My Christmas 2014

Christmas is over for this year. It was our first year to spend Christmas here in Finland. My younger sister and my older sister with her husband and kids came over to our place. We had a nice traditional Christmas Eve dinner, later opened presents, ate desserts, talked soooo much, danced, made funny jokes, laughed, filmed, took photos, walked a dog ect ect. It was a very fun night :) They all stayed over and surprisingly we managed to find a place for everybody to sleep! Next morning I had a lot of cleaning to do, but it took me so little time to get my home look normal and tidy again. My sister Anni stayed her for 3 days and my older sister's dog Bonnie also stayed here (she's still here) because they wanted to go to Estonia and needed somebody to look after Bonnie. I was super excited about that because I love Bonnie and I always miss having her around. So, I have been walking with her outside every day abour 4-5 times. It's so fun!

Our Christmas tree and gifts under

Me, my older and my younger sis :)

Table of desserts

 My two best sisters!!!

 Little Jonathan! He makes us all laugh and be a bit childish!

 This year Santa (aka my husband) was so generous and I got pretty spoiled. I got really really really nice gifts. I am so grateful for all I got (from all of my other family members), but surely the most grateful I am of my family around me. This Christmas Eve was really special and fun and I am glad that even though we live here in Finland we can still have family around and we can still have our traditional Christmas Eve celebration :) Next year we will be celebrating Christmas Eve at my sister's house. At least that's the plan right now :)

Like I said my younger sister stayed here at our place longer. So, on Christmas Day we spent most of the day eating left overs from Christmas dinner, played a lot (Monopol, Alias, Pokker), laughed SO much and walked Bonnie many times! Jay also had days off so it was fun to spend time together doing nothing important, but still having fun and being relaxed!

Christmas Day lunch.. using left overs from Christmas Eve dinner

Deal! (not sure who was more happier to make that deal?!)

Walking with Bonnie

Snowy pinetrees!

I have quite long Christmas break as normal for teachers :) I truly enjoy that I can just be at home, take Bonnie for long walks, drink a lot of tea, sleep in, watch movies (watched If I Stay and Gone Girl), read books (currently reading "Will Grayson, Will Grayson"), and just be relaxed. The other day I went to the zumba and I am going again on Tuesday. 

Selfie with my princess!

New Year's Eve is already on Wednesday. I can't believe 2014 is going to end and we will welcome 2015 already. I still remember the millenium.. everybody thought that 2000 is the end of the world. Even though I knew it wasn't true, I was still a bit scared that moment when the clock turned 12am and new year started. :P Oh well, it was almost 15 years ago :D Time really passes by fast! So, we better enjoy every moment of every day! :)

Two weekends: trip to Estonia, Christmas show, ect.

Last weekend I went to Estonia with Jay. He had his brother's birthday and I decided to use that free time to spend some time with my family. I visited my mom and stayed there over night. We had a nice dinner together and then we watched tv together and had some late night treats :) Next day I visited my grandparents. Mom also went with me. Like always at grandparents' place I was eating SO much! After few hours there I took a train to Tallinn, went to the hairdresser and then visited my other grandmother. And of course I ate so much at her place, too!!! Later that evening I did some shopping and then I met up with my younger sister. We went to the movies to watch "Nullpunkt" (Point Zero). It was such a good movie. Actually it was the first Estonian movie that I had ever watched in the cinema. Usually I am not a big fan of Estonian movies, but that one was really good!

When the movie finished we went to my sister's place. I hadn't seen her Tallinn apartment yet. We watched tv at her place, chatted and had late night tea and chocolate :D The next morning she went to work and I met up with Jay. We did some shopping, checked-in at the hotel because we couldn't get a boat tickets to the earlier time of the day..so we decided to spend some hours in a hotel before our boat was supposed to leave. We were actually both so tired and it was good to just sleep and watch tv. We sure got back home pretty late and I had to wake up early next day.. So, I was pretty sleepy at work on Monday :P

But talking of work. Last week was quite fast and busy. On Friday we had Christmas show with kids and that went so well. Parents' gave us some very nice presents too which made that evening even more special :) I was definitely so proud of every kid :)

I decided to take it easy yesterday and so I didn't clean at all (although last weekend we didn't clean either because we were in Estonia). But yesterday I went to the mall to finish shopping for Christmas gifts. It took me about 3 hours :/ I also bought a new journal for myself and I posted a Christmas package to my besty. Most of the day I was writing either letters or Christmas cards to my friends. I am going to send out over 20 cards. So, that took a while. 

