One Week Kickstart Challenge To A Healthier You

Today I am not sharing a recipe with you as I decided that I want to present something a bit more different. I know I need some change in my life and I know it is about time to start working on myself as I want to get to the healthiest form I have ever been. I have made a water challenge at the beginning of the year and since then I am keep drinking at least 3 liters a day. Also I did a sugar one and I stopper craving sweets or junks. This why for me they work and that's why a kickstart one is here for you too.

While creating it I was thinking of it as really being challenging and complex. It is meant to force you to be creative and thoughtful when choosing your meal, snack and also to encourage you to start cooking on your own. This way you will find yourself not only eating different food everyday, but also feeling better at the end of the week. After finishing I am completely sure you will keep up with the good habits and will change the way you look at yourself.

This is not something that will make you lose weight, fat or muscle. This is not a diet and you should still keep track on your macros and calories. The challenge can be adjusted to any sort of eating habits, regardless. You will feel a lot more energized, refreshed and you will not have the same cravings. If you decide to do it just keep in mind that you would need to spend a lot more time reading labels, cocking your food, packing your lunch and preparing, but it is just a week and you can do it!

There are 10 different things you should think about all week long. I have made a list with them so I can have it on me and check how many I have done at the end of the day. So lets get started!

1. Drink at least 3 liters of water every day.  

Water is super important for your body as it helps flush out any toxins so your body can function normally. When you are hydrated you not only feel better, but look better as well - your skin is glowing, your lips are super soft and your tummy is in place. You will not feel bloated and will release all extra water your body keeps, so you will be light and happy. And by 3l of water I mean 3l of pure water, no tea or juice, but water. My little tricks for drinking more of it are a few, but simple - I infuse it with a bit of lemon or lime juice, drink it cold from a nice water bottle and make sure that that I always have it on hand. When I look at it I remember to drink more often.

2. Workout. 

At least 20 - 30 min a day will be enough to get your metabolism nice and fast, your body strong and healthy. You will feel and sleep better, and if you are consistent you will also start looking better with nice and lean muscles. The 18 grocery bags on one go will be just a breeze and you will never ever feel tired when taking the stairs. Your heart rate will go up and it will be ok, because you are strong. All you need to do is to spend some time rewarding your body with a workout you enjoy doing everyday. Weather it will be gym, dances at home, a nice run make sure to challenge yourself and enjoy it. You will not be sorry.

3. Eat more veggies.

You've heard it before, but eating the rainbow is amazing for you as each color means that the fruit or vegetable is high in certain vitamins and minerals. The more colorful your meals is the more healthy micro nutrients you get. But this does not mean you can eat chips all day "cuz it is a potato", and you will see why in just a minute. You want to make sure that you eat a wide range of veggies in salads and meals, it does not have to be boring and tasteless. Dress them up with some rich dressing, roast them, add them to some meat, put them on top of some pizza or in smoothies, come up with new combinations - it is all up to you. The goal here is to increase your daily veggies intake so you have to eat as much vegetables as possible.

4. No food after 8pm.

Yep that's right. You should not only eat your dinner before 8pm, but you would also need to stop with all snacking after that as well. This will hep your body with digestion and you will sleep better. Also when you wake up your tummy will be looking gorgeous and flat since you will not be bloated. When you sleep your your body sleeps as well and is having hard times taking care of all that after dinner snack, so it all turns into fat and no one wants that right?

5. No alcohol. 

Let's be honest - alcohol is just empty calories that you do not need. When drinking we also tend to eat more, then we feel bloated and it is just not good for ourselves. This week we say no to alcohol - we can do it!

6. Nothing processed and no junk food. 

The reasons here are endless. It is high in tons of unknown ingredients and sodium that makes you feel bloated and retain water. It is high in unhealthy fats and sugars, too much fast carbs, low in everything else. It gives you nothing because it is so highly processed. Instead you can try preparing it at home. Popcorn in a pot, veggie chips in the oven, whole wheat pancakes with honey, roasted nuts - there are so much healthier options. The rule is simple - if it requires a label, you don't need it. 

7. No added sugar. 

Why not try some alternatives like agave syrup, honey, coconut sugar, molasses in you coffee or desert if you crave it so much? However you would need to stay away from everything that contains added sugar - basically all sweets. Here is the moment when you need to start reading labels. If it does say that there is sugar in it - you do not need it. And don't try to buy those sugar free bars - they are still -processed food. If you crave something sweet so badly why not try making some oat cookies, or my super delicious energy bites. You can still eat fruits as much as you want and that include non sugar coated dried fruits as well. The white refined sugar that is added to everything you can buy in store only spikes your blood sugar, you get energized super fast, but the effect lasts just a little, so you start craving sweets again and in the end of the day you have eaten so much empty calories that you don't need. Trust me there are a lot better options for you. 

