Good good links #48

 Long Short time no talk! While you might have seen me highlighting some of my favourite older posts from other bloggers Spill it Sunday-style yesterday today is all about the more recent ones.  I had the hardest time picking only three and even on Sundays I could add more and more posts. But it’s summer and I know both you and me would rather enjoy as much time outdoors as we can so that’s that. Enjoy the links and enjoy the sunshine!

Happy Sunday!

 

 Good good [food for thought]

 Do You Need A Digital Detox? via Cotter Crunch

My honest answer: yes. How about you?

My Smartphone, My B*tch: A Letter of Hate, Love and Balance via Huffington Post

Would your letter to your phone read similarly?

 

 

The Scale via Snack Therapy

“We’re the ones who give the scale power” – and we’re the ones who can take it back replacing pounds with unmeasurable happiness and memories.

The Story “Before & Afters” Don’t Tell via In it for the Long Run

Two pictures don’t tell you the story in between their dates of origin.

Yes, You Should Eat 1,200 Calories… via Peace, Love & Oats

That is, if you lie around and don’t actually live your life.

Why ‘Fitspo’ Should Come With A Warning Label via Huffington Post

What starts out as health inspiration can soon become on obsession – it’s a very thin line.

 

Good good [advice and inspiration]

Stop Obsessing About A Bikini Body & Start Loving Life. Here’s How via Mind Body Green

Good old-fashioned ‘fake it till you make it’, complimenting others and detoxing from media can help.

7 Things That Make A Woman Beautiful That Makeup Can’t Do via Lifehack

The kind of post you want to print out as a reminder for ‘those’ days.

Why you don’t have to quit sugar to be healthy via Mindful Meals

 Some [possibly] surprising facts about sugar and why it’s not the devil the media makes us believe.

 

 Exercise

One Size Doesn’t Fit All: How to Find the Best Health and Fitness Routine for You via Greatist

What works for you might not be what others are promoting.

A 6-Minute High-Intensity Workout You Can Do Anywhere via Mind Body Green

For those days when you either don’t feel like going to the gym or can’t make it happen.

 

Food-related

Whole Food Baking Tips via My Whole Food Life

Great ideas and conversion charts to help you make your favourite recipes a little healthier.

 

 

Good good [posts to make you smile]

This Story Of A Dog’s Last Day On Earth Is Beautiful And Utterly Heartbreaking via BuzzFeed

If this doesn’t touch you might want to check your ID for the name Scrooge…

23 Things Every Late-Night Person Will Know To Be True via BuzzFeed

…and I can relate to almost every single one. At least I’m not alone?!

22 Ingenious Products That Will Make Your Workday So Much Better via BuzzFeed

Where exactly do I get that under-desk elliptical and washable keyboard again??

 

Good good [food]

Mini Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter & Jelly Cups via Coffee & Quinoa

The only way to make a classic even better: If you thought PB Cups were great these are brilliant.

7 Genius Ways to Use Quinoa You Never Would’ve Thought Of via Women’s Health Mag

Some you might know already but others you might have yet to add to your repertoire.

Fudgy Mocha Mint Brownies via nosh & nourish

She had me at ‘fudgy’ plus mint + chocolate are one of the best combinations. Did I mention they’re flourless, vegan and refined sugar-free, too?!

Flourless PB & Chocolate Cookies by Robyn [the real life RD] via Hummusapien

No beans or chickpeas: just lots of peanut butter, banana and chocolate action in these nutritious little treats.

Black Pepper Stir-Fried Noodles via Pinch of Yum

Easy to prepare and irresistible – that’s what the look of this recipe promises.

Pesto Farro Salad with Roasted Summer Vegetables via Blissful Basil

Fierce competition for the classic pasta or potato salads out there. I wouldn’t mind a bowl right now.

53 Brilliant Ways to Spice Up Boring Tofu via Greatist

It’s no secret tofu on its own is as exciting as rubber gum so these recipes will come in handy.

23 Deliciously Cold Summer Soups via BuzzFeed

Because Gazpacho is  not the only soup to cool you down on a summer day – or after a heated debate if it’s cold where you are.

