Updates from me!

So here I am after more than a month I guess.. The non contribution being due to alas too much to do at work/home. I have realized that overworking is one of the easiest ways to lose track of health goals, especially when you dont get out of work early enough to see sunlight. Though I haven't been eating like crazy, I haven't really worked out in a while either, save for the few miles of walks each week by taking the boat instead of the train. Hoping to change that in the next few weeks & get back on the gym class rosters.

Sudan & I have discovered a new snack we both love, especially for that sweet tooth, baby oranges! They are soo yummy & great to enjoy after/before or as a mini meal!

I discovered a new salad place near work that makes a killer pear, olive oil, frisee, walnut & gorgonzola salad. The sweet & sour makes a great combo!

Saying no to rice does help in a big way to eating healthy. It makes you feel light all the time too!

Our newest love in the kitchen has to be tomatillos. These green tomato like fruit from mexico are sour & taste wonderful in dals, chutneys & kootu. Give it a try!

Apparently cutting about 50-70 calories a day helps a lot in the long term for your overall health.. try replacing your sugar with splenda or your cookie with an orange. Your body will thank you!

Nature's bounty

I have never been a vegetable hater, but neither have i ever enjoyed them as much as i do these days. I love them fresh most of the time or just blanched/boiled, but not overcooked. Al Dente' works great on veggies as it does on pasta! Each day, I skirt the salad bar at work for a satisfying side, and I love the falafel guy a few blocks from work thanks to the zillion veggies he adds to my sandwich. Here's a list of my ten comparatively new veggie and leafy loves, tell me if you share these!

1. Arugula : This peppery little leaf adds a burst of flavor to your salad, just drizzle olive oil & you have a fab side!

2. Asparagus: I save the tops for the last as they are soo yum!

3. Beets & more beets: They are so sweet that they make a great dessert!

4. Sweet potatoes/Yams: Love these starches over the blander potato anytime!

5. Pumpkin: I like it as a soup or in my vathal kozambu but the boiled version isn't too bad!

6. Avocado: Nature's butter is as great for the face & hair as a pack as it is for your salad.

7. Zucchini: Amazing how this humble veggie transforms when grilled with olive oil!

8. Broccoli: Crisp & yum, need i say more, i know you guys heart too!

9. Sugar snap peas: great in Salads, Asian food & by themselves!

10. Edamame: The best bean, period.

This and Thats

It is wonderful to see a salad-soup-all things good explosion on the blog! Lets keep up the good word!

Eating to the yellow beet –

Following mithra’s mention of yellow beets, I fished it from the prolific, heavenly green smelling section of ‘whole foods’! Though it’s a little pricey, this colorful salad tastes awesome and I will consider it a delicacy for I cant find it in the local Market Basket and hits it heavy on the budget! It’s my mid-afternoon snack for the day!

The desi twist to salads –

I have taken it from my mother. Be it the carrot raita mithra mentioned, or a salad or grated roots, a dribble of tadka ( ½ tsp of oil, little mustards, broken red chilly ) over the salad makes it more devouring, especially raitas for biriyani.

Don’t be fooled by ma po tofu at PF Changs –

Yesterday, I ordered ma po tofu at PF changes. It read tofu in garlic, red chilly sauce with steamed broccoli. Though it tasted awesome, but it was deep fried tofu lined with steamed broccoli! For all the goodness of broccoli and side of brown rice, I couldn’t wolf down more than a few tofu pieces, for it filled by food pipe with grease! It was the healthy broccoli for dinner instead, not just from my share, but the veggies kept aside on sandhya’s plate too! Sigh!

Facial fix –

When you are bored of eating all the salads, just squeeze all the good carrot juice and apply it to your face for the orangey glow or crush the tomato like a scrub on your face to eliminate the sunburns!

Iphone app for farmers market –

I am glad, I can find a farmers market nearby from the Iphone now (Locavore 2.0)! Though I am sure, we North-easterners have to wait it out until spring to have any open. Now I know where I will spend most of my summer money! ☺

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Why don’t we honor the ‘National soup month’ on our blog?? Let’s aim to make atleast one new soup from the website/cookery book/top of your head anything for the coming week and post the recipe and experience!

