I am a huge fan of all kinds of smoothies. It is a great snack between meals or before training. I would like to share with you recipe for my favorite breakfast smoothie when I go to the gym in the morning and need to boost my energy.
You will need:
- 1 banana
- 2 tbs of oats
- 1-2 tsp of instant coffee
- 1 tsp of peanut butter
- plant-based milk
Optionally: a pinch of cinnamon, major-dates (to add a little bit of sweetness)
Blend it all together and enjoy!
Friday, January 4, 2019
How to stick to new year's resolutions?
We began another year and I'm sure that I am not the only one who has a head (not just head) full of resolutions, plans and goals that I want to achieve. As far as I remember, I've being doing lists of things that I wanted to do during a year and in 2018 I finally succeeded in some of them. I did it thanks to some tricks that I had found somewhere in the internet. So here are some of them that worked for me:
1. Make an actual list on paper and hang it somewhere in sight so that you can look at it everyday and remember about it. I used to always make my resolutions' lists only in my head and I used to forget about it after a month or so.
2. Focus on small steps. Try to think what can approach you to your main goal, make this little things your resolutions and realize them step by step.
3. Make your goals measurable. For example, instead of thinking "I want to loose weight" try to say to yourself "I will attend gym 3 times a week and try to give up on sweats".
What are your resolutions? Happy new year and I hope you will accomplish your resolutions!
Monday, November 12, 2018
Travelling for free?
I've spent the last weekend walkig throuh the charming streets and exploring the beauty of Vienna. It was not only the first time that I've been in this city but also the first time when I used the Couchsurfing to find my travel accomodation.
If you haven't heard about Couchsurfing, it's the website where you can find your travel accomodation almost for free. People offer you sleeping in their place ("at their couch") and they don't expect paying any money from you. The only amount of money that you have to pay is 60$ for joining to the community of couchsurfers. It's not much regarding the fact that you pay it only once and then you can use it with no strings attached.
The first thing that you have to do is to make your profile in the way that other couchsurfers could get to know you a little bit before accepting your request. It's very important because the goal of Couchsurfing is not only finding accomodation but also meeting new people. Hosts don't expect money but they want to meet new cultures. So you can "pay" them by bringing something traditional from Poland, by cooking one of our delicious meals or simply by just having a conversation where you share your traditions and experiences.
I had an amazing opportunity to meet a guy from Germany who spends each year in different country and works as a photographer and gym trainer. He was so nice that he offered me and my friend his own bed while he was sleeping on the couch in the living room. As he has been in Vienna since almost a year, he gave us directions what to see in the first place, where to eat (and not spend huge amount of money!) and where to drink. He even took us to one of great pubs nearby.
The only thing that was bothering us a little was the fact that he was waking up at 5am and then he was working on the computer in the room where we were sleeping. We felt a little bit awkwardly waking up when he was working next to us.
But anyway, it was such a nice experience and I'm so happy to have a chance to met him and to try this new interesting way of travelling. If you love seeing new places and meeting new people, you should definitely try it!
If you haven't heard about Couchsurfing, it's the website where you can find your travel accomodation almost for free. People offer you sleeping in their place ("at their couch") and they don't expect paying any money from you. The only amount of money that you have to pay is 60$ for joining to the community of couchsurfers. It's not much regarding the fact that you pay it only once and then you can use it with no strings attached.
The first thing that you have to do is to make your profile in the way that other couchsurfers could get to know you a little bit before accepting your request. It's very important because the goal of Couchsurfing is not only finding accomodation but also meeting new people. Hosts don't expect money but they want to meet new cultures. So you can "pay" them by bringing something traditional from Poland, by cooking one of our delicious meals or simply by just having a conversation where you share your traditions and experiences.
I had an amazing opportunity to meet a guy from Germany who spends each year in different country and works as a photographer and gym trainer. He was so nice that he offered me and my friend his own bed while he was sleeping on the couch in the living room. As he has been in Vienna since almost a year, he gave us directions what to see in the first place, where to eat (and not spend huge amount of money!) and where to drink. He even took us to one of great pubs nearby.
The only thing that was bothering us a little was the fact that he was waking up at 5am and then he was working on the computer in the room where we were sleeping. We felt a little bit awkwardly waking up when he was working next to us.
