Yay ! Second award in a month !

My lovely partners in crime :),

Seems like yesterday when i started this blog with much hesitation and fear of being judged , least did i expect that it would receive so much of LOVE from you guys .
I am fumbling for words to express my gratitude to all my lovely readers who inspired me and got inspired from my posts and showed their love and loyal readership.
I feel that a blog is like a person with its own unique personality , replicating the persona behind the screen and so getting SO SWEET BLOG AWARD means a lot to me .

I am so happy to receive this award and it becomes all the more special as the person who did the honors is a very sweet person herself , Thank you Donna of SweetJellybean.com AKA d SJB Corner .
Donna has been very supportive encouraging and there is something about her persona/vibe that is so warm and bright and always brings a smile on my face , please be the sweet nice person you are .

Once again thank you for the award it means a lot to me and it gives me the motivation and encouragement to be my true self and bring more such inspired posts for you to read , thank you being a part of my journey.


I keep this one close to heart and will pass it on once i find the one !
Princess Love!
Mwah!
Isha

Desi Salad : Healthy meal option # 2

So for almost two decades and a few more years I hated the word salad.

Its great to include different colors of the food spectrum , its not just a delight for the eyes but also a treat for health  Photo courtesy : Sheetal Petkar

To me as an Indian a salad was nothing more than onion , tomato , cucumber sliced with half a lemon squeezed on top with a sprinkle of salt and fresh coriander , now i promise that i love this Indian version of salad and i can have loads of it with my food , of course by food i mean the curry and rotis and dal and rice , but when someone would suggest me to have just salads for lunch (for the obvious reasons :P ) the thought of it would make me sick , so even if i would gather the courage to go on a salad diet , a day before i would stuff myself up with all the cheese and fries and yummy stuff i could find to makeup for the punishment i would be on for the next few days .
By the evening of day 1 of my salad diet i would feel sick to the core and get back to my fries.

Cherry tomatoes taste so much better than regular tomatoes in a salad   Photo courtesy : Sheetal Petkar

But now as i feel more comfortable and confident accepting the way my body is right now , i am in no rush of loosing weight  i know it has to be a gradual process and the results will stay forever , more than a diet change it is a lifestyle change that i need to adopt and with these wise thoughts came some wise recipes that were not so difficult to adopt in my cheese licking fries hogging mid night sweet gobbling life style.
So here is my version of the salad that i love to eat and eagerly wait for my lunchtime , its thoughtful healthy and tasty :)

How you plate your food says a lot about how much you love yourself , well plated food makes me feel like a princess !  Photo courtesy : Sheetal Petkar

So the whole point of this salad is to make it so tasty and filing that you can adopt it as a part of your lifestyle and not the tasteless grassy mess that instantly fills u up with blandness and later wants  you to throw up or gives hunger pangs :)

I love chicken pepper salami it sizzles up the oomph factor of my salad !  Photo courtesy : Sheetal Petkar

So i call it my version of Desi Italian salad ;) , i don't now how italian it is but i like to believe that its on the same notes

ooh....lalala !  Photo courtesy : Sheetal Petkar

This is for making 1 box of salad ideal for lunch

• Lettuce iceberg as much as u can eat
• Cherry tomato 10 -12 ( no full tomatoes please they don't taste half of what baby tomatoes are , sweet like cherries )
• Boiled babycorn 4-5 sliced in half , u can also use sweet corn but that's very high in carbs
• Kiwi 1 make thick round slices ( keep them thick and juicy , too thin a slice and it melts in the salad )
• Flax seeds 1tsp yum rich in omega 3 ( gives that nutty taste to your salad ) Chicken ( boiled , salami , ham , seasoned ) whatever u like oops u r a vegetarian no problemos  use paneer(cottage cheese) instead like 100gms or just some fetta cheese

Optional ingredients :
Ripe plums
oranges
cucumber diced
figs ( goes really well specially with paneer or fetta )

Dressing :

This is the soul of the salad

• Olive oil 1tsp
• Apple cider vinegar 1.5 tsp
• Organic honey 1 tsp
• English mustard sauce 1/2 tsp (optional)
• Italian herbs ( try Keya its good)
• Pepper if u like it hot

