Bars and Pilates

Good eats I’ve recently discovered or made:

I experimented with different versions of granola bars this week. One of the recipes I will make again really soon, was this one: for two bars, I mixed 6 tablespoons of bran cereal (with fruits and nuts), 3 tablespoons of oats and a tablespoon of raisins. I combined this with a melted mixture of: a teaspoon of butter, two teaspoons of sugar and a tablespoon of honey. This all together went in a baking dish, I pressed it firmly and baked it for about 15 minutes in a hot oven. Of course you can experiment like I did: with coconut, chocolate, sesame seeds, dried fruits and much more. Enjoy:)

X

Another sandwich I bought: a (soft and chewy) roll with curry sauce, chicken, egg, arugula and pickled veggies. An original and delicious combination.

X

X

X

Realisation I’ve recently made:

I went to a Pilates class last week! I chose an easy class (because I wanted something relaxed, not challenging…in a while I will challenge myself with some nice dancing classes again) and although the level was a bit too low, I truly enjoyed every minute of it. Moving, feeling my body, stretching…it felt great. I will stick with this easy class for a while and I’m already looking forward to the next time!

Julia

Pizza and Pilav

Good eats I’ve recently discovered or made:

X

A delicious pizza, store-bought, but it tasted like something from a Italian restaurant! It had tomato, chicken, roasted peppers, arugula and lots of cheese on top. Don’t you love the colors of this pizza?!

I had never made a pilav before, but am in love with it now! I sauteed an onion and some grated ginger in butter (important!) and added rice and a bit of cinnamon. I added vegetable stock and cooked the rice for about 8 minutes (with the lid on). Then, I added some green beans and raisins and cooked the dish for another 10 minutes, until all the liquid was absorbed. I then added toasted cashews and some extra butter (really important for taste and creamy texture) and that was it…Easy vegetarian, so good!

Realisation I’ve recently made:

Thanks for all your sweet comments on my last post, they mean the world to me. I did see some of the people I spoke about in my last post, but not all of them were there. They were happy to see me, but it was very rushed and there wasn’t really time for a good chat. But… that doesn’t matter, because I realized something more important.

I realized I didn’t need them to tell me I looked better, healthy or whatever. Because I didn’t do all of this for them, I made the choice to recover for myself. And as long I’m satisfied with that choice (believe me, I am!), proud of myself for the steps I’ve taken and as long as people close to me are happy for me, proud of me…than that’s enough!

Julia

Mini fondue & special brownies

Good eats I’ve recently discovered or made:

I made an individual cheese fondue in my little cocotte. All I did was putting a nice melting cheese (I used a camembert, other cheeses that will work are for example brie, vacherin, goat cheese…) in the little pan en made some slices on top. I added some olive oil, some honey (with truffle, nice!), thyme and some white wine on top of the cheese and this went in the oven for about 20 minutes. I served it with bread and vegetables for dipping, real comfort food!

X

X

Remember the brownie I bought? I liked it so much, that I bought some more brownies to store in my fridge. Some of the brownies I sliced open and I added a few raspberries in the middle. I only need to heat these brownies in the microwave and they are so good. I just love the combination of chocolate and raspberry!

X

Realisation I’ve recently made:

This week, I will see some people who helped me during the earlier stages of my recovery (until about a year ago). Their help wasn’t enough, wasn’t what I needed and in some ways wasn’t right. I haven’t seen them in a long time and I’m so curious about their reactions if they see me again. Now, a year later…healthy, happy, the real Julia again. I think it will also be a chance for me to really close that chapter of my life, there are some things I wanna tell them. I’m excited and a bit nervous, but so ready!

Julia

An Italian Mood

Good eats I’ve recently discovered or made:

A delicious sandwich I bought: a tomato ciabatta with arugula, olive oil, roast beef, marinated fennel and lots of fresh mango chutney. I love this ciabatta, so unusual and so good! This time, I got it grilled; even better. It’s easy to make this sandwich yourself, but I think it’s so important to use good quality ingredients. That’s one of the things I love about Italian food; most of the times it’s just a few ingredients, but when they’re from excellent quality, the dish becomes extraordinary.

