April 17, 2015

What to do when Life gets tough?

Lately there has been a lot of things going on in A. and M.'s life. Many things changed and it got very stressful and exhausting. That's why they seemed to be different persons: everything was just too much. A. had a lot of pressure on her because of the upcoming prom she organized, tests and other school events. M. is getting closer to her final exams and time just seems to fly by way faster than usual. Also social problems came in their way and they couldn't focus on what is good for them because they were trying to be the right person for someone else. But enough of that, now A. and M. want to find themselves again and start were they stopped the last time. Their new motto is: YOU should be the most important person in your own life and do what feels good for you and makes you happy! Here are three little aspects which might concern you as well at the moment and help you to be happy again:

RELATIONSHIPS
Nothing is more important than the people who care about you the most and love you although you are not perfect. Sometimes people take their closest friends for granted and stop trying because they think: they will love me anyway. Of course they do love you, but you still have to put some effort into your relationships, not matter if it's with your parents, brothers, sisters, boyfriend, girlfriends etc. Give what you want to receive, because people will treat you like you treat them. This seems like the most logical thing to know, but sometimes when life gets tough we tend to forget about this rule and start to behave differently. If you ever find yourself in a situation like this it has to click in your head and you need to start to take care of the people who know you the best. This will not just make them feel your love again, this feeling will also show you that you have people who support you, stand behind you and who will catch you if you fall.

SELF CONTENTMENT
Another thing that is key to a blithe and happy life is self contentment. You are who you are and you can't totally change yourself. This is something that only a few people can accept and especially young boys and girls seem to have problems with respecting their own person. They either find dissatisfaction in their appearance, in their level of intelligence etc. There always will be people who are prettier, smarter, happier and who have a life that seems to be above perfection, but unfortunately we never look close enough to see that they have problems too. EVERYONE has something they don't like about themselves and also if some people don't show it, EVERYONE can be hurt somehow.  And while we get crazy about our weak spots, others don't even notice the strechmarks on our legs, the wryness of our nose or the fact that we don't know what a polynomial function looks like. All these worries are most of the time irrelevant and senseless, because they don't define you at all. It is not about the person you try to be or try to copy, it is about the person you are and who you always will be true to. The goal should not be to aim for perfection in every section of our lives, it should rather be to accept ourselves how we are and try to expose our best features in order to hide our weaknesses. All this might seem hard to understand and to accept but the more mature we become, the more we see how easy it can be to just be yourself.

YOU ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IN YOUR LIFE
You are the protagonist of your own life, so your needs are more important than anyone else's. Of course this doesn't mean you should act like an egoist, but if helping another person affects your life in a really negative way and you start to suffer from their problems too, it is time to stop. Especially for our loved ones, we would give anything we have in order to make their life easier and perfect, but sometimes people need to figure out their problems on their own and learn a lesson, instead of having others do their chores for them. This can be a harder decision for some because they tend to act helpful naturally and like to put others before them although they have enough problems on their own, while others are more confident at the things they do and have the guts to say what they think and do what they like. Doesn't matter which kind of person you are now, it only matters which person you want to be (probably neither not, but a perfect mixture between the two extremes) and your goal should be to find your personal balance as a good base for a happy life.

Hopefully this was a little helpful for you as well. In this tough times it is not important to look backwards on what happened in the past and can't be changed, but on whats right in front of you and on what is in your hands and can be done wonderfully!


Always to remember to keep up your Merry Attitude!

xx,
M.&A.

January 07, 2015

Recipe: Low Carb Cheesecake

Did you ever feel like having a nice dessert, but don't want to have a lot of calories? M. has the solution for your problem: A low carb and low calorie cheesecake. It is really easy to make, super delicious and the best treat for all the clean eaters out there. Perfect for a nice afternoon tea or even a sunday breakfast feast...


What you need:

250g Quark
200g Cream Cheese (light)
4 egg whites
2 egg yolks
natural Sweetener (for example Agave Sirup)
Vanilla Extract 
Hint of Salt
Raspberries (or any other kind you like)



How to:

Preheat the oven with about 180°C and start with greasing out a baking pan (for example with coconut oil). Then take the egg whites and beat them until they are solid. In another bowl mix the egg yolks with the cream cheese and the quark until they are well combined. Add the vanilla, the salt and the agave sirup and stir again. Carefully fold in the beaten egg whites and pour the dough into the baking pan. Spread the raspberries on top and put it into the oven. Bake the cake for about half an hour (maybe a little more) until it is golden brown on top. Take it out and let it cool for about 15 minutes. Cut the cake into pieces and serve with coffee, tea or hot chocolate. Wrapped in tin foil and put in the fridge the cheesecake will stay fresh up to three days (but seriously, until then there won't be any left).


Hopefully you will try this amazing recipe and share it with your friends and family. Have fun with the baking and never forget to keep a Merry Attitude!

xx,
M&A.

January 04, 2015

Review: Lebe Pur Smoothie Powder

Lately M. has been trying out the smoothie powders by Lebe Pur which are made out of 100% natural dried and finely grounded fruits and vegetables. They are organic, vegan and good for any stressful morning where you don't have a lot of time to prepare breakfast.


From all the flavors that are available I chose the Spinach one and the black chokeberry one. I bought them at my local grocery store but they are also available online:

http://www.gesund-sein.de/markenprodukte/lebepur.html?gclid=CjwKEAiA5qOlBRDAn8K5qen65joSJADRvlbqm0wNFgsrI6CseP_MMkr5kRRTG0Y9yq0JoUrH-48_bxoCRQjw_wcB#/page/1

The directions are quite simple: all you need to do is to take about 1-2 Tablespoons of the powder and any sweetening fruit like an apple or a banana and puree it with 200ml of water. I used an apple and instead of pure water i mixed it with 100ml of hazelnut milk, which actually made it taste really good.

About my personal opinion: I actually really liked the simpleness of the preparation, because just adding a tablespoon of powder to my smoothie is way easier than defrosting, washing, cutting fruits and vegetables.
I also think the price was quite acceptable, which is very unusual for such special products at an organic grocery store. Both were each about 7€ and the spinach one includes 125g while the chokeberry one weighs 150g. And because you always just need 1-2 Tablespoon per smoothie it will probably last up to 12 servings which makes it about 60c per serving.

One thing I didn't enjoy as much, and which maybe be the most significant, was the actual taste of the smoothie. I don't know if it was because of the powder or because of the apple, but the smoothie had these little bits in it and wasn't totally smooth, how I would rather prefer it. Also, the smoothies needs to be stired well before every sip, because otherwise these little bits will sink to the ground and you will have an unpleasant surprise at the end.
Lastly, one thing I have to say is, that I can imagine that the smoothness would be better if you use a banana instead of the apple, because smoothies with bananas are generally very smooth and fine.

All in all, I will probably use the powder on some days, because it is quite convenient when you are in a hurry in the morning and it didn't taste as bad as it might have sounded. But when I have time I still prefer the old school method with using fresh vegetables.
Also, I might try the banana so i can get rid of the bits in my glass.
I don't know if i will repurchase the product because I am not 100% positive about it, but I think it is definitely worth a try if you are a smoothie lover who tends to hit the snooze button a little too often!

Wish you an amazing, lovely Sunday and don't forget your Merry Attitude!

xx,
M&A.