Erika's World

Translated the title means "bake bake little cake". It's a saying that we having in Sweden that's why I wrote it in Swedish. Oh, I thought that I would show you guys my delicious buns with an olive filling. They are so yummy and are the perfect snack for when you are a little bit hungry. Though I just had three and I think that more qualifies as a meal instead of a snack. Hahaha but they are so delicious that I just couldn't help myself. Ooops! your writer, Erika

As you know I am a vegetarian but I am trying to eat more vegan. The thing that separates me from vegetarian and vegan is that I eat dairy. It's mostly because I love yoghurt and cheese. Those are my two favorite things. But really there isn't much that stops me from being vegan. I mean I can easily quit dairy. Yogurt and cheese is the only dairy that I consume. I don't consume regular butter or milk. I eat vegan butter and oat drink. My favorite vegan brand is Oatly. They have some many great products. I love their ice-cream, oat drink (aka oat milk but it's totally vegan and oat based), their oat chai drink is amazing, and I love so many more of their product. I thought that I would share my favorite Oatly products so that hopefully you will fall in love with them as well. picture source:  http://www.oatly.com/products/sweden/ikaffe/ picture source:  http://www.oatly.com/products/sweden/glass-vaniljsmak/ picture source:  http://www.oatly.com/product...

Hello! Yes it's Wednesday which means you'll get another workout video. This is a short but intense cardio workout that includes a warm up and cool down from FitnessBlender. You will get a good exercise from just doing this video once. If you want great workout do this video twice or do this video and the pilates workout that I posted yesterday . your writer, Erika

Hello! New week, new day but still the same me. Today I have quite a few thing that I need to fix around the apartment. I am trying to get rid of stuff that are just laying around and collecting dust. I mean I don't use them so why should they take up space that I could use to store other things, right?! I also have to go to the pharmacy later. I had the chilliest Sunday yesterday and when I got around to start my day everything was closed. I know that I say it a lot but it's true. Being healthy is really easy. It's not that being unhealthy is easier. It's all about a choice. You either choose to be healthy or unhealthy. I believe that being healthy isn't just about eating right and always exercising. It's about finding a good balance for it all. Like yes by all means you need to work out and eat healthy (that's part of being healthy) but if you feel like eating that brownie, or you want some pizza, or whatever your heart desires - Then do so! Find that ba...

Hello! So I love working out everyday. But I don't go to any gym. I workout at home in my living room. It's cheap and efficient. This way I can workout whenever it fits me and I don't have to think about the gym being open or not or any machines being taken our not. This way I get the exercise that I want. Plus as I said it's cheap because I don't have to pay for any membership. Just my regular rent and internet bill. Working out at home is not for everone. But it really fits me because I have a lot of space in my livingroom. So why would I go anywhere else? In the summer when the wheather is nice I do like to go for a power walk in the woods. Sometimes I borrow my sisters dog because it's nice to have some company. When I workout I do follow videos on youtube. I have Apple TV so I just use youtube through that and watch it on my TV. My favorite channel is Fitness Blender. They have a bunch of great videos with different exircises. Both for beginners and pro...

I went to the grocery store yesterday because I had to pick up some things. When I walked past the non-dairy section I say this new vegan butter. First I wasn't going to buy it because I already have butter at home. But then I just had to try it because it's made out of coconuts, almonds and shea oil! Yum yum yum! I tried it as soon as I got home. I was good and has a little nutty flavour. So if you love nuts try this butter. Oh, one more great thing about this butter is that it's organic! your writer, Erika

You know what, I rarely eat candy or cookies and cakes and all of that stuff. Just mostly because I don't have any cravings for it. If I do eat candy it's sometimes chocolate or liquorice. Also I don't like candy because all of the unnatural chemical ingredients. I don't care about the calories! I care that the food I eat is made from all natural products. I am so glad that I have found Mormor Magdas vegan ice-cream because it's organic and made from natural ingredients. I thought that I would share some of my healthy snacks with you so you also can have a healthier alternative to candy. I am not saying not to eat candy but as with everything moderation is key or as we say in Sweden, a lagom amount. 1. FRUIT SALAD. Usually when I make a fruit salad I choose three or four of my favorite fruits. I cut them into cubes mix them in a bowl with raisins. You can also add nuts and coconut flakes, that's really delicious. If you want you can have some whipped Greek o...

Want to know something pretty cool?! Or at least I think that this is pretty cool. Did you know that by spending about 15-30 minutes in the sun each day will cover your RDI of vitamin D? Also vitamin D is stored in your body for 1-3 months. The vitamin D that we absorb from the sun we mostly get during the summer. So during the winter it can be a good idea to take supplements. Sunrise over SBCC campus. I remember it being so gorgeous walking to my first class and seeing this. It was so beautiful and always made feel good inside so I always took a lot of pictures. So we shouldn't solely rely on getting our vitamin D from the sun. A good balanced diet is always a great way to get all of the nutrients that your body needs. On average a person needs about 10mg/ day of vitamin D. Dairy, eggs and seafood contain a lot of vitamin D. We need vitamin D for sell growth and nerve system. Vitamin D deficiency can lead to depression, obesity, diabetes among other terrible and life t...

