LIFESTYLE - My Favorite Cookbooks

Happy Sunday everyone! I hope your morning was as productive as mine. It's okay if it wasn't, because that's what sundays are for right? Coffee, reading, watching a movie, baking, and maybe going to the sunday market? That's what I did! I just love picking a recipe out of my little collection of cookbooks and head to the market to buy the ingredients. Hmm the smell of fresh basil, the look of a slightly deformed lemon, and the cuteness of a tiny avocado instantly make me happy.

Although I follow a crazy amount of foodblogs, I will always prefer cooking out of a cookbook. The thing about books is that it's no disaster if something gets spilled on the pages, it adds that character to your cookbook. But I wouldn't be happy if anyone spilled turmeric on my computer screen.

I thought it would be fun to tell you a little bit about my favorite cookbooks.

1. Puur eten dat je gelukkig maakt - Pascale Naessens

I hate the lay-out, but I love the recipes. Most of them are very simple and have only a few ingredients. 

2. Dagelijkse kost - Jeroen Meus

I don't think I need to explain what this book is about. Any Belgian knows Jeroen Meus and probably has a collection of his cookbooks laying around. He's basically the Belgian Jamie Oliver (although he will never be as good as Jamie). His recipes are nowhere near healthy or anything, but I think it's fun to shake things up sometimes. I mean, we can't eat healthy all the time can we? 

3. Power food - Rens Kroes

I think this is the cookbook I've cooked with the most. I love how her recipes are healthy without cutting out anything. She just makes cooking healthy food so easy! Everything is briefly explained, but it's still very clear. Can't wait to get her second book.

4. Get the glow - Madeleine Shaw

My heart skipped a beat when this book finely arrived! I had been following Madeleine's blog for a while and couldn't wait to get her cookbook. The pictures are so pretty and the food looks great! There's also a six-week programme in the book to quit sugar. I tried it for one and a half week, but it didn't make me happy so I quit. I usually don't eat a lot of sugar, so I don't really see the point in cutting it out. Things like that just make me unhappy.

I'll be making one of her breakfasts tomorrow morning! I'm so excited!

5. De helden van het echte eten - Alle Dagen Honger

I LOVE this book! It's basically a book about people who try to go back to the roots of real food. It's filled with stories about farmers, butchers, bakers and way more! There's a lovely recipe attached to every story. 

What are your favorite cookbooks? I would love to get a cookbook from The Green Kitchen Stories!

Lots of kisses for my very talented friend Oona who took the pictures! Thank you very much for all the patience. Check out her website here!

kisses Jeanne

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!

LIFESTYLE - Tag: 25 Foodquestions

I came across this tag a while ago and figured I should do it. What's a tag you ask? It's basically a list of questions based around one subject. Kind of like an interview for anyone who's up to it. The tag I'll be filling in today is about food. Obviously.

1. What's your favorite breakfast?

The ones we have on sundays. A large brunch with pistoleekes (crusty little bread rolls) and pastries. (Favorite bakery -> Domestic)

2. How do you drink your coffee?

A Cappuccino with soy milk, no sugar, and made with love.

3. What's your favorite sandwich?

Hummus is love, hummus is life. A sandwich with hummus it is!

4. Soup or salad?

Pumpkin soup please! 

5. What's your favorite cookbook?

Rens Kroes - Power food. If you follow me on instagram @parpies, you probably figured that out.

6. No more sweets or no more hearty foods?

No more hearty foods! I just wouldn't be able to live without sweets, I'm sorry but giving up caramel and chocolate? I would never.

7. What's your favorite Cuisine? (country)

Hmmm... American maybe? I take hamburgers very seriously.

8. What's your favorite food movie?

Hands down Chef and Julie & Julia. Go watch them now and don't forget your popcorn.

9. What's your most guilty pleasure?

I don't know guilt.

10. What's your greatest inspiration source?

Pinterest and our crazy cookbook collection.

11. Cooking at home or going out for dinner?

I love cooking but I'd rather go out for dinner. It gives me the chance to really have a conversation. I can't cook and communicate at the same time.

12. High end or low profile?

All food will do.

13. What's your favorite restaurant?

Staff's Kantine for sure! A super cozy and delicious restaurant in Antwerp.