Cauliflower Cheddar, Pesto Zucchini Grilled Cheese Sandwich. via Vegan Richa

Cauliflower, what can’t you do?! If dairy cheese isn’t your beef* then you might like this vegan version of the classic.

 

*I’m vegetarian and allowed to make that kind of bad jokes.

 

Happiness-inducing today: Finally getting back into letter-writing and sending one off to a good friend.

Stay in touch!

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Which posts made you think, smile or got you hungry this week?

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Past [and] perfect – [Spill it Sundays Flashback edition II]

If you’ve been around for a while you know I like to share my favourite posts from all around the web every week. Needless to say I was all up for the idea when Arman announced we were allowed – or even encouraged?! – to give a shout-out to other bloggers in this week’s edition of Spill it Sundays. Get ready for the shortest post I’ve ever written – maybe a welcome break from my usual wordiness if you’re not a fan of that?? (: – because these posts can truly all stand for themselves. They’re a blast from the past and perfect.

I’ll see you tomorrow for the weekly round of good good links! Enoy the weekend!

These are in no particular order because I like all of them just as much for specific reasons each.

#1 Pseudo-Recovery via Better with Sprinkles

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This post is one I keep going back to whenever I feel stuck in recovery and need either a) a kick in the butt or b) the reassurance that – no matter how long it takes – full recovery is possible. It takes time and the mindset plays a huge role

 

#2 You’re Allowed to Love Your Body via Snack Therapy

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There are a million things I could say about this post but Carly does it best herself already.  Go read this post – and all others by her – and then spread the self-love.

#3 Guilt vs. Goal – this is MY style via Swiss Fit Chick

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If you’ve ever been judged, accused of having an ED or not being on your way to recovery/ recovered this post will resonate with you. Choosing a healthy lifestyle isn’t necessarily a sign of a disorder and only you know why you live in a certain way. Live and let others live.

 

Happiness-inducing today: The country bumpkin in me coming out and needing to carress two horses in front of a wedding carriage standing in front of  a church. Some days I miss living in the countryside and riding horses a lot.

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Have you read any of the posts above? Did they resonate with you?

Are there any posts from the past you keep getting back to for advice or inspiration?

wedding carriage

Don’t stop and stare.

It’s time to think out loud with Amanda – or step on the soap box in my case?! – again. Instead of sharing the latest Yogi wisdom or roommate stories with you there’s something else on my mind…

What’s the first thought you have when you see a very thin girl on the street or in a picture on a blog?

She clearly has an eating disorder.

Goodness, somebody feed her.

Or how about the thoughts when seeing a curvier woman?

Lazy couch potato.

She shouldn’t eat that burger and move more.

… and then people usually either stare, whisper to whomever is walking with them – or: spread rumors. Yet all of these points are assumption. This is what you can’t tell from a person’s appearance. If I wanted I could further to the many times I got wrong first impressions of people – non-ED-related –  who later became good friends. But in light of the fact there are whole forums dedicated solely to gossiping about [or at least that one huge I’m sure many of you have heard of before]. Analyzing their appearances, diets and whole lives. This as well as several bloggers’ posts adressing the topic of [presumed] EDs on their part – like this one by Katie – I felt like sharing my thoughts and experiences on the issue. Not because I’d personally been subject of any rumors or mean commentary lately – not for a good long while. Simply for the cause it’s an ever-occuring topic on- and offline.

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When there is so much you’ll never know. Even I personally will admit I have these thoughts when I see an underweight person. That’s when I remind myself I don’t know her story. I don’t know if she actually has an ED. Just naming one example would be a friend of mine who’s still very skinny as a result of battling cancer. People who know won’t look or ask. But if outsiders saw her they might come to wrong conclusions.

Don’t stare at people who are on either end of the weight spectrum [or in non-weight-related ways different from the norm] – because chubby people have to deal with hurtful commentary as much as thin ones.  Stares, finger-pointing and gossiping behind the person’s back hurt – online as much as in real life. If you’re concerned about somebody: ask. Maybe offer help. Don’t spread rumors. Give them a chance to explain their story. Or if they don’t want to: accept it.

