sometimes it's good to just... jump

Sometimes thinking isn't necessary - just take the plunge!

Happy jumping! (in life and on the hills)

Blue Pout-smoothie

Blue Pout-smoothie

chlorella 

blueberries

blackberries

a banana

almond milk

stevia

(ice, if berries not frozen)

- Mix everything in a blender until smooth. Add stevia according to taste. (for you who not know stevia, it's a natural 0-calorie sweetener).


About this smoothie: Chlorella is an algae, and an amazing thing to add to you smoothie. High in protein and other essential nutrients. When dried it contains 45% protein, 20% fat, 20% carbohydrates, 5% fibre and 10% minerals and vitamins. (If you need more protein in your diet and want to get it easily from a plant-based source, try adding chlorell or spirulina to your smoothies.)


And well, berries are just the greatest superfood if you ask me! Antioxidants, vitamins and minerals all in one... so it's worth it to eat your berries! The best mind AND beauty-boosting food ever...

Have a sunshiny day!

 ps. I will spend the day dreaming of a smoothie&cupcake bar...

...you may say I'm a dreamer

me on a trip I won to New York, my dream city... how's that for a big dream that came true?

I realized something the other day when I was hiding some of my new ideas from a person I was talking with - by not telling about these projects, which I was really excited about... Why? Well I know that I am a big dreamer & a girl who's always hunting for new things (it's just my nature), and well, some people find it somewhat irritating. (Yes, I see how you look at me when I excitedly tell you about something new I found to be amazing...)

But I have also reached the point, and the great age of 25 (can I now call myself a woman? Weird), where I just... don't care! 


And whoa! How great is this? I really, honestly, don't give a rat's furry ass, if someone thinks my dreams are silly or too big, I am planning something "way out-of-my-league", I should "grow up" or behave differently and so on and so on... Cause no matter how much I want to see everyone as positive, fun and great - there are always those people who don't see what I see as they look at the world. These people are quick to judge, they like to say that's "impossible" (hah! I giggle at impossible!), who claim that you can't pull something off... 

I have realized that these people really are not the ones I want to take advice from. Cause when you think of it, are those people the ones who dare to live big? Who have huge, wild dreams and are not afraid to go after them? Are those people the ones who, even after eveything fails, just stand up and think "Well, that didn't work... What will i try next?" 


Nope. 


So next time I meet a person who I know is not on the same page with my dreams and my fun, crazy projects - I will just smile and move forward. Cause the world is full of peeps ready to cheer for you, clap at your successes and hug you when you make it to the finish line.

Let's keep on sparkling! 

pictures: keepcalmgallery.com (via Pinterest)

time to finally say HI to you all!

So, I let way too many "kindas" out of my mouth, move my hands all the time (I tried to control them! But what can I say, I think I am mediterranean by heart cause of my rapid hand movements while talking), couldn't get the sound to go well with the videostream (somehow my voice came behind with the picture...? I got it fixed with the first segment of the video, but all the other parts had to be edited out cause the voice was so strangely behind), my eyes are on the screen and not on the camera (I am a video-newbie, what can I say).... BUT anyway - now it's up here, a video thank you-message for you guys. ALL you Wellabe-readers, THANK YOU for visiting here! (And I promise I'll get better with my video-messaging...) 

And though voice got all weirdo on me on the video - what I was meant to be saying (on the part I had to make mute) that I'd love to hear the things you most like to read about... Or is it more videos, more indepth-posts, more music or more picture you'd like to see here? Tell me, and I will be onto the task - making this blog the best Wellabe-blog in the world... ;)




edit: Sorry about the texts not showing. I promise to do better with the technical side of things next time!

want to glow? grab a bag of these chips (yes, chips!)

It's about time people get to know this amazeballs, out-of-the-charts K-vitamin source, antioxidant bursting green called...*drum roll & crowds cheering*... kale! 


Kale (for my finnish friends, it is lehtikaali in finnish) is a green leafy vegetable, dark green or purple in color. Besides the K-vitamin, it contains vitamin C, calcium, iron and carotenoids (which provide vitamin A in the body). 


Kale is great in salads, but if you are a first-timer - it can taste a bit bitter when it's raw & when you are not used to it. So if you want to cook your kale; steam it or just quickly sauté it (great thing to add to a wok!). Add some good salt and spices (onion and garlic work also great with kale) and enjoy!


My own favorite is a salad with kale (raw), and a salad dressing that I add some asian spices into (it goes so great with the kale). I also love to stir fry it & add it to my dish when I am making a wok (or just about anything, like pasta, pictured under). 

