*This post is sponsored by REWE. Thank you for supporting Heavenlynn Healthy’s sponsors.

There are moments in life, when I wished, I lived in a big city. When I look at our small fitness program for example. Or when I want to try a new restaurant. And then there are moments in life, when I’m super happy to live in the countryside. Well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration since my town is not that small. But I’m only 5 minutes away from a real forest, which is pretty much the countryside for me. During my visit at a local apple farm a few weeks ago, I once again realized that my heart beats for nature, and not for the big cities.My countryside-heart got so excited during my visit at Ralf zum Felde’s apple farm near Jork. That morning I saw deer, fawns, birds of prey, and marten dikes. Oh and of course I saw one or the other apple.

As REWE Regional ambassador, I got to visit a handful of local producers this year. You can say that I’m a bit of a fan girl when it comes to farmers, because, hello, they produce our food! Something that we all consume every single day. Without them, we would pretty much starve, so I am thankful that there are people that work day and night to keep us satisfied.

If you grocery shop at REWE occasionally (or daily like me), then you might have noticed the regional banners hanging above the produce section with photos of the local producers. Or you’ve noticed the little yellow truck on the local products, the logo of REWE Regional. Many of the producers have been in a cooperation with REWE for many years.

Just like Mr. zum Felde who has taken over the business from his father who has stepped into the shoes of his father and so on. Ralf zum Felde grows all the well-known apple brands such as Elstar, Braeburn, Jonagold, as well as boskoop or Holsteiner Cox. (I really do not know what they are called in English, sorry).

If you did not happen to grow up next to a large area of apple farms (like I did), then you might think of apple trees as large, majestic tress. These days, conventional apple trees are small and tiny, and easy to harvest without needing a ladder to climb. That’s the truth, people. Everything is standardized in modern agriculture.

When you think of locality and seasonality, I instantly think of sustainability and environmental protection. Of course these topics are also predominant in the area „Altes Land“, Northern Germany’s largest contiguous fruit-growing region. During our walk through the apple rows, Mr. Zum Felde explained to me that they have implemented various measures over the years to protect the environment and to make apple agriculture more sustainable. Such measures include poles for the birds of prey, natural lakes, marten dikes, bee hotels,, falcon houses and blossoming stripes along the apple rows. I don’t really know the English word for it, but blossoming stripes are clearly pictured in the photo below. It’s purpose is to attract wild insects. For me as a fan of birds of prey, the morning on the apple farm was especially fascinating, because I’ve never seen so many wild birds of prey in nature before. Why birds of prey, you might ask yourself now? Because they keep the mice away, who like to nibble on the roots of the trees, which makes them ill.

The highlight of the day? Definitely seeing multiple deer, does and fawns! We were able to get really close so I could take this magical photo. I think that my excitement definitely broke the ice between the farmer and the little blonde food blogger ;-).

If you’ve come this far in my article, then I would like to thank you big time. With a delicious recipe for homemade cinnamon apple rolls. They are the perfect treat for a rainy Sunday afternoon.

Enjoy!

*This post is sponsored by REWE. Thank you for supporting Heavenlynn Healthy’s sponsors. They keep me recipe testin’ all day long. 🙂 

Merken

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With these healthy plum muffins, fall has officially started on Heavenlynn Healthy.

Three weeks ago I got to spend a girls’ weekend in Duesseldorf with my best friends from high school and it could not have been more perfect. We laughed, we chatted, we hugged and we enjoyed spending time with the people that we’ve known for such a long time. Even though we have all chosen different paths, we’re still friends and this is something I do not take for granted. Right before we left, I decided to quickly bake these healthy plum muffins (because I felt like this was my food blogger duty), and we spent the whole 5-hour car ride catching up and munching on the juicy muffins. My girlfriends approved, and I hope you will too!

Our car ride was already so much different than it used to be back when we were 19. There would have been loud music playing, probably one or the other glass of champagne would have been involved together with lots of candy and other convenience products and there would have been lots of boys talk and other seemingly important topics. Now, 8 years later, one was finishing her thesis in the car, while the others were talking about work, insurance, our grandparents and the war, nutrition and body problems, and of course babies. It’s crazy how our priorities have shifted in these past years.

It’s not like we do not know how to party or enjoy ourselves anymore. Of course we enjoyed one or the other glass of wine, but we felt like it was so much more important to catch up, to talk and to listen than it was to dance the night away. Since I’ve never been particularly interested in partying anyways, I was very relieved to find that my girlfriends have changed as well. Our priorities have shifted drastically in the past 8 years, and I find that we’ve actually gotten a lot closer ever since we all have taken on major responsibilities in life.

