Day 104: On Real Things

The Matrix by the Wachowski Brothers was an eye-opener for me. If you see beyond the special effects and the fighting scenes and the super-hero super-speeches, you can actually dig out a HUGE idea - we all indeed wrapped up in a very complicated net of different and fast-changing realities. They are especially designed and gently imposed on us, and we happily take them as valid without questioning anything because it is much more comfortable this way. Take your work, food, social etiquette, mass media and even your dreams... aren't they just a part of the plan? Do you know where you are heading and what's real? Are you actually in charge of your own life or you are immersed in the Matrix?

Another eye-opener was 1984 by George Orwell. God, this book is amazing. One of my friends was obsessed with it and saw the Orwell prophecy fulfilling everywhere - and isn't it? Aren't we surrounded by millions of videocameras controlling every single move we make, manipulated mass media and distorted information to canalize the public opinion in the right direction, or even hating the common enemy (does this ring a bell?)... and what not!

The worst of all is that we are so used to the system that we don't even try to find some truth in little things that surround us: is the food we eat really that good? Do the products we use for maintaining our beauty really guarantee no harm for our health? Can we be sure that all the sophistication in our lives brought better quality of living? Just some food for thought.

Today I am back in Switzerland for a couple of days, just visiting friends. Oh my God, I missed their organic products! First thing I bought was a liter of whole organic milk, which tastes like REAL MILK, and drank 2 glasses. It reminded me of my childhood. Why can't I get this taste anywhere else in the world? I can't find any Spanish milk that would awake any childhood memories. And their bio bread smells like grass in a village or trees after rain... mmmmmmmm..... this is real quality of life - back to basics....

Today I would like to post Michel Petrucciani's September Second. Honest, beautiful and, certainly, very real.

Day 102: On Internationally Sourced Products

I managed to survive one day without food. I drank a lot of water and tried to concentrate on my health. I was haunted by fried chicken wings, sweet almond cakes and chocolate the whole day, but.... I gritted my teeth and kept drinking water. It was a test of my resilience, and I think I passed!!!

Today my menu looks like this:

Breakfast: a glass of water, and a glass of orange juice. Black tea with milk. A toast with virgin olive oil and diced tomatoes.

Lunch: White rice with broccoli.

Dinner: Fruit and home-made yoghurt. How do I make the yoghurt? Okay, I buy a carton of milk (usually whole, bio and fresh) and a small bio yoghurt (usually made of cow milk). So, I heat the milk in a sauce-pan without reaching the boiling point, just to make it quite warm. Then I add the small yoghurt and mix it with the milk (I only use a spoon, no blender). Then I leave the mixture in a warm place till next morning - and voila! I get a lot of very good yoghurt. I usually don't add any sugar or anything into it, I just like it plain, but it all depends on your taste.

Some friends asked me to tell them about the products I have used and describe their effects on my face. Be prepared, it is a very long list, so I will describe only 8 (!), mostly facial creams and oils. Please note, that every person has a different type of skin, so whatever is working for me can be a waste of money and time for another person. I am just describing my own results. So, here we go:

1) Phyris Sebo Balance Formula (sebum-regulating care for oily and blemished skin). Germany.
The cream has a very nice smell and a pleasant texture. It is not made of organic or bio ingredients, so I stopped using it. The cream does work but only with temporary results.

2) Widmer Acne Cream (antiseptic). Switzerland.
The cream has a brownish colour and an unpleasant smell. I guess it's due to all the chemistry it contains. What is does is to dry the skin you apply it on - so it is quite agressive. It does dry up the acne, but leaves your skin dull and tired. Also, the acne kept appearing even after this sacrifice... I stopped using it as well for the above reasons.

3) Declaré Hydroplus Bio (moisturizing cream for sensitive skin). Switzerland.
This is a good moisturizing cream. It doesn't really remove the acne, but it does make my skin look nice and healthy. The texture of it is very light and the smell is fresh. I like it - no harm in using it for me. And! it's bio!

4) Unguento de Propolis (virgin olive oil, virgil almond oil, beeswax and pure bee propolis - all 100% bio). Spain.
This mixture proved to be great for my skin. I could only apply it at night, as overall it's very oily and shiny :) It did help me to remove the acne and it moisturized the skin at the same time. Brilliant. Love it, love it, love it. Smells like beeswax.

