Jingle all the way... (jingle bells and inner voices)

Ok, let's do it!
I presume that we all have this voice inside our head that reminds us the bright side of life when we are blue, that tells us to follow our hearts no matter what and other self-esteem-boosting, liberating, optimistic things etc.
But what happens to this voice when everything seems to be in the right place?
Is it still there? and if yes, does it continue to paint pink (or baby blue for the boys) our thoughts?
And if it does so, how much pink can a person endure?
Haven't you ever caught yourselves trying to find flaws, creating opportunities to feel blue or searching places were some trap could be hidden when you are at your best?
I've started to believe that it's this voice's fault. It can't face the simple fact that you feel fine.
You people are smart and I know that you've already figured out that this voice is you or the part of you that society etc has created by telling you again and again that you can't have it all.
Yes You Can!!! You can have it all. You deserve all! And most of all happiness!
Like everything in life happiness is a responsibility to yourself as well as to others. You have to work for it and with it, you have to be open enough to trust it and welcome it.

Oh! Isn't it great when you feel awesome without knowing why??? Knowing that it just happens without having to thank yourself or someone else? It's there all the time, you just have to let it be.

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The child inside

We are all adults. We have responsibilities, tight schedules, a specific budget and a serious face. Our everyday life, our routine, is a ring (not the bling-ring, the other one) where we have to fight for a plethora of goods and rights. It is also a ring that represents all the commitments we have made in our lives that we have to stand for. We are stressed about our job or about the fact that we have no job, about not having time or how to schedule our time, about being there for loved ones or about loved ones that should be there for us… Our lives are like a music video clip in fast forward.

But, once in a while, we gotta stop and smell the roses or else all the above is nonsense. We have to relax and interact with our inner selves, listen at our desires and our needs and let free the child inside. This can be a magnificent experience, one of those that open our minds, our hearts, our creativity and the feeling that all possibilities are open and await us.

Try experiencing something that you loved as a child without repressing your spontaneity; try to relive it not as a respectful adult but as a child. Go back to that age when you dreamt of becoming a ballerina or a ninja or an astronaut, and see your adult self through your eyes of that age and then follow your impulse without any censure. Oh, how relieved you shall feel... We have the right to be spontaneous, to act silly. We have the right to Nonsense!

Porca Miseria!

Όχι άλλη μιζέρια!

Είναι αντιπαραγωγική. Σκοτώνει την έμπνευση, τη φαντασία και κλείνει την όρεξη για δημιουργία και την ανυπομονησία για το καινούργιο.

Έχω τροφή, στέγη, υγεία και αγάπη. Έχω καθαρό μυαλό, δυνατά χέρια, γρήγορα πόδια και την διάθεση να τα αξιοποιήσω για να υλοποιήσω τα όνειρά μου. Είμαι τυχερή. Μπορώ να επιλέξω να ανταγωνιστώ το χρόνο ή να τον σταματήσω για να απολαύσω τις εξαίσιες στιγμές. Μπορώ να τα βάλω με το σύστημα ή να το επηρεάσω με τις επιλογές και την πορεία ζωής μου. Ένα είναι σίγουρο, δεν σκοπεύω να αφεθώ στη μιζέρια. Αυτό θα ήταν κάτι περιοριστικό για όλα όσα είμαι και όλα όσα έχω τη δυνατότητα να γίνω. Τίποτα δεν είναι δεδομένο, τίποτα δεν έχει τελειώσει, κάθε μέρα είναι μια καινούργια αρχή και το μόνο που χρειάζεται είναι η διάθεση να σηκωθούμε από το κρεβάτι. Άλλωστε πάντα μετά το χειμώνα έρχεται η Άνοιξη.

Inspiration comes when least expected...