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The weight of a person doesn’t open her mind to you. If you saw me right now you’d probaly have similar thoughts to those mentioned above, too. In fact, I’d assume I look similar to what I did when I started my blog. But my mindset has changed a lot since. And mindset plays at least as huge a role as weight. I’m not naive and saying weight didn’t matter in recovery – it does. But just because somebody is at what is considered a healthy weight doesn’t necessarily mean their mind was at the same stage of recovery. Just like – as mentioned – somebody being over- or underweight doesn’t automatically mean that person was [still or at any point] excessively over- or undereating.

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Progress can be made or on its way even if somebody doesn’t look like it yet. Weight gain and recovery don’t happen overnight. Like I said: I’m not immune to the automatic assumptions, either. But I’m trying to keep in mind there’s so much more to a person her weight doesn’t tell and stares hurt.

Happiness inducing today: Having a surprisingly productive morning [for a night owl this is a big deal].

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Twitter: @MissPolkadot21
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No questions today. Just whichever thoughts or experiences you have regarding the topic.

Everything’s sweet about [my] food…

If there’s lessons to be learned – I’d rather get my jamming eats in first so … [I’m still doing it]

It’s been a while since I gave you a whole half a day of food in my life*. Why not make today that day?! And that’s where the sweet part sets in. Granted, I actually started on a savoury pre-breakfast note with some mushrooms dipped in salsa but they didn’t make the picture. Long intros are only sidetracking from the actual posts, though, so I’ll get started with the food already. Thanks to Jenn as well as the Vegan Wednesday hosts!

*not to be confused with an actual full day because I still doubt I’d ever remember or want to snap pictures of every morsel that makes its way into my mouth. Sorry.

If you – like me – have a slight overbuying tendency combined with a mum coming for a visit and surprising you with a huge punnet of blueberries you might suddenly find yourself with a few pounds* of berries. A few more than I could possibly eat all by themselves soon enough. For whichever reason cooked fruit seems to go down easier than raw so I decided to bake some of it. Starting your day with fresh local strawberries? Not the worst idea. I didn’t mention it yet but polenta – yes, the ingredient I used to snark at – has been making frequent appearances. Either my tastebuds changed a lot since last year or getting more relaxed around food and preparing it the right way [think: cooked in soy milk not water and with coconut butter/ oil stirred in]. While this wasn’t bad and in fact reminiscent of the semolina pudding I was fond of during my childhood I still prefer polenta the savoury way and oat bran for my first [sweet] meal of the day.

*German [500 g] not American [454 g] pounds which does make a difference when we’re talking about  not one but a few 😉

In an attempt to clean out my cupboards I took care of an old favourite: frozen Alpro dark chocolate dessert. Seriously, if you haven’t tried freezing these: do yourself a favour! And here’s where things got [in] explicably #strangebutgood. Why, yes, mid-way through eating I remembered a store-bought ice cream favourite from years ago – Dark Chocolate Chili – and decided to spice up my snack. Anybody who’s been reading for a while and knows my fondness of  a certain bar of chocolate actually shouldn’t be too surprised. Chocolate and chili were meant to meet.

[and I’m apparently five years old still making a mess when eating pudding – some things don’t change]

Lunch was a case of lacking creativity but I decided to pick up some phyllo dough at the store to see if what it’d inspire me to. Because everything tastes good wrapped in crispy buttery pastry. The result was a mix of sauteed bok choy,  mushrooms, tomatoes and – big surprise! – chickpeas covered in the cheesy pumpkin sauce I used in my  tortilla bake before. It was a good and delicious decision.  Phyllo, you can do no wrong.

You know my preference to end on a sweet note and oh do I have a recipe recommendation for you! Ever since Amanda posted her Banana Bread Mug Cake last week I’ve had at least one per day. Addicted?  Quite possibly. I’ve only been introduced to banana bread through the blog world because it’s not a classic over here. The first recipe I tried was Jenn’s browned butter [veganized in my case] chocolate chip version quite a while ago. So maybe I’m not the most trustworthy judge for banana bread authenticity. What I know, though,  is that this is a pretty awesome mug cake and I have no plans on ending the obsession soon.

