A monthly series collecting several products, food, and amusement I’m currently enjoying.
Some products may contain affiliate links.
Hello everyone! Summertime is finally here, and I can’t believe that the first month of it just came to the end. I really admire the warm summer days. And this June was a very special month for me.
From books, I read ‘21 Lessons for the 21st Century’ by the author of the million copy bestseller ‘Sapiens’ Yuval Noah Harari. It takes us on a thrilling journey through today’s most urgent issues.
I didn’t watch a lot of movies, but I watch Focus, a 2015 American crime comedy-drama film starring Will Smith and Margot Robbie.
Talking about food, this month I tried Organic Cashew Nut Butter which is really delicious if you like cashews. I eat it with my crackers and some banana and strawberries. As I traveled quite frequently, I was always buying fresh plant-based salad, some fruits, and preparing a vegan sandwich with brown bread, vegetables, and tofu. It helped me to avoid hunger and stay healthy 🙂 Read my recent post How I Keep It Clean When Eating Out. Also I tried a new salad with boiled beets, arugula, walnuts, and delicious sauce. Will try to prepare it someday 🙂
From my beauty products, I really love my new face tools The Jade Gua Sha Tool, Natural Jade Stone Facial Roller, and Microneedling Derma Roller System. Gua Sha promotes blood circulation, improves fine lines and wrinkles, promotes lymphatic drainage, and relieves tension from muscles, it’s a great tool to sculpt your face. Jade Stone Roller helps to brighten your complexion and reduce puffiness as it is cool. For a cool feeling, I prefer to keep both of the tools in the fridge for few minutes before using them. Microneedling helps to increase collagen production, skin appears more voluminous and plump. I also purchased Advanced Clinicals Vitamin C Serum with soothing Aloe Vera and Ferulic Acid. It brightens the complexion and creates a more even-looking tone, supports a luminous, youthful radiance. And I love my Palmer’s Coconut Oil Formula with Vitamin E Body Lotion which I often buy. I started using my new Acure Radically Rejuvenating Facial Scrub with Moroccan Red Clay & Rose Oil which helps to refresh and exfoliate my skin and it is really soft to it.
From clothes, I’ve got 2 swimsuits and crochet knitted beach pants which I have wanted to buy since last year.
I was exploring the Ivano-Frankivsk city with my friend and soon will prepare the post about what to do while there. I finally went to the theatre and enjoyed the play a lot.
Those were all my June favorites. I hope you enjoyed reading the post and hopefully, you find something useful.
This delicious vegan ice cream recipe will help to fill your body with nutrients and cool you during hot summer days.
Ingredients:
Chlorella powder – 1 tsp
Flax seeds – 1 tsp
Maca powder – 1 tsp
Kelp powder 1/8 of tsp
Mix all ingredients with water. You can add some protein powder too if you are working out today.
Frozen banana
Frozen mango
2-3 dates
Berries (if you want to keep the green color, just add extra greens like spinach, otherwise add some blackberries to make your ice cream purple). Enjoy 🙂
I like eating out, especially while traveling or meeting my friends. It is always good to choose healthy restaurants, however, there are always healthful options everywhere. And it’s pretty easy to stay fit and feel great if you make the right choices.
First, always have some clean water before you eat. Make sure that your meal has some fruits if it’s breakfast or plenty of vegetables if it’s lunch or dinner. For desserts, try some plant-based selections or fruits. You can have regular dessert too, but don’t forget about green tea with lemon 🍋 with it.
Second, try to avoid alcohol, but if it’s your night out or any kind of celebration, eat well before drinking. And again, don’t forget about water afterward.
Third, if you are out for a travel, ensure to bring some water and snacks with you as you never know if there are any healthy options available.
And last, enjoy your meal as much as you can even if it’s not the healthiest you can have. You can balance it afterward. We live once, so let’s count memories, not calories 😉
Everyone loves the sun but not everyone knows how it can affect our skin and our wellbeing, especially during hot days. In this post I’ll share my top essentials which help me feel great during summertime.
