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Berry Chocolate Winter Smoothie Bowl [vegan]

"The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written. We can help write that story by setting goals." Melody Beattie

First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I hope you had a couple of nice family days and if you celebrate it, I hope you had a merry Christmas. My Christmas was rather crappy, as I had to drive my Granny to the hospital on December the 23th and from there on it didn’t really went uphill. So, what better time to plan 2017 could there possibly be? This might sound a little sarcastic but it’s actually not. First, I thought “Screw it, I’ll skip this month recipe”, but then I thought about why and when I started this blog. I started this blog shortly after my Granddad passed away in 2015. I had this (starting a Blog) in my mind for quite some time, but I never fully convinced myself to actually do it. When he passed away, a lot of other things changed too and I finally did it! It took me nearly two years of thinking about this (well, originally, I thought about creating a YouTube Channel, but to this day putting my face out there is way too scary for me) until I had the nuts to do it and I haven’t regretted it once since then. Because it’s what I like to do, cooking and especially creating new recipes is what I love to do! Cooking is my happy place, it doesn’t have to be all fancy and special, a simple new Sandwich-creation can be a little sparkle of light on a rather cloudy day. It’s not that much the actual food but the feeling of being good at something. I am horrible at following a recipe (yep, even my own ones), but I can make quite decent dishes from scratch and succeeding at something makes you feel good. That’s exactly what this blog is about, it’s about Pieces of Happiness, not because they are made from happiness but they bring happiness because they are simple and yummy and YOU CAN DO IT.

I came to the conclusion, that skipping a month because I’m not feeling my best is quite a paradox. Not to mention, that my Granny is the most optimistic and heart-warming person and someone who would not allow me ever to let anything get me down and off track. Let’s start with a little bit of planning for 2017, shall we?

My Plans for 2017: I definitely want to continue this blog and stay on my schedule, however, I’m in my last semester of Uni and this means, I might not be on time every month, as life can be quite stressful during the exams. Nevertheless, I have a vision of what I want to do with this blog and some really cool ideas for the upcoming year. If you aren’t new to my blog, you might have noticed quite a big layout change and I’m really excited about this! But it has its bugs and it’s not finalised yet. But we’re getting there, so bear with me and please excuse any inconveniences that might happen during the transition phase, I’m trying my best.

As I just mentioned, I’ll finish Uni this year and that means little me will go into the big world this year. I couldn’t be more excited and scared at the same time. All the options, possibilities and challenges are “very-whelming” (not overwhelming yet). That’s why I’m really looking forward to 2017, even though I know for sure, that it won’t be an easy-peasy year.

I don’t really have any new year’s resolutions, I just want to try my best in everything I do, like every year. Sometimes I’ll fail but I’ll stand up again and I’ll grow from it, like always. Nevertheless, many people do set more specific goals, like getting/staying fit, getting healthy, losing weight (fulfil this endless list yourself) and that’s why I thought about an extra healthy and extra delicious recipe for the start of 2017. A winter smoothie bowl, packed with healthy berries, delicious chocolate and -of course- a vegan’s best friends: bananas. It’s beyond easy and even cheap! Without further ado, let’s get started.

Today's piece of happiness:

All you need: (for 1 person)

100 gr. frozen blueberries

100 gr. frozen raspberries

2 frozen bananas

50 ml almond milk (or any other plant milk you have at home)

1 tbsp. cacao powder

Topping: ½ a persimmon, some granola, some shredded coconut (but honestly, be creative! Put any fruits you like in it!)

1. Step: Smoothie

Place the blueberries, raspberries, bananas, almond milk and the cacao powder in your blender and blend it. Now, you only put the smoothie in a bowl.

2. Step: Fun Part

It's topping time! Put all the toppings you desire on the smoothie. I felt quite fancy, so, I cut persimmon-stars out of half a persimmon and made some home-made granola.

Here we go, I'm delighted to tell you: you have done it! Now go on and enjoy your self-made piece of happiness ♥
If this isn’t a really easy and healthy recipe, then I don’t know what is! I hope 2017 will be a great year for you, filled with joy and love! I'm looking forward to seeing you next month.
Until then: Do not forget: Happiness can be delicious, so go on and spread some feliciousness ❤️