I wanted to make cookies that I deemed healthy and yummy, and so I made up this: 3 tablespoons of flax seeds (whole) 1 cup of almonds (whole) 3 servings of AlphaFoods vegan vanilla protein powder (replace with more flax seeds, a date and some vanilla) 6-8 Medjoul dates half an apple half a cup… Continue reading Cookies, Manu-Style (Gluten-free Sugar-free Vegan)

My recipe for from-scratch delight! Also free from processed sugar 🙂 First I made my own pumpkin spice mix (because it is not a thing in Austria). I used: 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons ground ginger 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon ground allspice 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves Then, I cut the pumpkin (winter… Continue reading Pumpkin Spice Soy Latte

I spent the last couple of days at the Silent Mountain Retreat, a meditation retreat led by Denis Robberechts at the Rohrauerhaus, a mountain hut near Spital am Pyhrn, at the border between Upper Austria and Styria. I had done one retreat with Denis before, the Walking in Snow Retreat. I like Denis’ style a… Continue reading Retreat in the Mountains

I haven’t always been well lately, and it’s been a struggle to get out of bed a lot of days. What I learned, though, is that was in nature make things better, even if it’s hard to get out of bed, and hard to walk. This weekend I pushed myself and went for two hikes.… Continue reading Nature, Mountains, Walks

Sometimes when I feel inspired by Dharma talks or my own insights, I like to remind myself of what I learned. This way, I can integrate the practice into everyday life better, I find. Lately, I found talks by Joseph Goldstein incredibly valuable. In one I listened to recently, he told the story of a… Continue reading Temporary Tattoo With Permanent Marker

I’m reading my DNA report at Promethease.com and 23andMe, and it’s fun! Here are some surprising facts: Sprinter Gene Better performing muscles. Likely sprinter. This genotype indicates better performing muscles, particularly for sprinting and power sports. Fast-twitch muscle fibers are able to produce alpha-actinin-3. Professional sprinters usually have this, although it is less common for… Continue reading Cherry-Picking Fun DNA Facts

Social media can be a curse and a blessing. To me, is the connection to old friends, to like-minded people, and a way to hear about events. But at the same time there is the constant danger of it taking too much of my daily focus and become a serious distraction. Mobile (Android) Here I… Continue reading Managing Facebook

One thing that I’ve had on my bucket list for a while is to hike up to the top of Werfener Hochthron. It is the rightmost peak of the Tennengebirge mountain range, as seen from my childhood home in Werfen/Salzburg. I’ve spent hours a a kid sitting on the warm radiator and looking out the… Continue reading Above the Clouds