1. Stay hydrated. Our bodies consist of up to 78% of water, and during sunny days we lose it a lot easier, so don’t forget to drink some more than you usually do. I always bring a bottle of cold water whenever I leave my house. Try to drink minimum 2 litres of clear water per day.
2. Eat more fruits and vegetables and less heavy fast food. There are plenty of fruits 🍑🍓🥑🍏🍎🍐🍊🍇🍉🍌🍋🥭🍒🍈🍍🥥🥝and vegetables 🍅🍆🥦🌽🌶🥒🥬🥕🍠🧅🥔🧄 in the summer. Try to eat it as much as you can, prepare some fresh smoothies and salads. You will feel and look great 😉
3. Try contrast shower. It feels great on my body and summertime is the perfect time to start if you haven’t tried it yet.
4. Use moisturizer. Don’t forget to moisturize your skin before you go out. Apply any lotion with SPF before you sunbathe or if you plan to stay outside during the daytime. It’s not only about the face, don’t forget about your whole body as well. But don’t overuse it, a lot of creams together can cause sun allergy. I’m trying to use only SPF on my face, no foundation during the day unless I don’t have some special occasion and I’m applying SPF on open parts of my body too. My favorite SPF is SPF 30 Facial Serum by Andalou Naturals. Don’t forget to protect your lips too. I use Moisturizing Sunscreen Lip Balm SPF 25. And for my body, I love using Amazing Maui Babe Browning Lotion.
5. Spend more time outdoors. Wake up earlier and go for a walk or run before the day begins or do it in the evenings when the sun is down. Stay outside as much as you possibly can. Fresh air will make you feel amazing.
6. Wear comfortable cotton clothes in the summer. Your skin wants to breathe too, so let’s make it easier by wearing cotton and different natural fabric clothes. Always remember to protect your face and head by wearing a cap or a hat.
Hey there! I’m sharing my new favorite smoothie recipe with a secret ingredient that makes it really creamy. It’s my favorite one since last week 🙂 It’s so delicious too 😉
And the secret ingredient is .… avocado 🥑 – incredibly nutritious fruit with healthy fats.
Ingredients:
Avocado – one half
Banana
Strawberries 🍓
Greens (spinach, parsley, kale, arugula)
Chia seeds – 1 tsp
Maca powder – 1 tsp
Chlorella powder – 1 tsp
Maple syrup – 1 tsp
Oat milk – 1 cup
You can also add some protein to make it even more nourishing.
Blend all the ingredients and enjoy 🙂
Have it for your breakfast, lunch, dinner, or as a snack 🙂 Eat some more fruits if you still feel hungry 😉
Borsch or Beet Soup is a famous dish in Ukrainian cuisine. A few days ago I finally learned how to prepare it with the help of my sister and I’m so excited to share the recipe with you. I always assumed it’s difficult to cook but it turned out to be much easier I could ever imagine and it’s delicious 🙂
Ingredients:
1 cup of beans, pre-soaked overnight
3 medium beets, peeled and grated
2 tbsp of olive oil
2 tbsp of tomato paste
1 tbsp of vinegar
3 medium potatoes or less, peeled and diced
2 cups of finely chopped green cabbage
1 carrot, peeled and sliced in half
1 medium peeled onion
Chopped fresh dill, chives and/or parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Vegan sour cream for serving
Instructions:
1. Boil beans in a pot, add more water than usual as we will prepare the broth at the same time. When beans soften a bit, add other ingredients like potatoes and cabbage. Boil first and then simmer.
2. While waiting for beans to get ready, add olive oil to the frying pan, and when it is hot, add beets, tomato paste and vinegar, salt and pepper to taste and sauté until the veggies begin to soften, about 20-30 minutes.
3. Stir sautéd beets in the broth. Bring the liquid to boil and then simmer until the veggies are tender, for another 15-20 minutes. Add carrot.
4. Once all the vegetables are ready, add the whole onion to the broth, salt and pepper to taste.
5. Remove the pot from the heat and add dill, chives and parsley. Keep some for serving too 🙂
6. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with vegan sour cream and sprinkle with greens before serving.
