All posts filed under: Food & Drinks

Back to blogging?

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Hey there! How are you? It’s been a while, I know. Who would have thought? How a worldwide quarantine tricked me out of my blogging confinement.  A whole year has come and gone, a new one has started once more (and what a year 2020 has been up to now). I’ve been away for quite a while, and I’d love to reconnect with you. My lastpost dates back to December 2018, and I kind of hit a wall around that point. In the months prior, I had been running myself ragged, stressing and fretting constantly, not only about life or work, but especially about blogging. Inspiration had flown straight out of the window, that love and passion seemingly evaporated and all but lost, and I just did not want to blog anymore. Sounds crude, I know, but if I’m being completely honest, that’s exactly what it was. I just did not feel like blogging anymore. The ever-changing nature of blogging, Social Media and PR had thrown me for a loop, especially the whole (Instagram) Influencer …

Easy Peasy Summer Breezy Breakfast

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Oh hey, I know, it’s been longer than usual. Life has been so hectic these past few weeks that I haven’t been able to keep up with the blog updates. As much as I love the blog, sometimes life needs to come first and take over. Today started as any other work-from-home day ( it is 10 pm as I’m writing this…). I woke up, had some coffee, got the kids ready from school, dropped them off, kickstarted my computer and went to make myself some breakfast… On the way to the fridge, halfway here to grab some yoghurt, something stopped me in my tracks. I spotted the Lima Spirulina Matcha Express Porridge* in the corner of my eye, and realized that it was time for a shake up of my boring breakfast routine of yoghurt and granola or two slices of bread. I’ve never been a big porridge fan, partly due to the blandness of the flavour of basic porridge and due to a prep time misconception on my part. However, I’ve really been …

Shredded Chicken Salad

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A bit of leftover chicken from the roast dinner I had the day before+ a little jolt of inspiration + a whole lot of ‘wanting to go healthy’-induced procrastination session led me to this gorgeous and delicious salad. Easy to whip up, healthy, yummy and the perfect dish with Spring and Summer just around the corner, this salad ticks all the boxes for me! You can start this recipe from scratch and include it in your Sunday dinner as the perfect, fresh partner to a beautiful and succulent roast chicken ( I’ll gladly include the recipe in a next post if you want, just let me know in the comments), but I am going down the lazy road today and am using the leftovers from our family chicken roast decadence. Minimal effort, maximal flavour! Ingredients: 300 – 400 gr roasted chicken 2 Romaine heads / Cos lettuce  (you can also add in a handful of rocket salad) 1 large handful of coriander / cilantro, chopped 1/2 handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped 1 whole cucumber, …

The Banana Bread My Kids Go Bonkers For

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Banana bonkers… that’s a way to describe my kids. We are certified banana lovers over here, whatever way, shape or form is adored, but this banana bread really does take the crown. Several loafs are whipped up every month, and the yellow goodies aren’t the only thing that have my mini’s jumping for joy. This recipe is not only quick and easy, it is also perfect to get your kids involved and let them join in. Mine are always happy to help, and I just love spending that quality time with them, together in the kitchen, making something out of nothing. A few leftover bananas transform into a loaf of love that makes a delicious breakfast (on the go, guilty as charged), a lunchbox extra or a sweet tea time snack. A friend of mine passed me this recipe, without the thrills and frills, and I started playing around with it, adapting it and ended up with this version that is a hit in the LLS household. Here we go! Ingredients: 4 smaller, ripe bananas …

A Succulent Snickers Milkshake Showdown

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You see what I did there? The perfect marriage of two of my biggest loves, food and word wizardry! I know we’re only just recovering from the annual food coma fortnight, but hear me out. One of my main goals for 2018 is a healthier lifestyle, body, mind and soul, but with an 80/20 perspective, with a sense of kindness for my body. That kindness goes both ways, with both a healthy nourishment and a little less severity and strictness. A little treat goes a long way, and what could be a better off-day treat than this Snickers Milkshake? Just look at that gorgeous creaminess, that delectable, smooth shake whispering “Come hither”! Sure, below version is quite a big cheat-treat, but give it your own twist! Make it as succulent and scrumptious as you want or need. Have fun with it! Whip it up in a minute (#easiestrecipeever) whenever you feel like spoiling yourself or your loved ones.  The one you see below is the full-on version adored by my kids, but keep on reading …

