Kind Ice Cream for You eBook is now here!

June 2, 2015

Dear friends! Today is the day: our gorgeous ice cream ebook is here! The one, that I’ve been making with great love and passion for these last couple of months with my lovely friend Virpi Mikkonen from Vanelja.

I’m relieved, nervous and really excited at the same time – but most of all I’m so proud of us because the book turned out fantastic. And I truly believe you’ll agree with me as soon as you get your own copy and flip through the pages of it!

We took all the pictures ourselves but the beautiful layout is made by Leena Oravainio. She managed to create a beautiful ebook out of our words and pictures, for which we are eternally grateful.

Because I’m not really sure what I should say now, I’m going to tell a bit about the ebook, in case you happen to hear about it for the first time.

Kind Ice Cream for You is a love letter (well, literally an ebook) to ice cream, that wonderful cooling summer treat that comes in many shapes and flavors. We’ve gathered together recipes for some classic flavors, such as mint chocolate, stracciatella, strawberry and vanilla but there are lots of new flavor combinations and innovative recipes. Just think about salted popcorn ice cream, chewy caramel, raspberry white chocolate and matcha ice cream…they’re all in the book!

There are 130 pages in the book and those pages include over 60 recipes for homemade healthy ice creams, tips for choosing great ingredients and methods for making ice cream at home, with an ice cream maker and without it. So don’t worry, an ice cream maker is not necessary!

All recipes are free from dairy, gluten and refined sugar. Most of them are raw and can easily be done vegan, if desired. And many of them are nut free too! So instead of ‘traditional’ ingredients, our recipes are based on fruits and berries, avocados, nuts, seeds and coconut milk and other plant based milks, as we wanted to make ice creams that make you feel really good – while you’re savoring it as well as after eating.

The book is now available as an ebook that can be downloaded to a computer, tablet or smartphone. That way you’ll have the recipes with you almost wherever you go! The book is written in English and all the measurements are both in cups and milliliters.

For us, the book is a real dream come true and I really hope that you’ll love our book as much as we loved making it!

If you want to have a sneak peek to the book, check out the website we made for it! There’s also more information about us on the site, as well as some delicious pictures of course.

With these words I’d like to invite you to join our Ice Cream Party and start treating yourself with kind ice creams! Let’s go!

I couldn’t help myself but I had to share a couple of photos more from the book with you guys..ice cream is just that delicious!

And hey, I’d love to hear what you think of our book! You can always leave a comment here on my blog or send us an email to kindforyoubook@gmail.com. Also, feel free to spread the kind ice cream love and tell about this ebook to your friends and everyone who you think would like it – we’ll send you tons of loving vibes in return!

Have a wonderful beginning of Summer friends! ♡

Go and get your copy of the most delicious and fresh ebook of the Summer and
start having wonderful ice cream adventures straight away!

>> The e-book is not for sale at the moment but check these awesome news! <<

mint chocolate ice cream sandwiches (gluten & dairy free + vegan) | tuuliatalvio

Mint Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches (gluten & dairy free) + BIG NEWS!

May 27, 2015

It’s been a while I’ve written anything here, but there’s a good reason behind it – ice cream! And not just any kind of ice cream, but a whole book full of recipes for homemade healthy ice creams, which I’ve been making with my gorgeous pal Virpi Mikkonen from Vanelja.

The last couple of months we’ve been creating, testing and shooting A LOT of ice creams and I can’t really believe that our book is going to be finished next week and you guys are able to get it!

Our book is called Kind Ice Cream for You and it offers over 60 recipes for homemade healthy ice creams. There’ll be recipes for Creamy Ice Creams, Instant Ice Creams, Sorbets, Ice pops and all kinds of Ice Cream Cakes and Goodies. So pretty much everything we’ve ever dreamed of – and hopefully you too! There’s also information about how to make healthy ice creams at home and a lot of tips for perfect ingredients. And you won’t need an ice cream machine, as a lot of the recipes can be made without it! All recipes are free from dairy, gluten and refined sugar. Most of them are raw and they can easily be done vegan, if desired. And if you’re intolerant to nuts, don’t worry – there’s plenty for you too!

We’re publishing our book as an e-book, so that it can easily be read with a laptop, e-reader, tablet or smartphone. That way you’ll pretty much always have the possibility of making ice cream, as the recipes travel wherever you go! Also, the book is written in English so that all ice cream enthusiasts from all over the world can read it. I’m so excited to be sharing these news with you!

But before we the book comes out next week, I want to share one recipe with you and also give you a possibility for a discount code. By signing up to my mailing list, you’ll receive a -20% discount code for the book, as soon as it arrives. The book is going to be priced at 11,90€ (about 13 USD) so with the discount code you’ll get it for only 9,50€! So if you’re not on my mailing list yet, hurry up, click the link and be the first one to get yourself a copy with a great price!