DO YOU LIKE THE RECIPE?
SHARE IN THE COMMENTS IF YOU HAVE EVER PREPARED BORSCH 🙂
We live in a time when it’s easy to get lost among the numerous health articles being spouted out every day by doctors, nutritionists, and self-help coaches. The health industry value was $8.45 trillion in 2018 and it could reach over $10 trillion by 2022. It is partly built on the idea that both well-being and felicity are accessible to buy. In this post, I’m going to illustrate what I believe are the most important things we should be looking at when it comes to wellness.
1. Spend as much time outdoors as you possibly can. It’s not necessary to do different activities but relax in nature.
2. Think of your health as a group thing, pick a group of people to model healthy habits for and speak with them. Being surrounded by family and friends is the best manner to feel good.
3. Surround yourself with water. Take a walk or run near the river, sea, ocean or lake, go for a swim or take a relaxing bath. Hydrate yourself from inside too. Drink lots of water, not too much coffee or alcohol, and get plenty of sleep to avoid dehydration.
4. Simplify your attitude to food. It has to be healthful yet simple. Don’t get overwhelmed by Instagram’s extraordinary pictures. Food is to nourish our bodies and give us good energy. Eat more fruits and vegetables, make easy-to-do salads, smoothies and other foods. Let your meals heal you.
5. Keep yourself from barreling city life. Maintain a balance between your work and leisure, relax your mind. Spend some time in your own company.
6. Create a routine to maintain your health. While it’s great to start your day around 5am, workout and read for your productivity, remember that it’s also necessary to give yourself rest just to keep going forward. Do some yoga at least once a week and try to relax a bit.
Those are the things I believe are the most valuable when it comes to our wellness.
A monthly series collecting several products, food, and amusement I’m currently enjoying.
Some products may contain affiliate links.
May was a month of celebrations. We had Easter Holidays at the beginning of the month, my little sister’s birthday, the birthday of my aunt. I spent a lot of time with my close ones, both family and friends. Relationships and connections are really essential in everyone’s life.
I ultimately traveled again. I had remarkable moments with my friends in Kyiv and Ivano-Frankivsk.
I began learning German language. I have been studied it since my school and university years, and now I’m trying to improve it again.
I’d like to share with you my latest shopping haul. I love my new tops which I bought online and finally received. They are adorable.
I finally finished reading ‘Homo Deus. A Brief History Of Tomorrow’ written by Israeli author Yuval Noah Harari. The book has a lot of interesting thoughts on the future of humans.
I watched Catch Me If You Can, an American biographical crime film with Leonardo DiCaprio in the main role, directed and produced by Steven Spielberg. And Under The Tuscan Sun, a very easy-to-watch romantic comedy/drama movie.
I eventually tried the flavorful Organic Raw Chocolate Truffle Cake with super yummy smooth chocolate taste and raw, vegan ingredients which I ordered on Iherb and I love it, definitely will be ordering again and again 🙂
Those were all my May favorites. I hope you enjoyed reading the post and hopefully, you find something useful.
Hi there! I was living in Doha, Qatar for the past 4 years and I would like to share my favorite things to do there.
Qatar is a prosperous, cosmopolitan country in the Middle East with a hot climate during summer and windy during winter. It is a growing and developed country with a low crime rate which makes it an appealing destination. There are various places to discover beyond the capital too.
What To Explore In Qatar
The Doha Corniche is a waterfront area, a nice place to walk. It has a 7 km distance which is also perfect for running. You can take a Dhow Cruise to see Doha from the water. It can be rented for a joy ride around the West Bay, you could play your music on high volume during your ride too if you request 🙂 You could also have a view of the buildings across the water, just by sitting at the Corniche Fishing Spot.
Corniche
If you want to experience some ancient Islamic art and heritage, I would recommend the National Museum of Qatar and the Museum of Islamic Art, or MIA. You could visit the two museums within a short walk of minutes away. You can walk through MIA Park in Corniche which is located right near the museum. The National Museum of Qatar is a newly restored Palace where you could find more historical valuable items and also a unique feel of art surrounding the area.