Make the dressing  , add chicken/paneer and pack it separately
, so if u make it at night it could marinade whole night in the juices

pack the salad separately and at lunch time mix mix mix and hog yumm !
Enjoy your salad bunnies ;-) 

Changing your food will definitely change your lifestyle   Photo courtesy : Sheetal Petkar

Nutritional Facts :
The paneer/chicken is a good source of protein 
the flaxseed is rich in omega 3 ( i forgot mine though )
olive oil rich in mufa (healthy fat)
kiwi very high in vitamin C
baby tomato good source of vitamin K,A & C
veggies good in minerals and roughage 


Princess love
Mwah!
Isha

Yummy spicy sprouts : Healthy meal option # 1

Ok before you write this post off just by reading the word sprouts let me tell you they are super super yummy !I know how bland sprouts can taste with that compulsive chewing ...eeek i would hate the idea of it but this is something so different.

So now its official that I am saying good bye to my older lifestyle and  adopting  a healthier lifestyle which includes exercising and training my brain to understand the difference between tasty and good.Its all a mindset as they say , I know I know what the quantum physicists say that everything is ultimately made up of the same stuff (energy) and ultimately its your thoughts and beliefs that process the energy to either harm you or benefit you , so with that understanding i am now going to ride the wave not fight it.

I accept that when i have cravings i usually crave for things that are spicy (chatpata) , crispy or sweet or cheesy , also seeing my no exercise routine this food is a lot for my body to take.
So i came up with this healthy alternative of satisfying my spicy pangs or you can call it a tastier version of the healthy sprouts .

This meal is ideal for lunch or dinner , awesome just after a workout as it is super filling and very high in proteins and did I mention super super tasty :)

Photo Courtesy : Sheetal Petkar

Ingredients :

• Chana (black gram) one handful soaked overnight in water
• Moong (whole green gram ) one handful soaked overnight in water
• one medium tomato finely chopped
• one small onion finely chopped
• 1 green chilly ( if u like it hot )
• 1/2 carrot diced
• 1/2 capsicum (green pepper ) diced
• cumin seeds 1 pinch
• asafoetida 1 pinch
• black pepper powder 2 pinch
• chat masal 1/2 tsp ( if u dnt have chat masala just add amchoor(dry mango) powder )
• salt to taste 

How to :

In a small pan  add 1 tsp of olive oil or vegetable oil , i prefer olive because its richer in MUFA (mono unsaturated fatty acid in short the good fat ) , now add a pinch of jeera (cumin) and hing (asafoetida) , once the cumin turns golden brown add chopped onions wait for it to turn transparent now add carrots and capsicum and then tomatoes now add black pepper and some chat masala add salt to taste and green chilli on top , cover with a lid and let it cook for 5-7 minutes and viola you have yummy spicy tasty and haelthy sprouts to snack on.

Photo courtesy : Sheetal Petkar

Why I love it so much :

It looks so colorful and inviting and the smell of chaat masala just makes me feel like i am having chat.
I usually have these at lunch time , so i pack them real pretty for lunch or after i am back from a workout at around 7:30 in the evening , this can also be eaten as a snack or a full meal , the benefit is that its very filling and very rich in proteins .
Its 100% successful in fulfilling the cravings of spicy food specially chat like sevpuri or aloo chat as i get all the spicy zing my tastebuds crave for , also on some days i add 1 boiled potato to it but i usually like it without the potato.
Its super simple to make even if u have just 5 minutes at hand all u need to do is soak the sprouts at night , thankfully these days the vegetable marts or sabzi walas already keep soaked sprouts that come in so handy.

Like I said its all about working with your cravings not against it because what you suppress ultimately becomes more powerful so its all about fooling your mind into believing that its getting all that it wants.
Try it out i am sure you are going to love it too.

Princess Love !
Muah
Isha

Yay ! My first award

So I have been just a couple of months old in this blogging world now , and as a newcomer i always wondered what these blog awards were , who gave them and once I understood the authenticity of these awards I wondered when would I have mine ?
Well so its my time now ,yay because i just got my FIRST BLOGGER AWARD and such a pretty one , the SUNSHINE BLOGGER AWARD .