5) The Green Beaver Company, Facial Moisturizer (fragrance free, suitable for sensitive skin and for acne-prone skin). Canada.
The cream is made of natural ingredients. I found it a bit too heavy for my face, so I converted it into my hand cream :) Overall, happy with the results - my hands look good!

6) Alqvimia, Beauty Extract for Acneic Prone Skin (basically, a mixture of essential oils, all 100% organic - this is a very expensive pleasure, I should say). Spain.
Wow, I am absolutely speechless. Love it. You can only apply it at night after cleaning the skin properly. Amazing. My skin looks GREAT!

7) AESOP. Mandarin Facial Hydrating Cream (actually I also use Aesop Amazing Face Cleanser and B&Tea Balancing Toner) Australia.
This is the best combination so far. It's organic, light, fresh, and it is working for me. The cream is very light, absorbs quickly - great for the day. Excellent products.

8) Pure virgin Coconut Oil. Kenya.
I never thought this oil has so many great properties. I can even use it during the day, it doesn't look oily on my face. This is a fantastic product.
So, as you can see - choosing your skin care products can be an adventure! I think I have found the ones that suit my skin and I am happy. For now ;) When my friend Julian leaves for another exotic place, maybe I will ask him to bring me another interesting product ;))))

Today I would like to post a very nice song by Joss Stone. She has an amazing voice, and I enjoy her songs a lot. It's Understand today!

Day 100 - yes, let's call it Day 100

WOW, it's been a while. My friends and family have been asking - what happened to your blog? You are not writing anymore? And your acne? Okay, let's face it - a blog does require commitment and effort, and it's very easy to find any excuse for being lazy or moody and just pass.... I have been lazy, moody and grumpy. I have been down, stressed and passive. I have been eating bad food and feeling guilty. Okay, that's not entirely true. My anti-acne battle is giving its fruit - I have changed the way I eat. No more junk! But occasionally I have been naughty, I admit.

 

My face is actually looking much better now. I don't know, maybe some other things were in the limelight, and my attention was diverted to other problems - whatever it is, it worked. I threw away all artificial creams and tonics, and replaced them with organic oils and bio products. I have been using pure coconut oil to nourish my skin (100% virgin and organic) - and the results are AMAZING. The only problem I have now is the little red cysts that stayed after the old pimples disappeared. But hey, as they say in swahili - pole-pole, slowly-slowly. It will be okay, I am 100% positive.

 

Today I have decided to do a minor cleansing. One day without food. I have started today after lunch and I will eat only tomorrow for dinner (just some rice). I feel like I need it. I think you should go with what your body is asking for in such cases.

Oh, something new for my blog: I decided to put a new song for each entry, just to express how I feel. Today it's Mike & The Mechanics - Over my Shoulder. Just heard it on the radio and can't help singing it!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHZzX_1HR9w&feature=fvst

 

P.S. I am not low and moody anymore. I will write about that next time.

Day 65 GET UP!

When I was a kid, I used to get up very early, at 6 am. And I didn't mind it at all! I woke up with an amazing feeling that new adventures are waiting for me, I just need to get up and pick the right one for today! I don't know what happened to that kid, but now I can barely open my eyes at seven or even eight in the morning feeling destroyed and empty. To change this, I would like to make a proposal to myself: go to bed at 11 and wake up at 7, to see what happens. I think the reason is that I go to bed really late and never get completely rested. Let's see, maybe that will change my life?!

By the way, I always forget to mention, but I drink 2 glasses of warm water first thing in the morning to refill my water supplies after sleep.

Breakfast: Oatmeal with honey. 2 slices of bread with butter.

Midday: An orange.

Lunch: Salad (mixed lettuce, rucula, cherry tomatoes, raw almonds, olive oil, salt and lemon juce).

Afternoon: A pear and a banana.

Dinner: Starters (although you see cheese in the picture, I didn't eat it, everybody else did - I was soooo jealous!): guacamole (avocado, onion, tomatoes - everything chopped and mixed together, salt and olive oil - THE STAR DISH of tonight!), boiled beets, and canned calamari. For main dish I had salmon (same as yesterday... as you see, salmon doesn't last in our house!) And... I had a glass of white wine...