Today was woke up so late (11.30am) and had a quick breakfast because I needed to start cleaning. I wanted to get done before my friend was coming over at 2pm. But later she texted me and told she couldn't make it today. So, I spent my afternoon watching some youtube videos and just buring candles and enjoying a good lunch. It's almost 5pm now and I am going to make dinner. Jay got from his workplace a homemade pasta machine. So, I am going to make homemade pasta! We'll see if it comes out okay :P

I cannot believe I have only 5 days of work left and then I'll have my Christmas holiday! I already know that next Saturday when it's my first day of vacation I will stay in PJs the whole day, watching movies (I already have a list of movies I want to see) and just have a super lazy day in!!! After that I can be more productive, clean, go to the foodshop or run whatever errands I need. But Saturday will be a lazy day at home :D 

Christmas is coming up soon and I am so excited. We are hosting a Christmas dinner at 24th December. My both sisters will come with their families. We bought quite a lot of Christmas food from Estonia last weekend. But I still have some things I need to buy here. I am still deciding what dessert to make. I know my sister will bake something, but I might as well.. Let's see. 

Right now I just want these upcoming 5 work days to pass by very fast :D

This year I made my own gingerbread dough (I got the recipe from mom). I have baked gingerbread cookies twice - 2 weeks ago and yesterday. I spiced up my cookies yesterday adding dried cranberries and cashews to the dough. These came out the best gingerbread cookies I had ever tasted! (I also used hald plain white flour and half whole wheat flour)

My breakfast yesterday! Still (and always) loving the gingerbread curdsnack :D PS! This mug was a gift from one of our kindi kids :) I got it on Friday after the Christmas show :D 

 Getting reading to write some Christmas cards!

all that food!!! + fun times with our guests :)

I have been coughing for 2 weeks now and therefor I have been so tired and weak. Last work week was actually very nice and quite calm. On Monday I managed to go to Finnish class after work and on Thursday I went to the movies with Jay to watch "The Hunger Games: Mocking Jay - Part 1". It was so good and I cannot wait to see part 2 next year! 

It started snowing on Friday and it made me sooo happy :) At work kids even were sliding in the park :) Oh, I love snow! It gives me such a good mood. I think the snow came down just at the right time..I am so ready for Christmas season!!!

My mom and her bf came to visit us yesterday. They arrived around 4pm, so we had late lunch and went to the shops for a while. After that we were just at my place, chatting and catching up, had dinner ect. Jay had to go to work today morning so we let mom's bf sleep long. Me and mom had breakfast together and just talked about life. It was nice :) Later when Maarek woke up and had his morning coffee we all went to the shops again :) I had few things I needed, so did they. I think we all got what we went looking for. I got a new rug for our bathroom, birthday gift for my nephew, soft and comfy pj pants (which I am use as home-pants :D), some Christmas stickers for work, Christmas-y table runner, pillow cases, outdoor Christmas ornament... I think that's it. I also bought food and such. 

Like always mom asked what we wanted from Estonia.. so I gave her a small list that mostly included food. The most I was excited about my fav Christmas dessert: gingerbread kohuke (curd snack). It's seasonal and so you can only buy it from November till January. I am going to keep them in the freezer so I can have one whenever I want :D She also bought blood sausage that I wanted because it's my fav Christmas food :D We are going to have it for dinner tomorrow, among with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes..oh I cannot wait :)

I also bought my fav Creme Brulee that Lidl always has at Christmas time. We had it for dessert tonight. So delicious!!! And to end all of this food talk, I made my very first gingerbread cookie dough today! I got mom's recipe so I am sure I will have the best gingerbread cookies ever! I am going to bake the cookies next weekend :)
Mom also bought some of my old puzzles (I will take these to the kindergarten) and old pictures, letters ect that I had made/written. The oldest one was a painting I made when I was 1 years and 9 months old :) I am so glad she had kept them all! I had tons of fun going through them yesterday!!! I am definitely going to keep them safe and treasure them :)

The best curd snack in a world:D I love Christmas time!!!

Celebrating Christmas with workmates and more of my week

Hello, hello! Work days have been so busy, but so fun! We went to the Winter Circus with kids and it was so cool! The whole week I have been kinda sick :/ I have got cold and now I am coughing like crazy. On Friday I was feeling extra bad and stayed home from work. I visited doctor to make sure it's nothing serious. Throughout the day I started feeling a bit better ( I was drinking lots of tea, eating honey and garlic ect). The same afternoon I got a call from work and was still invited to our workplace Christmas Party. I actually felt so bad in the morning when I called and told I was sick because I knew I would miss out our Christmas celebration. But at the end I still got to go there. We went to see Mamma Mia musical and after that had super nice dinner at Kappeli restaurant. The food was delicious and musical was so funny! Overall, I am so glad I got a chance to go there and have fun with my colleagues. At work we are now going to practice for out Christmas Show with kids. It's going to be in 4 weeks! I cannot believe how fast time flies!

