Zara Haul - Autumn 2014

               Hello Everybody! So I've been eyeing a lot of stuff from Zara to buy over this fall. Autumn is also my favorite time of year because of layering! How cool is it to wear something light, and something a little heavier over it or two light things and a big scarf, and some day-heels to go along with them? It's just awesome. You always feel pretty and sophisticated. That's what I miss during the summer time, dressing pretty, as sometimes it gets so hot and sticky that everything just feels wrong. And itchy!

So my first purchase and big blow-out was this super soft leather sheepskin jacket in black & rose gold. Rose gold, enough said, I was sold! 

It was the pricey-est piece of clothing I've ever gotten but I've been living in it ever since and every day I love it more - this is something I'll never regret buying. It's an investment! (At least that's what I tell myself)

The second thing(s) I got was 2 little long sleeved tee-shirts! They are 100% very very thin cotton. They also feel so soft, and they hang so well around your figure, it's one of those tops you can wear anywhere with the right accessories and you will look & feel amazing! I got one black & one grey. You can't see it on this photo but they have little  patches around their elbow too.



And yes, that's my "independent woman" pose. God!

The last thing, that I didn't purchase in Zara but in H&M is a lovely blanket-scarf that goes perfectly with all the above. For what it is, it was a complete bargain for only 14.99!

This photo might not be selling it as much as it should, but I don't think this blog could hold another posing selfie :) It is such a nice scarf, extra thick and long, one side is slightly darker patches and the other is more light pastel. It's the perfect colour combination for my autumn closet so I can pop it on with any arrangement! Thank youuuu H&M!!

There will definitely be a reoccurring colour theme for my autumn & winter closet which will be washed out browns, grays and monochrome, but I will make sure to always add a pop of colour to make it that bit interesting!
Hope you enjoyed this small autumn haul and that it gave you some inspiration for this season! :)

                                                                     

                                                                          Carmi

Jamie Oliver's Butternut Squash Muffins (Healthy Option)

Sometimes when I get unmotivated or a little bit moody, I like to bake something nice for my family or boyfriend. It's the process of laying out all the ingredients, (or shopping for them) and mixing it altogether, decorating the finished product... something about it is so satisfying!
So since it is nearly my faaavourite time of the year, the other day I decided to make my favorite treats of all time, Jamie Oliver's Butternut Squash Muffins in.. HALLOWEEN edition!

These cupcakes always cheer me up so much, they smell like the beginning of autumn, crisp and warm at the same time, so cinnamon-y it makes you wanna live in fallen leaves and chili weather forever! Light some candles on the side, and the cheering up is good to go!
Here are Jamie's ingredients & recipe (instead of flour and sugar, I use coconut flour or almond flour and honey! They never grow into fat muffins this way, as regular flour is easily risen but I guess that's the price you have to pay for trying to be healthy. Skimpy looking but nice muffins! And this way, there is nothing bad in there that you shouldn't eat!) slightly edited:

• 400 g butternut squash, cooked soft in the oven than mashed up!
• 200 g organic honey
• 4 large free-range egg whites
• pinch of pink Himalayan salt
• 250 g coconut or almond flour
• 2 heaped teaspoons baking powder
• 1 handful walnuts, crushed
• 1,5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 175 ml extra virgin olive oil or organic coconut oil

• For the frosted cream topping

• zest of 1 clementine
• zest of 1 lemon
• juice of ½ lemon
• 140 ml soured cream
• 2 heaped tablespoons icing sugar, sifted
• lavender flowers or rose petals, optional
• 1 vanilla pod, split length ways and seeds scraped out

The rest of the "method" is quite straight forward, mix wet ingredients then mix  dry ingredients. Mix the two together, and put into cupcake holders. Put into the preheated oven at 220 Celsius, for about 25-30 minutes (coconut and almond flour always take longer to bake!)

I have left a link to Jamie's original recipe down bellow. This is such a good option for the whole family, don't be frightened by the "vegetable ingredient"... It's so sweet!
I put mine into little Halloween cupcake holders and left them out for the whole family to enjoy :)

Jamie Oliver's Butternut Squash Muffins