>> You can sign up to my mailing list HERE. <<

And all you existing subscribes, you’ll get the discount code automatically as well!

And now that my nerves have calmed down a bit, let’s move on to the actual ice cream.

To go along with all these exciting news, I wanted to share one recipe, that’s going to be the book as well. Last week we asked you guys on Facebook and Instagram to tell your favorite ice cream flavors that would deserve a healthier version, as we wanted to make two recipes based on your suggestions. We got so many delicious ideas that it was a really tough job for me to choose just one. But in the end I picked up Minna’s request for Mint Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches, because – how could I not? I love mint. And I love chocolate. And these ice cream sandwiches turned out so heavenly, that actually I’d like to stop writing now and run back to the kitchen to make them again. But to be fair, I’ll share the recipe for you too, so that you’ve got something to savor until our book comes out. And remember to check the delicious Snickers Cake based on Salla’s wish on Vanelja as well!

The mint ice cream is delicious just as it is, but when you make it into a sandwich….a total bliss.

Mint Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches (gluten & dairy free)

makes 6-8 ice cream sandwiches

notes: if you don’t have an ice cream maker, make the mint ice cream beforehand so that you don’t have wait for long after making the cookies. when you’ve got the ice cream ready, you can just fill the cookies after baking and savor them right away!

Chocolate Cookies:

1 ⅔ cups gluten free flour (for example 1:1:1 almond, oat & buckwheat flour)*
a pinch of sea salt
3 tbsp raw cacao powder (or unsweetened cocoa powder)
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp organic honey (or coconut palm syrup or other sweetener)
2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
1 organic egg

* hint: for a nut-free version, use for example only oat & buckwheat flour!

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 175 C / 350 F. Put the flour, salt, cacao powder, vanilla and baking soda into a blender or a food processor and pulse until mixed. Add honey, coconut oil or butter and one egg and pulse until a sticky dough forms. If the dough becomes too runny, add a bit of flour.

2. Divide the dough in half and place the dough between two sheets of parchment paper, and roll it out until it’s about as thick as a coin. Cut into rectangles and and place on a baking sheet. Repeat for the remaining dough.

3. Bake in the oven for 6-8 minutes. The cookies can be a bit soft when you take them from the oven as they will get crispier when they cool down.

Assembling the cookies:

Scoop a spoonful of the ice cream and place it on the backside of one cookie. Place another cookie on top of the ice cream and press down gently. Repeat for the remaining cookies. Enjoy right away or put in the freezer to set for about an hour.

Dairy-free Mint Ice Cream:

2 (14 ounce / 400ml) cans full-fat coconut milk (refrigerated overnight)
2 ripe avocados
5-7 tbsp organic honey (or other sweetener)
1 tsp peppermint extract
a big handful of fresh mint leaves

METHOD:

1. Scoop out the white thick paste from the coconut cans into a blender. Add all the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.

2. Pour the mixture into a ice cream machine and make ice-cream according to the instructions of the machine. You can also pour the mixture into a bowl and freeze for about three hours mixing every 30 minutes. Enjoy as it is or use for these ice cream sandwiches!

carrot curry soup with lentils & herbs | tuulia talvio

Curried Carrot Soup w/ Lentil Herb Topping

May 5, 2015

We’ve just returned home after a long weekend trip to the mountains in Austria. Even though our home is a bit messy, our windows are waiting to be cleaned and all our clothes need to be washed after all that hiking and biking, I was really happy to come home. I’ve always thought that one of the benefits of traveling is the fact that I start to miss home, my routines and making my own breakfast even though I’ve been sick of them just before the holiday. But maybe I’ve also started to do right things in my life as it nowadays feels nice to come back to that everyday life instead of being horrified of it, as it was some years ago.

Some of us love weekdays, routines and just that ‘normal’ life and then some of us pretty much hate it. When I start to feel bored in my own routines I try to come up with small things, that make me feel better. Like making overnight oats so that I don’t have to make breakfast on a busy morning, or seeing friends for workouts or just taking naps if feel tired. Just things that make me feel good. Easy and wholesome recipes and batch cooking work well too. Even though I love cooking, I’m not up to spending every night in the kitchen. So I rather cook something I can eat for couple of nights and then spend that extra time on watching my favorite series or reading or just hanging out with my boyfriend.

I really like soups as there are so many different flavors and they’re usually really easy to prepare. I always like to make a bigger portion, which makes life easier on the upcoming days. Soups are also really good for using all those forgotten vegetables from the fridge. In fact, this soup was the result of one those expeditions to our fridge. I found a bag of carrots, onions and some red curry paste, which turned out to make a really yummy soup with just the right amount of spiciness.

