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IT'S PARTY TIME!

Hi guys, and welcome to another round of Friday Favorites! This week I'm featuring these cute DIY charcoal milk bottle candles from Living La Vida Holoka – the "milk" version is my favourite. Why not pair them with these ultimate chewy chocolate chip cookies from Vegan Chow Down that happen to be vegan?!

Here are some other favourites of the week:
  • This Lavender Iced Tea by my co-host Lisa looks amazing and perfect for summer!
  • Did you know that you could make your own Onion Relish at home with nothing but onions, sugar and vinegar?
  • Here are some Easy Upcycled DIYs for budget friendly (and environment friendly) decorating!
  • Speaking of DIYs, Lisa also shows us How to Sew an Easy One Seam Sundress in an hour or less!
  • If you aren't only into crafting, but also making your own beauty products, here is a great guide on Keeping Your DIY Products Safe.
  • And last but now least, I wanted to share these 5 Simple Relationship Truths with you to remind ourselves that popular romanticized expectations have little to do with reality.

And now, it's time to party! 



Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:

Jerri at Simply Sweet Home - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Maisy at Becoming Alice - FB | G+ | Pin
Sheree at Stage Presents - Twitter | FB | Pin | Inst | Inst
Lisa at Condo Blues - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Amy at A Day of Small Things - Pin
Penny at Penny's Passion - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Kelly at Under a Texas Sky - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL

If you are featured this week, be sure and grab a featured button for your blog!


You can show your love for this week's favorites by going over and commenting on the posts and by pinning or sharing!
And if you love all of this week's favorites, please pin, share, and invite your friends to this week's linky party!
reading time: 3 min

https://be-alice.blogspot.com/2017/07/buddha-bowl-4-ways.html

Buddha bowls have become super popular over the past few years, and I consider myself a true fan of those veggie bowls. To be honest, I'm still not 100% sure what exactly constitutes a Buddha bowl but it does sound fancier than "a bowl of random veggies and stuff". Basically, it's a hearty filling dish made of a base of whole grains, topped with various greens, vegetables, legumes and more.

A "Buddha Bowl", as defined by the urban dictionary, is a bowl which is packed so full that it has a rounded "belly" appearance on the top much like the belly of a buddha.

So the common explanation is that the bowl resembles Buddhas full belly – however, if you are familiar with Buddhism you'll know that only the Chinese Buddha has a chubby belly and is overall a little fat, whereas the Tibetan Buddha is rather skinny. There is another explanation for the concept "Buddha bowl" that is based on a concept of mindful eating practised by Zen Buddhist monks – ōryōki, meaning to eat "just enough" or an "appropriate" amount. The biggest bowl in their collection of dishes (called "the Buddha bowl") is supposed to be big enough to contain a nourishing meal but small enough to prevent gluttony. 

I have to admit, sometimes my own Buddha bowls are definitely more on the "gluttonous" side, but I mean, it's just veggies, right?! 

Anyway. 

Here are four different variations, inspired by Asian, African, Mexican and Middle Eastern cuisine. Enjoy!




IT'S PARTY TIME!

Matching my own little Thai food series on my blog, I selected this All Natural Thai Ice Tea from Comfort Spring as my feature for this week's linky party. It's a recipe that I also considered to include in my Thai food series (to be continued...). Basically it's a sweetened "spicy blend of strong black Asian tea, vanilla, and spices such as star anise, crushed tamarind, cardamom, and occasionally others", topped off with coconut milk or condensed milk. So yummy!
 
Here are some other favourites of the week:

  • The catchy song Believer by Imagine Dragons. I know I'm late to this party, but it's a hell of a party.
  • Dairy Free Ice Creams That Actually Taste Good?! Yes, please! These 12 recipes are anti-inflammatory, easy to make and delicious :)
  • Since the new season of Game of Thrones is shaking up our planet, I've got to show you these hilarious Disney versions of GoT characters. I would so love to see an animated GoT!
  • Speaking of nerdy movie things, have you seen this Star Wars fan film called Darth Maul: Apprentice? It may not be the most complex plot in the history of fan films, but it's definitely one of the most professionally made!
  • I love this DIY Hanging Colander Planter that uses a recycled/upcycled metal colander and looks super pretty!
  • Another super easy and cute DIY is this Hand Painted Ladybug Planter that only requires two sharpies and a bit of cardboard, e.g. from an empty cereal box. I'm definitely going to decorate one of my planters like this on the weekend :)
  • Also: YAY my own post got featured this week – is that weird? Nah. It's the Easy Vegan Strawberry Cream Cake that I made for my mum's birthday earlier this month :) Thanks Lisa!