I had my sister with her family and my dad over yesterday. We were celebrating my dad's birthday as well with Fathers Day. It was very fun to see them all. I baked a plum cake and my sister made pizza and brownies. So, I definitely ate quite a lot of sweets. Later I went to the shops with dad and I invited him for dinner afterwards. And today when I had my student here to practice reading, my sister texted and asked if we were at home, they were on their way here. My sis and her son were here with me while her husband went to the furniture shops to find some stuff they needed for their new home. It was nice to catch up with my sister and just talk about everything. And I love my little nephew :D I always like having him around :D

So this weekend I have been with my family mostly! It's 4.30pm now and I am planning on making dinner soon and then I want to watch some tv shows, knit a sock and make a face mask :) Relaxing end for the weekend! Next weekend my mother and her bf will visit us :)

I have been thinking a bit about Christmas gifts already because I know how fast time will go in December. I have a gift right now only for Jay. But I am sure I will go Christmas shopping quite soon - maybe will start next weekend already if I figure out what to buy..

Not the best photo, but this is the Kappeli restaurant..it's all glass and it's already in Christmas lights! So beautiful and romantic!

 Salad for appetizer! Maybe doesn't look anything special, but it was the best salad I had ever tasted!

 Main course - smoked salmon, potatoes with garlic and dill, creamy false morel stew. All so perfect!

Strawberry sorbee with fresh strawberries and chocolate cake!

Hello November!

Wow! Time really flies past (it seems I say that at the beginning of every month:P). The older I get, the faster days seem to pass by. Especially work days. It's actually so great to discover that it's Friday again (who wouldn't like that?!). Anyway, last week didn't happen much. Jay and I went to the movies to see The Maze Runner which I liked, but found it very confusing... I think if I had read the book first the movie would have made much more sense. But either way I enjoyed it and I will definitely go to see the second part when it comes out. 

Last week I went to the Finnish class only on Monday, but it was such a waste of time. I was just sitting there and learning nothing new.. That's why I didn't go to Tuesday and won't go this upcoming week at all. I can come home and work through half of the textbook in the same time they do one exercise in the class.. I know that it was my own mistake to go to the beginners course.. it's just too easy. But it's okay. I will just study more at home and once in a while will go to the class. 

Work week was pretty busy because my group's other teacher had a surgery so I was alone with my kids. This week will be the same way. I actually like being alone, but it's just so much more work.. Especially planning ect. Last Friday we had a Halloween party. It was so fun! I was dressed up as a Super Woman. I forgot to take photos, but I might ask Jay to take a photo of me later this week (I still have a costume at home).  

This weekend was so great. I feel like I got to rest a lot. I cleaned home, had a student come over for a little study time, then made dinner, baked pumpkin pie ect. Only down side was yesterday evening when I had dinner and pumpkin pie - I just ate too much and felt soo bad afterwards. My stomach hurt and I was so weak.. But then Jay and I went out for a walk and it made me feel much better. Today I was much more cautious with meal sizes - I hate overeating! So, today I was feeling so good. I went to the foodshop with Jay to buy next week's food. I also had a student over for an hour, made dinner, had a face mask on, watched my fav tv show and so on. Jay is at work and will come home around 11pm. I hope that this upcoming week will be very nice and easy. Tomorrow I will have a meeting with a parent and on Tuesday I'm going to a Pupper Theater with my kids. And on Friday we'll have a Father's Day Coffee morning...so there's quite much to wait for :) But the most exciting is the fact that it's November..it means next month is December - my favorite time of the year! My Christmas spirit is so eager to come out. This year I want to make my own ginger bread dough, roast some caramelized almons, burn lots of Chirstmas scented candles, put Christmas decorations out (cannot wait!!!) and much much more! I can't wait till snow comes down and I can listen to Christmas songs (I want Pentatonix's new Christmas album!). I am also looking forward to making some Christmas cards from my friends and going Christmas shopping (I have already done some online shopping:P). Oh, there's so much to look forward to, but I know December is a month away. So I better enjoy this last autumn month and try to make the best of it. But last year I felt that December was too short to really enjoy Christmas season, so this year I am not afraid to start a bit earlier with all these Christmas thoughts, treats and preparations :) High Five if you love Christmas time as much as I do :)

#recipe: 3 recipes for fall

For me fall and winter are the most inspiring time for cooking/baking. It's cold and dark outside, so there's nothing better than warm kitchen and all that delicious smell :)

So, I decided to put here 3 recipes that are in my opinion very perfect for fall time!