But anyway, it was such a nice experience and I'm so happy to have a chance to met him and to try this new interesting way of travelling. If you love seeing new places and meeting new people, you should definitely try it!
Monday, June 18, 2018
My favorite go-to smoothie
Very often when I'm in the rush and I don't have time for cooking, I prepare smoothie as a snack. It is so easy to do and much healthier than smoothies which you can buy in a store. It's a perfect solution to bring it with you to university. You can chop all the ingredients in the evening and put it to a box or to your blender cup. Then, the only thing that you have to do next morning is just blend it.
So here is my favorite smoothie. You will need:
So here is my favorite smoothie. You will need:
- A handful of kale
- 1 banana
- 1/4 of avocado
- 1/2 of cucumber
- 1 tbsp of hemp seeds
- Water
- Ice rocks (optionally, when is really hot outside)
- A pinch of grated ginger
- A pinch of black peper
Just blend it and enjoy your super healthy snack!
Thursday, June 14, 2018
Beat the stress
June is probably one of he hardest months in every student's life. Even though we are extremely tired after the whole year of studying, we still have to face our final exams and the view of upcoming holidays doesn't help. The summer weather makes us daydreaming about sandy beaches, mountains, lakes or simply chilling in the garden with a favorite book that is not obligatory for literature classes. In those days when part of ourselves is chilling somewhere allover the world and the other one still have to learn for tests, it is difficult to keep balance and have a peaceful mind.
So here are some things that work for me. Feel free to share your ways for stress if you have ones!
Exercise. It's the key for every stress/mental problems, because we all know that exercising boost endorphins. It is a huge release for your spine after spending hours sitting at the desk. Whether it's running, gym or yoga, even 15 minutes per day makes a difference.
Spend some time outside and breath the fresh air. I know you probably don't have time for just sitting and staring at the sky, but you can always grab your notes to the park and study there. Great idea is also to combine being outside with physical activities.
Meditate. I know it may sound a little bit too "spiritual", but meditation doesn't have to involve any religious practice. For me it's simply sitting in the silence, breathing really deeply and trying to silence my mind. It is a huge help in calming down yourself.
Eat something nutritious. I believe that what we eat affects how we feel to a large degree. So eat some some fresh fruits or veggies and mix it with nuts. They are great source of valuable unsaturated fatty acids which are very beneficial to our brains.
Talk to someone about something different than studies. Maybe call or meet your friends that you haven't been talked to since a long time. Just try to keep the balance and to not think about exams all the time.
Fingers crossed! We will all pass it!
So here are some things that work for me. Feel free to share your ways for stress if you have ones!
Exercise. It's the key for every stress/mental problems, because we all know that exercising boost endorphins. It is a huge release for your spine after spending hours sitting at the desk. Whether it's running, gym or yoga, even 15 minutes per day makes a difference.
Spend some time outside and breath the fresh air. I know you probably don't have time for just sitting and staring at the sky, but you can always grab your notes to the park and study there. Great idea is also to combine being outside with physical activities.
Meditate. I know it may sound a little bit too "spiritual", but meditation doesn't have to involve any religious practice. For me it's simply sitting in the silence, breathing really deeply and trying to silence my mind. It is a huge help in calming down yourself.
Eat something nutritious. I believe that what we eat affects how we feel to a large degree. So eat some some fresh fruits or veggies and mix it with nuts. They are great source of valuable unsaturated fatty acids which are very beneficial to our brains.
Talk to someone about something different than studies. Maybe call or meet your friends that you haven't been talked to since a long time. Just try to keep the balance and to not think about exams all the time.
Fingers crossed! We will all pass it!
Monday, June 11, 2018
How my life changed after going vegan
I went vegan about a year ago and when I look back I realize how many things in my life are different now. I've decided to share some of it with you today.
New skills
I had never been a fan of cooking and my main cooking skills were how to make spaghetti and scrambled eggs. In some way I was forced to change it, because when I come back home, my mum doesn't cook for me vegan meals and I don't want to eat only raw veggies. I've also wanted to show my family that vegan cuisine can be really delicious and nutritious, so I've started to prepare the whole variety of vegan meals and they love it. My mum is also happy, because when I'm home, I cook for the whole family, so she doesn't have to do it.
