The secret lies in the water

On day 7 of my yoga challenge, I must say that I really feel the difference. I sit up straighter, my mind is more rested and, yes, I did lose weight: 3.75 pounds (1.7 kg). I see a more glowing Mary-Jana when I look in the mirror. This might be due to the little changes in my eating habits which are recommended by yoga teacher Sadie Nardini during the course - the secret might also be in the water of which I finally manage to drink a lot of.

Drinking more water used to be so difficult to me. I just forgot to drink during the day and I am not fond of the plain taste of nothingness. Thanks to Sadie I have been drinking about 2.5 liters every day - without any effort. The secret is: infusion! I simply throw some berries, an orange, some ginger slices or a lemon in fresh water. I keep the drink in a pretty glass container with a lid. Since I like my drinks at room temperature, I place the water bottle on the table where the floating fruit looks pretty. Every time I look at it, I pour myself a glass. Thank you, Sadie for helping me drink more water!

Just throw a handful of raspberries in your water; the outcome is pretty and delicious.

Making time for yoga every day means to show a lot of discipline but the reward I am getting is worth it! Plus, I learn to be organized. Sadie Nardini is so motivating and inspirational, although she is only present on the screen of my i-pad, it seems as though she goes through the transformation process with me. Knowing that she lost 40 pounds doing yoga and making little changes in her life gives me energy to reach my personal goals. During her course "21 day yoga body on Daily Om" (http://www.dailyom.com/cgi-bin/courses/courseoverview.cgi?cid=167) she encourages the participant to keep a journal, list transformation goals and get negative influences and thoughts out of my life, mind and body forever.

The other yoga challenge from the Yoga Journal (http://www.yogajournal.com/21daychallenge/) takes about 30-40 minutes a day and is mainly focussed on yoga poses but not so much on overall transformation. After one week I would totally recommend Sadie Nardini's course over the Yoga Journal one, but taking both of them, makes the experience a true challenge!

New Year - New MJ

New year resolutions are lame to some. Why change on a specific date? Why not change on a specific date? That's my opinion. If you want a transformation, the date is today.
There are not many things I would like to change about myself. I am a loved member of my family and my wonderful boyfriend makes me feel like a princess every day. I am healthy, I have a wonderful home and my life in Italy is sunny and full of little pleasures. What would I want to change? Well, there is always something: discipline and patience for example are two things I would like to show more in my every day life. In order to work on my inner self and get back into shape after all the Christmas cookies and German nut triangles I ate, I decided to to start a transformation by doing more of what I love to do: yoga.
I took on not one but two yoga challenges. I am already on day 4 of both programs and I can feel my body and mind have changed already!
Both courses are taught online. The first one I chose is the 21 day yoga challenge from the Yoga Journal. It is completely free of charge, so no excuses. Here is the link: http://www.yogajournal.com/21daychallenge/. I am participating in the intermediate program. The lessons are quite intense but the teachers explain each pose really well. This program compliments the other challenge I took on: 21 day yoga body by Sadie Nardini and DailyOM and I must say: this program rocks! Here is the link: http://www.dailyom.com/cgi-bin/courses/courseoverview.cgi?cid=167. You can pay as little as one dollar, but I suggest you honestly pay what you can, these lessons are definitely worth every cent. Sadie Nardini teaches a great yoga style which I have been practicing through her online lessons for a while: Core Strength Vinyasa Yoga. The poses are challenging and highly intense and that's why they are really effective. I can feel my body changing already!
What's more, Sadie gives great tips on how to incorporate little changes in your life to become the person you want to be by making healthier choices when it comes to inner thoughts as well as food.
She gives practical advice that I do not want to all share with you as I believe you should really take the course yourself and follow the expert. However, I will show you how some of her recipes turn out and how I changed them to fit better into my lifestyle and diet. Change today. Take the 21 day yoga challenges and tell me how this works for you! Namaste.

