Wholewheat Ragi Pancakes

Hola people!

Life has been busy. My little squirrel is growing up too fast and has started playschool (big milestone right? Phew!). The settling period is on and most days she sails through the time managing a few wails towards the end. My heart feels so heavy but I do realize that it is all part of a process.  

Soooo, with her playschool I had to introduce some lifestyle changes in my routine too. I wake up early now, prepare breakfast (duty calls) and then wake her up followed by bathing, feeding and dressing her up (oh dear mothers, you know the grind!). Anyway so my stories are really pancaked these days. I have been preparing pancakes for adira for breakfast before she goes to school. Ofcourse I feed her different things on different days but only the pancakes make it to my stories (who want to see besan ka sheera on the story board right?). A lot of you messaged me asking for the wholewheat-ragi pancake recipe.

Now I have two versions of it; with egg and eggless. I will share the recipe of both. Though there is just a minor change. I haven’t clicked a decent picture of the pancakes so a screenshot of the boomerang from my insta story will have to suffice for the moment.

How to get your child to eat fruit?

not the best picure...but it works for the moment

As parents a lot of us struggle with feeding our children three basic meals leave alone those extra portions of fruits as mid meal snacks. Really! The food fight seems eternal for some mothers I know. 

There have been innumerable instances when I have met friends complaining their kids don’t touch a fruit. 

For me a day without fruit is counted a day incomplete. I need to have a portion if not portions of fruits everyday. It is just a habit that I have inculcated in my lifestyle and also into adira’s now. Whether it be a vacation or a staycation or just a routine day at home, fruits are a must. 

So here are a few suggestions that might help you with feeding your child some fruitilicious goodness.

START EARLY: Most babies can start eating a fruit at 5 months. So you start with the mushy ones like banana and chiku. The sooner they develop a taste for fruits the better.

The Grilled Chicken Platter

It is kind of ironical for me to write a food post about meat on a Tuesday but anyway. So, some chicken was lying in our deep freezer. I have cooked chicken the Indian way a lot of times. This time I thought of cooking it and presenting it a little differently.

I decided to present my husband with a platter just the way you get at fancy restaurants. The platter consisted of some grilled chicken with sautéed vegetables, mushroom rice and mashed potatoes on the sides, drizzled with some white sauce.

Still Confused what to buy your Valentine?

Hi! I know I have been on quite a sabbatical but now I am back. And since Valentine’s Day is knocking at the door I am sure a lot of you have already decided how to woo the love of your life, but for those of you who are still confused this post might just come to your rescue.

Now we all have our own wallets. The good news is that love sees no pocket. It can be expressed in many ways irrespective of how deep or shallow your pocket is. Even words are enough and they cost nothing! 

Cream of Spinach

First things first, wishing you all  A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR! Hoping 2015 brings you good news, better days and lots of love and happiness.

Now, I am sure that most of you agree with me when I say that bonfire, good company and some extra hot soup makes for a perfect winter night, for the non-drinkers ofcourse! (LOL).  The high-spirited people (pun intended) stay loyal to their glass of Old Monk on such occasions. 

Just the other day when Delhi winters got a little wet with some drizzle, we had our loved ones over. Instead of serving the premixed soups I tried preparing one at home. Now, I have nothing against premixed soups. They are the saviours when one doesn’t feel like moving a finger. But there is nothing like home cooked goodness. And if sometimes it requires just a TINY bit of effort then needless to say it is worth it.  After putting a little bit of thought I zeroed in on Cream of Spinach rather a healthier version of it. 

HOME COOKED BUTTER CHICKEN- need i say more?

Like I promised in my previous post that I will soon be sharing the recipe of butter chicken, here I am with the post revolving around the most popular North-Indian, non-vegetarian main dish. 

In all these years I have still not come across one person who has meat and doesn’t like butter chicken. It usually tops the list when you are ordering something for dinner at a restaurant or setting the menu for an occasion or ordering food in. It was a favourite and it remains to be the same way even now. 

