How to make your own (vegan and healthy) NUTELLA!

Today I want to share with you a recipe for a vegan healthy version of NUTELLA!

I like to eat sweet from time to time, who does not? However, as most of you know, I do not like to eat processed foods, refinded sugar and those kind of things. But I was really craving for some nutella the other day. So... I just made my own one, vegan, healthy and really good! 

You need:

200 gramm hazelnuts
Margarine or vegetable oil (how much depends on your taste)
Cocoa (how much depends on your taste)
Sweetener of your choice (refined sugar, agave syrup, raw cane sugar...)
Just a tiny little bit of salt

To do:

roast the hazelnuts in the oven for some 5-7 minutes 

Put them into your food processor and crush until you have a hazelnut paste. Add the other ingredients and continue mixing until you have a creamy consistency. Add as much of the other ingredients as you like - when you add more margarine or oil it will be fatter and also smoother (but less healthy), you can use the sweetener of your choice to make it healthier or less healthy (I used agave syrup) and as much cocoa as you like. 

You will need a really strong food processor for this recipe. In case you dont have one, I think that you can just buy a hazelnut paste from the shop and mix it with the other ingredients. I did not try this but I am pretty sure that it works fine too ... it will be more expensive however.

Yummy yummy yummy! Enjoy :)

Pink and Grey

Yay for Pink!

Its somehow so depressing to go out for outfit shootings in this grey weather, but since it does not seem to change anytime soon, I decided to do it anyway. Can you spot the earrings which I presented in my before last post (here)? I was finally able to wear them with my pink sweater :)

Can you tell how my belly is growing? I hope I will be able to wear my normal oversized sweaters until the end of pregnancy because I really dont feel like buying even bigger ones which I will not wear after pregnancy. I hoped for Spring to come early so that it will be easier to dress up my belly but it seems as if Winter will last until March. Anyway, I will figure it out and I will for sure share with you what I did to cover up my belly ;)

I hope you all have a wonderful week so far!? Mine is quiet and nice and I enjoy having some time studying, working from my home office and reading one of the nice books I got for Christmas. 

Today then, I have my weekly highlight - a professional massage! Since my belly is growing its getting more and more difficult for my back to balance the additional weight so I have some backpain from time to time. My doctor prescribed my massages every week and I so love it!

I hope you have a great day too! Sending you lots of love!

Eating a vegan diet during pregnancy

Today I want to share with you some information and thoughts about eating a vegan diet during pregnancy...

... my decision to start eating a vegan diet sometime in 2013 was one of the best decisions of my life. I wrote a little bit about why I changed my diet in this post. Now, even though I am convinced that the way I am eating is the best for me (plus the environment, the world, and the baby in my belly), I am facing scepticism by a lot of people, many times. This did not turn any better when people found out that I was pregnant and I still sticked to my diet. I know that this scepticism is something many vegans or even vegetarians have to fight with and since I got a few questions about me, eating vegan during pregnancy, I decided to share some information and some thoughts.

First of all I want to say: It's absolutely fine and healthy to a vegan diet during pregnancy!
Then I want to say: You should take really good care of what you eat - no matter if vegan or not, and you should especially take care of what you eat when you are pregnant- no matter if vegan or not! 


You will get all your vitamins and nutrients through whole plant based food - even more and better than you ever would through meat or dairy products. The emphasis is on whole plant based food! Get informed about this lifestyle and read what your body needs and what it does not need (sugar, empty calories, fat...)!

During pregnancy you will have a somewhat higher demand for nutrients (e.g. you need around 150 milligram of vitamin C during pregnancy instead of the usual 100 milligram) and the best way to fulfill these demands is through veggies and fruits! Of course, I will not recommend anyone to eat a unhealthy vegan diet which is based on white bread, pasta and ketchup. But when you eat a plant-based whole food diet there is NO reason to worry about anything. You know that many women have problems with their iron levels during pregnancy, right? Well, guess what - I do not even eat meat and my iron levels are fine (I am in week 30 now)! There is plenty of iron in whole grain products, in nuts, in green veggies and in red fruits. And guess what more - my calcium levels, my vitamin D levels, all these "critical" nutrients that vegans may not get enough off, they are all fine.