I am so thankful to Aparajita of Colors Of My Life for putting this feather in my hat .
I feel so much more committed to blogging now , realizing that what was once just some figments of my imagination and some true experiences is now being graciously received and anticipated.
So thank you everyone for being with me , loving me and accepting me even when I was shy to put down all my thoughts.

The Sunshine Blogger Award Rules :
1. Include award logo in a post or on your blog page.
2. Answer 10 questions about yourself.
3. Nominate 10 other fabulous bloggers.
4. Link your nominees to the post and comment on their blog, letting them know about the award.
5. Share the love and link the person who nominated you.

The questions that I am supposed to answer are:



1. What do you feel your purpose is in life?
     I am discovering that in bits and pieces everyday , as of now i am trying to live my life by the wise words of   

Master OOGWAY (kung fu panda)

    Yesterday is history

    Tomorrow is a mystery

    But today is a gift

    Thats why its called the present

But one thing that i know for sure that the small pieces are pointing at is something to do with " Inspiring people to find their gift and then just follow where their faith leads to "

2.What is your favorite book? 

I am a voracious reader from Fashion to Fiction to inspirational i read it all , oh and I am a huge comic fan too but more of the indian comics .

But one book that had an impeccable mark on me and my entire life has to be the trilogy by Neale Donal Walsch " Conversations with GOD "

3. Who or what inspires you most in life?

Oh there is no limit whatsoever in the musings i find around me everyday , "WHO" could be a very long list starting from my maid to the former president of India Mr. Abdul Kalam Azaad but the pattern that i have noticed is that I am most inspired when I see people identifying their passion and then following it and achieving the ultimate even in the face of all adversities.

Also no matter how cliched it sounds but my biggest inspiration is GOD

4. Would your rather donate time or money?

Well they say Time is Money for a reason , so for me it would be TIME
5. What are your best qualities? 
 

My childlike faith in GOD and Miracles

My empathy

My gift of the Gab
I forgive and forget very easily 

6. If you were an organ in the body which would you be and why? 

I would be the mind where the consciousness resides and by mind i don't mean the brain , I choose to be my mind because everything else is just cells and tissues and can be regenerated with a focused mind.


7. Why do you blog? 



Because its therapy :) , well it keeps me thinking and inspired and also gives a break from my regular office home routine , its somewhere i can pen down the random happenings of my mind and then get feedback from my readers also i have made many like minded friends , need anymore reasons.


8. What is your greatest accomplishment? 

The single day when i bagged 12 awards at school by far thats been the biggest one but that was long time ago , i hope to see accomplishment of that magnitude soon , but if you ask for the smaller ones there have been many.

9. Who is your role model/ hero and why?

I don't think i can really put one person down as a role model because there have been just so many and ever changing , but one quality that always inspires me is following your dream and not giving up , I guess I've made it quite evident by now :P

10. If you could be anything or anyone in the world,what would it be and why?


Oh I would choose to be ME in my fullest potential for the obvious reasons .


Now here are my nominations for this lovely award

1. AJ's Mommie from Sweet Jelly Bean i just love the warmth in her blog 
2. The Delhi Fashion Blogger her spontaneity and confidence inspires me
3. Sudha Ganpati of My favorite Things
4. Mohana of Insanebloom for her touching poetry
5. Dhriti of Corals in a shell for her chirpyness and informative posts
6. Neha of Neha's Journal , i just love how creative she can get with her writing
7. Ruby of Beauty Accessorized , I love her clicks
8. Nisha of The beauty and The Cheap I love her bold sense of colours
9. Tianna of Storybook Apothecary Unique blog
10. Sakshi of A little of that in those commas ah how can people write such beautiful poetry 
11. Nirvana of  La femme nirvana wow her posts make me go wow !

