As I’m writing and looking into perspective, I feel very fortunate to travel again and do my job as a professional tennis player. When I’m now abroad it feels like I’m given an opportunity to seize all the wonders of live which is enhancing my life experience in all magical ways. Therefore I’m in awe when I see what this beautiful city has to offer and digesting all the ancient monuments with a history greater than time. As I walk through these old, narrow streets of cobblestone, it is as time has stand still and I’m brought back into the town’s past. Although its architecture, tram tracks and atmosphere might be giving you nostalgia, there is a new breath of modern life hanging in the air. If you look closely you’ll sense it by the small healthy cafés standing out which crosses the line of history, traditionalism and conservatism. They will take you to the future of a healthy eating lifestyle that is becoming more common and sought after around the world.
I went on a hungry stomach with great determination towards my target to eat a delicious breakfast. Destination: Nola kitchen. I must admit it wasn’t the cleverest choice to look at the menu when being so eager to eat it all. But in the end my choice landed at the egg bowl. A nutritious bowl of black rice, sautéed kale, grilled corn, poached eggs, oven roasted sweet potatoes and delicious tahini sauce with it.
The egg bowl
However, that bowl still made me hungry for more and so I ordered their summer edition pancakes. With the sun shining towards my face it felt like the perfect choice as chocolate pancakes would be heavy to digest on a warm summer’s day in Porto.
Summer edition pancakes
These healthy pancakes were definitely a new experience to me. They tasted not like normal pancakes if being honest, but with the coconut yoghurt, maple sirup, berries and crunch of pistachios, it balanced it out and so I ended up finishing it all up somehow!
Wanderlust The square you need to visitThe beautiful facade of the churchMonuments of ancient historyIn love with the blue tiles!During a hitting session on center court before the tournament
Making healthier choices everyday is a step towards better well being. But don’t be misled, balance is so important, like everything in life. Therefore, don’t be too hard on yourself in the first place and enjoy the journey! Here I had made myself a healthier version of what I love; waffles. It can be difficult understanding or being open about if it will still taste great when made healthy. However, I can assure you, it’s no problem at all and with those toppings it’s nothing to miss.
These waffles are gluten-free, dairyfree, plant based, vegan and refined sugar free! They also have a hidden vegetable in it… Carrot!
Ingredients
• 5 dl oats
• 2,5 dl buckwheat flour
• 1 banana
• 8 dl plantbased milk (I used oat milk)
• 1/4 tsp cardamom
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp coconut sugar
• 1 shredded carrot
Instructions
1. First add all ingredients except the shredded carrot in a blender. When the batter is smooth, then you can stir in the carrot with a spoon.
2. Heat up your waffle maker and add some coconut oil to it so that the batter doesn’t stick.
3. Have your favorite toppings with it! I love both savory and sweet, the options are so many! On the picture I had homemade hazelnut and chocolate spread with slices of strawberries and coconut yoghurt on top. For the savory part, I did homemade beetroot hummus with slices of avocado, olives, pesto, afalfa sprouts and chili flakes. The combinations are so so good!
Enjoy a nutritious waffle and congratulations on taking one step further on your journey towards healthier food choices.
As I’ve been reading the kaizen method, it has inspired me to do small changes every day and this is one of them. To add at least one superfood ingredient to my meal every day. I know that it can be overwhelming or difficult to do big dietary changes or maybe feeling off board with the rest of the other healthy people around the world. Especially when looking at instagram influencers promoting this and you don’t know where to start. Therefore, when the temptation to sugar or unhealthy foods strikes in, that seems rather fairly as it’s what you’re familiar to. However, I promise you that if you choose to make one small positive change of habit each day, eventually it will become a lifestyle, a way you sooner or later are drawn to and it no longer feels like a choice. At least that has been my experience and I encourage you to start off this journey and process by making this superfood breakfast bowl which also is a sustainable way of eating too! Have I convinced you enough to make that small change towards a healthier lifestyle? If yes, then first step is to add these ingredients in a smoothie blender:
• 1 cup frozen mango
• 1 frozen banana
• Juice of half an orange
• 1 tsp power matcha
• 2 generous tbsp of coconut cream (Greek yoghurt also works well)
Tip: a superfood ingredient worth the investment is bee pollen from super nature. https://www.super-nature.no
I love the bite of a crispy, toasty sourdough bread, with melted cheese and flavorful veggies to it. That’s why I made this veggie sandwich, my take on a “club sandwich”. It’s healthier as I’ve replaced the mayonnaise with red pesto instead, mushrooms as meat replacement and adding one more veggie to it; oven baked pumpkin. The flavors altogether are really good, such a nice combo! I hope you will enjoy my version of a club sandwich as much as I do, so let’s get to it!
