My October Top 5

We are fully into fall now and all feeling it. Days are getting short, skies are getting grayer and we are getting our coats out again.. but it also is the season of loads of tea, hot chocolate, cozy evenings and beautiful walks in nature. To make your October a bit better I have got my 5 favorite things for you here, that will take this month next level! 

Food of the month – Brussel sprouts

This is one of the most controversial foods ever. I do not know a single person that is feeling kind of „fine“ about brussel sprouts – either you love them or you hate them. And I really do not understand everyone who does not like them. The flavor, the texture, everything about them is so good. And they are really healthy too. 

You could probably already tell by their color that they are healthy (is there even a green food that is not healthy?) heir incredibly high amount of antioxidants can help lower your risk of chronically diseases. And, as pretty much every veggie, they are high in fibre and low in calories. Fibre is an essential component of a healthy diet for ultimate gut health and a well-working digestion. Besides, they have an incredibly high content of Vitamin K. Actually 100g provide you with more than your daily need of Vitamin K. So yes, they are a great health veggie. Plus, they are super easy to prepare. Throw them into curries, stews, a wok or just roast them as they are with a little olive oil and sea salt. You can make the Vegan Rice Noodle Salad with Crispy Tofu or my Super Green 20-minute Curry ! There are more recipes to come this month, so stay tuned!

Recipe of the month – Unbelievably Good (Healthy) Vegan Half Baked Cheesecake with Figs & Secret Ingredient

Figs again? Yes! I definitely love figs – that’s why we have another fig recipe in my favorites! And this recipe especially is insane! The vegan “cheesecake” is some next level goodness. Don’t be afraid when you hear vegan and cheesecake in a sentence but trust me and this recipe and you’ll be surprised how good it is.

It’s healthier than regular cheesecake, SO easy to make, incredibly tasty and if you do not like figs, top it with truly and fruit – you could go for blueberries, raspberries or just with nothing on top! This truly is one of my absolute favorite recipes so it just had to be included here. 

Product of the month – Wien – Food. People. Stories – by NENI

Earlier in September I was invited to the introduction of the new cookbook from the Molcho Family (founders of NENI), called Wien by Neni. No this is not sponsored in any way but I decided to choose this as the product of the month because I am genuinely in love with this book. 

It is for sure not your average cookbook. You can really feel the hours of love, work and committed it took to write it. Besides their amazing recipe creations (like Stuffed Onions with Cashew Tahina or Chicken Gyoza with Caramelized Kimchi and Date Marinade) but they also included recipes from their favorite restaurants in Vienna (such as Mochi, Mayer & Freunde, zum Herkner…)! And you get to know the family, their story and all of their favorite addresses in Vienna. No matter whether it is for Brunch, a fancy dinner, an American diner or a nice bar, they have got you covered! 

I would not recommend this book without having tried to make anything out of it. I tried the Roastbeef with Tomatoes and Green Pepper Salsa and it was amazing! So worth the purchase – especially when we are confronted with the possibility of having to stay at home any day at the moment! In this case, you would not run out of ideas to cook (besides the one from my blog :))! 

Workout of the month – ShapedByIB 20 minute Scorch 

Aka death by crizou. You may think it only is a 20 minute workout, how hard can this be? Well, I guess you have never pushed yourself through a ShapedByIB workout! 

What even is that? Shaped By IB is one of the most popular fitness and workout locations in Vienna. It is located in the heart of Vienna, in the cellar of a ship. Pretty cool right? As if that wasn’t enough, for every workout you get a gadget that measures your heart rate all throughout the workout and gives you information on your heart rate and burned calories while you are working out. Really innovative and so much fun! The workouts are made of a strength (on the floor) and cardio part (on the treadmill) as for the original workout or a strength (on the floor), a cardio (on the treadmill) and a boxing part (with boxing bags) when you do the Scorch! Whichever workout you choose, you are going to feel sore the next day for sure. 

But, as with most of us, Covid-19 has also affected Shaped By IB. But they did not complain and tried to make the best out of the situation with innovation. And truly, what they did is great. The Team from Shaped by IB created an online Platform with workouts based on the Shaped by IB principle – but such you can make at home and without equipment. All you need is a monthly or yearly membership and you have access to over 50 workouts with new ones coming every month! 

My favorite at the moment is the 20 minute Scorch from trainer Chris. A mix of cardio, strength and boxing and it hits hard. If you want to challenge yourself and step out of your comfort zone, you need to try this. After you have pushed yourself through this workout to give everything, you will feel amazing!! The feeling after really is unbeatable!

Inspiration of the month – Linda Sun

You have probably never heard of her – much like me up until a few weeks ago. Actually I discovered her through a friend who shared a video of mine with me, and now she is one of my favorite food youtubers (is that even a thing! out there! 

What does she share? 

Lots of pancakes and sweaty workouts! No but really, besides that she shares a lot of delicious recipes, realistic eats, super inspiring talks about body positivity, a healthy relationship with food and lots of positive vibes. Her videos just inspire one to live the best life we could and enjoy it to the fullest! I can only recommend her from the bottom of my heart! She’s such a cute girl! 

Happy October

I hope you like and enjoy this inspiration! These really are things that make my life a little bit better on a daily basis, an I hope they do the same to you! I am wishing you a wonderful fall and an amazing start into October!

All the best,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière

P.s.: if you are wondering where that delicious green smoothie in my hand is from – it is from Colour Cups, which is a start up which makes incredibly good smoothies and porridges, freezes the ingredients, and delivers them to your home! You reheat or blend them and your breakfast is ready to go in 2 minutes! We have visited them last week and were absolutely amazed!