BUT - I am also taking good care of myself. I think the most important for every vegan, vegetarian or meat eater is to get informed, to read about what we, as human beings, actually need. I read a lot since I started eating a vegan diet and I even started a correspondence degree course in nutrition consultancy in December last year! Well yes, I decided to study nutrition because I believe that nutrition is one of the most important aspects of our life. You are nothing without your body, and your body is nothing without the right nutrients! 

So what do I eat? 

LOTS of veggies and fruits! 
LOTS of lentils, whole grains, beans and nuts
JUST A LITTLE of plant oils and salt
ALMOST NO invert sugar and empty calories

Its that easy! 
Plus eating something different every day! One day its lentils, the next its whole grain pasta, then potatoes, then beans etc. etc. and of course different veggies and fruits with it every day. 

During pregnancy I take some extra care, of course, everyone should do so. For me, this means that I pay attention not to forget my daily green smoothie and to eat more than usual (more healthy calories - more nutrients for the baby).  

Now, let me give you a little more information about some of these "critical" nutrients that you have to take some extra care off during pregnancy:

When people ask you about your protein - let them know that it is impossible not to get all the protein you need when you eat enough healthy calories (legumes and whole grains)! Its simply not possible because protein is everywhere in there. And in case you want to say something more - tell them that the average American (and German) eats way too much protein and that this is actually quite harmful for their kidneys!

The same actually applies to calcium - when you eat enough green veggies, nuts and oranges (they have so much calcium and I love them in my smoothies or just like that!) then there is no need to fear a deficit.  And by the way, milk actually increases calcium loss from the bones, since it acidifies the body pH which in turn triggers a biological correction (calcium from the bones is utilized to neutralize the acidifying effect of milk). 

When it comes to iron, just make sure that you eat your plant based iron together with some vitamin C so that your body is able to absorb it. So have oats with fruits, beans with potatoes and nuts with a nice spinach salad. PLUS make sure not to drink green or black tea (it makes it impossible for your body to absorb the iron)! When you stick to these simple rules and when you eat enough, you will never face any problems with your iron levels - I promise :) 

Now a last one - the most discussed one- vitamin B12! Everyone seems to know so much about B12 and everyone keeps telling me that my diet cannot be a healthy one because there is no way to get enough B12 from it. Well... let me tell you one thing, there are actually so many people out there, eating meat and milk, having a B12 deficit! Why? Because your body is only able to absorb B12 when your gastric mucosa functions well. And you know what? It only functions well, when you eat lots of good food and fruits and veggies and it gets totally damaged when you eat los of fat and meat because its just not able to cope with it. Many people do not even know that they have problems with their gastric mucosa but its acutally a widespread phenomenon. Then, there is also the whole story about where B12 actually comes from and that a large percentage of the B12 which you can find in animal products, is there ONLY because it was fed to the animal when it was still alive. Well, why not just skip this part then, and take this little B12 pill directly? I supplement B12 and I would recommend doing so to every vegan or vegetarian, no matter if pregnant or not.

In general, I think its always a good idea to get your blood checked. When you are pregnant your blood will be checked regularly so you will be able to keep track on it. Whenever you feel tired, depressed, or just not good, it may be a sign that you have some deficits and you should check if your body misses something. When you feel great, strong and full of energy, then this means that you treat your body well and that you have nothing to worry about. The most important is always, to listen to your body! In the beginning of my pregnancy I had really bad cravings for red fruit - well, my body needed this extra iron from them, so I just had lots of red fruits. Then I was craving for lots and lots of oranges and I just ate tons, because I knew my body was in need for some extra calcium. Learn to listen to your body, appreciate it, love it and treat it well and you will not face any problems eating a vegan diet during pregnancy.

Now this is a long post and I could tell you SOOOOOO much more but I think I will stop here. Have a look at this website for information and for awesome books and studies on the whole topic: http://www.thechinastudy.com/ 

You are also always welcome to ask me questions. This post is far from answering all the questions you may have, so please feel free to contact me. I will be happy to help and share information!  

Christmas gift favorites: Part IV - Earrings by FRNCK

Before January comes to an end, I want to share a last Christmas gift with you...

... I posted about the jewellery by my friend Lea Marie Franck a few times already, like here or here and since I still love what she is doing, I want to share my newest pair of FRNCK earrings with you :)

I am in my pink phase right now... its fun, I never used to like pink but since 2014 I began loving pink. It started with the light pink jacket which I bought in Chicago last Spring and went on and on... I bought my first ever pink sweater in December last year. Well and I thought I need some pink earrings too. So how lucky am I that I got these from my friend?

