I feel like we’ve been living in a temporary mindset for too long, not knowing how long we are going to stay in Switzerland. After three years of living this way, I’m tired of it. We live here, right now, and it probably won’t be forever, but while we are here, I want to love everything about it. From my daily life, to our leisure time, to our home. I figured out the daily life part, starting a business that I’m passionate about and our leisure time is happily filled with travel and exploring our city. But our apartment still feels like a project that was never completed. On a mission to change that, I got Jon on board to make our apartment a home, finally. We went to work this weekend: cleaning, reorganizing, decluttering, and making room for a new houseplant. A tree to be exact.
We spent hours finding and making space for the perfect tree, but it was worth it. It was delivered on Monday and our apartment already feels more homey. The house project still has a ways to be completed, but at least it has resurfaced and is in progress, rather than collecting dust in the back of the closet.
This morning, in my homey home, I had a cozy breakfast on this rainy day, staring at my ponytail palm tree and all felt right in the world. Quinoa porridge is my go to warm breakfast because I like the texture, taste, and how it keeps me full well into lunch time.
In summary, my latest health advice is to deep clean your home, buy a tree, and make a delicious and healthy breakfast. Easy, right?


- 1.5 cups // 275g cups cooked quinoa
- 1 teaspoon ghee or coconut oil
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 5 cardamom pods
- 1 cup // 250mL almond, rice, or coconut milk
- Raspberries
- Chopped pistachios
- Spoonful of chia seeds
- Maple syrup or honey if needed
- In a small pot, melt the coconut oil or ghee with the cinnamon. Once melted, add in the quinoa, cardamom pods, and milk. Bring to a boil, and reduce to simmer. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
- Discard the cardamom pods and scoop the quinoa into your bowl. Add a bit more milk if desired, and top with raspberries, chia seeds, pistachios, and some sweetener if needed. Put half of the quinoa in the refrigerator for tomorrow.
4 Responses
Hi Caitlin, nice to meet you!
Not a fan of porridge, but I loved reading about your resolution to make everything about your life here positive!
It’s all about the attitude, right?
What tree did you plant, I mean, purchase?
Hi Tamara! Thanks for stopping by. Yes, little improvements sure do add up! We bought a ponytail palm tree at Blumenhalle in Wollishofen. It’s a beautiful store if you haven’t been.
This looks delicious thanks Caitlin! We also just bought a tree – an apple tree – and it was bought with the exact same mindset – making this our home for now. Can’t wait to whip this recipe up 🙂 Rachael
I make something very similar for my girls for breakfast but with oatmeal. I’ll have to try this with quinoa! Thanks for the tip!