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"

Will not go hungry...High Protein Detox Soup

"Life will only change when you become more committed to your dreams than you are to your comfort zone."

I loved my life a month back...very set hours at work, work that I could complete in my sleep, leisurely chai breaks and gym time...and yet there was a part of me that was craving more excitement work wise...so I made the decision to move to an exciting new role in a new company. In the past month I have been thrown way out of my comfort zone...learning a few areas of work that are new to me, new product launches , customer meetings... meetings galore...sure I got the excitement I craved but with it the time I got to myself this month has shrunk to non-existence...I haven't done much with the instant pot but the quick and dirty...steel cut oats, dal, channa masala...and truthfully there have been many days when I have been so exhausted that we have survived on Pizza, Take-Out and cereal...

I am a strong proponent of "you are what you eat" -- so this weekend I told myself enough was enough and I cooked myself a huge batch of "High Protein Detox Soup" - I am having this for lunch most days of this week and I am definitely feeling a lot better about getting my greens and protein. My recipe calls for "Chicken Bone Broth" but if you are vegetarian you might consider adding peanut powder 

High Protein Detox Soup

What you need 

1. 2 Containers - Organic Earthbound Powergreens
2. 1 bag of cut cauliflower florets (Trader Joe's)
3. 1 bag of baby Carrots (Trader Joe's)
4. Chopped Onions (1 small medium red), 5 cloves of Garlic minced, chopped cilantro/mint - 2 handfuls
5. Liquid Aminos, Salt to Taste
6. 2 32 Oz Pacific Organic Chicken Bone Broth
7. Olive/Avocado Oil

To Cook 

1. Turn on your Instant Pot to Saute. Add the oil and sweat out the onion and garlic
2. Add the cauliflower, carrots and greens (cook for 2-3 minutes)
3. Add the bone broth, Liquid Aminos or Salt (I added both to taste)
4. Turn the instant pot on manual high pressure,  NPR 15 minutes
5. Add the mint and blend to a puree with an immersion mixer (taste test before serving)

For the first time I served it to the family I garnished with roasted pine-nuts and baked kale but when I took it to work I heated it straight in the mason jar and drank it. Here's a quick tally in My Fitness Pal of it's nutrition specs per serving - 100 calories, 7 gms carb, 2 grams of fat, 12 gms of protein and 5 gms of Fiber and 4 gms of Sugar

I really feel great about my lunches this week :)

How is your week playing out?

Hasta Luego Baby!

“The world is round and the place which may seem like the end, may also be the beginning.”

Seems only like yesterday...

The first foggy morning,

A warm cup of chai in Cafe 300

An awesome boss who took me into an awesome office,

A room with a view,

Commute - umm what's that?

I fell hook, line and sinker,
It wasn't just the office,

It was the people in it...

Like a warm blanket

The next boss really showed me,

The future is female,

The power of using my own voice,

Giving...

Many a lessons learnt in the last few years,

Some in the office, some with customers  

Most with these informal friends I made,

Over my blog, chai or a BollyX Class.

I will miss you,

But the world is round...

What seems like an end is really a beginning!

So I won't say Good Bye...I will say "see you later"

Hasta Luego till we meet again!

Stay in touch with me on LinkedIn, my facebook page or email

Tentative Parenting : Leap of Faith

" Sometimes all you got to do is take a deep long breath, close your eyes and  take that leap of faith... p.s : keep your fingers crossed at the back that everything works out" 
                                           ---Meenakshi

                                                                                               

                            Photo Credit : Aman Barboza, Venue : Oracle Corporation

My son taught me a lesson this week - in 7th grade at the ripe age of 11 he auditioned for a role in the school play for the first time...for a boy who never sings or dances...he showed remarkable grace and fortitude. Sometimes the toughest part about a new journey - is the beginning. There is a little inner voice telling us how comfortable we are with status quo, telling us we are not ready or capable or is the risk even worth it...so we keep grinding away living a life other than the one we dared to dream about.