Μη σταματάς να κινείσαι, έτσι δεν θα χρειαστεί να περιμένεις. Σταμάτα μόνο για να απολαύσεις το εξαίσιο. Ορίζεις εσύ τον χρόνο.
Μεταμόρφωσε το φόβο σε περιέργεια. Το άγνωστο είναι ταξίδι και περιπέτεια. Διάλεξε το μεταφορικό σου μέσο. Ορίζεις εσύ τον χρόνο.

The best diet according to Me!

I‘ve mentioned a thousand times that I cook only for friends when I ‘m in the mood. I ‘m too bored to cook for myself, which usually is a disadvantage when it comes to diets, that I so much need since I’m a foodie.

So, last year I was in desperate need to lose some weight and I was also determined to make it happen. After a really boring research through the net I found the perfect diet for me. Ok I know there are no perfect diets since the real meaning of being in a diet and actually losing some weight is to stop eating the fattening wonderful things that you always loved!

The advantages of this diet are:

1. It has products that you can easily find almost anywhere
2. It needs basic cooking as it doesn’t assume that you are a chef
3. You can dine out with friends without feeling like an outcast
4. It’s mostly protein but not only protein and it helps you not be hungry as well as not to lose your muscular mass
5. IT IS FAST but not bad for your health!

So, I tried it for 1 ½ month. I also cut sugar, BUT I continued drinking my vodkas with soda like there was no tomorrow, and still I managed to lose 10 kg and haven’t found them till now!!!!

So here we are (the diet is in Greek as I am too bored to translate right now):

• ΠΡΩΙΝΟ : 1 ποτήρι γάλα 1.5% ή γιαούρτι 2%, 2 φρυγανιές, Kαφές ή τσάι χωρίς ζάχαρη
• ΑΠΟΓΕΥΜΑΤΙΝΟ : 1 γιαούρτι 2% ή 1 φρούτο ή χυμός φρούτων ή 1 ποτήρι γάλα 1.5% λιπαρά, Kαφές ή τσάι χωρίς ζάχαρη
• 1^Η ΜΕΡΑ : Μεσημέρι: 1 μερίδα κοτόπουλο σουβλάκι, Σαλάτα εποχης με λίγο λάδι, 1 φέτα ψωμί μαύρο Βράδυ: 1 Γιαούρτι 2%, 1 φρούτο, Δημητριακά ολικής αλέσεως 2 κουτ.
• 2^Η ΜΕΡΑ :Μεσημέρι: 1 μερίδα ψάρι, 1 φέτα ψωμί μαύρο, Σαλάτα εποχης με λίγο λάδι Βράδυ: 1 μερίδα τυρί κίτρινο, Σαλάτα εποχης με λίγο λάδι, 1 φρυγανιά σικάλεως
• 3^Η ΜΕΡΑ : Μεσημέρι: 1 μερίδα μπιφτέκια, Σαλάτα εποχης με λίγο λάδι, 1 φέτα ψωμί μαύρο Βράδυ: 1 μερίδα τόνο, Σαλάτα εποχής με λίγο λάδι, 1 φρυγανιά σικάλεως
• 4^Η ΜΕΡΑ : Μεσημέρι: 1 μερίδα αρακάς λαδερός, 1 φέτα ψωμί μαύρο, Tυρί 1 μερίδα Βράδυ: 1 αβγό βραστό, 1 μερίδα τυρί κίτρινο, Eλιές, Σαλάτα εποχης με λίγο λάδι
• 5^Η ΜΕΡΑ : Μεσημέρι: 1 μερίδα μπριζόλα, Σαλάτα εποχής με λίγο λάδι, 1 φέτα ψωμί μαύρο Βράδυ: Σαλάτα χωριάτικη με λίγο λάδι (τυρί φέτα, ελιές)
• 6^Η ΜΕΡΑ : Μεσημέρι: 1 μερίδα κοτόπουλο, Σαλάτα εποχής με λίγο λάδι, 1 φέτα ψωμί μαύρο Βράδυ: 1 αβγό βραστό, Σαλάτα εποχής με λίγο λάδι, 1 φρούτο
• 7^Η ΜΕΡΑ : Μεσημέρι: 1 μερίδα μπιφτέκια γαλοπούλας, 1 φέτα ψωμί μαύρο, Σαλάτα εποχής με λίγο λάδι Βράδυ: Πατατοσαλάτα με λίγο λάδι Tυρί 1 μερίδα, 1 φρυγανιά σικάλεως

Good Luck!

