How it started
I’m always on the hunt for a good deal when it comes to groceries. I mostly shop from the sale section so when I saw that vegetarian “meats” were on sale buy 2 get the 3rd free, you bet I jumped on it. I was hesitant about cooking vegetarian meals at home though. I’m always open to trying new things. I’ve had vegan products in the past but they were… Less than impressive. So I saw this as a new opportunity to give vegetarian meals a try. What worried me was Sander because he’s the picky eater in the house. So I placed the order and waited for delivery. We’ve ordered online for our local grocer since the middle of last year due to quarantine rules.

How it’s going
It’s been nearly 3 months now and we mostly eat vegetarian “meat”. It’s been an amazing experience too. It looks amazing and even smells like the real thing. Not to mention it’s easier to cook and I don’t have to worry about the sanitation that revolves around meat and handling it. The taste and texture is fantastic! Packaging does still use a lot of plastic, which is unfortunate, but we’re consuming much less meat. It’s easier for our stomachs and better for the environment too. The meals require the freezer either, which is a huge plus. We have a small Dutch freezer and space is limited. The “meat” looks realistic, needless to say. If you told me 10 years ago that I would enjoy vegetarian foods, I would have laughed. But the “meat” has come a long way and I’ll continue to buy it for our consumption.

Not 100% there
I doubt that Sander and I would ever go full vegetarian. We both love bacon and huge bowls of chicken ramen. But any step that I can take towards being healthier and more environment friendly… You bet I’m going to explore those options! So far all the vegetarian meats we’ve had have been super delicious. And it turns out that these soy based meats are even cheaper than the real thing! Who would have thought?

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Flavors galore
Did you ever watch the movie Ratatouille and wish you knew what Remy the rat was talking about. How mixing flavors can give you sensations you’ve never had before. Yea. That’s what I wanted to do. So I went with cheeses, meats, fruits and other goodies that could pair well with each other. I did a bit of research and went with our best options. Let me tell you, it was worth it. The experience was amazing and I would recommend you trying the same.

Planning is everything
It’s safer to order our groceries from home and have them delivered. So for a little over a week we had items in our order that I worried about. See when the entire town is ordering from the same 4 stores… It can be hard to get everything you need. I’ve had my favorite peanut butter sell out before I could have it. Our dessert was an amazing Stroopwafel cake and I wasn’t sure if we’d get it! We got lucky in the end and oh man, was it heavenly!

Childhood memories
Hocus Pocus has been a Halloween movie for me since I was a kid. I’m so happy that it still holds up well today. Sander hasn’t seen it as many times as I have so it’s always great to see his reaction when something new happens. I haven’t had the time to watch a lot of movies this year (that list is incomplete). I knew that I had to at least watch one Halloween movie and its always going to be Hocus Pocus.

Celebrating with loved ones
Honestly while this Halloween dinner was amazing, it wouldn’t have been as good if Sander had not been with me. We laughed, we stuffed our faces and generally had a wonderful time. It’s moments like these that I cherish. The simple and happy times. And even though we couldn’t celebrate Halloween with a party, I think that this dinner date was just as good.

Happy Halloween folks! Stay smart, stay safe, and I’ll see you in November!

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And I have to be 100% accurate! One time I wrote down ginger ale and he came back with two small bottles. I had planned on using the large bottle to help me dispose of some frying oil but instead I was stuck with bottles that were too small for that!

So now I make a list and hope all goes well. Let me talk about a little of what we usually get each week.

Meats and Veggies
The Dutch dinner is typical and not too unfamiliar for me. It’s meat and veggies at its most basic. Sander always has a helping of fries to go with his meal. For a more exciting meal we have meat and veggies with a grain. Sometimes we have homemade Chinese or Indian food. No matter what the actual meal, it always starts off with meat and veggies. Our most purchased meat is chicken since it’s light and easy to cook. There are rare times when we get beef or pork but those are special occasions. The last time we had beef was for Christmas and I can’t remember the last time we had pork!

Always room for snacks
Oh boy, Sander and I are snack monsters. We have a small grocery budget for all things tasty. He’ll help himself to a cookie or a bowl of M&M’s around 8pm. I stopped having snacks after 7pm but I love to enjoy a stroopwafel after dinner. And right around 2pm is when I sit down with some sunflower seeds and a good Youtube video. We love to get other snacks too, like the custake cakes found on Uit Paulines Keuken. They’re to die for and I have to fight to stop at one cake!