New tastes
Next thing is that during this year I've probably tried more new dishes than I did during my whole life. As a meat-eater, I was eating mainly pasta with tomato sauce and classic polish dinner which was meat, potatoes and salad. Going vegan made my realize how many other delicious food exist on this world. I ate tofu, fallafel and bean burgers for the first time. Moreover, I've started to eat vegetables that I used to hate as a child.
Healthy lifestyle
I definitely eat more healthy since I went vegan. In Poland, we still don't have many vegan sweets and junk food and when we find something, it's often more expensive, so I usually don't buy it (you know, #studentlife). In order to find something vegan and reading food labels, I've started to paying attention on other ingredients like preservatives, sugar or fats and I've decide that I don't want to eat it either.
Better skin and hair
I've always been struggling with acne and my skin condition has got so much better after going vegan. It's connected with healthier lifestyle, but the change was noticeable also when I was still eating lots of fries and Oreo. The key is cutting on dairy and eating definitely more veggies than before. Except skin, my hair and nails condition has improved too. They've never been growing so fast before!
Of course that's not all. I could mention many more things like bigger awareness in many different areas including meat industry, ecology and health, but this post would become more like a book, so I didn't want to bore you.
New skills
I had never been a fan of cooking and my main cooking skills were how to make spaghetti and scrambled eggs. In some way I was forced to change it, because when I come back home, my mum doesn't cook for me vegan meals and I don't want to eat only raw veggies. I've also wanted to show my family that vegan cuisine can be really delicious and nutritious, so I've started to prepare the whole variety of vegan meals and they love it. My mum is also happy, because when I'm home, I cook for the whole family, so she doesn't have to do it.
New tastes
Next thing is that during this year I've probably tried more new dishes than I did during my whole life. As a meat-eater, I was eating mainly pasta with tomato sauce and classic polish dinner which was meat, potatoes and salad. Going vegan made my realize how many other delicious food exist on this world. I ate tofu, fallafel and bean burgers for the first time. Moreover, I've started to eat vegetables that I used to hate as a child.
Healthy lifestyle
I definitely eat more healthy since I went vegan. In Poland, we still don't have many vegan sweets and junk food and when we find something, it's often more expensive, so I usually don't buy it (you know, #studentlife). In order to find something vegan and reading food labels, I've started to paying attention on other ingredients like preservatives, sugar or fats and I've decide that I don't want to eat it either.
Better skin and hair
I've always been struggling with acne and my skin condition has got so much better after going vegan. It's connected with healthier lifestyle, but the change was noticeable also when I was still eating lots of fries and Oreo. The key is cutting on dairy and eating definitely more veggies than before. Except skin, my hair and nails condition has improved too. They've never been growing so fast before!
Of course that's not all. I could mention many more things like bigger awareness in many different areas including meat industry, ecology and health, but this post would become more like a book, so I didn't want to bore you.
Monday, April 30, 2018
It's all about your food choices
One week ago we celebrated International Earth Day and today I want to write few words about what we can do protect our planet (maybe a little bit late, but this topic should always be current).
Since early years of school, we are taught about garbage segragation, recycling, saving water etc. More and more often we hear that we all should choose public transport instead of driving our own cars. The zero waste movement is becoming more and more popular. And all of this is absolutely true and super important. But there is one more thing about protecting the Earth that is closely related to our everyday life. I mean food choices. Have you ever been wondering about the connection between what you eat and our planet condition? I'm not surprised if you haven't, because it's not a common issue during school classes and in media.
Until last year I also didn't see this connection, but everything has changed when I became vegan and I've started to learning more about meat industry.
My point today is not talking about ethical aspect of veganism. Not everyone cares about animals and I understand it. Instead I want to talk about how meat industry affects our planet.
First of all, meat industry is responsible for about 60% of greenhouse gasses emission. It includes producing meat, dairy and eggs. Even though there is more people who give up on eating animal products, the number of people in developping countries is increasing. The most popular diet in those countries is a diet rich in meat, dairy and eggs.
Another issue is wasting water. About 30% of fresh water on the world is used for animal breeding. It's not only water that animals drink, but also water that is used to produce their feed.