CHICKPEA + LENTILS SOUP

1 chopped onion

1 chopped carrot

1 garlic clove

salt, pepper

400 g canned chopped tomatoes

dash of sugar

400 g canned chickpeas

1 dl lentils

2 dl vegetable broth

Heat oil in the pot. Add chopped onion, carrot and garlic. Season with salt andpepper. Add chopped tomatoes, chickpeas and vegetable broth. Let it boil until chickpeas are soft. Add lentils and boil till they are ready. Season with salt, pepper and sugar if needed (I didn't add any of those to this dish because onion and garlic gave so much flavor themselves!)

PUMPKIN COOKIES WITH CHOCOLATE CHIPS

Oh yes! Finally I got pumpkin puree and got to bake something out of it! I made basically the first pumpkin cookie recipe I found. The cookies turned out so good!

100 g unsalted butter

100 g brown sugar

6 tbls (90 g) pumpkin puree

1,5 cups whole wheat flour

0,25 ts salt

0,25 ts baking powder

0,25 ts baking soda

1,5 ts ground cinnamon

0,25 ts nutmeg

0,5 cup (90 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 180 C degrees. Mix butter and sugar. In a separate bowl mix all the dry ingredients. Add pumpkin puree and sugar-butter mix. Mix is nicely. Add chocolate chips. 

Roll the dough into balls (about tablespoon of dough for one ball) and place them on to a baking sheet on a baking pan. Flatten the balls a bit. Bake the cookies about 8-10 minutes. If the cookies didn't spread much at all, flatten them when you them them out of the oven. Let them coold down and enjoy :) (they are just as good when they are warm as well!)

I took the original recipe from HERE, but I changed it a bit..made it healthier :)

BAKED SWEET POTATO FRIES 

I am such a big sweet potato lover! I used to not like sweet potatoes at all, but now I truly love them!

I had been craving for sweet potato fries for quite a while and I finally made them today. Oh they tasted so delicious! I think the sweetness of sweet potatoes is just so perfect for this season! 

The recipe is of course very simple:

1 big sweet potato (mine was 700 g)

0,5 ts salt

0,25 ts pepper

a bit of potato seasoning (optional)

about 2 tbsp olive oil 

Preheat the oven to 235 C degrees (450 F). Cut your sweet potato in half. Cut slices out of both of the halves. Slices cut into strips (try to cut them as same size as possible). Put the potato stips to a baking sheet. Add olive oil, salt, pepper and any other seasoning you want. Mix them all together (use your hand). Now comes an inportant part: line your potato strips all nicely, so they don't touch each other. That way the strips will be crisp :)

Bake the potatoes for 15 minutes, then turn them over (yes, one at a time) and bake 10 more minutes. If you don't want them to be so very crisp, reduce the baking time a couple of minutes both sides.

Fun times :)

Last weekend was so great because Jay didn't have to go to work on Saturday. So, on Friday he went out with his friend and when he came home early morning I woke up too. Neither of us were tired, so we just chatted and laughed and just had so much fun :) I enjoyed that early morning with my hubbies company a lot! Finally we fell asleep. In the morning I made banana bread and went to the food shop.When I got back Jay woke up as well. We had agreed that he'll make a dinner. He went to the easiest way and bought frozen pizza and baked it in the oven. It was very good! And I just liked the fact that I didn't have to cook :) The same evening we went to the cinema to see Dracula. It was such a good movie! When we walked back from the movies we laughed again so much and had such a nice time together! I think it was one of the best days together in a while. He's been working so much and he has weekends off very seldom. Luckily upcoming Saturday he's off again and we are planning on going to the cinema again :)

On Sunday my sister Anni-Brit came to visit us. So, in the morning I made banana cake. I asked dad over too so there would be more people to eat that cake :D Anni and I went to the shops, watched a movie (A Single Moms Club) and just caught up on each others lives. She's going back to Estonia on Thursday morning.

