May 1st:

Vratham Food:
Morning: a cup of moong sprouts. Toasted lightly and seasoned with sea salt and black pepper
Noon: a cup of drumstick sambar and 12 roasted chestnuts
Evening:
I wasn’t feeling much hungry so I had some fruit and buttermilk.
1 cup of pear fruit slices
1 glass ginger buttermilk (homemade)
6 glasses of water, throughout the day
Workout:
15 minutes meditation + 30 minutes walk.

May 2nd:

Vratham Food:
Morning: 1 glass of ragi malt and 1 cup moong sprouts
Noon: One cup of chole and one cup yogurt
Evening: Big bowl of sauteed amaranth leaves with brown chickpeas
One cup, pear fruit slices
6 glasses of water throughout the day
Workout:
15 minutes meditation and + 30 minutes walk

May 3rd:

Vratham Food:
Morning: 1 glass of ragi malt sweetned with a tad of jaggery, and 15 rehydrated almonds
Noon: 1 big bowl of baby spinach with brown chickpea saute, and 1 glass of buttermilk
Evening: 1 glass of ragi malt sweetened with jaggery
Dinner: 2 rotis and a cup of palak paneer without paneer
1 small cup of cucumber and carrot slices
Workout: 15 minutes meditation + 30 minutes Pilates + 1 hour kickboxing at the gym.

May 4th:
Vratham Food:
Morning: 1 glass of ragi malt sweetned with jaggery and 15 rehydrated almonds
Noon: 1 small cup of palak paneer without paneer, 1 big bowl of toor dal rasam and 1 small cup of cucumber and carrot slices
Evening: 4 stuffed baby karela, 1 big bowl of toor dal rasam and 1 bowl of pineapple slices
6 glasses of water throughout the day
Workout: 15 min meditation + 1 hour spinning + 30 min weights

May 5th:
Vratham Food:
Morning: 1 glass of ragi malt sweetened with jaggery and 15 rehydrated almonds
Noon: 1 cup malabar spinach dal with a cup of rice, a cup of carrot and cucumber kosambari and a cup of sweet pineapple fruit
Evening: 1 cup of cardamom chai
1 cup malabar spinach dal with karela curry, a cup of carrot and cucumber kosambari and a cup of sweet pineapple slices. Not a good day foodwise because I had white rice and chai.
Workout: 15 min meditation + 15 min walk + 1 hour latin dance class at the gym.

May 6th:
Vratham Food:
Morning: 1 glass of ragi malt sweetened with Jaggery and 15 rehydrated almonds
Noon: 1 cup carrot sambar, 1 cup moongdal-cucumber kosambari and a cup of pineapple slices
Evening: 2 pesarattus with chilli chutney and a glass of ragi ambali
Workout: Gardening and Home cleaning + 30 minutes walk
Beautiful day. For the first time this season, I saw couple of hummingbirds in our backyard. They were enjoying pomegranate flowers.

May 7th:
Vratham Food:
Morning: 2 glasses of lemon(lime) water.
Noon: 1 big bowl of fruit kosambari (strawberries+pineapple+pear) and 1 glass of strawberry-almond milk shake with little bit honey
Evening: Friends came over for dinner and I too had some food that I shouldn’t have.
Workout: 15 minutes meditation + An elaborate dinner menu preparation in the kitchen.
Thanks Sailaja and family for the lovely evening and beautiful chrysanthemums.

Doing something with devotion for a cause is called Vratham in Sanskrit. I remember growing up in Nandyala, elders in my family periodically doing vrathams. They would refrain from certain foods and desires for a set period of time and slowdown from life. As a child, I used to wonder why anyone wants to put the body voluntarily through the hard path. But as I get older, I am realizing that suffering could bring salvation or at least gives some knowledge of how sufficient our lives are.