 

My MELBOURNE-licious Dream

I am in my favorite LBD "Little Black Dress" quite snug and super sexy ,looking down in admiration at my red hot stilettos and winking at the sexy me reflection on the shiny metallic elevator door , a ting sound and the door parts ways like some invisible Moses caused it to and I step into an elevator that reaches the 88th floor in precisely 40 seconds , stepping out into a panoramic view of Melbourne from this glass cube projected on the side of the tallest building in all of southern hemisphere The Skydeck in Southbank's Eureka Tower.
I gasped in surprise like a little girl of five , conscious and blushing at the thought of playing Marlyn Monroe and  flashing to 3 million Melburnians after all I was viewing Melbourne from a glass box 300 meters high, but the risk of being on the edge was worth taking .You have to see it to believe it , how surreal Melbourne looks from this perspective the Melbourne cricket ground, the Central business district, the Grand Prix circuit - and Federation Square with the Yarra River winding through the landscape , the city lights add a toy world charm to the entire panorama and the arts center looks like a mini Eiffel tower.

The Melbourne Skyline      Photo credit : creative commons  Linh_rOm

Its 6pm now and I am a little dizzy with all the butterfly in the stomach experience of the Skydeck so I head towards a restaurant across the bridge for a beverage, sipping on a pint of  my peach and mint cooler I get a close view of the Yarra river and I don't fail to feed a very special visitor Mr. Duck with his bright yellow beak nibbling on the piece of bread.I take a gondola ride on the Yarra river. 

Eat drink and be merry  and what better way than the Australian stand up comedy,  speaking from my hands on experience from some of their globe trotting Gagsters visiting Mumbai , I had to go for one , so I am off to The Athenaeum Theater on Collins street . The hilarious performances  leave me rolling and in splits.
Famishing from the cramps of the excessive laughter like any foodie i look forward to even more comfort in a sumptuous supper at an amazing rooftop garden bar with a menu to drool over and some very finely mixed elixirs , half way through the cheesy gooey Croque Monsieur and I say to myself " What a wonderful world " lol.

Food Photo credit : Creative Commons -jeffryw

Staring at the dizzy star lights all comforted and cozy in my cashmere wrap and a flash its Dawn and I find myself skimming through the sky witnessing a hot air balloon sunrise , Ah what a sight I see the flaring balloons down below and the entire Melbourne city bathing in golden sunlight breathing air as crisp and fresh as if its the first day of the world , escorted by my pilot to one of the finest gourmet champagne breakfast experiences of my life .I am still absorbing the exuberance of my experience when i am invaded by a more exciting thought of exploring the art and culture of this wonderful land with the flash of this thought I find myself in the State Library of Victoria at Swanston street ,The structure is an architectural marvel that homes books , paintings and cultural pieces of Melbourne's rich history , after spending several hours here that appear like just a few moments , i pass by the Federation Square enjoying the Street performers, live music and  passing protests clicking lots of amazing pictures and into the Queen Victoria Market for a genuine street food experience , I buy a Turkish borek pastry and a Ciabatta roll with some local cheddar .

Shopping Shopping and more shopping   Photo Credit : Creative commons - DaPino Graphics

Food culture travel but how would a girl's trip even be close to complete without shopping so I head straight to the Paris end of Collins street , window shopping at Prada Chanel Hermes pretending to be a genuine buyer i finally pick up my most longed Estrella tote from Louis Vuitton.Being a brand shopper in no ways can withhold me from the pleasures of street shopping and so after an indulgent and exhausting shopping experience on Crossley Street and Flinders Lane , I find myself at the national sports museum , I had read it somewhere that when an Aussie meets an Aussie the first question they ask is " what do you play ?" so making a visit to this place was totally justified after capturing the great moments in Australia's sporting history in my mind , it was time for the great ocean walk, Ah ! the feeling of the silken golden sand and the soft hustle of fresh mist scented air when my perfect ecstasy was invaded by a disturbing alarm noise till it became so distracting that i get a feeling of disappearing in haze and oblivion only to find myself in my pajamas in my bed , i hit the snooze button and dig my head in the pillow trying to go back to my Melbourne dream.
I could still feel the freshness of my lucid dream
Ah ! now I realize what spending five continuous hours at www.visitmelbourne.com/in. and then dozing off can do to your imagination and fantasies  .
So I enjoyed my surreal dream of Melbourne and would like to bring back many such experiences when I visit it in real but it's your time to visit Melbourne NOW!

