Afternoon Rooibos and Cacti

I love having a cup of fresh hot tea in the afternoon to get me going again. If you’re looking for something caffeine free choose a rooibos or honeybush. Mine are from T2 tea.

Christmas and Cleopatra’s Bling

It’s been so busy here. Why at the end of every year does everything get so hectic? I don’t know why people think that the world ends every Christmas, it should be about having fun!

I absolutely adore wrapping presents. It’s something that I look forward to. I get very elaborate… rose petals, cinnamon sticks, dried Autumn leaves, handmade cards. I have been wrapping orders today from my boutique Cleopatra’s Bling. Then I send them off to loved ones and everybody is happy. I don’t know anybody that doesn’t enjoy receiving a present in the mail, do you?

Cleopatra’s Bling Cluster Rings

Cleopatra’s Bling Cluster Rings

Cleopatra’s Bling Cluster Rings

Cleopatra’s Bling Christmas Wrapping

To see the whole collection, like my facebook page and check out the album Live by the Sun, Love by the Moon. It’s so dreamy.

For orders processed before Sunday evening Paris time you get 50% off shipping worldwide! Don’t miss out.

In other news, we go to India next Tuesday- cannot wait to start updating you from there. I cannot begin to express my excitement.

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French Onion Soup

There is nothing better to warm yourself up in Winter than a bowl of steaming French onion soup.
Onion soups have been popular at least as far back as Roman times. They were, throughout history, seen as food for poor people, as onions were plentiful and easy to grow. The modern version of this soup originates in France in the 18th century, made from beef broth, and caramelized onions. It is often finished by being placed under a grill in a ramekin traditionally with croutons and gruyère melted on top. The crouton on top is reminiscent of ancient soups.

Today, it is still a soup that don’t cost a lot to make but is not at all seen as a soup for the poor (not that we care because it’s delicious! It’s just interesting to see how things change with time).

french onion soup oh la la livia

For two people I used:

8 brown onions
Teaspoon of coconut oil
Herbes de Provence
Bay leaves
6 cloves of garlic
Gruyère

Fry up the onion in the coconut oil until they are soft. Now add them to a saucepan with the coconut oil (this doesn’t flavour the soup at all, it’s just the healthy option, see here for details.) Now add about 5 cups of water and keep adding water when the levels get low. Keep it simmering on low for a couple of hours.

French Onion Soup with croutons by Oh la la Livia

For the croutons, I put them in the oven with cheese on them and placed them on the top of the soup.
Delish! Enjoy and keep warm this Winter

Want to see the new collection in my boutique? Click here.

A unicorn and deer afternoon in Paris

To make life sweeter, I love my afternoon latté and a little treat. On Thursday I decided to get myself a handful of choukettes (a delightful little puff of French pastry with sugar on top- not to be overdone in quantity). Coffee time is so cosy at the moment here in my apartment because the sun goes down early and I turn on the big lamp on our living room which gives a honey glow to the room and I sink into the couch with my latté.

I am so smitten with my new cups from Claudia from Superfumi.

Being Australian, I absolutely love European animals because my childhood was koalas, kangaroos and possums. I find deers so precious. Their big eyes! Obviously my unicorn obsession is just because I’m a girly girl.

 

I highly reccomend you visit her Etsy shop here because she has a new range that just came out. All of the products are handmade in the UK.

What treats do you have planned for the weekend?

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Adorbale Cupcake Toppers to Brighten up Any Day

These cupcake toppers are made by a lovely lady who is supporting her family because she is an American Army Wife. I cannot imagine what this must be like but what better way to make her role as a mother and army wife meet by being crafty to support her family. Her Etsy shop is filled with cute cupcake toppers. She is offering a 10% discount for all of my readers on her Etsy shop for the month of November with the code: PARIS10. Why don’t you stock up for Christmas?

She sent me koala toppers because I am Australian 🙂

And frogs for my Frenchman, J.

They are really well made, strong, perfectly cut and do not bend easily.

I cannot wait to make cupcakes with them and to post photos for you all.

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Roses, Petals and Elephants on a Holiday

Flowers make me so happy. And I always put petals in cards and presents when I am giving somebody a gift. Seem ridiculous? Yes, but I live for that kind of small detail.

I am drying petals to make cards for Christmas.

The pink rose matched my coca cola bottle vase so perfectly- I just had to!

And I cannot forget Ganesh who needed a bit of cheering up on this cold, dark Winters day in Paris.

How did you spend your day?

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Healthy Chai Tea: One of My Biggest Joys in Life

Chai is a great coffee substitute. From the moment I had my first chai at the young age of around 9, I was smitten.

Unlike coffee, chai has many inherently beneficial properties. The black tea in chai is rich in antioxidants and the spices in chai have been used for thousands of years to promote general health and well-being, as well as to treat various ailments.

