Category: Workout Vratham

Jihva Workout Vratham ~ Week 4

May 22 and 23:

Vratham Food:
Sundal, sambar and subji, the three S’s with plenty of fresh vegetables and protein filled lentils was my food intake on the weekend.
Workout: Not much except the routine, weekend shopping walk.

May 24:

Vratham Food:
Morning: A cup of Ragi malt and one cucumber
Noon: Zucchini zunka (love this recipe) with roti, and a bowl of mango and pear fruits
Evening: Capsicum subzi with roti plus a small cup of yogurt rice with diced cucumbers
Workout: 30 minutes walk + 3 hours gardening work + 15 minutes meditation
Miss you. dear Kay!

May 25:

Vratham Food:
Morning: A cup of ragi malt and one cucumber
Noon: Capsicum subzi in Sesame sauce with one roti + a bowl of pear fruit
Evening: A bowl of Payala kura pappu (purslane dal) with Kerala matta rice + a glass of ginger buttermilk
Workout: 30 minutes walk + 15 minutes meditation

May 26 to 31:

Vratham Food:
Morning: Sundal and Ragi malt
Noon: Bowl of Subzi with fresh and green leafy vegetables with roti and a bowl of fruit
Evening: A bowl of Sambar Soopa with toor dal and plenty of fresh vegetables and a bowl of fruit
Workout: Walking, weights and meditation

Vratham Results:
Sundal, Subzi and Sambar, the three S’s of Bharath’s culinary staples were my Satyam, Sivam and Sundaram during Workout Vratham. I am glad I did the workout vratham. I feel light and I have much more energy than before.

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Jihva Workout Vratham ~ Week 3

May 15th:

Vratham Food:
Brunch: 3 Rose Matta rice dosas with cubed zucchini in cashew sauce + 1 sweet mango + 1 cup cardamom chai
Evening: 2 wholewheat vegetarian pizza slices (grimaldi) + 1 glass buttermilk (home)
Workout: Shopping walk

May 16th:

Vratham Food:
Morning: a cup of cardamom chai
Noon: Traditional Kerala-onam style meal at a friends home ( matta rice, avail, mango pulissery, sambar etc served on banana leaf).
Night: Wasn’t feeling hungry much. So, had a glass of plain soda water and a mango.
Workout: Talk and laugh, moved the mouth muscles a lot. It was a pleasant day.

May 17th:

Vratham Food:
Morning: a glass of cucumber lemonade (from Cilantro blog) + 15 rehydrated almonds
Noon: a bowl of cucumber kosambari + small bowl of carrot sambar + 1 mango
Evening: 6 Zucchini ponganaalu with honey + 1 glass buttermilk(homemade)
Workout: 15 minutes meditation + 30 minutes walk

May 18th:

Vratham Food:
Morning: A glass of cucumber lemonade + 15 rehydrated almonds
Noon: a bowl of zucchini zunka with sorghum roti + small bowl of fruits (pear and mango)
Evening: 1 cup palak tofu with a cup of kerala matta rice + 1 glass buttermilk(homemade)
Workout: 30 minutes elliptical + 30 minutes walk + 15 minutes meditation.

May 19th:

Vratham Food:
Morning: A glass of cucumber lemonade with just a bit of honey (it’s humid here) + 12 rehydrated almonds
Noon: a bowl of zucchini zunka with sorghum roti + small bowl of fruit (pears and mango)
Evening: 1 small bowl of capsicum in sesame sauce + a cup of kerala matta rice + a small bowl of chana dal chaaru
Workout: 1 hour aerobics + 30 minutes weights + 15 minutes meditation

May 20th and 21st:

Enough protein powered lentils and fresh vegetables filled sundal, sambar and subji with some Kerala matta rice sums up my food intake.
Low energy days, so no workout.

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Jihva Workout Vratham ~ Week 2

May 8th and 9th:

Went out on the weekend to parties and had party food. (Naan, Pulao, Matar and Palak Paneer, Raita and Rasmalai) Not good vratham-wise, but I did do portion control.
At home, for breakfast and evening meal, had ragi malt, fruit salad and upma.
Workout: Shopping walk.

May 10th:

Vratham Food:
Morning:A glass of lemon(lime) water. (Squeeze half a lime into a glass of water. Mix and drink.)
1 cup mung sprouts lightly toasted and seasoned with salt and black pepper.
Noon: 1 bowl cucumber slices + 1 bowl mango slices with salt and chilli powder + Half glass plain soda water
Evening: A bowl of Kerala matta rice with a cup of turai curry + a cup of okra-toor dal sambar made without tamarind
6 glasses of water throughout the day.
Workout: 15 minutes meditation + 30 minutes brisk walk

May 11th:

Vratham Food:
Morning: 1 big cup, ragi malt sweetened with jaggery + 15 rehydrated almonds
Noon: 1 small bowl moong sprouts subji + 1 sweet mango
Evening: 4 zucchini pesarattus + 1 glass ginger buttermilk (from homemade yogurt)
Workout: 1 hour cycling(spinning) + 45 minutes weights class at the gym.
Good day.