For the first time, I did a workout vratham last year for 14 days. It was a shock to my system and a test to my will power. In the end, the 14 days of refraining led to rejoicing about the realization that I still had the control on my mind and I could motivate myself enough to do something good for my spirit. That Jihva (desire) is back again this year. My guru for the inspiration and motivation is Kay from Live.Love.Workout. And, this is the plan for this year’s workout vratham:

Jihva for Workout Vratham

Vratham duration: May 1st to May 31st.

Vratham Workout: in addition to the regular homework.

• 15 minutes of meditation, everyday.
• 5 days of Cardio (walking/running/aerobics/swimming/etc) – minimum 30 minutes
• 3 days of Calisthenics (strength training/crunches, sit ups, squats, lunges, etc) and Yoga/Pilates – 30 minutes minimum

Vratham Food – The food will be anti inflammatory – as it will help to cleanse the system and slow down the degenerative forces.

Do’s:

• Grains : Whole grains. Brown rice, Amaranth, Quinoa, Buckwheat, Steel cut oats, Millet – ragi (finger millet)/bajra(pearl millet)/white millet/African/kodo/Teff/
• Fresh fruits – all except bananas
• Fresh veggies – twice everyday
• Protein – Lentils and beans at least twice a day.
• Fresh Greens and Herbs: At least one serving of raw greens a day – either in juice or kosambaris
• Unsalted nuts and seeds in moderate amounts
• Sweetener – just a tad of honey / agave /stevia /molasses/jaggery
• Dairy – Just yogurt or kefir.
• Drinks – water, herbal teas, fresh juices, lemon water, coconut water

Don’ts:
The following are good foods. But in western world, particularly in US, aggressive farming, extreme chemical commercialization and over processing changed the good to somewhat questionable character. So the refrain.

• No wheat
• No sugar and sugar substitutes, preservatives, additives, etc
• No dairy (milk, cheese, sour cream, butter, cream etc)
• No eggs
• No corn and corn products
• No canned products
• No veggies list – tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes, bell peppers
• No bananas or dried fruits
• No caffeine – Coffee/Black tea
• No alcohol
• No chocolate
• No fried foods
• No peanuts
• No Meat

Calorie Counting:
Portion sizes are important and total calories for a day allowed are 1200-1600. Divide each meal into approximately 300-400 calories for a total of 4 mini meals per day.
(calorie tracking websites – TheDailyplate, fitday, sparkpeople, shape online journal.)

This plan that I am going to follow for the month of May also changes the direction of 4-year old Jihva Event. You, my readers and fellow bloggers, are welcome to participate in Jihva Workout Vratham. Workout duration and food doesn’t have to be like the above exactly. It could be for one week or two weeks or a day and the food could be just vegetables and fruits or meat and dairy free. Giveup something, whatever that is troubling you food wise and workout. Change the vratham parameters to suit your lifestyle and life needs. Maintain an online journal for the duration and share your healthy meal menus and recipes with us all. No blog, then write a comment note at the participant blog you follow. Food is vital to our health and fitness, and group activities strengthen the soul. Jihva workout vratham combines the two.

I look forward to your contributions to Jihva Workout Vratham. Thanks.

Every kitchen garden needs a healthy combination of both herbs and vegetable plants, and nothing beautifies the homestead like flowers. Cilantro is a great annual herb with memorable fragrance, flavor, and flowers. This old-time herb sprouts from coriander seeds, grows compact, flowers prolifically, sets seed gladly and reseeds with ease, offering a perpetual, perennial-like performance in the kitchen garden. The whole cilantro plant, from fresh leaves, flowers, root to seeds have valuable roles in the kitchen and many culinary uses.

I noticed that cilantro loves warm and humid Houston weather. I let my cilantro bloom this spring and then fruit. When seeds are plump, I removed the plants and arranged them in a flower vase to air-dry. They made a beautiful arrangement and filled the home with wonderful coriander fragrance. It makes me happy to think that in about a week when they are dried, I could harvest home-grown coriander seeds.