To tea or not to tea?

I love coffee. No! I adore coffee!!!! But how many coffees can a person consume without the negative side-effects?

Due to this bile-bladder removal condition I‘ve been into a few weeks now, I‘ve inherited a more healthy way of life either I like it or not.

Food and beverages that are easy to digest have become my number one priority when it comes to hunger or thirst. Also, there are some beverages that help the digestion procedure, and can be used to cheat the diet or your digestion system when you have a huge craving for something from the No list.

So, I don’t like teas or herb teas. They remind me of old people and the taste is iffy for me. That was before I put some ice in there, which made me understand that I don’t like hot teas, but I have no problem with cold ones!

I heard the other day that spearmint is a wonderful herb for digestion and since it’s my favorite herb, I thought that this was an idea worth to try.

First of all, I would like to draw your attention to something very easy and useful. Go buy some herb seeds or herb plants! You can’t imagine the difference till you taste it! Fresh basil in your pomodoro e basilico spaghetti, fresh oregano in your salad, fresh mint in your mojitos, and of course, herb teas from your garden!

Here‘s the recipe and it’s too easy to avoid!

• Fresh spearmint
• Boiled water
• Ice
• Honey

The amounts are for you to decide, according to your tastes and needs. Heavy or light taste of spearmint? Sweet or not? For yourself only or for your friends too?

You boil the water and poor it in a coffee pot were you’ve already put the spearmint and wait till it’s as heavy as you want it to be. You poor as much honey as you need or not if you want your beverages straight. Stir. When ready, fill your glass or a jug with ice and poor the liquid in it. I prefer drinking it with a straw!

This simple beverage can do miracles for your thirst, your palate and your digestion!!!

Too bored to cook + A bile diet + Hunger.

So, here’s the story people:

1. I’m done with rice! Really. One more mouthful of rice and I believe I’ll change race!
2. Even though I am a gourmet kind of person, I just found out that I must have a bile-bladder-ectomy due to massive stone concentration there, which limits my food choices. Therefore, no fats, no butter, no fried yummy stuff, no dairy products, no onion, no garlic, no eggs, no nuts, no chocolate… and the no-list goes on and on…
3. Have I mentioned that I ‘m usually too bored to cook? Ok. I do cook from times to times but it’s like a whole event where I cook for friends and usually my motive is to impress. In my everyday life I’m lucky enough to live with people that love to cook in a daily basis and are exceptional cooks! That’s good for me because I am extremely bored to cook only for myself.
4. Before the diagnosis of the above mentioned malfunction I bought a dried mashed potato bag for these days that no one has cooked and I have to feed myself. In normal circumstances I would boil the potatoes, mash them with a little bit of garlic and nutmeg, plus huge amounts of milk and butter, and make my mashed potatoes from scratch, but we are talking about the days where boredom is my master and my feeding procedure mustn’t exceed 5 minutes.
5. Yesterday, the time I returned home, famine was all over my body and brain screaming (ok I overreact here...) for food! From my quick research I came to the conclusion that I had to cook my meal and here’s what I made!

We shall need:

1 small package of dried potatoes for mashed potatoes.

700 ml of water (or as much water as it needs)

1 ts of nutmeg

1 knor cube

1 tuna can in olive oil

We boil the water and when ready we pour the dried potatoes, the knor cube and the nutmeg in a bowl and stir till its firm and ready. Then, we get rid of the extra oil of the tuna can and poor the tuna in the mashed potatoes. We stir again and ready we are!