Animal feed production also requires huge amounts of land. According to Green Peace, 80% of deforestation is caused by food production and big majority of it is related to pastures and cultivating plants for feed. More than 90% of world soy cultivation is destined for animals' feed.
Those are of course some basic information, because it's a large topic and I didn't want to bore you with many numbers. I just wanted to pay your attention on this often skipped issue and I hope that maybe at least one of you got interested after reading this.
You don't have to completely give up on eating animal products. If you care about our planet, maybe try to reduce eating meat, dairy and eggs by starting from having one plant-based day per week.
PS. If you got interested and if you like documentaries, I really recommend you to watch "Cowspiracy" (available on Netflix).
Since early years of school, we are taught about garbage segragation, recycling, saving water etc. More and more often we hear that we all should choose public transport instead of driving our own cars. The zero waste movement is becoming more and more popular. And all of this is absolutely true and super important. But there is one more thing about protecting the Earth that is closely related to our everyday life. I mean food choices. Have you ever been wondering about the connection between what you eat and our planet condition? I'm not surprised if you haven't, because it's not a common issue during school classes and in media.
Until last year I also didn't see this connection, but everything has changed when I became vegan and I've started to learning more about meat industry.
My point today is not talking about ethical aspect of veganism. Not everyone cares about animals and I understand it. Instead I want to talk about how meat industry affects our planet.
First of all, meat industry is responsible for about 60% of greenhouse gasses emission. It includes producing meat, dairy and eggs. Even though there is more people who give up on eating animal products, the number of people in developping countries is increasing. The most popular diet in those countries is a diet rich in meat, dairy and eggs.
Another issue is wasting water. About 30% of fresh water on the world is used for animal breeding. It's not only water that animals drink, but also water that is used to produce their feed.
Animal feed production also requires huge amounts of land. According to Green Peace, 80% of deforestation is caused by food production and big majority of it is related to pastures and cultivating plants for feed. More than 90% of world soy cultivation is destined for animals' feed.
Those are of course some basic information, because it's a large topic and I didn't want to bore you with many numbers. I just wanted to pay your attention on this often skipped issue and I hope that maybe at least one of you got interested after reading this.
You don't have to completely give up on eating animal products. If you care about our planet, maybe try to reduce eating meat, dairy and eggs by starting from having one plant-based day per week.
PS. If you got interested and if you like documentaries, I really recommend you to watch "Cowspiracy" (available on Netflix).
Tuesday, April 3, 2018
Caramel tofu "cheesecake"
I've always been a huge fan of cheesecake. Moist, a little bit sour, but sweet at the same time cake has been a tradition in my family. My mother prepares it for each holidays. Since I became vegan one year ago, I gave up on eating cheesecake. I was missing this taste and this year I decided to recreate it in a vegan version. My dad, who is also big amateur of cheesecake, said that it is better than the one bought in a bakery and he didn't even know there was no cheese in it. So I think that I succeeded and I want to share this recipe with you.
Ingredients:
Crust:
- 300g oatcakes
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
Filling:
- 2 bars natural tofu (2 x 180g)
- 100 g dry millet groats
- 1 1/4 glass coconut milk (the fatter the better)
- 3/4 glass sugar/ maple syrup/ agave syrup
- 3 tbsp potato flour
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 glass lemon juice
- zest of 1 lemon
- pinch salt
Caramel glaze:
- about 50 dry dates
- 4 tbsp peanut butter
- 1/4 tsp seasalt
1. Cook millet groats and allow to cool.
2. Preparing the crust: blend all ingredients together, then put it into a baking sheet with the baking paper. Put it into a frifge.
3. Preparing the filling: put all the ingredients (except coconut milk) into a bowl and blend it until all become very smooth. Then, slowly pour the milk, constantly mixing. Have a taste and add more sugar or lemon juice if you want.
4. Preheat the oven for 180 C degrees. Pour the "cheese" filling into a cooled crust and put it into oven for 15 minutes. After that time, reduce the temperature to 120 C degrees and bake another 45 minutes.
5. After that, turn off the oven and leave the cake inside for 15 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 3 hours.
6. Preparing the glaze: do it when the cake is cooled down. Pour boiling water over dates and leave it for 15 minutes. Then blend dates with peanut butter and salt until smooth. Spread the "caramel" over the cake and sprinkle with peanuts or almond flakes.