Love

Isha

 

This is a contest entry for  indiblogger.com Its your time to visit MELBOURNE now

FUN FORMAL & CHIC plus Weekend Love and Ice cream

So weekends are those fantabulously crazy work driven yet so exciting few days that i always look forward to , after all thats one day that i finally get to play the TANTRUM QUEEN and hog all the love & attention from my guy.

This weekend we decided to just meet impromptu , we met at Infinity mall Andheri (w) and were wondering where to go for our date when THOR got jealous and poured down all his green and kept pouring and pouring , till we got over our " its so romantic to hold hands in the rain " phase and moved onto "YAWN  I am bored " phase .

So this is what I did at the mall :)

It all started with window shopping at VERO MODA , had sneak a peek at the mirror, ended up buying a block floral bangle and these adorable ballerinas :) Oh ! and the real steal was you buy 1 accessory and get 2 free :D

Perfect for transition from formal office girl to impulsive road shopper , very comfortable and CHIC !

Posed & Poised after the wallet attack

A good pose can completely transform a picture from Eh to woot , work with your body , a little forward lean & crossed hands is all I need in my case

A little high from the shopping & Love

A simple hemline dress compliments all body types , me being a strawberry body type top it up with a jacket that hugs and falls at just the right curves , this dress is from All the plus size store and i picked it up at 70% off ! , the jacket is one of my best buys from one of my street shopping spree.

If you are top heavy , choose a jacket with self patterned vertical stripes to cut down on the broadness of your shoulders notice how the broad mid-waist piece of belt draws attention  towards the waist

An empire waist that does not hang loose below the waist line and narrows at the hemline is perfect for full bodied girls like me , also notice the pose from top angles are most flattering for curvy body types

Fridays are the best days to wear your smokey eyes and nude lips , as the look is perfect for office time and party afterwards , I am wearing MAC eyeshadow in pompous blue and freshwater , and LANCOME  l'absolu nu in Beige tulle

A well deserved peck after all the patience with the poses

A perfect end to a perfect weekend Musk melon sorbetto for the man and chocolate cookie crunch for the lady 

So its often the small insignificant days that we would remember more than those big ones , so enjoy it as much as you can.

Mwah Princess Love !
Isha

Exploring plus size Clothes & Happy rains !!!

I think there are very limited options for  curvy girls in India when it comes to dressing up in style.
Things being slightly better for the fashion capitals of Mumbai , Delhi and Bengaluru.
I being a Mumbai girl can always have my hands on the street shops of Lokhandwala and Bandra , but as per my experience of other cities , i had to settle for loose kurtas or baggy T shirts , many times not even a denim but a track pant and if you dream yourself in a cute singlet well i must say you are on "Mission Impossible".
Yes of course there is the magic wand of online shopping , but the shipping charges plus time , plus the thought of swiping my credit card , would make any indian think twice , yes we are getting used to it but there is this natural hesitance , huh i can't help.
Anyways enough of my rant , now the good news is that there are a few brands that we girls can exclusively play patrons to , and yes I am not talking about maternity clothing brands , oopps hehehe.

So one of the few elfs that work exclusively to serve us curvy beauties are

The good thing is that these brands are also available at :

so you can pick up a pretty top or dress or jeans at your nearest mall. :)
So here is what I picked up from All and the good news is they are all up for grabs at 50% off.

I am a huge fan of plum , i think its not as goth as black and not as loud as pink , but by the end of it who cares if its loud when its PINK right ?

Simply love the attached floral jacket , it plays hide and seek with just the right places ;)

Sexy Back isn't it ?

Trying to pose all shy and coy but massive failure can't hide my smile that's dying to burst into monstrous laughter, ee haw haw haw !

Well at-last i prove that i am a natural poser 

Oh and do you notice something here ?

A girl this happy has to splash in the rain and what better accessory than these street shopped hot pink rain flops with a bright blue bow , needless to say I hoarded on all the attention , these are dope !

So I had fun shopping at All , specially in this SALE season , I'll pretty soon share more of my finds with you guys .

Princess love to all

Mwah !

Isha

Learning what to POP & when to STOP

Wow I never expected so much of love support and acceptance , when i  first gathered the guts to share my fears & thoughts on this blog , no words would envelope the gratitude i have in my heart for every like , every comment and every view i got , still all i can say is a heartfelt THANK YOU .

