.SOMETIMES RAW.

Hello and Happy Friday. 

I just came back from a BookCrossing meeting at Hungry Highlander in Coburg. I have not attended a meeting in two months so it was fun to see all these amazing people again. Great food and even better conversations about books and life are just something I look forward to every month. If you are interested in joining the next meetup email me for more details. This week was otherwise slow and full of quality time spent with my son. Read on what I have been up to if you would like. 

Reading:  Currently I am reading The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff and I enjoy it so far. I already know that I will watch the movie when I am done reading the book. Hands of Light by Barbara Brennan made its way onto  my bedside table recently. It is not an easy read and I cannot read more than one or two pages at night. There are just many details about aura and healing through energy but I like it and I love learning something new. This is a book I need to read during the day and takes tons of notes while reading it. Ursula März’s book “Für eine Nacht oder fürs ganze Leben” on the other hand is a great easy read that I enjoyed. Usually, I do not read fashion magazines or any women magazines for that fact. It is just not my thing. But then I discovered this magazine: 

Hooked. Instantly. I will get a copy of the April magazine, that just came out on March 10th, tomorrow for breakfast. Yay. 

Learning/Discovering: When I was a child, my parents read Janosch stories to my siblings and I all the time. Janosch, the author of all these amazing kids books turns 85 years old today. Happy Birthday and thank you for all great book and pleasant hours of story-telling. My son enjoys Janosch-stories already. This one is my favorite of all times:

Stay tuned for another post that will be up soon on my son’s favorite kids books in German and English. I am learning so many new recipes and cooking is my new passion. Well, baking as well so Hello scale! Many new recipes will be on the blog soon. 

Watching: I love independent movies. See my latest post on great movies that just opened this week here. I read ‘A Man called Ove’ a while ago and was happy when the movie came out. Great movie, great acting and just right-on so many times. Watch the trailer here if you would like. 

Loving: My life. I am starting to figure some things out and it feels good and I see clearer. I am working on thinking and stressing less and enjoying the moment without overanalyzing everything. We only have this one little life on this planet, you know. We might as well dance and enjoy it while we can. I read this quote the other day and I like it:

“People always say life moves quickly, but I disagree. I think life moves slowly if you are paying attention. There is so much for us to take from and learn from every single day.” 

I keep in mind what is important to me and what is not. Also who is important in my life and who is not. It is all fairly simple in fact. 

This video I love:

Looking forward to: The Leipziger BookFair which starts on Thursday, March 17th through Sunday, March 20th. I am not sure when exactly I will be there but I received an email the other day that I am invited to some blogger conferences on Sunday which sounds tempting. On the other hand, Sunday is the ONLY day when visitors are able to purchase books. Dangerous, hah!  I am also looking forward to visit the European Museum of Modern Glas again. I think it is nicely done, has a great collection of glas-art pieces and is just a gem of art and culture in Coburg. 

 Have a great weekend. 

Hello and Happy Wednesday. 

I love almond milk. I drink it with coffee but mostly when I make a Turmeric/Kurkuma Latte or in the morning for a Chia Pudding. It is just so good and the almond flavor is really delicious. Also, have you ever paid attention to all the garbage we are wasting every single day? Since I am cooking a lot recently, I am actually shocked about the amounts of plastic I throw away. Why is almost everything wrapped in plastic? Anyway, this is food for thought for a different article.

 I used to buy almond milk cartons at either Whole Foods in the US or at Denn’s in Germany. Both stores have some decent brands that taste okay. However, I want to know exactly what is in my almond milk, so I started making my own. Two ingredients: almonds and water. Simple as that. Try it, it is very easy. [You can keep the homemade almond milk for 5 days in the fridge! No preservatives added obviously!] 

So now you have your homemade almond milk but what do you do with the leftover pulp? I have a friend who is following a Paleo diet and lives mostly gluten-free. She uses the expensive almond meal that she buys mostly for baking. Well, she will save some money now, I guess. When you make your own almond milk you have no waste!  

Today I would like to share a recipe that is very delicious, raw and easy to make. You remember: sometimes raw is awesome! 😉 This almond pulp is just leftover from one batch of almond milk that I made that day. If you have significantly more pulp you can dehydrate it too. I have an Excalibur Food Dehydrator at home in the US but a normal oven and baking sheet does the trick as well – it just takes more time. You can store the dried pulp in a container in the fridge and use as granola with some fruit for breakfast. Awesomeness! 

Today I made Raw Chocolate Pralines with Hemp Seeds. Yay, Hemp. 

Here is the recipe. Enjoy! 

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Do you make your own almond milk? What do you do with your leftover pulp? Do you have any recipes to share? I would love to hear from you.

Hello and Happy Sunday. 

I have been thinking about death and grief lately because of a family member who passed away last week. I am wondering how his family is doing and if they are feeling better or are able to heal. Is there a way to speed up the process of healing or make it more bearable for the ones who suffer the most and stay behind? 

In College I read the book “Lament for a Son” by Nicholas Wolterstorff which is about a professor who lost his son in a climbing accident. This is a fantastic book on grief and is one of the truest, heartfelt books I have ever read. I have seen many people die throughout my career as a police officer and I lost a good friend last year due to a motorcycle accident. Luckily I have not lost anybody of my close family yet. I know that it is unavoidable and I believe that the pain of loss must be all-encompassing and inexpressible. 

“Rather often I am asked whether the grief remains as intense as when I wrote. The answer is, No. The wound is no longer raw. But it has not disappeared. That is as it should be. If he was worth loving, he is worth grieving over. Grief is existential testimony to the worth of the one loved. That worth abides. So I own my grief. I do not try to put it behind me, to get over it, to forget it. Every lament is a love-song.”

Watch this video which is beautifully done if you would like. Have a safe and healthy week.