According to Ayurvedic (Ancient Indian) philosophy and medicine, these spices are considered to be “sattvic,” or calming, vitalizing and mentally clarifying – The perfect antidote to the stresses of modern life!

Here is why:

Cinnamon is thought to increase circulation and open breathing, increase awareness and vitality, and reduce fatigue. It is also reputed to be an aphrodisiac! (Hubba hubba!)

Cardamom
A popular spice in both the Indian and Chinese preparations, cardamom is said to benefit the lungs, kidneys, and heart. It is also a mood elevator.

Clove
Native to the spice islands of Indonesia, cloves have been used by the Chinese since 300 BC, and came to Europe in the 4th and 5th Centuries AD. Cloves have pain-relieving and antiseptic attributes. Like pepper and ginger, clove is also used to synergistically increase the potency of other herbal blends.

Black Pepper
Widely used to support circulation and metabolism, black pepper can help to alleviate chronic coldness. (We can use more of that here in Paris, in the winter!)

Nutmeg
Nutmeg has been used for centuries to ease sciatica and promote the digestion of heavy foods. It was also used by ancient Arab physicians to treat kidney and lymph problems.

Chinese Star Anise
Traditional Asian herbalists credit star anise with a variety of properties. It’s used frequently as a cough remedy and to freshen the breath.

Ginger
Long valued as a stimulant for the circulatory and the immune systems, ginger has been used to treat such disparate conditions as impotence and motion sickness. I’m mad about ginger. Read my post here.

Fennel
An important medicinal plant in the royal herb gardens of medieval France and Germany, fennel is still widely used to treat both kidney and ocular problems, as well as laryngitis.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. You want a chai latté? Please do not, for the love of the human race, go drink them at Starbucks. Not only are they expensive, but the milk is genetically modified, and it isn’t real chai. It’s concentrated sugar with favour added. This is not chai. What you need is a saucepan, good organic fresh milk (unlike what is easily found here in France) and a good chai mix. You boil everything up together in the milk and strain it after a few minutes of simmering.

I will soon post my own chai recipe. I hope you love and it gets you through the winter time. I certainly need it!

I am also going to attempt chai shortbread. Om nom nom.

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1 Year Anniversary of our PACS love in France

One year ago J and I signed a piece of French paper to declare us a couple under French law. We had an afternoon tea and champagne gathering to celebrate. Check out these absolutely gorgeous cakes, what a spread!

When we tie the knot one day it will be even bigger and better. I’m thinking in a garden somewhere in Australia. With lots of flowers. Yes I’m a dreamer.

J sporting his moustache. He is so dapper.

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Raw Kale and Beetroot salad with Tahini Dressing

This salad is just divine. So earthy and refreshing. When I finally got my hands on some kale thanks to The Kale Project here in Paris, I went a bit kale nuts. Kristen from The Kale Project and I made this last week for a big vitamin boost.

You’ll need:

• 1 bunch of curly, green kale
• 2 spring onions
• 1 large golden beet (or two medium) You could also use regular red beets
• 2 carrots
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 -2 cm (1 inch) of ginger
• 1 Tbsp Tamari
• 3 Tbsp Tahini
• 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 3 Tbsp of Coconut Oil
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• Juice from 1/2 lemon or lime

Wash and cup up the kale into very small pieces, otherwise it’s a bit too leafy.

Peel the beets and grate them.

Grate the carrots.

Mix everything up.

Blend the salad dressing in a blender and pour it over the salad.

Enjoy it! My J enjoyed it which is really saying something.

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Amazeballs Superfood Energy Balls

I’m sick of wanting a small snack to go with my coffee or afternoon tea and finding that anything I consider bying is full of refined sugars, additives and other things I cannot pronounce! I took things into my own hands and made super dooper amazeballs jam-packed with goodness, superfoods and energy.

This is how it goes:

300g of fresh dates. Despite them being quite soft, I soak them for 24 hours. This will make them easier to digest and bring out their natural sweetness too. After soaking them for 24 hours I take out the pips and add the rest of the ingredients.

Half a cup of organic cocoa nibs.

4 tablespoons of chia seeds.

half a cup of coconut.

Blend it all up.

Add half a cup of cocoa.

Roll them into bite-size balls.

Sprinkle cocoa over them to make them richer but also easier to eat!

Store them in the fridge and enjoy one each morning with your morning tea or coffee to get you going and ready for the big day ahead.

If we are going to eat chocolate we may as well do it right, do it whole, do it with real foods! Chocolate is healthy for us, it’s is the processed chocolate with milk, soy, sugar and other chemical lab made ingredients that makes it unhealthy. When it is made with raw cocoaand a natural sweetner like dates in this instance it is loaded with vitamins, nutrients, and anti-oxidants – more than green tea, red wine and blue berries! This recipe is high in magnesium,great for energy, weight loss, a protein snack before a workout, an aphrodisiac and for FEELING GOOD!

Enjoy xo,

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