The weather has been pretty changing. Saturday was super sunny but cold. Sunday was not cold but so rainy. And Monday and Tuesday were cold, but cloudy. Today actually even snowed a bit. Because the weather has mostly been cold I have been eager to bake :D Halloween is coming closer and at work we are preparing for our Halloween party (doing decorations, planning activities ect). My friend from work found canned pumpkin puree (we were all looking for it everywhere, but couldn't find). But she found it and I asked her to buy me two cans. I had never had any pumpkin sweets (pumpkin pie or pumpkin cookies..). Yesterday when I got the puree I knew that when I got home I would make something. I made pumpkin cookies with chocolate chips. They were sooooo delicious! Recipe will be up soon as well :) I never thought they could taste SO good! I am definitely addicted and I have a new favorite thing to bake now!

Over all these past few days have been so much fun and I have been enjoying my time with Johannes and my sister!

Weekend in Estonia, ViPR workout, book reading and more

Last weekend I went to Estonia to visit my grandparents. It was nice to see them!!! I also spent time with my mom and my friend Laura. Laura and I had so much fun! We had real girls night in! We cooked, chatted, did online shopping and ended our night with a facial mud mask :) 

In the morning we had delicious breakfast (porridge with almonds and fresh strawberry jam + chai tea). I also did some shopping while I was in Estonia. I managed to buy two pairs on jeans and boots. I also bought some food stuff that we don't have in Finland.

Last week at work was pretty busy. But I still had time and energy to go to ViPR class with my workmate Ashley. I totally loved it. It was definitely the most hardest and intense workout I have ever done in my life. But I felt so great after it was done! Of course the next day all my muscles were sore and to be honest the seconds day was even worse. At nights I couldn't even turn.. everything hurts..still! But I definitely want to continue. I am thinking of buying a monthly card for that gym. It's pretty expensive so I want to be sure that I am ready to commit and that I have energy and will to go to some workout classes after work.. Lets see how it goes and what I decide :P
Besides that one workout I have been reading books. I read through the newest Bridget Jones book called "Mad About the Boy" and a book "The Beginning of Everything". I loved them both so much! Currently I am reading "The Book Thief". I just started with it so I don't have an opinion of that book yet. But I mostly end up loving all the books I read. 

It's weekend today so I feel relaxed! When I came home from work yesterday I cleaned our apartment and made apple jam. I know it's so random. But my mom gave me some apples and I can't really eat them :/ For some reason apples make my stomach hurt and give me huge digestion problems :S That's why I decided to use these apples to make apple jam. I love apple jam and it was my first time to make my own. It came out sooo good and I am looking for tomorrow's breakfast porridge that I will top with that homemade apple jam! I also got a jar of apple jam from my workmate whose grandmother in law had made pretty much, more than she could eat. It was so nice of her to share some of the jam with us at work :)

I made a delicious and healthy banana bread today. I love baking on the weekends. But I try not to do that every weekend because otherwise I would be eating only cakes, pies and muffins (they always last for so long since my husband doesn't eat them). I also made a next week's dinners menu and went to the foodshop to buy all the ingredients that I need. I find that method so good. Firstly, it's much cheaper to really think through what I need for the week and buy them all at once, it's also so good to come home from work and to know what I am going to make for dinner and also to have all the ingredients in the fridge. I got that menu idea from my workmate Ashley and I have been doing that for a month already. It works so well! :)

#recipe: Banana Bread

I got this awesome banana bread recipe from my friend (she took it from the Internet). I am so glad she shared that recipe with me because this banana bread is so delicious and healthy (that's the best part!).

So, if you want to make a moist and delicious banana bread without sugar and butter, this recipe is meant for you! ;)

Ingredients:

1 heaping cup mashed banana

1/4 cup honey or maple syrup

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (or coconut, rice, oat milk)

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup rolled oats

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda 

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

How to make:

1. Preheat oven to 180 C degrees (350 F). Cover your loaf pan with baking paper (or spray it with nonstick cooking spray). 

2. In large bowl combine mashed banana, applesauce, honey/maple syrup, egg, almond milk and vanilla until well combined and creamy. In separate medium bowl whisk together whole wheat flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda (I didn't have it and I just left it out), salt and cinnamon. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until just combined (don't overmix!).

3. Pour into prepared load pan, sprinkle oats over top (if desired) and bake for 60-70 minutes.

4. Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool. Enjoy this delicious and moist banana bread! Keep the bread tightly wrapped to maintain its moisture. 

Original recipe taken from HERE.

Hello October!

