Oh my, what a fabulous day! Happy 2nd December…in today’s YouTube video…swimming with my Bluetits Chill Swimmers peeps in sub zero temperatures, our house elves are getting in on the ice plunges, daily Routines inspiration and what is behind the doors of the advent calendars today??? Tap below to watch!
Prepare for a very hygge Scandinavian Christmas 2023! Diane in Denmark
Are you subscribed to my YouTube channel? Do it right now by clicking HERE, so you don’t miss my Scandinavian Christmas series…
And don’t forget those daily Routines!
Want to binge on Christmas hygge videos? See my entire playlist!
Happy 1st December – what a fabulous day! I shall be posting daily in December… Are you subscribed to my YouTube channel? Do it right now by clicking HERE, so you don’t miss my Scandinavian Christmas series…
Prepare for a very hygge Scandinavian Christmas 2023! Diane in Denmark
Want to binge on Christmas hygge videos? See my entire playlist!
The wait is over, it’s time for max hygge! Today’s video marks the start of my hygge Scandinavian Christmas series – I am planning to post a daily video in December! In other news, I’m back from a visit to see my dear old Mum in Edinburgh (photos in the video) and the weather in Denmark has been so cold that I had to break the ice in my plunge pool in the garden shed, ha ha! Are you subscribed to my YouTube channel? Do it right now by clicking HERE, so you don’t miss my Scandinavian Christmas series…
Prepare for a very hygge Scandinavian Christmas 2023! Diane in Denmark
Keep going with your Routines at this busy time of the year! They keep us afloat!
Today’s video with a quick reset for the week ahead, Flylady cleaning and this week’s Zone! Plus we are talking about all things hygge, Danish Christmas candles and an upgrade to my morning cold plunge routine! Are you subscribed to my YouTube channel? Do it right now by clicking HERE, so you don’t miss my latest videos with inspiration and motivation!
Prepare to be motivated! Diane in Denmark
Ideas for what to focus on in this week’s Flylady Zone!
Cleaning and decluttering ideas in this week’s Zone!
Good morning from wonderful Copenhagen where the skies are currently grey, grey, grey… Not feeling ready for the week ahead? Take a few deep breaths and relax! I have a plan for you! I woke up feeling a little frazzled but a quick icy plunge in my She-Shack (our garden shed) changed my mood! My sweet friend Polly gifted me a beautiful Skandinavisk candle last week (Snö, the Swedish word for snow, a lovely light scent) and I’ve been enjoying watching it flicker while I sit in my tub! Taking a few moments for ourselves daily is absolutely essential – please don’t skimp on your self-care! For today’s hygge Christmas planning mission we are taking away the overwhelm you might be feeling with the state of your home…
Take a deep breath, grab your Christmas planning notebook and a cup of tea (or chilled water if you’re in the southern hemisphere) and lets go with today’s hygge Christmas planning mission, number 26 of 30!
Hygge Christmas planning
Why am I such a fan of the Flylady system? Because we just tackle things a little at a time. Our weekly upkeep clean stops us getting overwhelmed in the first place. Just 10 minutes (or even 5 minutes) is such a game changer!
Our hygge Christmas planning missions are straightforward and won’t leave you feeling overwhelmed. A little bit each day, and you’ll have a calm and collected holiday season. You can find my check-off list here (a Canva template you can modify). But you don’t need a list to start: watch today’s video, move your bahookie and start! If you miss a day or two, don’t go back. Just keep moving forward! We will have Super Missions in December…
The Flylady has a FREE workbook which you can download for free here. I show you how to use it in this video… (Also useful for planning a wedding, Hannukah, baby shower, Ramadan, etc)
What’s for dinner – warm comfort food or a cool fresh salad? Happy Sunday from blowing-a-gale and wet Copenhagen! I’m just back from a bike ride and quick dunk in the sea with my Bestie Helene (more photos later in this post). It’s now dark here in Copenhagen by 4pm (a huge change from summer where it’s light until 11.30pm) so I’m really enjoying the candles by my sink and the fairy lights in our garden as I prepare dinner then finish off my Evening Routine. Very cheery! But without further ado, here’s what we ate at Casa Copenhagen this week!