It’s simple, healthy, tasty, without milk, butter and garlic and ready in 5 minutes!

Tip: You can add a tablespoon of ketchup in the mixture for the extra taste.

Eating according to season is yummy!

I’m not the veggie, diet, good nutrition type. I mostly eat anything yummy no matter what. And here comes a question: What if consuming food depending on season gives a yummier taste to the food and in the same time clears you mind from all these grey thoughts about what i-don’t-wanna-know-about bad chemicals do they put in the goods in order for them to look so good, bright and smell good (even though watermelon is a summer fruit)?

So here is a list for May I just read about in http://www.eattheseasons.co.uk/ :

At their best:

asparagus, broccoli, carrots, lettuces & salad leaves, new potatoes, radishes, rhubarb, rocket, samphire, spinach, spring onions, watercress, wild nettles

(σπαράγγια, μπρόκολο, καρότα, μαρούλια και φύλλα σαλάτας, πατάτες, ραπανάκια, ρέβα, ρόκα, κρίταμο, σπανάκι, φρέσκο ​​κρεμμυδάκι, κάρδαμο, άγριες τσουκνίδες)

bananas, kiwi fruit (both imported)

(μπανάνα, ακτινίδιο)

basil, chervil, chives, dill, elderflowers, nasturtium, parsley (curly), sorrel

(βασιλικό, φραγκομαϊντανός, σχοινόπρασο, άνηθο, νεροκάρδαμο, μαϊντανό (σγουρό), οξαλίδα)

(αρνί, φάσσα)

cod, crab, john dory, Pollack, prawns, salmon, sea trout, shrimp, whitebait

(βακαλάος, ​​καβούρι, χριστόψαρο, καραβίδες, σολομός, πέστροφα θάλασσας, γαρίδες, μαρίδα)

Also in season:

broad beans, cauliflower, cucumber, jersey royal new potatoes, onions, potatoes (maincrop)

(κουκιά, κουνουπίδι, αγγούρι, πρώιμες πατάτες, κρεμμύδια, πατάτες (βασική σοδειά))

apricots, lemons, oranges, passion fruit

(βερύκοκα, λεμόνια, πορτοκάλια, φρούτο του πάθους)

coriander, oregano, mint, mushrooms (cultivated), mushrooms (wild), parsley (flat-leaf), rosemary, sage

(κορίανδρο, ρίγανη, μέντα, μανιτάρια που καλλιεργούνται, άγρια μανιτάρια, μαϊντανός, δενδρολίβανο, φασκόμηλο)

beef, chicken, pork, rabbit, turkey

(μοσχάρι, κοτόπουλο, χοιρινό, κουνέλι, γαλοπούλα)

cockles, coley, conger eel, lobster, mackerel, whelks

(κυδώνια, γαλέος, μουγγρί, αστακός, σκουμπρί, σαλιγκάρι της θάλασσας)

I just had a fantasy about an omelet! (my mind when it comes to cooking always thinks the easiest way to keep my stomach full)

So my fantasy is about 2 fresh eggs, some asparaguses, fresh onion and maybe a hint of basil.

No recipe needed people!

Walking in the time of crisis with a twist!

Thank God, or whoever is in charge anyway, we have parks. I must admit that not all parks are nice enough to attract people to chill out there. But in any case I need to believe that each area has a park worthy enough of your visit.

Walking was never my thing. I mean, you shall never see me having a walk alone with the exception of those times when a nervous breakdown is so near you can almost smell it (if nervous breakdowns had a smell…but you know what I mean).

Since last year, walking with friends is a custom, especially, when the nights are warm enough for our jackets to stay at home. Even though I know that walking is a wonderful way to exercise, it isn’t a strong enough motive to persuade myself to wear my snickers and hit the road. My friends are creative people when it comes to outdoor activities. Actually, my friends are creative people, full-stop, and our walks will never be boring again!

