Healthy Snacking Kit to Stay Fit

As is generally said, “have breakfast like a king, lunch like a common man, and dinner like a pauper”. We understand the importance of having a heavy breakfast, medium lunch and light dinner. And then when we crave for something to munch between meals, very often we grab food which may be high in fat, cholesterol and carbohydrates, as such snacks are easily available over the counters. While it is essential to snack 3 to 4 times a day, albeit in small quantities, one must try to eat snacks as healthy as possible to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and also if one is trying to manage weight.

Try these quick snacking ideas and satiate your mid-meal hunger without any guilt.

10 Healthy Snacking Tips:

1.       Sweet corn/ Popcorn - Boil sweet corn pellets for 3-4 minutes, drain off the water and prepare your own spicy sweet corn snack. You can use butter-salt-pepper, lime juice-salt-chaat masala or any other creative spice combination you feel like…the result is always a healthy bowl of sweet corn.

Popcorn is a guiltless snack, which is tasty as well as filling, needless to say healthy as well. Popcorn packets available in stores or instant popcorn prepared in the microwave/pressure cooker are all good to satiate your mid-meal craving.

2.       Fruits/ Fruit Yoghurt – Whole fruits or fruit salads give instant energy, lots of fibre and loads of vitamins and minerals to keep you active and alert through the day. A gap of at least 1 hour must be given when having 2 servings of fruit snacks consecutively.

For fruit yoghurt, use hung curd (made by wrapping curd in a muslin cloth and keeping it hung for some time, by which the water from the curd drains off and the curd comes off the cloth as a thick lump), mix it with cut fruits of the season to make a healthy snack. You can add some spice to it by adding chaat masala, with salt/sugar to taste.

3.       Sprouts – Whole green lentils (moong dal) sprouts can be made by soaking the whole dal/lentils overnight, draining the water and leaving the wet lentils covered for half a day. You can make a healthy sprout salad by tossing in chopped onion, tomatoes, cucumber, coriander (dhania) leaves, boiled sweet corns and pomegranate seeds (optional) to add yellow and bright red colours. For the dressing, you can use either olive oil base or lime juice base, with salt, pepper, chopped green chillies and chaat masala.

4.       Nuts – Almond, pistachios, walnut, peanuts/groundnuts in small portions (2-3 of each when eating a mix of nuts, or 8-10 if you are eating just 1 type of nut)

5.       Brown/whole wheat bread sandwich – with fillings like paneer/cottage cheese, vegetables (tomato, cucumber, spinach, lettuce, bell peppers/capsicum, grated cabbage), boiled spinach and corn pellets, or a simple scrambled egg (with hung curd instead of mayonnaise if you like).  

6.       Vegetable tikkis/cutlets – Boil vegetables (diced carrots, green pea pellets, sweet corn pellets, diced potatoes) with a pinch of salt. When boiled, mash them completely and mix chopped green chillies and salt to taste. Divide the boiled vegetable mix into small round balls, and flatten them by pressing each ball between your palms. Shallow fry in a flat bottomed pan with a little oil. Turn the sides and cook well. Serve with onion slices and chopped coriander leaves…yummy and healthy snacks ready in no time!

7.       Milk shake – Make healthy and delicious milk shakes, and satisfy your mid-meal hunger. In a blender, mix milk, fruit slices (banana, strawberry, mango, kiwi, melon, papaya, pomegranate – but use only 1 fruit type for the shake, do not mix different fruits), sugar and blend for 2 minutes. Your lip-smacking milk shake is ready…enjoy J

8.      Multi grain biscuits/crackers - with a dash of honey (or a small spoonful of chocolate syrup)….quick, healthy and filling!

9.       Puffed rice (Bhel) – Make fat-free snack with puffed rice (bhel), roasted (or lightly fried) peanuts, chopped onion-green chillies-coriander leaves and a few drops of Indian pickle gravy (optional). Yummy magic in a jiffy!

10.   Dried Green Peas Chaat – Soak dried greenpeas (readily available in stores in the dal/lentils section) overnight. Boil the soaked peas (which would now look swollen) with a pinch of salt. Drain off excess water and let it cool. In a pan, crackle a pinch of cumin seeds (jeera) and grated ginger in a dash of oil. Add in the boiled peas and salt (to taste). The chaat base is ready. Serve in plates with chopped onion, tomatoes, coriander leaves, curd/yoghurt, a tsp of sweet/tamarind chutney (optional) and sprinkle some sev/bhujiya (optional) on top. Try it and you will know how tasty yet healthy it is!

Aloe Vera - A Potion for Healthy Skin

I was never really convinced about following a skin care regimen during my early age, and so I never had any at all when I was growing up! But with age (and thanks to the skin-care-products advertisements on TV), I started growing conscious of my skin. Were those really wrinkles on my forehead or laugh lines around my lips? Have my under eyes started sagging? Not sure if at 30 something such phenomenon sets in, but every other line on my face made me feel nervous….was I neglecting my skin, making it age before its time?

Lots of permutations and combinations of skin care routines later, I seriously decided to give Aloe Vera a chance. Given that most skin and hair care products boast of Aloe Vera as one of the key ingredients, why not give this little cactus a try? It is natural, cheap (plant it in a small pot on your window/balcony), easy to use and apparently gives skin the much needed moisture, resulting in enhanced elasticity. It is also known to contain vitamin E essential for our skin, and can reduce wrinkles and fine lines when used regularly.