8. No refined flour. 

  

You might think you cannot live without white bread, muffins, cupcakes, pizza and all sorts of sweet and savory pastries and let me tell ya I LOVE MY CARBS as well. And with this challenge you don't have to stop enjoying them - all you need to so is to start making them yourself or start reading the labels it the store. If it contains refined white flour you need to leave on the shelf. And it does not matter what is the flower made of - rice, wheat, corn. We are trying to make sure we eat as much non processed foods as possible. Everything refined, including rice, has almost no nutritional value. The real whole grain flour is made out of the whole grain - bran, germ and endosperm. The refined one only contains the endosperm of the grain, which bring almost nothing to your body to use. When bread and the flower you use are whole grain you will be eating food super rich in fiber and antioxidants. And let me tell you whole grain pancakes are delicious. 

9. No white rice.

The deal with white rice is the same as flour. Rice in general is super easy, cheap and delicious food and it is also considered super health, but are you eating the best rice on the market? When eating white rice, that has been stripped from its husk your body does not make any difference between it and a piece of cake. Just like the refined sugar and flour, the white rice spikes up your blood sugar and you feel full for a short period of time. Shortly after consuming it you are hungry again, your body has processed the carbohydrates super quickly and now they are stored as body fat, but you are still hungry. But brown rice is here to save you. It does take a little longer to cook and the taste is slightly nutty, but you will feel full for longer and will not be eating empty calories with no nutritional value. You can also pre-cook it and freeze it for an easy meal base. In you do not believe me just check a few labels next time you shop in store.

10. No refined oils.

As we already know everything processed is not good for you, so the oil you use makes no difference. When cooking at home make sure that you use unrefined animal or vegetable fat. You can surely use cold pressed olive oil or coconut oil for your meals, animals grease or butter is also great option even for backing. The unrefined alternatives of the different vegetable oils are full of healthy fats, amino acids and antioxidants that help you be regular and also are less likely to make you feel bloated. The refined kind is usually with very light color and taste, while the unrefined one is not as clear, the color is darker and the taste is stronger. Just a few drops of it are enough to add a whole lot of taste you your meals and salads.

I know is seems like a lot to do, but trust me, once you finish the week you will feel so much better, that you might want to keep up with some of these healthy habits.

Warm and Cozy Comfort Soup with Meatballs and Veggies

It is already fall, which means that we all need something warm and comforting to keep us cozy. And what better than steaming and filling soup, that can keep us full for longer and is also packed with bright veggies to help us stay healthy. This is why tonight I am making quick and easy soup with meatballs, that comes together in no time. It is also great to store in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months for those lazy nights that you don't really feel like cooking.

The recipe is traditionally prepared in Bulgaria and served with hot peppers and apple or red wine vinegar on the side. But the best part is that you already most likely have everything you need in your kitchen. Let's see what is it:

1 big head of onion
1 big carrot
2 big Sevria (or Severe) peppers
50 grams of celery root or stem. If you only have the leaves or the dry spice you can also use that.
3 tbs. vegetable oil
500 grams of ground meat of choice.
2 large potatoes
a handful of vermicelli (very thin noodles)
1 medium tomato
1 egg
1/2 cup of yogurt
salt, pepper, parsley to taste
Optional you can add chilly or other spicy peppers to taste.
Here is how to prepare it:

First you need to chop your onion, peppers, and celery (if you are using root or stems) and to finely grade your carrot. Heat up the oil and cook the veggies until they are all nice, soft and wilted. Then you need to add some water to them and let this simmer for about 20 min on low with the lid on. If you are using the celery leaves, you can add them now. I am not specifying how much water you will need, as it depends on how thick you like your soup to be. I like it on the loser side, so I add more water.

Meanwhile you can salt a bit your ground meat and add some pepper or any spices you like. You can also add some chilly flakes to it for a little kick. One the soup base has been simmering for about 20 min you can take of the lid and start rolling the ground  meat into small bite size balls and dropping them in it. When all of it is in the pot just put the lid back on for 10 min and let it cook some more.

At this point you have to chop your potato into small cubes and also I like to grade my tomato. When 10 min have passed it's time for the potato to join the party, and once it is about 70% cooked through you need to add your tomato and a handful of vermicelli, or noodle - whatever you have on hand. At this stage you also want to add your salt, pepper and if you are using dry celery, you have to add it as well. Let everything cook for about  5-7 more minutes, or until the pasta and the potatoes are completely cooked. Turn off the stove and let the soup cool down for just a minute, until you chop your parsley and in a ball mix up the egg and the yogurt together.

