.SOMETIMES RAW.

Hello!

How was your Thanksgiving? How was the dinner and how did you feel after eating all those delicious things? Well, we are still in Canada and Thanksgiving is celebrated here on October 12th, so no turkey for us. November and December are the months for overeating as we all know. Throughout the holiday season it seems all everyone is doing is eating and rushing from one dinner to the next. And of course it is mostly food that is rich, greasy and pretty hard on the digestive system. I am not even mentioning the alcohol here. And of course all the stress to buy gifts, to please the family etc. I have written an article on how to de-stress if you would like to read. There are just enough circumstances that might make your stomach hurt and you won’t feel too well. I like to fast for a day if I don’t feel well and this usually does the trick too. I will get into depth on this in a different article.  I would like to share today what helps me usually if I have an upset stomach and gives almost instant relief. Read on if you would like.

• Probiotics

If you have a stomach ache due to overeating on fatty foods, if you drank too much or did not get enough fiber through your regular diet, a plain yoghurt or kefir might help to get the bacteria in your stomach back to normal and you should feel better. Kombucha also helps to make me feel better.

Whenever my husband has an upset stomach he loves to eat pickles which helps him. Any type of fermented vegetable does the trick usually.

• Peppermint

I rarely get stomach ache but if I do, I make myself a cup of peppermint tea. This is the magic potion for an upset stomach I would say. Also if you are suffering from nausea or indigestion. You can also drink Fennel tea which I gave my son when he had the 3-months colic. I use this one. 

• Ginger

I have written about the benefits of ginger here. Check it out! Ginger is so good. My husband and I love the fermented ginger that they give you at good Sushi Restaurants.  You can drink ginger tea or grade some fresh ginger and drink it with hot water. You should feel better quickly.

• Sparkling water 

Usually you don’t have peppermint or ginger tea with you, right? Or no fresh ginger but what we are able to buy everywhere quickly is sparkling water. For whatever reason, this makes me instantly feel better. It makes me burp (TMI) but also feels good in the tummy area, especially if I ate too much. Just try it out. Don’t eat anything for a couple of hours and just drink some fizzy drink. See how you feel.

• Chamomile or Lavender Tea

We all know this one, right? Your mom probably told you about it when you were a kid. Chamomile heals tummy ache! Well, it indeed does. Chamomile has anti-inflammatory properties and will almost instantly calm the lining of your stomach and muscles that work with your digestive system. Chamomile helps you sleep better as well. The same goes for Lavender.

• LUVOS Healing Clay

My mom told me about this a long time ago and it does work indeed. You take a tablespoon of the clay and dissolve it in a bit of water. Just stir it around in a glass. It does not smell too well – it is literally clay you are drinking here but it does help! I used it for heartburn when I was pregnant with my son and had instant relief. You can use this healing clay also for face masks, for a hair treatment and to brush your teeth.

• Heat

This is another remedy I used since I was a kid. Thank you mom! Whenever we had an upset stomach, my mom used to make us a hot water bottle. It also works great if you have menstruation cramps.

I hope these little tips help you. Stay healthy! <3

Thank you for reading my blog. 

Hello and Happy Thanksgiving!

Today I would like to share one of my favorite desserts. Crêpes! And, more importantly, you don’t have to be French to make your crêpes taste awesome. I always thought I can never top my husband when it comes to the crêpes-business, but I surely can with this recipe. It took me a while and some variations here and there but I got it down now. (Imagine Arnold Schwarzenegger saying this sentence!) Even my son loves them who is usually only obsessed with fries and the pickiest eater in the world. However, we are getting there slowly but surely.

Now that it is getting colder outside (I am talking -5 Celsius, 23 Fahrenheit these days in Canada) I crave comfort food. It is just weird but I love it once in a while. We just came back from Mexico and I found it so weird that no matter what country I have visited so far, they all do have some version of flat bread. Quesadillas, Tortillas, pita, Pfannkuchen and naan for example. Pfannkuchen as well as crêpes are not made with yeast but you can use them with all sort of fillings – sweet or savory, so they fit into my flat bread category for sure. There was a time when my husband made me crêpes when I came home from school late in the afternoon which I thought was so sweet and yummy on top of it! He stood in the kitchen, mixed the dough and cut all the ingredients,  usually while watching Family Guy! Classic, I think! They were just so delicious, you guys. Maybe it was because he made them and I was hungry and came home from school or all of the above.

So here is my recipe I use that is French-approved. Enjoy!

Here are four ways how to fold your crêpes.

