RAW ENERGY BITES

Raw treat heaven. Here'a a great guilt-free energy snack when you are on the run or craving something sweet. Can dairy-free, gluten-free and refined-sugar free taste any better?

You need:

• 0.4 cup (1 dl) of hazelnuts
• 0.4 cup (1 dl) of pecan nuts
• 0.2 cup (0.5 dl) of almonds
• 2 table spoons of hemp seeds (whole not the shelled ones)
• 2 tbs of chia seeds
• 2 tbs of raw cacao powder
• 2 - 3 tbs of maple syrup 
• 1 tbs coconut oil
• 6 big and juicy pitted medjool dates (if you are using dried dates I suggest you soak them in water for about 30mins to soften a little)

Optional:

• coconut flakes
• goji berries

Blend all the nuts into a crunchy flour. Mix together with hemp and chia seeds, cacao powder, coconut oil and maple syrup. Blend the dates into a sticky paste in a separate bowl. Mix everything together and roll between your hands into small balls. You can cover the balls with coconut flakes or decorate with goji berries. Place them in the fridge or enjoy straight away.

Heidi x

WHAT I WORE: BRIGHT IN THE GREY

Top: J Crew

Trousers: Zoe Jordan

Pumps: Gianvito Rossi (this season version here)

Bag: Chanel

Cuff: Hermes

Earrings: Stephen Webster

Minna x

MY FAVOURITE CLEANSING PRODUCT

A quick post about my favourite cleansing product I always stock up when I'm in France. You can find it in most pharmacies. It's a make-up remover that doesn't need to be rinsed off with water. My skin is pretty dry and I find washing my face with water makes it worse. This one removes make-up and dirt gently and lets your skin breathe.

You just dap some product onto a cotton ball and wipe off the make-up from your face, followed by a toner and a face cream.

Heidi x

WARM ENDIVE SIDE

My latest food crush is warm endives. They make a perfect match with anything. I had these with some leftover salmon. Easy, quick and delicious!

 You need:

• 2 endives
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 clove of garlic
• splash of soy sauce
• pinch of salt
• olive oil

Cover the bottom of your pan with water. Add endives, peeled garlic, splash of soya sauce and squeeze the lemon on the top.  Boil in medium heat until the endives begin to soften. Add water if needed. This takes about 10-12 minutes. I added a piece of salmon in the end (to warm it up really) for extra taste.

 Add olive oil, pinch of salt and enjoy.

Heidi x

RASBERRY & MANGO SMOOTHIE

I love my morning smoothies. Here's a another simple and delicious recipe for you to try.

You need:

• 1 cup of raspberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1 cup of mango (fresh or frozen)
• splash of coconut water
• handful of ice cubes

Optional:

• 1 banana (if you prefer yours a little sweeter)
• 1-2 table spoons of aloe vera juice
• your favourite protein powder
• chia seeds 

Mix all the ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Sometimes I leave a little shot of smoothie in a blender and throw in my supplements and superfoods and drink it separately so I can enjoy my smoothie!

Wishing you all a great weekend!

Heidi x

HELSINKI, SALUTORGET

This is a slightly random post given that I haven't been to Helsinki since November but as I'm currently organising my next trip and came across these pictures I thought I might as well do a post about Salutorget. I'm sure a lot of you who live in Helsinki are already familiar with this restaurant but if you've never tried it I highly recommend that you do. I've now eaten there twice and had as many very positive experiences. The food is good, it's very very good. Even though it was quite a while ago I still remember what I ate when I went there for the first time; salmon soup. A very unusual choice for me but it was mouthwateringly good! During my latest trip to Finland we went there for a family lunch and again were treated to delicious food.

The caesar salad was as tasty as it gets.

And so was the lobster. 

I like the decor of Salutorget. They have a really cool looking bar at the front too that I'd like to try sometime for a couple of drinks before or after dinner. I'll be having the pleasure of showing my Mother-In-Law around Helsinki next month and I'm already planning on taking her here for lunch or dinner so that she gets to taste some great Finnish food!

Minna x

WHAT I WORE: BASICS

A silk blouse, dark blue skinny jeans, black boots, a navy blazer and a structured bag. An outfit couldn't have more wardrobe staples in it! The Chanel belt was a gift I received last year (thank you Heidi!) and I think it works great as a necklace whereas the chunky scarf with bronze details makes the outfit a bit less plain and more interesting. And warm! :-)

Shirt: Equipment (in a different colour here)

Jeans: Ida (greatly reduced here)

Booties: Gianvito Rossi 

Necklace: Chanel (it's really a belt)

Blazer: Joseph

Scarf: Rag & Bone

Bag: Celine

Minna x

FAMILY WEEKEND

This weekend we enjoyed such lovely family time at my Mother-In-Law's in the country. We didn't do much at all, just chilled out and watched the children have an amazing time like they always do in her house.