Take a spoonful of the hot soup and slowly add it to the egg mixture, while stirring constantly. Then add a bit more of the hot liquid and stir again. This is called introduction and helps the eggs not to curdle in the hot soup, but to make it smooth and creamy. Once you have them all introduced it is time for you to pour them back in the soup slowly, while stirring it. When everything is all together I like to stir the soup for additional 20 sec. The last step is to add your fresh parsley and serve it.

In my home the soup is being loved with some chilly flakes or hot peppers, a squeeze of lemon juice or a tbs of vinegar, and some black peeper on top. It comes together super easy and can stay in your fridge for good 3 days. When it's cold outside this is the perfect warmer for the inside. I hope you try it and and love it as much as I do.

Easy, Nutritious, Courful and Delicios Lunch Salad For On The Go

Just like most of you I am also a working girl and even though I love cooking, very often I just do not have the time for it. Eating healthy and delicious is super important for me, but not easy at all, especially during the week. I recently started taking some time to plan my meals for the week and doing some shopping and prepping, but even this sometimes does not help.

However it is now a year and a half that I have not bought lunch at work and I am super proud of it. The lunch options that you have here in my office are quite a few, however non of them is what I am looking for. They are either too salty, too oily, too tasteless or too expensive. Everything past this is pastry, pizza or burgers. Now imagine how all these cons can damage your organism. This is why as soon as I moved in an apartment with a kitchen I started cooking and I have never felt better before. (In fact I am thinking of a whole series about how to eat healthy and delicious at work, but this is whole other story.)

Yesterday for example I was planning to make some beans soup, however I was also craving something bright, fresh and nutritious, like salad. The truth is that a salad will never fill me up for long, so I had to come up with an idea how to help it a bit. And then it hit me! I remember watching youtubers like Clean&Delicious and Vssaurbeauty who had shared some very similar and bright salads, featuring different kinds of beans. This inspired me to take a look at what I have in my fridge. freezer and pantry ant to come up with the most colorful salad ever. It is full of fiber, healthy carbs and fats, also it is packed with protein, which means it is not only super pretty, but also lite and nutritious, so it will keep you full for longer and you will not feel heavy after lunch.

Here is what you will need:

Red beans - canned or just cocked with water

Chick peas - canned or just boiled

Green beans - fresh or frozen

Corn - canned or frozen

Red onion

Red pepper - bell pepper or any other sweet pepper

Parsley

Lemon juice

Salt

Olive oil

 I have not given any quantities as you can use whatever amount of product you like. I used about a cup of each beans, a head of onion and 3 red peppers. The beans and corn need to be cooked in advance. I used canned red beans, frozen corn and green beans that I just steamed for a few minutes, while I was chopping the rest of the items. The chick peas I had cooked and froze in my fridge, so I just added them to the steaming veggies to defrost.

All you need to do is to chop the parsley, onion and pepper, rinse and drain the canned beans, steam a bit the fresh and frozen ones and mix everything together. To them you need to add some salt to taste, some olive oil and the juice of one lemon for brightness and mix well again. This salad is super delicious once you make it, but it is best if you prepare it overnight and eat it the day after.

You can also add to the salad some cherry tomatoes, olives, chicken and even tuna to adjust it to taste. It will be as good even if you add cilantro or dill instead of parsley, vinegar instead of lemon juice and even garlic. It is super versatile and it is easy to be prepared to taste.

As I am blogging from work today, when I was actually having this salad for lunch, I forgot to take a picture of it before eating (oops.. I was so hungry and exited for it) . Luckily I have prepared the salad before, with a little adjustments, like the one on the picture (with tomatoes,no chick peas and no green peas) which is still amazingly delicious. But this also shows how easy you can mix it to taste and with basically whatever you have at home.

Mess Free Energy Crackers

We all love some crunch from time to time and often run to the store for chips or crackers and I make no difference, Especially when it is summer and I would really love to have something salty to compliment my beer or if I am super bored/hungry at work. This is why I decided to develop a recipe that comes together in no time, is mess free, super easy, simple and delicious. So here it is - the energy crackers.

What you will need: 

1 cup of mixed raw seeds - I used sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sunflower seeds and chia seeds. 

1/2 cup of regular white flower

1/2 cup of graham flower

1 tee spoon baking soda

1/2 tee spoon salt

2 tbs, oil

1 tee spoon vinegar

water 

The preparation is super easy. All you need to to is to mix all dry ingredients together first. I used my handy-dandy chopper for this purpose. Once mixed well I added my oil and vinegar and mixed again. As my mixture was a little too dry I started slowly adding water to it just until a ball of dough is formed - for me it was about 50ml. You want the dough to be nice, soft and pliable and not sticky. If it gets sticky just add some more white flower, until you can work with it.