Some people think that eating healthy is actually a hassle, too much of a hassle to actually bother doing it. That's so not true! Eating healthy is not any more of a hassle than not eating healthy. It's just as easy doing both. The only thing is that you either choose you eat healthy or unhealthy. It's a choice, where both options are just as easy to make just that healthy foods will save your life in the end. Below I have written down some helpful tips for eating more healthy foods! 1. PREPARATION.  It can be just as easy that you once a week cook a bunch of healthy dishes and put them in your freezer. Then when you're hungry you just take one and pop them in the oven or the microwave. When you do this you can also get portion control. Divide your food in equal sized containers. That way you won't over eat. Preparation is also great because (at least for me) some nights I don't really feel like cooking but I still want to eat a real and healthy meal instea...

Did you know that lemons are great for many things? I mean other than being a tasty ingredient in food and drinks. No? Well, it's good that you have me then. Continue reading and you will find out why lemons are so great! 1. MORNING PICK ME UP. When you wake up in the morning you should always have a glass of water with some freshly squeezed lemon juice. This is way better than coffee. It's a great and natural energy booster, rich in vitamin C and antioxidants and it speeds up your metabolism. The list actually goes on and on. Read more bout it here . 2. FACIAL CLEANSER. It is seriously the best facial cleanser there is. Just squeeze a little bit of juice on a cotton pad and cleanse your face with it. I used to do it a lot when I was a teenager and it was the best thing ever. 3. FRESH BREATH. If you ever have bad breath this is the best thing for that. Whenever I eat food with a lot of garlic I always drink some lemon juice. It works right away. You don't need a ...

So it is summer but it doesn't feel like it because of grey clouds. No. I want sunshine and heat. Well well, according to the weather app we will have sunshine and round 20 degrees tomorrow and on Thursday. I am going to make the most of it then and meet up with some friends. Okay yes we have a grey sky today but at least we don't have snow and a temperature below 0. Thank God for that! When we have days with good weather we need to make the most of it of outside and have some fun. Sunshine is good for us because we get vitamin D from the sun and we all know how good fresh air feels. Summer is a great time to workout outside. You will benefit so much from working out outside. Other than getting a workout in you will get some fresh air and that vitamin D. If you are used to working out at the gym with weights or maybe you're like me and workout at home by following youtube videos it might be a little hard knowing what do to when you don't have your usual gadgets. Tha...

Hello my darlings! Today I am actually writing to you from my regular office aka my balcony. I was actually thinking about it, that whether or not it would be a good idea to have a real office and work from there. But nah I rather just buy a fancy apartment and work from there. The office would be a good idea if I had several employees but I don't and I am not planning on hiring anyone anytime soon. So that's that. So all this having a healthy lifestyles is a combination of things. I know I know I know, I have brought this topic up a few times before. You can't just say that working out equals having a healthy lifestyle. Yes it's a big part of it. It is also very important that you workout your brain. Always keeping it going by making it solve problems and having to think strategically. Mathematics is actually really because you can't just act and not think you have to think and then act. Working out your brain will improve so many other aspect of your life. It wi...

Hello! I have just spent the past two days at my moms' place because it was her birthday. But I am on my way home now. I so wish that I had a driver's license so that I could have a car and drive to and from her instead of taking the train. Though the commute by train is pretty easy but still a car would be easier. It is a good thing that my mom has a few dogs so that I can take them for a walk and still get my exercise. I would say that fitness and that whole having a healthy lifestyle thing has taken a up a big part of my life this past year. It is who I am and I am happy for that. It has taught me so much of what it means/ how you can live your best life the healthy way. If you stay with me here I will take you on a fun journey through fitness and living a healthy lifestyle. We will all learn so much together. I am looking forward to it! your writer, Erika

Hello! It is a new day and we have all survived. Yeah, we are alive and healthy - that is always something to celebrate! You know what today I thought that I would teach you all about something health related. That thing is the importance of sunscreen. To get the spf protection that it says on the bottle you actually have to use about 50ml (that's for your whole body). That's quite a lot and also remember to re-apply every few hours for your skin to be protected all through out the day. Even it says on the bottle that it's water ressistant. Below I have listed a few of the very dangerous things that can happen if you don't put on sunscreen. 1. You could get skin cancer. 2. It will cause your skin to age faster and you will get wrinkles. 3. You can get broken blood vessles. I hope that the next time your are in the sun you consider, no I hope that you will actually wear sunscreen. You know what, you should actually wear sunscreen all year round. Maybe on cloud...