Cilantro in Bloom

Cilantro with Plump, Green Dhania (Green Coriander Seeds)

Cilantro with Coriander Seeds

Celebrating Mother Earth’s Generosity with Cilantro Bouquet

Red potatoes I planted last winter are taking up quite a bit of precious space with their healthy blooms this spring. I read that flowering means potatoes can be harvested. I like the potatoes when they are in baby, immature stage, when the skin is still very delicate and they have not had as much time to convert their sugar into starch. I didn’t want the potatoes to fully develop into big mature ones with thick skin. So, to recover some planting space and to harvest some tender potatoes, yesterday I removed the potato plants and dug up the new potatoes. It was like an easy treasure hunt to unearth these baby ruby beauties. I got about 16 potatoes, from two plants. Not bad, considering that I didn’t do anything extra, like adding fertilizer, except watering the plants occasionally.

16 potatoes and 3 recipes – one recipe each for three days. That is the menu this week. First recipe on the list, a classic from childhood and my husband Vijay’s favorite, Potato Upma. Potatoes are cut, sautéed with other vegetables and then steamed with roasted rava in potato upma. For Vijay, upma is not upma unless it has some potatoes and tomatoes in it.

Spring Harvest: New (Immature), Red Potatoes

Potato Upma
(for two or four, for two to one meal)

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon, peanut oil
From Masala dabba: 1/4 teaspoon each, urad dal, cumin and mustard seeds
1 sprig, fresh curry leaves,
1 onion, finely chopped, about a cup
4 green chillies (Indian or Thai variety), finely chopped
1 tomato, finely chopped, about half cup
2 potatoes, finely cubed, about a cup
Roasted cashews or peanuts, about quarter cup
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 and 1/2 cups, Roasted Upma Rava (available at Indian grocery)
3 cups water

Method:
In a large skillet, heat peanut oil over medium heat. Add urad dal, cumin, mustard seeds and curry leaves. Toast the ingredients to fragrance. Add the onion and chillies, stir-fry until the onion softens, about five minutes. Add tomatoes and potatoes. Cook, stirring often for another five minutes. Add water to the skillet. Stir in salt. Raise the heat to medium-high and cover the skillet. When water starts to boil and lifts up the lid, remove the cover and reduce the heat to low. Add roasted rava, stirring constantly with a sturdy ladle so that the rava mixes well with water without any lumps. Sprinkle cashews or peanuts and steamcook, stirring frequently until there is no liquid left on the surface and the rava looks like creamy pudding.

Serve Potato Upma warm with chutney, pickle, podi or sambar.

Potato Upma with Pappula Podi and Carrots ~ for Meal Today

First Roses to Bloom ~ French Lace and Angel Face

I can’t believe that I am already into my second year of gardening. Last year was my first attempt at raised bed gardening. In retrospect, I have to say it went very well. It was a joy to see small seedlings budding into healthy plants and producing so generously many flowers, vegetables and fruits. We had great spring and summer season last year which contributed to the garden success, and it was more enjoyable because we had my mother and father in-law from Nandyala visiting us. They were enthusiastic, encouraging and very helpful towards my gardening hobby, and did a lot for the well being of plants. Thanks again Attayya and mamayya, if you are reading. I miss your kind presence and I wish you are here this year too.

2009 garden efforts produced a decent vegetable harvest. The plants that did exceptionally well were tomatoes, peppers, okra, brinjal, Indian broad beans, Indian karela, Turai and Red alasanda (asparagus beans). Gongura, Spinach, Chard, methi, mint and coriander also grew well. When it comes to fruit plants, they are still in establishing stage and the harvest was 3 pomegranates, 10 sweet figs and few strawberries and blackberries. We had some winter causalities due to unseasonably cold weather. Mango, guava, seethapalam (custard apple), curry leaf, jasmine varieties, nandivardanam, henna and banana plant did not survive the snowfall to my heartbreak. I can now understand the despair the farmers feel when the hard-earned money, effort and hopes of green future give up on them. I have gently laid plant losses to rest in the compost pile. My only comforting thought was to believe that those plants would live on through the feeding of the next generation by becoming the best compost possible.