14. I do my grocery shopping at:

Vogeltjesmarkt, Morocco Nuts, Albert Heijn.

15. The tastiest food I've ever eaten was:

A hamburger I had at Soho Park (New York), an Oreo brownie I had a very long time ago in Amsterdam (a restaurant that unfortunately doesn't exist anymore), a meal my mom once made out of the Treme cookbook we offered her (Bayona's Roasted Duck with Bourbon-Molasses Sauce and Sweet Potato Fries), and any salted caramel ice cream!

16. What's your favorite cocktail?

A classic Mojito or a classy Cosmopolitan.

17. Coffee with George Clooney or Heston Blumenthal?

My currently non existent boyfriend.

18. What should not be missing in your kitchen?

Food. I guess.

19. What's your favorite snack?

I love Terra's real vegetable chips. But I try to avoid them because I don't really know how "real" they are. So I rather reach out for (dried) fruit or nuts.

20. What's on your pizza?

I love any cheese, artichoke, but I would love to try one of those with figs or pears!

I also love pizza that's more like focaccia (very thick dough).

21. What food do you really dislike?

Fennel, mushrooms, and maybe haricots. But I'm learning... One thing I'll never be able to eat is yoghurt with processed fruit in it omg.

22. What's your favorite foodblog?

I've only recently started cooking from foodblogs but I love: Fork Spoon Knife and Oh, Ladycakes.

23. What's the weirdest thing you've ever eaten?

A tomato-banana soup at Mokkakapot (Antwerp) and it was damn good.

24. What's on your food bucket list?

A cinnamon roll, but a very very very good one!

25. I couldn't live without:

Frangipane croissants! 

xxx

LIFESTYLE - Cozy day

It's snowing, I'm freezing, I'm wearing a pink sweater, my nose is running, time to recover from my birthday weekend. I had the craziest birthday party. Although I spent most of the evening letting people in and out, getting nacho's in and out of the oven and making sure everyones cups were filled with cava, I did have a great time. I have to say, it is very touching to see thirty people coming together to celebrate your eighteenth birthday, but it is also very scary. I am very glad that my house and I are still standing.

I thought I'd take you guys through my, cozy and very lazy, post-birthday day. 

A warm bath:

What better way to start a cold and dark day than taking a bath with all the bathproducts you got for your birthday? I had never tried Lush's bath bombs before but since my friend got me one, I had to check it out! Not only did it look lovely, it also gave my bathroom a lovely and relaxing scent. 

A coffee:

My sister made this big box filled with coffee-essentials for my birthday. So sweet, original and so me! I love how you can figure out how well someone knows you, just by their present. 

A book:

Right now I am reading Orlando by Virginia Woolf. I find it very hard to really focus on a book when your laptop is laying there crying for attention. But at least I'm trying.

Another book I'm reading is a book that my best friends gave me. It is called "How to be Parisian". They know it's my dream to move to Paris and they want me to chase that dream. Sometimes it is very hard for a belgian girl to believe that one day you will be living in Paris and will be a journalist for and english magazine. I know, being raised in Dutch, living in France, writing in English. My dreams make no sense.

A movie/tv-serie:

Léon the professional, Midnight in Paris, Chef, The immigrant, A thousand times goodnight, Ratatouille, Sex and The City, Gossip Girl, Girls. 

Enough said.

A sound:

On my lazy days I love a good old jazz song. Whether it's Chet Baker, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Gregory Porter or Jamie Cullum, all jazz is good. When I run out of inspiration I like to put on TSF jazz, a french radio station that plays jazz music all day everyday. (Also gives you that parisian vibe)

Don't be scared to allow yourself a day off!

Love, Jeanne

LIFESTYLE - Instagram

It's time for me to add another post to my very limited category "Lifestyle". Why did it take me so long, you ask? The thing is that I simply could not decide what exactly I should tell you guys about my so called "life". So I concluded that I should just write about the first thing I do in the morning after waking up. And you guessed it, Instagram it is. 

I know, I know, not such a bright way to start your day. Apart from the fact that I might just be the tiniest bit addicted to this branch of social media, I do have another reason. Since I prefer to workout in the morning (avoiding that I wouldn't get around to doing it because of sudden evening-out-plans) a strong motivation is needed. That's when I reach out for the phone. As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, I follow a large number of health/fitness/food accounts that motivate me to get up and start sweating. If you want to know more about what I do for sports, I wouldn't mind making a post about it, so make sure to let me know. But first, let's talk Instagram.