Simple lunches
I made a recent post about how I have simple lunches that keep me sustained throughout the day. I enjoy a simple meal because it helps to cut down on grocery costs and simple for Sander to pick up. And of course who doesn’t enjoy a meal that takes 10 minutes to make? Keeping a simple lunch routine helps me save time and energy!

Special Pancakes
Every Sunday I make fresh pancakes from scratch. It’s been a tradition for us for the past 4 years. So there are a few special things we need to pick up for them. On top of our breakfast grocery list, are flour and butter, of course. But I make buttermilk pancakes. So we grab the Dutch version, karnemelk. It comes in a small carton which is perfect for a single patch of pancakes. But let me tell you, that batch of pancakes makes enough for 3 days! Currently we’ve been having blueberry pancakes because Sander had never tried them before. And he’s hooked!

Pizza!
Now hear me out on this one. Sander and I have a store bought pizza once a week. I love pizza so much that I don’t mind having it week after week. It’s a great splurge meal for us because it’s so easy to make. And I know pizza isn’t the healthiest of meals. But it’s a great way for us to sin cheaply because store bought pizzas are a fraction of the price of a pizza joint!

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Bold yet simple
The Dutch don’t add many strong spices to their dishes. Their meals are made of subtle flavors paired together for a delicious taste. Breakfast is a good example of this. Jams and bread spreads are mouthwatering and rich. My favorite Dutch meal, hutspot (Dutch sausage paired with mashed potatoes, onions, and carrots) is a winter staple. It’s iconic around the world too! I can’t believe I haven’t written about it yet, but I will this year! The Dutch also love raw herring paired with fresh onions and a sprinkle of salt. You can’t say the Dutch don’t eat fresh! And speaking of fresh…

Shop Local and Eat Fresh
The Dutch eat mostly fresh foods. We’ve got a bakery, butcher, cheesemonger, and a dozen flower shops in our small town. That’s because local owners are friendly, accessible, and have amazing quality for sale. There’s nothing like baked bread in the morning! Even many fast food places cut their potatoes on site to ensure the crispiest fries for the customer. What makes Dutch food so delicious is the freshness of their groceries. Some families even go more than twice a week to shop. Here, the bread needs to be consumed because there are no preservatives included.

Savor the flavors
The Dutch meal of gourmetten is all about taking dinner slow and talking over food. The wonderful part of this meal is that the food cooks while you wait. This allows for the family to eat slowly and enjoy the marinated meats and garlic bread. There’s also tons of unique salads to enjoy! Sander’s family pairs bananas with their green salads. I must say it’s a unique but amazing flavor. I love eating Etensoup (a rich and creamy pea soup) in the winter because of the savory flavors. The soup is like a thick gravy and perfect to eat by the window when it snows.

Indulge
Don’t worry, the Dutch always take the time to indulge in some not so healthy foods. Bitterballen and broodje croquettes are top on the list for most delicious. But they eat fried foods in moderation and consciously. And don’t ever forget fries because they’re so important to a the Dutch junk food experience! Don’t even get me started on the pastries and tarts. Baked goods always contain fresh ingredients. So it’s important to keep in mind that even while indulging… Keep your supplies fresh!

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Stroopwafel
These tasty Dutch cookies are two tiny waffles with caramel sandwiched between. It’s like an Oreo but so much more sinful! It’s difficult for me to have one! They’re best when had with a hot cup of tea or coffee. You can warm them up by placing them on the rim of your hot cup. Make sure to grab them before they melt!

Katjes Drop
The Dutch have these super bitter black licorice bites that they love. It’s so bitter and they love to give it to unsuspecting victims… Needless to say it usually ends up in the trash! But if you talk to the Dutch who love this treat they can tell you it’s the best thing out there. My friend loves cats so I got her the cat shaped ones!

Ontbijtkoek
This is like soft and moist gingerbread cake. It’s delicious but some brands are spicier than others. My first slice made me feel a bit ill but I’ve had better ones that hit the spot in the winter time. It’s like just biting into a super tender gingerbread man… The Dutch often have this for breakfast but for me it’s a holiday treat.

Hagelslag
These are like cupcake sprinkles. It blows my mind how the Dutch eat them. It’s on a slice of bread with a hefty layer of butter. It’s a super Dutch thing to have this for breakfast but I’m not much of a fan of it.