Ways of using Aloe Vera:

Apply Directly – Split a leaf and a thick jelly-like juice oozes out. Take it in your fingers and apply on your face, neck, arms, legs, scalp (but do check with your doctor in case you are allergic). Leave it on for 10-15 minutes and then wash off with water till all the stickiness leaves your skin. Do not go out in the sun while you have the juice applied or immediately afterwards.

Juice Drink

-          Alternative 1 (in pure form): Cut the Aloe Vera leaves into 1 inch pieces and put them to boil with enough water in a pot. Once it has boiled, remove the leaves and allow the liquid to cool. This liquid contains the juice from the aloe vera leaves. You can directly drink this juice once it has cooled, or add a few drops of orange/lime juice, a pinch of salt and sugar (according to taste) to the juice for a tangy taste.

-          Alternative 2 (juice mocktail): Take the juice of 1 lime (or 1 orange), scoop out the jelly from 2 large Aloe Vera leaves and mix them in a blender with 1 tbsp of sugar and 1 glass of water. Serve this mocktail in a tall glass with ice cubes and your healthy Aloe Vera mocktail is ready!

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Face Pack – You can make face pack with Aloe Vera at home, keep in the fridge and use everyday. Scoop out the jelly from the Aloe Vera leaves and mix with turmeric and honey. If the paste becomes too thick, add a few drops of rose water. Make a smooth paste and keep in an air-tight container. Daily use of this pack will give the skin a natural glow!

Fresh Aloe Vera juice/jelly mixed with a few drops of fresh lemon juice can also help remove the effects of sunburn/tanning.

While you could also buy creams, lotions and various other skin care products which contain Aloe Vera, having an Aloe Vera plant in your garden/balcony is certainly a much healthier and cost-effective way to a healthy, glowing skin J

Wholesome Meal with Broken Wheat (Dalia)

I love walking through the aisles of supermarkets, every time noticing something new – sometimes I just read the nutrition facts on the reverse of the packets, or the ingredients on ready-to-eat food packets (which I try to incorporate in my own recipes), and sometimes even venture to try out one of these new food items. Broken wheat (or Dalia in Hindi) was one such item I had noticed on the racks of the supermarket I visit, having high nutritional value, but was not very sure how to cook it.

I tried Dalia khichdi, and it turned out really tasty, very much like the rice khichdi we usually prepare in India using small-grained rice, but minus the starch and with lot more nutrition.

Broken wheat/dalia has the look of brown rice (maybe a shade lighter), the whole raw wheat kernels coarsely ground but retaining the outer skin (bran). It is understood to be rich in iron, protein and fibre.

Here are 2 delicious recipes using broken wheat (Dalia) which I find very easy to cook and are wholesome too!

Dalia (Broken Wheat) Khichdi

Ingredients: Dalia (broken wheat) ½ cup, moong (yellow) dal ½ cup, vegetables of your choice (carrots, green peas, tomatoes, cauliflower, beans), 1 onion, green chillies, whole cumin seeds (jeera) ½ tsp, garam masala whole (1-2 pieces each of whole cardamom, cinnamon and cloves), ginger paste ½ tsp, spice powders (turmeric, red chili, cumin, coriander – ½ tsp each), salt, sugar (optional), oil, water, ghee/butter (optional).

Method: Wash the wheat and dal and keep aside. Heat the oil in a kadhai/pan and sprinkle in the cumin seeds and whole garam masala. Once they crackle, add the onions and green chili and sauté for 2-3 mins. Then add all the vegetable pieces and cook for some more time. While they are cooking, add in the ginger paste, masala powders and salt (and sugar if you choose). When the vegetables are cooked, add the washed wheat (daliya) and moong dal and cook for 1-2 mins. Then add 3 cups of water (use this measure if you are using ½ cup wheat + ½ cup dal) and cover the pan. First keep the pan on high heat, then after 1 min, put it on simmer and allow it to cook for 5-6 mins. After some time, check if the wheat and dal have softened (which means they are cooked) and take the pan off the heat. You can now add 1 tsp of ghee/butter (optional). Daliya khichdi is ready to serve!!

Dalia (Broken Wheat) Payasam/Kheer

Ingredients: Dalia (broken wheat) ½ cup, milk 1 litre, sugar 4 tbsp (or according to taste), cardamom 3-4 (crushed), chopped nuts (cashew/pistachio/almond as per choice), raisins

Method: Wash the Dalia and keep it soaked in water. Boil the milk and then let it simmer till it reduces to half its original volume. Keep stirring while the milk simmers. Once the milk has reduced, filter out the dalia from water and add to the milk, then continue to simmer the mixture. After 2-3 mins, add in the raisins, chopped nuts and cardamom also. Keep stirring while checking if the dalia has softened. Once the Dalia is completely cooked (it will get easily crushed when u press it between your fingers), remove the pan from heat and add the sugar. Stir the mixture to blend in the sugar. Your Dalia kheer/payasam is ready. After cooling, you can chill it in the fridge as chilled kheer/payasam tastes even more delicious J 

Beat The Heat - Naturally!

Summer was never as scorching as it is this year! Temperatures have been soaring across the globe, making summers hotter and longer every year. And this takes its toll on our bodies, our skin, our health if we do not take proper care and caution. We all know about various simple ways to beat the heat, which do not consume a lot of time or effort, but require consciousness and consistency. Following the below tips certainly go a long way in protecting ourselves from the scorching effects of the sun, like skin darkening, dehydration, sunstroke or digestion problems.

