Body Positive!

"I'm not fat But I feel So Heavy, I feel my arms jiggle, I feel too big Uncomfortable in my own skin, I am not fat, But I feel So Heavy, I wish I weighed Nothing at all." 

I was the fat kid all my life ( think 5'3'' and ~ 180 lbs and right now at Size 4 and 120 lbs I still feel like the fat kid...Only one in seven Americans feels “body positive.”... It takes women half their lives to achieve half the level of body self-esteem as the average teenage male -- a whopping 66% of teenage girls are either body negative or body ambivalent...Ouch! (Source : Yahoo Health). 

So for me, as I strive to lose a couple more lbs, I want to do it while I nourish my body, spirit and mind. I want to remain in shape and get strong - so that I can be a positive role model for my son. I want to remain in shape for myself ...so that I can jump up and dance when I want to, climb the high mountains and see the world upside down from a Yoga posture...body strong, body positive!

I will blog my healthy (and not so healthy habits) for the next 6 months as I slowly but surely make progress. For today I want to share my healthy vegetable haul...

Self Compassion (Banish the inner critic!)

"Self Compassion is simply giving the same kindness to ourselves that we would give to others"

Such a simple concept on paper but so hard to practice. This weekend I had to cancel not one but two of my weekend free classes as my body wouldn't cooperate and I was doing what I do when I am having a massive mental tug of war...I was talking to myself aloud in the kitchen as I was making my son's breakfast (he was sitting at the table with his air pods and I assumed he was busy in whatever robotics match he was watching and couldn't hear me ). Here's how the one-way conversation went :

Me : Darn it - I am weak!

Me : Why didn't I just plough through the pain with Advil and teach?

Me: I am not committed enough to exercising

Me : I am not disciplined

Me : I have already gained 10 lbs at FB...wait for it it will get worse !

Me : My students will all leave me

I feel a tap on my back and my son was towering over me and he says : Ma you got this, it's ok its just one class, you are consistent and your students get it !!! And you are awesome! (Context - this is the first time he has said that in a loooooooong time!)

Made me sit up and think about how much we end up having these one-sided conversations where we beat ourselves up into a corner....why not change that conversation we have with ourselves...

Nostalgia is a B**** and the easiest Matar Paneer

 There comes a time in everyone's life when they realise  how perfect things were and we didn't value it...

The early morning commutes...

The tête-à-tête over coffee/chai at work,

Our in-person meetings that had sounded unbearably long...

My needing to dress up and wear *some* makeup...

The in-person Zumba Classes,

The hugs from my BFF...

Breathing the fresh air outside sans mask...

I will never again take life for granted....

And that's where nostalgia plays its games.

It's been a year and I am tired of the fear and the mask and the restrictions. Don't get me wrong...I am one of those rule-followers who follows rules to the tee...and yet I am tired and could use something different in my life right now...

Work will start full deluge tomorrow and grocery shopping and meal prepping were the top of mind right now. I had a margherita lying in the fridge that I was wondering whether to toss or drink and broke 2 months of "dry days" to a prickly pear margherita and the buzz was pleasant...yet the mind slowed down to snail pace...I ended up making the easiest Matar Paneer ever...

5 Minute Easy Matar Paneer

What you need?

1. 1/2 bottle Trader Joe's Marinara Sauce
2. Olive Oil
3. Spices : Turmeric, Kasturi Methi, Punjabi Garam Masala
4.  Fresh Thinly Slices Ginger, Jalapeno
5. 1 lb Paneer (cottage cheese, I used the Nanak Brand) - I airfried in parallel with some turmeric and salt in my airfryer about 10 minutes
6. 1/2 lb Peas ( Trader Joe's)
7. Trader Joes Kefir
8. Ketchup, Cinnamon  (optional but makes a difference in taste)
9. Salt to taste
10. Chopped Cilantro to drizzle on later

How to make it?

