Hydrate mate

As things start heatin' up, it's a given that hydration is a pretty essential part of, well, functioning. And while water in its purest form certainly wins in terms of its health credentials, it can admittedly be a little difficult, and perhaps boring, to get ya two litres a day solely via nature's little wonder resource. I've never been one for sugary sodas, but I do find that a lot more water gets gulped if it has just a hint of flavour.

Amid Berlin's Summer heat spell, I'm currently hitting my daily liquid quota with a little help from this easy-to-prep potion, which I keep well-stocked in my fridge for rapid replenishment at any time of day. 

    

The ingredients are totally open to modification and tweaks according to personal taste. Here's what I'm currently reaching for:

- Water 
- Lemon juice (freshly squeezed or bottled)
-  Apple juice not from concentrate (mine has a touch of acerola)
- Agave syrup (just a squirt)
- Optional: lemon slices

Fill approx. ¾ of your chosen vessel with water, followed by a few squeezes of lemon juice and a couple drops of apple juice. Slightly sweeten with a quick squirt of agave, then shake it all up. Add a lemon slice or two if you fancy. Store in the fridge for optimum refreshment.

I like to keep a healthy hoard of 330ml glass bottles - ChariTea or Lemonaid's are ideal - as they're a perfect on-the-go portion size, but of course any container works. Sip back and relax!

Developed

As loved up as I am with the digital domain and its undoubted perks, I will never (ever) be able to neglect the irreplaceable world of analogue. No re-takes, no messin' - just one click, one moment, captured. And then most likely rediscovered in processing a good few months later; this most recent snap selection being a case in point. 

Breakfast Market @ Markthalle 9

They say a Sunday well spent brings a week of content, and I can wholeheartedly vouch for that little refrain. Above all in Berlin, where Sundays are just -- unparalleled. Even on a broken foot. This weekend was spent at Markthalle Neun, which is usually a midweek go-to for their sought-after Streetfood Thursdays. In many ways reminiscent of London's Borough Market, this fabulous market hall is a total haven for foodie folk like myself. Turns out, every third Sunday of the month, they also hold a reputed 'Breakfast Market', which actually runs all day (10:00-18:00) - so ideal if you're a late Sunday riser, too. 

While still pretty packed, it was happily less crowded than a Streetfood Thursday, making hobbling around the place marginally(!) less problematic. One issue I did encounter though, and hadn't considered, was tryin' to strike decent photo compositions one-handed and one-footed; turns out DSLRs and crutches aren't a compatible combo after all. And the sneaky spontaneous shots I usually try to capture were far from subtle; think this kinda grace and you've got a pretty accurate idea. 

Either way, I adamantly (and clumsily) managed to document a lil taster of the diverse food/bev spectacle that defines Markthalle, so y'all have some idea of what was on offer - vicariously tasting it all is the next best thing, right? 

Having already had breakfast (we arrived around midday), the clammy 36 degree heat made thirst-quenching our first priority. Craving something green, I went for a wheatgrass number from Dresden in Kreuzberg, comprising of their signature wheatgrass and super fresh apple juice blend. Hannah opted for an apple and mint ice tea, which looked equally refreshing.

Suitably revivified, the next testing challenge was settling on something more filling - difficult for me at the best of times, as the most indecisive person, like, ever. All the more so with such a resplendent, lip-smackin' display of top quality sustenance. 

After a lot - a lot - of deliberation and mind-changing, I eventually settled on the delectable-looking apple crumble offering which caught my eye within the first two seconds of arriving. Accompanied by the single most delightful handmade vanilla bean ice cream and dulce de leche sauce, it tasted even better than it looked. Which, as ya can see, says a lot.

We were later joined by lovely Spud, for an undersized but nonetheless top-notch iced coffee from the Kaffeebar stand. In sum, an afternoon of gastronomical glee at its finest; content doesn't quite cut it.

This week I'm lovin'

I'm a big time fan of Kwabs, and not just because he shares my SE London roots. I could gush for days about his sweet soulful tone and lyrical realness, but instead I'll treat ya ears to a track I've been particularly lovin' recently, off his Pray For Love EP. 'Into You', with its faultless vocals and bang on production by Chris Loco, is a straight up go-to on my Summer soundtrack. 

WM 2014

Fanmeile, Berlin: not the shabbiest of places to be for the World Cup finale. I won't attempt to do justice to the incredible celebratory spirit pervadin' the city yesterday (despite the pre-match storm), but it was unforgettable to say the least. That's one thing ticked off the bucket list - I'm a lucky Mädel.

