What I Ate Wednesday: Vegan (#16)

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It’s time for another What I Ate Wednesday post! I know I did one of these recently but I’m currently working on a few other posts which are taking a little bit longer (specifically some travel ones, so keep an eye out my fellow globetrotters!) and didn’t want to leave you guys hanging. Plus I always enjoy writing these posts, and you guys seem to enjoy reading them, so why not publish them more often.

I just came back to London after being away for nearly two weeks. The break was great but it meant that I didn’t get any work done, meaning that I now have to work extra hard on my dissertation. My days typically consist of working in coffee shops and parks; it could definitely be worst but I’m slowly losing my mind with this dissertation! It means that I need lots of brain food though, which you’ll see in this post. It’s also been very hot in London the past week, another factor which has impacted my eating habits. So without further ado, this is what I ate in a day last week:

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What I Ate Wednesday: Vegan (#15)

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Happy Wednesday! It’s time for another What I Ate Wednesday post; I always enjoy putting these together and I hope you like reading them too. I’ve actually changed up my eating habits a little bit recently so I’m excited to share that with you.

I’ve been trying out intermittent fasting. If you don’t know, intermittent fasting is when you fast for longer than usual in between dinner and breakfast; for some people this means they skip breakfast and have lunch as their first meal of the day. I haven’t gone that extreme yet though (and don’t think I ever will to be honest), but I have been making a concious effort to finish eating dinner early and eat breakfast later. Currently on a regular day I eat dinner at 6 and breakfast at 9, meaning that I fast for 15 hours.

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My New Snack Obsession: Wild Thing Popcorn Flats.

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I’m just going to say it: I’m a snacker. I’m not a three-meals-a-day-with-no-snacks kind of girl; I’m always looking for something to munch on. I know it’s probably not the healthiest habit but when it’s 4pm and I have to wait another few hours for dinner, I need to grab a snack to tie me over.

Snacks definitely do not need to be unhealthy though, I’m always on the look out for healthy alternatives that satisfy me and nourish my body as the same time. Some of my go-to snacks are apples with peanut butter, carrot sticks and nuts. But recently there has been a new snack in my house that I just can’t get enough of; the Wild Thing Popcorn Flats. I knew I would love these snacks before I even tried it because I’m obsessed with corn thins, I easily go through a pack a week. They’re great to dip in hummus, peanut butter or to just eat on their own.

The Popcorn Flats are Wild Thing’s new product; they sent me some samples to try out and review. I’ve loved Wild Thing products in the past, particularly their granola, so I was excited to try these out. The Popcorn Flats are vegan, paleo, gluten free, organic and have no added sugars. I personally only really care about the fact that they are vegan, but it seems like pretty much anyone can eat these! I tried out two different flavours; the Protein Burst and Sunset Burst. They also have two more flavours available; Green Burst and Fusion Burst.

Protein Burst

This flavour was by far my favourite. I was expecting just a simple plain corn thin, but was so surprised by the added flavours. There’s actually cumin in this, which makes it so tasty! I know it might sound a bit odd, but it’s such a nice addition. The flavour is not too strong, but there’s just enough to distinguish this popcorn flat from a regular corn cake. Tasty on it’s own and in savoury dips like hummus; a big bag of this was gone very quickly. They’re also a great source of protein because they contain buckwheat, quinoa and chia.

Sunset Burst

I wasn’t as big of a fan of the Sunset Burst, but that’s mostly because there’s quite a strong ginger and beetroot flavour, both of which I’m not too keen on. That being said, these are still good and I happily snacked on them. Plus, I know most people actually really like these two flavours, in which case I think you would really like these. I think they might work well on top of a salad, as a crouton replacer, so I’m going to give that a try sometime soon.

Overall, these are nice thin popcorn flats which act as a great snack, I would recommend them to anyone that likes corn cakes or anything like that. Especially the Protein Burst flavour; get your hands on those!

If you want to know where to purchase these, check out Wild Thing’s site.

Hoije ❤

Wild Thing was kind enough to send me some samples of their Popcorn Flats to review. However, all opinions are honest and my own. For a full disclaimer please see my Contact & Work With Me page.

Couscous & Roasted Chickpea Salad: My New Lunchtime Obsession.

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I am obsessed with a salad. I never thought the day would come that I would say or write those words, but here it is. I’ve never been a salad fan; a big bowl of lettuce has just never seemed appetising to me. The notion that vegans always eat salads was therefore always hilarious to me, because it couldn’t be further away from the truth in my case.