Cut the pumpkin into slices and drizzle with oil before putting them in the oven on hot air at 200 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
Pour a little oil on a frying pan and fry the mushrooms with a little garlic powder, salt and pepper for approx. 5-7 minutes on medium heat.
Cut two slices of bread and sprinkle with a little olive oil, when the mushrooms are cooked, place the slices on the frying pan and “toast” them until they get a slightly golden color.
Then spread red pesto on top of the bread, put on avocado slices, and the rest of the ingredients and finally put the other slice of bread on top.
Close up on the layers!
Enjoy a healthier, veggie sandwich for lunch guys:)
I know how salads can be boring, but that’s why it’s important to have a delicious salad dressing to it which makes the difference! Also know how to build your salad into becoming nutritious and interesting! Start off with a base, it can be rucola, iceberg salad, spinach, kale. Then add your veggies like shredded/cut beetroot, carrots, cucumber. Next up, mix together either oven baked sweet potato or whole-wheat/gluten-free pasta for healthy carbs. Let’s not forget the protein, I added soybean based chicken as a plantbased meat alternative. Lastly perfect it with the tahini salad dressing!
Ingredients
• 2 tbsp tahini
• 1 tbsp maple sirup / honey works too
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• If too thick and you want it more runny, add olive oil. Taste with salt and pepper and squeeze some lemon in the end over your salad!
Enjoy a healthy, nutritious, balanced plantbased salad!
Are you ready to take pizza to a different level? I challenged myself by making it gluten-free and testing out new food combos together. I love the sight of it, so colorful that it immediately gives you good vibes right? So you just gotta be open to it, but I promise, one thing for sure is that it’s full of flavors! Aaaand it’s healthier, so cheers to that!
1. Mix together the gluten-free baking mix together with the dry yeast, salt and stir in the lukewarm water. See if you need more flour or liquid as you want to knead the dough by hand. Therefore, it cannot be so sticky or runny that it’s impossible for you to do that!
2. Let the dough rise beneath a plastic film roll for a about 1 hour.
3. Roll the dough and put it on a baking tray with parchment paper.
4. Let the dough rise for another 30 minutes before you add the creme fraiche base and put the pizza in the oven on 180 degrees for 20 minutes.
Toppings
1. Peel of the skin of the butternut squash and beetroot before you cut them in thin slices and drizzle some oil before being put in the oven on 200 degrees for about 25 minutes.
2. Then when the pizza and veggies are cooked ready, add your toppings on it. First you smear red pesto on the pizza base, then decorating with the oven baked butternut squash and beetroot, and let’s not forget the olives, artichokes and pine nuts on top too! A tip is to drizzle some honey or agave syrup as it harmonizes the flavors.
I hope you enjoy this vegan, dairyfree and glutenfree pizza and don’t worry, you can easily make it vegetarian with some cheese added as that makes completely sense too, hehe. What I only hope is that you will feel inspired to eat a healthier version of a pizza with more vibrant colors and veggies on your plate!
You immediately start feeling good when you treat yourself with care and serve yourself a nutritious meal. It also affects you positively when seeing a colorful salad with all the colors of a rainbow. It’s so easy to make it and you only need lots of vibrant colored veggies, plus a good salad dressing that does the trick. Remember, the more colors of vegetables, the better the variety of nutrients you’ll get:)
Ingredients
• Kale
• Rucola
• Red cabbage
• Carrots
• Paprika
• Avocado
• Zucchini
• Sweet potatoes
• Sprouts
• Oil, lemon, salt and pepper to taste
The salad dressing
• 1 tbs dijon mustard sauce
• 1 tbs honey
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
1. Put the oven on 220 degrees and bake your chopped sweet potatoes and cut slices of zucchini for about 20-30 minutes. Before putting them on a baking tray with parchment paper, mix them with a bit of oil and they are ready when soften and golden brown.