Soups are really good just as they are but usually I feel that they’re not filling enough. So to make it more of a meal, I usually have it with a sandwich or add different kinds of toppings to the soup. Nuts and seeds, broccoli, feta cheese, boiled eggs, lentils and herbs are my favorites and I like how they bring some texture to the soup whilst making it more filling as well.

Soup toppings, morning teas, pretty sheets and evening snacks feel like small things but in the end they’re actually just the things that make our lives either boring or really nice. So instead of being bored, we could create habits and routines and cook the kind of food that makes us feel good. And while we’re doing those things we’re creating an enjoyable life to ourselves. But let’s also remember that taking vacations and breaking those routines every now is pretty important as well :)

Curried Carrot Soup

serves 4 to 6

1 kg carrots
2 onions
2 garlic cloves
1/2 -1 tbsp red curry paste
1 (14 ounce / 400ml) can full-fat coconut milk (refrigerated overnight)

METHOD:

1. Peel and chop the carrots, onions and garlic. Cover with water, bring to a boil and let simmer on medium heat for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the carrots are soft.

2. Pour about half of the water away and then add the coconut milk and curry paste. You an blend the soup in a high speed blender or with a hand blender. Blend until smooth. Taste the soup and add spices if needed. Serve with the lentil herb topping and fresh herbs.

Lentil Herb Topping

adapted from Green Kitchen Stories

1 can cooked lentils
1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds / pepitas
1 tbsp olive oil
a handful of parsely or other fresh herbs
salt & black pepper

METHOD:

Drain and rinse the lentils carefully. Finely chop the herbs and then combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Add salt and black pepper and mix well. Enjoy right away or store in the fridge in an airtight container.

Date, Coconut & Banana Shake – Tuulia Talvio

Date, Banana & Coconut Smoothie | for Stress Relief

April 9, 2015

I think a lot of people can relate to the mixed feelings of stress in our lives. We hate it, but in a way, we kind of need it sometimes too. A couple of years ago I was really stressed. I couldn’t sleep, I lost some hair, my appetite, and probably a part of my sense of humor too. When I noticed that I wasn’t really able to laugh anymore and I felt constantly exhausted, I knew I had to do something to change the situation. I wrote all my worries down in lists, repeated some power mantras to myself, and tried to see things in a positive light instead of a negative one.

N Most of the time I can be quite relaxed and not worry so much, but every now and then there are days or weeks when there’s a black monster living in my head. The monster usually appears when I feel that my to-do list is way too long and there’s too little time. These feelings have been around in the last couple of weeks as I’ve been trying to balance between my studies at the university here in Amsterdam, random work, and traveling back to Finland. A lot of things have been nice and I’m happy to do them, but sometimes you can also have too many things that you like to do. And then it won’t take long when those feelings of being overwhelmed come into the picture and that relaxed, laid-back girl is thrown out of the picture.

Luckily, we do have some power over our feelings, thoughts, and to-do list. What I recommend is to first erase all unnecessary things from the list. You know, the ones you think you should do but are not that important. Just erase them. Instead of doing things that really aren’t that important, we should focus on doing the most important ones: eating, sleeping and exercising. Giving up on eating well, sleeping enough, or working out regularly seems like a good idea at first (we think we’re more efficient) but it really isn’t a good idea. Been there, done that. And what I’ve learned is that you should always remember to eat, sleep and move your body. And then when the basic things are in order, we’ll just have to trust ourselves, our skills, and the fact that everything’s going to work out. ‘Cause, it always does! And even if everything doesn’t work out the way we wanted, it won’t be the end of the world. What I’ve learned in the last couple of years with this roller coaster with stress, it is that you shouldn’t take things – and especially yourself – that seriously.

Busy days and weeks require meals that are easy and quick to make. On those kinds of days, my favorites are raw porridges, smoothies, soups, and all sorts of things that can be made beforehand and are easy to pack as a lunch or a snack. A day at the office, in the library, or even at home is much more comfortable when you’ve got nourishing food waiting for you.

So let me present a smoothie that’s perfect for stress relief. I came up with this recipe for a smoothie workshop that I had last week for one company and since then it has been my favorite. This stress relief miracle is creamy, gentle, and has just the right amount of sweetness to make you feel better. To make it nice and creamy, I recommend using frozen banana or just blending some ice with the other ingredients. This smoothie should be so thick that you’ll need a spoon to eat it, and while eating it spoonful at a time you can take some time just for yourself and forget all those unnecessary worries and thoughts. And just give yourself a break. ‘Cause, we’re worth it :)

Date, Banana & Coconut Smoothie

makes one big or two small servings

notes: if you don’t have frozen banana, just blend some ice with the other ingredients to make the smoothie really creamy.

