fredag 30. juni 2017

Friday Finds; 10 AirBnB Places Close to the Beach

(Disclaimer; this post contains affiliate links)

It is summer, which means it's time for vacation for many of us. If you want to spend some time close to a beach, I've got you covered with these ten places you can book through AirBnB. In this list, there is a bit of variation in regards of price, depending on your budget, but most of them are located in Spain or France.

Stock photo from Pexels

So if you want a vacation near the beach, feel free to check out these listings on AirBnB.
Bird Island - Placencia, Belize
1 Bedroom Flat Nice Old Town
Central, Spacious, Old City, 200m to Beach
Kealakekua Bay Bali Cottage -steps from Bay
2 steps to beach in old town
Fab view Penthouse, Pool&Beach, terrace, garage,AC
Sea view @ Cap de la Barra
1st line of the sea in l'Escala (Costa Brava)
Top apartment design first line sea
Yurt Waihuena Farm across Pipeline

tirsdag 27. juni 2017

Making a Home; Two Good Online Shops for Cheaper Groceries

(This post contains affiliate links)

I wouldn't say I'm a cheapskate nor one of those people you could see on "Extreme Couponing", but as I've been a student for a few years, I do enjoy to save a few bucks on groceries (I've written a post on How To Save Money on Groceries earlier this year).

Apart from those tricks I listed in that mentioned blog post, I also sometimes purchase groceries from Holdbart.no and Matsmart.no. Both of them specialize at overstock and soon to expire goods and they sell them 20-90% cheaper than the retail price. Holdbart.no has the slogan "Best before, but not bad afterwards", which in a way, summarize the essense of it all. Instead of throwing edible food in the dumpster, they sell it for a cheaper price, which is good both for the wallet and the environment. One example of that it benefits the wallet; if one add up all my savings from my two last orders (one order from each store), I've saved close to $120, which is quite good considering that "everything" is so expensive in Norway.

Part of my last order from Matsmart
Do you have any shops (either online or brick-and-mortar) in a similar style that you like to shop from? Or have you considered purchasing groceries from a shop like that? Feel free to comment below.

mandag 26. juni 2017

Menu Plan Monday Week 26

It's a new Monday, which means it's time for a new Menu Plan Monday post, thanks to Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie. I'm still having a "freezer destash" going on and luckily I've got a bit more room in my freezer at last, even though there's still room for improvement.

Stock photo from Pexels
Here is my menu plan for this week.
Monday; Tomato Soup with Macaroni
Tuesday; Norwegian "Pytt i Panne"
Wednesday; Pasta with Broccoli Cheese Sauce
Thursday; Fish Gratin
Friday; Norwegian Pancakes
Saturday; Fish Gratin
Sunday; Tomato Soup with Basil

torsdag 22. juni 2017

Thursday Movie Picks; The Woods

It's a new Thursday and time for a new Thursday Movie Picks blog post, thanks to the blog Wandering Through the Shelves. The theme of  the week is the woods and below are my three picks, if you're into watching a horror movie during the summer.


Dead Snow; A Norwegian movie combining both nazis and zombies.

The Blair Witch Project; Fair enough, one could have a discussion how scary it is, but how could one write a movies about woods-list without mentioning it?

Friday The 13th; Speaking of classics, how could I possibly forget Friday The 13th?

tirsdag 20. juni 2017

Making a Home; Elements of Scandinavian Home Decor

(Disclaimer; this post contains ads/affiliate links)

Growing up, and still living in Norway, I have been slightly drawn to Scandinavian home decor, even though I get influences from various places (and trends, for that matter - I am pretty eclectic). In that respect, I wanted to list a few key elements of Scandinavian home decor, considering it is close to home.

Neutral Colours
Grey, white, beige, brown and black is the most common colours in terms of Scandinavian home decor. The lighter colours do a lot to the interior, and the mood for the inhabitants of the house. Lets face it, at least in my part of Norway, where it rains quite a lot during the autumn and winter, it is essential for us to have something that lights up a bit.