But now, it's time to party!

reading time: 2 min


On some days I crave nothing more than a cosy couch and a movie to watch and unwind my brain. On other days, however, the constant input of movies, youtube videos and tv shows exhausts me. My boyfriend and I get home from work (or uni), eat dinner, and then slump into the sofa to watch some Netflix. Who is familiar with this scenario?

It bothers me. 

So here's a list of 25 electronic-free activities I actually made just for myself to remind my boyfriend and myself that there's more to life than my youtube subscriptions and the newest season of Game of Thrones (never mind, who am I kidding, of course I'm still watching GoT), but I thought why not share this with you. 

Let's get our cute butts off the couch and enjoy a couple of hours without electronic devices each day!


25 Electronic-Free Activities

01. Read a book or an inspiring magazine. Here are some recommendations: 1, 2, 3, 4. You don't even need to leave the couch for this one ;)

 02. Write a letter or postcard to somebody.

03. Go for a walk or a hike.

04. Meal-prep for the week.

05. Prepare snacks (to freeze) for the week. Here are some of my favourites: banana bread, oat cookies, chocolate granola, energy balls.

 06. Tidy up / de-clutter. Donate what you don't need any more.

07. Do a workout.

08. Redecorate your room.

09. Deep-clean the house (kitchen, fridge, bathrooms, windows...).

10. Draw or paint.

11. Write / journal.

12. Practice photography, or learn something new, e.g. how to make your own homemade soap.

13. Meet up with or call a friend.

14. Do a manicure or pedicure at home.

15. Cuddle with your loved one or pet.

16. Discover your own city, and visit a local museum or art gallery.

17. Do something crafty (e.g. a postcard, room décor etc).

18. Apply a hair mask or a face mask, or both.

19. Organize your paperwork.

20. Make your own cosmetics, such as lip balm or body scrub.

21. Dance or sing to music.

22. Pamper your plants (water, fertilize, repot etc).

23. Practice acro yoga with a friend.

24. Do a (board) game night with friends.

25. Take dancing lessons, or do a language course.


♥

Maisy


IT'S PARTY TIME!

Welcome to another round of Friday Favorites! For this week's feature I picked this Blackberry Cobbler in a Cast-Iron Skillet from Simply Stacie, and even though this is more of an autumn recipe, I've always wanted to make a blackberry cobbler myself, so this needed to be featured anyway :) Here are my other favorites of the week:

reading time: 3 min

https://be-alice.blogspot.com/2017/07/easy-vegan-strawberry-cream-cake.html

Strawberries remind me of my mother. Not because her birthday is in strawberry season (it's actually quite frustrating to look for local strawberries for her birthday cake), but because strawberries smell like summer, and so does my mom.

For this year's birthday cake I knew it was going to be a strawberry cream cake. A vegan strawberry cream cake, to be exact. I have a bunch of strawberry recipes on my blog already (such as strawberry scones, strawberry ice cream, pink porridge, and also a fun post on strawberry picking), but never before have I made a vegan strawberry cream cake.


STRAWBERRY CREAM CAKE

Preparation time: 45 mins
Main ingredients: flour, strawberries, soy cream
difficulty level: easy
makes: one 7-inch spring form
suitable for: vegan, lactose-free, wheat-free, low-sodium

Ingredients

Batter: 

1 3/4 cup (200 g) spelt flour, sieved (type 630)
1/2 cup (100 g) raw cane sugar (or coconut blossom sugar)
1/4 cup (30 g) shredded coconut
1 tbsp baking soda
1/3 cup (80 ml) sunflower oil or melted coconut oil
1 cup (250 ml) water
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Filling:

1 cup (250 ml) whippable soy cream, chilled
3 tbsp raw cane sugar (or coconut blossom sugar)
4 tbsp whipping cream stiffener
pinch of salt
5 tbsp unsweetened soy yogurt (e. g. your own homemade soy yogurt, or coconut yogurt)
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract

about 2 cups (500 g) organic strawberries

Instructions

For the batter:

Preheat oven to 180°C / 356°F. 

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, shredded coconut, baking soda and salt. Add oil, water, apple cider vinegar and vanilla extract. Whisk thoroughly until well combined.

Grease your spring form and spread the batter into the pan. Place into the preheated oven, and bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Once the cake is fully baked, allow to cool completely. In the meantime, prepare the cream filling.