2 tbsp hulled hemp seeds
1 big frozen banana
1 cup full-fat coconut milk
4 fresh dates, pitted
1/4 tsp cinnamon
a drop of vanilla extract
+ almonds and hemp seeds for serving

METHOD:

1. Add all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Taste and add more spices or sweetener if needed. Pour into glasses, top with crushed almonds and hemp seeds, and enjoy!

Raw Mango Passion Fruit Cake (Nut free + Vegan)

April 1, 2015

I’ve managed to collect a rather big scale of different kinds of Easter traditions along the years. When I was younger, Easters meant long hours spent training with our gymnastic team and eating snacks on breaks. In high school we used to do these gatherings, which we called communes, with my girlfriends when we had a sleepover at someone’s house for three days in a row and just did a bunch of fun things together. And while studying at the university, I’ve spent a couple Easters abroad, or just traveled back home to see my family or my boyfriend’s family. Or both of them during the same weekend. So for me, Easter is somehow related to going somewhere, and this year I continued that tradition by coming home to Finland for a short vacation.

Even though I don’t have any stable Easter traditions (at least yet), I’ve always loved the moments when people gather around one table to sit, eat, drink and just be. I’m so happy that this year I get to spend Easter Sunday at my grandmother’s, and as pretty much on every holiday, I promised to bring some kind of dessert with me. So before we hopped to the plane in Amsterdam, I got this idea to try a new cake (just quickly you know, between the packing and all the last-minute hassle!). I had a thought of making a really simple cake that anyone could do, and honestly, it turned out great. So let me tell you: this is the thing that your Easter is going to need. The cake is super easy, really spring-y, and oh so fresh! It’s the perfect thing to bring to a dinner or just to make for yourself, because you totally deserve it.

The cake is made of just a few simple ingredients, which I really love. The filling is just mostly mangos, those tropical and juicy fruits that are a staple for Easter for many. I really love mangos, especially the really ripe and juicy ones, and I don’t even want to tell you how many times I’ve eaten them using only my hands…which means there’s a lot of that bright yellow juice dripping on the corners of my mouth…and now there’s this one very juicy looking mango on my kitchen counter..

But okay, let’s get back to the cake now. The recipe is nut free, raw and very simple. The cake is more like a parfait than a creamy cake and the texture makes it really fresh. On top of the creamy mango filling there’s a mango passion fruit icing, which gives a nice spark to the cake. And if you want to make it look real fine, just decorate the cake with a handful of fresh berries and you’re good to go. So if you’re like me, and have promised to bring a dessert somewhere and you’re not that keen on spending hours in the kitchen, this cake comes to your rescue.

And before sharing the recipe, I’m just going to remind you that you have to use ripe mangos for the cake, as hard ones taste like nothing and simply won’t work here. So if the mangos are not soft enough when you buy them, let them chill a couple days next to some other fruits, and make the cake only when you’ve got ripe mangos. That way your cake will have some kick-ass flavor – trust me.

And as we’re just a picture apart from the recipe, I want to wish you a lovely, delicious and relaxing Easter. And of course, enjoy your cakes! ♡

Raw Mango Passion Fruit Cake (Nut free + Vegan)

notes: if you wish to make the cake a bit more firm and creamy, you could add 1/4- 1/2 cup coconut oil or raw cacao butter to the filling. I haven’t tried it, but I imagine it would work well here. let me know if you try it!

serves 8

Crust:
1 cup rolled gluten-free oats
1 cup dried mulberries
about 14 soft fresh dates, pitted
1 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
a pinch of salt

Filling:
2 ripe mangos
1 cup coconut cream or 1 (14-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk (refrigerated overnight and then use only the white thick paste)
a pinch of vanilla extract
maple syrup (or organic honey), if needed

Icing:
1 ripe mango
2 passionfruits

For serving:
fresh strawberries or other berries

METHOD:

1. Prepare the crust first. Add oats and mulberries to a blender or a food processor and blend to a fine crumble. Add coconut oil, salt and the dates in couple batches and pulse until a sticky dough forms. Cover an 8-inch springform cake pan with parchment paper. Press the dough onto the bottom of the pan and place in the freezer.

2. Make the filling next. Peel and chop the mangos and add them to a blender together with the coconut cream. If you’re using refrigerated coconut milk, scoop out the white thick part from the can and add it to the blender. Add vanilla, and blend all ingredients until smooth. Taste and add sweetener if needed. Take the crust from the freezer and pour the filling on top. Place back to the freezer.

3. Peel and chop the third mango and blend the mango and passion fruits carefully, so that the seeds of the passion fruit are still quite solid. Take the cake from the freezer and pour the icing on top. Spread into an even layer. Return to the freezer and freeze for about 3 to 4 hours, until the cake feels solid. Let thaw for a moment before slicing and serving. Decorate with fresh strawberries, serve, and enjoy!