Once it is formed you can divide it into sections so it will be easier to work with, As I said it is a mess free recipe so I rolled my crackers directly on the backing sheet, that I was about to put in the oven, however I decided that I want to make my little snacks into circles so with a glass I cut the shapes and transferred them to another sheet. Then I put them in my preheated oven on 200 C until they slightly changed color and got crispy - lets say - 6 -8 min. But your oven might be different, so just keep an eye on them.

As the dough is so forgiving I didn't have to use any additional flower to roll it and form it. I usually use some non stick black foil that I found in LIDL. The foil is reusable, so when you are done with backing you just wash it with some dish soap and let it dry, so it is nice and ready for the next time. It really saves me so much hassle as it is sooo much easier to use than regular backing paper.

The babies you see above are now ready to enjoy. My favorite way to do it is by spreading some cheese (white, cream, cottage, curds, everything works) on top of them - and devouring. But you can also serve them with some garlic butter, or something sweet like honey or jam -  They are supper filling and do not contain any excessive amounts of salt and preservatives. Everything took me an hour - including the "cleaning" afterwards and I have an amazing snack, that I am totally getting to work tomorrow!

I hope you will give them a try and let me know how you like to eat them.

Simple Lemony Citronade

Summer just stepped in and the temperatures here are so high, I can only think of something refreshing, as drinking a lot of water starts to get boring. So why not create a new blog dedicated to what I love most – cooking, and a super cold and fresh lemonade. It is not too sweet and not too sour and the best part is that you can make hot or warm and enjoy it all year round.

Before I get to my recipe let me please just share a little about myself. Recently I have been on a healthy kick trying to loose weight and look amazing. This is why most of the recipes here will be on the healthier side – low in sugar and sodium, well balanced and made from scratch.

My lemony citronade is actually a lemonade with a little twist because why use only lemons when you can add a whole lot of yummy citrus like lime – oh I looove lime, and oranges. I am using a blender, however this drink can be made without it – right into the pitcher and then in the fridge to chill. Now lets see how it’s made

Ingredients for 1,5 liters (lets say 6 cups)

1 lemon

1 lime

1 orange

1 table spoon of honey (or more, to taste)

mint

brown sugar

2 cups of ice

3 cups of cold water

Let me talk a bit more for the fruits. I will be using both the juice and the zest of all of them because I have grown them myself and I know that mine are not treated with any chemicals. If you do not have organic fruits just use the juice of the ones you have. Mine were super plumped and when I squeezed them I got about a cup of liquid. If you wish you can use more fruit.

In my blender I added the juice and zest of my citrus with my honey and let it blend for a minute until the honey is dissolved. If you are not using a blender just stir it for a while. After that I added my ice, mint and water and blended it all for a minute until the mint and the zest are tiny pieces you can drink, but not completely blended. The mint can be fresh or dry – both work just as well. In the one on the picture I have used dried mint as I was out of fresh. If you do not use a blender just make sure that your mint and zest are not in to too large pieces.

And you have it – super refreshing minty lemonade you can serve over ice or as it is. And you might wonder what to do with the brown sugar. If you do not find it sweet enough the brown sugar is the way to go – you can sprinkle some of it over the top as it goes so well with the lime and mint, reminds me of mojito.

Absolutely Delicious Energy Bites

Trying to live healthy is not easy, especially when it comes to avoiding sweets. Lately I do crave sweets at work and I just cannot handle myself on that chocolate bar whispering my name from the cafe. I have always thought that those energy bars everyone is so hipped about are really not that good. I have tried Roobars and to be honest they are not anything special. I am not a vegan or raw eater, but I loved the idea of a non processed sweet treat packed with energy, healthy fats and deliciousness, that would not spike my blood sugar. And this is what I came up with.

The bites are coming together in no time at all as basically all goes on your chopper or food processor. Here are the ingredients:

A cup of soaked dates

Half cup raw cashews

Half cup roasted almonds

A cup of coconut shreds

A pinch of salt

A tbs.of the water the dates were soaking

+ some coconut shreds and cocoa powder for rolling, ones the bites are done. This step is optional.

I made some of the mixture chocolate by adding cocoa powder and a tbs. espreso to the rest of the ingredients

This is how it goes: You put all of the above goodness in your machine and let it bled until you have the consistency you like. I left my a little bit chunkier as my chopper was having difficulties blending it completely. The consistency you are looking for is playable and sticky, so you can roll it into balls or put it into a pan lined with plastic wrap.

What I did was I put some of the coconut sheds in a plastic bag and add to it the bits, shook them until they are completely covered and transferred them into a container, that I put in the fridge. For the chocolate ones I really wanted to make them really luxurious and covered them with cocoa powder so they remind truffles.

About the salt and coffee – you cannot taste them at all. In such small quantities they are just taste enhancers and nothing actually tastes salty or like coffee.