·         While going out in the sun, remember to apply sunscreen/sunblock, carry an umbrella and wear cooling shades

·         Drink lots of water, more than you normally drink (ideally 2-3 litres) to keep your body hydrated

·         While travelling, carry a bottle of plain water or water with a pinch of salt and sugar, to avoid guzzling on colas to quench your thirst on the road

·         Sip a glass of cane juice or tender coconut water instead of going for a cup of tea or coffee

·         Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, specially the ones with higher water content, like watermelon, orange, sweet lime, grapes

·         Avoid too much spicy or fast food, as they are harder to digest this season

·         Instead of having ‘fruit drinks’ which are packed with preservatives and sometimes less than 20% fruit content, drink fresh fruit juices

·         Include yoghurt in your diet in the summer – add it in your salad, have it with parathas, use it with fruits for shakes, make yoghurt drinks or just have it plain.

To make summer a bit more exciting, I try to add some zing to the drinks I make from natural ingredients at home, as our bodies need a lot more fluid in summers than the rest of the year. You could try some of them, and add your magic touch of innovation as well J

Watermelon-Orange Punch

Ingredients: ½ Watermelon peeld and cut in pieces (seeds removed), 1 orange peeled, a small slice of giner, salt and sugar to taste

Method: In a blender/mixer, add the above ingredients and mix well. You may slowly add the salt and sugar to get your desired taste. Add a few ice cubes if you want it chilled and run the mixer again. Your watermelon-orange punch is ready in less than 5 minutes.

Tangy Carrot Drink

Ingredients: 2-3 Carrots peeled and cut into small pieces, juice of 1 lemon (or lime), a small slice of ginger, 1/3 tsp ground pepper, salt and sugar to taste, ice cubes (optional)

Method: Mix all the above ingredients in a blender/mixer, while adding the salt/sugar/pepper slowly to get your desired sweetness/saltiness. Add ice cubes and run at the end if you want a cold juice. Serve fresh.

Chilled Mango and Yoghurt Delight

Ingredients: 1 mango peeled and cut in pieces (you could use mango pulp available in tins as an alternative), 1 cup plain yoghurt, a pinch of salt, sugar to taste, a pinch of ground pepper or chaat masala (you could use roasted and ground jeera/cumin as an alternative), ice cubes (optional).

Method: Blend all the above ingredients in a mixer till all the mango pieces have been crushed and mixed uniformly. You could try adding a small slice of ginger as a variation. You could serve this immediately, or chill in the fridge for a while before serving.

The Shining Skull

At 72, my Dad is as fit as a fiddle. Not that he was always health conscious. He used to be quite plump in his mid-forties, and I still remember the love handles of his waist, which is characteristic of middle aged people with a sedentary lifestyle and high adrenaline corporate careers.

One fine day, he decided that enough was enough and devised a strategy to get rid of the excess fat, and assiduously stuck to it till he was able to reach his target BMI (Body-Mass Index). He used a multi-pronged approach which included a change in dietary habit, water therapy and a regular physical exercise in conjunction with yogic practices. One of the yogic practices, which later received widespread acclaim through the teachings of Baba Ramdev, is a breathing exercise known as ‘Kapalbhati’.

Found in several sacred Hindu scriptures, such as Gheranda Samhita and Hathayoga Pradipika, Kapalbhati can be translated as ‘frontal brain bellowing’ or as ‘shining skull’. The benefits of Kapalbhati are numerous – it helps to improve the digestive functions, makes the mind more tranquil by removing drowsiness and blocking disturbing thoughts. It helps clean out the lungs and makes oxygenation more efficient. It also strengthens the respiratory muscles.

The technique of Kapalbhati is as follows:

Sit in a comfortable position with the back upright. Close your eyes and relax the body. Inhale by slowly allowing the abdominal muscles to expand and then exhale with forceful contraction of the muscles. This is one cycle. Repeat the inhalation/exhalation cycles at least 25 times initially. This will make one round. Try at least 10 rounds in the beginning and go on increasing the rounds every day, but not beyond your comfort level.

This exercise should preferably be done in an empty stomach, either in the morning or in the evening. People with heart ailment or respiratory problems should seek professional advice.

The practice explained above is for beginners. Advanced practices require following awareness on certain points and breath retention along with Kapalbhati. Inhalation can also be done forcefully, but then that is another practice called ‘Bhastrika Pranayam’. Normal breathing involves active contraction of the respiratory muscles while expiration occurs passively. Kapalbhati inverts this process which is the source of brain stimulation by reversing the flow of nerve impulses.

It might come as a surprise to the iPhone generation that such a simple and inexpensive practice can be so effective in reducing excess weight. I too was a sceptic till I saw this old technique make a new man out of my Dad. And the best part is that he has not regained the weight which he lost in a matter of a few months only. As they say, “Old is gold”, you can try this old practice and see for yourself the visible benefits in a few weeks’ time. So go for this practice, in all earnestness, and reap high dividends with very little investment.

Say Cheese

Everybody loves cheese! And besides its yummy taste, there is another reason to love it – cheese is packed with the goodness of calcium, essential  for strong bones and teeth. Strong bones are less fragile, hence less susceptible to breakage, aches and pains.