The Smoothie Bowl

March 25, 2015

I took a break from my studies at the university last autumn, which was at the same time kind of weird but also so great. I’d never before had a break from school but as we were moving abroad, I had a good excuse to take a bit of a vacation. I’ve always loved studying but at the end of last spring I felt somehow really bored and tired of school and didn’t really know where I wanted to go next, both in my studies and with work. So the break came in a perfect time, now when I think of it.

So last autumn was really relaxed for me. I went back to Finland a couple of times to finish my yoga teacher training but otherwise I just walked around Amsterdam, did a bit of freelance work, wrote things here on the blog and time just kind of flew by really fast and easily. However, in the end of last year I started to be restless again and needed more things to do. And that’s how I got an idea to make an e-book and here it is! As I still had January just for myself before starting some studies at the University of Amsterdam, I decided to spend that time doing my favorite things, aka breakfasts. And now I’m sharing this small free e-book for you guys so that you’ll have some delicious recipes to make for breakfast.

Lately I’ve downloaded a lot of books and other stuff on my tablet and phone and found them really easy to use. So I made this book that in mind and you can easily download the book on your own tablet, phone or computer. For example iBooks is super handy for storing books and pdfs. And if you prefer print, you can of course print the recipes so that you’ll have an actual physical copy.

There are 9 recipes in the book, some of them are here on the blog as well but the rest are brand new. For example there’s The Ultimate Green Juice, Strawberry Dream Porridge, Caramel Overnight Oats, Feta & Spinach Omelette and Sweet Potato Pancakes. A lot of good stuff that is. Some of them are perfect for long weekend breakfasts with a bit more time but many of them are like the ones I have everyday. Like the smoothie bowl for which I’m sharing a recipe in the end of this post.

So if you’re in need of some breakfast inspiration, you can download the book HERE! You’ll get it by signing up to my mailing list, which means that you’ll get an email when there’s a new post on the blog. That way you won’t miss anything delicious! And as this small book was so fun to make, there’s another one already in the making. And I’ll just say that it’s going to be a-ma-zing! So stay tuned for that definitely.

And now if you’re just keen to get cooking right away, read the recipe for the smoothie bowl below. Enjoy!

The Smoothie Bowl

1 ripe banana
1/2 ripe avocado
1 cup semi-frozen raspberries and blueberries
1/4 cup almond milk (or milk of choice)
1 tbsp ground flaxseed
(1 tbsp protein powder)

Toppings:

1/2 ripe banana
berries
1 tbsp mulberries
1 tbsp hemp seeds
1 tbsp almonds

METHOD:

1. Put all the smoothie ingredients to your blender and blend until creamy and smooth.

2. Pour the smoothie into a bowl, decorate with the toppings and enjoy!

Raw Mint Chocolate Truffles

March 11, 2015

raw mint chocolate truffels

Almost daily I find myself scrolling through the endless stream of delicious food pics on Instagram and Pinterest and take a screenshot or save them to different folders. I plan to make some of them later for myself, my friends, a party that’s coming up or next summer when it’s warm enough for all that ice cream. In the end, only a really small part of those recipes actually happen in my kitchen. At least according to the actual recipe. However, sometimes it’s so nice to enjoy the flavors and experience created by someone else and follow instructions while cooking. That’s why I love cookbooks. Even though the internet is full of delicious recipes, an actual book always has it’s own vibes. Sometimes the vibe is so good, that you find yourself compulsively leafing through the pages and dreaming about the food. That kind of behaviour might have happened here during the last few weeks, ever since I got a copy from the Kiitos hyvää Cookbook.

The book is in Finnish but you might know the blog Vanelja, that’s written by the same gorgeous lady. I got to know Virpi last year but I had been reading her previous blog for many years before that. Her book came out a couple of months ago and it’s been a huge hit in Finland and it’s easy to understand its popularity. The book is simple and really pretty and the recipes are versatile. There are all kinds of chocolate treats, cakes, ice cream and candy. All of the recipes are gluten-free and refined sugar-free and a lot of them are raw too. So everything’s that kind of a feel good food, that I love. Treats that make you feel good while and after eating them.

raw mint chocolate truffels

First I thought that I’d try one of the cakes in the book. But then I changed my mind. I wanted candy. Oh no, cookies instead. Or muffins! There were so many delicious options to choose from that for a moment I was lost. But then I spotted the recipe for raw mint chocolate truffles and instantly knew I had to make them. The combination of mint and chocolate is one of my all time favorites and these truffles lived up to my expectations perfectly.

