a German on a Journey

Just in time for the cooler weather, I want to share a protein rich, low fat, full of fiber, and super flavorful recipe with you.  This Chicken Chilli recipe is great in so many ways - doesn't take much prep, super healthy, cooks in less than 30 minutes, and can be frozen for future meals. I love making this for a quick weeknight dinner or for when friends come over. If you don't like ground chicken, you can absolutely use ground turkey. My favorite flavors in this dish are the cilantro and lime juice. They add a freshness to the spicy heat of each bite.  I always drain my canned beans before using them in a recipe - just to get rid of the sodium gunk (sorry, couldn't think of a better word). After I strain them , I usually also rinse them a bit and then take half of the beans into another bowl to mash them. This adds thickness to the chilli. If you like your chilli really thick, add some cornstarch into a small bowl of cold water, mix it, and pour it into you...

Last, but certainly not least, I want to take you through a day in the beautiful town of  Artà , located in the Eastern region of the island. We used to always rent a house in Canyamel, which is a beach town not far from  Artà , but in recent years, we prefer a more quiet stay, away from noise. Artà  is a rural town, lined with trees and little shops. Its main attraction is the San Salvador sanctuary/castle that sits on the hill top, overlooking the town.  San Salvador -  Artà Although  Artà  has several small hotels that are tucked away in the narrow streets around town, we prefer renting a "finca" (Spanish for "estate"), which refers to a piece of property on a rural or agricultural land. Luckily, Mallorca has strict zoning laws that dictate how far spread out houses need to be in farm lands. When renting one of these properties, the only sound you hear when you sit on the porch, are the crickets chirping and a faint "klong, klong" of sheep...

For the second part of my travel series, I want to share a really amazing experience with you. I used to use vacation as an excuse not to have to work out, but since I fell in love with yoga, I have incorporated my practice into my travels. I enjoy practicing in different studios, with new instructors, and at unique locations. I use social media or good ol' google  to find yoga studios or events before I leave for vacation. While doing some research in preparation for my trip, I came across a blog piece on Mallorca Talks  about a German Yoga Instructor who teaches outside of  Palma de Mallorca - the island's capital! I immediately reached out to Uta and we set a date to meet during my vacation. Fast forward a couple of months, my sister Nina and I took the one hour drive from Artà to Palma de Mallorca , which is located on the West Coast of the island, to meet Uta for a private yoga lesson right by the ocean for sunset! Sigh...I know...perfection! Uta is not only a ...

I recently returned from one of Spain's Ballearic Islands - Mallorca. Some of my favorite childhood memories were made here and although my parents say every year that it would be nice to explore a different destination next year, we somehow always find ourselves back on this beautiful and versatile island.  I am starting this three part series off with my top 4 favorite beaches on the East Coast of Mallorca. Since I was little, I was always drawn to the ocean - no vacation is complete without being near the water - so I want to share some of the beaches where time seems to stand still for me: 1. Cala Gat I visited this tiny little inlet for the first time during this year's trip. My sister came across it while helping me research for the blog and since it was so close to where we were staying, we checked it out. Driving through the very popular town Cala Ratjada , follow signs for Cala Gat . Tucked away from the road, with only one little house on one side of the b...

Today's post is the first one in my Conversation Series, for which I will be teaming up with experts in certain fields to learn about their world.  For my first interview, I met up with a very special person from whom I have learned a lot over the last year and a half. Holly and I haven't known each other for a very long time, but she has such an amazing way about her that it feels like I have known her forever. I had taken different yoga classes in the past, but not until Holly shared her practice with me, did it really click - she made me experience yoga on a deeper level and I was hooked! Lena: How long have you been practicing and teaching yoga? Holly: Practicing for 20 years and teaching for just coming up on four years this September. Lena: What made you discover yoga? Holly: A friend of mine, who went on to becoming my instructor - she brought me to my first class - that was it - Lena: Love at first site! Holly: Yes - love at first pose :) Len...

I never thought I would be saying this, but working from home full-time takes some serious getting used to. About a year ago, I was offered a new position within my company and shortly after wards was offered to work from home since I had no team reporting to me at the office. I jumped at the opportunity and set up shop at home....living in a one bedroom apartment, I had to make the kitchen table my new work space...but with a view of the river and my cats around me all day, I was content. Fast-forward 6 months, the loneliness set in and my opinion changed. I noticed pretty quickly that talking to my cats all day as if they are my co-workers was slowly driving me nuts. But since our office is officially closing I have no choice, but to work from home.  And so I had to come up with ways to stay motivated and productive. I am still trying to perfect this, but if you can adopt these 5 tips, you may see that the benefits of working from home definitely out-way the disadvantage...

Today I want to share 2 recipes I came up with recently that provide a boost of energy and only have 4 ingredients! Although getting up early comes easy to me, I do like my caffeine when I roll out of bed, so I experimented with combining my morning latte with my breakfast and loved the result: Coffee Protein Shake - packed with plant based protein, potassium, and very little sugar. The second recipe came about, since I started working from home. I am definitely not the most disciplined person when it comes to...um, anything...., so to keep myself from eating junk all day, I need to have healthy and quick snacks readily available. After getting inspired on Pinterest, I came up with my own version of Energy Bites. So here we go: For the Coffee Protein Shake, you can pretty much substitute for half of the ingredients that I use. I really like the Vega Protein & Greens  protein powder,since it is plant based and only has 2 grams of sugar per serving. Also...