My hygge Evening Routine with a shiny sink and candles
Bulgogi beef with broccoli, red peppers and rice – I often use minced beef and alter the recipe every time but this recipe from BBC Good Food is easy if you’ve never made it before. I used half a package of beef (enough for hubby and me) and used the other half to make chili later in the week (see below).
Beef bulgogi with rice
Breakfast for dinner – used to have this a lot when our kids lived at home! Fried eggs, Danish bacon, leftover potatoes cubed and fried, my homemade bread rolls (I make up a large batch every weekend and freeze a few for the week) with butter and cheese. Easy peasy!
Danish fish and chips – frozen battered plaice fish fillets straight from the freezer, with homemade oven chips (I make normal fries for hubby, sweet potato for me) with broccoli (the other half from the bulgogi beef) and remoulade sauce
Beef and black bean chili in my Instant Pot (slow cooker function) – I used the other half of the minced beef from the bulgogi above to make the chili. Lots of sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, fresh avocado, grated cheese, chopped red onion and a squeeze of lime to finish…
Black bean, bacon and mushroom chili
Simple Tagliatelle pasta with bacon, mushrooms, garlic and cream topped with lots of freshly grated parmesan and plus a spinach salad on the side
And seeing as how the weather has been so miserable recently, I’m bringing my Mum’s Minestrone soup back into circulation! Have you ever tried it? I know many of you have made it and love it! Quick and easy, a family favourite. You can see how I make it below, just tap to watch the video! Ideal for the slow cooker or Instant Pot, but the stove top method is just as good.
Helene and I could have done with a plate of my Mum’s Minestrone after our bike ride and sea dip today… Blowing a gale and for once it was much warmer IN the sea than OUT! Ha ha! Sea 6c/42f, air windchill minus -3c/26f Brrrr!
That’s it for this week’s menu plan – hope it gave you a little inspiration! I make a basic list for the week then decide on the day what to make (depending on our plans) . Once a week is leftovers or “clean out the fridge” quiche. On busy days we have”madder” (Danish rye bread with various toppings). We also plan the occasional takeaway or dinner out. Keep it simple, Sweetie! Okay, now it’s your turn!
Flylady habits of the month
Want to see more of my easy recipes and crafts? Tap below for my full YouTube series…
Velbekomme (“bon appétit”) and have a wonderful day!
A quick check-in from me with a minimalist life update from cozy Copenhagen! Our December Exercise challenge (I’m doing something totally different this year), decluttering clothes and accessories plus cozy Christmas and more! Tap below to watch!
This week’s Flylady Zone…
And some inspo to keep it hygge in this week’s Flylady Zone!
Have a fantastic evening and keep it hygge out there!
Good morning from wonderful (sunny today) Copenhagen! I hope you slept well and are ready to tackle the week ahead? How did you spend your weekend? My Bestie, Erika from America, celebrated her birthday at our Copenhagen Bluetits swim on Saturday morning (fun photos coming up later in this post). But let’s start with today’s hygge Christmas planning mission! Tap below to watch and get this mission done sometime this week. But why not today? Five minutes on the timer and off you go – rah, rah, rah!
Hygge Christmas planning
And here’s a 60 second video I made yesterday, to give you a little bit of inspiration for this week’s Flylady Zone 3, the bathroom. Four quick tips for making your bathroom hygge! If you compare with the video above, you’ll see that our IKEA towels are over 5 years old and still going strong! LOL!
