Interview with Jacqueline Köster from Plantastybites

Back in my Uni days, I used to live on McDonalds Sausage and Bacon McMuffins, two-minute noodles, and chocolate. Nowadays, things are very different. I see students becoming more informed and more empowered, with choosing food that are not only good for them, but also for the environment. Such is Jacqueline Köster, the talent behind one of my favourite Instagram account, Plantastybites. She shared my passion for food photography and love for healthy plant-based foods that nourish the mind, body and soul.

In this interview, we talk about Jackie’s personal stories, and her amazing Instagram journey.

Hi Jackie, what did you have for breakfast this morning?

Cannot live without a bowl of oats in the morning, can I? So that’s what I had for breakfast: a bowl of my all-time favourite salted caramel oats!.

[Jackie’s breakfast bowl is always droolworthy by the way] ⇩⇩⇩

 

Oh my peelings! 🍊 Recipe below 👇🏼 As you might’ve seen on my stories, I got my wisdom teeth (all three that I own) removed today and I survived. He kinda did a quick job and removed them all in 15 minutes 😅 After all, im feeling alright until now, still a numb lip though. So glad I’ve had these ORANGE VANILLA OATS just yesterday and was surprised by how good they came out! Slightly sweet and fruity but welcomed warmly by the hint of vanilla – it’s been a dream all along! Recipe; 40g Oats 50ml freshly squeezed orange juice 150ml oat milk 1 tsp flax seeds 1/2 tsp vanilla powder Zest of 1/4 orange Combine all the ingredients in a medium sized pot and simmer until creamy and smooth! I topped my bowl with orange granola, sliced oranges, raisins and dark chocolate! 🍫🍊 Would love to share this bowl with my friend Jane @milkesbeforebreakfast for her #milesbeforebreakfast15k party! 🎉 Did you have your teeth removed already? I’m gladly up for any tips and tricks on how you recovered or what you ate after the removal? Please hit me up! I’ll be off to be somewhat lazy and recover for now, happy Tuesday ☺🧡 . . . . #vegan #veganism #veganfoodshare #whatveganseat #veganlifestyle #instafood #plantbased #foodporn #feedfeed #feedfeedvegan @thefeedfeed #thrivemags #govegan #veganinspo #vegansofig #letscookvegan #bestofvegan #veganbreakfast #whatveganseat #oatmeal #porridge #oats #veganbowls #orange #granola #veganrecipes #chocolate #veganchocolate #vegandeutschland

A post shared by Jacky | GER (@plantastybites) on

 

Now, tell us something about you that most people might not know?

I have a slight addiction with nail polish. I own about two racks, though I am not that creative as I used to be. I actually had an Instagram account doing nail art a while back.

If you had a superpower, what would that be, and why?

Does eating tons and tons of chocolate and not gaining weight & damaging my body count as a superpower? If it does, I’d definitely go with this one. If not, I guess I’d love to be able to fly. Seeing the world from another perspective sounds quite appealing to me.

What is your earliest childhood memory?

Oh, that is a hard one. I don’t think I can remember which memory has to be the earliest.

What was your favourite subject in School?

My favourite subject in school used to be sports or biology. I liked being active but also found the insights on how our body and our environment functions incredibly interesting.

What does a typical day in your world look like?

As a Uni student, I don’t think my day in my life is that interesting. I usually get up around 8 and stretch a little to wake up my body. After that, I’m getting started with whatever is written on my to-do list.

Mostly, it consists of going to classes, getting more work done for Uni, my job and also running the usual errands.

I tend to have breakfast around 12 and if I have enough free time that day, I try to arrange my breakfast nicely in order to take pictures for Instagram. In the afternoon, I continue with what is still left on my list & on my schedule for the day but also love to hit the gym twice a week, only going for an hour long cardio session. After dinner, I love to take some time for myself and relax, whether it is watching a movie, scrolling through Instagram or talking to friends.