So K2's audition ended with him finding his "magic lamp"...he is Aladdin in their school play...my search for the magic lamp begins next month as I take my "leap of faith".

In our current world which is "turning tides" and where women are finally beginning to move beyond "could have, should have, would have"...drop those mental shackles and take that leap of faith...at the end of it all - we end up with two life lists : All the things that we did and all the things that we "wish" we had done. 

Get cracking on that first list...I am right with you!

p.s : if you came to my blog looking for an instant pot recipe - have you tried my berry jam yet - it is delicious and takes literally 5 minutes to make :-)

Change is inevitable...

"Change is inevitable, Growth is Optional"

I love my life, am grateful for my friends and support system, love the beautiful office I work in (zero commute! yes baby!)  and just adore the lakes by my house and the beautiful walks I take around it with my two boys and puppy. My Saturday's for the past year have been pretty set - Get up, put the steel-cut oats in the Instant Pot and then rush to my BollyX class, come back home and cook lunch (or go out to eat). This Saturday, it felt like I was ready for some change from my routine of getting up just in time, throwing the oats in the instant pot, walking the puppy and coming in late for my BollyX class...so here's what I did ... (I was still late for my class 😐)

I had been stewing for a couple days over the beautiful organic berries in my fridge that weren't getting eaten (blackberries and strawberries in case you were wondering). So I got up early in the morning and in the time that it took me to chat with my Ma in India, I made a Berry Jam in my Instant Pot - it's scrumptious and very little work. I also made some protein packed muffins for the boys to have with the berry jam & then went to my BollyX class - change in my routine felt good...now let me start thinking about what other aspect of my life could use a face-lift....Hmmm!

Berrylicious Jam (3 ingredients)

What you need 

1. 1 lb Strawberries, 1 lb Blackberries (mix with the sugar/stevia blend and keep on the side for 20 minutes to let it macerate
2. 1 Lemon
3. 2-3 Tablespoons Truvia Brown Sugar/Stevia Blend Mix ( ~ 15 calories per tablespoons) 

To Cook 

1. Turn on your Instant Pot to Saute. Add the mix of the berries+sugar/stevia. Saute for 5-6 minutes. Squeeze in the Lemon Juice.
2. Now turn the Instant Pot on Manual High Pressure for 3 minutes, NR
3. After about 10 minutes, store or eat.

How is your weekend playing out?

Vote for Suvarna Bhopale...for BRSSD School Board!

“Children must be taught how to think, not what to think." – Margaret Mead

My son started middle school last year at Sandpiper and I approached the school year with a lot of trepidation tinged with hope. He had spent 6 uncomplicated years at Redwood Shores Elementary and "change was always scary". My fears were laid to rest in the ensuing year : he learnt, he got stretched and he  absolutely loves being at Sandpiper - it wasn't all a smooth ride but his growth and learning has been phenomenal.

 In this entire journey, I observed the role that Suvarna played at the school - whether it was actively listening to the children on what was working and what wasn't working (my son comes back home and tells me everything still, so I got to hear of how the 6th graders met with the District Supritendent and the school board and talked about what was working and what wasn't), I saw firsthand her involvement in enrichment programs like Mock Trial (so brilliant and I see my son's growth curve there in just a year of that program...and she runs it 100% on her own with some help from volunteers), theater, Model UN and I sincerely believe she is a champion for our BRSSD public school system and has taken an active role in it's sustained growth and improvement.

I am voting for her because she has proved in her 5 year tenure on the school board that she is committed to bringing about positive change in the school system for our children and I urge you to do the same.Check out her website -

https://sites.google.com/prod/view/re-electsuvarnabhopale

Please follow & like her Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/suvarnaforschoolboard

Education is the greatest way in which you and I can contribute to our childrens betterment, so please vote for someone who will champion sustained improvement and growth.