And now on to the fun photos… My Saturday mornings are spent swimming with my Copenhagen Bluetits Chill Swimmers group – such a lovely bunch of ladies! We celebrated Erika’s birthday (56 years young – Erika and I are the same age!). My friend Carmen (from Australia) brought along some warm-out-of-the-oven-and-still-on-the-baking-tray-sausage-rolls. Yum! One of my favourites! As you know, I’m Scottish and love ANY type of pastie, pie or food topped with or encased in pastry, ha ha!
Some of my friends are dealing with heavy stuff right now and we all agreed that making yourself get out and connect with a friend really makes all the difference. (If you can’t physically get out, make a phone call or send a text.) A much needed respite from all the thoughts tumbling around in your head. Plus a brisk walk in the fresh air or swim in the salty sea will certainly blow the cobwebs away too! Sea temp 10c/50f, sunny but very cold wind.
Copenhagen Bluetits Chill Swimmers
Are you feeling ready for the week ahead? Take a deep breath and relax. Follow the daily focus plan – it takes out the guesswork!
But back to our hygge Christmas planning! The missions are straightforward and won’t leave you feeling overwhelmed. A little bit each day, and you’ll have a calm and collected holiday season. You can find my check-off list here (a Canva template you can modify). But you don’t need a list to start: watch today’s video, move your bahookie and start! If you miss a day or two, don’t go back. Just keep moving forward! We will have Super Missions in December…
The Flylady has a FREE workbook which you can download for free here. I show you how to use it in this video… (Also useful for planning a wedding, Hannukah, baby shower, Ramadan, etc)
A quick check-in with you this Sunday evening with some pointers on this week’s Flylady Zone for detailed cleaning and decluttering! Let’s make your bathroom hygge – cozy! Tap to watch right now!
How can you add a little hygge to your bathroom? No need to buy more stuff! Shop your house and see what you can use from other rooms! A candle, plant, decorative item, fairy lights…
This week’s Flylady Zone for detailed cleaning and decluttering!
Have a fantastic evening and keep it hygge out there!
Happy Saturday from started-off-sunny-but-clouds-and-dark-skies are coming Copenhagen! Flylady habit of the month is meal planning so here goes with this week’s menu! On Thursday my friends Angela, Erika and I had a seaswim/sauna evening at our club and we brought along a picnic dinner to share – very hyggelig! I made Spiced Carrot and Ginger Soup (see below for the recipe). Angela brought bread rolls, butter and cheese. And Erika brought Lindt chocolates and grapes. What a lovely, relaxing evening we had! The best way to combat the doom and gloom of the long Danish winter darkness…
Winterbathing on a dark and damp evening in CopenhagenPicnic dinner with Erika and Angela
But without further ado, here’s the full run down of what we ate at Casa Copenhagen this week!
Leftover homemade steak pie (from last week) served with pickled beetroot and a salad
Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken Noodles – I got the recipe idea from the young Irishman, known on social media as “Bored at Lunch”. This particular recipe wasn’t fantastic so I won’t make it again.
Spiced carrot and ginger soup – for our picnic dinner, see above! I don’t have an exact recipe for this soup, I change it every time I make it! But here goes… Fry ginger, garlic, chopped carrots and onion. Add some herbs or spices: turmeric, garam masala, curry, cumin, paprika, smoked paprika, etc. Whatever you feel like. I sometimes also add a small cup of red lentils, for a more substantial soup. Pour in a tin of coconut milk (I use full fat variety) plus some vegetable or chicken stock, to cover. Cook until soft – I usually pressure cook soups in my Instant Pot. Leave to cool slightly then blend. Add some sriracha sauce or chili flakes to give it a slight kick. Not too much, you just want warmth. I love to top it with fresh coriander and a squeeze of lime juice. Delicious and so comforting on a chilly, dark day. Or after a cold evening seaswim!
Birthday Bash! Out to a German friend’s 50th birthday, woo hoo! Pot luck dinner so I baked some chocolate brownies.
