Summer Smoothie Recipe

Hi all. Recently, I have been on the search for the perfect snack for any time of the day. A smoothie was the obviously the answer! This recipe is refreshing, healthy, simple, and the fruits are seasonal and are delicious. This recipe serves one.

-Ingredients-
Handful of raspberries
Handful of strawberies, halfed or quartered
Six to eight blocks of ice
Five tbsp low-fat greek yoghurt
A few medium-sized mint leaves
A squeeze of honey
One banana, roughly sliced
Splash of milk, if needed to thin the smoothie
Chia seeds to put on top

1. Cut up all of your fruit as instructed
2. Put the yoghurt, ice, fruit, mint and honey into the blender (please be careful!)
3. Blend until the mixture is a pink colour, and evenly blended.
4. If too thick, add a splash of milk to the smoothie.
5. Pour into a glass. Sprinkle chia seeds and place mint on top.

I hope you all enjoy this recipe... It's really easy and fun to do and the perfect smoothie as the days get warmer and warmer.

Simona x

Appreciating Heritage

Four days ago, aka Thursday the 24th, South Africans celebrated culture and diversity on Heritage Day. For me, it wasn't just Heritage Day which allowed me to celebrate  my ancestry. Starting Tuesday evening, it was Yom Kippur, and Jews across the nation, and indeed the world, were fasting, reflecting and repenting. One could say that my week has been quite culturally rich and philosophical.

Thursday was spent hiking up one of Cape Town's most well-known mountains, Lions Head, and having a true birds eye view of the Cape. It was incredible to see the CBD pan out into the sea and the mountains.It was a bit foggy, but every once in a while the cloud-cover would break and the weather was beautiful. Definitely worth all the effort to hike to the top, to see the beautiful city.

On Friday, after a long and particularly 'okay' day at school, my smile was instantly back when I went to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, which is by far one of my favourite places in South Africa, if not the world. Kirstenbosch is a massive piece of land covered in the Western Province's indigenous plants and 'fynbos', and is absolutely magical. When I was little, it was a frequently visited place, with family and friends. We used to catch tadpoles at the river, and roll down the hills for hours. We also used to run around the 'enchanted' trees and flowers, sure of fairies or pixies popping up at any minute, and sharing our picnic with us. Kirstenbosch brings back so many memories of fun times and freedom, and even today, it is still a frequent hang out with my friends to picnic and bask in the sun, all while being surrounded by the Cape's flora and fauna.

All of these events and adventures got me thinking of how important it is to celebrate one's heritage. I live in the most beautiful country, and the same can be said about the people who I encounter on a daily basis. In Cape Town, I am constantly amazed of how multicultural Capetonians are. With the Rugby World Cup currently taking place, I realised how incredible it is that we can all unite and join forces to support our nation. I couldn't help but smile when I saw a flood of green and gold shirts, all in support of our Springboks at our local shopping centre.

South Africa is such a unique place. We have oceans, mountains, food, culture, black people, white people, people who are mixed-race or of Malay heritage, Islam, Christianity, Judaism, cities, and nature. We have everything. We have diversity. Something that we should truly celebrate. The same can be said for every single country around the world. Cherish differences and accept them. This week has truly made me realise more than ever, how I am proudly South African. I am also a proud member of the human race. We should all be. Celebrate diversity and appreciate your heritage. It's one of the most important things that makes you, you.

Out and About

Life has been quite busy at the moment (when is it not?!), so it's always nice to take some time to do little things that you love. Here a few of these things that have made me smile this month.

These little guys are called Murphy and Peach. I bought them for just R40 at a little coffee shop in Kalk Bay. I love succulents - they are really low-maintanence and are beautiful - and look so great on your window sill!

There is a really cute place called Bob's Bagels. They make great bagels,  pastries and coffee. It's the perfect places to chill and eat brekkies. It's also only a five minute walk from the beach and is right opposite a park. Oh, and it is on the foot of a mountain. Quite picturesque really.

I cannot stress enough how much I LOVE Le Creuset. Cups, plates, pots, and even spatulas. Everything. I love them all. You can imagine my excitement when I got the luxury of drinking from a Le Creuset cup and saucer, whilst enjoying an almond croissant at a cafe.

