How to stay healthy in Bergen...and on a budget

There is always a big adjustment to diet and exercise in new countries I visit. Every new place has it's challenges, and Norway is no different. At home, I had my regular workout routine and grocery list. Here in Norway, things are obviously different, so I've had to make some adjustments. I don't know if anyone else out there has had these same challenges, but if so, here are some of my ideas.

Challenges in Bergen
1. No full time job = no gym membership.
2. It's no fun to run outside in the rain, and it's almost always raining here.
3. Less selection at the grocery store of pre packaged, low calorie foods.
4. Norwegian food means a lot of bread, potatoes, cheese and cakes!

So, I have had to become creative with my diet and exercise here. What can you do when you have no gym and can't go outside every day to workout?

First, I walk a lot! I don't have a car and my hike up to my apartment is just that...an uphill hike! Try doing this with grocery bags!! This helps a little but I need a little more.


The last of quite a few hills from downtown/work/school/store/coffee back to my apartment


One of the "short cuts" back home

My old roomie helped me come up with some great workouts that I can do in my tiny apartment.

In addition to these fun little workouts, I have also found that you can get anything on youtube! I try to do some quick yoga workouts a few times a week. My favorite is the 30 minute flow yoga (there are loads of them listed).

The diet in Norway has been the most challenging for me. Some things I ate regularly at home and really miss in Norway include ground turkey, Whole Foods Whey Protein Powder, boca meatless things, string cheese, lowfat fage greek yogurt and Amy's meals. There are a lot of carbs in Norway and not a lot of cheap, lean protein. It's been a big challenge to stick to my 5 small meals a day plan. But, I have found what they have at the grocery store and here are a few things I've come up with this week. All of them have few ingredients that are relatively inexpensive at the grocery store (I mean, I am still in Norway so I don't think I can call anything "inexpensive").

Quick Breakfast (I make a few of these and keep them in the freezer to reheat): Homemade breakfast burritos:

Ingredients
4 Wheat tortillas
3 egg whites
2 whole eggs
1/4 onion
1/4 pepper
1/4 can black beans (I couldn't find black, so I used brown beans)
spicy pepper (if you like spicy)
4 slices of light cheese
salsa or tomatoes
salt and pepper

How to:
1. Saute the onions and peppers until soft
2. Add the eggs
3. Add the beans, spices and salsa
4. Place a slice of cheese on each tortilla. They put one scoop of egg mix on each tortilla and fold into a burrito.
5. Yum, yum!!


My burrito topped with some fresh tomatoes

A new recipe I tried this week: Cod over spinach and tomatoes

Ingredients
Brown rice
2 servings of Cod (I had a frozen bag of cod and it worked out great)
Fresh Spinach
Canned tomatoes
Olive Oil
Honey
Salt, Pepper, Cayenne Pepper
Parmesan Cheese (optional)

Directions
1. Cook the rice
2. Sprinkle the bottom of the baking dish with olive oil
3. Place fresh spinach on baking dish
4. Place fish (defrosted) on top of spinach
5. Top fish with 1 tbsp honey, 1/2 can of tomatoes and spices
6. Bake (I used 180 for 35 minutes) until fish is cooked throughout
7. Yum!


Cod with Spinach and tomatoes over brown rice



It was delicious!!

Because I have a sweet tooth, I want an apple pie, but I make: Healthy(ish) Apple Coconut Bake with Sweet Yogurt Topping

Ingredients
1 apple
shredded coconut
1 egg
2 tbsp milk
4 tbsp flour
4 tbsp yogurt
1 tbsp honey
cinnamon

How to:
1. Beat egg with milk
2. Slice the apple in thin slices
3. Coat apple with egg mix
4. Mix flour and shredded coconut and coat the apples in this
5. Place apples on baking pan and sprinkle with cinnamon
6. Mix yogurt with honey cool
7. Bake apples (200 until soft), then top with some yogurt mix
8. Yum, yum!!


Baked Apples with Coconut
The coated apples are a little crispy and the shredded coconut makes it a little sweet, so it's almost like eating an apple pie:)


Baked Apples with Coconut and Sweet Yogurt topping

I'll keep experimenting and might share more later (if they taste good)!

Week 9: Every day is a tea (coffee) party

It's been 9 weeks, but it feels like 9 days. I've been having such a great time! Those of you who know me know, I love food. Cooking or eating...I just love food. I do miss the wonderful restaurant scene in Denver. I miss happy hours, eating at new restaurants, buying groupons and restaurant week!!!! It's not just about going out to eat, because you can do that here. It's about the culture of being social, eating out, finding new restaurants, trying new happy hours, tasting new and interesting foods.

Norway is a little different. I've been visiting here since I was very young. Every time we came, we would travel around visiting different family members and friends. We would never go out to eat. At each visit, we would sit at someone's house for coffee, tea and cakes. I thought this was just a special event because we were in town from the US. Now that I have been in Norway for a while, I've realized that every day is a tea party (and when I say tea, I mean coffee because nobody drinks tea).

Small, fragile coffee cups on saucers, cakes, cheese and bread with homemade jam, and cute little decorative napkins. This is the cute little setup at every visit and I love it. It feels like I'm a little girl having a tea party every day. Except now, I really get to eat the cake and drink the coffee. Yum! Check out these cute pictures of some recent tea parties, I mean, visits with friends and family.


Visiting with Grandma and her brother and sister in law. Croissants, jam, cheese, spiced bread and cinnamon buns with coffee, then a cherry dessert thing. Oh, so yummy!


Grandma's visit. Cakes, coffee and more cakes!




And then there's the cooking. It is not what I'm used to, but it's fun. Here are some recent Norwegian creations.


This is a delicious Norwegian cake,a meringue topped with vanilla saus, whipped cream and fruit. Soooo good!


Cucumber salad, my mom's favorite Norwegian dish. Thinly sliced cucumbers with vinegar, salt, pepper and sugar. Sounds simple and it is, but it is also SO delish!


Oh, the yummy fish! We cleaned it, then stuffed it with onions, cucumbers, yogurt, and spices, then topped with lemons.


Add some potatoes and look how delicious this meal looks! And it was absolutely scrumptious!!!

And now all this talk of food has made me hungry. But, since I had cake and coffee for dinner (at my tea party), I will pass on another meal and get some much needed sleep. It's raining sideways again which means I get to sleep to the sound of rain drops on my window. My favorite!