COCONUT WATER, OAT MILK AND MAPLE SYRUP CHIA PUDDING WITH MELON AND CACAO NIBS

     Having a sleep schedule has always been a challenge. With social life and work going on, there never seems to be a constant pattern. The last two months I started doing my internship, I've been waking up quite early (at 6:30), which seems to have affected my other days of sleeping. I can't seem to sleep more than 6 to 7 hours. Despite being a big creature of habit, this is a habit I don't quite fancy.

     Natural remedies such as Magnesium supplements, calming no caffeine teas and good old warm cup of milk seem to help the situation a bit, but not the level of my satisfaction. However, I don't give up or give into quick fixes. Challenge is accepted!

     On other news, I am as of this Thursday on Greek grounds. I have come for a quick vacation back home, in a desperate need of some vitamin D. I am also planning to do a small roadtrip to the south of Greece and to a small island called, Elafonisos. The beach there is so magical as if you were in the most virgin, untouched place on Earth. Crystal blue waters, white sand and only the ocean ahead. If I manage to go, I will for sure take a lot of photos and show you one of the most magical places in Greece.

     Now that summer is here, I thought of a chia pudding could save me from having to think what to eat every day for breakfast when I am working for my internship and keep me full, but not too full. Coconut water is also full of electrolytes that can save you from all the sweat you've been shedding. Cantaloupe melon is the star in this one, as it contains a lot of Vitamin A in the form of carotenoids, which are crucial for summer glowy skin as well as the protection from harmful sun rays. Prep this pudding on Sunday and enjoy it all week long.

Coconut water, Oat milk and maple syrup chia pudding with cantaloupe melon and cacao nibs

ingredients (for 4 persons)

1 cup coconut water

1 cup oat milk

1/2 cup chia seeds

1/4 cup maple syrup (or honey)

2 cups cantaloupe melon

4 teaspoons cacao nibs

4 teaspoons chopped almonds

2 tablespoons mesquite meal

more melon to serve

how do I make it?

1. In a large mixing bowl add the coconut water, oat milk, chia seeds and maple syrup. Mix roughly all the ingredients together and let the mixture sit for 20 minutes. After time has passed, the mixture will have become quite thick. Transfer into individual pots or in one large jar or container you wish. Let them in the fridge for up to 2 hours or overnight.

2. When it's time to serve your chia pudding, put in a food processor 2 cups of cantaloupe melon and the mesquite meal. It has a somewhat cacao and sweet flavour. If you don't have any, you can skip it and just pulse the melon. Pulse on high speed until you have a pulp. 

3. Top the pots or bowls you serve the chia pudding with the melon pulp in the previous step. Continue with a teaspoon of cacao nibs in each one and chopped almonds. If you wish, add more melon chunks  and maple syrup on top. 

CANTALOUPE MELON ICE CREAM

    Hot, hot, hot! And I'm talking about the temperature lately. I mean, of course, if you live in Europe you know what I'm talking about it. No news there. But also, I'm referring to the remake of the very loved 90s drama, Baywatch. Have you seen it? I happened to watch it on Sunday and somewhat enjoyed it. It was nothing like the original series, but that was mostly because David Hasselhoff was not part of it... Other than that, I enjoyed the very simple script, with no big surprises there and of course the girls had amazing bodies as expected. 

     However, it reminded me how much I miss Greece during the summer, the best season to be there. I miss my walks along the beach in my hometown, Glyfada, I miss the drinks with my friends in a bar next to the sea, the chilly breeze that hugs you during the nights and of course the smell of sunscreen mixed with sea salt water. I booked my tickets a few weeks ago for July and I really can't wait. My little trip also involves a Greek wedding, which means a lot of food, dancing and more food. Oh, and drinking!

     Until then, I need to have something that reminds me of a careless summer, eating juicy summer fruit and trying to chase every bee and bug that exists in the house. One of my favourite summer fruit, apart from peaches and nectarines, is melon. Not a big fan of honeydew melon, though, I think cantaloupe is my choice here. I love the colour inside the melon and the sweetness of it. It's something really really special to eat. Sometimes I even pair it with some feta cheese to make it a bit fancier and take some of the sweetness out of it.

     Now, during summer I don't like to do a lot of things in the kitchen. I prefer easy and manageable tasks. And since I don't have an ice cream machine (yet), I had to come up with an easy recipe for a melon ice cream for this summer. You only need a few ingredients and some good freezer. Prepare yourself for some fruity mess with this one!

Cantaloupe melon ice cream

ingredients

one medium cantaloupe melon (gives about 500gr pulp)

1 1/2 cup full fat heavy cream

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 rectangular pan

to serve 

chopped pistachios

honey

How do I make it?

1. First, prepare your melon by cutting it in half and taking out the seeds. Using a spoon try to carve all of the pulp and pour it into a processor bowl. Once you're done, set your food processor to high speed and pulse for a minute or until you get a nice pulp without any big chuncks. 

2. In a bowl pour in the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla extract. Using a hand mixer or with the standing mixer, whip your cream very well until you get stiff peaks. 

3. Once the whipping cream is ready, slowly and carefully transfer the melon pulp into the  whipping cream and using a spatula mix in slow motions. Do this until all the pulp is incorporated into the mixture.

4. Fill in the pan with the ice cream mixture and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then transfer into the freezer. 

5. After an hour take it out and mix it slightly with a spoon. Then place it gain into the freezer and let it for 3 more hours or best overnight.