Paneer or the Indian cottage cheese, is a well-known food item not just in India, but the world loves it! While paneer is readily available in the markets in packaged form, I prefer to make it at home whenever I want to make a paneer dish. Home-made paneer is fresh and healthy, as it has no trace of preservatives. Also, it takes barely 10 minutes to make (after which it needs to cool and set), and is loaded with calcium and proteins. This cheese is light on the stomach as well, helping it to get digested easily. So the next time you plan to cook paneer, try to make it yourself at home, by following my quick recipe J

Make Paneer (Cottage Cheese) At Home

Ingredients: ½ litre milk (with cream), 100 ml curd (or juice of 2 lemon)

Method: Bring the milk to boil, and when it starts boiling, lower the heat. Start adding in the curd (or lemon juice) while stirring the milk. The milk will start curdling while you continue to add the curd (or lemon juice). Keep stirring till all the water separates and lumps of paneer (cottage cheese) float on the water. Take the vessel off the heat and drain out the water. Allow the paneer to cool. The paneer will still have a lot of water. So wrap the entire lump in a soft cotton cloth, make a small bundle and sqeeze off as much water as you can. Then place this bundle on a clean, flat surface and put a heavy material (a heavy vessel or jar or grinding stone) on top of it to drain off any remaining moisture. After 15-20 minutes, open the cloth and you will find a slab of fine white cheese. This cheese/paneer is fresh, has no preservatives, and so easy to prepare! You can store this in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Paneer Pakoda (Cheese Fritters)

Ingredients: 100 gms paneer (cottage cheese), 1 cup besan (gram flour), oil (for frying), 1 tsp lime juice (optional), chopped green chillies and salt (to taste)

Method: Cut the paneer/cheese into thin, flat strips so that they cook easily. Add a pinch of salt and lime juice, mix well and keep aside. For the batter, add water to the besan (gram flour) and mix till it forms a batter of thick consistency. Add in the chopped green chillies and salt. Mix well.

Heat oil in a pan. Then dip each paneer/cheese strip into the batter, coat both sides well and lower in the oil. Fry for 2 minutes, then turn the side and fry for 1 more minute. Remove from oil and the pakodas/fritters are ready to be served with chutney or ketchup as a delicious snack.

Stuffed Paneer Paratha (Indian Bread with Cheese Stuffing)

Ingredients: 100 gms paneer (cottage cheese), ½ onion finely chopped, a small piece of ginger finely grated, roasted cumin seeds (jeera), ½ tsp coriander powder (dhaniya), chopped green chillies and salt to taste, chopped coriander leaves, flour, oil

Method: For the paratha (bread) stuffing,  crumble the paneer and add onions, grated ginger, chillies, coriander powder, cumin seeds, coriander leaves and salt. Mix well and keep aside. For the paratha, mix flour and water and make a soft dough. Now make small balls from the dough and roll out with a rolling pin, then add about 1 tbsp of the paneer filling, fold in the paratha from all the sides, and roll out again. Heat a flat pan/tawa and cook the paratha on it for a few minutes. Then turn the side and cook again. Now add 1 tsp of oil to each side and cook the paratha for 2 more minutes, turning sides. Remove from heat and serve your ‘cheesy’ lip-smacking parathas with raita or chutney.

Paneer Kheer (Cheese Balls in Sweetened Milk)

Ingredients: 200 gms Paneer (cottage cheese), 1 litre milk (with cream), 3 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp ground cardamom, finely chopped nuts (cashew, almonds, pistachio), raisins

Method: Knead the paneer thoroughly so that a smooth dough can be formed. Now make small balls from the dough (the balls should not crumble) and keep aside. Boil the milk in a saucepan till it reduces to half its original volume. In this condensed milk, place the paneer balls carefully and let it simmer. After a few minutes, add the sugar, cardamom powder, nuts and raisins and mix. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove from heat and cool. Serve this paneer kheer chilled, garnished with a few raisins and nuts.

Just Beet It!

When I was much younger, I remember having been diagnosed with iron deficiency, causing haemoglobin in my blood to dip below normal levels. I was advised to consciously add iron-rich food in my diet to bridge this gap, apart from the iron supplement tonics and capsules. Being a non-vegetarian, iron from meat and fish was automatically a part of at least 1 meal of my day. So for the additional needs, my mother chose vegetables like beetroot, spinach and raw bananas. And believe me, I liked none of those!

Now, even after so many years, I strive to maintain an iron-rich diet with the same vegetables (which I still dislike!), but give my own twist to the dishes make them appeal to my palate J Beetroot is one vegetable which I cook very often. Some of my recipes are shared below.

Beetroot and Orange juice

Ingredients: 1 beetroot, 1 orange (or ½ cup orange juice), 1 tsp sugar/honey, 1 small slice ginger , ice cubes (optional)

Method: Wash and peel the beetroot and orange. Cut the beetroot into small cubes. Put all the ingredients in a juicer/mixer and blend for a few minutes. Add ice cubes (if you want chilled) and blend once more. Beetroot and orange mocktail is ready!

Grilled Beetroot Sandwich

Ingredients: 1 beetroot, 1 potato, ½ onion finely chopped, ½ tsp ginger paste, ½ tsp garlic paste, green chillies chopped (to taste), salt, oil, bread

Method: Cut beetroot and potato into cubes and boil. Mash the boiled beetroot and potato separately. Mashed beetroot releases a lot of water, so press and strain away the excess water. Now mix the beetroot mash, potato mash, chillies and salt. Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions till golden. Then add the ginger and garlic paste and fry for a minute. Now add the mash mix in the pan and cook for 2 minutes till the flavours are blended. Fill this mix between 2 slices of bread and grill in a sandwich maker.