Yo! yeah that's right you get a second post today! I thought that you all deserved that. You're good to me so I am going to be good to you. It might not be a huge post with a bunch of research. It's just personal preference on how you make the perfect most delicious smoothie. What you need is (for one glass): 1 banana, 2,5 dl/ 1 cup of full-fat yoghurt and fruit or berries of your choice. Mix in a blender until smooth. Pour in a glass and drink that delicious drink that you just made for yourself! A banana is a must! 1 - the texture will be a little extra thick and 2 - it will add natural sweetness so you won't have to add any sugar or other sweetener. What kind of fruits or berries will you add? Comment below! (Psst! My favorite combo is to add either blueberries, raspberry or pineapple and mango). BTW, do you know that smoothies and juices are actually a really good way for you to get the nutrion that you need from fruit? If you don't like eating fruit or...

Oh hello! How are you? I am good. Just sitting in bed and watching The Hangover . A girl got to do something at night, right? Hahaha. Nah, I just like to have something to entertain myself with while I am writing. Okay, I do enjoy just watching movies and not blogging at the same time because you some times miss important things. Good thing that I have seen this movie before than. But I don't want to miss the hilarious jokes. So I went to the doctors and did a big health screening. They took a lot of blood, I had to do this breathing test and they listened to my heart. All of my vitals and the other test came back awesome. So I am just as healthy as they can be. The only thing the doctor said if she had to comment on something was maybe I should eat more fat. That got me thinking that didn't know what I could eat. What are some good vegetarian fats? So to educate both you and myself I thought that I would look it up. I found some great vegetarian fat sources and 10 deliciou...

I have been on the phone all day. Feel like I can't get anything done because I am on the phone all of the time. I mean I can't concentrate and write a post for you guys and be at the phone at the same time. This may sound like I am bad at multitasking but that is not at all true. It's just when I write a post I have to fact check what I am writing about. I am writing a post and simultaneously doing research at the same time. So you see. Enough about that. Today I want to talk to you guys about antioxidants. I think that we all know that they're important. Why are they important? Why do we need them and most importantly, how and where can we get them? Lets just first start with what antioxidants are and why we need them. An antioxidant is a molecule that prohibits the oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that produce free radicals. This can then result in reactions that may harm cells. An antioxidant will prevent this from happening. So w...

You know what, breakfast is actually my favorite meal of the day! Yes I love breakfast! When I go to sleep at night I am so excited to wake up in the morning because I get to eat breakfast. When it comes to breakfast I am a person of habit so I eat the same thing every single day. Organic yoghurt with my homemade granola and sliced fruit (mostly banana). If I am feeling crazy I might have some organic honey or golden syrup. My breakfast this morning. Organic yoghurt with a lot of my homemade granola, some berries and some golden syrup. I am actually shocked when people say that they don't eat breakfast! Breakfast is an important meal. Having breakfast will give you the energy that you need to start the day and through out the day. You know that you should actually have a bigger meal in the beginning of the day rather than at night. Why? Because if you have a big meal in the morning you have all day to burn those calories. If you have a big meal at night you're not going...

Hello! You didn't think that I had forgotten about you? Yeah, I know it's late but I have been on the move all day. Some days are just like that. But I like being occupied. It feels like I am contributing to the world then. I like to think that I make a positive mark wherever I leave. So I talked about yoga yesterday and I thought that I would continue today. I love yoga! I just love how flexible my body has become. I feel so much more confident about myself since I started doing yoga. As I also said yesterday, there is like one billion different styles of yoga out there. I practice power yoga because it focuses as much on stretching your muscles as on building muscle. So your muscles become very long and lean. I also love building muscle. I mean I like having a nice butt. This video below is great! I have done this video for a while now and it is the reason that I have the body that I have today. I focuses on all parts of your body. Try it out and let me know in the comm...

Hello! Today has not been much better than yesterday. I have been slugging on the couch all day resting for tomorrow. I am going to Summerburst tomorrow and nothing is going to stop me (hopefully). I am otherwise a very active person who works out every day and does a lot of stuff, so this (being sick) makes me feel very bad about just everything. This is not who I am. If you look up the word health you feel see a picture of me next to it. Okay probably not, but that's how I view myself. I must be really sick though because I bought ice-cream when I went to the grocery store. I don't eat ice-cream. Or at least I haven't in like forever. That is if you don't count last weekend when I visited my mom. At they grocery store where she lives they had this vegan chocolate ice-cream made out of coconut cream and coconut milk. It was super delicious! It was the best chocolate ice-cream that I have ever tasted. You could kind of taste the coconut but it really tasted like choco...