 

There you have it: the first half of my day in meals and sweet snacks. More chocolate in the form of several squares of Lindt followed so my salty tooth wasn’t beckoning overly in the second half of the day, either, which is unusual so I’m curious about tomorrow’s cravings…

Happiness-inducing today: the baby on its mum’s shoulder flashing me the cutest smile when I was walking behind the two for a few metres. Adorable.

Stay in touch!

Twitter: @MissPolkadot21
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Are there days where you’re predominantly going for either sweet or savoury food?

What are your favourite mug cake recipes?

Do you have a go-to no-fail recipe you turn to when not feeling creative? Wrapping whatever I need to use up in phyllo dough has yet to disappoint me.

Chocolate and chili: yay or nay?

 

 

Good good links #47

Summer, sunshine, soccer [and no, I don’t want to think/ talk about tonight’s game. At any point before or after.] It’s that day of the week where I stop talking and let posts from all around the web – and mostly: you – do just that. Enjoy and let me know your favourites and must-reads from the week in the comments.

Happy Sunday!

 Good good [food for thought]

Exploring a Modern Fixation With Labels by Jackson Barret via HuffPost Teen

Vegetarian, runner, musician, … Why do we long so much for fitting into a certain box?

Pick your battles via Khushboo’s Blog

None of us are perfect: you don’t need to be the health overachiever but just live looking at the big picture of balance.

Let’s talk about „fat“ via Girl Gone Veggie

“Are we destined to spend our whole lives wishing for a body we never actually have?”

29 Things Women Avoid Doing Because We Fear For Our Safety via BuzzFeed

Sad but true and this list isn’t even the extent of it.

False advertising with blogger recipes via The Big Man’s World

Don’t claim your healthy oatmeal to taste like a decadent dessert when it just doesn’t.

 

 Good good [advice and inspiration]

10 Surprising Signs You’re Sleep-Deprived via HuffPost Healthy Living

Who knew relying on clichés or being impulsive could be signs you need to call it a night sooner?

Why I Stopped Counting Calories via The Almond Eater

 “remember that numbers do not define who you are and how you should feel about yourself. YOU get to define that. ”

My Struggle With Motivation via Smart Twenties

Some days you’re just not feeling it for whichever reason – that’s okay and you’re not alone.

12 Quiet Rituals of Enormously Successful Humans via Marc & Angel

It’s not the noise making the success but the silent inner workings and habits.

5 Ways Your Friends Make You Happier, Healthier And An All-Around Better Person via HuffPost Healthy Living

Scientific proof of why our friends are even more awesome than we already thought they were.

Live In The Moment! 10 Fun Tips To Be More Present via Mind Body Green

Are you always days ahead in your mind, too? Some ideas to focus on the here and now.

 

Is coconut oil good for you? via Chelsea’s Healthy Kitchen

Good or bad: there are two opposing camps when it comes to coconut oil. Here’s a valid consideration of what it is and isn’t.

 

Do-it-yourself

25 Unexpectedly Genius Household Hacks You’ll Wish You’d Thought Of First via BuzzFeed

Some serious hidden gems but the ponytail one has to be a joke. Right…?

 

Blogging

My Top Ten Blogging Tools via Run Pretty

Tools [some non-technological ones you might not have thought of, too!] that make blogging easier and more fun.

What You Need to Know About Your Stats if You Want to Work With Brands on Your Blog via ProBlogger

Cooperating with brands is a great chance for bloggers. What you need to know to present yourself well.

 

Exercise

Strength Training without the Gym via Runner’s World

The often neglected but important part of running and how to make it work outdoors.

How To Do Downward Dog (Cute Infographic!) via Mind Body Green

If you’ve – like me –  been meaning to try yoga for a while, too, this pose seems like a good starting point.

 

 Good good [posts to make you smile]

Food On Instagram Vs. Food In Reality via BuzzFeed

Never trust a picture you didn’t fake yourself.

 31 Struggles Kids Today Will Never Understand via BuzzFeed

Talk about nostalgia. Don’t tell me you didn’t feel old after reading this, too.

