- HEALTHY: Ice Cream!

Lately I've been totally obsessed with making ice cream. The reason? It's so simple, healthy and delicious you wouldn't believe me before you tasted it! The secret main ingredient is banana. Bananas are absolutely genious. They can be used for so many different things, including ice cream, because of their sort of creamy consistency and neutral flavour.

You can make ice cream out of bananas only, it will then be at it's thickest and taste wonderfully, but I wanted to experiment and explore other flavours as well. I made banana/kiwi-ice cream two days ago and earlier this morning I made a new batch of neutral banana ice cream to add in flavours afterwards.

I took pictures so that you can see how it works step-by-step.

I started off yesterday, chopping 6 bananas in pieces and putting them in a bag in the freezer over night. The best way to do this is to lay the bits on a grease proof paper seperately on a plate or something in the freezer. That way you won't have to wait when you take it out and the prosess of making it smooth in the blender will be much easier and take less time. If you haven't got room for that, like me, just do as I did and put all the bits in a bag. You'll have to wait a few minutes for the bits to loosen before you put it in the blender.



Step 1 - waiting for the pieces to loosen up

Step 2 - Put the pieces in the blender at maximum speed

Most likely, the bananas will get stuck a few times in the start, so you can either put a little bit of liquid (I used skimmed milk..like 1/2-1 dl) in to make it more smooth, or you can take a spoon and push the pieces around and down a little until it smoothens enough to finish by itself.

Step 3 - All the white fluid in the bottom is actually mostly mashed banana and not all milk! It will turn out soo smooth..just wait and see ;)

Step 4 - Looking delicious already..the consistency is very creamy and lovely!

Step 5 - Finished! Now to the fun part - adding your favourite flavours!

When everything is completely smooth and even, it's ready for some flavouring. I took about half of it out to mix with a different flavour afterwards. I decided on strawberry/banana and chocolate(Nutella)/banana. I think I added about 6-7 strawberries + a few drops of vanilla essence. In the other mixture I had 1/2-1 tablespoon cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon Nutella and 1 tablespoon of something similar to Nutella, only slightly darker and runnier. The chocolate ice cream is not super healthy, I know, but at least it's much healthier than the one you find in the grocery store!

Step 6 - Adding the flavours! Strawberry/Banana to the left - Chocolate/Banana to the right.

Put it in containers and freeze for a few hours. I couldn't wait long enough (hihi :D), so the results look slightly more runny than it will be if you're patient enough!

Under is the final results - including the Kiwi/Banana ice cream I made a couple of days ago. Topped with chopped nuts. Absolutely HEAVENLY delicious! Especially the strawberry one..so, so very sweet and tasty!

Enjoy! I gotta buy more bananas ASAP, 'cause this shit is going to disappear within the day for sure. And the best thing is, it wont matter! You can eat the whole damn batch and not feel guilty at all - only super full(!). Win-win.

- WONDERFUL HOME

A shame I haven't uploaded these before now, but time really does fly!

I was out with a friend for a hike with our bikes last week. Thought I'd take some shots of the absolutely beautiful place I live in, an island just outside of Stavanger (West coast of Norway). After two shots I gave up combining riding the bike and taking pictures, haha. So I decided I'd just do it the next day. Unfortunately the weather turned slightly into a windy and cloudy mess after a few shots, but I think it came out nice anyway :) Horrible to bike in such a windy weather, though! Got my muscles working alright!

A little roundtrip of where I usually go out for a walk or a ride on my bike :) I'll probably show you more of this island. There's so many beautiful forests here..magical childhood memories!

- "OVER THE HILLS AND FAR AWAY..."

I traveled from Oslo to Stavanger earlier. In fact, I almost just came in. I prefer taking the train, even over long distances, but sometimes it's nice with a change. And I love the view from the plain, kept staring into the sinking sun as the skies turned magical. A wonder I still have vision, haha. Sunsets <3

Despite the hot-hot-hot summer days we've had lately, the tops are still covered in winter dust.



Just how beautiful is this one..Like arriving in a fairytale land. I'm so glad I had the camera in my purse!



- SO MUCH WANT

I've collected some of the top items on my wishlist right now. I've been hooked on gold details and jewelry ever since I got my natural red hair colour back. Lately I've changed all my body piercing jewelry from silver to gold. Really couldn't stand the silver anymore as I don't think it matches very well with ginge hair. Unfortunately, gold has been a bit out of fashion the last years, but it seems like it's on it's way back now. And I couldn't be happier! Perfect timing.

Dogeared makes such beautiful jewelry! It's so simple and nice, and the little stories they make for every piece makes it even more special. Love them! These two are my favourites at the moment.

The camera house is a waterproof case for my Canon G1 X. I love swimming in the ocean, and pools as well for that matter, and I'm so jealous of those who's got waterproof cameras and can take beautiful pictures under water.

I think the waist belt with gold hearts is just super cute! A perfect piece for a simple black dress.
The green bag is 3.1 Phillip Lim. I've drooled over this some time now. Though I really can't decide if I want this one or one of CÉLINE's Mini Luggage bags. They're gorgeous as well.

You know I love my tea, and it's really a shame I haven't got a clear glass teapot yet! This double layered one is so beautiful, especially with blooming tea in it. Piece of art!

Party dresses is my favourite kind of shopping. Can't ever get enough! I'm weak for open backs, it's just so damn sexy! ..and since I haven't got a rack worth showing off, my back will do just fine, haha.

Top six items: ebay , bottom two items: body , dress

 

- RECOMMENDATION: Tea!

Hi there! In an earlier post I told you I'd tell you more about the tea I was drinking. It's called "THÉ SUR LE NIL" (green tea with citrus fruits) and is from a French brand called MARIAGE FRÉRES. I discovered it when I was out for lunch years ago, at a local restaurant in my hometown Stavanger. I completely fell in love and had to buy a box to take home.