Follow me here @parpies

My week in instagram photos:

Filter I use: 

VSCOcam C1/Vibrant

Just a few of my favorite accounts:
@run_wilde
@happyolks
@ines_arroyo
@theresafarias
@wholehealthyglow
@aheartsmurmur
@livingthehealthychoice
@oatsandnuts
@elkantlers
@_amyglen
@victoriatornegren
@simplehealthy

See you on insta! Love

What I've been listening to - SEPTEMBER

Dear reader, do I even have to explain the way music can make me feel? Don't we all know that feeling one particular song can give us? How the butterflies in your stomach seem to escape to every single body part when that beat finally drops? How we replay the song because we weren't paying attention and missed our favorite part? How we start screaming and jumping around at a party when our jam comes on (maybe that one's just me)?

Like most people I can't tell you what kind of music I listen to because I listen to every-thing. I go from dropping low on A$AP to crying in my bed on Bon Iver to baking Christmas cookies on jazz music. 

Every month I make a playlist of all the songs that give me the goosebumps and all those other feelings I mentioned before. What I love about monthly playlists is that whenever I listen to them, even if it's in a year, I will feel exactly the same way as I did while making that playlist. So whenever I want to feel as happy as I do now, I just put on my september 2014 playlist, and I will relive everything all over again. I hope you enjoy my playlist as much as I do.

• House of Balloons / Glass Table Girls - The Weeknd
• What you need - The Weeknd
• Live For - The Weeknd, Drake
• Move On Up - Curtis Mayfield
• Stay High - Habits Remix - Tove Lo, Hippie Sabotage
• Holdin On - Flume
• The Wolves (Act I and II) - Bon Iver
• I Can't Make You Love Me/Nick Of Time - Bon Iver 
• Pendulum - FKA Twigs
• Long Live A$AP - A$AP Rocky
• PMW (All I Really Need) - A$AP Rocky, Schoolboy Q
• Never Never (feat. Sampha) - Sbtrkt
• Sky's The Limit (feat. 112) - The Notorious B.I.G.
• Walk This Way - MØ
• Hey Laura - Gregory Porter
• Notorious Thugs - The Notorious B.I.G.
• Westside - The Kooks
• I - Kendrick Lamar

CLICK HERE FOR MY SEPTEMBER PLAYLIST ON SPOTIFY

What I love about summer - Working out

Need to get your body bikini-ready? It's never too late to start working out! 

Since I get bored very easily, my workouts need to be short but effective. If I go for a run I will rather go for a 10 min sprint than a 1 hour long jog. Doing the same thing for more than one hour bores the hell out of me! Sometimes, riding my bike to the park is already to big of a deal for me. That's why I go for Blogilates!

Have you ever heard of Cassey Ho aka Blogilates? I discovered her channel on youtube and started working out with her a few months ago. She is basically your personal trainer but less expensive. In fact, it is totally free!

At first I just watched some of her workout videos whenever I felt like it, but I've recently discovered that she has a blog where you can download calendars that tell you exactly what workout you should do each day for that perfectly toned body. I love it! Cassey is very enthousiast  and full of good vibes. She also shares recipes for a healthy diet, which can be very handy! No workout will give you a bikini body if you keep eating nutella sandwiches! Seriously guys, even if you are totally fine with the way you look (which you should), working out is just so great. I feel awesome and very happy after a workout. It makes you feel on top of the world! Not convinced yet? Here are some reasons why you should go put on your workout clothes!

• Working out makes you fit
• Working out makes you confident
• A fit body makes your clothes even prettier
• Working out is great for your skin!
• If you work out with Blogilates, you won't even have to go out the door!

Blogilates blog

Blogilates youtube

Blogilates beginners calendar

What I love about summer - Reading

This blogpost might be a little to nerdy for some of you, but for those who love to spend their summer-days in the sun with a good book, read on. School is the biggest reason I barely read throughout the year. If I ever read, I'm reading a stupid book for my dutch classes. I hate how school pushes us to read certain books to make sure that we'll read once in a while. I mean, how can one like a book when you know you'll have to write a paper about it afterwards? You aren't concentrating on the story anymore, but you're concentrating on the fact if the characters are round or flat. Honestly, who cares? 