While this recipe fetched me a lot of compliments and made all the efforts worthwhile, I am hoping that you too become the star for the day when you cook this luxurious dish for your loved ones. Why I call it luxurious? You’ll know when you will go through the ingredients.

Achari Paneer Tikka

Unlike other Saturdays when our group of friends generally dine out, this Saturday night was spent a little differently. We decided to sit together at a friend’s place and the bhabis (sis-in-laws/ friend’s wives) of the group were asked to prepare dinner for everyone. 

Both, Bhabi no.1 and Bhabi no. 2 were asked to make a vegetarian and a non-vegetarian dish. The non-vegetarian dish was chosen by the friends so I did not have to think too hard (just to let you know they asked me to cook butter chicken but I will post about it some other day). For a veg starter I zeroed in on making paneer tikka for everyone. However, instead of making the regular paneer tikka I decided to make its pickleeeeyyyy brother and so everyone got to eat Achari Paneer Tikka.

A Glimpse of Goa

A pint of Kingfisher Premium, freshly fried fish and chips and the picturesque beach ahead; if there is one place that comes to our minds after reading this its Goa. I am sure half of you have already started imagining yourselves there. 

There is something about this former Portuguese province that puts one to ease. It is extremely chilled out and for once you feel that you are altogether in a different country. 

This was luckily my second visit to Goa in a year. Ok my husband and I do love Goa but a leisure trip to this easy breezy city was not on our minds till my dear husband announced that he has SERIOUS WORK in Goa (Yes people go to Goa for work also!).  Now a little weekend holiday after work in GOA could not hurt anyone haha. So we jumped at the opportunity and landed in Goa. 

Unlike our last trip, this time we stayed in Panjim (capital of Goa) and explored a different part of the city besides the regular beach madness. We behaved more like travellers than tourists. While my husband was at work I took a stroll to the Dona Paula Jetty in Panjim, took a local bus to Miramar Beach and enjoyed a coffee all by myself. We boarded the ferry with our rented two-wheeler to reach the other side, just like the locals. We dug our fingers in Goan fish curry and rice and binged our way till our tummies yelled. A walk for a few minutes and we were ready for a portion of fish fingers. We visited Old Goa, captured the Holy Places and lifelong memories in our minds.

So here are a few pictures giving you a little glimpse of our Goa trip. Hope you like them and they make you want to visit the city.

One Day FEEL LIGHT Routine

Wow! So as I write this I do realise that it has been QUITE SOMETIME since I last wrote something in my little diary, but you can’t blame me. October was so festive starting with card parties to celebrating the biggest festival in the country. Plus the number of birthdays in my sweet little family all fall together and occupy half of my November too! Infact it has been so happening that for a few nights I found myself repeating the dialogue from the movie Jab We Met “babaji ab is night ko thoda boring banado”.  

Anyway I am not going to crib because it was all too much fun. From playing dress-up for every party to celebrating the birthdays it has all been lovely. BUT, the eating out and eating in loads and eating all fried and eating all sweet that comes complimentary with this time does take a toll. And I am sure post Diwali bickering most of you would agree with me on this.

So in today’s post I will tell you a few simple things that you can follow to feel lighter and better not just after Diwali but after any eating spree. I follow this routine myself after a  heavy day of eating out; you can accommodate the tips as per your own body since you know it better J. You just need to follow it the day after you’ve hogged. My husband has found a silly moniker for this day and he calls it “THE AFSOS DAY” which means the day of regret LOL. But believe me it is not like I will suggest you to not eat and drink. It is a tried and tested one day routine which includes food! And it works beautifully.

Yummy Oats with a Twist

image source: google

While I have always loved oats when it comes to choosing an option from usual the breakfast menu, like my dear husband many people are averse to the idea of choosing this healthy option for the first meal of the day.

Some do not like the taste and the others are strictly against it plainly because it is healthy! (Count my husband in the latter category *eyes rolling*)

But there are many of these people who are willing to try oats provided they taste better. While there are many variants and flavours already available in the market none has stood upto my expectation. So in this post I am going to share some quick and easy twists that you can apply to your oats and I bet they will be no less than a treat. All these options are sweet and I mean sweet literally LOL.