I am glad spring is here, giving a new chance for life. Days are getting warm. Seeds are sprouting. It is so beautiful here, I am spending most of the time outdoors tending plant beds. Here are some plants I’ve planted for this year’s growing season.

Some good and old:
Alliums: Red onion and garlic
Beans: Green beans, Peas, Chikkudu(Indian Broadbeans), Okra
Fruits: Blackberries, Cantaloupe, Fig, Grapes, Jamaican Cherry, Mandarin Orange, Papaya, Pomegranate and strawberries (most of the fruit plants are planted last year)
Greens: Chard, Gongura, Fenugreek (methi), Kale, Lettuce, and Spinach
Herbs: Mint (spearmint), Marjoram and Rosemary
Squash: Turai, Lauki(Bottle Gourd), Silk squash, Cucumbers, Karela, Zucchini (yellow and Mexican squash)
Vegetables, Fruit: Corn, Eggplant (purple, long and round variety), Tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, sweet peppers, hot peppers.
Vegetables, Root: Potatoes (red), radish (red), Ginger

Some new:
I am planning to grow tamarind, turmeric, mango-ginger and vaamu(ajwan) because ever inquisitive mind wants to know how they fare in Houston weather.

Here are some photos from the backyard:

Tomato Plants …………. Brinjal Plants

Red Radish and Cantaloupe … Mint, Rosemary, Marjoram and Strawberry Plants

Beans, Cucumber, Grape …. Curbside Mint Around the Front yard Plant, Free for Walkers

My Garden Buddy, Dear Kittaya Enjoying the Greens and the Garden Breeze

What are you planning to plant this spring? Any new gardening tips and ideas? I would love to hear from you.

Joseph’s Nursery in Pearland, TX is one of the decent nurseries I have ever been to so far in Houston. It is a gigantic nursery, filled with a huge range of basically everything that can be grown in soil. They have a wide variety of flower, fruit and decorative plants, and a good selection of both Asian and native vegetable plants. Nursery looks well-maintained, the people who work there are helpful and plants’ prices are also comparable to major chain garden centers. Plus, it is almost next to Sri Meenakshi Temple which makes it convenient to do bhagavan and vana darshan one after the other on the same day.

We went there last weekend for spring plant shopping. Brought home a desert rose, papaya and few vegetable plants. Here are some photos we have taken during our trip.

Joseph’s Nursery, Pearland, TX

Geraniums in Different Colors

Flower Selection

Desert Roses in Bloom

Helpful Staff, Hard at Work

Vegetable Seedlings for Sale

My Precious Plant Khajana for Summer 10

For those of you interested to go, here is the address:
Joseph’s Nursery‎
3723 FM 1128 Rd, Pearland, TX 77584-7517
(281) 489-9786‎

White Camellia for Mahanandi 5th Birthday

Mahanandi has always been a place of cherished memories, experiences and love. I am grateful for the enthusiasm and energy that surrounds Mahanandi from around the world. Thank you for being a part of this tranquil experience.

Happy 5th anniversary to my beloved Mahanandi!

Phuspam, Phalam, Panakam and Vadapappu ~ Naivedyam on Sri Ramanavami

Panakam Prasadam
(for a chembu or two glasses of Panakam)

2 tablespoons of Jaggery pieces
2 glasses of cold water
Pinch of sonti powder

Add jaggery and sonti to water. Mix until jaggery disssolves completely in water. Offer to Bhagavan and then enjoy the refreshing taste of Panakam Prasadam with family and friends.

Yesterday, we went to see Ugadi celebrations at Sri Meenakshi Temple, Houston. The program started with Pooja and Panchanga Shravanam, followed by dance and singing performances by very talented Houstonians. Traditional Ugadi meal including Ugadi pacchadi was served at the end. The festivities were organized by Telugu association of Houston and they really put together a nice event. We had great time meeting and mingling with friends.

Here are some photos and one video we have taken at the Ugadi Celebrations.

Sri Meenakshi Temple, Houston

Program Co-ordinators- Sridhar and Sarada

Lord Vishnu Dance by Talented Children

Classical Dance by Talented Children