May 12th:

Vratham Food:
Morning: 1 big glass of ragi malt, sweetened with jaggery + 15 rehydrated almonds
Noon: 1 bowl of guggullu(sundal) with alasanda + 1 ripe, sweet mango (yum!)
Evening: 1 cup cardamom chai
1 cup Kerala matta rice + 1 cup mango dal + 1 cup green beans-green peas poriyal (from yesterday’s harvest, green beans never tasted better)
Workout: 30 minutes walk + 15 minutes meditation

May 13th:

Vratham Food:
Morning: 1 glass of ragi malt, sweetened with jaggery + 15 rehydrated almonds
Noon: 1 bowl green beans-green peas poriyal with a cup of Kerala matta rice + 1 sweet mango
Evening: 2 bajra rotis + 1 bowl cluster beans-Crowder Peas curry + 1 glass plain soda water (so humid here)
Workout: 15 minutes meditation and 30 mins walk + 45 mins spinning class at the gym.

May 14th:

Vratham Food:
Morning: 1 glass of ragi malt sweetned with jaggery + 12 rehydrated almonds
Noon: 1 cup cluster beans (gawar)-crowder peas curry with one bajra roti and a glass of buttermilk
Evening: 3 matta rice+urad dal dosas with some zucchini curry + 1 sweet and tasty mango
Workout: Home cleaning and website cleaning (oy, what a mess!)

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Jihva Workout Vratham ~ Week 1

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.

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Jihva Workout Vratham

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.

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Food is Empowering!

There is a very important part of our daily life that we quite often take very casually or overlook very conveniently. That is “food”. We are made of what we eat. What we eat and how we eat dictate whether we thrive or survive. When I read about Indus Ladies call for entries to celebrate the International Women’s Day, I thought I have an opportunity to share some of my thoughts with you, because they apply more to women than they apply to men. Even in this age and time food is still predominantly a woman’s domain and only a healthy woman can make a happy family and thus a happy world.

  • Daily Activities
  • Eating right food in right portions during the day would pave the path for the activities of that day.

  • Children
  • I was not able to understand how adversely our eating habits would affect our learning ability in our childhood. Some parents start the day by offering greasy or fried items for breakfast and send their kids to school. As soon as the kids reach school, they would feel sleepy and would not be able to concentrate on what was being taught. I was not an exception; I also had such sleepy days in the class while growing up. I realized the effects of food to some extent by the time I got into college and stopped taking greasy and hard to digest kind of food for breakfast. Children at school age need a light, energetic and easy to digest types of food.

  • Long term life
  • Food is a double edged sword. If you read more, you learn more. If you work more, you earn more and probably save more. This analogy would not apply to food. If you eat more, you spend more, you lose health, lose relationships etc. It’s a hard to digest fact in this convenience is the queen atmosphere but shortcuts in food handling invariably lead to longer stay under hospital care. To gain the benefits of food: 1. Eat moderately. 2. Eat minimally processed or cooked food. 3. Choose from the bottom of the food chain – concentrate on vegetables, fruits and whole grains, etc. – maintain a minimal intake of meat, poultry or dairy. 4. Don’t be afraid to spend few extra minutes in food preparation and always pay attention to what is going into your body.

  • Family
  • Eating healthy will also create happy and successful families. Majority of the health problems adults get are due to improper or bad eating habits. Illnesses like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart problems are due to bad eating habits. Of course, our physical activities also play a role but that is secondary. As adults, if we get unhealthy, we would not be able to spend quality time with our kids and these problems show ripple effects even in old age. Parents who eat healthy would have a higher chance of creating a healthy family.

    More important than anything, conscious eating and compassionate living will create a sustainable environment for everyone. We should not consume more than needed, just because we have more buying power by virtue of earning more money. The most important organ in our body is the brain. A strong mind needs strong body and strong body needs right portions of nutritious food. Think about it – utilize food as a blessing to empower yourself, your family and your world.

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    WV14 ~ Gongura Pappu from Amma

    Beatific Butterfly from Backyard
    Beatific Butterfly from Backyard
    (Of all the transplanted, showy flowers in the backyard, the butterflies are drawn to the wild ones which are known in this part of the world as weeds. Butterflies are precious! So now weeds have become part of the landscape.)