BUT my all-time favorite kale-dish is this: Kale Chips - (try it! You cannot believe how good they are until you taste them...)

Kaleysious Chips

a bunch of kale (wash and DRY well - till completely dry!)

some good olive oil/sesame oil ( I love sesame! )

some good sea salt

sesame seeds

(black pepper/other spices of your own choice)

- Heat you oven to 170 C (350 F)

- Tear up the kale leaves (and cut the thick stem-parts of) to a nice chippy-size

- Lay the washed & teared up kales onto a large bowl (so that they are not on top of each other ) / onto a cooking sheet

- Add olive/sesame oil, seeds, salt and spices.

- Bake until crispy, but not totally dry. This takes about 15 minutes (till they are goldeny color)

Enjoy your chips and prepare to become addicted!

A very springish Sunday & a few happy recipes

Springtime-salad


- greens (rucola, lettuce, iceberg salad etc...)
- tomatoes
- cucumber
- halloumi-cheese, sliced (fried until crispy on the outside but still soft on the inside)
- fresh herbs


- Add all the things (expect halloumi) in a big salad bowl.
- Add some yummy dressing (mix olive oil, white vinegar, sea salt, black pepper and honey = voila!)
- Lastly, add the haloumi "steaks" on top.
- Eat your yummy salad in great company!

Healthy for the soul-dessert

- your favorite ice cream
- a cute bowl




- Put the ice cream in the bowl.
- Take a spoon and enjoy - calorie counting strictly banned (cause life would be boring without ice cream!.. says also Pätkä-the dog, lover of ice-cream, pictured under)

Some really great points laid out here; 100 tips about life, people, and happiness. 

Here are some favorites:


13. Get used to feeling stupid. It’s a sign of growth.
16. Find things that inspire you and pursue them, even if there’s no money in it.
37. Don’t buy a lot of stuff, and only buy the stuff you really love.
81. Dress like a cooler version of yourself.
98. Everyone feels like they’re not good enough. It’s not just you.

Sunshine in a glass

Though rain & grey skies are very much present outside my window right now - summer's still in my mind, I feel it coming... Here's something to take you to a summery state of mind even when it's raining non-stop and the sun isn't visiting.

Sunshine-fruitie

some frozen mango (or fresh + some ice)

a banana

freshly squeezed orange juice (2 oranges)

Blend everything in a blender and enjoy every sunhiny-gulp!

Happy Friday guys!

Need some extra-umph?... Here's your smoothie!

Today's smoothie...

This smoothie is great because it gives you lots of energy, protein, vitamins, enzymes, antioxidants... even boosts your sex drive! All that in one smoothie - can you believe it? Good stuff, oh yes...

Braveheart-smoothie

1 banana

maca-powder (about 1tsp-1tbsp, according to your tastebuds & need of extra-boost)

raw cacao-powder

strawberries (frozen or fresh - if fresh add ice)

liquid stevia, just a couple of drops (a natural 0-calorie sweetener)

water

- Blend everything in a blender and become a superhero!

it's a date

Yep, that's what I am gonna do, have a big fat date with my biggest dreams today... Cause lately I have had doubts about some of my dreams but I am feeling that I should get back on track now. Fear is human, but you just have to shake it off when it's time!

“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls”

-Joseph Campbell

happy food - question series begins

Hey guys!

So since I don't normally have a huge pile of questions/comments rolling into my comment boxes here (hehee... you can take that as a hint! :) - I thought I could start a series of those questions I get asked about nutrition in real life. I will keep the answers quite short, at least in the beginning - cause I think many people are so confused about nutrition because of the fact that it has become just too damn complicated. And you can always state your case using fancy words and latin names but the idea is still the same, even with a slighly easier-to-read answer-type.

So the latest question I got was from a friend yesterday - and the question was about iron. She wanted to know if iron from plant-based sources is as easy for the body to absorb as the iron from animal-based sources. Here's what I answered (though not in these exact words, hehe... this is the more professional answer for you guys) :

It is true that the iron in animal products is a bit different (heme iron) than the iron in plant-based sources (non-heme iron) and easier for the body to absorb on its own than the iron from plant-based sources. BUT Vitamin C (as well as beta-carotene) acts to markedly increase absoprtion of non-heme iron. Adding vitamin C to a meal increases non-heme absorption up to six-fold which makes the absorption as good or better than of heme iron.

And just one more thing: Calcium strongly inhibits iron absorption from both plant and animal iron sources. So for example milk can have a negative effect on the absorption of the iron in the body, which may be the cause of anemia in some cases. (so if you take calcium supplements, take them between meals.)