The Tasting Club Invites You To Push Your Boundaries

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The Tasting Club will see you now…. Life is all about pushing yourself, about steering off the known route and onto ventures unknown. Sometimes life leads you down the path of a new passion, and before you know it, you reach that point where you either stop (and wonder ‘what if’ for the rest of your life) or jump, eyes closed, heart in your hands and mind wide open, eager to learn and push your boundaries beyond what you thought was possible. My crossroads presented itself when an invitation of The Tasting Club for a session on the Vins De Provence (Wines of the Provence) popped into my mailbox. It’s no secret that I love food and that I adore to cook, that has been seeping in here onto LeenLovesStyle this year, but to call myself a fully fledged food blogger would be a few steps to far (#2018goals). One invitation, 3 challenges! An unknown wine region begging to be discovered, an Iranian finger food and matching Vins de Provence wine exploration courtesy of Leading …

Wanted: Christmas Inspiration

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Christmas is in the air, and I am just bursting with excitement! I am beyond ready to deck the halls, decorate the tree and jingle all the way till Boxing Day! Much to my husband’s despair, I love going with a theme each, and after going red and gold these last few years, I feel torn this time. Red and gold really exudes that ultimate Christmas feeling of warmth, festivity and togetherness, but somehow I am also drawn to that crisp, fresh white Scandi Christmas feel (maybe I’ll keep that hint of gold)… On top of that, I am hosting the Christmas dinner this year and I took almost a fortnight off from work to be at home with the kids, so my mind is just bubbling with ideas, inspiration and recipes. All that’s left now is to create some order in the chaos that is my brain, and see where my hours spent procrastinating on the ingenious trap that is Pinterest will lead me… Pics via Pinterest

Wishlist Wednesday – Sacred English Whisky Liqueur

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Wishlist Wednesday is back! And with a vengeance (maybe not so much, but hey, everyone needs to release their inner Bruce Willis from time to time. Yippie ka yee…). After doing the rounds at the Press Days two weeks ago, not much made a lasting impression, but the taste of one new launch kept lingering on my lips, kept beckoning me to taste more, to discover more. Sacred is expanding their premium spirits collection with one launch at a time, taking their sweet time to craft and perfect every new member of the Sacred family. Their newest offering is the Sacred English Whisky Liqueur,  and it plans to give the current classic, Drambuie, a run for it’s money. An sweetened English whisky with a twist, thanks to it’s 3 year-long ageing on boubon casks. The first drops revealed an intriguing complexity, and I was hooked! Two sips, and I was sold, hook, line and sinker! The orange peels gave it that hint of freshness that kept it from becoming too much, and the cubeb and …

Coffee Chocolate Brownie Cookies

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Heaven in a single bite, isn’t that what we all want? Cookies have a reputation for being just that, and these Coffee Chocolate Brownie Cookies are nothing short of divine! Crispy on the outside, chewy moelleux-esque on the inside, this cookie unites the best of both worlds. Ingredients: 35 gr self-raising flour (yes, you read this right. 35 gr) or 35 gr of flour and 1/4 tsp of baking soda 18 gr salt 2 large eggs 130 gr granulated sugar 1 tbsp coffee (the stronger the better, I usually go for the Nespresso Apeggio* ) 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 tbsp unsalted butter 200 gr dark chocolate (70% or more) Optional: 120 gr chocolate chips First of all, you really did read that right. Only 35 gr of flour go into this recipe, which makes for delicate cookie and a recipe that needs to be followed to a t. Shortcuts are a no no on the way to heaven in a bite! Preheat the oven to 190°C and line an oven tray with baking paper. …

Sunday Musings

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“Sundays are for relaxing”, I must have said that a thousand times. As much as I adore blogging, Sunday mornings in the LLS household are never spent in fromt of a computer screen, tapping away on those keys. These hours are for relaxing, for reconnecting, for reviving and above all for recharging. After being woken by the kids jumping on our bed, Mr B and I totter downstairs and I make a beeline for our Nespresso* to get my first coffee of the day. The scent of coffee fills the air, the kids whip up their own fruit salad for brunch and that banana bread my two mini’s and I baked together yesterday is just enticing me to dive in (if you want the recipe, just let me know donw in the comments …). Latte Macchiato in hand, love all around me, pyjama-clad flashes whizzing all though the kitchen, my favourite flowers in the corner of my eye, what else does one need? Who cares about George Clooney when I have Mr B right here …