Yogurt Parfait

Yogurt Parfait for breakfast has been my number one survival meal the past couple of days. Returning from a wonderful summer vacation is hard, but returning to super humid weather which almost isn't that hot yet you already seem to drip in sweat only by walking up the stairs is even harder. So after waking up early because of the temperatures and air a cooling yogurt with fresh fruit and crunchy muesli is what I opt for. But instead of simply topping a bowlful with some fruit and similar I like to layer the ingredients all up parfait style - all the goodness in every bit and no leftover plain yogurt without any toppings in the end. Smart solution at its best!



To make it even better this one doubles as a visual eye-catcher because of the visible layers when served in a glass! So it can not only be served day in and day out as a breakfast staple but also accompany a beautiful brunching table on special occasions! Win-win situation! I've included the recipe for my favourite combination of banana, honey and muesli below, but don't be shy to throw in new combinations using a variety of fruit, chopped chocolate, granola/cereal, or even crushed cookies. The combinations are literally endless and you can be sure to have a new one every day!

Yogurt Parfait
- serves one
- 1 banana
- 3 Tbsp muesli
- 1 tsp honey
- 150g plain yoghurt

1. Slice the banana.
2. Drop one tablespoon of yoghurt into the jar, then sprinkle a taplespoon of muesli on top. Layer some banana slices on top of this. Now continue to layer yoghurt, honey, muesli, banana, yoghurt, muesli, banana, ... until the yogurt is used up.
3. Garnish with the remaining muesli, arrange the left-over banana on top and drizzle with some honey. Serve immeditately and enjoy!

Almond Cookies with Dates and Chocolate {and a very merry Christmas y'all!}

I wish you all a very merry, bright and happy Christmas! I hope you enjoy this special time of the year with friends and family all united cherishing the birthday of Jesus, the community of your family or the act of gifting each other!



As you read this post I'm quite possibly already digging my toes in the golden sand, turning my face towards a glorious sun after devouring some delicious food from the buffet. I now, it might be unfair to tell you, but I'm in the lucky position to spend this holidays with my family a little further away from home (and the rainy, grey and dreary weather ofthe past weeks...) in the beauty of some warmer climate and one of the loveliest hotels around.
My days will be filled with sleeping, resting, reading (4 books packed!) enjoying time with my family and of course: EATING - aaaaalll day long! :-P



This calls for

Healthy Raisin 'n Oat Cookies

 I just love simple, quick and delicious recipes. A few basic ingredients get paired to unique flavour and texture combinations, the miracles of cooking or baking just take a few minutes and you're left with some pleasing dish or baked thing that leaves you coming back for mooore - and know what, because it's so quick you can do it over and over again - in some cases pretty dangerous for the waistline though...

This recipe has it all: its simple, quick, delicious and HEALTHY! A win, win, win and win ;-)
A combo of natural ingredients: Bananas, Apples, Oats and Raisins pair up with carrots (trust me on this, it works like a charm!) and you can have a totally (refined) sugar free cookie within 'bout half an hour.

Quick Recipe Post: Pumpkin Soup with Veggies

 



Just a quick recipe post, as I have a healthy cookie recipe to be posted this weekend!
Lightning kept killing me this week - 5 pm and it's pitch black! When should I take my photos? Ahh, the daily time problem... :-((

So, please excuse the quite dark picture, but I just didn't want to hide this so easy yet incredibly delicious soup. Some basic pumpkin gets paired with tomatoes and carrots to create a healthy yet rich soup - perfectly topped off with some (greek) yogurt!

Pumpkin Soup with Veggies
- serves 4 people as a filling main dish
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Onion
- 1 kg fresh pumpkin (or use your favourite squash instead!)
- 4 medium sized carrots
- 1 can of diced tomatoes with juice
- 600 ml water
- 2 Tbsp Chicken/Vegetable Broth
- 1 inch piece of ginger
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- optional: salt, pepper, (greek) yogurt for topping.

1. Carve the pumpkin, removing skin and seeds - you'll just need the flesh. Peel and cut carrots into small pieces.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large pot to medium high heat. Peel the onion and add it to the heated oil, watch as it might burn quickly. Peel the ginger and cut it into small cubes.
3. Add the carrots and the ginger to the pot. Sautee it for 5 minutes then mix in the pumpkin and the tomatoes with their juice. Mix the water with the broth and add it to the pot. Let it simmer on medium low heat for 30 minutes.
4. Give the soup a good stir and add in the cinnamon and salt/pepper according to your taste.
5. Take the pot off the heat and blend the soup together until its smooth. If its too thick you might want to add in some more broth.
6. Return to heat and let it simmer for another 15 minutes. Serve with some greek yogurt, pepper and top with a few parsley leafes. Enjoy!

Dolce Vita: Rome and a Caprese Recipe

Antipasti and Dolcis. Caffè or Vino. Pesce and Carni or Frutta and Formaggio. The Italian cuisine is one of the most famous around the world. And it definitely isn’t all about pasta and pizza! Every time I go down to the south it seems like the to-eat-list doesn’t has an end(I’m right that everybody has something like that? C’mon foodie friends!).  

This time it was the capital: Rome, school trip - 5 days full of partly-exhausting sightseeing but fun too. Not the whole time dolce vita but mostly. The city was just gorgeous: sunny even though slightly sultry weather and so much to experience. From the noticed original Italian cuisine, nice people, late night card plays and getting lost along the streets we had a little bit of everything!

- Nice vehicles (left side) were all over the place and the Fontana di Trevi (right side) -

The first evening started right up with the dream of finding an authentic yet cheaper restaurant (trattoria or osteria) near our hotel – reality hit hard: all we found were restaurants used to much tourism and used to their likings. Some basic gnocchi with tomato sauce and mozzarella were chosen which served their purpose but didn’t really make your yaw drop. This disappointment grew a little day for day – I was eating something Italian, but it didn’t matched my expectations (used to something really authentic here due to Italian friends…). The last day we finally went to an Osteria and some delicious antipasti (this time grilled veggies) followed by some carne made up for everything :D. Nevermind that shortly before I finally got to visit a small Pasticceria where I could get some perfectly baked pastries – calls for running some extra laps in the following weeks ;).

- On the right side: Olives on the Palatin right next to the Colosseum (left side) -