Borrel nootjes
I’m not sure how Dutch these are but Sander loves them. These are nuts in a crunchy, flavored layer of batter. The flavor I sent my friend was garlic so I hope she’s got a mint on hand because it’s such a strong flavor!

Muisjes
I’ve written about these before! I loved them so much that I had to share them.

Vlokken
Vlokken are shavings of chocolate pieces. This is a mini pack that comes with dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate with fruit flavored. Sander enjoys these quite a bit too. He usually picks up the mixed box that includes white and milk chocolate. It’s enjoyed the same way as hagelslag is enough. I don’t know how the Dutch can have so much sugar so early in the morning!

Dutch tea
This isn’t anything special but anything Dutch has to do with oranges. So this is a traditional black breakfast tea with a hint of orange flavor. I enjoy it a lot and I hope she will too.

Orange chocolate spread
If you grew up in the 90’s, there was a chocolate orange ball sold in stores. The gag behind it was you can slam the ball on a table and break this “orange” into tasty slices. This chocolate orange spread is like that but with much less sugar. It’s so tasty and very much Dutch!

Kokos brood
These are tasty little slices of coconut made for putting on bread. I’ve found that if you pair them with white bread… You get something that tastes very much like a donut. If I want to enjoy a donut without eating one then I can grab a slice to snack on.

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But Easter and Paasdagen treats have already made their way into stores. You can say my eyes are bigger than my mouth is! Every time I see goodies that I haven’t tried yet I can’t help myself. So far we’ve only got a small haul but I’ve realized something about Easter here.

Zesty Lemon
Lemon is the highlighted flavor. There are cakes, cupcakes, bunt cakes, cookies… You name it and it has a lemon taste to it. I understand why. Lemon is such a light and refreshing flavor. Paasdagen and Easter are one in the same so it makes sense that rebirth and refreshing flavors are combined. For me, Easter is all about the chocolate, and speaking of which…

Lots of Eggs
The Dutch don’t have an Easter bunny. If you look for anything chocolate during Paasdagen you can expect eggs. There’s a beautiful selection of assorted eggs at our grocery. All of them are various types of chocolate (milk, dark, white) that are all hollow. Inside are so many different flavors that it will make your head spin! Last year my favorite was caramel but I’m looking to change that. This year I’ve found brownie flavored and even coconut flavored. You can bet I’d like to grab a few of those.

Yellow for days
Anything associated with Paasdagen can go back to the color yellow. While I’ve seen blues and pinks around too, yellow seems to be the most popular color. Frosting and cakes are all yellow and I assume it has to do with the lemon flavors. As I said, I need to go back and grab a few more delicious looking treats! I’m trying not to over do it though because I’d like to wear shorts this summer!

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Monday through Thursday is the three course menu. It comes with an appetizer, main dish, and dessert.

I went with the Oriental trio which was yakitori skewer, tuna fish on a wakame and a dumpling with chili chutney. They were all simple but pretty tasty. Unfortunately I heard some of the ladies in our group had a few cold pockets in their meal.

My main dish was the Truffle-mushroom Tortellini with sun dried tomatoes and Parmesan flakes. The menu says there should have been pine nuts in there but I didn’t find any. This meal was pretty delicious but I had no idea what the sauce was. When sun dried tomatoes are mentioned, I think of dried slivers of tomato. Here I got pump and overly wrinkled tomatoes that were a little told on the inside.

What really stole my heart was the cheesecake. I ordered the New York cheesecake with black currant sauce and felt like I was in heaven. I always love a good cheesecake and while it’s not the best I’ve had… It’s the first one in over a year. The sauce was particularly delicious and my mouth is watering just thinking about it!

All in all, Proeflokaal Bregje was a decent place to eat for the price. We might have had some issues because we were such huge party but it’s difficult to tell.

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Our go to place is on the outskirts of the Red Light district, at underground level, but don’t let that fool you. Ramen-ya is home to some of the most delicious hakata ramen we’ve ever had. Hataka refers to the type of noodles handmade in the restaurant. They’re straight, firm, and thin and please our deepest cravings.

The interior is beautiful and simple with earthy woods and black accents to call you in. The place is busy at all hours of the day but the service is quick every visit.

But wait.

