Hi, Happy June to you! Can you believe it's already mid-year? The first half of 2018 seemed to go by so quickly. At the start of the year, I made a promise to myself to love myself more, and to spend more quality time with loved ones. 

The decision to do so meant taking more breaks and time-off to rest and recuperate - that translated to less time for baking orders and updating Sumopocky. Despite so, I'm truly thankful for those who still continue to support Sumopocky, who continue to visit this page and leave your comments, and for your patience and understanding with the slower pace of orders 😊

WHY DID I DECIDE TO SLOW MY LIFE DOWN?

A hectic lifestyle "steals" our rest time, leaving no space to tune out and recharge. In the book "The Weekend Effect", it believes that this does not have to be the case, and that we can save our weekends for a more meaningful life.

For the longest time, it was true that I didn't have a weekend.

Weekdays = Office Job

Weekends (sometimes even weeknights) = Baking 

There was barely any time for rest. And whenever I rested, I felt GUILTY for not being productive. I'd feel anxious all the time, and it reached a point where I felt like I was going to have a meltdown. I HAD FORGOTTEN HOW TO RELAX #anxiety 

HOW DID YOU SLOW DOWN THE PACE OF LIFE?

My loved ones seemed to notice that I was reaching a breaking point, so they asked me to take a break. I listened, and accepted fewer orders. It was hard to get accustomed to having free time, almost unnatural. 

IS IT WORTH IT?

Half a year later, I'm now in a much better place. Less stressed, and more able to appreciate the joy of doing nothing 🍃 Now I remember to take it easy - work hard, but rest hard too. Always remember to love yourself. 

And with more time on my hands, I actually had the time to get explore and get inspired to try recipes again. Case in point, I've been wanting to re-create Marks & Spencers' Chocolate Coated Cornflakes (because they are absolutely yummy but expensive to snack on frequently).

My version is a Chocolate Coated Granola - vegan, no bake, and super easy to make! And it's a low-cost alternative to Marks & Spencers' too 😉I replaced cornflakes with granola as I personally prefer the texture (you can stick to cornflakes if you want too), and used dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate. Only 2 ingredients are needed for this recipe! If you make it, do let me know how it goes for you! 😊

Chocolate Coated Granola Recipe 
(Vegan, No-Bake, Easy!)
by Sumopocky

Ingredients
270g of Vegan Dark Chocolate Chips
300g of Granola

Directions
1. Temper the dark chocolate. Place the chocolate in a microwaveable bowl, and microwave on high in 30s intervals, stirring between each round. Continue until the chocolate is fully melted and surface looks glossy. Using a kitchen thermometer, stir the chocolate till it cools to about 95°F (35°C).
2. Pour and stir in the granola. Mix well till every part is coated.
3. Pour the chocolate granola mixture into a pan that is lined with parchment paper. Smooth and even it out, then refrigerate till the chocolate hardens.
4. Remove from the fridge, and slice the chocolate granola block into bite-size pieces.
5. Enjoy! This can be stored in the fridge for long and makes a great snack.