Stuffed Beetroot Paratha (Indian Bread)

Ingredients: 1 beetroot, 1 potato, ½ onion finely chopped, ½ tsp ginger paste, ½ tsp garlic paste, green chillies chopped (to taste), salt, oil, flour

Method: Cut beetroot and potato into cubes and boil. Mash the boiled beetroot and potato separately. Mashed beetroot releases a lot of water, so press and strain away the excess water. Now mix the beetroot mash, potato mash, chillies and salt. Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions till golden. Then add the ginger and garlic paste and fry for a minute. Now add the mash mix in the pan and cook for 2 minutes till the flavours are blended. The paratha filling is ready.

Make a dough by mixing water in the flour, take a small ball from the dough and roll out, add a spoonful of the filling in the centre and fold in from all the sides. Roll out again into a round paratha. Cook one side on a flat pan, then turn the side and cook for some more time. Add oil to both the sides and cook for another minute. Serve hot with raita or curry.

Oats for Heart's Sake

Breakfast was never an elaborate affair in our home – lunch was the main meal of the day, followed by dinner. So it was literally ‘breaking your fast’ (since the previous night!) with some fuel to start running your body’s engine. It used to be, more often than not, some variation of bread – sandwich, toast, Indian bread (roti/paratha/poori) with some curry – nothing much to celebrate about.

Once I started living by myself, I continued this tradition my mother followed, with an occasional twist of instant noodles for a change J Bread was quick, convenient and filling, so I had no complaints. But then started my discovery phase – getting to know the various nutrition contents of the food I was consuming (and the ones I wasn’t!). And bread was one of my first revelations – it has over 70% carbohydrates (causing blood sugar levels to rise), is low in dietary fibre and can raise bad cholesterol (or LDL) causing heart problems!

And that is how Quaker Oats happened to me, and has stayed with me since. I learnt about the numerous benefits of this grain – it is high in fibre , helps in lowering blood cholesterol, and keeps your heart healthy. Now it is a part of my everyday diet.While Quaker oats is widely loved in its regular porridge form (by boiling the oats with milk, dry fruits and sugar), I give my own edge to this humble porridge…here’s how:

• Instead of using sugar while cooking, I drizzle in honey, date syrup or even chocolate syrup after the porridge is off the stove.
• Even though dry fruits are a staple (almonds, raisins, dates, cashews), I serve the porridge with fresh fruits (apple, banana, strawberry, kiwi fruit, mango, grapes, pomegranate seeds) depending on their availability.

I have also tried to recreate some regular breakfast recipes by adding a handful of Quaker oats in them, like the omelettes and pancakes. This breaks the monotony of porridge, yet I get the benefits of having oats in my breakfast to boost me for the day!

Oats Omelette

Ingredients: 2 eggs, ½ cup Quaker Oats, ½ tsp salt, a pinch of ground black pepper, chopped green chillies (to taste), chopped onion, small slice of ginger finely grated, chopped coriander leaves (optional), butter/oil

Method: Mix the eggs and oats, and whisk it for a few minutes. This softens the oats and allows air bubbles into the mix which makes the omelette fluffy. Then add the remaining ingredients and whisk again. Heat a pan and add butter/oil. Once heated, pour in the omelette batter and spread evenly in the pan. Allow it to cook for a couple of minutes, then turn the side and cook for another minute. Serve hot and enjoy the delicious, fluffy and nutritious oats omelette!

 

Oats and Banana Pancake

Ingredients: 2 eggs or 4 egg whites (using egg whites is a healthier option), 1/3 cup Quaker oats, 1/3 cup milk, ½ ripe banana (mashed), a pinch of cinnamon, honey, butter/oil.

Method: Soak the oats in the milk for 15-20 minutes to soften them. Then mix all the ingredients (including the oats and milk) and beat well. If the mixture becomes too runny (we need a slightly thick batter for the pancakes), add a teaspoon of all purpose flour (maida) to thicken it. Heat a pan and grease it with butter/oil. Pour in some of the batter to form a small round pancake. Cook it for a few minutes, then turn the side and cook for sometime. Serve with a drizzle of honey (though maple syrup is traditional, honey tastes just as good) and a pinch of cinnamon. Fresh fruits go well with pancakes, like banana, apple, strawberry (cut into 2 and dipped in powdered sugar for 5-10 minutes) or any seasonal fruit of your choice.

(I have also tried vanilla essence instead of cinnamon in the pancake batter, and I loved the refreshing aroma!).

Though breakfast still remains a hurried meal for me, I know I am eating good – one that will keep my heart healthy and give me a feeling of goodness to drive me through the day J

I'm Feeling Nutty

Me and my 2 siblings have been eternally fond of anything sweet, and so it was no surprise what  Dad would get for us when he returned from any of his official trips to different cities in India – sweets of course! It was on one of these trips that Dad decided to bring home 2 large bags of salted and roasted nuts instead – cashews and pistachios! He had tasted them himself and had also learned about their immense nutrition and health benefits, so the divine nuts had found their way to our home, and since then, to our hearts.

I remember my elder sister sharing the cashews and pistachios  - equal number of each for the 3 of us – after we returned from school and had finished our lunch. It became a daily habit, and later on, a few more nuts were added to this routine – there were almonds, walnuts and the quintessential peanuts. While my siblings are not so regular with nuts now, my romance with nuts continues….

While nuts are good for health – heart, skin, hair, they are extremely simple to add in our diet as they do not require cooking. They are not perishable and easy to carry as well. Here is how I like my nuts, though I eat them in moderation (given their high amount of fat and calories):

·         A handful of roasted and salted nuts is a tasty teatime snack (between lunch and dinner). I carry to office a mixture of nuts (peanuts, cashew, pistachio, walnut, almond) in an airtight container so that the nuts retain their crunch, and munch a handful with my afternoon tea.

