Healthy Greens “I believe that the only true religion consists of having a good heart”. By Dalai Lama A friend sent me this on WhatsApp and it got me thinking. All religions basically want you to be good, forgiving, compassionate, loving, humble. If one follows some of this principals then that equates to a good heart. However, in reality we all are human beings and falter somewhere or the other. We all want to be the best or good. Achieving this goodness is difficult. It does not come to you automatically. One has to really work hard at it, be mindful and practice being good. Yes, practice. Practice not to do harmful things. Practice not to say hurtful words. Practice not to get angry. Practice…
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Continue ReadingSuper Healthy Navratri and Dussera are over, all the feasting is over..for now. After all the rich snacks and desserts, Saturday meal was a simple khichdi made using bajri (bajra, pearl millet) and moong dal. The 112th theme for FoodieMonday/Bloghop suggested by Amrita who blogs at The Food Samaritan, was #1Tsp Oil. This theme couldn’t have come at a better time. Saturday meal was definitely light on the stomach and yet full of nutrition. Thanks Amrita for encouraging us to cook with little or no oil. On my ‘to do list’ was this bajra khichdi ever since Sapana of Cooking with Sapana posted the recipe for the protein rich dishes theme. Sapana thank you so much, the khichdi turned out really delicious. …
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Continue ReadingFOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP & MEGA BLOGGING MARATHON -SEPT 2017 #80TH BLOGGING MARATHON THEME: PROTEIN RICH DISHES/DURGA PUJA DAY:21 This year Durga Pooja/Puja begins on 26th September and ends on 30th September. On these days the Goddess Durga is worshipped with much reverence. Durga Pooja is mainly celebrated in West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Meghalaya, Manipur and Jharkhand. Months of preparation culminates into these days of Pooja. Pandals are built and idols are made. During this period people also prepare art and cultural programs. Lavish poojas, scrumptious bhog are very much a part of the celebrations. Ma Durga is a Goddess that was born from the divine powers of the 3 main Gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiv. She took birth mainly to defeat the evil half man half buffalo demon…
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Continue ReadingFoodiemonday/bloghop & MEGA BLOGGING MARATHON -SEPT 2017 #80TH BLOGGING MARATHON THEME: PROTEIN RICH DISHES/LENTILS DAY:15 While writing this post, I was feeling a bit uncomfortable presenting 2 events together. And then I thought why not as my recipe takes care of both. So let me talk about both the events. The FoodieMonday/Bloghop is a close knit group of 15 who take turns to decide on a weekly theme. We prepare the dish accordingly and our posts go live every Monday. We also post it on our Facebook page tagging all the members.Simple and straight forward. The initiator of this group is Waagmi who blogs at Cooking is Funn. This week Alka who blogs at Culinary Xpress chose lentils as our #110 theme. It was apt that…
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Continue ReadingFood on Sticks is fun The 109th theme for FoodieMonday, Bloghop is On A Stick decided by the initiator of this group Waagmi who blogs at Cooking is Funn. Just a few days ago my daughter in law posted some photos of their visit to Kuala Lumpur. She showed us food stalls serving all kinds of food on sticks or skewers. While most appeared to be meat and fish based, I could make out a few sticks of veggie stuff. Serving food on sticks or skewers is fast becoming popular at Bars, Lounges, Dinner Parties, Cocktails,as Street Food as people don’t want to get their fingers dirty and food on sticks or skewers does look pretty, colorful and tempting. Just a few days ago I…
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Continue ReadingMillet is not just for birds Millet, an ancient grain is the least popular of all the other ancient grains in spite of having so many nutritional benefits. Millet is not actually a grain but its a grass seed. In ancient times millet was more widely used then rice in Asia and Africa. Slowly this ancient grain got replaced by other grains. Millet actually does not require that much water and can be grown in semi arid areas too. No wonder places like semi arid Rajasthan have bajra rotla as a part of their staple diet. Why you should include millet in your diet: Its gluten free It is alkaline Digests easily Helps lower the effects of Diabetes 2 Its rich in magnesium and potassium,…
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Continue ReadingSteamed and Healthy Last weekend was my second visit to Niagara Falls and I thought I will not be as impressed with this natural wonder as I was the first time. However, I was so wrong. It was as though I was watching the mighty falls for the first time. I guess that the feeling of awe will never cease no matter how many times I may get an opportunity to visit the Niagara Falls. Its one of my favourite places on this Earth. We took my dad who is visiting Canada for the first time, to Niagara Falls. We booked him into a falls view room and boy was it spectacular. My niece from Atlanta paid us a surprise visit(my son…
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Continue ReadingAmazing Gadgets Whenever I’m at my son’s place in Montreal, the first few days go into cleaning his place. Out of all my three kids he’s probably the one with the most gadgets. Home cleaning becomes an easier task and love that our clothes do not have that awful damp smell. The wonders of a clothes dryer. His kitchen too is equipped with some of the best and powerful appliances. Every visit and we add a new gadget. This time round I was appalled at the state of our very useful pressure cooker. The bottom no longer sits well on the hob and I just don’t want to get you into the colour of the poor pressure cooker. So I insisted that…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #101 SAAWAN/SHRAVAN VRAT SPECIALITY RECIPE: DATE COCONUT ENERGY BALLS What are Date Coconut Energy Balls? Simply put Date Coconut Energy Balls are as the name suggests energy balls. Generally energy balls are a combination of protein, good fat, carbohydrates and high in fiber snack. Usually enjoyed to curb hunger pangs in between meals, or enjoyed as a healthier dessert option as usually they may contain no refined sugar. Some may have agave, stevia, maple syrup, honey or any other natural sweeteners. The whole name of energy balls came about as they are often consumed after a workout. Date Coconut Energy Balls contain nuts, dates and desiccated coconut as the main ingredients. They are also known as Bliss Balls or Bites. Shravan –…
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100th Theme Celebration The FoodieMonday/Bloghop Group celebrates its 100th theme this week. Its been a journey where I personally have made some good blogging friends, learnt a lot about other Indian cuisines, oogled at how some of the members style and photograph their dishes, learnt how to be more aware of healthiness in a recipe, how to think out of the box and it also has made me more aware and respectful for the people and families of the armed forces of India. Not only have I learnt new recipes and new cooking techniques but the journey so far has taught me to grow stronger as a person. My journey with the group began on 14/3/2016. I was introduced to the group by a former…