1. Cube the Paneer, sprinkle with turmeric and salt - spray with Oil and add to Air Fryer and fry at the max temp 400 degrees F for 12 minutes, till golden brown
2. Cut the Ginger and Jalapeno into thin slices...
3. Turn your instant pot to Saute
4. Add olive oil, add turmeric, punjabi garam masala,kasturi methi,  ginger and jalapeno and saute for a couple minutes
5. Add the Marinara Sauce 
6. Add in the air-fried paneer
7. Add about 1/2 cup of water
8. Turn on the pressure on manual 2 minutes, no release
9. Open and now add Salt, Ketchup and Cinnamon to taste
10. Add a little bit of Kefir and taste...it will make it creamy and give it a slight tang...
11. Add the chopped cilantro
12. Enjoy with Parathas/Brown Rice

“Nostalgia is a necessary thing, I believe, and a way for all of us to find peace in that which we have accomplished, or even failed to accomplish...

Be Kind, Don't Rewind

They say everyday is a learning day. So here’s what 2020 has taught me…

I’ve learned that I’m not the type of a person who wakes up early in the AM to do BollyX or Yoga. I am however the type of person who wakes up early in the morning to drink my ginger chai and mindlessly clear the clutter in my inbox (mostly scammers…) and scroll through social media (I am addicted to cute dog videos on  Facebook). Don’t get me wrong I do get my workout in but it’s usually in the evenings dance and yoga and if I get both in together, that’s definitely a win!

I’ve learned that I’m not the type of person who bakes delicious looking sourdough bread. I am, however, the type of person who loves loves a cheesy grilled cheese sandwich made with said sourdough bread…so grateful to the Farmer’s Market for keeping me well-stocked in that department (#go local)

I’ve learned that I’m not the type of a person that goes for a socially distanced run on the Bay trails. I am, however the type of a person who likes a leisurely stroll on the trails with the puppy taking pictures of the beautiful blue heron and the graceful leopard sharks. I am so glad my puppy has small legs and doesn’t move very fast or very far…so we get the chance to just take in the views together.

I’ve learnt that though every day might feel like “groundhog day” - mundane and monotonous BUT, I enjoy the time with family, the peace and quiet without the hustle of commute, constant parties and school activities. I don’t feel this incessant need to be outside constantly busy. I have broken my life into the bits and pieces that make sense for now : Family, Work, Working Out and building my mental resilience (it’s a marathon not a sprint!)

Let’s face it this year hasn’t exactly turned out how any of us hoped or mapped out on our vision boards in 2019. However my biggest learning in 2020 has been two things “focus on what I can control” and “don’t dwell on the months lost to this pandemic”. 

And while we are at it - here is a thing we certainly can control...our diets. So this week I made this amazing vegetable barley soup which nourished us inside out on this cold cold day!

Vegetable Barley Soup

What you need?

• 3/4 cup pearl barley
• 1 tsp  Olive Oil
• 1 medium onion diced
• 2-3 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 2 carrot peeled and diced
• 2 small celery stalks diced
• 2 handfuls beet greens (or any other greens! I had beet greens from the Farmer's Market)
• salt and pepper
• 4 cups chicken Bone Broth
• Braggs Amino Acid (2-3 tablespoon to taste)
• 4 cups water
• Lemon/Lime Juice
• Cilantro for garnish

How to make it?

• Heat oil in Instant Pot on saute mode. Cook garlic and onion until translucent.
• Add carrot, greens, celery,  and barley. Give it a quick mix.
• Season with  salt, and pepper (and amino acid)
• Finally, add water, broth
• Put the lid and cook the soup on manual high pressure for 18 min. 
• Add Lemon juice

Remember, while you are having this delicious soup -we can do this. We ARE doing this everyday day by day…building community and compassion. It needn’t always be pretty. 

Food Memories & a recipe!

“What keeps me motivated is not the food itself but all the bonds and memories the food represents.”