October has arrived and I am so pumped about it! The weather is getting colder, I can wear scarves, bake a lot, eat lots of tea ect. I decided to write down some of the things that I want to do and things I am looking forward to this October:

• Drink a lot of Chai Tea (I'll buy a Tiger Spice Chai Tea from Estonia)
• Bake a banana bread
• Bake a pumpkin pie (my very first one ever!)
• Attend to an Halloween party (also my very first one ever!)
• Wear an Halloween costume (at the party obviously!)
• Burn lots of good smelling candles
• Have long walks and pick up some colorful leaves
• Do more and more fun fall arts and crafts with my kids in kindergarten! 
• Continue with the weekly dinners' menu (more about this later!)
• Ride my bicycle as much as possible (before it starts snowing..)
• Enjoy every little moment because life is good :)

#monthlyfavorites September

I feel like September just rushed in and out. Days passed by so quickly. I can't believe tomorrow is October already! 

Like every month I have been loving some products more than others and I am here to share them :)

Thought: May you wake with gratitude - I love quotes and thoughts. In September I have been loving this one. Every morning when I wake up I try to think happy thoughts, be positive (even if I am super tired and would lovee to sleep longer!) and just be grateful for everything good I have in my life :):)

Book: Across the Universe - This is the first book of that trilogy. I absolutely loved that book! It was an easy read. I mainly read that in train on my way to work and back. I felt I really got to go into the story and I just couldn't put the book down! I am going to order two other parts very soon!

Treat: Fazer Pure Dark chocolate with roasted corn - mmm, I am enjoying the taste of this chocolate right now while writing this blog post. I love that the chocolate is dark (70% cocoa) and the roasted corn is a perfect compliment! The taste reminds me of something.. I don't know what, but when I eat it it just makes me happy and a bit nostalgic :)

Lip product: Rimmel lip balm Keep Calm and Party - I love purple lipsticks, but this purple sheer lip balm is the best! I like how it gives nice purple shade to your lips, but it's not like a lipstick purple. And it also keeps my lips moisturized. Only downside is the smell - doesn't smell good..

Activity: Finnish Course - In September me and my husband both started going to Finnish classes. It's twice a week and the beginners level. Even though I have already been through that level it's still nice to revise everything..and going to school with my husband is the best part of it! Plus surely getting new friends, learning more Finnish and being able to practice it!

Clothing item: Knee high socks - 2 years ago I got two pairs of knee high socks from my best friend for Christmas. She sent them all the way from Mexico. I have been wearing these socks like no other.. mostly in autumn and winter. When the weather got colder this month I dug up these socks again and have been wearing them so much throughout September!

Place: home - whenever it gets colder and darker I really enjoy being at home! I have been baking every weekend, burning candles, reading books and snuggling in my blanket while watching my favorite tv shows. Home is the best place to be at!

#weeklyupdate

This week was somehow full of different meeting and other important things at work. I was so busy all the time that the days just passed by. I almost feel like I skipped some days. Friday came so suddenly, but it's definitely a nice surprise :)

Besides work the week was pretty normal. I think it was Tuesday morning when I woke up and realized it's snowing :) I was super excited and that gave me instantly so much energy and happiness! I love snow and I just like where seasons change. But surely this snow melted before it touched the ground and I am glad... it's just to early for snow. Let's enjoy the autumn first! I really like how crisp and chilly it is outside. I love snuggling in my big scarf, sweater and jacket :) I also like to drink tea after coming in from outside. It gives comfort and makes me feel warm again! 

I have also been enjoying walking on colorful leaves! Oh, that crispy noise :D

On Wednesday I went to zumba class and after that I felt extremely tired. I didn't enjoy the class so much, because it was more hopping around and not real zumba (I went to a different sport club this time, but it's not for me!). Anyway, when I got home I took a shower and went straight to bed. Next day I felt so weird at work..I felt hot and the cold. I also had awful headache and I was soooo tired! I was supposed to meet my friend Stella after work to have a dinner together, but I cancelled because I was just feeling so sick :S I went home, had dinner and went to bed. And today morning I felt okay again :) I think I was just to tired and my body couldn't take it. So, now that have been slept enough I feel great again :) I will definitely reschedule with Stella and meet her next week!!! 

I am so glad it's weekend tomorrow! I don't have many plans...I will mostly be at home. In the morning tomorrow I will teach one boy for an hour. He'll come to my home so I don't even have to go outside :) But I think after I am done with him I will clean home, make next week's menu and go to the foodshop to buy the food we need for next week (my co-worker Ashley told me that she's always making the whole week's menu and buys all the things at the same time). I am going to try that too! Maybe I will be more creative with dinners then :P Sometimes I am really tired after work and don't feel like cooking at all..