I wanted to celebrate this new found confidence and belief in self and what better way to celebrate for a foodie than FOOD and anyways all the torture that i did to myself all these years playing the perfect self critic , i believe i truly deserved it .
So yesterday was a celebration night for Miss chubby pie and her special man , lets call him Mr. P for perfect.
We went for a romantic candle night all you can eat buffet at GLOBAL FUSION Bandra.

This place is a dream come true for any food lover , from sushi to salads to dumplings to fries to Thai , Malay Chinese and Indian spread of  all possible delicacies.

Earlier i would go crazy at such places , there would be   a "Bad Romance" between the food and me , I would gag down the last bit of that berry cheese cake till i felt sick enough to throw up and break up with my darling cake for the night.

But today it was different , it wasn't the compulsive possessiveness for food anymore but more like an ethereal fairy tale love , i saw the spread , the entire spread  ,romanced every bit of the detail with my eyes , balled in the aroma and took a thoughtful portion in my plate , today even a tiny bite of the fried chicken was enough to satisfy my fry fetish frenzy.

I ate less and enjoyed more , this was a unique experience i never had before , every bit that i took in was with total acceptance from my whole being , there were no multiple voices in my head dictating me to not eat or just hog on and later pressing me down with guilt .
For the first time I played this wonderful game of "what to pop and when to stop " with my food and I realized that it was the comfort of love and acceptance i was seeking all this while in my food , it was not the addiction to fried but the addiction to self pity and criticism that had kept this princess enslaved in an ogre's den.
I love myself and i totally accept myself , i love my curves and my flabs and i can hear them say that they love me back too and are ready to co operate in orchestrating the wonderful me i always was.

Princess Love to all
Mwah !
Isha

CritiSIZE Accept and LOVE

I am putting out my thoughts with great courage , i still feel the fear of being judged and finally preached : How bad it is to be FAT and how i should have been careful and not done what i did to be what I am today.

But I am going to write this blog anyways , because its not about the outside noise anymore but about what truly matters to me.

"I think I am a pretty chubby wubby girl , who loves Food and Fashion".

For a break I just want to be who I am now , yes I am overweight and i am trying to train myself into a healthier lifestyle , but i am not going to bog myself down anymore with what family , friends or people want me to be. Yes no doubt they all mean well and i truly appreciate it ,and by no means do i support or profess an unhealthy lifestyle but this constant preaching of how FAT is bad for me and how much better i can be once i loose weight is not letting me enjoy my present moment the way it was meant to be.
So today after another long phone call full of
you need to loose weight
join a gymn
don't eat out
just 3 months to your wedding

 I felt drained , bitter and angry and like most of the chub-kins sailing in my boat i thought that my life is the most miserable in the world ( I know that's not true) but that's what i thought.So i again opened a bag of my trusty friend Lay's masala and popped a big one in my mouth , Ah the dance the spices did on my tongue instantly made me feel better and with that crunchy munch i almost forgot the conversation , halfway down the bag of chips and already reaching out for my TV  remote now ,I asked myself a rhetorical question " Why are you doing this to yourself ?"

Well like always I din't have an answer , only a silent discomfort within,  that needed acceptance and Love .
So i dumped Mr. Lay's and headed out for a walk , trying to understand what is it that's holding me from adopting a healthy lifestyle and finally making the big dreams come true.

Well for sure the answer is simpler than i wanted to hear , its lack of self love , yes i know its written on almost every fat girl's blog who has ever overcome the pounds so in that way I don't really have anything new to say.
But i know that Acceptance is the first step towards change and i have made peace with my weight and my curves. Now before i decide to hit a gymn , i am going to show some love and acceptance to the inner me that has been tormented all these years not by the criticism it got from others but the constant criticism and comparison inside. I have realized that its truly not the judgement of others that hurt me but my ignorance to my own self that caused me all this pain.
So step 1 to feeling better
Buying some awesome clothes that are fashionable and look good on me , no more baggy Tshirts and kurtas.
After all every girl is a princess and she deserves to be treated well.

Mwah Princess !
Isha :)