Even though food and cooking are a big part of my life, I appreciate simple and quick recipes – especially if we’re talking about treats. When that craving for something sweet hits, I don’t have the patience to make something that takes hours. So these raw truffles were perfect for me, as the recipe was simple and they were really easy to prepare. And they were pretty easy to eat too, but with a clear conscience and a happy mind. And that’s the way I ike to eat my treats :)

raw mint chocolate truffels

Raw Mint Chocolate Truffles

adapted from Kiitos Hyvää cookbook

makes 8-10 truffels

Truffles

200 ml macadamia nuts
2 tbsp organic local honey
8 mint leaves
1/2 tbsp raw cacao nibs (I used shredded coconut)

Chocolate coating

50 ml cacao butter
2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
5 tbsp raw cacao powder
3 tbsp organic local honey
1 tsp peppermint oil
a pinch of sea salt

METHOD:

1. Place the nuts into a blender or a food processor and grind to a small crumble. Add the honey and chopped mint leaves. Blend until you have a smooth mass. Spoon the mixture into a bowl and add raw caco nibs (or shredded coconut). Make small balls from the dough with your hands and place them to the freezer for about 15 minutes. In the meantime prepare the chocolate coating.

2. Melt the cacao butter, coconut oil and honey in a small pan on low heat. Transfer into a bowl. Transfer into a bowl, add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover a plate or a tray that fits to your freezer with a baking paper. Take the balls from the freezer and with the help of a fork, dip the balls to the chocolate so that they’re covered eavenly. Coat all the balls with chocolate and then put them back into the freezer. Freeze for about half an hour. Serve and enjoy. Store the remaining truffles (if there are some) in the fridge.

My Pantry & Travel Essential: The Superfood Sprinkle

February 25, 2015

Our kitchen cupboards are always full of different kinds of packets, bags, jars and containers. No matter how many cupboards I have, I always succeed in filling them with all sorts of ingredients and cooking equipment. Even though those messy cupboards and all the stuff that accidentally flies across the kitchen annoys me every now and then, I like the fact that I always have plenty of ingredients at home. Eating healthy and cooking wholesome food is so much easier when you’ve got good ingredients at hand. To purchase a vending machine in the Gold Coast go to https://www.royalvending.com.au/vending-machines-gold-coast/.

When I was diagnosed with celiac disease three and a half years ago, my way of eating changed. I had tried eating a gluten free diet already before the diagnosis and gluten-free grains were familiar to me, but still learning this new strict way of eating was a project of its own. Now I’m so used to eating gluten free that it doesn’t take extra energy or time in my everyday life, but when I travel and eat out I always have to pay a bit more attention. I love eating out and traveling every now and then but sometimes it can be a bit stressful when I have to check every order to ensure that it’s really gluten free. Luckily nowadays there are more and more options in restaurants and cafes but I still have a couple of things I always take with me when I’m away from home.

When I travel or just stay with some friends or family, I usually bring some food with me. I might bring some gluten free crackers, granola or porridge flakes with me, so that I have some breakfast for myself. In addition to those things I almost always have some kind of a superfood sprinkle with me. It can be a simple mix of ground flaxseed, hemp seeds, nuts and mulberries. Or it can be a bit more luxurios mix, like this one I’m sharing in this post. These sprinkles are super easy to make and really versatile to use, as you can sprinkle them for example on top of porridge, yogurt, smoothie, salad or ice cream. These superfood sprinkles have been my rescue when traveling and the only thing I could eat at a hotel breakfast was yogurt.

If I’m doing a longer trip, I always bring some berry powders with me too. I’m quite fanatic in what it comes to eating berries and that’s why I take them with me all over the world. Naturally, when we moved here in the Netherlands I packed some berry powers with me. You can get berries here of course but I just love our northern berries so much and especially my favorites: bilberries, lingonberries and sea buckthorns. I haven’t seen any berry powders in the stores here, but luckily you can order the online now! Arctic Power Berries is a rather new company and they deliver these awesome berry powers almost worldwide. They were kind enough to treat me with their blueberry and sea buckthorn powder and with a hand in my heart, I can honestly tell you that these are the best tasting berry powders I’ve ever tried. So all you other berry fanatics out there, it’s now possible to have some northern berry power delivered to your door easily.

I usually don’t have a specific recipe when making these sprinkles as they’re most often a mix of things that I find from my cupboards. Making a sprinkle is also my way of getting rid of those open bags and almost empty jars of different ingredients. Most often the base of the sprinkle is a mix of seeds, nuts and ground flaxseed and then I just add other things to make it more delicious. Hemp seeds, mulberries and berry powders are my favorites but shredded coconut, dried fruit and cacao nibs would work well too. You can also add a pinch of cinnamon, which brings a lovely flavor. When you’ve got some sprinkle in your fridge, it’s easy to add it to your breakfast or snack, or take it with you to all kinds of travels.