Letting the light in
Speaking of light - another common feature is large windows without dark and heavy drapes to let in all the natural light we can get.

Simplicity
Another element that brings light and air into the Scandinavian home decor is the simplicity, aka lack of clutter and knick-knacks. The statement "less is more" is true in this case and if one think about it - the less clutter, the easier to clean. Simplicity is also shown in furniture design which focus on form and function. It's worth noting that a lot of Scandinavians love double-duty furniture, for instance poufs that functions both as a storage unit and a pouf or living room tables with hidden compartments for (you guessed it) knick-knacks.

Bring in the outdoors
Natural elements is one of my favourite things about Scandinavian home decor. As I mentioned earlier, not all Scandinavians are lucky enough to have nice weather all year around, so bringing a bit of nature indoors helps a bit. A few plants gives a pop of colour and wood are often used from floor to ceilings (no wall-to-wall carpets and plaster walls!).

Natural materials in general
Sheepskin, reindeer skin, wool, ceramics, wood, metal etc are often used to add some texture into the homes (and bringing the infamous nature indoors).

Fireplaces
As most of the Scandinavian countries are far from warm during the cold winter months, a fireplice is more or less a must have. When it is a proper autumn/winter storm, it is really nice being indoors under a blanket, looking at the fire.

Is there some of these elements that you like or do you have any thoughts about Scandinavian home decor? Feel free to comment below.

mandag 19. juni 2017

Menu Plan Monday Week 25

(This post contains affiliate links)

It's a new Monday, which means it is time for a new Menu Plan Monday post, thanks to Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie. Last week I ended up jumping of joy as I got top grade on my BA thesis, so now I can finally relax in terms of the grade. I honestly didn't believe I would recieve such a high mark on it, but I have no reasons to complain.

Stock photo from Pexels
Anyway, here is my menu plan for this week.

Monday; Norwegian Pancakes with Blueberry Jam
Tuesday; Spaghetti Bolognese with Simply Organic Italian Herb Spaghetti Sauce Mix
Wednesday; Leftovers from Tuesday
Thursday; Norwegian Pancakes with Blueberry Jam
Friday; Chicken with Simply Organic Sweet Basil Pesto Sauce Mix
Saturday; Norwegian Pancakes with Blueberry Jam
Sunday; Frozen Pizza

lørdag 17. juni 2017

Weekend Cooking; Top Five Cafés and Restaurants in Bryne

Even though I live in a relatively small town, we're fortunate enough to have a few cafés and restaurants. So if you ever happen to be in Bryne (Norway), here is a list of my top five cafés and restaurants I feel is worth checking out.

Så Takk - One of the newest additions, run by a food blogger and it's located at M44, a shopping center. There is also a selection of coffees and such to bring home.

Kjøkkenet - It's located in Storgata and is probably THE place for a yummy chicken sandwich or coffee while in Bryne.

Unn Deg - Another newcomer and located right beside the railway station.

Møllehagen - One of the fancier restaurants in Bryne and they have really tasty burgers.

Garborgstova - The library café in Bryne, where you can have cake, coffee and Eastern European lunches/dinners.

torsdag 15. juni 2017

Thursday Movie Picks; Movies Based on True Events

It  is a new Thursday, which means a new Thursday Movie Picks post, thanks to the blog Wandering Through The Shelves. The theme of this week was movies based on true events and here is my picks.

Hotel Rwanda; It tells a bit about the genocide in Rwanda

Pearl Harbour; It tells about the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbour

12 Years a Slave; It tells the tale about a free man who got abducted and turned  into a slave

tirsdag 13. juni 2017

Making a Home; Whole Grain Breadbaking Course at SocialCooking.no

In mid-May I was fortunate enough to attend a course on whole grain breadbaking at Jakob's Brød in Stavanger through SocialCooking.no. I had won a free course through a competition on Facebook, but the course I was originally going to attend was cancelled, so I ended up with a breadbaking course instead (fortunately SocialCooking.no has a lot of interesting courses, so it wasn't a big issue really).