 

 Good good [food]

Banana Bread Mug Cake via Running with Spoons

For when you don’t want to share whip up a whole loaf but need banana bread in your life.

Vanilla Peach Pops via Love & Lemons

With only five ingredients these couldn’t be a more simple – or prettier – alternative to store-bought popsicles.

4 Ingredient Vegan Chocolate Fudgesicles via honey & figs

If these taste as amazing as they look I’m taking back anything I ever said against avocados.

 Homemade Veggie Dogs via Fatfree Vegan Kitchen

A tofu-less meatfree alternative sausage for your next summer BBQ.

Earth Bowl Salads with Smokey Candied Walnuts and Basil Dressing via Iowa Girl Eats

Roasted broccoli, corn, tomatoes, cheese, … The kind of loaded salad even I could get on board with.

Easy Blender Gazpacho via The Healthy Maven

The ultimate summer soup for those hot days and a dish I’ve been meaning to make again for ages and this recipe sounds perfect.

Sweet Potato Gouda Grits via Peas and Crayons

Hello, cheesy comfort food. Who says it wouldn’t work with squash instead of the potatoes, too?

 

Happiness inducing today: Seeing how much fun the neighbours’ children had playing soccer with one of the dads in front of our house in the afternoon. So cute.

Stay in touch!

Twitter: @MissPolkadot21
Pinterest: MissPolkadot21
Bloglovin’: Let’s get living

 

Which posts made you think, smile or got you hungry this week?

Cute, creepy and charming [Thinking out loud]

Don’t you just like how the day of talking about food is followed up by a day of [for the most part] fun thoughts? Let’s set the sails for thinking out loud with Amanda.

If you saw my post yesterday you’ll remember I talked about my first matcha experience. Say hello to Mr. Matcha Elephant. I swear the cute packaging had absolutely nothing to do with my decison to buy it. Not that it hurt to have a more unique one than the usual tea boxes, though…

2. Amanda posted this test a while ago and here’s my result:

You got: Alice in Wonderland

You have no clue what you’re doing and as a result, you’re horrible with money, totally disorganized, and basically undatable. Sorry.

Wow. Thanks. Only not. Does it count if I take the test again and modify my answers to get a better result? Second chances and all in mind? Either way, I’ll still wait for my Prince Charming to stop by on a horse and pick me up.

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3. Speaking of – or:  linking to – BuzzFeed: Does anybody else feel working there would be awesome? Who doesn’t regularly spend free time browsing the website and laughing like there was no tomorrow? And then being in the position of writing those articles?! Where am I supposed to mail my application?

4. There are moments where I wonder who’s the more grown up between my roommate [30] and me [23]. One such incident a few days ago: A spider – and no, not one of those tiny ones you hardly see but one of those creepy chubby black ones*  – had managed to sneak into our bathroom and was sitting on top of the toilet. Right when I was walking into the bathroom in my towel meaning to take a shower. So I called my roommate to help me figure out how to remove it. She was too afraid to even walk into the room and take a look. So guess who had to grab a jar and piece of paper to set the eight-legged intruder outside?!

*I don’t care what you say about Germany not having those really huge ones – it was big enough for me

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That is me when dealing with spiders. Minus the killing part. But it’d better not move when I transport the jar…

5. About that sudden burst of a heatwave we experienced a few days ago [it’s all gone now]: Here’s some unsual proof I snapped.

That would be a newly opened jar of coconut oil that had a little puddle of already melted content. Clearly neither me nor my cooking ingredients can stand heat.

6. If you – like me – ever have a hard time making a decision: why not flip a coin?! Just like with anything in our time and age there’s a virtual way to do so: there you go.  I wonder if there’s a money back guarantee for bad decisions you make under the influence…

7. One decions I don’t have to make anymore because it’s a given is my TV program on Sunday.

8. With that I’m finished thinking – or at least out loud. Happy Thursday!

 

Happiness inducing today: Picking up a book I’d preordered at the library.

Stay in touch!

Twitter: @MissPolkadot21
Pinterest: MissPolkadot21
Bloglovin’: Let’s get living

 

What’s your go-to way of getting rid of spiders?

Take the test and let me know your result!