The daily iron-dose should not be over 60 mg.

So that is the first question in this Happy food-question series... If you have a question, just post it to the comment box or send it to my e-mail. Or if you would like to have more information about iron or something else I mentioned here, just message me to wellabe@gmail.com

Monday jammin' and smoothie-goodness

Sunshiny Monday smoothie

* 1 mango

* some strawberries (frozen or fresh)

* some freshly squeezed orange juice

* ice

(coconut milk, optional)

- Blend everything together until smooth in your blender.

- Enjoy your cup of sunshine.

Today's track is a finnish song, but I think you can enjoy it even if you don't understand our weird language. A great summery track from Reino & The Rhinos! (called "The Sun")

"The more you share, the more you have."

My kinda Idol

My grandma is the best. She is totally sharp, cracks me up with her comments and jokes, has a buzzy social life and she really has a young state of mind... But because she is a lady I am not telling her age, but I will say it's over 80, so she is really in a great shape for her age! And she is always super stylish.

The pictures don't really show how much we smile and laugh everytime we are together but I like these pics... They are taken last year, when we decided to have a family spring-picnic in the middle of a field somewhere in southern Finland...

We ate sandwiches and cake and drank coffee from thermos-mugs... Lovely! And I remember when I asked from my grandma "Did you hear that? Was that a horse?" and she replied "Oh nooo, I think that was just me laughing."

That's my kinda silly grandma! <3

Love her to bits.

Have a great Friday full of cake and laughter!

goal for today

I can play a fortune teller for a second here and predict that a year or five years or ten years from now... You are not gonna miss the car you couldn't afford or the house you had to sell or that laptop that blacked out and erased all your files (sigh! - it does hurt when it happens though! Been there!)

Instead you ARE gonna get such a boost thinking hugs that were given, stupid jokes that were shared, challenges faced, fears that were beaten and hearts that were opened.

We'll see if I am any good at fortune telling...

<3

today's lesson - that's the way to roll!

Happy Easter darlings

Tuesday melody

Nutrition Jungle - and how to get out of it (+ becoming one sexy thang!)

Okay guys. So I have been thinking about starting a series of post about nutrition, which I am currently studying at IIN (graduating in June, wohoo!). The reason I have been kinda scared of starting to write about these things is the fact that, even to me, it's a jungle out there! And because I really want to keep this blog a fun place to come to and not start a preaching here about nutrition with phrases like "this is how you should eat" and "according to the studies you should eat..."... and so on! So that's why I decided to name these posts under the name of "Nutrition Jungle & how to get out of it". To me nutrition is super interesting and I have found myself to be a big nerd when it comes to treating illnesses with nutrition or solving skin/energy/whatever problems with the nutritional side of things... But I get the fact that not everyone is eager to read superduperlong posts about these things, soooo... let's make it more simple, fresh and fun - off we go.

Nutrition Jungle - part 1; Freshness

I believe in natural foods above everything. Greatest food for me is all the stuff we get to enjoy here in Finland during the summertime. Then we have market places all around the city that get filled with fresh berries, peas, leaks, carrots, cauliflowers, zuccinis, salads, tomatoes, potatoes, mushrooms = fresh food straight from the bushes or the fields onto the plate! Now that is the greatest, freshest food! And do you ever feel stuffed and uncomfortably full after eating a huge pile of berries? No - because even though you would stuff your tummy full with these goodies, they don't get you into that I have to open my pants right now!-state... Because they are such fresh foods, and mostly water - your body doesn't have to work that much with the digestion, because they are easy, natural foods for the body to digest. This way the body has more energy to use on other functions, like protecting you from viruses and diseases and keeping all your body functions in great order. Shortly put, you feel better when digestion things are happening smoothly. So happy body equals a glowy you!

So the lesson number one on our way out of the confusing Nutrition Jungle is a very simple one: EAT FRESH. Yeah, you think it's a no brainer, but it seems to be something that most people have forgotten/don't have time to think about. Or do you not know quite many people that say they are just exhausted all the time and then at the same time they eat a lot of processed foods (white bread, cookies, pastries, take away-meals, chips, candy...) or skip meals totally and just grab coffee on the go? There really is a connection with these things. (But I've been there so I am not judging!)

But you really are what you eat, and if you wanna become one glowy beast - you gotta eat fresh! Cause fresh foods equal dewy complexion, strong hair & nails and an overall glow that you don't get from any outside sources... it comes from within.

A good thumb rule of eating fresh is that at least half of every meal is fresh veggies or fruits. A really simple rule that is easy to remember. So whatever you otherwise eat, add some freshness onto your plate and get ready to glow!