X

And to keep things in a Italian mood, this is a tuna lasagne I made this week.

I made a simple tomato sauce (by frying a chopped onion and some garlic, adding a can of peeled tomatoes and letting that simmer for a while) and a bechamel sauce (equal amount of butter and flour in the pan, adding 10 times that amount of milk…stir until cooked and without lumps). Of course you can easily buy these sauces if you’re in a hurry (or in a non-cooking mood!). To the tomato sauce, I added some tuna in olive oil and to the bechamel sauce, I added some grated cheese.

Then I just made the layers: first some tomato sauce (with tuna), then a layer of fresh lasagne sheets, tomato sauce again, a layer of bechamel and grated cheese and repeated this until I was out of ingredients. Make sure to finish with a generous amount of bechamel and grated cheese and make sure the lasagne sheets are covered in sauce. This went into a semi-hot oven for 45 minutes, I letted it stand for a few minutes (to let the dish become more firm) and then I could enjoy this classic lasagne with a (seafood) twist!

X

Realisation I’ve recently made:

Something I’m really looking forward to: I’m taking a course in photography, starting next week. I always said I wanted to learn how to make really good pictures and I thought; why would I wait with that? Let’s take a class! I’m kind of excited and I will definitely update you about my experiences!

Julia

Smashed potatoes & Answers, Part II

Good eats I’ve recently discovered or made:

A nice and easy side dish if you wanna do something new with your potatoes: smashed potatoes. You cook potatoes until they’re almost done and lay them on a baking sheet (or in a baking dish). Then you smash the potatoes (with a fork, or with a pan) until they are a bit flat, they won’t look pretty and that’s a good thing! Then, bush them with a generous amount of olive oil (or butter) and salt&pepper. Bake them in a hot oven for about 20 minutes until they are crispy and crunchy. Delicious!

Realisation I’ve recently made:

As promised; part II of my answers!

- Karina: What is one of the most motivating things you have in your life–could be a quote, person, movie, idea.

A really motivating thing for me is dancing. As I mentioned earlier, I decided to stop and it was a good, but such a hard choice. I can’t wait to start again and being able to fully dance again is a really big motivation! (Other motivations are my family, my health, blogging…)

- Neela: I wanna know more about your life, what do you do? hobbies? favorite stores? music? idols maybe??? you get the picture! some more background to the lovely person that’s making smile with every comment

I’m a student (marketing and journalism) at the moment, besides that I also do some voluntary work. My hobbies are dancing (almost…almost), reading, writing and cooking of course! My favorite store is difficult, I love the big stores with cooking essentials and can get lost in a book store:) For clothes, I love Hollister. I really listen to every kind of music; pop, jazz, rock, classical…I love the variety!

X

- Mitri: What is your “dream job(s)”?  What is your favorite flavor of muffins?  x)  Equally serious questions

Both really serious of course;) My dream job? Difficult. It would involve organizing, writing, a bit of PR, lifestyle…is this a job?! My favorite flavor of muffins depends on my mood, it’s the carrot cake muffins or chocolate chip.

X

- Christina: Since you’re from Europe, do you tend to eat a lot less processed food than you see on American blogs? I’m just curious what you have available there!

I think there’s a difference and yes, there is a lot less processed food available here. For instance bread, I find it crazy that most American supermarkets only have those plastic-sealed gummy fabric breads with all those crazy corn syrups and additives. I would so miss the smell of fresh bread with a crispy crust if I didn’t live in Europe…I see it changing (with Wholefoods for instance), but those companies are still the minority. But on the other hand…I think Europe goes more and more in the US direction. Way more processed food here these days, but luckily…also the trend of more ‘natural, homemade stuff’. (I like to make clear that I don’t only eat healthy, or biological, or unprocessed foods at all. Everything in moderation is my idea!)

X

- Amanda: If you could sit down and have a conversation with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

Such a good (and difficult) question! I would love to have a conversataion with my grandmother. We were very close, but she died when I was still a young girl. I have never had a ‘real conversation’ with her and I would love to have that. I would like to know more about her and about what she would think of me…

Julia