There is no “healthy” or “unhealthy”

Enjoy your food, whether it is pizza or a salad. Food is supposed to taste good, bring people together, and deliver what our bodies need.

Mindful eating is not dieting

Being mindful about the food you eat is not the same thing as dieting. Actually, it is more about an attitude towards life — a way of life. It surely does not mean that you must forego everything and go hungry. It is better to listen to your body and its needs. Your body knows best what it needs.

Listen to your body

Give your body what it needs. On some days, you might need more, and on others, less. When I really want or need something sweet, I eat something sweet. Don’t believe the hype: Sweets are not always unhealthy.

Organization

Every conscious effort to change your diet requires some organization. Change like that does not always happen fast or work right away. But you’ll see: Once you’ve gotten started, it will get easier every day you stick with it.

Routine

I love routines. Especially my morning routine is vital for me. Since developing the habit of consciously preparing my breakfast and taking time to eat it, I’ve been starting my days in a more relaxed manner with far more energy. Generally, I try eating three proper meals a day, while sometimes adding a snack here and there. This routine and the regularity of my food consumption have helped improve my digestion and have also helped me develop more structured days.

Of course, routines are and must be as individual as we are. Whether you love mornings or hate them, try to develop habits that work for you and not against you.

Creativity

When it comes to cooking, there is much room for creativity. Have no fear and dare to experiment a little while preparing your food. Experimenting a bit will bring some excitement into your daily food life. Maybe there are some special ingredients that you’ve heard of but have never tried? Give it a try. Find your very own new must-have recipe!

Balance

In German, we have the phrase “rainbow the plate”. Try bringing this phrase to life while preparing your food, especially when preparing your main meals. Make sure you have some carbs, proteins, and fats in there. Also, don’t leave out vitamins, minerals, and the like if you want to get a truly incredible, colorful rainbow.

Preparation and planning

Sometimes you may find yourself in front of an empty fridge with a stomach screaming bloody murder and no ideas in your head. To make sure this doesn’t happen to me, I have started writing down roughly what I plan to eat over the course of the week at the beginning of each week. After completing that list, I write a corresponding shopping list which I stick to for that week to make sure I do not buy unnecessary things. Obviously, this does not always work out. Sometimes a business dinner or a visit gets in the way. Still, it helps a lot.

Storage

I prefer cooking more than one serving when I cook and saving time and money in the process. For this reason, I keep many reusable food containers and storage bags for the fridge and freezer in my kitchen.

• 60 g spelt wholemeat flour
• 1 carrot (grated)
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 banana
• sweetener of your choice (for this recipe, I use coconut blossom syrup)
• 1 small pinch of cinnamon
• a dash of oat milk
• some coconut oil
• toppings of your choice

1. Start by thoroughly mixing the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, cinnamon) in a bowl.
2. Mash the banana with a fork and mix with the grated carrot and the coconut blossom syrup. At the same time, add the oat milk until you have a relatively thick batter.
3. Grease a nonstick pan with a little coconut oil and cook the pancakes one by one. Use about two to three tablespoons of the batter for each pancake. Flip when you see small bubbles on the surface. TAKE NOTE: ALWAYS COOK PANCAKES AT RATHER LOW HEAT TO ENSURE THAT THEY COOK ALL THE WAY THROUGH.
4. Garnish with a variety of toppings like nuts or berries.

• 120 g thin oat flakes
• 1.2 l water
• a pinch of salt
• 1 small pinch of cinnamon
• 3 dates (pitted)

1. First, you put all the ingredients in a blender and leave them to rest for ten minutes, giving the oat flakes time to swell.
2. When the oat flakes have soaked long enough, blend well.
3. Sieve the liquid with a nut-milk bag. Press all the liquid out. Alternatively, you can also use a clean kitchen towel. TAKE NOTE: YOU CAN USE THE LEFTOVERS IN THE BAG OR TOWEL FOR A DIFFERENT PURPOSE. FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN BAKING OR MAKING PORRIDGE.

• 80 g millet flakes
• 200 ml soy milk
• 150 ml water
• a few drops of vanilla extract (alternatively: vanilla sugar)
• 2 tbsp coconut blossom syrup
• 1 small pinch of cinnamon
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 nectarine
• coconut chips (as a topping)

1. Put the millet flakes, the water, the vanilla extract, the coconut blossom syrup, and the cinnamon in a pot and cover with hot water. Let it simmer until it reaches a sauce-like consistency. Sweeten if you want to.
2. Let it steep at low heat for a few minutes. Stir again and again.
3. Clean the nectarine and cut it into small pieces. Sauté the pieces in a nonstick pan greased with coconut oil. Serve with the millet porridge and coconut chips.

• 150 g whole grain flour
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 2 tbsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp apple vinegar
• 150 ml vegan plant milk (of your choice)
• 1 small pinch of cinnamon
• 2 tbsp sweetener of your choice (I use coconut blossom syrup for this recipe)
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1. Start by thoroughly mixing the dry ingredients (whole grain flour, chia seeds, baking soda, and cinnamon) in a bowl.
2. Now add the liquid ingredients and mix well until you have a relatively thick batter. Sweeten if you want to.
3. Let the batter rest for a bit to give the chia seeds time to swell.
4. Grease a nonstick pan with a little coconut oil and cook the pancakes one by one, using about two to three tablespoons of batter for each pancake. Flip when you see bubbles on the surface. TAKE NOTE: ALWAYS COOK PANCAKES AT RATHER LOW HEAT TO ENSURE THAT THEY COOK ALL THE WAY THROUGH.
5. Garnish the finished pancakes with the blueberries and some coconut blossom syrup before serving.

• 60 g of thin oat flakes
• 1 tbsp of chia seeds
• 150 ml oat milk
• 1 small pinch of cinnamon
• 2 tbsp coconut blossom sugar
• 1 apple
• 1 tbsp coconut oil

1. Put the oat flakes, the chia seeds, the cinnamon, and the oat milk in a pot and bring to a boil while stirring constantly. When the porridge has thickened, reduce the heat to a low level.
2. Now clean the apple, remove the seeds, and cut it into small pieces. Sauté the apple pieces in a nonstick pan greased with coconut oil while adding cinnamon and coconut blossom sugar.
3. Put the porridge in a bowl and add the sautéed apple pieces as a topping. You can also add some almond paste (recipe on page 122).

• 60 g thin oat flakes
• 120 ml oat milk
• 2 tbsp applesauce
• 1 tbsp baking cocoa powder

  Topping

• 1 banana
• homemade chocolate sauce (recipe on page 180)
• almond paste (recipe on page 122)
• sesame seeds
• cashew nuts
• cinnamon

1. Mix the oat flakes and the oat milk in a pot. Bring it to a boil while stirring constantly. Then reduce the heat and let it simmer until you have a creamy mass. At this point, reduce the heat even further.
2. Stir in the applesauce and the baking cocoa powder, taste, and let it simmer for a bit longer.
3. Put the finished porridge in a bowl and add the toppings, including the banana, cut into small pieces.