Even though all of us admitted that we would have rather stayed home because life for all of us is so busy, we realized that taking this trip was much needed for all of us. Especially during busy times, it is so important to step out of your comfort zone and do something for yourself even though it requires a little push.

Before I’ll share with you the recipe for these delicious plum muffins, I just wanted to add a quick disclaimer for my healthy treats. Even though they are made from healthy ingredients, they are still treats and should be enjoyed in moderation. I’m not saying that you can’t indulge, but rather enjoy them one piece at a time :).

Now that we’re all on the same page, go make these now. You’ll love them.

Enjoy!

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It’s this time of the year again: as the leaves start falling, the days get shorter and the mornings colder, I have been craving spiced fall porridge again. I don’t know why I have not posted it last fall, but I am glad I didn’t because now I’ve had just about a year to perfectionate it. With every bite of this delicious spiced porridge, you can feel fall on your tongue. The flavors of this season are so warm, comforting and sensual that I can hardly wait for it to be completely and totally fall again. It’s by far my favorite season and I am longing for it to never end at this moment of the year. As the days get shorter, I love eating healthy and fast breakfasts in the morning, because we all love healthy fast food right? That’s why this is my entry for the lovely Janine from Nuts and Blueberries who is running a little blogger carnival with the motto #HealthyFastFood 4. On October 1st Janine will publish all the entries of her blogger carnival, so if you’re looking for healthy but fast food inspiration, be sure to pay Janine’s wonderful blog a visit.

When I write about fall, I “fall” into a melancholic mood , a good mood, as I remember all the good memories that this season has provided me with during my lifetime. But there are also some unpleasant memories that I associate with fallen leaves, so I thought I’d do a little re-capturing of what fall meant to me as a child:

Here’s what I loved about fall when I was a child:

• making little animals with chestnuts
• coming home in dirty rubber boots and jackets
• lantern walks
• kites flying in the brisk air
• decorating windows with pressed leaves
• coming home from ballet lessons and eating hot pumpkin soup
• reading books while cuddled up in a blanket
• oatmeal
• Saturdays

Here’s what I hated about fall as a child:

• raking the leaves in my grandparent’s backyard
• riding my bike home from school in the rain
• track & field practice outside (also in the rain)
• Sundays

I used to be (or I still am) quite a sensitive person. So as a child, Sunday nights were the worst for me as they meant that the weekend was over and that I had to be back in school in just a few hours. It’s not that I didn’t like school, I loved it, but I was just so sad that the weekend was over. However, what I loved about fall was that my mom would get up extra early on school days to prep us a fresh orange juice and porridge so we would get in all the nutrients for an eventful school day. I remember that I did not instantly fall in love with porridge (I was more the chocolate granola kind of kid), but I ate it from time to time, and now I could not imagine starting my fall and winter days with anything else.

This spiced fall porridge is not only heavenly creamy, it’s also loaded with goodness that will fill you up on cold mornings. The warm oats melt in your mouth and the spices such as ginger, nutmeg or allspice are so comforting and exactly what you need in the morning. Porridge really fills you up, too, so it’s a great breakfast for blood sugar regulation as you won’t get energy lows around mid-moring.

What’s you favorite breakfast in the colder seasons? And what are your best and worst childhood fall memories?

Enjoy!

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE OR HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS, QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?

Feel free to leave a comment below, and don’t forget to tag your creations on social media using #heavenlynnhealthy.

I’d love for this blog to be a dialogue.

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There’s just something about fall that I absolutely love. I don’t know if it’s the drop in temperatures, the change of colors in the trees or the days getting darker and shorter, but everyone of the above just makes me happy. I am not a person who looks back and whines that summer is over, instead I focus on all the beautiful things that fall has to offer. Like apple picking. I went apple picking last weekend and it was so much fun. It wasn’t the usual apple picking but an apple picking fest, on an apple farm that offers “apple tree adoption”, meaning you pick a tree that you adopt, you pay a small yearly fee and you get to pick the apples once a year at the big apple fest. Our tree ended up carrying more than 50 kilos so we’re good for the next few weeks I think. If you live in Germany, and preferably near Hamburg, then I can extremely recommend this “adopt an apple tree” gift for someone you love. There were families at that fest, that always come together that weekend only for picking their tree. Isn’t that a great occasion to come together?

The best part of the apple picking fest, is the the kids running around, but also the kids that are helping out that day, telling everyone how to find their tree and – most importantly – how to pick an apple properly. Did you know that there was a wrong way of doing it? Well, there is. You need to hold on to the apple, carefully press the stem down with your thumb, and then pick it up from the tree. You never stop learning. 