2. Make the salad dressing and “massage” it with the kale & rucola by hand. That way the flavor enhances and the kale is more softer to eat.
3. Chop your other vegetables like red cabbage, carrots, paprika and avocado.
4. When all is done, put everything together in a bowl and plate it up. Top the salad with sprouts and enjoy a tasty, colorful rainbow salad!
Thai inspired dish that is plant based and gluten-free!
When it’s cold and grey outside, it’s nice to warm your body and soul with a delicious soup. And moreover, when it’s Thai inspired reminding you of the tropics and warmer places! It’s truly an escape and the perfect solution when it’s difficult to travel abroad these days.
Make yours and get into the Thai spirit at home!
Ingredients
• 2 portobello mushrooms
• 1/2 onion
• 2 garlic gloves
• Shredded ginger
• 2 tbs red curry paste
• 2 tbs Helios peanut butter
• 2 tbs tamari soy sauce
• 200 dl boiled water with 1/2 vegetable broth
• 250 ml Helios coconut milk
• Broccoli
• Rice noodles
• Lemon juice, coriander, salt, pepper & chili flakse to taste
Instructions
1. Prepare the rice noodles in a boiling pot for 8 minutes.
2. Then in another pot fry the cut portobello mushrooms with some coconut oil and sauté until golden brown.
3. Add the chopped garlic, onion and shredded ginger, and sauté for about 3 minutes.
4. Add the red curry paste, tamari and peanut butter. Stir and cook to enhance the flavor to work together. Then let the cooking cool off a bit with the vegetable broth. After pour in the coconut milk and let it simmer together with the broccoli petals.
5. Squeeze some lemon juice and flavor it with Helios chili flakes to your liking.
6. In a bowl, have your cooked rice noodles together with the soup and top it off with some coriander and enjoy!
Click on the links below to check out their products to make this recipe.
Avocado coriander pesto, rucola, pine nuts, zucchini & mushrooms
I love when you can just cook spontaneously and creatively out of what you’ve got left of ingredients in the kitchen. And so this happened, a tasty spaghetti I didn’t think of making before getting my hands on it. More so, I enjoy cooking when you don’t know how it will turn out and you just need to stay present in the process of making it. Luckily, the end result turned out to be a nice surprise full of flavors in harmony together. We all know how wrong it can go, and that’s not the right timing for it when you are hungry. Anyways, that was not the case and I can happily share this recipe with you!
It’s gluten-free, plant based and healthy. Quick to make when hungry and don’t know what to cook, this is certainly the right dish for you.
Ingredients
• Glutenfree spaghetti
• Mushrooms
• Zucchini
• Avocado
• Pine nuts
• Ruccula
• Garlic
• Chili flakes & oregano
• Lemon juice
• Olive oil
• Coriander
• Nutritional yeast
• Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
1. In the oven on 220 degrees, have your sliced zucchini on a baking sheet with oregano and oil. Bake until they are golden brown and soft, around 20-30 minutes.
2. Boil water in a pot before adding your spaghetti. Cook around 8-11 minutes as it’s gluten-free unless you want it al dente!
3. In a pan, add some oil and fry your cut mushrooms until they are soft and well cooked. Ps: save the saucy juiciness left in the pan from cooking these mushrooms. This enhance the flavor to your dish in the end.
4. In a food processor, add half an avocado, a handful of coriander, one garlic glove, around 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast, juice of half a lemon, taste to salt and pepper, and blend well!
5. In a bowl, add rucola salad, your gluten-free spaghetti, the avocado and coriander sauce, the oven baked zucchini, the mushrooms, then pour the sauce from the pan for extra flavor and mix it all together! For a finishing touch toss some roasted pine nuts and give it a punch with chili flakes.
Voila, enjoy and swirl your tasty spaghetti into your mouth.
Bloom with food 