CHEAT DAY

Hey everyone, how are you? Sorry for my absence, I've been really busy with work, the holidays etc.. But here I am, with a new years eve dessert recipe. As you may have noticed, I like to eat healthy if possible, BUT.. I think we all like to have a cheat day once in a while. For me christmas & new years are those days.. Nobody likes to eat a salad and drink water on those cozy days.. So I thought, IF we cheat, let's do it for a good reason. And here it is, a to die for cheesecake. I got the recipe from a cooking book of one of the best Dutch cooks, and I can assure you - your cheat day will be worth it! This cake is great for any occasion.. Birthday's, holidays,  it's a keeper!

Last but not least I want to thank you all for checking out my blog the last months. This year was the start of my food blogging adventure and I hope to post many more recipes the coming year. I hope you all have a great new years eve, be safe and enjoy. May all your wishes come true. Happy new year! ♥

Cheesecake with white chocolate 
Preparing time: 20 min
Baking time: -
Servings: 8 - 10 pieces

• 600 gram cream cheese
• 100 ml (soy) milk
• 200 ml (fresh) whipped cream
• fresh vanilla
• 200 gram white chocolate
• 200 gram 'Bastogne' cookies (this is a Dutch product, you can use any cookie you like for the bottom, 'bastogne' are dark cookies, caramel flavoured) 
• 100 gram butter (use almond butter for a more healthy version)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice 

1. crush the cookies in a food processor

2. add melted butter

3. put in a cake tin and make sure it doesn't fall apart - then put in the fridge

4. mix cream cheese, lemon juice and vanilla

5. melt chocolate with the milk, add this mixture to the cream cheese
6. add the mixture to the cookie base
7. put in the fridge for at least 2 hours

PS: I used silver powder to decorate the cake

PIZZA FOR BREAKFAST

I posted a breakfast for early mornings last month (here), but some days ask for a different type of breakfast, such as the weekend or holidays. Most of the time, we eat less healthy on those days (croissants, products that contain fat or sugar, white bread etc). Fortunately, there are some healthy breakfasts that make you look forward to start the day. Breakfast pizza is one of them. Also, this pizza breakfast is a nice meal to share with friends or family. There's a slice for everyone ;). Enjoy! xx

NO BAKE BREAKFAST PIZZA ·  DONE IN 15 MINUTES

CRUST
30 gr. oats, nuts and seeds
10 gr. dried plums, dates or figs (as you prefer)
1 tbsp. honey and/or peanut butter 

TOPPING
your fav fruit, (greek) yoghurt,  etc. etc. I made a raw cocoa sauce from raw cocoa powder and honey, I also used banana, yoghurt and persimmon fruit (also known as kaki fruit)for the topping.

1. Mix the crust ingredients together. Note: You can choose to cook the oats with milk before you mix everything as well. Some people prefer to eat cooked oats instead of 'raw'. 
2. Create a pizza crust using a round pan or spring cake tin. 
3. Add the topping. Done!

FLOURLESS BANANA PANCAKES

Pancakes, who doesn't love them? Unfortunately, pancakes aren't the most healthy type of food. Mainly because of the use of butter, sugary toppings and white flour (white flour is made from stripping wheat of everything useful). The good news is: pancakes can be prepared without flour. And if you add healthy ingredients such as fruits, nuts and eggs, it becomes a great breakfast option. Believe it or not, even the blueberry syrup I used is a healthy choice (only natural ingredients). Enjoy! 

Mixture: 
- 1 medium ripe banana
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. cinnamon (optional)
- coconut oil (or another type of oil)

Mash the banana's. Add the eggs and cinnamon. Bake in (coconut) oil.

Blueberry syrup:
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1/2 cup (raw) honey

combine the berries and honey over medium heat. Cook until berries begin to burst (10 - 15 min). Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until syrup begins to thicken (5-10 min).

