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

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