11Jul 2019

Hiking in Saas Fee

11 Jul 2019 0 Dog, Travel Permalink

As you all may know by now – from having seen my IG stories and photos – I was once again in Saas Fee this year for business. This little town up in the alps is magical for me. I’ve written a post about it previously, and will thus not go into too much detail about it now. The drive up into the mountains was once more breath-taking and this time my boyfriend and our two puppies joined! The business events lasted from Wednesday night up until Friday and once again I learned more than I could have imagined in such a short time frame. Amazing! Friday night my man sadly had to return to Zurich early so I stayed in Saas Fee with the dogs and my family (parents & sis). Saturday, before driving back to Zurich, we decided to go for a small hike with the dogs. The path right from Saas Fee took us a bit further up into the mountains. We saw marmots (which you can actually feed with peanuts out of your hands!), walked past a huge water mill and saw the slowly melting glacier up in the mountains. All in all, it was absolutely wonderful. That is of course, if you’re such a nature fanatic like myself. Also: I think the dogs had the time of their lives!

on the day of the hike – right in front of the water mill

07Jun 2019

Vegan Breakfasts with MOMA Foods

07 Jun 2019 0 Food Permalink

I don’t often eat breakfasts – but when I do, I make sure to fuel my body from the get-go; especially if I don’t have a lot of time! Recently, I had the pleasure of receiving two full boxes of MOMA Porridge. I left one of each flavour at home (for when I decide to eat breakfast one day) and immediately took the rest to the office – which is where I tend to eat breakfast a little more often. My expectations weren’t all too high – in the end, I prefer cooking everything up myself if possible and eating as less packaged foods as possible. To my surprise, it tasted much better than expected. The tastes available are as follows: Almond & Caramel, Apple & Cinnamon, and Coconut-Chia! I wanted to try each and every one more than once before writing a small review.

Again, they tasted unexpectedly… well, tasty. I especially like the fact that none of them taste all too sweet – rather, I could imagine that some would want to add some sweetening to it; such as honey. A second point I much appreciate is the good-sized portions of porridge. As mentioned earlier, I don’t really eat breakfast. The times that I did make my own porridge at the office (usually in winter when I need to warm up), however, I usually ended up making much too large portions that either I never finished – or worse, I did finish and felt super full from afterwards. Both wasn’t ideal. I admit that the first time I actually thought the portion was way too small for my hunger (I don’t eat often, but I can eat pretty large portions when I eat!). Yet, I quickly figured that the amount was perfectly portioned and did fill me up. My favourite one is surely the Almond & Caramel, even though it is closely followed by the Apple & Cinnamon one. How about you – any breakfast eaters out there or likewise often starting with lunch? Oh – and last but not least – I actually stopped eating these for breakfast but instead decided it was the perfect afternoon snack for me (usually topped off with some fresh fruit such as different types of berries)!

22May 2019

Cooking on our new Plancha

22 May 2019 0 Food Permalink

Cooking a la Plancha has got to be our new motto at home. Recently my boyfriend decided we needed a new grill – better even, a plancha. Without having any idea of what exactly a plancha is compared to a normal grill, I nodded in excitement – loving the idea of some bbq sessions on our terrace. When the plancha arrived I still believed it was like a normal grill – perhaps the only difference being that the surface to grill on is one big hot plate. Oh, how wrong I was!

Firstly, I was educated that a plancha is not a normal grill, but so much more advantageous. And rightly so. Here are some important points to note:

1) A plancha reaches a temperature of 270-300°C within 5 to 10 minutes (much quicker than most grills)
2) The smallest chopped foods can be made on a plancha without falling between the embers that a normal bbq brings with it
3) Everything can be cooked or grilled on a plancha – from meats, to fish, to vegetables, an omelette, pancakes or even popcorn can be made on it!
4) Grilling / cooking on a plancha can be done completely without oils or butter (though we do recommend oil if you don’t want food sticking to your plancha too fast)
5) It’s fast, easy and you can cook / grill super healthy
6) Cleaning has never been easier! Once done cooking, you can throw on some cold water or ice cubes and scrap the surface of the plancha with the spatula to remove any burnt food that is left. No need to take the bbq apart and clean between the embers – what a relief!

We’re still working on new recipes, trying out others and experimenting on the plancha – but one thing is for sure: so far it has alway come out great and really only takes a couple of minutes until the food is served!

Cooking on the plancha is easiest with a spatula and grill tongs!

We also have a lid to cover the vegetables to cook them through even quicker.. oh, and this lid can also be used to make popcorn!

24Apr 2019

Moving Homes with a Dog

24 Apr 2019 0 Dog, General Permalink

The move is more or less done – finally! Almost all furniture is where it is supposed to be, the outside area lounge and seating arrangements have been ordered and we are ready for summer! One of the biggest things that stressed me was actually having to move with my dog. Moving a dog from one place to another can cause lots of stress for the dog and more often than expected, the dogs don’t take it all too easy. Zaphira likewise had her issues. She immediately loved the place – ran around, enjoyed the garden from day one and was happy to look outside the windows to stalk the neighbours. Yet leaving her alone in the apartment was a task for itself. The first days she did not leave my side, barked when I left our new home after 10 seconds and was crying so loud I could hear it in the basement I felt.

To get a dog used to a new place, it is important to make it feel like a home. I decided to not have her with me during the actual days of moving and left her with a dog sitter. This way there was less stress for her and she was able to come into the (almost readily) furnished apartment. Her bed and all her toys were waiting for her and I hid treats all over the place for her to joyfully explore the new surrounding. Leaving her alone was an issue though. I decided to take baby steps. I would go to the bathroom or bed room and close the door behind me so that she wouldn’t be with me at all times. Yet, she knew I was still in the apartment. After a few days, I would go into the garden by myself. She was able to see me and stared outside the window. Later I would go through the garden and bring away the trash – suddenly I was out of sight. What started with a little panic attack from her side because normal after 2 days. Then I went grocery shopping around the corner for about 20 minutes and after about 3-4 weeks she seemed fully fine with the new situation. So proud of her! We are now at a stage where I can leave her alone for several hours if need be, too. Thankfully!

Just remember – moving homes with a dog is a whole new task and takes time and especially a whole lot of patience!

26Mar 2019

Finishing off my new apartment

26 Mar 2019 0 General, Living in Style Permalink

Hello and happy Tuesday everyone! It’s been a while and my days have been filled with travelling, busy work days, spending some quality time with loved ones, enjoying nature with Zaphira and – trying to finish the new apartment!

I am proud to say that it is almost done. Well, it’s been “almost done” for about 3 weeks now. I managed to more or less unpack everything within a weekend – finished a few last boxes the weekend after and now only have one room semi-undone left: my home office. Although more or less everything is already at its place, it still feels a little cold and not as inviting as it should. My biggest issue: I cannot work in a place I don’t feel 100% comfortable in.

This week, however – if I am lucky – my two carpets should arrive that I ordered. One for the living room, and one for my office room. I’ll then need to add a few last details, put up some pictures (some walls got repainted so I had to wait) and hopefully I am rather done then. Of course, my apartment is ALWAYS a work in progress and I love switching things up from time to time. Yet, the basis should be done in the next few weeks. At least that is my plan before I leave for my next trip!