SUNDAY, NOT SO LAZY SUNDAY

Sunday is the perfect day to stay in and be lazy. But this sunday, I decided to do something creative. I like those little corners in a home, great for still-life's and accessories. Why not combine it with functionality? I like to keep a small piece of the ocean/beach in my interior and that's how I came up with this 'self-made' jewellery box. 
Take an empty oyster shell, clean it (I left it in water and soap for a while) and paint/spray it to give it a glimpse of a colour you like. I used silver spray. Put your jewellery (or other small things lying around) in it.

   

VITAMIN C-AKES

November is the month of limes and lemons, which are a good source of vitamin C. Limes are often used as a topping on cakes, desserts, in drinks and dips. I wanted to give the limes a more prominent role and here they are: lime cream cakes. 
They are grain and gluten free, no baking required. The crust is made out of nuts and cashew paste, which is in good combination with the fresh lime mixture. Topping: lime zest.

These cakes are like small cheesecakes, but easier to make and healthy. The perfect dessert or tea time snack. You can vary with the ingredients as much as you like. Maybe a chocolate or coconut cheesecake filling? Suggestions and requests are welcome!

Crust: nuts - cashew paste (or any other nut paste/butter) - honey
place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse till combined. 
Spoon the mixture into mini cheesecake pans and press into the pan. 

Mixture: limes: zest & juice - yoghurt or quark - cashew nuts & almonds
Place all the ingredients in a food processor. Wait until everything is well blended.
If the mixture is too thin, add some nuts or paste. (I used cashew paste)
If the mixture isn't sweet enough, add some honey or other sweetener. 
Spoon the filing on top of the crust. Place in the freezer and leave for a couple of hours.

WAKE UP AND DREAM .. WITH A GOOD BREAKFAST

As we all know, breakfast is an important meal. We've been told to prepare and eat our breakfasts the 'mindful-way', so we have a relaxed and positive start of the day. True. But we also know, most people don't have time to have this breakfast ritual or prefer to spend their time otherwise. Guilty.. Sleeping definitely wins from having breakfast when it comes to my morning time competition. That's why I want to share an easy but nourishing breakfast recipe called 'overnight oats', perfect for early mornings and busy schedules.  Eating oats provides a wide range of important health benefits. The internet is full with it. Google if you want to know more about it, but for now I can assure you, oats are super healthy. The second great thing about this breakfast is, you prepare it the night before. No more morning stress. 

There it is, the perfect healthy breakfast that you prepare the night before. If you are really in a hurry, you can take the overnight oats to go. A healthy breakfast on your way or at school/work. Some suggestions for the 'topping': coconut flakes, raisins, raw cocoa flakes and goji berries. Vary a little and this breakfast will be a keeper. 
Good morning and don't forget to (day) dream!

PS: I used yoghurt with almond milk and oats for the basis. Muesli, almonds, kiwi, banana, linseed, red fruit, lime juice, honey and cinnamon for the topping/layers.

             

             

             

             

AUTUMN DAYS, BAKING DAYS

The weather in Holland is changing lately. Autumn is here. Although I love nature in this particular season, the rain, wind and cold are less loved. This weekend, I noticed how my need to go out disappeared. This weather calls for a blanket, cup of tea and a list of good movies. Another activity that's great for these types of weather, is baking. As you might have noticed, it has been a while since my last post, so I decided to get my lazy ass into the kitchen this weekend. I made  banana bread,  a recipe I personally love because it's easy and great for different moments such as birthdays, work breaks and even breakfast. I tried another thing to go with this recipe, 'peanut butter frosting'. Hope you like it!

                   mixture

                   250 g (spelt)flour

                   1 tbsp cinnamon

                   1 tsp baking soda

                   80 g butter

                   1 egg

                   300 g bananas

                   2 tbsp honey (or other sweetener)

                   mix everything together with a wooden spoon (no mixer needed).                              Bake for 1 hour (175 degrees).

                   frosting

                   4 tbsp peanut butter

                   1 tbsp milk or greek yoghurt