6. When you want to serve, take your ice cream out at least 30 minutes before. Fruity ice creams tend to get very icy and they are harder to serve. Sprinkle some chopped pistachios and drizzle some honey for extra delight!

HONEYDEW MELON, BANANA AND OAT SMOOTHIE (SMOOTHIE ΜΕ ΠΕΠΟΝΙ, ΜΠΑΝΑΝΑ ΚΑΙ ΒΡΩΜΗ)

    With only 4 weeks until I move to Zurich, things begin to look exciting and scary. My boyfriend and I have found an apartment to rent, which is close to the city centre and now the fun part of looking for furniture begins. I swear to you I spend a lot of hours on the website of IKEA, looking for the perfect bed or the cute wooden table we are going to decorate our house with. I am certainly taking inspiration from my favourite interior bloggers of My Paradissi and My Scandinavian Home. We decided to take it slow and decide each time for each room, because we are so overwealmed with excitement we might as well buy the whole IKEA building (can't afford it, but just saying...). I really can't wait to have my first own place where I will spend most of the time cooking and reading and snuggling in the winter. And also, I can't wait to show you some of the stuff I have placed inside.

    Με μόνο 4 εβδομάδες να απομένουν μέχρι να μετακομίσω στη Ζυρίχη, τα πράγματα αρχίζουν να φαίνονται συναρπαστικά και τρομαχτικά. Το αγόρι μου και εγώ έχουμε βρει ένα διαμέρισμα προς ενοικίαση, το οποίο βρίσκεται κοντά στο κέντρο της πόλης και τώρα ξεκινάει η διασκεδαστική περίοδος της εύρεσης επίπλων. Σας ορκίζομαι ότι περνώ αμέτρητες ώρες στην ιστοσελίδα του IKEA, κοιτάζοντας για το τέλειο κρεβάτι ή εκείνο το χαριτωμένο ξύλινο τραπέζι με το οποίο θα διακοσμίσουμε το σπίτι μας. Αυτή τη στιγμή αντλώ έμπνευση από τις αγαπημένες μου bloggers My Paradissi και My Scandinavian Home. Αποφασίσαμε να μην βιαστούμε και να κοιτάζουμε κάθε δωμάτιο ξεχωριστά, καθώς είμαστε τόσο ενθουσιασμένοι που μπορεί να αγοράσουμε ολόκληρο το κτίριο του IKEA (μεταφορικά βεβαίως, δεν έχουμε τα χρήματα γι αυτό...). Πραγματικά δεν μπορώ να περιμένω τη στιγμή που θα έχω το πρώτο δικό μου σπίτι όπου θα περνάω τον περισσότερο χρόνο μαγειρεύοντας, διαβάζοντας και χουζουρεύοντας τον κρύο χειμώνα. Και επιπλέον, δεν μπορώ να περιμένω να σας δείξω μερικές φωτογραφίες από τη διακόσμηση.

     Summer is still here and although my city is a bit empty right now, it's better for taking time to enjoy it. What better way to enjoy summer than a fruity and light smoothie? That's why an idea got in my head the other day. I had some honeydew melon laying around in the house and although I enjoy it as a fruit just fine, I thought what it would taste like in a smoothie. It didn't take long for the idea to develop in my head, so I created this smooth blend of honeydew melon, banana and oats. You can sip it as a refreshing beverage or as a breakfast. It tastes so good, I promise!

    Το καλοκαίρι είναι ακόμα εδώ και παρόλο που η πόλη μου έχει αδειάσει λίγο τώρα είναι η ιδανική στιγμή για να την ευχαριστηθώ. Και τι καλύτερος τρόπος για να ευχαριστηθεί κανείς το καλοκαίρι από ένα φρουτένιο και ελαφρύ smoothie; Γι αυτό το λόγο μια ιδέα μπήκε στο μυαλό μου τις προάλλες. Είχα λίγο πεπόνι στο σπίτι που δεν το έτρωγε κανείς και παρόλο που το απολαμβάνω μόνο του, σκέφτηκα πως θα ήταν να γινόταν smoothie. Η σκέψη δεν άργησε να εξελιχθεί στο μυαλό μου, οπότε δημιούργησα από το απαλό μείγμα από πεπόνι, μπανάνα και νιφάδες βρώμης. Μπορείτε να το πιείτε σαν δροσερό ρόφημα ή σαν πρωινό. Έχει τέλεια γεύση, σας το εγγυώμαι!

Honeydew melon, banana and oat smoothie

ingredients (for 2 persons)

1 cup melon

1 frozen banana

1/2 cup yoghurt

1/2 cup cold water

1 tbsp honey

4 tbsp oats

dash of cinnamon

how do I make it?

1. Blend all of your ingredients in a blender until smooth. Serve right away and enjoy with a large straw.

Smoothie με πεπόνι, μπανάνα και νιφάδες βρώμης

υλικά (για 2 άτομα)

1 κούπα πεπόνι

1 κατεψηγμένη μπανάνα

1/2 κούπα γιαούρτι

1/2 κούπα κρύο νερό

1 κουταλιά μέλι

4 κουταλιές νιφάδες βρώμη

λίγη κανέλλα

πώς θα το φτιάξω;

1. Ανακατέψτε όλα σας τα υλικά σε ένα μπλέντερ και ανακατέψτε μέχρι να δημιουργηθεί ένα απαλό μείγμα. Σερβίρετε αμέσως και απολαύστε με ένα μεγάλο καλαμάκι.

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