Let me know what you think!!

Going Green!

 I used to hate anything and everything which could be categorized as 'good-for-you' when I was a kid but guess I am all grown up now. sigh! Yup. that's my dinner plate... seriously! very proud and showing-off :D

 Recently my husband got determined to go on a 'healthy' diet spree(good for him). That should explain i guess :)

I cribbed when I was also included in the plan but a simple lemon vinaigrette with a huge pile of spring salad mix made me happy. Big fan.(doesn't mean I am going to order a salad if I go out for dinner:D) Combine it with a protein(grilled fish/chicken breast or tofu for a vegetarian option) and a fruit for dessert.. you will feel so proud of yourself after an amazing workout. I did for sure!

Here is how I made my venigrette:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil(E-V-O-O as coined by Racheal Ray)- 2 tbspns
Freshly squeezed Lemon Juice(makes alot of difference)- 1tbspn
Salt- 1tspn(or less depending on you- I never measure)
freshly ground black pepper- 1/2tspn

Just whisk it all in a salad bowl(and the consistency changes immediately). Now toss your prewashed salad leaves until coated and Enjoy! That is it.. No kidding.


Note: Always add the vinaigrette right before you serve so the leaves stay crunchy.
 
You can also add

• Chopped almonds or walnuts or pecans for some crunch.

• Sun dried tomatoes for the chewy texture.

• Boiled egg whites for protein.
  

• Garlic and herb croutons for a bonus ;)
  

I am sure there are many many more variations on the basic salad recipe I posted here.. will keep updating as and when I try them personally :)

Healthy Eating everyone :)

PS: Hey Divs, Refreshing your memory, incase you got carried away, I am not on the PATH but enjoying the light meals and everyday workouts for now :D

The austere life

Almost four years ago in Chennai, I had attended a course at Isha yoga foundation. It had comprised of a one month program of pranayams, meditations, good food habits and all things peaceful. I had totally enjoyed it and even put it into practice for almost six months afterwards. And then MS happened, US happened and like all Masters Students, I began to neglect the body and mind!

I had taken away a lot of good things from the course; to love yoga being one of them and I have since attended many yoga lessons at gym and the ‘backbay yoga studio’ lessons in Boston during my internship there. And I also make an honest effort to begin the day with yoga.

Now that I am trying to bring a much needed balance into my diet and exercise regime, I tried to evoke the flavors of the natural foods; I had a chance of eating during the course. The food was all vegetarian and made with natural ingredients and nothing processed. I am sure, I can’t adopt such eating habits for life until sans teeth and coddling grandchildren, but I sure did make it a point to supplement my dinner or lunch with some of these interesting recipes. Here are a few recipes, I recall from the top of my head. They make great salad recipes –

          • Grated beets(yes! I have become a fan!), lemon juice, green chillies, shredded pudina and cilantro,   salt, dry roasted peanuts.

          • Grated carrots, green gram sprouts, grated ginger, lemon, basil leaves, salt

         • Finely cut cucumber, finely cut tomato, neem leaves, fresh pepper corns, moosambi juice, salt 
          •  peeled oranges, fresh grated cabbage, walnuts, methi leaves, grated coconut, cut red chillies

They are all mostly a blend of – one or more fresh veggies + something sour or bitter + something spicy + something citrus + something with a strong flavor.

So mix and match them up, all those veggies and lentils you see around, lying in your kitchen shelf! If you do fix up a great combo, do share them!

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On a happy note, I have come to know that Sush and her better half are on a salad drive and on the path to achieving the 20LBs-less before march challenge!  And I am hoping its because of that, Sush hasnt posted any new yummy recipes! 

I have been on a sinusoidal curve --
Skipped 3 days workout due to winter indoor allergy, though I snow shoveled :)
Avoided eating rice. substituted dosa with wheat dosas.
Killed it all by having an all KFC dinner (it was wedding day and N used it to advantage for the unhealthy fix)
Trying to get back with salad addendum to dinners!

Hope everyone else is keeping up their goals too! :)

Happy eating and don’t forget to mail me your miles for the week!