 

Oh my peelings! 🍊 Recipe below 👇🏼 As you might’ve seen on my stories, I got my wisdom teeth (all three that I own) removed today and I survived. He kinda did a quick job and removed them all in 15 minutes 😅 After all, im feeling alright until now, still a numb lip though. So glad I’ve had these ORANGE VANILLA OATS just yesterday and was surprised by how good they came out! Slightly sweet and fruity but welcomed warmly by the hint of vanilla – it’s been a dream all along! Recipe; 40g Oats 50ml freshly squeezed orange juice 150ml oat milk 1 tsp flax seeds 1/2 tsp vanilla powder Zest of 1/4 orange Combine all the ingredients in a medium sized pot and simmer until creamy and smooth! I topped my bowl with orange granola, sliced oranges, raisins and dark chocolate! 🍫🍊 Would love to share this bowl with my friend Jane @milkesbeforebreakfast for her #milesbeforebreakfast15k party! 🎉 Did you have your teeth removed already? I’m gladly up for any tips and tricks on how you recovered or what you ate after the removal? Please hit me up! I’ll be off to be somewhat lazy and recover for now, happy Tuesday ☺🧡 . . . . #vegan #veganism #veganfoodshare #whatveganseat #veganlifestyle #instafood #plantbased #foodporn #feedfeed #feedfeedvegan @thefeedfeed #thrivemags #govegan #veganinspo #vegansofig #letscookvegan #bestofvegan #veganbreakfast #whatveganseat #oatmeal #porridge #oats #veganbowls #orange #granola #veganrecipes #chocolate #veganchocolate #vegandeutschland

A post shared by Jacky | GER (@plantastybites) on

Tell us about your journey with Plantastybites

My journey with Plantastybites started in early January 2017, so about a year ago and a lot has happened since then. Not only has it grown a wonderful community, but I also got to know so many lovely people and even made friends in real life. All through this platform.

The continuous support is unbelievable and I love sharing my passion with every single one who is interested to become a part. Starting Plantastybites has been one of the best decision I made in 2017 and I am so incredibly grateful for the path it is leading me. I am excited to see what this year holds for Plantastybites.

What are some of your goals and vision with Plantastybites?

That is always kind of a funny question. I mean we all have goals and would love to take this somewhere, but I also try to not set my goals too high and keep them realistic.

Surely, we need something we can strive to reach, but I also know that this year is packed with getting my degree so I might need to take a little step back.

What I would really love to do is start a blog and share my recipes on there, so it’ll be easier for people to read. Other than that, I am kind of just going with the flow, excited to see where it is going to take me!

 

Oh my peelings! 🍊 Recipe below 👇🏼 As you might’ve seen on my stories, I got my wisdom teeth (all three that I own) removed today and I survived. He kinda did a quick job and removed them all in 15 minutes 😅 After all, im feeling alright until now, still a numb lip though. So glad I’ve had these ORANGE VANILLA OATS just yesterday and was surprised by how good they came out! Slightly sweet and fruity but welcomed warmly by the hint of vanilla – it’s been a dream all along! Recipe; 40g Oats 50ml freshly squeezed orange juice 150ml oat milk 1 tsp flax seeds 1/2 tsp vanilla powder Zest of 1/4 orange Combine all the ingredients in a medium sized pot and simmer until creamy and smooth! I topped my bowl with orange granola, sliced oranges, raisins and dark chocolate! 🍫🍊 Would love to share this bowl with my friend Jane @milkesbeforebreakfast for her #milesbeforebreakfast15k party! 🎉 Did you have your teeth removed already? I’m gladly up for any tips and tricks on how you recovered or what you ate after the removal? Please hit me up! I’ll be off to be somewhat lazy and recover for now, happy Tuesday ☺🧡 . . . . #vegan #veganism #veganfoodshare #whatveganseat #veganlifestyle #instafood #plantbased #foodporn #feedfeed #feedfeedvegan @thefeedfeed #thrivemags #govegan #veganinspo #vegansofig #letscookvegan #bestofvegan #veganbreakfast #whatveganseat #oatmeal #porridge #oats #veganbowls #orange #granola #veganrecipes #chocolate #veganchocolate #vegandeutschland

A post shared by Jacky | GER (@plantastybites) on

Can I say that you’re killing it on Instagram! You’ve grown your audience rapidly in such a short time. What are your top 5 tips for people who want to reach more people on Insta and grow their audience?

To be honest, I am still learning myself every single day. But what I have found to be really important is:

  1. Be yourself. This Instagram account is your account and don’t try to be someone you’re not. People like authenticity and get to know who you really are.
  2. Find your style. And don’t just copy what everybody else is doing. Find what works best for you and what you can truly connect with.
  3. Connect. I think this is definitely one of the best ways to grow your audience, by connecting. Comment on pictures if it’s something you like, read the captions because some people pour their heart and soul into them.
  4. Community. Maybe point 3 and 4 kind of belong together, but building a community and making friends is where it’s at. Not only can you support each other but being part of the community is what makes Instagram so worth it for me! I wouldn’t have met some of the people I talk to on a daily basis if it wasn’t for the Instagram community.
  5. Be active but also take some time off. For myself, I don’t like to follow people who only post once per week or even less but that might also just be my personal opinion. So being active and connecting with people throughout the week is important. On the other hand, you don’t need to stress about posting daily. We all have to handle our everyday life and taking some time off the social media sides is important to focus on what’s most important in life. And life happens outside the virtual world.   