·         I add a few nuts to my bowl of cereals which I have for breakfast

·         Sometimes I sprinkle a few nuts to my green salad to add that crunch

·         My desserts (kheer, halwa and icecreams) always go with a garnish of chopped roasted nuts, for colour, taste as well as nutrition

·         Nuts find their way into my baked food – cookies and cakes alike

I also like my banana split with nuts and choco-nut bar, the recipes of which I am sharing below.

·         Banana Split with Nuts and Honey

Ingredients – 1 ripe banana, 1 tsp butter, 2 tsp honey, a handful of finely chopped roasted nuts (almonds, cashew, pistachios) and raisins

Method – Heat butter in a pan. Peel the banana and split it lengthwise into 2, and cook it in the butter till the banana turns golden brown. Put the cooked banana on a plate and drizzle with honey. Add the chopped nuts and raisins and your treat is ready!

You can add a pinch of ground cinnamon powder to the banana split, or add a dollop of whipped cream/scoop of icecream as a variation. However, the cream/icecream adds calories to the banana split which is otherwise a healthy snack

·         Chocolate  & Nut Bar

Ingredients – 1 bar of chocolate (milk or dark), 2 tsp butter, a handful of whole roasted nuts (almonds, peanuts, cashew, walnuts)

Method – Melt the chocolate bar in a pan with the butter. Once it starts thickening, add the roasted nuts and mix well. Remove from heat and let it cool off completely. Line a baking dish with an aluminium foil and pour the cool mixture into the foil. Keep in the fridge for 4-5 hours. Once the bar is set, take it out of the fridge, place it on a plate (the bar comes off the foil easily) and cut into small pieces. Store these choco-nut bars in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy whenever you feel like a crunchy munchy bite!

Health In A Teacup

In today’s fast life, we look for fast results. Gone are the days when a headache, fever or common cold would be left to heal naturally by taking its own course, or by the humble home remedies made out of herbs and oils. Today we bid goodbye to all such problems in a moment by popping a pill! But have you ever wondered about  the impact of taking so much medicine on our bodies and immune systems? Pills give us instant relief alright, but may have their side-effects and perils as well.

In our home, some of those time-tested home remedies for some common ailments are still used, passed on to my parents by their parents and grandparents. These are not necessarily medicines, but give relief to the body, calm the mind. One such ‘health drink’ is your modest cup of tea – combined with various herbs and spices to rejuvenate the body, remove stress, aches and pains. I am sharing some of the tea recipes below (you may consult your physician before consuming):

Ginger Tea – Known to heal  sore throat, muscle aches and pains, upset stomach, common cold and respiratory problems

Brew tea leaves in boiling water in a saucepan. Peel a small piece of ginger and crush/grate it (in a hand grater). Add the ginger to the boiling tea water. Cover it and simmer for a few minutes. Strain the tea. Add sugar and milk (or honey and lemon as a healthier option) to taste. Drink piping hot!

(If you are using tea bags instead of tea leaves, use only boiling water at the beginning and keep your tea bag in the cup into which you can pour the brew.)

Cardamom Tea – Known to heal indigestion, nausea, vomiting

Brew tea leaves in boiling water in a saucepan. Crush 2-3 pods of cardamom (or use 1/2 tsp ground cardamom) for 1 cup of tea. Add the cardamom to the boiling tea water. Cover it and simmer for a few minutes. Strain the tea. Add sugar and milk to taste. Drink hot and enjoy the fine aroma!

(If you are using tea bags instead of tea leaves, use only boiling water at the beginning and keep your tea bag in the cup into which you can pour the brew.)

Black Pepper Tea – Known to heal cough and sore throat

Brew tea leaves in boiling water in a saucepan. Crush 4-5 black pepper seeds (or use 1/2 tsp ground black pepper) for 1 cup of tea. Add the pepper powder to the boiling tea water. Cover it and simmer for a few minutes. Strain the tea. Add sugar and milk (or honey and lemon as a healthier option) to taste. Enjoy hot and soothe yourself!

(If you are using tea bags instead of tea leaves, use only boiling water at the beginning and keep your tea bag in the cup into which you can pour the brew.)

Bay Leaf Tea – Known to heal pains and digestive disorders

Boil 1 and ½ cups of water in a saucepan. Add 4-5 bay leaves to the boiling water and let it simmer for a few minutes. A golden yellow tea is ready (the water would have reduced to about 1 cup by now). Pour this in a cup, add sugar or honey, and sip your relaxing bay leaf tea!

Cinnamon Tea – Known to heal cold and upset stomach

Brew tea leaves in boiling water in a saucepan. Drop 1 stick (or 3-4 small pieces if you do not have a single large stick) into the boiling water. Cover it and simmer for a few minutes. Strain the tea. Add sugar and milk to taste. Drink hot!

(If you are using tea bags instead of tea leaves, use only boiling water at the beginning and keep your tea bag in the cup into which you can pour the brew.)

Lemon Tea – Known to heal cold and flu, helps in reducing acne and skin problems

Brew tea leaves in boiling water in a saucepan. Take the juice of ½ a lemon and pour in a cup. Strain the tea and pour it over the lemon juice. Add sugar (or honey as a healthier option), stir till everything mixes completely and enjoy your warm cup of  tea!

(If you are using tea bags instead of tea leaves, use only boiling water at the beginning and keep your tea bag in the cup into which you can pour the brew.)