Ok, to sum up: I haven't been eating any dairy to see if that improves my acné situation. To be honest, no effect so far, although it's too early to say, only three days have passed. I am avoiding meat and eggs as well. I do eat bread and butter, as I need to eat some fat. I have been drinking plenty of water, no soft drinks, no artificial juices. I have been trying to avoid all kinds of fried food - not always successfully. I have been trying to enjoy life as much as possible, even though it hasn't been always easy. Result: Life goes on.... and I keep dreaming that everything will be ok....

Day 64

Aloe Vera day :) Basically, I had some alow vera organic juice in the fridge, so I decided - why not? A little bit of aloe vera tonic can't hurt! Let's see, maybe tomorrow I will become a beautiful swan again? I remember these days when I looked at 12-14-year old adolescents with horrible acne problems and thought, I would do this and I would do that... and here I am, making all these magic potions, just hoping... what if?...

Breakfast: Oatmeal with honey and butter. Green Tea.

Midday: A banana.

Lunch: Finished up the pumpkin soup, plus ate some eggplant with chickpeas, inspired by Eggplant and Chickpea Curry from FatFreeVegan. Mine was much simpler, but I still loved it.

Afternoon: An orange

Dinner:  Rice and grilled salmon (I used a little bit of oil to sautée a chopped onion). I love salmon. The most important thing is not to overcook it, so that it doesn't lose its natural fat. This time, I didn't, it was perfect!

Here I found a webpage with some recommendations for my type Vata:

http://www.ayurbalance.com/explore_vatadiet.htm I will explore this tomorrow.



Day 63

Events are good. Say, it's the Independence Day, or some other festivity, so all your town / city is eating out and celebrating. I like it, when people are having fun, kids are devouring huge sugar balls (I probably can't do that) or eating a melting ice-cream with such happiness in their eye that justifies it all. The music is playing, people are talking and laughing.... life is good!

We had such event in Lugano (Switzerland), that was called Sagra di Pesce (Fish Festivity), so we decided to participate and eat out (big mistake!!!!) The overpriced fish and chips was just a mediocre plate of some deeply fried mass. Unfortunately, I had to eat some of it, although to be honest, I would have done much better staying hungry. So, events and festivities are good if you know that you will eat some decent meal, if not - take your tupperware with you! Your health is much more important!

Breakfast: Oatmeal with honey and butter. Green Tea.

Midday: Apple juice.

Lunch: Fish (just a few little ones) and chips. Cheese.

Afternoon: An apple and a banana.

Dinner:  Pumpkin Soup - inspired by THIS recipe. I didn't purée the pumpkin, as I quite like eating it in cubes (or in chunks in this case!!!! :) But hey, if you want to make the soup, do as you like!

Day 62 FRIENDS...

Friends are really important. They are people who you accept as they are, with their pluses and minuses. Around your real friends you act natural and don't pretend to be something you are really not. Unfortunately, it is quite hard to make a real one and not to lose them along the way.

They say that you have a certain space for friendship, and as soon as you fill it up, then there is no more space to accomodate anybody. You stop accepting people into your life and your soul, especially if you got hurt in the past. Until a couple of years ago, I did not doubt the theory was 100% true because new people just couldn't make it to my heart. They couldn't make it until I finally realized that I deliberately blocked my heart and wouldn't let them in. I didn't see, or didn't want to see, when people sincerely wanted to share their things with me.

Now I am convinced that the theory is wrong. You can open your heart to people and enjoy their company. The worst thing about making new friends is fear. Fear prevented me from enjoying being with people for some time. It won't anymore.

Breakfast: Toasts with chopped tomatoes, salt and olive oil. Green Tea.

Midday: An orange.

Lunch: Mixed Salad (lettuce, rucula, boiled beetroots, mozarella, tomatoes, salt, olive oil and vinegar)

Afternoon: An apple and a banana.

Dinner: Our Italian friends invited us over. They prepared Fish Carbonara Pasta and grilled fish, and we took a homemade dessert to the dinner. Check the picture out!

The food was yummy, but the company was even better. That day we laughed so much, my mouth joints started aching. And as always, we tried to take the most of the day!

Day 61

Today I started a new phase in my anti-acne battle. Masks. Yes, masks. It's clear that something is going on, and my diet is not enough. Today I mixed a spoonful of yoghurt, a spoonful of honey and 3 drops of lemon juice. The result was really nice - very smooth and gentle skin. Let's see, maybe if I apply such "edible masks" regularly, my real face will come back to me :)

Breakfast: Oatmeal with honey. Green tea (ooops, I did it again!) and a slice of bread with butter and honey.

