Keep Calm and Eat

Life seems to have shaken hands with stress. Getting up in the morning, going to the gym or walk, preparing meal, packing the lunch box, having breakfast, traffic, work pressure, coming back, again cooking, OMG! We always wish for a meal that is quick, tasty,healthy and something that removes stress. All we need to do is smart shopping that helps in quick cooking.

Muesli with Milk - It is often said, milk is complete food. I completely agree with this. It keeps you energetic throughout the day. 

Method 1: This quick and easy recipe needs hardly anytime to prepare. Mix muesli, Greek yogurt, milk and honey (desired sweetness). Place it in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Chill overnight. Sprinkle chia seeds in the morning. Enjoy :)

Method 2: Boil 1/2 cup of muesli and milk. Let it cool for 5 minutes. Top with seasonal fruits!

Healthy Smoothie: Avocado, coconut milk, apple juice and berries make a great smoothie. Though there are variety of healthy smoothies, and you can opt for anyone, this is my favorite one. <3 <3

Spicy Chicken and Vegetable Soup: Spices like ground nutmeg, garlic and curry powder add a kick to the hearty stew/soup. Such spices make digestion strong and also heal the guts. The nutrients get easily absorbed and surprisingly satisfy the sugar craving as well. Adding veggies like carrots, leek, cabbage are always welcomed. With addition of skinless and boneless chicken, the taste is doubled, trust me. Sometimes I even prefer having this light recipe with boiled rice, starch removed, during the lunch. We can relish the yummzz at dinner as well with multigrain bread or gluten-free as per choice.

Greens with Cashew and Ginger Stir-fry: Green leafy vegetables are loaded with vitamins and minerals. They are known as disease-fighting phytochemicals. They are rich in fibre and reduce weight. And trust me if cooked well, they are very tasty. The technique of preparing yummy green leafy vegetable is the amount of water you use in it. Unless we are preparing curry, broth or soup, use minimum water. Addition of ingredients such as ginger and cashews, give it a gingerly plus nutty taste. Ginger cure various stomach problems. It relieves us from arthritis, menstrual pain, respiratory infections and bronchitis. Ginger tea is widely recommended if one is suffering from cold, cough and flu. Cashew prevents cancer and keeps the heart healthy. It is very good for hair and skin. It keeps the bones strong. A delish stir-fry of broccoli, carrots, pak choi, kale with the garlic ginger blend and soya sauce sooths the taste buds. Cashew is just like icing on the sugar. Delectable blend :P

Enjoy Stress-free recipes!

Commonwealth Games 2014 Speciality - Recipes for Athletes

If anyone asks me where would I like to go this season, my answer would certainly be either Brazil for FIFA 2014 or Scotland for the largest multi-sport event, 2014 Commonwealth Games. With 4,950 athletes, belonging to 71 countries, participating in 17 different events, would be worth watching. Isn't it? I'm sure we all will be very busy enjoying the wonderful games from 23 July to 3 August, 2014. An athlete is judged by his wellness and fitness, the exercises involved and the food that he/she eats. So why don’t we have a look on some healthy athletes recipe, it will be fun and you can also add-on to your list of food. Here are 3 healthy breakfast or brunch recipes.

Nut Berry Oatmeal - It is a common saying, “Eat breakfast like a king”. I completely agree with this statement. We must begin our day with something healthy. What could be a better option other than nut berry oatmeal? This is a quick and easy recipe, it is loaded with nutrients as well. The simple breakfast requires skim milk, oatmeal, flaxseed meal, berries of your choice, nuts of your choice and brown sugar or honey. Go for it if you are a real fitness freak. You just require to boil the milk first, add oatmeal and flaxseed meal and keep stirring on low heat till the desired consistency is reached. Pour into the breakfast bowl and top up with berries and nuts. For more nutritious burst, you can also add seasonal fruits to it. Enjoy the healthy treat!

Kiwi-Avocado Smoothie with Lime and Honey:- Breakfast is incomplete without smoothie. The first thing that comes to our mind while thinking about health is smoothie. Isn’t it? Smoothy is a great way of including seasonal fruits/vegetables in your diet as it's very nutritious. Kiwi-avocado smoothie is a healthy way out. The combination not only boosts up the nutritional value but it's tasty as well, when accompanied by honey and lime. Yummzz!! All you need to do is, blending ripe avocado, kiwi, lime juice, honey and milk of your choice (Almond milk, soy milk, coconut milk). Add two-three ice cubes, though I consume it in purest form. This combination is very popular among fitness freaks, I personally love it. :)

Chard and Bacon Quiche - Whether, it’s breakfast or brunch, quiche is something I love to relish. All you require is purple onion, Swiss chard, bacon slices, lowest calorie cheese or vegan cheese and eggs. Infact, you can use spinach plus chard. There are variety of vegan cheese available in the market. You can combine all the ingredients and bake them. And here you are with the yummy delight. This can be served with low-fat dip of your choice, salads and toasts. You can add variant of this also by adding boiled peas, I do this. It drives me crazy :P

Enjoy Commonwealth Games 2014!