I also want to do my homework for Finnish class and read a book! I want this weekend to be very relaxed and nice! I think I will also go out to ride my bicycle because I just love to ride when it's autumn :D 

I must mention that I keep checking foodstored for persimmon, but they still don't have it. I am wondering when are they in season? I just can't wait to eat them since I love them sooo much! I have been a lot clementines lately and they remind me of Christmas :D

Next weekend I am going to Estonia (I was supposed to go later but things got changed..). So, next weekend I will go to my grandfather's birthday and will meet my friend Laura. I also have a little list of things I want to do and buy in Estonia! :) About that later!

#recipe: 3 different healthy muffins

Last three weekends I have been baking! I just like how my home fills with baking smell! It's especially great during autumn! I like then it's dark outside, quite chilly, I burn candles inside and I can smell that muffins are baking in the oven. Oh, that smell! But since my hubbie isn't a big fan of sweet cakes/muffins/pies, then I know I must eat them all...that leads me to another thing: I must bake as healthy as possible, because I don't want to eat that much fat and sugar (but I also can't say no to the goods I have baked!). So, the easiest and smartest thing to do is to bake something healthy. That way I din't have to feel bad (or guilty) eating those all by myself.

I am going to share these 3 very easy and delicious, but also healthy muffin recipes that are perfect for  chilly and dark autumn nights! ;)

CARROT & AVOCADO MUFFINS: 

(recipe makes 6 muffins)

Perfect autumn recipe! Carrots give such an unique and sweet flavor to these muffins. They are as healthy as they can be: no sugar or butter! Your house will smell soooo good when you are baking these muffins!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup wholewheat flour (or rice flour or coconut flour)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup grated carrot
1/4 cup ripe avocado, mashed well
1/2 tsp lemon juice
3 large eggs
poppy seeds (if you want)

How to make:
Whisk together the eggs, avocado, carrot, lemon juice and honey. Add the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry until you get semi-runny batter. Spoon the batter into greased muffin tray. Bake in 200 C degrees about 15 min.

BANANA & AVOCADO MUFFINS:
(makes about 6 muffins)
I like the banana and avocado flavor combination. You can definitely taste that there is something different there (avocado!), but it's a good flavor! Plus bananas are always great in muffins! There's no sugar or no butter in this recipe, so it really makes you feel good when you eat this dessert :)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup rice flour 
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup mashed ripe banana
1/4 cup ripe avocado, mashed well
1/2 tsp lemon juice
3 large eggs
1 tbs oat bran
poppy seeds (if you want)

How to make:
Whisk together the eggs, avocado, banana, lemon juice and honey. Add the flour, baking powder and oat bran into a large mixing bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry until you get semi-runny batter. Spoon the batter into greased muffin tray. Bake in 200 C degrees about 15 min.

APPLE & OATMEAL MUFFINS:
(makes 12 muffins)
This recipe is great for cold autumn and winter nights because they are pretty fulfilling! They are not so light in texture, but they are definitely sweet and rather healthy.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup applesauce
1/2 cup almondmilk
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup brown sugar (or honey)
2 tbsp lemon oliveoil (or any other oil)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 small apples (cut into small pieces)

How to make:
Preheat oven to 190 C degrees (375 F). Grease the muffin pan.
In a large bowl combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a medium bowl combine applesauce, milk, lemon juice, sugar, oil and egg. Add applesauce mixture into dry ingredients. Stir until just moist. Fold in apple pieces. Fill muffin cups full.
Bake for 16-18 minutes.

Enjoy :)

Life update

Another week has passed. It was pretty busy! First of all, on Wednesday I took hygiene exam and I passed it! Yay! I had been studying for it past few weeks. I actually enjoyed studying. I never thought I would say that, but since I graduated I have been feeling that I want to study more (for myself, just little things, things that interest me and don't take too much effort and energy). So, that leads me to another thing. Jay and I are taking Finnish course now:) It started last Monday and it's twice a week (Mondays and Tuesdays). It's the beginners course so it's super easy (I took A1 and A2 lever course in university). Teacher told us to go to the next level course, but it's already full. So, we will still stick around in the beginners course. It's actually so fun there! They might open another 2nd level course, and I will go to that one if it's possible..but we'll see. I actually really enjoy studying together with Jay!!! Talking about him. He's also in driving school now! So, he has even more studying to do! I am so proud of him! :) 

Work wise things have been also pretty busy. On Thursday we had parents' coffee evening. So it was a very long day. I arrived home a bit before 9pm and I had awful headache so I went straight to bed. But the evening with parents was successful and very nice :)

I am totally enjoying this weekend! I only want to rest and relax! I made banana-avocado muffins today and for dinner I made broccoli puree soup :) I will eat dinner when Jay wakes up. He must go to work by 7pm and he will do 12 hours shift. They have crazy times at work right now..