    Today is Vara Lakshmi Vratham, an auspicious day on which Goddess Lakshmi Devi is celebrated with fasting, Pooja and neivedyam. It’s customary to share the Lakshmi Devi amma blessings with family and friends, and I am glad to share this day with you Net friends.

    Neivedyam for the Pooja:

    Semiya-Saggubiyyam Payasam
    Atrasalu
    Alasanda Vada
    Chintapandu Pulihora (Tamarind Rice)
    Sona Masuri Annam
    Gongura Pappu
    Chayote Kura
    Brinjal-Jaggery Pacchadi
    Coriander Rasam
    Dadhojanam
    Biyyam and saggubiyyam vadiyaalu

    My Meal Menu:

    Fasting in the morning.

    Has ended the day with an early meal -small helping of each item from the Pooja neivedyam.

    Workout:
    Cooking. Pooja and meditation

    In retrospect:
    Great day! Calming cooking, peaceful Pooja in the morning hours.
    Met good friends and had pleasant time in the evening.

    Generous Gongura from Backyard
    Gongura From Backyard

    Gongura Pappu from Amma

    The gongura seeds I had planted in March are now thriving healthy plants. The generous gongura didn’t mind when I plucked some mature leaves for the Pooja neivedyam menu today. There are several ways to prepare gongura pappu, and the following recipe is from my amma. I thought it’s a great way to pay homage to her on this auspicious day through this favorite vantakam.

    Ingredients and Preparation:

    Preparation happens in two steps.

    Step 1:

    Toor dal: 3/4 cup
    Fresh gongura leaves – 6 cups, tightly packed
    Indian or Thai variety green chilli – 8, chopped to tiny pieces
    Red onion or shallots – chopped to chunks, 1 cup
    Turmeric – 1/4 teaspoon

    Take the above ingredients in a pressure cooker. Add two cups of water.
    In a mortar, add a garlic clove and 2 teaspoons of coriander seeds. Pound to coarse paste. Add this paste to the ingredients in pressure cooker. Mix. Close the lid and cook until everything has become soft, particularly the toor dal.

    Step 2:

    Salt – 1/2 teaspoon or to taste
    Peanut oil or ghee – 1 tablespoon
    From masala dabba: Following ingredients for inguva(asafetida) Tadka:
    a sprig of curry leaves
    4 pieces of one-inch, majjiga mirapa(dahi mirchi)
    1/4 teaspoon of urad dal
    a pinch each – cumin, mustard seeds and hing (asafetida)

    Add salt to the cooked dal in pressure cooker. With a pappu gutti (wooden whisk), mash the cooked ingredients to fairly coarse paste like. Remove the dal to a bowl or vessel.

    In a small pan, heat the peanut oil or ghee. Add the tadka ingredients in this order, from big to small: curry leaves, dahi mirchi pieces, urad dal, cumin, and mustard seeds. Continuously stirring, toast the ingredients to golden. When mustard seeds make pop sounds, sprinkle the hing. Stir for couple of seconds. Immediately add this fragrant tadka to the cooked dal. Mix well and cover with a lid so that the flavors and aroma of hing tadka are thoroughly absorbed by the pappu (dal).

    Serve the gongura pappu with rice or roti. The blissful combination is the old classic: gongura pappu and freshly cooked, hot Sona Masuri rice with some ghee and vadiyaalu on the side. Heaven!

    Gongura Pappu
    Gongura Pappu in Vadiyam Vadi on Muruku Peetam ~ For Meal Today

    © Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.

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    WV13 ~ Palak Chole

    Tella Mandaram (White Hibiscus) from Front Yard
    Tella Mandaram (White Hibiscus) from Front Yard

    Morning:
    Sprouted moong + sprouted chickpeas combined with generous amounts of ginger, green chilli, cumin and salt, ground into smooth batter. The batter is then made into dosa. I had one dosa for breakfast with tomato chutney.
    A glass of ragi ganji without sweetener

    Noon:
    Sprouted moong + sprouted chickpea dosa
    A cup of palak chole
    A small cup of cucumber and carrot slices

    Evening:
    A glass of ginger buttermilk

    Night:
    1 sprouted moong + sprouted chickpea dosa
    A small cup of palak chole
    A glass of tomato soopa (rasam)
    A glass of cold ginger buttermilk

    Workout:
    Made another batch of biyyam vadiyalu for Sun-drying in the morning
    Pillow covers are done and now on to curtains sewing project – evening

    In Retrospect:
    Busy but beautiful day. No carbo cravings and reduced appetite.