If you like them, you should totally check out her website http://www.leamariefranck.com/ or her Etsy Shop. The jewellery is a little pricy, but everything is 100% handmade. I saw her making these kinds of earrings and necklaces so I know how much work is put into every single pair. The price is definetly worth what she is doing plus the great material she is using (walnut wood and sterling silver).

How do you like the earrings? I hope the weather will be a little better soon so that I will feel like going out and take some pictures with them ;) these days I really do not feel like making any outfit shootings since its dark, cold and grey outside. Its that grey, you would not even see the colors of my bright pink sweater if I would take it on picture (just kidding).

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! And thank you again for all your comments! I am so grateful for all of you! Seriously :)!

Food inspiration - Mashed parsnip

Time for a food post...

... so here we have mashed parsnip which I mashed together with carrots and potatoes. Then we have lambs lettuce and fried mushrooms with fried onions and garlic. Yummy, easy and healthy of course!

How to make this?

Its easy:
Cook (or steam-cook) the parsnip, the carrots and the potatoes (you can make 3/3 of each, or if you prefer you can also add more potatoes than parsnip, like that it will be less sweet - since both carrots and parsnips are sweet!) and mash the three veggies with some salt, mustard, black pepper and nutmeg. 

Fry the mushrooms together with small pieces of onion and some garlic and add salt and pepper. I used this as my salad dressing, but feel free to make a extra dressing for your salad if you feel like it!

And why is this good for you? 

First of all its good for the environment, because parsnip, carrots and potatoes are veggies which you can easily get in Winter without having them travel around the globe (talking from a German standpoint). 

And they are healthy for your body:

Parnships have plenty of antioxidants, they have an anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and anti-cancer function and they are filled with lots of vitamins, like vitamin C, B, K and E. Last but not least they are a healthy source for iron, calcium, copper, potassium, manganese and phosphorus. Great or what? 

Carrots are mainly known for their high level of vitamin A, but they also provide vitamin C, Iron, and Calcium. In smaller amounts, carrots also contain fiber, vitamin K, potassium, folate, manganese, phosphorous, magnesium, vitamin E and zinc. So you can tell its a healthy little orange thing to eat!

Potatoes are often undervalued... we eat them so often that we do not even think about how good they are for our health! Potatoes are a very good source of vitamin B6 and a good source of potassium, copper, vitamin C, manganese, phosphorus, niacin, dietary fiber, and pantothenic acid. They have actually more vitamin C than many fruits!

Now, imagine how your body will be feasting when you put these three veggies together in one yummy purree :) 

Enjoy!

Lisbon Outfit III

Did I mention how much I love my poncho...?

I think I did but hey, I cannot say it enough. Here I combined my poncho from the German brand Hess Natur (http://www.hessnatur.com) with my cashmere knit dress from the same brand, some dark red tights and my favorite necklace from my friend who is making her own walnut jewellery (check her out on http://www.leamariefranck.com/). Also, I am wearing this scarf from another German all organic brand called Maas - http://maas-natur.de/

I wore this outfit on my last day in Lisbon and this is actually also going to be my last post from Lisbon. I can`t believe that its already three weeks since I am back in Germany and that its already a month since Christmas! This first month of the year went so fast - once again. But it started off really good so I am not going to complain. I enjoyed my week in Portugal, I enjoyed my week with my cousins in northern Germany (where I went last week) and I enjoyed spending some good time at home with my husband, slowly preparing the apartment for our baby :)

Have a wonderful week everyone! The last week of the first month of the year 2015 - make it a special one :) 

Lisbon Outfit II

Here comes another outfit post from Lisbon...

... I am wearing a maternity blouse which I got from my husbands sister. I still prefer to wear normal shorts and tops in just a slightly bigger size than to wear these maternity blouses which somehow all look so huge to me. I feel a little like an old housewife wearing maternity shirts and this is not really something I can refer to ;) 
Anyway, this blouse is still okay so I wore it for a nice walk in the Portuguese sunshine.

How is your week going? I hope you had a good one so far!? I had a really calm and nice week since I am with my cousins and I do not have to work. So I spend my days learning for the new studies I started (I will tell you more about this soon...), looking through pictures and preparing blog posts. I love that! Blogging became so much more fun recently and I begin to like it more and more with every post made and with every picture taken :) 

Thank you all for your support! Blogging would not be the way it is if you were not here with me!