But I have finally found a salad that I actually REALLY like. At first, I wasn’t even sure it was a salad, because what really constitutes as a salad? In my book a salad has a lot of leafy greens, veggies and protein, and some other stuff thrown in as well. So in that case, this couscous & chickpea salad fits the criteria.

This isn’t exactly a recipe post, because the salad it really easy to throw together and should be personalised to fit your tastes. But I’ll tell you how I made it!

How to make the couscous and roasted chickpea salad:

  • Start with a base of greens, I went for spinach. Spinach is my favourite type of leafy green to use in a salad, because it has such a mild taste.
  • I also added in some cucumber for some crunch and freshness.
  • Then for the couscous; make yourself a serving of couscous (follow the instructions on the package, it shouldn’t take longer than 10 minutes to make) and add in any seasoning you like. I added in garlic powder, smoked paprika, pepper and mixed herbs. Flavouring the couscous really helps to make the salad more tasty!
  • The protein in this salad is your roasted chickpeas; I actually have a recipe on these that is super easy to follow.
  • Then for some more protein I added in some chopped peanuts. Any sort of nut or seeds would work well in this. It also adds some healthy fats.
  • Top of the salad with a dressing. I used a store-bought mango & chilli dressing that worked really well with this. Home made dressings would be even better; try out different combos to find your favourite.

That’s it! This salad is totally customizable; just find the flavours that you like to make the perfect salad. This salad also works great for meal prep. When I prepared it, I made a big batch of couscous and roasted chickpeas in advance, and had the salad throughout the week. So it would be great as a school or work lunch when you don’t want to spend too much time in the morning making your meal.

Let me know if you try this out!

Hoije ❤

Trying The Vegan Boxed Cake Mix Hack (Spoiler: It Worked!).

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So a few days ago I was watching a YouTube video (this one by The Vegan Voyager) about vegan cake hacks. One of the hacks was mixing a fizzy drink with boxed cake mix to create a cake. Now,  I was a little sceptical, it just seemed way too good to be true. But I did some more research and found so many different articles on this hack (like this one) that I just had to try it.

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Tropical Coconut Oatmeal Recipe.

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The sun is showing her face more and temperatures are slowly rising, which means it’s time to wave those winter flavours goodbye. I don’t know about you, but my taste buds definitely change throughout the year. When it’s cold and rainy I crave a warm bowl of cinnamon-y goodness in the morning. Then, the warmer it gets, I start wanting fresher things for breakfast. Right now my taste buds are in between that warm bowl of oats and smoothie bowls, and that is how I discovered coconut oatmeal.

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My Top Cheap Room Decor Tips + DIY Ideas.

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I’m really excited for this post, because I am actually really happy with my room and how I decorated it on a budget. Before I start I think it’s useful for me to tell you a bit about the room and my style. So I live in London, on a student budget, meaning that my room is tiny but I still pay a ridiculous amount for it. Even though my room is small (it snugly fits a single bed, small desk and closet), I love it. I was lucky enough to move in when the room had just been repainted (nice white walls everywhere, as well as a newly painted white wardrobe and bed), plus my room has a big window (natural light makes such a difference). So it’s my cosy little home in busy London.

In regards to my style, I like to keep it pretty simple. This is partly because I don’t have loads of stuff to decorate my room with (something which I’m actually pretty grateful for), but also because I like to calming effect of a simple room. The fact that my room was pretty white when I got it helped a lot with this; it gives it a clean look. I do like some pops of colour, and I also like to add some things which have meaning to me (mainly things I have picked up on my travels), because they remind me of good memories.

Now that I’ve rambled for two whole paragraphs, I’ll share with you pictures and tips of how to decorate your room, on a budget.

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Plants

There’s so many reasons why plants are the perfect room decor for people on a budget. Firstly, you can get them pretty cheaply. I got my room plants (3 cacti and a bigger succulent) for 3 pounds (from Homebase, for my fellow UK readers). My flatmates and I also have a bigger plant in the living room, this one was a bit more pricey (around 20 pounds), but split between 3 it was affordable and so worth it.

Plants are also great for minimalists, which is something that I’m very interested in. Plants don’t have to be a permanent decor item; if I end up moving at the end of this year, I can easily give my plants away or plant them in a garden, that way I got joy out of them without being attached to them.