They are slightly more expensive than regular tea, at least in Norway at the restaurant where I usually get them, but they sure are worth the price! The box itself is absolutely beautiful, and when you open it you get a "luxury feeling" right away. As you can see below in the picture, the inside of the box is coloured in metallic gold which reflects the cutest, most adorable little cotton sachets filled with tea leaves. The box contains 30 sachets. You can read more about it here, and even order online if you can't find a retailer nearby :)

These cuties will take your cups of tea to a whole new dimension!



Some of you might be familiar with these, but if not, make sure you will be. The company has an endless list of flavours you can browse, as well as gift sets, teapots etc. I gave my grandma one of these for her birthday, she loves it!

- HEALTHY: BunRoll Hybrids!

I'm trying out a new recipe for buns as we speak! Though I can't really call them buns either, they're just as much rolls - so hybrid fits perfectly :)

They are, of course, super healthy, so that you can enjoy them all for yourself (like me >:D ..well, perhaps I'll share just one with my flatmate. If he'll do the dishes, hihi) if you can't resist.

Good-looking beauties posing for pics! Yummy!

RECIPE

70% Wholegrain fiber-rich flour
15% Oatmeal flour
15% Wheat bran (or other High-fiber (40%+) substitute)
Quark
Sweetner (I used "Sukrin" a.k.a Erythritol)
Salt (just a dash)
Yeast
Vegetable oil (just a dash)
Cardamom
Skimmed milk

In a bowl, mix the yeast with lukewarm milk, then add the rest of the ingredients. Blend until the dough is even and has a nice consistency.

Place the bowl in a heated area with a towel over it for 15-25 minutes.

Use a little bit of flour to make BunRolls of desireable sizes. Place them on the grease proof paper, brush a little vegetable oil or butter on top and place them in the middle of the oven at 200 Celcius.

I took them out of the oven after being in there for over 30 minutes. They look nice and delicious, but they have to cool down a bit before I dig in :))


* I didn't write the amount of each, because it's not that important for these. I added the ingredients on my "gefühlen", as they say in Germany. However, if anyone would really like a complete list with "correct" amounts, I could make one the next time I make these.

Enjoy!

- RECOMMENDATION: Lipstain!

I've got another fantastic(k) product that needs to be shared with those unaware! YSL's Glossy Stain - the lipcolour that claims to be a lasting, glossy lipstick, and delivers! I'm going to show you how it's different from a regular lipstick and why it's worth the money.



The regular lipstick (YSL Rouge Voluptè #12)

The stain (YSL Rouge Pur Couture Vernis à Lèvres - Glossy Stain #11)

Comparing the result when taking sips of your delicious wine. As you can see, there's hardly ANY mark from the stain, and I took three sips with each colour!

Here they are! I must admit I like the packaging of the Stick better than the Stain, but they're both gorgeous <3

So; ladies - this one should be your new best friend! It won't ever leave you (at least not before several hours in - depends how crazy you go with it ;)). Your lips won't dry out, they will have the same glossy and moist look throughout the evening.

I can add that there is a cheaper alternative, which is the Max Factor - Lipfinity, but I'm not too fond of it. It stays on pretty long, but you will have to scrub your lips off to get it properly off(!) and it dries them out worse than anything else.

- HEALTHY: Breakfast!

Today's breakfast is really the same as my breakfast any other days..I'm addicted to this (cheese), it's so good!!

I use a type of healthy crackers, it's not that common outside of Scandinavia for some reason, but here is what it looks like:

67% whole grain and 24% fiber!

Mmmm..!

 On them I have:
- Salad (Iceberg)
- Cheese (reduced fat)
- Cucumber
- Tomato
- Seasoning (Five peppers)

And of course a cup of green tea.. never a day without :) I'll tell you more about this tea later, it's said to be one of the very best, and I could not agree more!

Now; back to studying for exams!

- HEALTHY: Pancakes!

Hi guys! I've been studying all day for exams, but I wanted to share my pancake recipe with you :) I've been trying and failing a couple of times, but I think I got it this time!

Making delicious food is not really that hard, the challenge occurs when it has to be healthy as well! In this recipe there is NO sugar, wheat flour, salt or anything your body would really do best without.

Ate it all up! Boy am I full, haha :)

RECIPE

1 1/2 cup        Quark (reduced fat)

1 1/2 cup        Oatmeal flour *

7 teasp.          Egg-beaters (equivalent to 7 eggs)

1 1/2 teasp.    Baking powder

2 teasp.          Vanilla (essence)

1/2 cup           Sweetner (I used "Sukrin" (sold in Norway) a.k.a Erythritol

3 tblsp.           Wheat bran

1/2 cup           Skimmed milk (reduced fat)

It's best to put the milk and the quark in first as it'll blend much easier. Blend until the mixture is even.

Put a tiny dash of oil in the frying pan and cook the pancakes at low temperature. I'm not really familiar with ovens over in the States etc., but mine turned out best at low-medium heat (4/9).

Serving tip: Non sugar blueberry jelly.

* If you only have regular oatmeal, you can make the flour yourself out of this. Just add half a cup more (2 cups oatmeal = 1 1/2 cups oatmeal flour). Pulse it in the blender.

Bon appètit!



- TODAY'S: Make-Up

Just popping in to share my make-up look for today :)

I wanted to do something slightly different this morning. Usually I don't use dark khol, I prefer a white one as it opens up, but today I felt like it! I love the fact that since it's dark blue, it enhances both my lighter coloured iris and my hair. I've used a copper coloured eyeshadow to match my hair and bring out my eyes even more.