There is this park with this little fountain, green and everything, where we used to chill out and socialize as adolescents. We re-discovered the park of our youth nights and added a hint of pleasure that you are not allowed to have as a kid. Yes, I am talking about alcohol!

Since then, walking is a must for me and my gals! We have our walk, healthy and everything, to find our little everyday paradise, grab a few beers from the nearby mini-market and chill out sitting on our bench (yes we have our bench!) discussing about everything, relaxed from any stress. We have even brought wine and a cooler there with us with plastic cups!

So, people we are talking about a super-cheap way to have fun and enjoy your evening or night and even get some exercise done! In most of the cities around Europe that I’ve visited, it is very common to see people chilling-out in the parks. Greece is a country with a beautiful weather, so, why not grab this opportunity and discover your favourite park?

p.s. Did you know that dog-sitting has become common in this part of the world too??? I can’t decide if this fact excites me or scares me… No, actually it scares me!

The pee thing...

I never liked water. Even as a baby my parents had to trick me in order to drink some. I find it at least boring and un-tasty. Juices yes, they are refreshing. Coffee is yummy. Milk is fulfilling. Not to mention alcohol and all the beautiful things that it does to a super-stressed person like me.

I always had this theory that since my body doesn’t ask for water it probably doesn’t need it. I never had a good relationship with discipline, especially when it comes to these little (or huge) enjoyments of life or these despicable have-to-s.

The human body is about 60% water in adult males and 55% in adult females and as everyone says it’s good for more or less everything.

I was sure that the water I consume through other beverages keeps my body hydrated enough, even though I am the human camel. That was till I had this conversation yesterday with one of my girlfriends’ mom.

We were having coffee and my glass of water was untouched, which brought up questions and forced me to stand up for myself and my weird theory I mentioned above.

So people how do we find out if we are drinking enough water?

- Next time you go to the toilet for number one check out the color of the “product”. If it’s anything else than really light yellow then “Huston we have a problem”! Start drinking some more water.

The pee song.

Talking about breakfast...

I am this kind of person that adores breakfast but in my everyday routine I almost always begin my day with a huge cup of Greek coffee and when I say begin my day I mean the time when I arrive at work.

I am lucky enough to have stayed in 5star hotels (before the financial crisis of course) and I always get excited with the huge breakfast buffets. It’s something that always made my day and my business trips easier! Ah… the plethora of breakfast goods… someone would imagine that I fill my plates with a little bit of everything but no! It has always been scrambled eggs with a slice of beacon, three slices of tomato, a small piece of goat cheese (chèvre) sometimes, a croissant and a cappuccino. A girl cannot always be on a diet! ;) Especially a girl who’s middle name is guilty pleasures!

So do try it at home but I must warn you that we are talking about a huge amount of calories, fat and cholesterol.

We shall need (for 1 person):

- 1 egg

- 1 slice of ham

- Philadelphia cheese

- 1 slice of bread for toast

- ¾ tablespoon of butter

- Salt and pepper

Directions:

Toast the bread and when ready spread the Philadelphia cheese on the slice of bread. Place the slice of ham, or turkey ham that I prefer, on top of the bread. Place a small non-stick frying pan over the lowest possible heat on your stove. Add the butter and let slowly melt, making sure it doesn't foam and is not sizzling. When all the butter has melted, crack the egg into a small bowl, dish, or saucer (taking care not to break the yolk and to remove any shell fragments). Gently slide the egg off the dish into the frying pan and cover with a lid. Continue cooking approximately 5 minutes until the egg white solidifies from transparency into snow-white cream; the yolk will thicken slightly as it heats. How quickly the egg cooks is dependent on how low you have the heat.

Enjoy!

Hey world! This is a message from an undecided, rookie blogger

Something I read and wanted to share as my first post:
Sometimes you should stop running behind what you want the most and let it come to you...