Last week I barely saw him.. But this upcoming week should be better!!!

I finished reading "Never Let Me Go" and now I am reading "Across The Universe" which is very interesting so far! I think that's what I am going to do tonight - read and maybe watch some episodes of New Girl. Oh, I am loving Fazer Pure Dark chocolate with roasted corn! So delicious!!!

PS! I love the weather right now. It's chilly, but sunny. I love the colorful leaves on the ground and the smell of apples everywhere! I am craving for apple pie, carrot cake and pumpkin muffins :D I will do all of these this autumn for sure ;)

#monthly favorites: August

August went by so fast. Mainly because my work started in the beginning of August so I was working this whole month! But sure I did other things as well and most surely I loved some products :)

Here are my August favorites:

Book: Never Let Me Go - This book took me a whole month to read it :/ I just didn't have so much time and at first I wasn't so into it. But the story was still very interesting and the more I kept reading it the more I was hooked! I finished it today and if I think back it was such a good read! Very different from all the books I have read before!!! (while searching for a photo here of this book, I found out there's also a movie made after this book...and I just realized I have even seen that movie. I remember I started watching it while it had been on for about half an hour and I found that movie quite confusing..but not that I think about it I's much clearer now that I have read the book!)

Treat: Kingis Mint & Chocolate ice-cream - I don't want to think how many packs of this ice-cream I ate in August..Too much for sure, but I love the combo of mint and chocolate!!! It's probably my favorite ice-cream!

Equipment: bicycle - I have riding my bicycle every single day in August. I ride it when I go to work every morning, or just whenever I want to go somewhere fast! It's so good my bike has a basket in front because when I come from foodshop I like to put my groceries in there!

Lip product: Maybelline Baby Lips "Cherry Me" - I like this tinted lip balm. It gives just enough pinkish red tint to my lips, moisturizes and looks so natural! 

TV show: New Girl - This show makes me laugh and whenever I think of that show I instantly have a smile on my face! This show just makes me feel good and I always like to have something funny in my life!

As you can see I don't have so many favorites this month. I spent most of my days in August working, but I also enjoyed spending time with my family and enjoying all that the end of the summer has given me (especially apples!) :D

Weekend, mushrooms & an apple pie recipe!

If anybody says mushrooms or apple pie I instantly think of autumn (or the end of summer). Last weekend dad and I took out bicycles and went to pick mushrooms. We had so much fun! We found so many mushrooms and I totally enjoyed being out in nature with him :)

The same weekend I of course was boiling the mushrooms and marinated them. I got 10 glass jars of marinated mushrooms! Dad asked me yesterday again to pick some mushrooms and marinate them, but I think I have enough right now.

I also made an apple pie last weekend. Apples are obviously in season right now and they taste so good, sweet and juicy! I was craving for an apple pie so I made one. I know I would be eating it all by myself so I made the healthier version. I found the recipe from a cookbook called "Maitseelamused tervise heaks". (she was using rhubarbs, but the season is over, so I used apples!) I like that the author is using so good ingredients in her recipes and so you don't have to feel guilty! It's all about clean and natural high fiber ingredients! I am definitely going to try more of her recipes :) I must also mention that it's so cool how her book is divided into four chapters - recipes for each season! That for you can really use ingredients that are fresh at that time of the year ;) Clever!

I'm kindly sharing the recipe:

Base:

250g wholegrain flour

125g butter

50g cane sugar

1 egg

Filling:

apple jam 

about 4 apples

Crumble:

50g butter

30g cane sugar

100g oat bran

Instructions:

Mix all the base ingredients into dough. Cover the bottom of cooking pan with the dough and cook in the oven 5-7 min in 185 C degrees. After that put apples and applejam on a base and cook about 10 more minutes. Meanwhile make the crumble: mix cold butter, sugar and bran with your hands till it has a nice crumbly texture. Crumble it on top of the pie and cook in the oven about 20 minutes. 

It tastes good warm and cold :)

This weekend I have been at home (it's still Saturday evening..). The weather is so nice, sunny and warm! When I went to the foodshop earlier and passed apples on sale I just got a feeling that I need to make another apple pie this weekend. I would actually like to make a pie or a cake using avocado instead of butter. I must find a good recipe for that, but I'd like to try and make a cake even more healthier! Besides I love avocados!!! If I make one I will share the result ;)

Have a nice evening, everybody!!!