Indulge one last time: German nut triangles

The year 2012 is coming to an end and I have many many many resolutions for 2013, in fact too many and  am sure that half will be cancelled from my list my January 3rd. One of the biggies on my agenda is: TA-DAAA weight loss. Who would have thought?! So, I indulge one last time today and will end the year 2012 with German nut triangles - a yummy winter treat. I guarantee that this delicious pastry will be the first to disappear at any new year's party. And here is what you need:

For a baking sheet: (40x30cm or 16x12 inches)
sunflower oil to grease baking sheet

For the pastry:
225 g  or 2 1/4 cups plain four
1 teaspoon baking powder
100g or 1/2 cups brown sugar
4 drops vanilla essence
1 egg
1 egg yolk
100 g or 3/8 cups butter (softened) 

For the topping: 

2 tablespoons of apricot marmalade

150 g or 3/4 cups brown sugar

150 g or 3/4 cups butter

8 drops vanilla essence

3 tablespoons of water

200 g or 7 ounces flaked hazelnut kernels

100 g or 3 1/2 ground hazelnut kernels

For the coating:

200 g or 7 ounces of milk chocolate

SHORTBREAD PASTRY

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius/350 degrees fahrenheit.
• Mix flour and baking powder in a mixing bowl and add all remaining ingredients, work first with kneading hook, then stir with electrical mixer (highest setting) until the dough is smooth, roll it out on the greased baking sheet.

TOPPING

• spread the jam on the dough, in a pot melt butter and with sugar, vanilla essence and water, stir it well. Add the hazelnut mix and stir again. Let is cool down for a few minutes and spread it evenly on the dough.
• Bake everything for about 25 minutes.
• Let the pastry cool down for at least one hour otherwise you cannot cut it well, the pasty will break and all your work is lost in crumbles.
• Once cooled down, cut the pastry into squares (circa 4 cm or 2 1/2 inches wide) and then diagonally into triangles.

COATING

• Chop the chocolate and melt it in bain-marie. Make sure you have the stove on low heat only, otherwise the chocolate will burn. Stir continuously. 
• Dip the corners of the nut triangles into the chocolate and let cool again. 

Don't worry if the chocolate corners are irregular, the taste is so delicious that nobody will care about the look. 

This German treat was the highlight of an Italian family dinner we had a few weeks ago, and I am sure it will have the same wow-effect at our party tonight. 

Happy New Year!!!!!

Crunchy carrots

Toss veggies in a bowl with some olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and green onion.

There is nothing healthier than vegetables - and luckily I love them. I prepare them in many different ways, but one of my favourite methods is to grill them in the oven. I made carrots today, however, you can use all kinds of different veggies, just make sure you cut them all about the same width and length. I often use zucchini and carrots together, they make a delicious and colourful combination.

You will need
veggies (about 800 grams, serves 2 as a main dish and 4 as a side dish)
half green onion
one clove of garlic
two teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil (chili flakes and sesame seeds are optional)

Place the carrots on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Here is what you do:

• Preheat the oven to the highest temperature possible if you want to eat right away. If you have some time on your hands, prepare everything and let it sit for 30 minutes before turning on the oven.
• Wash and cut the veggies (I peel the carrots but not the zucchinis), make sure all vegetable sticks have about the same thickness and length. 
• Finely chop the garlic and green onion.
• Place everything in a large bowl.
• Add about 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil. Go easy on the oil, you won't need much.
• Add salt and pepper and maybe some chili flakes. I also added sesame seeds, but I recommend. you leave it at salt and pepper for the first time, the taste of the vegetables will amaze you. 
• Toss everything really well and if you are not in a rush, cover the bowl and let it sit for about 30 to 45 minutes, this will bring out the flavours even more. 
• Place the veggies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Put your oven on the grill function and cook for 10 minutes, then turn the veggies and grill for another 10 minutes the most.

The veggies will be crunchy and very tasty. We often times have just the veggies for dinner, maybe with a slice of bread, however, it also makes a great side dish that goes well with any kind of fish or meat.