Midday: An orange.

Lunch: Rice with an eggplant stew.

Afternoon: A mandarine and a banana.

Dinner: Cucumber and tomato salad (with chopped onion, some oil and salt).

Day 60

The more you eat, the less flavor; the less you eat, the more flavor.  ~Chinese Proverb

Spring, Spring, Spring!!!!! Beautiful weather in the south of Switzerland. Beautiful flowers and parks - this natural beauty removes all stress and inspires me to think that all problems will go away and everything will be fine.

Breakfast: Oatmeal with honey. Black tea with milk (ooops, I did it again!) and a slice of bread with butter and honey.

Midday: An orange.

Lunch: Pasta with home-made sauce. I made the sauce myself: peeled 2 medium tomatoes, seeded one red bell pepper and chopped a medium onion. I had some fresh parsley, so I chopped it as well. So, I first sautéed the onion, added tomatoes, chopped pepper, salt and a little bit of water. I left everything to sit for about 10 minutes at a really low temperature. Then I added the parsley and made a sauce with the blender.

Afternoon: An apple and a banana.

Dinner: Stewed vegetables with quinoa. Very simple here: everything I had in the fridge, plus boiled quinoa. Easy?

Day 59

This is certainly a period of changes. Wonderful changes and bad changes, beautiful moments and unbearable sadness. I think it all depends on how we interpret them. The same thing can be interpreted as sad, as nice, as "not-so-bad", or even promising by absolutely different people. So what I am trying to do is to choose to see everything through understanding and optimistic eyes.

Breakfast: Oatmeal with honey. Black tea with milk (yes, I had to have it :) and a slice of bread with honey.

Midday: An orange and a banana

Lunch: Finished up yesterday's rice.

Dinner: Red lentil and vegetable soup, inspired by THIS recipe in the FatFreeVegan Blog.

I actually used cauliflower instead of cabbage, no celery as I didn't have it, and I used red lentils and not suggested brown lentils. I really liked its rich flavour - definitely, soups rule!

I also made pancakes from ricotta cheese (200 g of ricotta, 2 eggs, sugar to your taste, I added 3 spoonful, flour just to make the pancake liquid a little bit thicker and bit of salt. I fried the pancakes on olive oil.

And that's me, talking to a goldfish :) Asking for my health to get better!

Day 58

Breakfast: Oatmeal with honey. Green tea and a slice of bread with honey.

Midday: An orange and a banana

Lunch: Italian Caprese Salad: very easy, I found a nice recipe HERE.

Split Green peas and Potato Cream - ok, here's the recipe! I left the peas in water for 12 hours (did it yesterday!). Now, in a big sauce pan I sautéed a big chopped onion, added the peas and boiled them until they were quite soft. Added 2 chopped potatoes, kept boiling everything for 15 more minutes approx, or when potatoes were completely ready. Then I blended everything into a creamy soup, added some olive oil, red paprika, and lemon juice. Nice cream for a change!

Afternoon: A mandarine.

Dinner: Rice with Eggplant and Peas from FatFreevegan. I did not put any pepper in it because I didn't have it. It was very very good, I should say.

Acne Status: Looking good. I do have some new red enemies attacking. I am not getting desperate, but...

Days 47-57 BOOK OF MY LIFE

Hello there...

I haven't been here for quite a long time. I promise - this is not because I have been naughty and was eating McDonald's food. No no. I was emotionally overwhelmed, and I needed to think. I basically needed to think about all the good things that I have done and all good things that I still haven't done in my life. It's interesting that you get to a certain age, look back and see a huge book, the book of all your life. It has so many pages, colourful, colourless, blank, full of little black letters or smiling faces...

What I did see about my book is that many pages were not closed, they were still hanging in the air, waiting for me to pay attention to them and finally close them forever. Some of these pages are people with unfinished stories that were left behind when I was moving from one country to another. Others are some events that I didn't like or couldn't accept and, consequently, get over them.

I believe that some pages need to be turned over. You kind of have to force yourself into making a little effort and turning these pages over and never come back to them anymore. This is what I have been doing these 10 days. I have started. This would be a great beginning of the healing process as well - this time emotional.