    Palak Chole:

    2 cups – cooked (or canned) chickpeas (Chole)
    6 cups – chopped fresh spinach (Palak)
    1 onion and 1 tomato- finely chopped
    1×1 inch piece – fresh ginger, skin peeled
    2 tablespoons – chana masala powder
    1/2 teaspoon – salt, or to taste
    1/2 teaspoon each – turmeric and red chilli powder
    1/4 cup each – fresh cilantro and lemon juice to garnish
    From masala dabba: tadka ingredients

    Step 1: Take quarter cup of cooked or canned chickpeas in a mixer. Add ginger and blend to fine paste. Remove the paste to a cup and keep aside. (This is added to thicken the chole gravy.)

    Step 2: Heat a tablespoon of peanut oil in a deep pan. Add and toast a teaspoon each – cumin, black cumin and kasuri methi to fragrance. Add onion and tomato. Saute to soft. Next goes the spinach. Saute spinach until it has collapsed. Add chickpeas, chickpea-ginger paste, chana masala powder, salt, red chilli powder and turmeric. Add about two cups of water. Mix well. Cover and simmer on medium heat, stirring in-between for 15 to 20 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and lemon juice, and serve warm with rice or roti. Good on it’s own too.

    Palak Chole
    Palak Chole for Meal Today

    © Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.

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    WV12 ~ Sambar Soopa

    Chamanthi (Chrysanthemum) from Front yard
    Chamanthi

    Morning:
    A cup of ragi ganji without sweetener
    A cup of cucumber slices with some lemon juice and pepper

    Noon:
    A big bowl of veggie-rich sambar soopa
    Quarter cup of bendi curry with yogurt (Dahi bendi)
    1 boiled egg, yellow removed

    Evening:
    A glass of ginger buttermilk

    Night:
    1 moong dal + chana dal dosa (Adai) with a cup of sambar soopa
    (I couldn’t eat much. I was tired by night and food lost the appeal.)

    Workout:
    Made murukulu and atrasalu (adhirasam) for the Vara Laxmi Pooja on Friday.

    In retrospect:
    Good day with lots of tempting food. Because I made them standing in front of stove for hours inhaling the oil smoke, it was easy to resist the temptation.

    Vegetables for Sambar Soopa
    Carrot, Mullangi, Yellow Squash, Okra~ Vegetables for Sambar Soopa

    Sambar Soopa

    A combination of four types of seasonal vegetables
    Onion/shallots, tomatoes and cilantro
    Toor dal and sambar powder
    Asafetida Tadka
    Very thick consistency

    That is my definition of Sambar Soopa. Four kinds of vegetables and the aromatic spices convert an ordinary sambar into a rich, healthy and comforting sambar soopa worthy of Workout Vratham.

    Sambar Soopa
    A Comforting Cup of Sambar Soopa with Seasonal Vegetables ~ Meal Today

    © Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.

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    WV11 ~ Henna Flowers

    Henna Flowers (Gorintaaku Puvvullu)
    Gorintaaku Puvvulu (Henna Flowers) from Backyard

    Henna plant is in bloom since July. I don’t remember ever noticing henna flowers at Nandyala, and I am surprised at the beauty and fragrance of henna’s pretty petite flowers.

    *************
    WV Log for Day 11:

    Morning:
    2 pesarattu with coconut chutney
    A glass of ragi ganji without sweetener

    Noon:
    A small cup of brinjal-papdi lilva curry (vankaya-anapaginjala kura)
    A bowl of masoor dal rasam with cherry tomatoes
    A small cup of homemade yogurt

    Evening:
    A cup of ginger tea without sweetener

    Night:
    A small cup of chickpea guggullu (Mangala Gouri Vratha Vayanam from a friend)
    A small cup of brinjal-papdi lilva curry
    A cup of masoor dal rasam with key lime pickle on the side
    For dessert: A cup of apple with yogurt

    Workout:
    Decided to take a break from gym this week. Prepared saggubiyyam vadiyalu for sun-drying – morning
    Pillow covers sewing project still going on – evening

    In Retrospect:
    Pleasant day. No carbo cravings.

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    WV8,9 and 10 ~ Spicy Peanut Butter

    Gundu Malli (Jasmine) from Backyard
    Gundu Malli (Jasmine) from Backyard

    Weekend (day 8 and day 9) went by so fast with sightseeing, shopping trips and the festival (Nagula Chavati). Foodwise, I stuck to the Workout Vratham and filled the belly with an assortment of beans, greens, vegetables and fruits. I had two sesame laddus that we traditionally prepare for Nagula Chavati festival. The sesame laddus were made in a mortar with pestle power.

