11/12 – we now are in November. And I truly do not know how this year passed by so quickly. Is ut just me or does anyone else feel like it went Janiuary, February, Lockdown (felt like 1 week), 2 weeks of summer, a few days of fall and now it’s almost Christmas. How? But anyway, we are in November, which means we need some new things to get excited about, and we definitely have got some! As every month, I´ll share my food of the month, my favourite recipe (soso good this time), product of the month, workout and inspiration to get us through this cold month! Enjoy, I hope this will upgrade your month a bit!
Food of the month – Pumpkin
How could it not be? Fall = Pumpkin. October & November are THE pumpkin months. But what makes pumpkin healthy and what qualifies it as a food of the month?
What was really surprising to me is that pumpkin originated in middle and South America. It is a very ancient food, which apparently has been discovered almost 10 000 years ago. Very very old. But pumpkin is not just pumpkin. While the most common ones are Hokkaido, butternut, spaghetti and acorn squash, there actually exist more than 800 different types of pumpkin. Crazy number right? But there is something they all have in common, their nutritional value. It varies a bit from pumpkin to pumpkin but is very similar with everyone.
Pumpkin is very low in calories, with an average of 50/100g. But it is extremely high in vitamins, especially in Vitamin A. It also has a decent amount of fibre to keep you full for longer. Besides Vitamin A, they contain Vitamin C, E and Iron, which have shown to improve the immune system. This is great for the colder months ahead of us!
But what I love about them the most is that they are so versatile. And believe me, you will see this in my November recipes – just saying: Pumpkin overload. You can make them into soup, risotto, add them to pasta, bowls, oatmeal, even coffee. Bake, steam, fry them. Whatever you want, it basically is possible with it. My favourite probably is soup or adding it to pasta.
If you like pumpkin, I can promise you so much: be excited for November. We have got them with pasta, in a Middle Eastern inspired sit, sweet and another surprise. And all are healthy and so DELICIOUS.
Recipe of the month – Saucy Green Curry Noodles with Oven-Baked Crispy Sesame Tofu
I know that it might sound very complicated to make. But it is not. It is everything else than traditional (sorry Rin, Sai – my Thai friends) but it definitely is AT LEAST as delicious. Very family friendly, easy to make, pretty quick. A complete favourite of mine.
What is in this dish?
Everything we love. We have got an abundance of vegetables – whichever you like, I love to make use of the greens that are now in season such as Brussel sprouts, broccoli, spinach, kale, but any vegetable will work. Those are tossed in a creamy and spicy coconut milk and curry sauce.
To have something filling we are mixing this with noodles. Rice noodles work best here because they soak up the sauce best. But soba or udon would also work. The combination of noodles and curry really is unbeatable.
And let’s not forget about the best part of the dish. The crispy tofu. And ys, this actually is crispy, and healthy. It is not deep-fried but baked and it is crispy. With soy sauce sesame flavour, the perfect addition.
I can only tell you this much: if you like curry, you must try this! It is next level good food.
Product of the month – Everdrop
„With every product we want to make the world a little bit better“ – that is the vision of Daniel, Chris & David, the founders of everdrop.
But what is everdrop?
Everdrop is a brand that produces products for sustainable cleaning and washing. Instead of buying a plastic spray bottle to clean your glas, your bathroom or your kitchen their idea is to buy a tab that you add to a bottle with water. This way you sort of make your own cleaning products at home. You buy a bottle once and reuse this every time. When it is empty, you simply add another tab and water and you have got a new product. Simple, efficient and cheep.
It actually is cheaper than buying a regular cleaning product at the store. One tab – so one bottle – costs 1€. Cheaper than if you’d buy a whole new bottle. You can order them and they’ll come straight to your door. We have been using these products for about 3 months and are super happy with them.
Besides cleaning products for kitchen, bathroom and glass, you can also find Laundry detergents for a more sustainable washing of cloths.
What is amazing about this company is that they produce in Germany only, produce 93% less plastic and 77% less CO2. Definitely worth a try if you want to make your home more sustainable.
Workout of the month – Daily Yoga
„Yoga is just laying on the floor and stretching“. I do not know how many times I have heard this sentence. Way too many times. But really, most people who have said this have never tried Yoga.
It can be relaxing but it also can be really challenging and it will give you a good sweat. That is what I love about it! You can choose your level of difficulty. I have been practicing Yoga for a few years now but never really regularly because I did not always want to go to a studio and have never really found something that I loved 100%. Until a friend of mine recommended me this app.
Daily yoga is an app you simply download on your smartphone or tablet and you have hundreds of Yoga courses. There are a bunch of free ones to try out (they are great) and if you like them you can subscribe to a membership for more courses (although I think the free one is really great – I also am using the free courses only at the moment). There is not only the „normal“ yoga on there but also guided meditation, yoga for sweat, yoga for abs, or yoga for flexibility. Something for everyone.
Inspiration of the month – @dariadaria
Madeleine Darya Alizadeh mostly known as Dariadaria on Instagram. I have found her profile through a radio interview two years ago and follow her journey ever since then. Madeleine is one of Austrias most successful activist, podcaster and blogger.
She started her blog in 2010, which focused on fashion. She then got interested in the climate change and shifted her focus to raise awareness about sustainability. She also founded a sustainable and inclusive (beautiful!) fashion label called Dariadéh.
Why did I chose her as the inspiration of the month?
Because she really is an inspiring human from day to day. If you follow her on instagram you know what I mean. She fights for rights, equality, in general for a better world. And her stories are such a positive contribution to each day. No matter whether it is her sweating and dying at a workout or just fun things that happen on a daily basis.
Besides, she also shares a lot of sustainable brands, especially fashion brands, as she also has her own one. Madeleine has also written a book called „Starkes, weiches Herz“ in which she addresses lots of small question regarding life. A really inspiring book and also a very motivating one. I have almost finished it in one read. Just an enrichment every day. I can really recommend following her.
All of these foods, workouts, inspiration and products are things I genuinely enjoy and consume on a daily basis. I really hope that these will make your November a bit better. If you do try out any of this I would love to hear how you like them!
Have a beautiful November,
Katie // Une Petite Cusiniere
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