As for my healthy eating, I have been doing great. I ate a bit too much bread lately, but still stuck to my oatmel and vegetarian cooking. FatFreeVegan website was of great help.

The Healthy and Beautiful blog is back!

Days 45-46

Day 45

Breakfast: Oatmeal with honey. Green tea and a slice of bread with honey.

Midday: A banana

Lunch: Vegetarian Chili from FatFreevegan! I didn't use corn, I used a little bit more zucchini instead. The recipe is really easy, and the chili was great. Don't have any picture of it, unfortunately.

Afternoon: A mandarine.

Dinner: Salad with pasta (pasta, canned tuna, lettuce, onion, sunflower seeds, olive oil and a little bit of Modena vinegar)

Day 44

Breakfast: Oatmeal with honey. Green tea and buscuits.

Midday: A banana.

Lunch: Finished up yesterday's vegetarian chili.

Dinner: Fruit: a banana, an orange, a mandarine. Green tea.

Today I bought Anna Selby's book on Ayurveda. It's incredible to get to know more about how our body works. I have done the tests, and I am a clear Vata-Pitta type with an unbalanced Vata dosha. In theory, I should follow the diet to lower my Vata. The new thing that I learned today that I can actually eat things that are not quite suitable for Vata, but I need to use the right spices, which are: cinnamon, coriander, cardamom, cummin, saffron, salt and fresh ginger.

 

The good spices for Pitta are: fennel, mint, coriander, cummin, saffron, nutmeg, camomile.

 

And for Kapha: practically any, except for salt and liquorice.

 

Day 43-44

Day 43

Breakfast: Oatmeal with honey. Green tea and a slice of bread with honey.

Midday: A banana and a mandarine.

Lunch: Stewed vegetables (zucchini, tomatoes, onions, garlic, red pepper and carrots).

Afternoon: An apple.

Dinner: Gnocchi with cheese (we had dinner in an Italian restaurant) - I couldn't each much of it, as it was too heavy to digest. Next time I will order something much lighter.

Day 44

Breakfast: Oatmeal with honey. Green tea.

Midday: A banana.

Lunch: Pearl barley hot cereal (I had it in the water for the whole night and then boiled and added a little bit of butter). check this info out:

Barley and your health.According to the FDA, barley's soluble fiber reduces the risk of coronary heart disease and can lower cholesterol. But that's not all that this amazing food does! Barley also contains insoluble fiber, which reduces the risk of Type 2 diabetes and colon cancer. One cup of cooked barley provides 193 calories, 6 grams of fiber and 3.5 grams of protein. With less than one gram of fat per serving, barley is a virtually fat-free food and is also cholesterol-free - Great cereal, isn't it????

Afternoon: A mandarine.

Dinner: Salad (lettuce, sunflower seeds, tomatoes, canned tuna. Salt, olive oil and lemon).

It's almost summer in Madrid!!! I just hope it will not be too hot this year.

Day 41-42

Day 41

Breakfast: Oatmeal with honey. Green tea and buscuits.

Midday: 2 oranges

Lunch: Salad (lettuce, onions, tomatoes, olives, and avocado). Boiled rice with vegetables (my friend Gema made it, she just boiled "menestra" kind of vegetables - like these:

together with rice. The result was a very light and healthy dish!

Afternoon: A kiwi

Dinner: Boiled yeallow peas with olive oil and a little bit of salt. We bought the yellow peas in Athens - actually I really liked the flavour, you can't buy them here in Spain.

Day 42

Breakfast: Oatmeal with honey. Green tea and a slice of bread.

Midday: An apple and a banana

Lunch: Stewed vegetables (potatoes, red pepper, onions, garlic, carrots and a fennel).

Afternoon: A kiwi

Dinner: Greek salad - yes again! We need to finish the Feta cheese!

Day 40 WEDDING!

We were invited to a wedding today! And of course we could forget about our healthy menu. Well, I did my best to eat only moderatley unhealthy things and not super-unhealthy :)

Breakfast: Oatmeal with honey. Green tea.

Midday: 2 Oranges

Wedding Lunch: Gazpacho, looks like the one below. And here's a good recipe for it.

Main dish: grilled monkfish with vegetables:

And for dessert: chocolate mousse, which I should not be including in my diet!!!

Dinner: Several pieces of fruit. I was full and didn't want to eat anything else.