 For the filling: 

Using an electric mixer on high speed, whip the chilled soy cream with salt, sugar and whipping cream stiffener until light and fluffy (it's best to use a metal container that has been stored in the fridge to chill). Carefully fold in soy yogurt, lemon juice and vanilla.

 While the cake is still cooling down, store the whipped cream in the refrigerator. Meanwhile, rinse and cut strawberries in half.

Once the cake has completely cooled, split it in half horizontally, using a serrated knife. Place the bottom half (cut side up) on a serving plate and arrange half of the strawberries over the bottom cake layer. Top with half of the whipped cream. Cover with top half of the cake, cut side down. Spread with the remaining whipped cream and strawberry halves. If you want to be extra fancy, sprinkle some shredded coconut or coconut flakes on top :)

 Store cake in refrigerator until ready to serve (up to 1 day). Enjoy with your loved ones!


HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!


And thanks to Lisa for featuring me over at our Friday Favorites linky party! :)

https://be-alice.blogspot.com/2017/07/friday-favorites-week-383.html


♥

Maisy





IT'S PARTY TIME!

Today is my last day at the scriptwriting Block seminar, and it has been one of the best seminars of my master's course! I've learned so much over these past five days. It really inspired me to get back into writing!

https://be-alice.blogspot.com/2017/07/weekly-meal-plan-cw-26.html


Hello there fellow food lovers!
I'm finally back with my weekly meal plans (all I ate in the past month in Vietnam was basically vegan noodle soup, rice with tofu and sautéed morning glory with garlic, fried rice, fried noodles, rice, rice, rice, and... did I mention noodle soups?), and as you probably already noticed, I renewed the design of my meal plan. I simply built this with Photoshop, so no big magic behind this :)



IT'S PARTY TIME!

Hey guys!

 Long time no see. As you may have noticed, I took a four-week-long break from my blog and all sorts of social media as I spent the month of June in Vietnam after handing in my master thesis to enjoy my much-needed vacation after months of struggle and exhaustion. Now I'm back and excited to be part of the Friday Favorites linky party again :) 

https://be-alice.blogspot.com/2017/07/drink-chamomile-tea-for-1-year-and.html

So I read this comment in a German internet forum when I got a cold in Vietnam – which felt like the fifth time I had gotten sick this year. 

The comment said that this one person had done a "chamomile tea detox" in order to cure her returning colds (she also wrote a German blog post on it titled "Never get a cold again?"). Basically, what this chamomile detox (or teatox?) entails is drinking a cup of chamomile tea (organic is best but regular works too) every single day for a year. Yep, a year. The commenter claims that by doing that she has strengthened her immune system in a way that she hasn't gotten a cold for more than ten years after doing the detox. Crazy, right?

But maybe it's not so crazy after all. Maybe it will work and I will get rid of my way-too-many colds. Perhaps it will even help with my recurring tummy aches (I always get those when I'm stressed out) due to its calming and anti-inflammatory properties. I know that one year is a very long time, but if I won't be getting several colds and coughs a year after that, I'm in! 

The Benefits

For centuries, chamomile has been used as a natural remedy, both internally and externally. Here are some of its benefits:

  • Dried chamomile flowers are used as an anti-inflammatory agent, and as a stomach remedy. 
  • They also have deodorizing and anti-bacterial properties. 
  • Chamomile tea helps in gastrointestinal complaints, colitis, flatulence, bladder infections, restlessness, common colds, flu, cramping in the digestive tract and menstrual problems. 
  • Steam baths with chamomile tea are a proven cold remedy. For inflammation in the mouth-throat area and after dental procedures, gurgling or rinsing with the tea helps. 
  • Externally, chamomile is used for compresses and healing baths for skin diseases, wounds and eczema. For diseases in the anal and genital area, baths and rinses can be prepared with chamomile tea.

Now if that doesn't sound like a great herbal tea then I don't know what does. I'm not sure if I will do this for an entire year, but currently I'm on day 3 and we'll see how long I will keep it up. Perhaps I will invest in organic chamomile tea though just to be safe.
Have you ever heard of something like a chamomile tea detox that will cure your colds long-term? Let me know about your experiences and thoughts in the comments below!


 
♥

Maisy
 
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THIS IS ME

Well, hello! My name is Maisy (pronounce: macy) and I’m the creative spirit behind this blog. You are welcome to join me on my journey to a more natural, slow-paced & healthier life!

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