Celebrate the World Milk Day (June 1) with Unique Milkshakes

It is often said, “Milk is a complete food”. Milk contains calcium that promotes healthy bones and teeth. It is a great agent for skin rejuvenation. It protects us against heart attack. It helps in hydration. It also acts as resistant to fight against the deadly diseases such as cancer. It also prevents us from osteoporosis. This is a disease of bones that make our bones weak and fragile.

A baby lives entirely on mother’s milk. Just see how pure and rich this milk is! I love milk products such as cheese, butter, buttermilk, curd, yogurt and you know what milk recipes are my all time favorite. Hope you enjoyed rabri, the Indian recipe. So I thought of adding unique milk shakes to your life to celebrate the World Milk Day to the fullest.

• Lemon Meringue
  
   
  In a blender, mix 1 cup of each lemon sorbet and vanilla frozen yogurt with 1/4 cup milk along with 2 tablespoons of lemon curd. Pour the mixture into the glass. Beat 2 egg whites and 2 tablespoons of sugar until stiff and soft peaks is obtained. Spoon onto the shake. Celebrated world milk day with this heavenly treat!!

• Corn Cereal Milkshake
  
  
  
  
  
  Add 1 1/2 cups sweetened corn cereal to 1 1/2 cups of hot milk. Keep stirring for 30 minutes. Strain it and freeze in an ice cube tray. Blend the frozen milk cubes, in a blender along with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and 1 cup of cereal. Add more cereals on the top. Serve the chilled treat!!

• Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake
  
  
  
  Broil 8 marshmallows in foil, turning them from time to time, until brown. Blend milk, adding 5 of the toasted marshmallows. Top with the remaining marshmallows. Serve chilled or warm, the choice is yours.

• Acai Milkshake
  
  In a blender, add 1 cup vanilla frozen yogurt, 1/2 banana, 1/4 cup acai juice, 1/2 cup frozen blueberries along with 2 tablespoons of protein powder. Blend well. Top with ice if desired. Enjoy the delightful treat!!

• Fig and Port Milkshake
  

Simmer 1 cup of port. To it add 1/3 cup of chopped dried figs. Keep stirring until the liquid is reduced by half. Now cool it. Then blend with 1 tablespoon port again. Mix milk and sugar, layer in glasses with the port mixture. Beat the scorching summer with cool milkshake.

Smoothies for Weight Loss

1. Kale smoothie - Hope you liked my blog Crispy Kale Chips. So lemme start with the kale smoothie treat as well, coz I simply love it. Kale is known as the queen of greens. It helps in lowering cholesterol level and of course reducing weight. It makes a great smoothie too, lets see how. 

Ingredients:-

½ pear,

½ lemon,

1 cup kale,

¼ avocado,

½ cucumber,

½ inch ginger,

handful of cilantro,

½ cup coconut water,

1 scoop protein powder,

1 cup pure drinking water.

Method - Blend all ingredients for the refreshing smoothie.

2. Spirulina Smoothie - Cut down your fat with this unique smoothie. Spirulina is an algae, but can be consumed by animals and human beings, infact it’s very beneficial. It is rich in protein and boosts up immune system, regulates cholesterol and controls blood pressure.

Ingredients:-

½ banana,

¼ avocado,

½ cup blueberries,

½ cup almond milk,

1 teaspoon spirulina,

1 cup pure drinking water,

1 scoop vanilla protein powder.

Method - Blend all ingredients and enjoy this unique smoothie.

3. Belly Soother - As the name indicates, if you really wanna have a flat and sexy belly, go for this heavenly drink. Tummy can be treated by healthy dose of probiotics that is found in tangy kefir.

Ingredients:-

1 cup papaya,

1 tablespoon raw honey,

2 tablespoon lime juice,

1 cup coconut kefir or coconut milk.

Method - Blend all ingredients and enjoy the coconuty drink.

4. Strawberry Goji Smoothie - Beat the scorching summer with this smoothie. Natural goji berries is not only advantageous in reducing weight but have overall health benefits also. Goji berries is also used in making herbal tea, wine and medicines. It promotes longevity.

 Ingredients:-

1 frozen banana,

3 tablespoon Goji berries,

1 cup of coconut kefir water,

¼ cup frozen strawberries blueberries.

Method - Blend all ingredients together, relieve yourself from summer and also reduce weith with this tasty and healthy drink.

5. Fat Flush Smoothie - If you desire to have a flat belly, this ultra-cleansing smoothies is must for breakfast. Bit spicy due to garlic but it’s an absolute tangy treat. The results will keep asking you for more and more of it.

Ingredients:-

1 radish,

2 garlic cloves,

3 medium carrots,

1 medium red beet,

large handful of parsley.

Method - Blend all ingredients. Stained if desired. Have a pulpy treat for better results. Enjoy!