Ah, weddings! I love to dance and wedding are a good place for it :) This is the song that is still playing in my head after the crazy wedding dancing: PLAY!

Day 39

We have guests tonight! I tried to cook healthy and at the same time substancial food, so that our guests come back again!

Breakfast: Oatmeal with honey. Green tea and buscuits.

Midday: An orange and a kiwi

Lunch: Salad (lettuce, onions, tomatoes, olives, and tuna fish)

Afternoon: A kiwi

Dinner: Here comes the menu for our guests!

1) The Greek salad with the Feta cheese brought from Athens - not the best picture, you can't really see the ingredients. But just imagine the typical Greek salad and its yummy taste!

 2) Lebanese Stew with chickpeas! Brilliant Recipe from FatFreeVegan!

 3) Salmon baked in foil with boiled potatoes - very simple and delicious! I didn't use any oil for salmon. This was the closest recipe to mine: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1917,155188-252199,00.html I might have overcooked it a little, but it was great anyway.

 4) Our friend from Argentina made this cake with a spongy buscuit and dulce de leche - I didn't eat too much of it, although it was really good. I will ask for the recipe.

Days 36-37-38

Very UNHEALTHY days. For work reasons I had to eat out and the food did not quite fit into my healthy diet. I ate fish, and some Spanish tapas, drank a little bit of wine, and had very intense working days full of stress, meetings and lack of sleep. I will not describe what I ate because this is just not what I would like to see in my diet. But hey, sometimes people just can't always fit the diet into their routine. Isn't that horrible?

On a positive note, I found this post from Andreas Moritz and I decided to try the following oil therapy. See for yourself:

Article # 1 Oil Swishing – An effective way to cleanse your blood daily

Oil therapy is a simple, yet astoundingly effective, method of cleansing the blood. It is helpful for numerous disorders, including blood diseases, lung and liver disorders, tooth and gum diseases, headaches, skin diseases, gastric ulcers, intestinal problems, poor appetite, heart and kidney ailments, encephalitis, nervous conditions, poor memory, female disorders, swollen face and bags under the eyes. The therapy consists simply of swishing oil in the mouth. 

To apply this therapy you need expeller-pressed, unrefined sunflower, sesame or olive oil. In the morning, preferably after awakening or anytime before breakfast, put 1-2 tablespoons of oil in your mouth, but do not swallow it. Slowly swish the oil in your mouth, chew it, and draw it through your teeth for 3 to 4 minutes. This thoroughly mixes the oil with saliva and activates the released enzymes. The enzymes draw toxins out of the blood. For this reason, it is important to spit out the oil after no more than 3 to 4 minutes. You do not want any of the released toxins to be reabsorbed. You will find that the oil takes on a milky white or yellowish color as it becomes saturated with toxins and with billions of destructive bacteria.
For best results, repeat this process two more times. (If this releases too many toxins and you feel uncomfortable, do this only once.) Then rinse out your mouth with half a teaspoon of baking soda or unrefined sea salt (take either of these dissolved in a small amount of water). This solution will remove all remnants of the oil and toxins. Additionally, you may want to brush your teeth to make sure your mouth is clean. Tongue scraping is also advised.

Some of the visible effects of oil swishing include the elimination of gum bleeding and the whitening of teeth. During times of illness, this procedure can be repeated 3 times per day, but only on an empty stomach. Oil therapy greatly relieves and supports liver functions, as it takes toxins out of the blood that the liver is not able to remove or detoxify. This benefits the entire organism.

Permalink: http://www.andreasmoritzblog.com/2011/04/07/article---1----oil-swishing--an-effective-way-to-cleanse-your-blood-daily.aspx

Day 35 ATHENS

Our last day in this wonderful city... Beautiful weather for first week of April - really warm and nice...

The change of the Guard we saw on Sunday (happens every Sunday at 11 am)

Agora, Temple of Hephaestus

What's left of Pantheon

Lunch: We bought the famous cheese pies and mushroom pies. It was not a healthy choice, and to be honest, I wasn't that impressed. That day, I really missed my veggies.

Afternoon: A banana and a pear. We finally remembered to buy some fruit.

Dinner:

We couldn't get enough of tzatziki - and here it comes again. This time with a looooot of garlic!

New interesting salad: some soft goat cheese, tomatoes, parsley, olives, all on toasted bread. Some wonderful secret sauce, but I guess we could use anythink we like here.