Confit de canard – duck confit with baby potatoes, padrón peppers and pickled red cabbage. Then chocolate icecream bonbons for dessert. Our kids came round for dinner last night to celebrate Mortens Aften (St Martin’s Eve), 10 November. It feels like a mini run through for Christmas because in Denmark we eat duck for Christmas dinner! I added some sparklers to our icecream dessert…just because, ha ha!
Padrón peppersChocolate icecream dessert
Brændende Kærlighed – a traditional Danish dish called “Burning Love”, good old-fashion, honest, comfort food. Not for the faint-hearted! Mashed potato topped with fried onions and tons of bacon… One of hubbie’s favourites. You can see how I make it below, just tap to watch the video!
That’s it for this week’s menu plan – hope it gave you a little inspiration! I make a basic list for the week then decide on the day what to make (depending on our plans) . Once a week is leftovers or “clean out the fridge” quiche. On busy days we have”madder” (Danish rye bread with various toppings). We also plan the occasional takeaway or dinner out. Keep it simple, Sweetie! Okay, now it’s your turn!
Flylady habits of the month
Want to see more of my easy recipes and crafts? Tap below for my full YouTube series…
Velbekomme (“bon appétit”) and have a wonderful day!
A quick check-in from me with a minimalist life update from cozy Copenhagen! My most asked question these past months… Plus an update on fasting and our Clothes Swaps! Tap below to watch!
Have a fantastic evening and keep it hygge out there!
Can you believe today is Mission number 16 – we’re halfway there, woo hoo! But first of all, good morning from rather grey Copenhagen! I do hope you had a wonderful weekend – what did you get up to? Relaxing with the family, working in the garden, looking after grandkids? I went to a crafts and vintage julemarket (Christmas market)…
LINK Christmas market
…organized by my international ladies club, LINK Denmark. All very hygge and I bought a few handmade Christmas gifts. (Will be wrapping them later this week.) Saturday mornings are spent with my Copenhagen Bluetits Chillswimmers ladies. Temperatures are dropping so we are wearing more and more layers! But on to today’s hygge Christmas planning mission. It’s Monday so can you guess what it is?
Tap below for today’s mission and get it done sometime this week! Oh, and who remembers this video from 5 years ago and the old “mother-in-law” joke…I had completely forgotten all about it! Made me laugh this morning!
Hygge Christmas planning
And if you need a little bit of inspiration for this week’s cleaning and decluttering, here’s a 90 second video with my ideas for Flylady Zone 2, the kitchen!
The hygge Christmas planning missions are straightforward and won’t leave you feeling overwhelmed. A little bit each day, and you’ll have a calm and collected holiday season. You can find my check-off list here (a Canva template you can modify). But you don’t need a list to start: watch today’s video, move your bahookie and start! If you miss a day or two, don’t go back. Just keep moving forward! We will have Super Missions in December…
The Flylady has a FREE workbook which you can download for free here. I show you how to use it in this video… (Also useful for planning a wedding, Hannukah, baby shower, Ramadan, etc)
Are you excited about the week ahead? Yes or No?! A very quick check-in with some cleaning and decluttering motivation…one minute and 30 seconds! Plus my checklist with ideas of what to do this week. Tap to watch!
How do you add a little hygge to your kitchen area?
This week’s Flylady Zone for detailed cleaning and decluttering!
Have a fantastic evening and keep it hygge out there!
Happy Sunday from very grey and wet Copenhagen! I’ve got a thick beef stew on the go in my Instant Pot today (pressure cooker setting) which will be our dinner tonight – steak pie. Yum! Not sure if it’s because I’m Scottish but I will eat anything if it’s covered in – or topped with – pastry, ha ha! Our Flylady habit for November is meal planning. What’s your style? I usually draft a basic plan and then decide on the day what we’ll be eating (our plans shift quite often). Once a week is dedicated to leftovers or a straightforward “clean out the fridge” quiche or omelette. And on really chaotic days, we turn to “madder“. Danish rye bread with an assortment of toppings (a common lunch choice here in Denmark). We also factor in an occasional takeaway or dinner in the city with our grown kids. Keep it simple, Sweetie! Without further ado, here’s what we ate at Casa Copenhagen last week!
