Breakfast in Antwerp | Eten Vol Leven

Yes, it's me again, with another breakfast post. I will never understand people who skip breakfast. I mean how do you survive an entire morning without eating anything? Maybe I'm one of the few that's extremely active in the mornings. I just love riding my bike down the empty streets on my way to the bakery. Normally Sundays are for sleeping in, but I get up extremely early just to make sure that I wouldn't arrive at a sold-out bakery. When you're craving that one specific pastry all week and the employee tells you they ran out of exactly that one... We want to avoid that right?

Although I do love me a big Sunday brunch with eggs and pastry, I usually have a very healthy breakfast. In fact, I'm always very motivated in the mornings to start a healthy day and then I give up around midday. But it's a good thing that I can balance things out a little by starting my days with a healthy breakfast.

Today I'll be introducing you to Eten Vol Leven, a place where you will not get seduced by pancakes or French Toast, because they only serve healthy and fresh food. So if you're someone like me who always ends up getting the unhealthiest, most decadent thing on the menu, this is the place to go if you don't want to slip up again.

I went for their Lifefood Granola and a Chai latte with cashew milk. I really enjoyed this lovely breakfast. The Chai Latte was heartwarming (I think I might have heard them make my cashew milk on the spot, I mean I heard something mixing so I guess they were mixing the cashews?). The granola was nothing like an average granola bowl, it was very light and the ingredients where out of the ordinary. The granola was made out of sprouted buckwheat and millet served with nuts, dried fruit and almond milk. 

The interior is also very pretty and there are piles of magazines everywhere. The people who work there are extremely friendly! They even gave me a little healthy snack to take away, because I was going to write this article about them. No one has done anything like that for me before and it made my day.

I strongly recommend Eten Vol Leven, for people who are interested in healthy, raw, vegan, gluten free food or for those who just love to try out something different.

LIFESTYLE - Ceci n'est pas un article sur la santé

I finally found the courage to sit down and talk about this particular twist I've been trying to give my life for almost two years. I've had quite a few people contacting me with questions about what I do to stay healthy, fit and motivated. So I thought it would be fun to make a little series of blogposts on this subject. 

It often happens that children get to eat anything they want without gaining any weight. It also often happens that when these children grow up, they start gaining weight without having changed their eating habits. Don't ask me why that is, because I'm in no way a specialist, but what I do know is that now is the time for us to teach our bodies how to move, burn calories and sweat... a lot. 

If I have to start talking you through every single thing I've tried, I will find myself sitting in front of this computer all night. I would probably also get depressed remembering all the times I failed, and consequently found myself with my head in a box of cookies.

I read books, blogs and magazines about health. I am constantly on the hunt for stories about people who are trying to change their way of living. I am burning to help people out there who feel bad about themselves and want to change something. I am passionated with cooking. I love how dinners bring people together. I love how nature created us and the food we eat. I mean if you think about it, how can a strawberry be so sweet?

I also want to mention that I am not trying to convince anyone to start a diet or start working out at all. Not all of us want to and not all of us need to. I just like how working out makes me feel and I love trying out healthy recipes. If you don't, you don't. I just want you to be happy!

The question I'm going to answer today is:

What made me want to get healthier?

It wasn't something that came up to me on one particular day. It started two years ago when we had to weigh and measure ourselves at school. Many pupils thought that that was unnecessary and inappropriate, but I think that it's important that there is someone who checks your BMI and I think more schools should start doing this. If you didn't want to go on the scales, you didn't have to. But since we didn't have scales at home I thought it was a good idea to get on there. I have to admit that if I look back now, I wasn't overweight or anything and it was mostly just baby fat. But the most important thing is that it made me feel bad. I was shorter but heavier than my friends. And at one point I realized that when I ran or walked I just didn't feel elegant or womanly at all. I think many of us felt that way when we hit that awkward point in life when everything is out of proportion and you feel like your pants are too tight but too long, your shoes look huge and your skin feels horrible. I believe we've all been there. 

I felt uncomfortable and not really happy with the way I looked and that's when I started running.

Any other questions you want me to answer? Comment them down bellow and I will answer them in my next blogpost!

RECIPES - Almond Milk

As you might have figured out by reading my last "recipe-post", I love granola. But granola wouldn't be granola without milk, just like I wouldn't be me without long hair. 

Since summer I've been trying to avoid products that contain lactose. Not because I feel sick afterwards, but because I feel so much lighter drinking soy/almond milk than milk straight from the cow. The only thing that bothers me, is that when you buy lactose-free milk at the grocery store you never really know what's in there and if it's really that good for you. That, my friend, is why I started making my own almond milk. Many people like to add agave syrup, maple syrup, honey, vanilla extract to their almond milk, but for my recipe you'll only need water, almonds and a blender. I simply find my granola tasty and sweet enough so that my milk doesn't need that extra flavor. 

What you need:

• 2l water
• 250g almonds

What you do:

• Let the almonds soak in 1l water for about 12 hours.
• Remove the almonds from the 'dirty' water and put them in your blender with another liter of fresh water.
• Mix them for about five minutes until there is nothing left but a creamy colored milk and teeny tiny pieces of almond.
• Pour the mixture through a strain to get rid of the almond pulp.
• Now pour the almond milk in a bottle and store in the fridge.

Good luck milking your almonds!

love, Jeanne

RECIPES - Basic Granola (Breakfast)

If you follow me on instagram, you might've noticed how I've been obsessing over "living a healthier life". I follow a crazy number of fitness motivation accounts, work out almost every day and try to eat as healthy as possible. I knew it wouldn't be easy to switch from cookie monster to skinny b****, but I figured I'd start with the basics. 

I was looking for a way to have a healthy breakfast on schooldays without having to spend an hour on slicing fruits. The answer was gra-no-la. It only takes 15min of your sunday to make enough granola for an entire week of school/work! So, this is what I've been having for breakfast five days out of seven, since I took of for my trip to healthy life. A fresh orange juice and granola with almond/soy/nut/rice/coconut milk. 

What you need:

- 2 teaspoons coconut oil

- 150g oats

- 1/4 cup flaked almonds

- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

- 1/4 cup pitted and chopped dates

- 1 teaspoon cinnamon

- 2 teaspoons honey

- 2 teaspoons natural almond butter (I got mine at Albert Heijen)

What you do:

1. Mix all the ingredients (apart from the coconut oil) together in a bowl using a wooden spoon.

2. Heat a frying pan and melt the coconut oil. (medium heat)

3. Throw the mix in the pan and spread evenly.

4. Keep an eye on your granola and stir from time to time.

5. After ten minutes or so it should be all done and crispy!

If you tried this recipe, post a photo on instagram and tag me @parpies! I can't wait to see your results!

Love!

Adapted from one of my favorite food blogs "a feast for the eyes"!