. Better late than never right?

Recent Post Workout Snack: A smoothie (one banana, frozen raspberries, cottage cheese, stevia, water) topped with unhealthy but delicious cereal.

Recent Snack: Baby carrots with unpictured peanut butter.

Christmas Morning Breakfast: A plain full fat yogurt with peanut butter and waffles (I had at least 4) my mom made topped with a healthier version of Nutella (Bio Cocoba).

Recent Breakfast: Fresh juice (blood orange and clementine's) and oatmeal (1/2 cup rolled oats cooked in water, milk and with almonds).

In my previous WIAW post I mentioned a healthier version of Nutella and a lot of you wanted to see it. It’s called “Bio Cocoba”.

Recent Drink: Coffee date with my cousins in McDonalds. I got a cappuccino.

Recent Lunch & Dessert: My grandmas 80th birthday was a few days ago so we got together with a bunch of family and went to a restaurant. I got tomato soup, homemade pasta filled with spinach and two pieces of cake. It was all delicious!

Recent Snack & Dessert: Leftover Christmas cookies!

I would love to know if there is anything you would like to see more of on my blog, feel free to leave a comment below.

Also, to Jessica, you won the OpenSky Robin McGraw Wellness Giveaway. I mentioned it in a post last week. Please contact me ASAP!

How did you celebrate New Years? Do you have any big plans for 2013?

Merry Christmas {WIAW}

2012-12-26T12:00:00.001+01:00

I hope you all had a very nice and blessed Christmas and holiday season! I spent mine with family. I haven’t had anything healthy in three days. But hey, Christmas is only once a year so I enjoyed all the festive food. I’m craving something healthy and a good workout though.

But lets not forget the real meaning of Christmas. It’s not the food, the gifts or the Christmas trees. It’s about God sending His one and only son down to earth to save us all. I am so grateful for Jesus, He has blessed me so much. And I am so grateful for my friends and family and that we got to celebrate this special day together.

Thanks to Jenn for hosting. As always, I’m going to share some recent eats from the past couple of days. Mostly before the Christmas feast because I didn’t get to snap a picture of everything.

Recent Breakfast: Two pieces of whole grain bread (one topped with PB&J, the other topped with a healthier version of Nutella) and a Andechser Natur plain yogurt on the side.

Recent Snack: A couple of handfuls of mini spelt pretzels from Bio Gourmet (German brand).

Recent Breakfast: Oatmeal (1/2 cup rolled oats cooked in water and milk) topped with honey and peanut butter (trust me, there's more than the picture shows) and fresh juice (2 oranges, 2 clementines) on the side.

Recent Snack & Dessert: Christmas cookies my mom made (more than one, of course).

Recent Lunch: A plain full fat yogurt with blueberries, a sandwich (two pieces of whole grain bread, topped with cream cheese, one hard boiled egg and turkey salami), an apple and some Christmas cookies.

Recent Breakfast: Two open-faced sandwiches (two pieces of whole grain bread, one topped with peanut butter and half a banana, the other topped with cream cheese and one egg sunny side up) and an unpictured apple.

Recent Snack: Baby carrots with unpictured peanut butter.

Recent Post Workout Snack: A smoothie (one banana, cottage cheese, mixed berries, cinnamon, buttermilk) topped with chocolate granola.

Recent Snack: An apple with unpictured peanut butter and green tea.

Recent Breakfast: A sandwich (two pieces of whole grain bread topped with cream cheese, one egg sunny side up and salami) I tweeted about.

This holiday season I enjoyed a lot of Christmas cookies, peppermint hot chocolate, cake, tea and chocolate. It’s hard to believe that Christmas is over and it’s almost 2013!

Last but not least, the winner of the OpenSky Robin McGraw wellness giveaway is… Jessica! Please send me an e-mail with your address asap!

How was your Christmas? Did you have a special Christmas breakfast? Are you making resolutions for the New Year?

The Hectic Holidays {WIAW}

2012-12-19T09:41:00.001+01:00

Things always get a bit hectic here in the holiday season. Buying gifts, wrapping gifts, baking Christmas cookies, watching Christmas movies, family get-togethers, eating Christmas cookies, listening to Christmas music and school finals. So much to do, so little time!

I can’t believe that Christmas is just a few days away! I finished all my Christmas shopping and have just a few more exams this week until I’m done!

Thanks to Jenn for hosting this weekly link up. Happy 100th WIAW to us all! As always, I’m going to share some recent eats.

Recent Breakfast: Oatmeal (1/2 rolled oats cooked in water and milk) topped with peanut butter and cinnamon. Coffee on the side.

Recent Snack: Full fat yogurt with raspberries and peanut butter and a muffin on the side.

Recent Drink: My dad and I both got cappuccinos at a café. Anyone else still love having daddy-daughter dates?

Recent Lunch: Spelt noodles topped with Jamie Oliver's pasta sauce (my favorite!), a hard boiled egg and spinach on the side.

Recent Breakfast: Two slices of whole grain bread topped with peanut butter and strawberry jam, full fat yogurt with cereal and cashews on the side (there's more in the yogurt).

Recent Lunch and Dessert: Lunch: Noodles with spiced chicken, Dessert #1: Pudding with berries, Dessert #2 (in the afternoon): cake, cookies and much more that’s unpictured and of course, coffee.

Recent Breakfast: Oatmeal (1/2 cup rolled oats cooked in milk) topped with peanut butter.

Recent Lunch: A sandwich (whole grain bread, cream cheese, Swiss cheese, turkey deli meat and a sliced hard boiled egg) and a yogurt mess (full fat yogurt, cereal, cashews and frozen blueberries) on the side.

Recent Breakfast: Two pieces of whole grain bread topped with peanut butter and strawberry jam (my favorite combo) and fresh juice (two oranges, two clementine's) on the side.

Recent Snack & Dessert: Christmas cookies (show above: “Spritzgebäck”).

I’m sorry I haven't been sharing many of my dinners. It gets dark at 4:30 pm and the lighting isn't very pretty. If you haven’t yet, be sure to enter the wellness giveaway. It ends this Friday, the 21st.

I hope you’re all having a great and blessed holiday season!

What do your holidays look like, laid back or hectic? Have you finished your finals or Christmas shopping?

Robin McGraw’s Wellness Collection {Giveaway}

2012-12-14T22:41:00.001+01:00

First of all, I hope you all have a great weekend! I spent my Friday night at a bonfire and the rest of the weekend is going to be spent in France visiting family.

Today I have another special blog post, a giveaway! And this one is perfect if you still have some Christmas shopping to do or you want to buy yourself a nice Christmas gift.

Robin McGraw is a two-time #1 New York Times best-selling author, television personality, wellness enthusiast and wife of talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw. She recently joined OpenSky.

“OpenSky is a social shopping site that helps people discover, buy and share unique goods that match their individual taste. Users can connect to friends and industry insiders in Food, Style, Beauty, Healthy Living, Electronics and Home Décor for exclusive information, advice and insider product recommendations. Insiders include: Bobby Flay, Molly Sims, Tracy Anderson and Bethenny Frankel.”

This giveaway starts on December 14th 2012 and ends on December 21st 2012. The giveaway is open to US residents only and there will be one winner.

One lucky reader will receive a $25 credit to shop Robin’s wellness collection on Open Sky. I’ve been looking through her collection and there are some things I know I would love to get myself. :)

Please leave a separate comment for each entry:

Check out Robin’s wellness collection on OpenSky and tell me what you would like in a comment below.
Join OpenSky and leave a comment telling me you have.
Like OpenSky on Facebook and leave a comment telling me you did.