How cute are these little slippers? Their grandmother got them to wear in her house as these city kids are not used to the cool country houses.

Hiya! :-) In my fluorescent sales purchase by J Crew.

Little M now knows more about baking than I do. And that's no joke!

The end product.

Fun and games.

Sunday lunch.

Bubbles even when your hands are freezing!

Not the best surface for a push bike but never mind.

Sorry about the outfit Baby M, sometimes practicality wins!

I'm not one to do the cheesy talks and write the cheesy posts but I must make an exception this time and say this: sometimes things happen that make you put everything in perspective and to appreciate the people around you even more. Family or friends or both. Something so sad that there are no words to describe it happened to someone very close to us recently. It has upset everyone we know and I have had tears in my eyes most days in the past week. I feel so grateful for what I have!

Minna x

ROASTED CHICKPEAS

I'm not detoxing this January and actually I don't believe in diets or depriving yourself of anything. That would only have the opposite effect and I would start craving all the things not allowed. I want to eat food that not only tastes good but also makes me feel good and gives me energy all year around. Sugar is not my worst enemy, if I feel like having an odd sweet treat or a bite of chocolate I'll go for it. My weakness has always been all the crispy, crunchy and salty things: crisps, popcorn, nuts, crackers, fries. The more salt the better.  

Kale chips are good at satisfying my cravings. Here's another easy snack when you feel like something crunchy.


You need:

• approx. 1 cup of boiled chickpeas (or rinsed if you are using from a can)
• 2 - 3 tbs of coconut oil (or your favourite cooking oil)
• 3 - 5 cloves of garlic peeled and crushed  
• pinch of salt
• pinch of turmeric powder
• pinch of black pepper
• pinch of dried chili flakes
• pinch of paprika seasoning    

Preheat your oven to 400F / 205C degrees. Put the chickpeas on an ovenproof dish with coconut oil, crushed garlic and spices. Mix it all up, remove the extra skin that peels off from some and spread the chickpeas evenly. Bake for about 30 - 40 minutes until golden brown and crunchy. Add salt if needed.  

     

Heidi x

WHAT I WORE: LEATHER LEGGINGS AND A KNITTED T

Knitted T: Freda

Leather Leggings: Joseph

Pumps: Rupert Sanderson (old but nice snake skin pumps here)

Cuff: Hermes

Pouch: Givenchy

Nail Polish: Essie, Chinchilla

Minna x

THE JUICERY AT 108

There's a lovely little gem in Marylebone that I want to tell you about. It's located just off the High Street on Marylebone Lane and called 108 Bar and Restaurant. Last year they opened a Juicery within it too. I lived in Marylebone before moving to Notting Hill so it was local to me but I still spend a fair bit of time in the area so I often pop into 108 for a juice and sometimes for breakfast too.

This is the juice I go for every time, called Vine. It has in it celery, cucumber, apples, spinach, lime, mint and avocado. 

And they do my favourite eggs too by request!

As you can tell by the decorations these pictures were taken in December. It's a cosy, comfortable place to hang out in. I've never tried it for dinner but when I've walked past it looks lovely in dim lighting and is always quite busy so I'm going to give it a go sometime soon. 

I hope you all have a happy weekend!

Minna x

OUTLET SHOPPING OUTSIDE PARIS

I'm currently spending time in Paris and I thought I'd post about this place where I went yesterday, La Vallée Village. Few friends of mine managed to convince me to go there with them. I have to say, I love the idea of outlets but I've never really found anything from them. I don't have the patience to queue up, I don't like to try things on several times and I never seem to find anything in my size.  

However, this little village can be a cute place to visit if you are planning a trip to Paris and you are into shopping (and you have more patience than I do). It reminds me of Bicester Village, another outlet where I once went outside London.

You'll find young and cool French high street brands there: Maje, Sandro, Zadig & Voltaire, Vanessa Bruno etc. amongst others such as Céline, Valentino, Givenchy, Loro Piana, Marni, Jimmy Choo, Ralph Lauren, Monclair and so on.

I bought few T-shirts, so not worth the trip going there for me, but I think it's a matter of luck what you'll find in outlets. You never know!


Heidi x