   
„An apple a day keeps the doctor away“ – a pretty hackneyed phrase, but oh so true. Apples contain more than 30 minerals, such as potassium, magnesium or iron, which all support a variety of vital body functions. They are rich in fiber, especially pectin, which aids digestion and bowel health. Fiber also prevents the blood sugar level from spiking, releasing energy slowly, thus preventing energy lows. Pectin has also been shown to lower cholesterol, which decreases the risk of heart disease. So an apple a day will help definitely help you stay healthy. 

INGREDIENTS

For the pie crust:
– 1 1/2 cups (120g) of oats
– 1 cup of buckwheat flour
– 2/3 cup (90g) coconut oil
– 1/2 cup (100g) of coconut sugar
– 1 tsp cinnamon
– 1 tsp baking powder
– cold water as needed
– a pinch of salt

For the apple pie filling:
– 1 kg of apples (about 8 medium apples)
– 1 tsp cinnamon
– 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (optional)
– 1/4 tsp nutmeg
– 1/4 tsp ginger
– 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
– 2 Tbsp maple syrup or agave
– 1.5 tsp buckwheat flour or arrorroot powder
– 4 tsp coconut sugar or 2 Tbsp maple syrup
– a pinch of salt

You’ll also need:
– 9 inch spring form
– some water or dairy-free milk like almond milk

NOTES:
– If you don’t have a food processor, substitute the oats with more buckwheat flour. Then you’d need 2 1/2 cups or 240g of buckwheat flour.

METHOD:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C and grease a 9-inch spring form with coconut oil.
2. Start by making the crust. Simply add the oats to a food processor and crush them into a flour. Add all other ingredients and mix them well. Add cold water, one tablespoon at a time if mixture is dry, until a dough forms. I needed about 2 tablespoons of water.
3. Use 2/3 of the dough for the base and 1/3 for the top. Evenly press the larger dough into the pan, pressing all the way up the sides and set aside.
4. To make the filling, peel and core the apples. Add them to a large bowl along with remaining ingredients and toss until everything is evenly combined. Pour the apple mixture into the crust and lightly press down to fit all the apples in.Transfer to a floured surface and gently mold together with hands, handling as little as possible. Divide in two, making one (the bottom crust) slightly larger.
5. Transfer the remaining dough to a floured surface and gently mold together with hands, handling as little as possible.
6. Gently roll out the crust using only as much flour as needed. You can cut the crust for the top into strips and do a lattice top (great tutorial here), or just lay the whole crust over the apples for a traditional pie top. If you choose the latter, you’ll need to poke several little holes with a knife to let steam escape. I did it with the lattice top, too, just because I think it looks pretty.
7. Brush the pie lightly with water or dairy-free milk using a cooking brush.
8. Place the spring form on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Then cover the form with tin foil to avoid burning. Press the foil down with a towel to force juices up over the surface of the apples. Bake for another 50 – 60 minutes.
9. The Apple Pie is ready when the juices have thickened and the crust has a deep golden color. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely before slicing.

Tastes delicious on its own or with homemade coconut whipped cream.

Enjoy!

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This Watercress, Beetroot and Avocado Salad with Beluga Lentils is such a soul food and definitely not boring at all. The combination of the healthy ingredients really melts in your mouth, literally throwing a little foodie party in there.
I have never really had watercress until this summer when I was in this amazing restaurant in North Carolina that sprinkled the most delicious vegan pad thai with a huge amount of watercress. The moment I tried it, I was instantly hooked. If you can’t pick watercress yourself, then try the farmer’s market. If they don’t sell it then they can certainly get it for you somewhere. I always ask at my favorite stand at the farmer’s market and pre-order it for the next market day. 

Watercress along with most leafy greens contains a very large amount of dietary nitrate which has been shown to lower blood pressure. It is also a rich source of many vitamins and minerals, particularly vitamin K, which is a bone-building and strengthening vitamin, and vitamin A, which is important for eye health. Beets are a great source of iron, which helps transport oxygen via our red blood cells. Like watercress, beets are also high in nitrate, which relaxes our blood vessels and helps our blood flow more easily through the body – resulting in a decreased blood pressure. This salad is a basically a real blood pressure lowering salad if you will.
The lentils add some nice texture and protein to the whole dish, making it a complete meal that fills you up, because the fiber in the lentils will keep you satisfied for hours. It’s really the perfect satisfying autumn-y salad that I’m sure you’ll love just as much as I did.

Enjoy!

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