Smoked mackerel

Overall, this was a great trip. I wouldn't say that the monuments in Athens are in great shape, they are really far from being that. But the Greeks are working on restoring things and renovating the city - and it keeps attracting millions and millions of tourists every year. The food is one of the main reasons, I am sure.

Day 34 ATHENS

We went to a very famous cafe Chatzis for breakfast, and we were not disappointed! Look at this beauty (we ate it all, but only with our eyes! And we chose something the least sweet option for breakfast!)

Breakfast: I wouldn't know the recipe, but this pie wasn't too sweet. It had some kind of cream inside.

Lunch: In one of the typical taverns we had nice mezes - salads and appetizers.

Lettuce, smoked mackerel, onion and Greek yoghourt

Boiled baby octopus with olive oil; boiled black-eyed peas

Greek salad wih Feta cheese - beautiful!

 Dinner: Three little starters: tzatziki, hummus and babaganoush.

Salad: sun-dried tomatoes, lettuce, soft Feta cheese, croutons, salt, olive oil and lemon juice.

We also had some grilled fish, but unfortunately I don't have a picture of it.

I haven't eaten so much of Feta cheese in my life - and now I am absolutely addicted to it. I didn't even know there were so many kinds of it! We bought almost a kilo of it to take back home.

Day 33 ATHENS

This is the beginning of our amazing 3-day trip to Greece, Athens! Oh my goodness, this has been absolutely fabulous!!! What I liked most? The people, the food and the dogs!

The Greeks are very friendly, very nice, generous and cordial. I loved their food! The trip has become a non-stop feast for us - we just couldn't stop eating! See for yourself!

Breakfast: Lovely black tea with milk and a biscuit - nothing healthy here, just pure pleasure!

Lunch: Just see in pictures:

Wine Rosé



Typical Greek Liquor to open appetite and their homemade bread



I think this was sea-bass... on a bed of grilled vegetables - yummy!

Cuttlefish with cheese sauce - out of this world!

Dinner: I will find all the recipes - these are not difficult to make, you just need to find fresh ingredients!

This is a very famous meze (starter) - fried cheese Saganaki

Greek Salad with Feta cheese - of course!

Babaganush - recipe here

Pureed yellow peas

Baked peppers

Tzatziki - found a good recipe here.

And this has only begun - tomorrow more!

Days 31-32

Day 31

Breakfast: Oatmeal with honey. A toast with butter and green tea.

Midday: An apple

Lunch: Pureed boiled vegetables (pumpkin, onions, carrots, leeks, tomatoes, salt and olive oil)

Afternoon: 2 oranges

Dinner: Finished up the pureed vegetables.

Day 32 - Going to Athens!

Breakfast: Oatmeal with honey. A toast with butter and green tea.

Midday: An apple and a kiwi

Lunch: Boiled rice and steamed broccoli.

Afternoon: A pear

Dinner on the plane: A piece of bread with butter, pasta and some tomato sauce.

All details about my trip to Athens will be posted tomorrow - it was an unbelievable gastronomic week-end!

Days 29-30

Day 29

Breakfast: Oatmeal with honey. A toast with butter and green tea.

Midday: A pear

Lunch: Salad (lettuce, rucula, avocado, walnuts, sunflower seeds and tomatoes - all with sea salt, olive oil and lemon juice)

We finished up yesterday's buckwheat soup.

Dinner: Okay, we were celebrating. We went to a wonderful restaurant to eat some sea-food, and we were not disappointed. We had some grilled octopus, seafood risotto and a slice of an apple cake. Unbelievable night. I will try to make this seafood risotto myself in the future.

Day 30

Breakfast: Oatmeal with honey. A toast with butter and green tea.

Midday: A banana and a pear.

Lunch: We had several hake slices in the fridge, so I decided to make them. I sauteed two big chopped onions, then salted the slices a little and breaded them. I put the hake to the pan with the onion, added a little bit of olive oil and put the lid on. When the fish was ready from both sides, I sprinkled a little bit of lemon juice on it. I certainly love fish, I enjoyed it a lot. The baked potatoes and a little salad were our side dishes.

Dinner: The leftovers clean-up. Soup, fish, potatoes and a tomato salad (just a ripe tomato with fresh onion, salt and sunflower oil. I love it. Yummy.)