Mint Tea  – Known to heal nausea, headaches, stress

Brew tea leaves in boiling water in a saucepan. Add about 1 tsp of crushed mint leaves (for 1 cup tea) to the boiling tea water. Cover it and simmer for a few minutes. Strain the tea. Add sugar and milk (or honey and lemon as a healthier option) to taste. Enjoy hot!

(If you are using tea bags instead of tea leaves, use only boiling water at the beginning and keep your tea bag in the cup into which you can pour the brew.)

Fennel  Tea – Known to heal bad breath, cold, gas and bloated stomach (not for pregnant women)

Brew tea leaves in boiling water in a saucepan. Add about 1 tsp of crushed fennel seeds (for 1 cup tea) to the boiling tea water. Cover it and simmer for a few minutes. Strain the tea. Add sugar and milk (or honey and lemon as a healthier option) to taste. Drink piping hot!

(If you are using tea bags instead of tea leaves, use only boiling water at the beginning and keep your tea bag in the cup into which you can pour the brew.)

Orange  Tea (Iced) – Rich in antioxidants and vitamin C, known to aid in cholesterol reduction and improving metabolism

Brew tea leaves in boiling water in a saucepan. Take the juice of ½ an orange (or 2-3 tsps of packed orange juice)  and pour in a cup. Strain the tea and pour it over the orange juice. Add sugar (or honey as a healthier option), stir till everything mixes completely and keep in the fridge for an hour. Serve chilled with an orange ring or twirl for a refreshing cup of iced orange tea!

(If you are using tea bags instead of tea leaves, use only boiling water at the beginning and keep your tea bag in the cup into which you can pour the brew.)

Disclaimer: Consult your physician before consuming any of the above if you have a medical condition. Consuming any of the above in excess may be harmful. The above is meant for adults only.

My Rainbow Breads

Very often my friends complain of their kids’ fussy eating habits – their love for junk foods and complete hatred of all that is healthy (and unattractive). Vegetables seem to be their eternal foes, while crisps and fries are welcome at any hour of the day – or night! But why blame kids – after all, fussing is their birth right….didn’t we all go through this when we were little? Yet it is for the mummies to weave their magic in the kitchen and make healthy meals appealing to these little monsters.

My love for healthy food, mostly comprising of fresh vegetables and fruits, encourages me to experiment with new ingredients in my regular dishes. And so I decided to try out some ‘attractive’ versions of my daily staple – the Indian bread or roti (also called chapatti). I prepared green, red and rainbow (red and green) rotis (in fragrant and non-fragrant variations) which not only looked attractive on a plate, but were rich in nutrients as well. On recommending these to my friends who in turn tried them out at home for their kids, I was really pleased to know that their little ones loved the rainbow rotis. They were even impressed by the fact that the superhero Popeye used to have such rotis (since spinach is used in the rotis) to build his strong muscles!!

If you want your kid to be as strong as Popeye as well, and ensure a nutritious meal everyday without their regular fuss, you could try my various coloured roti recipes:

• Green Roti with Spinach (non-fragrant)

Cut fresh spinach leaves and leave in boiling water for a couple of minutes till the leaves wilt, then remove the leaves from water and make a paste (in a mixer or simply by crushing with your hand). Take wheat flour (atta) in a bowl and add the spinach paste, mixing them well so that the mixture is a uniform green colour. Now add enough water to make a roti dough. Divide into small balls, roll into rotis and cook on a flat pan (tawa). Your green spinach roti is ready.

• Green Roti with Mint or Coriander Leaves (fragrant)

If you want a fragrant, mint or coriander flavoured green roti, take some fresh green leaves of mint or coriander. Make a fine paste of the leaves and add to wheat flour (atta). Mix well for a uniform colour, then add enough water to make the dough. Divide the dough into balls, roll into round rotis and cook on your flat pan for aromatic green rotis!

• Red Roti with Tomatoes (non-fragrant)

Choose some ripe, red and juicy tomatoes and make a paste/puree. Add this to wheat flour (atta) and mix well for a uniform colour. Then make a smooth dough by slowly adding enough water. Divide the dough into balls, roll into rotis and cook on your tawa/pan. Red rotis rich in vitamin C is on your plate!

• Rainbow Roti – Red and Green (fragrant/non-fragrant)

The rainbow roti is a red and green coloured roti, which combines the goodness of tomatoes (which give the red colour) and spinach/mint/coriander (which gives the green colour). Make 2 separate roti doughs – 1 red and 1 green (based on the recipes given above for red rotis and green rotis). Once the 2 doughs are ready, take a small amount of red dough and another small amount of green dough. Stick them together so that you get a round ball – half red and half green. You could also roll the coloured dough between your palms so that the colours make some artistic pattern J Roll this dough into a roti and cook on the pan. This rainbow roti is sure to impress your kid!

You could try out various combinations of pureed vegetables (like beetroot for a dark pink colour or mashed butternut squash for a vibrant orange) which can give bright colours to your daily staple – the humble roti/chapatti – while ensuring a high level of nutrition without too much effort. Enjoy the rainbow J

Sunshine On My Shoulders

As a child, I would spend most of my spare time by myself – either playing with my dolls in the verandah or roaming around in our huge garden. I loved to admire the variety of roses, dahlias, chrysanthemums and marigolds – their vibrant colours never failed to impress me. I would keep looking for lily buds which would bloom the next morning, and never quite understood why a single stick of tuberose took so long to blossom! And without my own knowledge, I was so close to nature, soaking up the summer and winter sun with equal ease.

