Birthday picnic idea

When I was little I was aways sad that my birthday came in the end of June. All the kids throughout the year would bring birthday candy to share with the class on their special day. They'd stand in front of everyone, while everybody sings "Happy Birthday". In Russia kids go on their summer vacation in the end of May, so obviously being a late June baby didn't make me happy then. 

I always wanted to experience that, but not for the birthday song. 

I loved the idea of sharing treats with everyone, so when they enjoy their candy, they think of me.

Nowadays I still love the idea of sharing food. Something that I personally made and put my heart into. 

Here is a little idea for someone who is struggling with a Birthday idea and is on tight budget - throw a Birthday Picnic! 

I prepared little appetizers, like cucumber feta cheese rolls, which are super easy to make. Also ham rolls for meat lovers. Fresh pre-cut vegetables with hummus. Cheese with grapes. Ideas are endless! For desert I made raspberry tiramisu and my mother-in-law made lemon cupcakes.

P.S. if things go wrong:

My plan was to have a picnic at the park, but of course the Oregon weather didn't let that happen and it started raining. So instead of canceling the whole thing we just set it up on our apartment balcony.

Zucchini patties recipe

Today is Wednesday which means we're already half-way through the week. With people working full time it's really hard to find time to cook for yourself, especially something healthy or how I like to call it "guilt-free". So here one of my favorite recipes to share with you. What I love about it is that it's absolutely "convertable" - so if you are out of some ingredient you don't have to run to the store - just play around it and see what you have on hand to replace it.

So here is what I like to use for 6 patties:

• 2 small zucchinis
• 1 medium carrot
• 1/4 cup shredded cheese - I used chedder and mozarella- that's what I had on hand. You can replace it with any cheese you like / or not add it at all - it's absolutely up to you. 
• 1 egg - same with the egg - flour will have the patties stick together, if you don't want to add the egg. I just like it more that way.
• 1 table spoon of flour - I used buckwheat, but you can use whatever you prefer.
• 1 clove garlic
• salt, pepper, seasoning to taste

And here is a couple of secrets. 

1. When you shredded your vegetables make sure to squize some liquid from them before you mix in other ingredients (I just use my hands) - otherwise they'll be too watery and will fall apart. 

2. Mix all the ingredients together and form them into patties. They won't be firm and stick together well but it's perfectly fine - trust me. When they bake/cook the mixture will do it's thing.

2. If you are out of time you can just fry them on a pan with oil of your choice. However I just find it easier to put them on a parchment paper and bake for about 20 minutes (350F - 180C degrees).

You can serve them with sour cream, salsa, hummus, or any homemade dressing of your choice. Here while they were baking I quickly put together a salad with tomatoes, kale, carrots and my new favorite mustard and olive oil dressing. 

Let me know if you make them yourself and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Sonya's Granola

Every year people get obsessed with some food or brand, it becomes sort of everyone's favorite. I remember the time when Starbucks just got opened in Russia a couple of years ago and almost everyone took a picture with a cup with their signature mermaid.

These days as healthy eating is getting more and more popular lots of people replaced their favorite pancakes with granola or oatmeal. If you follow my instagram you know that I love love my oatmeal in the mornings. But I'm that kind of a person who gets bored of things pretty quickly if I don't add some variety so I started making my own granola. I know there are a thousand of recipes on the internet but I wanted to share this one as it's my personal absolute favorite. So let's call it "Sonya's granola"

So here it goes:

1 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup cashews

1/2 cup sunflower seed/pepitas

3/4 cup shredded sweet coconut
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup/agave/honey
1/4 cupcoconut oil (melted)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins/dried cranberries/apricots --any dried fruit on hand.

1. I put apricots to soak in the hot water for about 5 minutes or so. Once they get softer I chop them into little pieces.

2. I put almonds and about half of our sunflower seed in the blender and blend for about 10 seconds until it becomes like a powder. 

3. Then I combine all my dry ingredients, including dry fruit. 

4. In the separate bowl I mix coconut oil with my sweetener which I have on hand. *You can add brown sugar for extra sweetness but I personally like it without it*.

5. Mix our "sauce" with the dry ingredients, put on the baking sheet and bake for about 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees (180C).

I promise, you'll love it. You can also make granola bars with the same mixture as well. And I like to add fresh berries if I have some!

Enjoy! :)

xx Sonya

Easter preparations

В России уже наступило воскресенье, поэтому я хочу поздравить всех с этим праздником. Люди относятся к этому дню по-разному, для кого-то это просто обычный день, для религиозных людей это завершение поста, для других это повод поэксперементировать над разукрашиванием яиц, ну и так далее. Я однозначно не определилась, как я отношусь к этому дню до сих пор. Но для меня это все равно особый день, так сложилось традиционно в моей семье. С этим праздником у меня связаны исключительно добрые воспоминания, поэтому я всегда стараюсь как-то этот день "отметить".

В Америке пасхальные традиции совершенно отличаются от наших, у них программа немного веселее, скажем: много шоколадных яиц, пасхальный кролик и все дела :) И не смотря на это, я все таки решила, что займу вечер четверга небольшим творческим разукрашиванием и, честно говоря, получилось все не так, как мы задумали, но все равно иногда познавательно занять себя чем-то творческим, даже если результат не превосходит ожидания :)

There is a translate bottom at the top left :)

Happy Easter 2014!

хх Sonichka

Morning routine

Для моих русских друзей, кто хочет перевести мой блог - наверху есть кнопка переводчик - RUS :)

Basically for every person there is some sort of a morning routine that they do. People religiously pour themselves a cup of black coffee, some active ones do some morning yoga every day. Lots of my friends can't imagine their life without an oatmeal or for the others the day wouldn't start perfectly without a breakfast sandwich from a nearby coffeeshop. Anyway for the all of us the good start of the day is essential and for me the good day always starts with a hot ginger-lemon tea. It's so simple yet so benefital! For more than 2000 years, lemon and ginger are a part of medicinal practices. They’re basically used for preventing and treating countless health issues. Besides boosting energy circulation in your body, it enhances the body’s metabolic rate.

Below are 5  reasons to start your day with lemon ginger water:

1. Lemon ginger water is extremely beneficial in cleansing the liver. Lemon is a natural diuretic and also stimulates digestion by stimulating bile production in the  liver. 

2. Lemon Water is alkalizing. The body functions best in a more alkaline state and cancer cells tend to breed in an acidic body.

3. Great for glowing skin!  Lemon ginger water is better than any anti-aging cream on the planet.  Rich in Vitamins C and B (specifically riboflavin which protects cells from damage and is great for tissue repair), and minerals like calcium, phosphorous and magnesium (which are great for bones but also calms stress, nourishes adrenal glands, and stimulates collagen).

4.  Both ginger and lemon are great for digestion. 

5. For all the above reasons lemon-ginger tea helps the weightloss.

 - Grate about 1/2 inch of peeled ginger root into a mug.  

- Pour boiled water over the top and let sit for about 3-5 minutes. 

- Squeeze a half of a lemon into the water.  

- For a touch of sweet add in 1 tsp. of stevia or 2 tsp. of raw local honey.  

(If using honey, wait for water to cool to warm instead of hot).  I find the taste of lemon and ginger enough for me but will add local honey during allergy season or if I am feeling a cold coming on.

Also I always add cinnamon and lime as I love the flavour and it's also extremely beneficial so try it both ways and see which way you prefer.

Try this for 30 days and see a change in your energy levels, the radiance in your skin, and the numbers on the scale.

Xx Sonichka