 

What is your favourite food to make?

That’s easy – oatmeal. I don’t know what it is that I love so much about them, but I have them for breakfast almost every single day and I don’t get tired of them.

If you could invite 3 people (historical or current) to a dinner party who would they be?

I am addicted to music so I would love to meet a few of my all-time favorites.

  • Ed Sheeran
  • Harry Styles
  • P!nk

And what would you serve? 

I think in that case I would make an exception of my go to lazy vegan dinner meals and think of a nice three course vegan meal, serving up ‘cheesy’ vegetable sticks as a starter, a Buddha bowl buffet with tahini dressing and some chocolate covered cinnamon buns for dessert.

Where is your favourite place to travel, and why?

I haven’t travelled a lot in my life and have never been out of Europe. So, I wish I had something more exciting to say than London or Berlin, but somehow, these cities have stolen my heart. It’s that feeling that you can be whoever you want to be, do whatever you want to do and find yourself amongst creative people that make the vibes in these two cities so incredibly captivating.

You are going to be stranded on an island and could only bring three things with you, what would they be?

A knife. A hat. My Yoga mat.

What is your guilty pleasure?

Dates with any kind of nut butter. But also, banana and nut butters are too good to be true. And dates or banana with chocolate and nut butter? The ultimate experience!

What’s the best thing about being you right now?

The best thing about being myself right now is being myself. I think it is so important to find out who you are so you can shine from within and enjoy life to the fullest. I don’t think there is anything rarer, or more beautiful, than you being unapologetically yourself, comfortable in all your perfect imperfections.

What are your plans for the rest of the year?

Getting my degree and finding out what I am going to do afterward. It is not going to be an easy year and I am sure it will come with its up and downs, but I am ready to see what will happen and to end it on a positive note, I believe I can do anything, as long as I set my mind to it, so fingers crossed for 2018 to be a good one!

Millenials – the new generation of dreamers, disruptors, authentic and brave souls who are going to change the world. Case in point, Jackie!

If you’d like to stay up-to-date with Jackie and get inspired to make delicious vegan food,  follow her along at www.instagram.com/plantastybites

Yours,

Keren

Cashew and Almond Energy Bars

GoodnessMe Box Review + Cashew and Almond Energy Bars

Hi everyone,

Hope you are well. I honestly can’t believe that March is here. I’ve taken some time off from social media as some of you may have noticed and it felt really good. Sometimes you have to stop, re-focus, re-centre, and remember why you do what you do.

Anyhow, a week ago I did an unboxing video of the February edition of GoodnessMe Box, perhaps one of my favourite boxes of all time. It was loaded with a lot of pink deliciousness and boy do I love pink.

I also made Cashew and Almond Energy Bars inspired by Lorna Jane’s Energy Bars recipe that came with the box. They were delish! Mildly sweet, nutty, and oh so satisfying.

Cashew and Almond Energy Bars

These bars are so easy to make and perfect for an afternoon pick me up or as emergency snacks. I’ve been making them in double batches to freeze. So so good! Check out the video and the recipe below and I do hope you will give them a try.

 Cashew and Almond Energy Bars

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywtVLjJ5YIU&width=1500&height=844&modestbranding=1[/embedyt]

Cashew and Almond Energy Bars

A delicious wholefood snack for whenever you need a boost of energy

  • 1 cup raw cashew
  • 1 cup raw almond
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 3 tbsp peanut butter (I used picks)
  • 2/3 cup soaked dried dates (or 10 medjool dates)
  • 1 tbsp sunflower seeds
  • 4-8 tbsp boiling water
  1. Blend all ingredients, except the boiling water in a food processor until crumbed.
  2. Slowly add boiling water until the mixture forms a ball.
  3. Firmly press the mixture into a mold (I use heart-shaped mold) or into a lined slice tin.
  4. Allow to set in the fridge for about 1 hour before eating.
  5. Store in a sealed container in the fridge for about a week or in the freezer for 4 weeks.

Cashew and Almond Energy Bars