I went to Trader Joe's yesterday...nowadays grocery shopping is the only time I get in the car and drive out somewhere, so my heart was already skipping a beat...there was no line at my local TJ's (sheer magic!) and the smiling person at the front  door sprayed hand sanitizer on my hands while giving me a clean cart...her eyes literally beaming over her mask (this social distancing is making me fanciful much?)...anyhow after giving her a broad grin which I am sure she missed (hello! mask)...I went into one of my favorite grocery stores. My shopping list was a boring one...till I got to the end of the list and took a detour aka the last three items 😉

• Milk ✅
• Celery ✅
• Carrots ✅
• Grapefruit ✅
•  Kefir  ✅
• Bananas ✅
• Basil Plant (Say What?) ✅
• Chocolate Croissants ✅
• Triple Ginger Cookies ✅

These Triple Ginger Cookies are amazing....I discovered them almost 20 years back and hooked my father on to it...I carried a couple tubs of these cookies for him every time I went back to India...we would have chai and 2 (ok ok 4 !!!) cookies and just chat. I stopped buying these cookies 7 years back after I lost him. I have no idea why but this time at the store...I picked up these ginger cookies and yesterday I had a few of these cookies with a strong cup of ginger chai (you can never have enough ginger !!!) and I remembered my Bapa...good memories, food memories...they made me smile!

My husband is Marathi...so his favorite dish is a  Sheera, having grown up in the south the closest I have come to enjoy Sheera is via Rava Kesari...I lived by the Siddhi Vinayak Temple and every Friday was a Rava Kesari prasadam day - guess who was first in line for the prasadam...yup! you guessed right. So today, I decided to go all out and make Rava Kesari (I have never made Rava Kesari !!!)

RAVA KESARI

Ingredients

• 1/2th   Cup  Truvia Blend or 3/4th cup sugar
• 1 Cup of  Rava or Sooji
• Ghee - 2-3 tablespoons 
• Edible Color Orange
• 2 Cups of Water ( boil in an electric kettle and keep handy!)
• Few Cashews and Raisins (just remembered we called them kismis in India 😍)
• Crushed Cardamom Powder (2-4 pods, discard the skin after crushing)
• Pinch of Bhimsen Kapur (edible camphor) - reminds me of the temple! I buy mine in India from an Ayurvedic store...please skip if you don't have it !!! I see it on Amazon but unsure of whether it's food grade.
• LOTS OF LOVE

How to make?

1. Turn the Instant Pot to Saute
2. Add the ghee 
3. Saute the Cashews and Raisins first, add the cardamom powder and the kapur
4. Add the Rava, Sugar/Truvia and the edible color and fry really well, till the smell of the Rava is toasty (4-5 minutes)
5. Add the boiling water & mix thoroughly
6. Turn the IP to High Pressure 2 minutes, Quick Release
7. When you open it check the consistency, if needed add an additional spoon of ghee  ( I feel like I will skip this step next time but didn't this time and it definitely made my Rava Kesari exactly like the temple prasadam)

For a first time, not to brag - this Rava Kesari was on point. 

Enjoy with your family. Remember to create amazing  food memories with your loved ones!

Healthy Bowls...story of a bean and a rice!

I am seriously getting "cabin fever"... there are the days when the BollyX dancing is reserved for the evening where by late morning I am ready to tear my hair out. Today was one such day...when I realized we were low on some essential staples Coffee, Beans and Daals - it was a much needed lifeline.

I decided to do a grocery run to Whole Foods...and I am so glad I did...I  have never ever been so happy grocery shopping as I was today, there was barely anyone at the stores - I think everyone was resting after the long weekend revelry  - I got the Keurig coffee pods, fresh corn (they had an amazing deal on it!), some chicken kabobs (yup! another amazing Prime Deal) and as I was walking towards the bulk section - I noticed a 25% off Bulk Items (already in containers)...unheard of at Whole Foods.  I ended up buying Garbanzo Beans (Cholle), Black Eyed Peas (Lobia) , Brown Basmati Rice,  Red Lentil (Masoor), Raw Sunflower Seeds and Muesli (all organic and honestly cheaper than what I would have paid for non-organic at my local indian store).  Thus was born my meal plan for today and we have enough Channa Masala to last us one more meal tomorrow (For the win!)