The baker and the bakery, Jakob's brød, has been in Stavanger East for several years and it is one of the few bakeries in Noway which specializes in sourdough. The course I attended was interesting and as a bit of a foodie, I found it a bit cool to be "in the back" of the bakery, where all the baking take place on a regular basis. For those who are really curious about the recipe, you can find it here.


It's maybe worth mentioning that if a cooking and/or baking course sounds interesting and you live near Stavanger, you can check out SocialCooking.no for upcoming courses (I think the ones in the autumn/winter will be published in August). If you are interesting in testing some of the baked goods at Jakob's Brød, the bakery and café is currently located in Haugesundsgata 7 in Stavanger.

mandag 12. juni 2017

Menu Plan Monday Week 24

It's a new Monday, which means a new Menu Plan Monday post, thanks to Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie. Tomorrow is the deadline for the teachers to publish the grades for us who has written a BA thesis this term, so I'm a bit nervous until the results are in. Hopefully I will pass with an acceptable grade. *Fingers crossed*

I'm still doing a "freezer destash", but lucikly the pile of groceries are getting smaller and it will be even smaller when this week is over.

Stock photo from Pexels

Here is my menu plan for this week.
Monday; Nachos
Tuesday; Vegetarian Burgers
Wednesday; Fish & Chips
Thursday; Vegetarian Burgers
Friday; Fish & Chips
Saturday; Pasta With Broccoli and Cheese Sauce
Sunday; Norwegian "Pytt i Panne"

Do you have a menu plan? If so, what is your menu plan for this week?

lørdag 10. juni 2017

Weekend Cooking; Round up of Picnic Recipes

As it is finally summer and hopefully decent weather were you live, I wanted to gather some picnic recipes. It's nice to spend some time outdoors when the weather allows it and why not enjoy some food outside while we can?

In the area of Norway where I live, the weather is often a bit unstable and I sometimes joke that not only does the weather change by the hour at times, we can even have both sun and rain at the same time. Due to that problem, I enjoy the nice weather while it lasts, even if it's for just ten minutes. It's important to appreciate what one got!

Stock photo from Pexels
Anyway, here is the recipes I mentioned. Maybe one or several could be used at your next picnic?

Peanut Butter and Banana Roll-Ups
Rainbow Fruit Cups
Chocolate Filled Strawberries
Rustic Manchego + Heirloom Tomato Crostata (+ How to Pack the Perfect Picnic)
Smoked Salmon Lavash Wrap with Spicy Greens, Fresh Cucumber and Sprouts with Savory Lemon-Dill Cream Cheese Spread
Herby Picnic Potato Salad with Kale, Apple & Chickpeas
Melon Proscuitto and Mozzarella Skewers
Mini Blueberry Pies
Easy Peach Tea Recipe

If you want some picnic hacks to make the picnic a bit easier to pull off, feel free to check out this post.

Do you often have a picnic during summer? What is your favourite go-to place having one and/or what is your favourite recipe?

mandag 5. juni 2017

Menu Plan Monday Week 23

It's a new Monday, which means it's time for a new Menu Plan Monday post, thanks to Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie. Recently, I figured out that I needed a new "freezer destash" in order to make room in my tiny freezer. I can admit that it's sometimes a bit easier said than done doing "all the way" on this one, but if I can clear out quite a bit, then I will be satisfied. One of the fortunate things about doing a "freezer destash" is basically the fact that I don't need to spend that much money on dinners.

Stock photo from Pexels
Here is my menu plan for this week;
Monday; Tacos
Tuesday; Nachos
Wednesday; Fish Gratin
Thursday; Tomato Soup with Macaroni
Friday; Fish Gratin
Saturday; Pasta with Broccoli and Cheese Sauce
Sunday; Tacos

torsdag 1. juni 2017

Thursday Movie Picks; Tall Buildings

It's Thursday again, which means it's time for a new Thursday Movie Picks post, thanks to the blogger behind Wandering Through the Shelves. The theme of the week was tall buildings, so here are my picks.


A Short Film About Love; a movie doesn't need to be long to be good.

Safety Last; A good classic

Metropolis; Another good classic