Lastly, plants just bring so much life to a room. I love that there’s something alive in my room and that it adds some greenery.

Candles

Candles are great because they can be really cheap (my favourite place to get them is Ikea) and they add some ambience to a room, plus they smell great. We have some candles in our living room and I also have some in my room; I think it’s a great addition.

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Pictures.

I live far away from home so pictures of my family are really important to me. They make me feel closer to them and also help me feel better when I’m feeling homesick. I decided to display some of my favourites very simply on my wall. I just got some string and small wooden pegs from a local arts store and hung two strands on the wall near my bed; I love how minimalistic it looks. It also means I didn’t have to buy picture frames, which are more expensive, take up more room and are annoying to move with.

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Quotes/prints.

I like myself some cheesy quotes; seeing them in the morning gives me motivation to have a good day. I also really like the look of simple prints, but they can be really expensive. I printed some of my favourite Tumblr quotes on photo paper (I just printed them at a drug store) and hung them on my exposed closet side; they’re the first thing you see when you walk into my room.

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I have two prints in my bedroom that are actually cards, which makes them much cheaper. I got these in Sydney, from this awesome place. I’ve displayed them in some white Ikea frames; they were around 2.50 pounds each and I like the sleek look of them. I like that these prints look quite fancy even though they didn’t take much time or money.

I hope some of these tips were useful; let me know if you have any other tips for cheap room decor!

Hoije ❤

What I Ate Wednesday: Vegan (#14)

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It’s Wednesday, and seeing as I haven’t posted a What I Ate Wednesday in over two months, I though it was time for another one. I’m currently in my final few weeks of University lectures, meaning that I have lots of deadlines in a very short amount of time. In other words, I’m spending most of my time at home or in the library, and I need a lot of brain food. It’s so important to eat well when you’re studying intensely; you might not be physically active but your brain is doing a lot of work, and it needs the fuel to do so properly.  So here is what I eat when I’m super busy with University work!

Breakfast

I’m sure it’s no surprise that I have oatmeal for breakfast, it’s always my go-to first meal of the day. The weather has been so nice lately and it’s inspired me to have more summer-y oats. This time I had coconut oats (I added some coconut cream to the oats while cooking; SO GOOD) and topped it with mango, raspberries, almonds, chia seeds and vegan honey. So filling and delicious; I always feel ready to take on the day after my bowl of oats.

Snack

I always have the tendency to get ill when I am stressed with work. I think it’s mainly because I end up spending a lot of time indoors and not moving my body enough. It’s definitely something I try to be aware of but some days are better then others. I try to have a green smoothie to combat any illness though; this time I went for banana, mango, greens powder (I like this one from Amazing Grass) and water. Super simple but essential for keeping my body healthy.

Lunch

Is there anything better than avocado toast, really? You need to get those healthy fats in and my favourite source of it is avocados. I always add a little bit of balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and garlic powder to my avo and it makes the best lunch.

Snack

Okay, this might sound like a super weird combo but trust me: brussel sprouts with peanut sauce is AMAZING. I used to have this combo all the time when I was little (I think it’s actually pretty common in The Netherlands) and I recently re-discovered it. It’s the perfect afternoon snack because it’s sweet and savoury, and also super nutritious. I make my peanut sauce by mixing some powdered peanut butter with soy sauce.

Dinner

I’ve been loving simple dinners lately; partly because I’m lazy and also because it’s satisfying. This time I went for brown rice with cucumber, spinach and baked tofu. Topped with some chia seeds and soy sauce, this was actually really yummy.

What are some of your favourite brain foods?

To see more of what I eat, remember to follow me on Instagram.

Hoije ❤

Why I Stopped Drinking Coffee.

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Happy Thursday guys! Today I want to talk about coffee, more specifically caffeine. Let me start off by saying that I’ve always loved coffee, and still do. I really enjoy it as a drink and I still drink coffee daily; however, I now only drink decaf coffee. There’s several reasons for this, all which will be discussed in this blog post. I’d love to know your thoughts on this topic; do you drink caffeinated coffee? Do you notice any side effects from it?

Every body is different, so whilst I might react to coffee in a certain way, it might not apply to you at all. I still thought it would be interesting to share my experience though, so without babbling on any longer, here are some of the reasons I stopped drinking caffeinated coffee.

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