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 !