Superfood Sprinkle

notes: you can buy pre-ground flaxseeds, nut it’s super easy to grind them yourself. just add the flax seeds into a blender and blend until they’re almost like flour.

3 tbsp sunflower seeds
3 tbsp walnuts
3 tbsp dried mulberries
3 tbsp hemp seeds
2 tbsp ground flaxseeds (see notes above)

you can also add

dried berry powder (I used sea buckthorn)
raisins
dried fruit
whole nuts
shredded coconut
cinnamon

METHOD:

Put the sunflower seeds, walnuts and mulberries to a blender or a food processor and grind until everything’s in really small pieces. Pour the mixture into a bowl and add hemp seeds and ground flaxseed. Add other things as well if you like, such as berry powder and raisins. Sprinkle on top of porridge, yogurt, smoothie and ice cream. Store in a glass jar in the fridge.

Comforting gluten free Carrot Bread Rolls

February 10, 2015

Homemade bread rolls fresh from the oven and a generous spread of good old butter. Honestly, is there anything better?

Well alright. Let me add a slice of some pretty nice goat cheese and couple pieces of cucumber. Now we’re talking.

Baking gluten free bread can be tricky, and the baking most often ends up being just okay. At least in my kitchen. Either the bread, or bread rolls, end up being too dry or too heavy. Either they taste a bit funky or then they taste like nothing. But still I keep making my own gluten free breads, as usually the ones at the stores are filled with so many additives and weird stuff and cost a small fortune. Luckily nowadays back home in Finland there are a couple of brands that make great naturally gluten-free breads, but unfortunatey I haven’t found similar ones here in Amsterdam.

I usually have a couple sorts of gf crackers in my cupboards, but in my opinion the crackers never really compare to freshly baked bread. The last couple of days I’ve been really craving some comforting bread, so I ended up making one of my old recipes. I’ve shared this recipe on my blog about a year ago and it’s one of the most popular recipes. So as I was baking it, I decided to snap a couple of new photos and translate the recipe in English as well.

The recipe is super easy and the end result gives you that oh so good comforting feeling, so I encourage you to try it and treat yourself with some nice baked goods! (And a bit of cheese of course :))

I made these bread rolls with oat, buckwhet and almond flour, which are really good basic flours for all kinds of gluten free baking. Besides being gluten free, the recipe is also dairy and yeast free, so these bread rolls go great for people with food intolerances.

Gluten free Carrot Bread Rolls

slightly adapted from Novelle

makes 10 to 12 small bread rolls

3/4 cups buckwheat flour
3/4 cups gluten free oat flour (or about 300 ml gluten free rolled oats grounded into flour in a blender)
1/2 cup almond flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp psyllium husk powder
1 1/4 cup oat milk (or other plant-based milk)
1 tbsp honey
1/2 cup organic butter or extra virgin coconut oil (or half and half)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 – 2/3 cup finely grated carrot

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C / 400°F. Mix buckwheat flour, oatflour, almondflour, baking powder and psyllium husk powder in a large bowl.

2. Melt the butter or coconut oil and honey on the stove on low heat. Grate the carrot with a small blade. Add the oat milk, honey and melted butter / oil to the flour mix. Add salt and grated carrots and mix well. Let the dough sit for about five minutes.

3. Take a generous tablespoon of the dough, use a bit of flour and roll them into small balls. Place the rolls on a baking sheet covered with baking paper.

4. Bake the rolls for about 20-25 minutes, until they are slightly golden brown. Let them cool for a moment and then enjoy while they are still warm.

How to Start a Morning Meditation & Yoga Practice

February 5, 2015

In cooperation with Familon

A couple weeks ago I shared some recipes for sleeping well and I hope you guys have been doing that. Sleeping well, taking some time off to relax and then felt really recharged. This post is the second part of my cooperation with Familon and this time I’m here to talk about mornings and how to start them gently. So in order to do that, I will share my own morning routine and a few ways to start your morning right with some mediation and yoga.

A good day is made from many things but at least for me, mornings are usually pretty crucial for setting the vibe for my day. I’ve always loved mornings, maybe partly because of the fact that you get to eat breakfast then, my favorite meal of the day, but also for the feel of new beginnings. In addition to having a delicious breakfast, my morning routine includes a short moment for some meditation and yoga, for which I’m sharing guidelines below. But before we get into that in more detail, let’s get back to our beds.