However, once the sun is shining I grab a book and let it take me on an adventure. I was talking to a friend about how much I read during summer, that even if I'm not reading I constantly hear a voice in my head that keeps on telling stories. Does anyone else have this feeling or do I just read a little to much?

Let me give you some information about two books I have read throughout the year and the many books I'll be reading this summer while sitting on an airplane, lying next to the pool, or lying in my bed whit a little sunshine that's stroking my face. Just got a little too excited there, did you notice?

The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky: Beautiful book! Like every other teenager that read this book, I could really relate to it. Although It was written quiet a while ago I feel like the hype only started last year! The story is about a boy who is trying to find out who he is and who he wants to be. Don't we all suffer from that? That's why it is a very interesting read! It's also a very easy book, you'll get through it in just a few days. Can you believe I haven't seen the movie yet?

Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov: This is the second book I read this year. It has taken me a very long time, but I got through it eventually. I really recommend this book because the way the russian author uses English vocabulary, mixed with French vocabulary and his own made up words is just amazing! But then again, that is one of the reasons it took me so long to finish this book. There are many jokes and situations I've missed, just because, as a dutch/french girl, the vocabulary was a little too hard for me. And I wasn't willing to look up every single word in the dictionary. 

The story is very unique. It is about a man who falls in love with a very young girl. A child actually. This is one of the reasons the book was considered taboo in many countries. We all know how paedophilia is bad and illegal, but the storyteller finds a way to talk himself out of it and make it seem okay. And that is so weird about the story but again so well done.

It - Alexa Chung: I wouldn't really consider this book as literature, but I love Alexa's style so I am very excited to find out more about who she is and what inspires her. The book also contains beautiful pictures, so for the non-readers, this might be something for you!

Just Kids - Patti Smith: This book is one that I found laying around my house. It is the story about how the singer Patti Smith tried to make a carrier in New York. I love New York, appreciate the music she makes, and I've heard many good things about this book! 

The Fault in Our Stars - John Green: Common, I have to, don't I? Every single girl of my age has read this book. I just can't get away from it! I want to be able to follow the millions and millions of conversations about this book. 

To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee: I'm not quiet sure yet what this book is about, but I'll find out soon! And if I like it, I'll tell you guys more about it.

I know that it is hard for young people like me who are dreaming about traveling, buying clothes, going out for breakfast, to spend money on a book that they'll probably only read once. Here are the things I did to avoid that situation and save myself some money for all the traveling I'll be doing this summer.

- Get books for your birthday (I got Lolita from my sister, and It from a friend)

- Look what is laying around the house (Just Kids is my mom's book)

- Borrow books from friends! (I borrowed the Fault in our Stars and To Kill a Mockingbird from a friend)

- You can also go to the library if you'd like!

A special thank you to my lovely friend Zohra who was kind enough to let me borrow her books.

What are some other books I should read?

#100HAPPYDAYS

If you are an instagram addict like I am, you might've noticed the new hash-tag #100happydays. Curious as I am, I went on the internet and looked up what it was all about. It happens to be a very interesting concept that's trying to make people have at least one moment of happiness a day. They noticed how many people are stressed out, busy working and never taking time for themselves to relax and enjoy life. Basically, you can sign yourself up on the website by filling in a couple questions, you choose what social media site you want to post your daily photos on and you're good to go. Each photo has to show what made you happy on that particular day. The challenge is to not miss a day and hopefully feel happier at the end of the journey than you do today. It will make you appreciate life more and will help you find out what it is exactly that makes you feel good. It doesn't have to be winning the lottery. No, it's not about that. For me at least it's not. I am now at day 2 and I've posted a photo that shows how I love waking up to the sun and how I love watching my youtube subscriptions in the morning while I'm still in my warm bed. You even have the possibility to get sent a little book at the end of the journey with all of your happy photos collected. I think it is a very fun concept and I'd love to see what makes other people happy. 

Sign up here: http://100happydays.com/

Follow me on instagram here: http://instagram.com/jeannevancraenenbroeck