Punjabi Cholle Masala (served with brown rice pulao)

 

What's in it?

• 8 oz of my  Bhuna Masala (what you haven't made this - it's a life-saver!)
• 2 tablespoons Roopak Punjabi Cholle Masala (my sis-in-law keeps me supplied with this - Thanks Anu !!!) - key is use your favorite cholle masala
• 12 Oz Dried Cholle (soaked overnight)
• 12 Oz of Water
• Kasturi Methi, 2 Black tea bags
• Cinnamon Powder+ Ketchup (my mother adds this in all her gravy subzis and I just blindly follow ;-) ) 
• Salt to taste, Grated Ginger, Turmeric Powder

You can make it in one step where you dump everything in and just have your Cholle cook for 30 minutes, I break it into a two part process, only because I have done the dump and cook method and feel like the 2 part process somehow makes the Cholle taste spectacular !!!

How I made it?

• Turn on Saute Mode on your instant pot
• Dump in the soaked Cholle+12 Oz water+ Turmeric Powder+ Grated Ginger
• Cook on Beans adjusted to 25 minutes (which is Manual High 25 I think), QR
• Now add in the Bhuna Masala, the Cholle Masala, Kasturi Methi, Salt to Taste and the 2 black unflavored tea bags to the IP
• Cook on Manual High for 4 mins, NR
• Open and stir in the cinnamon powder and ketchup, taste & savor
• This is the time to garnish with Cilantro and Lemon, I had no Cilantro so I squeezed lemon in my bowl.

Servings

This is about 8 servings of Cholle with 140 calories, 20 grams  carbs, 10 grams of fiber and 8 grams of protein

The brown rice pulao was about 6 servings with 120 calories, 20 grams carbs, 4 grams fiber and 4 grams protein (this is pretty basic but I am happy to share the recipe if there is interest 

My son was begging me for pizza for dinner but he tasted a spoon of the rice and the channa and all his complaining went silent and I felt really happy about putting a healthy meal on the table...over and out!

Going with the flow & the story of a Badam Burfi !

"Because I said so, so it must be..."

Life has an interesting way of teaching us lessons. Human beings don't like change, especially when it is imposed on them without  rhyme or reason - take for example this more than two months quarantine due to the Coronavirus. The more we feel like things are not in our control...the more we resist it and create unnecessary stress for ourselves. Wouldn't it just be easier to go with the flow...

Going with the flow leads to us making our mental health a priority. May is Mental Health Awareness Month and here are a few things that have worked for me :

1. Pause...Breathe...Check in with yourself
2. Take Breaks (sometimes take breaks from the overdose of covid 19 information)
3. Make time to sleep and exercise (I teach a free  BollyX Class on Zoom, I have lost 10 lbs in 3 months and more importantly find a lot of joy in dancing and the community we have built!)
4. Reach Out and Stay Connected (whether with my friends on zoom, a phone call or even a text, we have kept in touch...
5. Seek Help - if things get too overwhelming...understand you are not alone and reach out for support.

So while I was introspecting on "beating my Monday Blues", I also was craving a sweet something BUT I didn't really want to spend too much time in the kitchen...thus was born this easy peasy 10 minutes Badam Burfi recipe.

Badam Burfi

Ingredients

• 1  Cup of Truvia Blend
• 2 Cups of Almond Flour
• 1/3 Cup of Water
• 2 tablespoons Ghee 
• Crushed Cardamom Powder (6-7 pods, discard the skin after crushing)

How to make?

1. Turn the Instant Pot to Saute
2. Add the ghee + Truvia Blend+Crushed Cardamom+Water
3. Mix thoroughly
4. Turn the IP to High Pressure 4 minutes, Quick Release
5. Add the Almond Flour to the syrupy mixture in the IP
6. Now mix it to the consistency of atta/flour and roll into a ball
7. Lay out a silicon sheet, cover it with a parchment paper, lay the flour ball 
8. Now put another parchment paper on top and roll out the dough
9. Cut into diamond shape

Enjoy with your family. Remember to take care of both your mind and body!