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To make my days better, I’ve started a small, yet significant new habit: after my alarm has gone off, I don’t jump up immediately anymore, but instead I lie down for a couple of minutes (okay, sometimes a lot more) and give myself a bit time to wake up. And before I get up from bed, I think of a one thing that’s good in that upcoming day. It might be a small thing or a big thing. I might think of the lunch date that I’m having with my friend, a new breakfast recipe I’m about to try, or an episode of my favorite series I’m going to watch when I’m done with work. It can be anything, as long as you seem it as a nice thing to do. This simple habit gives me something to look forward each day, even how busy or challenging my day is going to be.

When I’ve got up, washed my teeth and placed my veneers from dentistofchattanooga.com, I sit down for a moment. I sit on our livingroom floor, or sometimes in our bed, or just wherever I find some peace. I’d be lying if I said that taking this moment for myself and learning this new habit has been really easy as it’s been quite the opposite. It’s alaways a bit challenging and sometimes I’ve stopped doing it for a while, but still I always find myself returning to this practice. Taking time to myself and sitting down for even just for the tiniest moment.

These small moments bring somehow so much wellbeing and peace into my day, that I thought some of you might be looking for inspiration to start your own practice. So to get you started, you’ll find below my guides for a short morning meditation and for a gentle seated yoga practice, which I do almost every day. Sometimes I skip the yoga part and sometimes I do more. You can modify (and you should!) the practice so that it suits you the best.

istuminen

Short Morning Meditation

Choose a comfortable seating position. You can sit on your legs or cross them. If it’s difficult to get your back straight, sit on a small pillow or a folded blanket so that you can elevate your hips a bit. Take a few deep breaths through your nose. Tune into your body and pay attention to how you’re feeling. Is there some tightness or an ache somewhere? If there is, think about bringing your breath to that part for a moment. Then pay attention to what your body needs: is your body in need of exercise or rest? Think what would be the most nourishing thing for your body today.

Then move on to your mind and just sense what you’re feeling. Are you happy? Are you feeling anxious or stressed? Don’t get too involved in the feeling, but rather just acknowledge and accept it. Then move your attention to your breath. You can take for example five, ten or fifteen deep breaths through the nose counting them at the same time. Counting my breaths helps me to relax and calm down. Products such as CBD Oil UK can induce relaxation if you’re having trouble in doing so.

When you’re ready, just sit for a moment and let your mind be free. Let the thoughts come and go and don’t pay too much attention to them. If you notice that your mind starts to wander, bring your attention back to your breath. And when you feel yourself calm and relaxed, you can move onto the seated yoga practice.

Gentle Seated Morning Yoga

Warming up the neck

Let your head drop to your right, so that you feel a nice stretch on your left side of the neck. You can walk away from your body with your left fingers, which intensifies the stretch a bit. Find a spot that suits you and stay there for a couple of breaths. Then do the other side.

kylkitaivutus2 sivutaivutus

Stretching the sides of your body

Place your right hand on the floor a short distance away from your body. Raise you left arm towards the sky and bend lightly to the right, so that you feel a stretch on your left side. You can look up to the sky, or if you’re feeling tension in your neck, look down to the floor. Keep the pose for a couple of breaths and then do the other side.

Twisting the spine gently

Place your right hand behind your back and your left hand to your right knee. Inhale, straigthen your back and on an exhale twist gently to the right. Think that the twist starts behind your naval and then turn your upper body to the right. You can look over your right shoulder if that feels good. Keep the pose for a couple of breaths and then do the other side.

Waking up the legs and the back

This stretch might be quite intense in the morning, but I like how it wakes up the back of my legs and my back, as long as you don’t push yourself too hard.

First straighten your legs in front of you and keep the legs active, ankles flexed. Place your palms besides your hips and lenghten your back. Inhale and on an exhale start to walk forward, until you reach the point that suits you. Remember to breath and also remember to be gentle to yourself, as we are a lot more stiff in the morning than during the day or night. Stay for a couple of breaths and the roll back up to sit.

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Ending the practice and starting the day

To end the practice, take again a comfortable seating position. If you have a mantra that you like to use, you can use that. But for the others, I’ll share mine with you.

I’ve gotten this habit of repeating the same couple of sentences every morning. They prepare me for the new day and they’ve quickly become one of my most important routines. To begin, I tell myself that today is going to be a good day. Everything will go as it’s supposed to go. I then remind myself, that I love my body just the way it is. Every day. Sometimes my body changes, on some days it’s bigger and on others it’s smaller. But nonetheless, I remind myself to be grateful that my body allows me to do so many different things.

You can copy my mantra if you like, or you can choose a few things that you want to remind yourself of daily. And when you’ve chosen those things, go ahead and do that – remind yourself of those small, but important things every single morning.

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When you’re ready to start your day, get up, turn on the radio, wear something that makes you feel good, eat a nourishing breakfast and then go and have an awesome day!

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Superfood Sprinkle

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Short Morning Meditation

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