There are just so many ways to eat crêpes. I love them with plain yoghurt and jam. Or mozzarella, chopped tomato and basil, ham and cheese, or egg, cheese and veggies. For my son I sometimes put a KinderRiegel in them and wrap the hot crêpes around it. Or of course Nutella. Crêpes are a nice dish to prepare for a party too. Chop up some ingredients and everybody can make their own crêpes variation. Then heat them up in a skillet or pan quickly.

If you did not end up using the entire dough you can freeze or refrigerate the rest. In the refrigerator the dough keeps up to a day or two so you can easily make yourself a nice breakfast the next day! I hope you enjoyed this recipe and you give it a try. Believe me, my first crêpes were either burned or too soft. It takes some practice but you will get there eventually – if you have the patience!

Thank you for reading my blog. 

Hello!

These days I have to admit that my stress level is pretty low. I mean, if your only concern is when to write on the blog, to what restaurant to go to for breakfast, lunch and dinner, or when to go to the beach or what cocktail to order, life is pretty sweet, no? But there were and will be other times with a lot of stress and running around and such. Think about the approaching holiday season. You guys, it is X-mas in ONE month! Can you believe it? Another years is almost over. Wow! I am still speechless, thinking about how fast time flies. So let’s go back to stress. Are you already stressed out being reminded of Christmas and the gifts you have to purchase for everybody? I found the perfect solution for you. NO gifts! In my family we don’t buy gifts for each other for the holidays. My son gets one or two toys, nicely wrapped under the tree and that is it. My parents don’t believe in all the gift-buying insanity either. Christmas is just to go all crazy buying things in stores for everybody in the family and then to return most of it the next day.

All I really want is time. Give me your time. More time – anything like that. I don’t want any materialistic stuff only because it is Christmas and you think you NEED to buy (me) things. I buy whatever I want and or need throughout the year. Of course it is nice for kids to have a tree and unwrap things and have cookies and all that. And we really just do it for my son or the kids in our families. But I am defiantly not stressing myself out running around for days or weeks to find gifts for everyone else. Especially useless stuff – like dust catcher or another scarf! We have stopped  doing that in a long time and it is so much easier. We simply agreed on just preparing something for the kids. Easy, no? All you really have to do now is focus on your family. Focus on the people who are there to celebrate with you. Not on stuff. We have enough STUFF already. And isn’t all this so counterintuitive? The holidays shouldn’t be about stress you guys! Rather a peaceful, relaxing time with friends and family.

Besides that, how do you stay stress-free or de-stress? Here are some tips on how I stay out of the stress-zone:

1. Meditation and Yoga: Since we have been at the Hyatt Ziva in Cancun I have taken Yoga classes daily and I must say that this helps me to focus and be content. I practiced Power Yoga for a long time now and I love it. It is just an awesome balance and with a bit of mediation I am fine. Meditation is good for me. I never thought I could sit still for more than 5 minutes but it is all in your brain. You can do anything you really want to. Give your brain a rest and zone out for a while. Just sit quietly somewhere for a couple of minutes with your eyes closed and focus on your breathing. Everybody could to this for five minutes – puh-lease! 😀
2. Go outside: Nature is your best friend. My son and I are outside a lot. Almost every single day – unless it is pouring rain that does not stop for five minutes. But these days are rare. In Mexico we are out all day long. To spend time in nature as much as possible is key.
3. Lavender essential oil and breathing: Lavender calms me down, period! I love to drink lavender tea or spritz some of my essential oil mixed with water on my pillow at night and I sleep so well. Correct breathing is so important too. Try this exercise: Inhale for a count of four. Hold breath for a count of seven. Exhale for a count of eight. It does work. I tried it several times before losing my mind with my son 😀
4. 
5. Get a massage or a beauty treatment: Sometimes it feels so good to get a professional massage done, right? Yesterday I was able to get a deep tissue massage at the hotel SPA and it was hands down one of the best massages I have ever had. Get A haircut at my favorite place in Germany/Coburg which is always de-stressing and works for me. Have you ever visited a Naturhaarfriseur? A what? It is a hairdresser who only works with natural ingredients. You won’t get a perm there for example! If you get the chance to have a natural haircut done ask for the head massage with the boar bristle brush! Awesomeness! Try something new once in a while! You will never forget this experience. Nicole Reiter is the best in this field!
6. Read: I prefer to read at home on the couch with a nice cup of tea. For me, this is de-stressing paradise. Sometimes this is really all I need, too. I believe it is important to give yourself some time to rest. Life is stressful enough. Take a deep breath, do some yoga, stretching or mediation, read a book, play outside and go get a massage. <3 Have a good day!

Thank you for reading my blog.