National Museum of Qatar
The Pearl is a luxurious residential area with yachts and beautiful restaurants located on an artificial island, also a popular tourist attraction. The place is attracted by luxury cars, apartments, hotels, and yachts. You could visit the shopping mall – Piazza Arabia there. The marina is surrounded by boats and elegant places to sit for a snack or drink.
The Pearl
Qanat Quartier resembles little Venice in Doha, it’s my favorite place in Qatar. It’s a colorful area surrounded with houses and waterways. Marsa Malaz Kempinski Hotel is situated nearby on a separate island.
Piano Stairs at Qanat Quartier
On the way to Pearl, you could explore Katara. It’s a cultural modern village in Doha where one can see Amphitheatre, beautiful architecture, a beach, various restaurants, and coffee shops. Katara Plaza is located there too.
Amphitheater in Katara
Lusail is a new metropolitan area, a 20 km drive from Doha. It’s a new tourist attraction where you could find street food centers with a view of luxury cars and race bikes in the surrounding. You could sit by the ocean deck or have a jog along the marina while teenagers and children can do skate boarding or roller skating.
Qatar National Library hosts over a million books and space for thousands of readers, and it’s free to become a member 🙂
Souq is the oldest open Arabian-style marketplace where you can find traditional Arabic goods such as perfumes, clothes, and also souvenirs. The Souq in Doha is located in the heart of Qatar where you can find a wide range of restaurants with Arabic and other cuisines, and also great Sheesha options. You can feed horses and see falcons there too. The Souq in Al Wakrah is an incredible place to have breakfast or dinner by the sea view.
Souq Waqif
Aspire Park is the largest park in Doha with a large lake, jogging track, and some restaurants too. It’s located near Villagio Mall.
Aspire Park
Al Zubarah Fort is one of Qatar’s largest archaeological spots situated in the ancient town of Zubarah, which in turn is located on the northwestern coast of the country.
Al Maroona, Fuwairit, Al Ghariya, Dukhan Beach are beaches with clear waters and white sands. It’s great to spend the day there if you want to get some tan while enjoying the mesmerizing sunset.
Dukhan Beach
Sealine Beach is an exciting beach since it has more activities such as dune bashing and also quad bikes. It’s more preferable to go with a four-wheel drive as it’s filled with sand, so your car won’t get stuck.
Khor Al Adaid ‘Inland Sea’ is a beautiful destination towards the south of the country, where the sea meets the desert, and also you can see the land of the bordering country Saudi Arabia.
Inland Sea
The Purple Island is one famous location for kayaking, where you could kayak through the mangroves.
The Purple Island
Shopping in Qatar
Villagio Mall
You will love to shop in the beautiful Villagio Mall with canal and gondola or huge ones like The Mall of Qatar or Doha Festival City. City Centre Mall and Gate Mall are located in West Bay where most of the hotels are situated and near the Corniche area. You can also visit malls like Mirqab Mall, Gulf Mall, Ezdan Mall, and Landmark Mall where you can find plentiful affordable shops too. Alhazm Mall is one of the luxurious malls located in the surrounding. The lavish Lagoona Mall is located between the iconic Zig-Zag towerin the West Bay Lagoon district.
Where To Eat And Drink In Qatar
1. Evergreen Organics – my favorite vegan restaurant in Palazzio 1, Qanat Quartier.
Evergreen Organics
2. Teatro Restaurant in City Centre Rotana Doha offers a great choice of different cuisines and cocktails.
3. Cue Cafe in Qanat Quartier has delicious drinks and snacks with a beautiful pink environment.
Breakfast at Cue
4. Paloma at Intercontinental Doha serves the best Tex-Mex favorites along with specialties from all around South America.
5. Mamig restaurant at Katara offers a mix of Armenian and Lebanese cuisine, it has the most delicious taboula salad and stuffed vine leaves 🙂
My favorite taboula at Mamig
6. La Vista 55 Bar at Intercontinental The City – Havana-themed bar where you can enjoy rich drinks and food while listening to Latin music.
The Glamorous Muse 