Month: October 2018

This dish is perfect for the colder darker autumn days!

Warm chicken stew

4 pcs of chicken filets

1 onion (colour your choice)

1 garlic clove

1 stock cube

3 tbs flour

Soya

2 tbs curry powder

Cream (other liquid of your choice)

Chop the onion and garlic and sauté this softly in butter/ olive oil/ (your choice!). Move over to a larger pan. Fry the chicken and salt & pepper a little. Once with colour, move across to the larger pan as well. Heat water in a kettle and add a stock (chicken, calf or vegetarian) in the larger pan with 1 cup of water.

Deglaze the pan with 2 cups of water and add flour, curry powder, soya and a dash of cream. See it thicken slightly and pour all this over to the larger pan. Leave to simmer for 8-10 mins on low heat. Just to make sure the chicken doesn’t go chewy but making sure it’s fully cooked.

You could add more vegetables here such as peppers, carrots and zucchini. If you’re not a fan of curry, experiment with chilli or paprika powder? Perhaps then omit the dash of cream? You could also use crushed tinned tomatoes as base but then I would use different spices. As you see, the choices here are endless! It’s a relatively easy and a hearty stew that will keep as well for a couple of days.

I served this with a little bit of jasmine rice and corn. Very tasty and just what’s needed this colder, crisp autumn day. I recommend!

On my quest for that little bit healthier, I prepared overnight oats last night. It’s so simple! There are tons of recipes out there. In mine, I’ve added:

1 cup of oats

1/2 cup of oat milk

1 tbs of chia seeds

1/2 tbs honey

Then mix in a cup and leave in the fridge overnight.

This morning I added some fresh raspberries on top as well! It really doesn’t get much simpler than that. A good and healthy start to the day. I recommend!!!

So far, a few items of Ilse Jacobsen have moved into my wardrobe; dresses, boots and a raincoat. I have to admit that the quality is excellent. It’s slowly becoming one of my favourite brands. I don’t miss Reiss as much. They are two completely different brands though. Ilse is probably a little bit more practical and ready for all types of weather. It’s a brand I’d really recommend though. I would love for any of these jackets, coats and boots to move in before snow arrives. I think the winter will be quite cold here and with lots of snow. Who knows? Let’s just wait and see!

So this week, I challenge you to cook healthier food. To cook more from scratch and incorporate more vegetables and fruit in your diet. This is perfect timing, to be a bit healthier and mindful before all the festivities start.

I encourage you to do stir fries, to poach fish and or chicken, prepare delicious salads with some different type of vegetables in, stews and home made soups! I know it’s not always easy to prepare and to cook from scratch all the time. But this week, I truly encourage you to spend more time in the kitchen! Come on, do it- you know it makes sense!

Do you have any favourite dishes that you do that are healthy and easy to prepare? Share and let me know!

Venice- the city built on dirt and mud many years ago. The city has a history going back to 400 AD. It was founded by people who escaped barbarian conquerors. People used the marshy lagoons and the city was founded on 118 small islands. It’s truly a mystery. How come the city isn’t sinking? Or is it? How do they maintain the buildings here? Is the water clean? Why the gondolas?

The city has sunk 9 inches these last 100 years so in a way, it is sinking. Maybe the city will cease to exist as it is today if water levels rise. The buildings were originally built on long wooden piles. Occasionally water is also drained from canals so that necessary repairs can be made. There are days for rubbish collection as well. The water here is clean but a swim in the canals is definitely not recommended. It’s also quite deep ranging from 30-60 feet deep. The Venetian lagoon is 164 feet below sea level. The gondolas are heavy. They are all 10.87cm long and 1.42cm wide. A mystery surrounds gondolas but they have evolved over time. The people who drive these are extremely skilful. It’s a beautiful city. I’d definitely recommend a visit here if you get the chance. Of course full of tourists but it’s so impressive you almost forget about the crowds when you walk around on the small streets in the myriad of buildings, canals, gondolas and people. it’s a magical place.

Yes- Friday is here yet again. What an amazing day! I wish you all a fabulous Friday!!! Enjoy every minute of every day. You’re in control- you are the driver of your life!!!

What are holidays- really? This depends right? Where you live, culture, where you work, if you work, have kids and so on…

The Nordics are generous when it comes to holidays. I mean that in terms of number of weeks but also how holidays are perceived and treated. It seems as if people here actually switch off and take holidays. During summer time, many places really slow down, some even close for a few weeks. Like hairdressers. I’ve worked in different countries and held many different positions in different companies. The range of weeks have been very varied. Some companies also offer a buy & a sell scheme of days. An interesting concept is what’s called “Bank holidays” they have these in the U.K. They were introduced in 1871 by the Banks. Originally these were four days. These fall on Mondays. This is quite different from the Nordics were public holiday can fall any day of the week. I don’t know what I prefer? According to the:

World Atlas

Cambodia has the most number of public holidays with 28 days. The Nordic countries are also up in the top with 11-15 public holidays each. The U.K. has 8 days and the USA seems to have the same in 2018 at least! No matter the number of days, it is important with rest and the ability to switch off. I think a lot of people work hard and set expectations high- on themselves. Sometimes it’s important to just switch of though and get rest and recover. That is something that I truly recommend!