We are in March, which means the best season of the year begins – spring. And alsooo we have got a new Top 6! Yes, you read correctly, it is 6 because we have a new category, which is restaurant of the month and let me tell you – I am very excited about that. I mean spring already is amazing by itself and with these 6 things it’ll be next level!
Restaurant of the Month – Budapest Bagels
Ever wondered what real happiness is? Go grab a bagel, your bestie and sit down somewhere in the sun and just appreciate the beauty of this moment. Honestly this category is a real upgrade for the monthly top 5 – apparently you also saw it this way as 132 of you wanted it and only 5 said they wouldn’t need it. But really – can you not need a good food recommendation? I don’t think so 🙂
So this month, for the first recommendation we have got some seriously good takeaway. And when I say seriously good I mean you are willing to take a 10 min walk to go back and grab more. This is how good. Budapest Bagels is a bagel shop which opened last summer in the heart of Vienna, close to the Danube Canal. It is a restaurant from Budapest (who would have guessed) which has next level Bagels.
Their Bagels are made fresh every day and filled and toasted freshly when you order them. When you leave, you have delicious, warm and fluffy bagels. PLUS, you have a great variety to chose from. Veggie with cheese and arugula or caprese. Vegan with vegan lox or vegan monthly specials. Or classic ones as New York salmon or brie and bacon. Whichever you chose, you cannot go wrong.
I went there in summer for the first time and realised that I hadn’t gone there for way to long when I went back recently. I tried the avocado walnut, the inside out cheese and the classic New York Salmon. My favorite way the New York Salmon but all of them were incredibly amazing! Plus, I believe they are really affordable and filling!
Price: 3,5-6,9€ (most are around 4,5€)
Rating: 5/5 (there won’t be restaurants with lower ratings on here anyway)
Location: Lilienbrunngasse 3, 1020 Wien
Have fun queuing up and grabbing yours – it is worth it!
Food of the month – Spinach
„Add a handful of greens“ – if you have been around for a while you probs have heard or read this pretty often already. But seriously, adding a handful of greens into any meal is the easiest thing you could do to make it a bit healthier – so why not? And especially as many of you (which I am very proud of) are participating in the lent greens challenge – I could not choose anything other but a green to be the star of the month.
So we have spinach; very controversial – some love it, some hate it. Spinach is such a cool green because you can have it in so many different ways! Fresh in a salad, puréed in smoothies, creamy as a side, stir fried in woks, wilted down in soups, … it just is so easy to add to anything. Really, the next time you go to the shop, get some fresh spinach and add it to the next meal you make. Such an easy addition and you get so many nutrients.
But which ones actually? Spinach has 2.2g fibre per 100g and consist of 91% water (this also is the reason for why it wilts down so much when cooking). Plus, it is high in Vitamin C, which is especially important right now, as it keeps your immune system healthy. Also it comes with a bunch of carotenoids, which your body can turn into Vitamin A. Besides, as many dark leafy greens, it is high in iron and calcium. Its numerous nutrients have shown to prevent several diseases, which is truly amazing.
So spinach is a real star, helping you to feel good and stay healthy. It deserves a bit more usage so just throw it into your next meal!
Recipe of the month – Cauliflower Wings
This. is. it. In case you were thinking cauliflower is boring – you were now proven wrong. Terribly wrong. This recipe has been developed as more or less a use-up-your-fridge-kind-of-thing, but for real, these often are the best ones. You may have already seen it in my Vegan What I Eat In A Day and now it also is up on the blog.
This recipe is really easy to make and so delicious. A mix between cauliflower wings and a barbecue but with a touch fo stir-fry. Sounds like a lot but really isn’t. All you need to do is toss the cauliflower in a milk-flour-spice mix and then in breadcrumbs and just bake it. After baking, you quickly fry it with some veggies in a pan and add the barbecue sauce and that’s it.
They have this soggy-after-crispy texture and it is SO good. Like the saucy barbecue-ness and the soft veggies to go with it. I don’t know – I just really like it. And have made it on a weekly basis recently. No more words needed, just a cauliflower.
