Feeling Thankful

"Feeling Thankful and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it"

This week I wrote something that will show up in my son's theater program flyer to  support our 12 yr old in his first theatrical venture - my son took his proverbial "leap of faith" in September. Here's what I wrote for him :

Dear K2, 

Close your eyes.Soar up high.Feel the vast, cloudy skies. 
Let the fear go, Set it free.Fly your way to confidence and success.
Spread your wings.Start to sing.Dance like you were meant to...
When you are on the stage, You have already won, Our hearts, soul and happiness.
                               Love, Mumma & Daddy

We are really looking forward to his theater show next week! And we are hoping all goes well with it.

We had a quiet "Turkey Day" at home this year - I am still recovering from my laryngitis which has become a full-blown sinus infection, so I got out the big guns - Antibiotics 😟😟😟 But staying home with the boys was nice - I binge watched Flash (all done with Season 4), watched a couple movies I wanted to catch up on, went to Zumba classes and cooked some. We didn't roast a turkey but I did make a turkey dish in my Instant Pot that turned out amazing!

Kheema Cholay

What's in it?

• 1 lb Ground Organic Turkey (Whole Foods)
• 2 cans  of Organic Garbanzo Beans
• 4 Oz Bhuna Masala ( click the link for how to make it!)
• Minced Garlic
• Shaan Murg Cholay Masala (1/2 Packet)
• Salt, Cinnamon Powder, Tomato Sauce (to taste)
• Cilantro to Garnish
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1 tbspoon Olive Oil

How I made it?

• Put the IP on Saute Mode 
• Add the Olive Oil, till there is a shimmer, now add the minced garlic and the ground turkey - saute for 2 minutes
• Add the 2 cans of Garbanzo beans ( washed) and the Bhuna masala. Mix and saute for another 2 minutes. If you need more liquid add the 1/4 cup water
• Put the IP on Manual High Pressure for 5 minutes, No Release
• When you open the IP, Mix and add Salt, tomato sauce and Cinnamon Powder to taste 
• Garnish with Cilantro and enjoy with Roti or Pav - super yum!

Lost my Voice...found my mind!

Northern California now has the worst air quality in the world, thanks to wildfire smoke...My heart goes out to all the families in our area with losses.

Last Friday the smoke in the air gave me the worst throat ache and I haven't been able to talk for a week. It has gotten worse due to the cold and the persisting smoke in the air. 

Yet losing my voice in the past week has been a wake up call of sorts for me - a time for me to shut up and listen (listen to others and my inner voice...no no not the critical one, the other one!) - Quieten the monkey chatter in my head and put the fears to rest...and listen to that "little" voice which is trying to make sense of all this nonsense. This article by Beth Comstock (CMO, GE) helped me at work quite a bit...I had the luxury of not talking and listening more...it gave me a different perspective which was refreshing. True that she said : My lesson: Soaking up a conversation shouldn’t be a luxury. Stop, listen, ask.

I also focused on the task of getting better and for that I turned to my handy dandy Instant Pot and made a - mixed vegetable sweet corn soup.

What's in it?

• I used pre-chopped vegetables -  1 big bag of frozen vegetables from Whole Foods (use the one you fancy...I got the one with peas, carrots, corn, beans...)
• 1 can of creamed corn
• 2 32 Oz of Chicken Bone Broth
• Grated Ginger (small knob)
• Water - 2 Quarts 
• Bragg's Liquid Amino
• Worcestershire Sauce (to taste ~ 1 tbsp)
• Salt and Pepper to Taste
• Chopped Spring Onion Stalk for Garnish

How I made it?

• Put all the ingredients above in the Instant Pot (except the salt and pepper)
• Manual on 5  minutes (no release)
• Stir...add Salt & Pepper to taste
• Garnish with Chopped Spring Onion Stalk ( I had it at home almost close to wilting, so was happy to use it)
• Sit Back - Turn on the TV or pick your favorite book and ENJOY!

Servings

This is about 8 servings. 

This soup  has < 150 calories and > 6 grams of Fiber and about 10 grams of protein.  True is the saying  "Soup is Cozy"