Enjoy!
 |
| (photo by me) |
Ingredients:
Crust:
- 300g oatcakes
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
Filling:
- 2 bars natural tofu (2 x 180g)
- 100 g dry millet groats
- 1 1/4 glass coconut milk (the fatter the better)
- 3/4 glass sugar/ maple syrup/ agave syrup
- 3 tbsp potato flour
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 glass lemon juice
- zest of 1 lemon
- pinch salt
Caramel glaze:
- about 50 dry dates
- 4 tbsp peanut butter
- 1/4 tsp seasalt
1. Cook millet groats and allow to cool.
2. Preparing the crust: blend all ingredients together, then put it into a baking sheet with the baking paper. Put it into a frifge.
3. Preparing the filling: put all the ingredients (except coconut milk) into a bowl and blend it until all become very smooth. Then, slowly pour the milk, constantly mixing. Have a taste and add more sugar or lemon juice if you want.
4. Preheat the oven for 180 C degrees. Pour the "cheese" filling into a cooled crust and put it into oven for 15 minutes. After that time, reduce the temperature to 120 C degrees and bake another 45 minutes.
5. After that, turn off the oven and leave the cake inside for 15 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 3 hours.
6. Preparing the glaze: do it when the cake is cooled down. Pour boiling water over dates and leave it for 15 minutes. Then blend dates with peanut butter and salt until smooth. Spread the "caramel" over the cake and sprinkle with peanuts or almond flakes.
Enjoy!
Saturday, March 24, 2018
Would you dare to live in the wild?
Have you ever wondered how would it be to live far from our modern civilization? To live in the wild? I wasn't thinking about it until I watched a movie recommended me by my friend.
 |
| source: https://www.amazon.com/Into-Wild-Emile-Hirsch/dp/B000ZN802W |
The movie called "Into the Wild" is the story of Christopher McCandless who after graduating from college, abandons his life dictated with by his parents' dreams. The man sells all his belongings, gives his money for charity organisations and starts his journey to Alaska. During his way through USA, Chris meets many different personalities which help him explore himself and reach his final goal - a true Life in Alaska.
If you like action films, you can be a little disappointed. The film is based on a true story, so it is not so thrilling, because we can already know the ending. However, if you like watching films with the message and then wondering about it, you may like this film.
The history of Alexander Supertramp (Christopher's nickname) draws attention to some important issues that we often forget about in our busy everyday life. Despite that I don't approve what McCandless did and I don't think it was smart, I completely understand his arguments. We are so focused on work, earning money, rate race that we don't appreciate basic values like family or we don't see miracles of mother nature all around us.
"Into the Wild" is definitely worth watching. Even if you completely disagree with Christopher's point of view, you can watch it only for admiring breathtaking views of american wild nature and for listening to great songs of Eddie Vedder. So, if you are wondering what to watch on Saturday's evening, see this film and maybe it will become one of your favorites.
Monday, March 5, 2018
It's yoga time!
Spring is slowly coming to life and I think that it's a good occasion for many people to start doing some kind of sport and also to prepare themselves for summer. In my opinion, a great way to begin being more active after a little bit of laziness during winter, is practicing yoga. This discipline helps "awake" a body, make it more flexible and also calm down a mind. Nowadays we don't even have to go out to practice, thanks to modern technologies and many YouTube instructors. Today I'd like to introduce you my 2 favorite yoga channels on YouTube.
1. YOGA WITH ADRIENE
Workouts of Adriene are mostly thematic and everyone will find something for himself. There is a variety of workouts for many psychical and physical troubles and even workouts for teachers or runners. If you are a beginner and need motivation, you can join one of her 31 days challenges.
2. BOHO BEAUTIFUL
Juliana has workouts for each level of advance and her yoga classes are more active ones. She is a traveler so each of her videos is made in a beautiful place allover the world. On her channel, you will also find her travel vlogs and some of vegan recipes.
I've already done my daily yoga workout, and you?
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
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June is probably one of he hardest months in every student's life. Even though we are extremely tired after the whole year of studying, ...
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Have you ever wondered how would it be to live far from our modern civilization? To live in the wild? I wasn't thinking about it u...