A desperate painter

Maybe it was not a clever idea to start renovating just before this year's Holiday Season. Since I have some time on my hands I decided to paint the walls. I had planned to be done by December 2nd, however, I must have been delusional. As of yesterday, I finished painting and cleaning three rooms and the hallway. I left the living room for last and if everything goes as planned, I might be able to put up my Christmas decoration by Sunday, fingers crossed.
Yes, I am a DIY project enthusiast, but I am not a very efficient one. I am not really in a position to give you a hands on advice on painting that anyone might not already know. All I can suggest is to avoid the same mistakes I made. Here is my personal list of things to remember when painting the walls in the future:

• choose quality paint, it will prevent you from having to put on too many layers
• preparation is the key; make sure you tape all corners, borders, window sills, power outlets etc.
• push all furniture to the middle of the room and place plastic foil over them if you cannot take them   completely out of the room (which is what I would suggest, but unfortunately could not do)
• start to paint from top to bottom, in case some paint will run (and it will, trust me!)
• if you need to mix paint or thin it with water, make sure you stir with a flat stick (not a round one), otherwise the paint will take forever to blend.
• being a perfectionist like me often times is not an advantage in life, however, when it comes to painting, it can be quite beneficial
• and last but not least: be patient! You will get the job done, eventually... at least, I still hope so.

Less mess, less cleaning; being a perfectionist can be advantageous when it comes to paining. 

Advent calendar for everyone

Details of the advent calendar.

Advent calendars belong to December like the tree belongs to Christmas. My Mom made one every year when my sister and I were little. This creative calendar with 24 doors for every day of December until Christmas is supposed to make the wait for the big day easier on children, however, I find that especially adults need advent calendar during the busy month of December - not only to be reminded of how many (or few) days are left until Christmas, but also to start every morning with a little pleasure: a piece of chocolate, a cream from the drugstore or a bag of tea. This year, not only V. gets one, but also my sister in Germany who very much needs to relax from her busy job and hopefully will enjoy a little surprise every day.
You do not need much, just 24 little surprises (chocolates, drug store articles, teas etc. - of course I cannot write what's in the one I made, otherwise my sister won't be surprised). I chose various kinds of wrapping and scratch book paper. Make sure they match and make sure they fit into the home of the person you make the calendar for. Handwritten numbers can look nice. I chose to print a lovely flower pattern I found on the internet (I searched for "free printable patterns") and simply wrote numbers 1 to 24 in photoshop (I chose a pretty handwriting font). I tied the packages with twine, but you could use any kind of ribbon. I originally wanted to hang the 24 gifts on a piece of driftwood, but since I needed to ship everything from Italy to Germany, I just left it as it is.
Today is November 30th and your advent calendar should either be in the making or finished by now.... and if not, just look in your cupboards and drawers, maybe you can make a last minute advent calendar for a loved one. Even if it's ready on the 2nd or the 3rd of December, the joy will still be the same!

And off to Germany!

 Everything arrived on time and my sister was very happily surprised.

  

Chocolate chip cookie day

Do you ever wake up and think: "Today is chocolate chip cookie day!"? Well, I do sometimes. Today was such a day. Whenever I feel like making good old chocolate chip cookies I automatically think one or two swearwords. That's because I live in Italy and cannot get any Hershey's here. Well, yes. European chocolate is creamier, but when it comes to chocolate chip cookies, those Hershey's are just the best. Sometimes, I treat a chocolate bar with mortar and pestle, but today the flat European chocolate chips from the baking isle that were sitting in my pantry just worked well. I have tried lots and lots of those cookie recipes: This one is a combination of many and it always works for me.

3/4 cup (170 g) butter
1 cup (200 g) brown sugar
1/2 cup (100 g) white sugar
1 package of vanilla powder or 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups (280 g) of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 1/2 cups (270 g) of chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C
Beat sugars and butter in a large bowl until fluffy.
Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract (if you use powder, mix in with the flour in the next step). The texture needs to like a cream.
In another bowl mix together the flour with the baking soda and salt (and vanilla powder). Spoon in chocolate chips and leave some aside for later. Place your dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
Wet your fingers with cold water and shape the cookies. Sprinkle with the left over chocolate chips.
Bake for about 10-12 minutes or until light brown. Let cool completely.
This makes a lot of cookies, but no worries, they will not go to waste! At least in my house they don't.