What is ramen exactly? If you look past the cheap grocery store noodles, ramen has a deep and beautiful history. Originally from China, the Japanese adopted wheat noodles and broth soup into their own culture. Ramen takes hours from start to finish but what we order here is a masterpiece.

Ramen-ya features two types of broth base, soy or salt. The most common meat included is pork but we order the chicken in the soy based broth. Our go to meal is the Sesame Chicken with a side order of Karaage.

Karaage is a double deep fried (extra crispy exterior) chicken made with soy sauce, ginger, and garlic. I’ve made it at home before and it’s super easy to throw together. What makes Ramen-ya’s Karaage special is the dipping sauce they provide. The chicken is out of this world alone but add the sauce in and you might die. It’s a gentle garlic and mayo combo with a hint of something I just can’t place…

And onto the main order, the ramen. The bowls are gigantic. We’ve yet to finish one. If the noodles, boiled egg (marinated in soy sauce) mushrooms and hearty helping of meat don’t fill you up then the soup will. I like mine a bit spicy so I always add in some chili. The broth is creamy and delicate. It’s a little salty for me but I never add salt to our home meals. The pieces of chicken are soft breast pieces have a slender cut to allow the broth to penetrate the meat. The mushrooms are well cooked and not rubbery. The egg is soft boiled to perfection and still holds onto that salty soy flavor. The entire meal is something that is a must try for anyone who loves Japanese food.

It will not disappoint! One of these days we’ll get the courage to try it but for now we’re content with that savory chicken flavor we’ve grown to love.

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This is because these pancakes have a special ingredient that isn’t found in America. It’s called koek & speculaaskruiden. It’s a delicious blend of premixed gingerbread spices in a single bottle.

I found a good recipe for making it on Zoet Recepten. The website is in Dutch though!

How do these Apple Buttermilk Pancakes taste? It’s like biting into a super soft apple pie. Of course there’s no crisp crust, but you can have this for breakfast without feeling guilty.

Apple Buttermilk Pancakes

• Servings: 6-8
• Time: 1hr
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Super fluffy pancakes with delicious pieces of apple in each bite.

Credit: allrecipes.com for the original recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon speculaaskruiden
• 2 cups of karnemelk (buttermilk)
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cup diced apples
• cooking spray

Directions

1. Skin and dice apples into small cubes.
2. Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
3. Add in karnemelk first, then butter and lastly the eggs. Mix well until all lumps are gone.
4. Add apple cubes to the point where the mix is still mostly batter. The cubes must be all covered otherwise it won’t hold together in the pan. Extra cubes can be used as toppings.
5. Heat a pan over low heat and coat it with cooking spray. Pour 1/3 cupfuls of batter into the pan and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. The batter will rise slightly and cover the cubes. Then flip the pancake and cook until the other side is browned.
6. Serve with thick maple syrup or Schenkstroop

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Eat less chocolate
I know this is a no brainer. But if you take less chocolate and eat is slowly, it will feel like you have more. I do this a lot now to help deal with my cravings. I can enjoy a bit everyday as long as I don’t go overboard! It’s all about moderation and being accountable for what you put in your mouth.

Use less 
If you’re into baking and making home chocolate goods, consider using less sugar or butter. Sugar and butter are where those calories really start to add up. Use substitutes or low calorie alternatives to help keep those high calories out. I’ve seen chocolatey treats made with greek yogurt instead, so anything is possible!

Eat dark
Dark chocolate is supposed to be healthier for you because it cuts out the other additives and uses more cacao. According to CNN, consuming 1 oz. a day may have health benefits but everyone is different. If you do have chocolate cravings and really want to curb them, I do recommend eating trying it. It’s so rich (and bitter) that eating more than a small piece may make you cringe!

Don’t limit yourself
If you prevent yourself from eating chocolate outright, you might be tempted to binge at your first chance. It’s better to give into your small cravings and have that piece you’ve been longing for! In the long run you’ll be less tempted to consume a whole bar if you can have a little every day. This way you won’t feel guilty about overeating because you haven’t deprived yourself.

Enjoy yourself!
Let’s be a little honest though. We only live one life. It’s good to enjoy the things we love while we can. While you should be in control of your eating habits, it’s always ok to indulge in moderation. I love chocolate a lot but I’m always sure to eat the recommended amount. Eating too much makes me feel sick and regret overindulging. Always think about your portion control and decide on what’s best for you!

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