Squeaky clean pancakes

A gluten-free twist on the conventional pancake, I came across the super easy recipe for these protein-packed beauties a lil while ago in Mama's Clean & Lean book. Regardless of whether you've got special dietary requirements, on a health kick or just love a good pancake, these are flippin' delectable.

I rarely follow recipes to the book, preferring to see them more as suggestipes; I tweak ingredients/quantities according to my own personal taste and cooking style. In this case, I slightly adapted the quantities and added a cheeky pinch of sea salt - and they came out just lovely. Even siblet, who practically lives off crêpes and normally turns her nose up at my nerdy health foods (and also can't stand cottage cheese), couldn't get enough. But in case my favourable results were a total fluke, here's the original ingredient line-up:

100g rolled oats

200g cottage cheese 

4 eggs 

[optional: pinch of sea salt / cinnamon]

Blend everything to a classic batter consistency, and ladle one dollop per pancake onto a hot frying pan (2-3 mins for each side). They should have a nice gooey centre and be golden brown on the outside.  

That's it - just pair with sweet or savoury toppings of your choice. Guten Appetit!

This week I'm lovin'

Why go to the sushi, when the sushi can come to you? 

I know I'm way late to the party, but being forced to slow down (a totally alien concept) has belatedly introduced me to the world of food delivery - groundbreaking, I know. Aside from the more mundane task of supermarket shopping, my laptop has also proved a nifty means of suppling me and my two lovely guests with top-notch suppers without having to lift a foot. 

After a spot of research, we thought we'd test out local Friedrichshain sushi lounge, Miyaki. Service was speedy, the edamame beans were pipin' on arrival and siblet approved of the soy sauce (so it had to be good). We ordered a nice little miscellany comprising of ya classic Makis, Hong Kong rolls and Rainbow Rolls (below) - a welcome solution to my routine dilemma of salmon or tuna topped rice. And we couldn't have been more content that evening, sat cross-legged on my wooden floorboards with our cute sushi picnic. It's the little things! 

What the crutch?

Now this is a story all about how my life got twisted upside down and I'd like to take a minute just sit right there, I'll tell ya how I came to end up in crutches and...only kiddin'. In all seriousness, the past couple of days turned out just a little differently than planned! But as we aaall know, life doesn't always run quite according to expectation.

Expertly timed for the day of siblet's arrival in Berlin (sorry b), I woke up on Saturday morning with an unexplained, ex-cru-ciating pain in the side of my right foot; I was hobbling all over the place. In classic Brogues style though (do not try this at home), I adamantly refused to let such a glitch mess with my near-fanatical need for productivity; I did my a.m. workout(!) as per, cleaned my flat, cycled to the Supermarkt, nearly collapsed in Lidl's coffee aisle and breathed through the acute throbbing like - as it soon became apparent - a fool, a damn fool. 

Once I had to revert to crawling around my studio, I finally (but still begrudgingly) took it as a cue that I should probably take a cab to meet siblet at the airport. And get to A+E first thing the next morning. Fast forward to Sunday morn, and we headed straight to the nearest Krankenhaus; a pretty fabulous start to Leila's two week trip I know. It's also scenarios like these where, despite my fairly decent Deutsch skills, you're suddenly thrown into a pool of never-seen-before technical vocab - obviously testing at times, but that's the point of my time abroad, right?

That reflector though.

After six long hours in A+E (on the most beautiful Summer's day no less), I finally got called in to get my X-ray results...which apparently - wait for it - showed no breakages. I was handed four super strong painkillers, and about to be sent home. Then, in a lightning-speed turn of events, the doctor took a second look at the X-ray and came to the totally conflicting conclusion that I indeed had a rather significant break down the side of my foot. Worrying?! So within the space of approximately two minutes, I went from feeling quite relieved (but still suffering indefinable pain) to lying on a hospital bed, leg alleviated, cast, given a stomach injection and told that under no circumstances should I place any weight or stress on my broken side for the foreseeable future. Talk about surreal. 

I won't lie to ya, it's already frustrating as f. But I'm obviously gonna make the best of an untimely situation, and take it as a signal to slow down a bit, allow the lovely folk around me to help (perhaps the biggest challenge of all), and observe the world from a more chilled perspective - even if it only lasts as long as the healing process.