Flylady habits of the month
Västerbottenostpaj – Swedish cheese pie A readymade pie (Västerbotten cheese is similar to parmesan) gently heated in the oven and served with a mixed salad and baby potatoes. In the summer we usually eat it warm with some smoked salmon on the side.
Vegetarian mixed bean chili (I used kidney beans, black beans, chickpeas and sweetcorn) made in my Instant Pot (slow cooker setting) with tortilla chips, sour cream, grated cheese and coriander. I made the chili with a large cup of quinoa so we didn’t need any rice on the side. And this time I also added some smoked paprika to the chili which gave it a lovely depth of flavour.
Thai prawn currySwedish cheese pie with smoked salmon
Creamy chicken pasta – leftover cooked chicken (I had a small bag of it in the freezer) which I quickly fried with onion, garlic and herbs in my Instant Pot on sauté mode. Then I put in a layer of wholemeal pasta (enough for me and hubby) and covered the mixture with chicken stock. Cooked at high pressure for 5 minutes. When the pasta was cooked I stirred in some frozen peas (they “cook” immediately in the hot pasta). And then added quite a lot of Philadelphia cheese plus a little cream. Extra parmesan on top. Forgot to take a photo but it’s always delicious and so easy! (Sometimes I use leftover ham or beef, bacon, mushrooms, red peppers, etc)
Homemade pizza with chorizo sausage and green pepper.
Chicken and bacon pastry parcels – straight from the freezer, on a night that I was home alone. With homemade sweet potato fries and salad.
Super Speedy Thai Prawn curry – a recipe my Dearly-Departed-Mother-in-Law often cooked for us. Has absolutely nothing to do with Thailand but it is very speedy and tasty – it can be on the table in 15 minutes, once you get the rice cooking! I keep a packet of frozen prawns in the freezer for this dish (just add the frozen prawns to the sauce once it is made, and gently heat through).
Super speedy Thai prawn curry
That’s it for this week’s menu plan! Remember to clear up the kitchen as soon as you finish eating dinner (don’t go wandering off) and complete your Evening Routine. Whether you are in the northern or southern hemisphere, keep your Routines hygge – they will be more enjoyable!
Autumn Evening RoutineSummer Evening Routine
Velbekomme (“bon appétit”) and have a wonderful day!
LLAP! Hugs!
Diane
PS: Want more of my easy recipes and crafts? Tap below for my full YouTube series…
In today’s Newsletter, a bonus for you: a sneak peak of today’s YouTube weekly housekeeping video before I make it public (scroll to the bottom of this post to watch)! Plus a little pep talk about the holidays and today’s planning mission. Hands up if you are still feeling excited about our early Christmas planning! Or are you already feeling behind? Please don’t! Just start today – as you will see, many of the missions follow our Flylady daily focus, so we are building on what we are already doing. Do what you can and remember to breathe! LOL!
Tap below for today’s mission and get it done sometime this week!
Hygge Christmas planning
These missions are straightforward and won’t leave you feeling overwhelmed. A little bit each day, and you’ll have a calm and collected holiday season. You can find my check-off list here (a Canva template you can modify). But you don’t need a list to start: watch today’s video, move your bahookie and start! If you miss a day or two, don’t go back. Just keep moving forward! We will have Super Missions in December…
The Flylady has a FREE workbook which you can download for free here. I show you how to use it in this video…
And – as I promised – a sneak peak of today’s YouTube video, before it goes public!
Our clocks went back yesterday and things are very dark here in Copenhagen. In case you missed it last night, here’s some cozy motivation for your Evening Routine!
That’s it for today! Are you subscribed to my Newsletter? Get my posts straight to your Inbox! And see you tomorrow!
