Fail.com + exercising (update #1)

Hi everyone! I hope everyone is having a great week feeling energetic, happy, and content. Unfortunately I do not have a recipe for you today, because I have not been very creative in the kitchen this week. In between all these recipes and pictures of food that turned out tasting great, I have had my fair share of FAIL.com situations in my kitchen.

The other day, for instance, I tried out a recipe for sweet potato bread I had been dying to make. The bread came out looking great, but as soon as the smell hit me I knew something went wrong. I did not screw up with measurements this time, so I am not really sure what went wrong. Maybe I should invest in a food processor, seen as my blender cannot handle everything.

1) Back to the bread story, I actually baked a mini loaf and some cupcakes with the mixture. Everything that came out of my oven smelled like egg. Yes, eggs were part of the recipe (uhh, we are baking here), but that is not the smell you expect when your main ingredient is sweet potato! Unlucky for me, the bread tasted like egg too. Can you imagine the horrible taste, if it had an "eggy" flavor, but somehow still did not taste right?

I will have another food post coming up soon, because I am determined to "bake" a dairy free, gluten free, raw, vegan "cheese"cake! I have been eyeing those Pana Chocolate cakes for ages now, and fatty as I am I simply háve to try some (counterfeit versions) of these babies out! Seen as I cannot board on a plane to Australia anytime soon, this just means I will have to make some myself. :)

2) The other day I had a lecture by Vodafone's current CEO and I remember him saying somewhere along the lines of; If you don't make time for exercise now, you'll eventually have to make time for being sick. I could not have agreed more with him and his inspiring/motivational speech. Unfortunately, my body does not always do what my mind tells it to do. I have been on my "journey to health" for about two weeks now and I can honestly say it has not been flawless.

You know the notion "You don't realize what you have until it's gone"? Well, I have a somewhat similar relationship with food. For instance, I mentioned in a previous post that I am not really fond of eating bread. I like it, but seen as it is usually served with cold cuts (e.g. cheese), sweet  toppings or spread, it has never been a favorite on my list. So I figured I could easily cut out wheat from my diet. Boy, was I wrong. Knowing I could not have any grains or dairy, I suddenly began craving for French bread with cheese, really really bad. After a week or so, I succumbed.

In learning new habits, I have found out through the years that I am not a "cold turkey" type of person. I can be. For maybe 1.5 week tops. And then I fall back into my old routine, which often includes binge eating. The best way for me to change is with baby steps. A healthy lifestyle is obviously more than just eating clean, it is also about exercising. The problem with me is that I have always viewed exercise as a means to something. A means to getting toned, to get fitter, to lose weight.

Until I started exercising regularly last year in Toronto I did not realize that exercise can also be a means to mental health, and in itself be a form of relaxation that can be enjoyable despite of the effort and pains it can involve. Changing my mindset is a step-by-step process, and I am slowly getting there. And what way better to change your outlook on life and your body than to practice yoga? I have been enjoying my weekly yoga classes and I can recommend this form of exercise to anyone who wants to become healthier physically and especially spiritually.

On a last (random) note, another thing I absolutely loved about the lecture? Finding out that I am not the only one who thinks the Dutch saying (and common conception) "Doe maar gewoon, dan doe je al gek genoeg" [Act normal, because normal is crazy enough], is a pair of bullocks. Stand out in this world and be your own unique self. Screw what others think of you and be confident enough to walk in your own shoes.

Lobi,


Pictures from panachocolate Instagram, Google.com