Easy Eggless Choco-Raisin Oat Cookies

midnight craving

There is something so mischievous about midnight cravings. First they make you dream about that particular food till you die of salivating. Then it leaves you with no choice but to kneel down and surrender to it (read: rush to the kitchen). Arghhhh!!!

I was a victim of one such teasing midnight craving the other night. The crime took place at 1:30 AM, crime scene being our kitchen. My husband and I had just returned from our friend’s place and I had a full tummy yet I wanted to have some cookies and tea. 

Easy Appetizers For a Party

So this Saturday we (my husband and I) hosted a small get together at our place. Now those who know me well know how meticulous I am when hosting a party. I like assuring everything is proper. OK! Atleast I try to do things in the best way possible *eyes rolling*.

Since we were doing a formal dinner after ages (the casual ones happen quite often with food usually ordered in) I wanted to make it special for everyone specially my husband. I was the chef for the evening. Don’t worry everyone’s stomachs are safe. Just incase you are thinking otherwise LOL.

Anyway so I would not be going crazy with the party details. In this post I will be sharing a few easy appetizers both, veg and non-veg that hardly take any effort and time but will surely make you the star of the evening. 

Gobhi Keema

The other day my sis-in-law was planning to cook chicken biryani. She called up my husband to ask if he was ok with it. I asked OK? He will be exhilarated. Happy to the extent that he would dream about the biryani on his way back home and his mouth must have sweated already thinking about the yummy dish.

Unfortunately my sis-in-law could not get time to go to the market and get the chicken. Thinking about the expression of disappointment that would show on my charming husband’s face if he would have had to eat ghiya (bottle guard) for dinner, I started brain storming for more options that could be cooked.

Tried and Tested Home Remedies for Tanning

image source: google

The summer is here and it brings with it the most common problem; tanning. I come across various solutions for this problem in beauty magazines and online sites but some remedies work and most of them fail. Since I have grown up with a grandfather who looked no less than a model in his youth, I have always been updated with easy to follow beauty tips at home to maintain the charm.

So I thought to bring my readers some respite by sharing the home-remedies for tanning that I have tried, tested and seriously swear by.

Vrindavan: Food and More

Like I promised in my previous post about Shri Bankey Bihari Ji Temple, Vrindavan I am now sharing my experience about the local food and shopping.

coffee-oreo banana ice-cream

The other day while I was surfing the net, I came across an ice-cream recipe with literally and practically no cream and milk. The ingredients that the recipe required were lying in my kitchen, so I thought to give the recipe a try.

Truth Behind Hair Colour

image source:google

Let’s agree to the fact that we have all seen our mothers and fathers worrying over the increasing number of grey strands on their head. Although, NOW, I see grey mane becoming a trend but the majority of our older population still likes to keep those grey strands under cover with a coat of colour.

jam cookies

The other day my husband and I had gone to a nearby place for coffee. It is a café cum bakery. While I was choosing a muffin to have with my cup of coffee my husband’s eyes fell on the jam cookies displayed at the counter. They were sitting in a tall glass jar and looked beautiful with that spoonful of round jelly like jam in the middle. My husband said “they look so tempting”. To this I asked him “should we buy some?” “No, not now” he replied back. I wondered “why not?”

a different start to ganesh chaturthi

Unlike every year, this year the ganesh chaturthi started differently. And there is more than one reason behind it.

chocolate chunk mocha cookies

Somehow my husband is not very fond of the biscuits available in the supermarket, not even oreo! (How can anyone not be fond of oreo? :S). When it comes to bakery biscuits he likes only a few. So buying biscuits for him is a task. However, to my respite, he simply loves the freshly baked home cookies. Now, I have always enjoyed baking. So this weekend, while I already had muffins on my mind my husband asked me to bake some cookies instead. Without giving it a second thought I said “cookies it is then!”