Coffee dates + raw cakes

I met up with a friend a few days ago for coffee and a little stroll around Aleksanterinkatu and Esplanadi park. I really love how the city fills up with tourists during summers, always hoping someone will ask me for recommendations, haha. I will definitely do a blogpost of my favourite places and must-sees in Helsinki. It would be quite fun and a little challenge for myself.

We found on Aleksanterinkatu the cafe Pauligin Kulma, whom serve these delicious raw cakes from Pure Hero. You should have seen all the delicious cakes!

Both of us had an oat mylk cappucino and the Orgazmo raw cake, a combination of chocolate and orange flavours, yum. Raw cake slices are always tiny, but they are actually so filling and kind of “healthy” to devour.

xx Alina

Banana-icecream recipe

As it is finally summer here in Finland and the weather is getting quite warm, I am going to share with you my favourite nicecream recipe. Its honestly so easy to make and a lot more healthier than actual icecream. It really is a guilt-free  and perfect for breakfast or as a pre-workout snack. You will only need two ingredients for the nicecream and optionally you could add toppings of your choice.

Easy Nicecream recipe: (5 minutes)

2 pre-frozen bananas
splash of water (or dairy-free mylk)
optional toppings

How to: Mix the frozen banana chunks and a splash of water till you get a thick, smooth mixture. Make sure not to add too much liquid at once as it will easily become too watery. Pour the thick banana mixture in a bowl and enjoy.

Optional: Add toppings of your choice. I added gojiberries, coconut flakes, cacao nibs and dark chocolate covered date chunks. Yuum, it was so good.

xx Alina

Pizza in Töölö

Hey you, hope you have had a good start to the week! Last Saturday I met up with a few friends, whom I had not seen in months. We started off in Töölö for drinks and some really intensive discussions, and ended up taking the spora at 12am to Kaivopuisto. It was a fun night. We left the club at pilkku, which is when the club kicks you out at 3.30am, and walked all the way back to Töölö. Approximately a 5 kilometer walk.

I love summer as it is actually warm enough to leave your jacket at home and only carry a small clutch with you. Also how bright and lovely are the summer-nights? The pictures down below by Töölönlahti Bay are taken at 4am in Helsinki, at the time the sunrises.

On Sunday me and my friend had a recovery pizza at Linko PizzaBar in Töölö, Ruusulankatu 5. It was a really cozy restaurant with an outside terrace, which is perfect in sunny summer weather. I got the only vegan-option the Spinocchio pizza. It was okay, quite sweet for my taste, with the avocado base, strawberries, nuts, spinach and dressing. Drenched it in Sriracha to spice it up at bit.

Wish they would have two pizza options for vegans, the Spinocchio one and something saltier with a tomato base, maybe rucola, vegan cheese and avocado. Oh man, that would suit me now…

xx Alina

First days of summer

21st of May – This whole weekend has been feeling more or less like summer. I started off Friday by waking up at 5am and the weather did not seem promising, as it was all dusky and rainy when I cycled to work. By 12 o’clock the temperature was over 20 degrees Celsius! As per usual the Finns went crazy and headed to the nearest beach, park or wherever, to celebrate the start of summer.

After my pole class I met up with one of my oldest friends, just for a stroll around Punavuori and Ullanlinna in Helsinki. I really recommend walking around these areas if you like old and beautiful Art Nouvea architecture, also known as Jugendstil in Scandinavia. The building above on Annankatu 24 definitely went to our favorites category of beautiful buildings in Helsinki.

We went to Naughty BRGRS on Lönnrotinkatu 13. It was all right, I got the sweet potato fries and a Shroom Burger, which you can make vegan by changing the mayo and the bun, for an extra cost obviously. Quite ridiculous actually as the patty is just a portobello mushroom, so why couldn’t the burger be vegan from the start? Why do you have to shove animal products into everything…

To end the evening we headed to Kaivopuisto just to sit on the grass and have a chat. You know when you find orange polluted waste on the streets, but it looks cool so you have to take an artsy picture?

I just got back from my morning run, I had some well-deserved breakfast and I am going to spend this Sunday reading to my entrance exams, which I have in the beginning of June. Wish me luck.

xx Alina