Simona x

An Autumn Outfit Idea: 90's Grunge

Shoes - Dr Martens

Jeans - ZARA

Grey shirt - Gap

Flannel shirt - The Cloak and Dagger

Hello everyone! This is just a quick idea for what you can wear this autumn. I really like this outfit - I love the 90's grunge look! I hope this will give you some ideas and creativity so that you can make your own outfits this season. On a side note, I have finally made an Instagram account for my blog! Please check it out and follow for daily updates and random pictures. It's @acupofteablog_ . Go have a look! It's been really fun taking pictures and updating. Also, I would love for you guys to give me some suggestions for other themes and/or styles for other outfit ideas - I really enjoyed putting this together - so feel free to email me with ideas for new themes and styles.

Hope you have all have a fantastic week and will update soon.

Simona x

Franschhoek

Recently my family went on holiday for four days to the beautiful village of Franschhoek, just an hour's drive from Cape Town. It was such fun, and we had a great time! We've been staying at the same cottage for over eight years now, and go annually around January. The view from our cottage is incredible, with mountains and vineyards. On one day we went to the neighbourhood market in the centre of town. It was so sweet and quirky, and we got to interact with a a lot of interesting people. There are a lot of small stalls that sell very different and often creative things, like jams and schwarmas, antique books and hand-made pillow cases.

1. Delicious smoothies packed with summer fruits like mango, peaches, nectarines, passion fruit and quite a few others that have slipped my mind.

2. Organic home-grown heirloom tomatoes and fruit cordials.

3. The view from our cottage: not too shabby.

4. Some friendly horses we met whilst on a walk around the farm we were staying at.

Simona xx

Breakfast at La Belle

Recently my family and I went to a lovely restaurant called La Belle for breakfast. It's a bakery kind of place, and is attached to The Alphen Hotel. It's so beautiful there - the entire restaurant is amongst oak trees and flowers - especially in summer, when the flowers have bloomed. I always feel so happy when I arrive and see all the greenery!

I had Eggs Benedict, and it was so delicious. I also had freshly pressed apple juice that's done to order. It's so fresh and the only ingredient is, well, green apples. No added sugar or preservatives. Just added yumminess. Both the Eggs Benedict and the juice were scrummy, and you could definitely taste the love!

 The Alphen is really old, but so pretty... Look at all the plants and the ancient oak trees!

Brekkies

Cape Town Adventures

Happy 2015 everybody! I hope you have all had a relaxing and fun time over the festive season. My summer holiday has been jam-packed with so many fun places I have been to, and things that I have done. It has been so inspiring discovering new things and exploring in and around Cape Town. Cape Town is a city that has so much to offer, and has so many different cultures, so it is such an exciting city to be a part of every day.

Day in Kalk Bay

Kalk Bay is such an interesting and bustling place, with the sea on its left, and mountains on the right. Amidst all the beauty are hip and trendy boutiques, that tend to be filled with interesting and often quirky clothing that you probably won't find anywhere else. We discovered a real New York- style bagel place, called Bob's Bagels, that was great, and will definitely become a regular breakfast place for our family.

Felix Unite River Rafting
Recently, my family went on a two night adventure to a place called Round The Bend, by the company Felix Unite. This place has around 20 chalets, and a beautiful  main log cabin-style building. The food was good, the people were nice, and we had such a blast whilst river rafting.

The view from the main log cabin.

Special Time with my Uncles
Recently, my sister and I spent two fun days with our uncles. We went out for breakfast, saw a movie, went shopping, went for a walk along the beach, had ice cream and it was such a blast!

Tea with breakfast.

 Beautiful Cape Town.

We went to this ice cream shop,which uses liquid nitrogen to freeze the ingredients, while you watch!

Looking very sciency.

The finished product: creamy chocolate and raspberry ice cream.

Foo Fighters!
On the 10th of December, the Foo Fighters came to South Africa for the first time ever, on the first leg of their Sonic Highways tour. It was mind blowing - three hours of non-stop, quality music. Yes, the Foos were on for three hours, and didn't have a single break! And a bonus: my parents (die-hard Foo Fighter fans since the beginning) won a competition and met them!

Cape Town Stadium

Both the picture of Kalk Bay, and the picture from our river rafting trip were taken by my sister. Thanks for letting me use them Kira!

 Simona x