Workout of the month – Heather Robertson
YouTube Workouts have definitely made it onto our quarantine essentials list. For a good reason. They are easy to access, for free, there is a huge variety to choose from, and they actually are fun. But I also get that doing the same workouts over and over can be pretty boring. So we got to switch things up and try different workouts from different people.
Recently I have found Heather Robertson on YouTube, whose workouts I have never tried before. And I was impressed. I love her style of the workouts, really. What she does essentially is doing a few exercises, then repeating them and then doing new ones. Her exercises usually are 40 seconds long with a 10 second break in-between.
What is unique about her videos is that she is doing a great mixture of exercises and also showing some unconventional, ones I have never seen before. Her HIIT Workouts for example are not only jumping jacks and high knees but also. boxing burpees and also some slower and controlled movement – and yes, you still sweat. Enough.
I tried a 15 minute HIT and a HIT – Pilates Mixture, which I really enjoyed. Especially the pilates one to be honest. Also, if you are not a HIT fan, there is a great variety of other videos to chose from. There are short ones, there are long ones, there is something for everyone. Just check it out and have some fun!
Product of the month – the slow label
The slow label is not just any label but an incredibly thought through, transparent and sustainable, yet incredibly gorgeous and pretty fashion label from Germany. It has been founded by Anna Laura Kummer, who is a founder, blogger, YouTuber, and above all an inspiration to live a better life.
Just as Anna, slow label also inspires to live a better life with its truly amazing products. It has timeless collections in the concept of capsule wardrobe and pieces that fit anyone and go well with everything.
Besides there incredibly beautiful pieces, what I love most is their transparency. In their Instagram highlights and on the website you can find out basically about everything regarding the products. For each product you buy, you get an exact cost split for how the price is made up, where the material is sourced, where the product is produced, where it is manufactured and how much is donated. This incredible transparency is amazing because you really know where your money goes and what you wear. Due to the ethical production and sustainable sourcing the items are very pricey though.
The goal of the slow label is to slow down the fast-paced fashion industry and approaching things with an honest and improvement orientated mindset. They encourage sustainability, timeless and versatile clothing and conscious consumption.
I got the Turtleneck Jumper in Ecru and honestly, I cannot go without it anymore. I wear it pretty much every other day and love it. It goes perfectly with anything, no matter if it is just casual with jeans, more elegant with a skirt or just cozy at home with joggers. It is perfect for any occasion. This clothing is not something you just buy, wear a few times and never again but something you’ll wear over and over for years.
Inspiration of the month – Stoic
Stoic comes from the word stoicism, which is a greek philosophy focusing on making the ones practicing more resilient, happier, more wise and virtuous. In other words; just making us better na more reflected people. just like this ancient philosophy the App Stoic does the same.
Stoic is a free app that helps you be a bit more elected, focus on important things in life, journal, see trends in your mental health and improve it overall. You can start your day with stoic by simply clicking on how you feel, what you will do today, writing down thoughts, feelings, important things, focuses in the day through guided questions. Also, in the end of the day you can summarise it, reflect on what you have learnt, what you could have done better, practice some gratitude, and sum up your day.
I downloaded this app a bit more than a month ago and am using It pretty much on a daily basis. What I love is that it sends you notifications to remind you what you are focusing on today and inspiring you with quotes from famous philosophers. This feature especially helps me to return to my intentions during the day and remember what’s important to me.
It is really helpful to keep track of your mental health, your progress but also to train your mind into a more grateful and positive one through different exercises as negative visualisation, relax breathing, journaling, quotes, writing out goals, fear setting, meditation and thoughts. Instead of jumping on social media, you can just practice some of the exercises and take care of yourself and your mental health.
This is something I have included in my morning and evening routine and really has helped me to become more calm, less stressed and just a bit more at peace with myself. Takes 5 minutes of your day, which you can for sure find, and really makes a huge positive impact.
Definitely worth a download, no matter if you are struggling with your mental health at the moment or not. It in anyway will contribute to making your day better.
I hope that you will enjoy all of these things and have an amazing march and a great start into spring!
Would love to hear how you like it!
All the best,
Love,
Katie