As I grew up, I got more and more engrossed in my own life – first in my higher studies and then in my job. And just like any other working woman, my daily routine got as mechanical as waking up, preparing for office, spending the whole day inside the office building surrounded by computers, and returning home in the evening. I had lost touch with nature, and more importantly, I had got completely alienated from the sun!

It is common knowledge that sunrays help to generate vitamin D in our bodies, vital for strong bones. Was there an easier way to build healthy bones than a 10 minutes stroll on a sunny afternoon? But due to my schedule, I was missing out on my share of sunshine, and I needed to consciously bring it back in my regular lifestyle. And yes, I did make an attempt to get back in touch with my old childhood friend – the sun….

• I have made it a habit to take a short walk in the office campus after lunch (which I have either at my desk or at a food court in the office). Of course I wear sunscreen to office, so my skin is protected. Though an umbrella is advised while walking in the sun, sometimes I prefer to go without it.
• When I am at home in the mornings, I keep my windows wide open to let the sun into my home. Sunrays are known to kill bacteria that grow in damp atmosphere, and so sunshine is essential for a clean air in our homes.
• My weekly visits to the grocer, salon, ATM, utility bill payment centre, Bank, courier – anywhere at all – which are within walking distance, are now on foot.This gives me some time to enjoy the sun while attending to my regular chores. 
• I have very long hair – upto 6 inches below my hips. Drying them after a wash used to be cumbersome, and so my hair dryer would always come to my rescue. But now I dry it in the sun, thus protecting my hair from the intense heat of the dryer, and at the same time feeding a slice of sun to my bones.
• My love for lazy weekends meant that I would either perch myself in front of the TV set or slump into a siesta immediately after lunch. But now I take a few minutes after lunch to sit in my terrace or balcony, soaking up the sun while watching passers-by on the road and enjoying soothing music.

I have got so used to the sun now, that 2 consecutive days of cloud or rains make me feel dull and gloomy. The sun lifts my mood, cleanses the air around me and gives me a feeling of wellness.

Needless to say how much I agree with  John Denver’s words:

“Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy…..sunshine almost always makes me high”

A Splash of Colour

Sometime back when I visited my younger brother, a bachelor working and living in another city, I did not expect him to cook fancy meals for me. He is after all my kid brother, I am supposed to take care of him, and I take pride in the fact that I being the elder one keep giving him advice on practically all matters in the world as part of that responsibility. I just refuse to let go, to accept that he too is as mature as me – he will remain the little one till I am 90 and he is 88!

But I was taken by surprise (and particularly touched) when I woke up the first morning - the aroma of warm grilled sandwiches wafting through the kitchen! My brother had cooked up sumptuous mashed potato and egg sandwiches. The breakfast was a treat, but it also left me wondering about the kind of food my brother eats – mostly carbohydrates and fats, high in calories, and very less vegetables. And as usual, I decided to shower him with my advice on the importance of vegetables of various colours, and how easy it is to incorporate them in his daily diet without too much effort.

I use some very simple ways of adding a splash of colour to my regular dishes, as each colour stands for a particular energy (the basis of colour therapy) and nutrient. Let me share some here:

• Coriander – Sprinkle finely chopped coriander leaves on salads, curries, raita, sprouts. Use in paratha fillings, cutlets, omelettes, sandwiches for a refreshing green.
• Capsicum (bell pepper) – Instead of using green capsicum in pasta, noodles, curries, sprouts or salads, combine yellow and red capsicum also. While they add vibrant colours to your food, red and yellow peppers also add a bit of sweetness to the dish.
• Pomegranate seeds – Sprinkle a few of these bright red seeds on fruit salads, curd rice, kheer, custard, pudding, sooji(rava)/carrot halwa.
• Corn – This yellow vegetable can be boiled and sprinkled into raitas, mashed potato, spinach curries (or any mixed veg curry), chaats, pasta, noodles, cutlets.  

Here is my quick recipe for multi coloured potato and vegetable sandwich:

• Finely cut and boil vegetables, like carrots, green peas, corns and beans for bright red, green and yellow colours. Shallow fry and add to boiled and mashed potatoes. Add salt and green chillies to taste.  Fill between 2 slices of bread and cook in a sandwich maker (or directly on a tawa/flat pan)

Go on....add colour to the lives of your loved ones...it is not that difficult, yet worth it after all!

Get Conscious - It Does The Trick!

A working woman in her 30’s, employed in the IT industry, staying single in the city – a hectic lifestyle is characteristic of this species, having to manage work, life and health all by herself. I am one of these, and sometimes I wonder how I am managing it all! My day starts early, at 6 am, and after endless meetings in office and calls (a term for telephonic conferences in this industry) with overseas teams after reaching back home at night, the latest around the world on TV (and sometimes the saas-bahu soaps for a dose of fun), there is nothing more I can think of doing than plopping in bed. In this crammed up schedule, where is the time to think about cooking healthy meals, exercising, taking care of your skin and hair?

Well, it was about 4 years back, when I had put on a whopping 10 kgs of weight during my stay in London (yes, I had indulged) that I realized I needed to get ‘health-conscious’ . I had to be conscious about what I ate, drank, my lifestyle, habits and a bit of physical exercise (I know…it can be quite a lot to start with, but believe me, it is not that difficult afterwards). I did lose those sinful 10 kgs in about 6 months, and have maintained my weight since, with no health problems to complain of so far. And inspite of my superheroic schedule, healthy living is embedded in my routine now

If you believe in healthy living, you can do it too….