    On day 10, that is today, here it went my sucky routine:)

    Morning:
    A cup of ragi ganji without sweetener

    Noon:
    A cup of Chard pappu (Chard with Toor dal)
    Half cup of Turai curry (beerakaya kura)
    A big bowl of hot tomato rasam
    Half apple

    Evening:
    A cup of ginger tea without sweetener
    Handful of roasted peanuts

    Night:
    2 pesarattu with generous helping of spicy peanut butter
    Half cup chard pappu
    A glass of buttermilk

    Workout:
    An hour of 4 miles walk, an hour of step plus abs class at the gym – morning
    Sewing pillow covers – evening

    In Retrospect:
    Glad to return to week day routine.

    Spicy Peanut Butter ~ India Inspired

    Ingredients:

    1 cup shelled, good quality peanuts
    1 tablespoon coriander seeds
    1/2 teaspoon cumin
    2 cloves, 1-inch piece of cinnamon
    6 dried red chillies
    2 tablespoons of tamarind pulp
    1-inch piece of peeled fresh ginger
    1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste

    Preparation:

    Heat an iron skillet. Add and roast peanuts, continuously stirring with a spatula on medium heat to uniform pale brown color . It would take about 10 to 15 minutes of roasting time. Transfer the peanuts from skillet to a plate and wait until they are cool to touch. Rub and remove the skin coverings.

    In the same skillet, add dried red chillies, coriander seeds, cumin, cloves and cinnamon. Toast to fragrance. Cool.

    Take roasted peanuts and toasted spices in a blender or food processor. Add salt, tamarind pulp and ginger. Grind until fairly smooth. Add few tablespoons of water if necessary for easy mixing. You could also add a tablespoon of sugar or jaggery for subtle sweet touch. Remove and store in a jar. Stays fresh upto a week when refrigerated.

    Spicy peanut butter tastes great with breakfast items. It also makes a fine dip and spectacular Indian-inspired sauce for vegetables like bell peppers, broad beans (Chikkudu), brinjals and potatoes.

    Spicy Peanut Butter ~ India Inspired
    Spicy Peanut Butter for Jihva:Peanuts at Pavani’s Cook’s Hideout

    © Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.

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    WV7 ~ Kay’s Cabbage Thayir Saadam

    Nandi Vardanam Flower from Backyard
    Vratha Pusham ~ Nandi Vardhanam (Crepe Jasmine) from Backyard

    Morning:
    2 khaman with tomato chutney
    A glass of ragi ganji without sweetener

    Noon:
    A cup of dal (Bok choy with toor dal) in rasam consistency
    A cup of leftover chard with chickpeas
    A big bowl of hot cilantro soopa
    Half apple and half carrot, grated and mixed with homemade yogurt

    Evening:
    A glass of cold ginger buttermilk

    Night:
    A cup of Kay’s cabbage thayir saadam. Wonderful recipe and excellent taste. Parents also liked this combination. I had it with four jackfruit chips.
    A cup of Bok choy dal
    A cup of hot cilantro soopa

    Workout:
    An hour walk: 4 miles, and an hour pilates – morning
    Gardening – evening

    In retrospect:
    Pleasant day. But miss rice and roti very much.

    Kay’s Cabbage Thayir Saadam

    “Take a cup of cabbage poriyal, and add a cup of thick yogurt. Mix well. Enjoy it with your choice of pickle or side dish.” Talented Kay wrote in one of her daily food logs. I had to try and it happened today.

    Like Kay mentioned, cabbage and yogurt combination make a good substitute for thayir saadam (dadhojanam) and with right texture too. I noticed that the taste improves on refrigeration. Good recipe with cabbage.

    Preparation is two step:

    Step 1 – Prepare Cabbage Curry: Grate cabbage extremely thin using a mandoline or grater. Grated cabbage mimicks fine rice grain/noodle in shape and texture, so the thinner the cabbage gets, the better it tastes in this recipe.

    Heat oil in a skillet. Add and toast cumin, mustard seeds and curry leaves to fragrance. Add presoaked chana dal and finely chopped onions. Saute to crisp. Next goes the grated cabbage. Stir in salt, turmeric and coconut to taste. Cook until cabbage has wilted for few minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the curry to cool.

    Step 2 – Add Yogurt: Serve a ladleful of cabbage curry in a bowl. Top it with homemade yogurt. Mix well and adjust salt to taste. Serve right away or refrigerate an hour for super experience.

    Cabbage Thayir Saadam with Jackfruit Chips
    Cabbage Thayir Saadam with Jackfruit Chips ~ For Meal Today

    © Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.

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