O's snack - Kale Chips

I love love loveeeee Kale - it's one of my favorite greens and I could eat it anytime, anyday, everyday.  Hubby and O will also gobble it up when I make Kale chips.  

Kale chips are a low calorie nutritious snack and you will not be able to stop at having just one or two.  Kale is a great source of iron, calcium and fiber.  

All that's required is 1 bunch kale, EVOO & a bit of S & P.  bake at 350 for about 10 minutes and, you have delicious snack available to eat

Early Halloween Fever

And it begins...

Tis' the beginning of madness - costumes, candies, nightmares, you name it :o)

O is super proud of his new Avatar that he picked all on his own - Power Rangers Samurai (in Red); once the costume is on, I'm suppose to forget who is behind that mask

Here's the Samurai himself, in action!

O's snack - Bread Uttapam

As a busy woman and more importantly a mom, It's always a challange to come up with new and healthy meals for the family.  While yogurts, cheeses, cereal bars, etc. make a nice and quick snack, they are still 'processed' and not exactly fresh - so while it's not possible everyday, I do try to offer up hot snacks to hubby and family whenever I can.  

One of O's favorite snack happens to be Bread Uttapam - thankfully, it also happens to be super quick and of course healthy.  The great thing is, this can be served as breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack because it's quite filling.  All that's required is your choice of bread, tomatoes, onions and green peppers (or any other veggies that cook fast) along with buttermilk and S&P.  Mix it up and make a thick batter and make it just as you would a pancake.  VOILA!

Misc.

Fall...

My most favorite season has finally arrived.  The first snow fall during winter is exciting, but the excitement quickly fizzles out once there's piles and piles of snow on the ground.  First few days of spring are exciting but then we get antsy about summer and then summer is fun until it gets super hot..you get my point.  

Fall is perfect because it offers just the right amount of chill with perfect sun light and oh so beautiful colors to look at.  There's not much to look forward to except for Halloween and a hot cuppa Pumpkin Spiced Latte from Starbucks ;)

Anyway, My mom gave me this small plant of Holy Basil (Tulsi) when she came to visit me over labor day weekend.  Look at how big and beautiful it's gotten.  The beautiful fragrance of basil is so refreshing in the morning

In other random news, My toddler who's almost 3 years old is turning out to be a typical boy with his ninja moves and constant obession with one superhero after the other.  A while back, it was all about spiderman - then we moved onto Power Rangers.  We might be moving onto Mutant Ninja turtles soon, but I think Power Rangers is still more fun..

For the record, he picked all this up at school during summer - He hardly gets to watch TV at home (even then it's only NICK JR shows)  Hopefully, this phase is over soon and we can resume our lives instead of constantly fighting the battles with invisible 'baus' (enemies) 

Small but significant

Kiddo and I went to the playground today just to run around and burn some energy.  He loves the big kid swings now so we always start off with that.  He kept pushing me to swing higher and higher and in the exciment, I kept doing it.  At one point, before I even realized, he got thrown off the swing and landed on the                mulch face down.  My heartbeat stopped for a second because of how dramatic it looked; I thought he would cry and cry but to my surprise, He stood up, cleaned himself up while giggling and asked if he could get on again.  All this while he's got his nose scratched up and a small bleed from his lower lip.  I naturally said NO firmly and wanted to ensure he was OK.  

He gave me a big smile a said, it's ok mommy, it was just an akisent (accident) - I b OK.. (I'll be ok); I'm a big boy..I'm not cared (scared)

This little statement, gave me a whole new perspective on a lot of things in just a spur of the moment!

Wisdom

A bit of Sunday humor! hehe :-)

Random..

7 random facts about myself

1. I'm super lazy by nature but have the ability to push myself hence I don't 'appear' lazy
2. I love to read; be it books, blogs, instructions, billboards, back of shampoo bottles, whatever ;)
3. Writing is the only creative outlet that I've found so far - I find myself getting very frustrated when I don't express myself or my thoughts through writing.
4. I daydream..A LOT
5. The most honest and biggest smile on my face is when I'm with my little one
6. I'm super comfortable addressing a huge crowd, but get pretty shy during one on one conversations with random people.
7. I'm a loner at heart..

Random questions

1. Favorite song? They keep changing with my mood..current fav: Pani da from Vicky Donor
2. Favorite time of the day? Evening..
3. Favorite Book? Keeps changing but one that has stuck with me is The Kite Runner
4. Favorite Food? Pad Thai & Steamed dumplings
5. Favorite Drink? Water..
6. What do you like most about yourself? I take things one day at a time..
7. What do you like least about yourself? Way too blunt and outspoken
8. If saving world meant sacrificing yourself, would you? in a heartbeat
9. Is there any quote you live by? - Live & let live?

Movie Review: Barfi!

I'm not a huge movie buff, let alone a 'bollywood' movie buff; I don't get excited about watching a movie unless the reviews are fantastic  - I just don't enjoy Hindi movies anymore because there's always something that manages to turn you off - either the story-line, or acting, or plagiarism or just something that you sort of start rolling your eyes at, and then the whole focus is shifted.

The last movie that I remember actually watching and thoroughly enjoying is Rockstar.  Also, my sense of 'Cinema' is quite different than that being offered by Bollywood and I guess that's why I thoroughly enjoyed Barfi!. I maybe biased as well because I'm so in love with Ranbir Kapoor - he's such a fine actor and oh so charming.

Barfi is a story about a boy named Murphy, whom everyone calls Barfi; he is always ready with a prank up his sleeve.  He's quite the charmer, especially with the ladies.  In Darjeeling, Barfi is the talk of town, even though he can neither speak nor listen.  His bitter-sweet relationship with two beautiful young women is what this story is all about (Courtesy Wikipedia)

Barfi offers everything that a good Cinema experience offers: real characters, genuine relationships and story and beautiful music.  It's funny, sweet, emotional and just a perfect balance of a beautiful cinematography thanks to Darjeeling & Kolkota (set in 70s)

Needless to say, Ranbir Kapoor steals the show and your hearts as you walk away after watching this beautiful piece of art.  Ilena D'Cruz as Shruti is beautiful and just perfect; but Priyanka Chopra, who's usually one of my favorites failed to impress - I personally did not think she was 'natural' as she didn't let the character do the talking - she came off trying way too hard.

All in all, loved the whole experience and can't wait to watch it again.  

O's meal - Pancakes with a twist

We love pancakes in our household, who doesn't though right? Pancakes are quite a filling breakfast though not necessarily healthy.  Me being a stickler about getting as much nutrition in any meal possible especially for my kiddo, I decided to start making pancakes with a twist.  Instead of using your regular Bisquick mix, which is nothing but all-purpose flour, I decided to start making pancakes using Oatmeal & Flaxseed flour.  We also substitute regular pancake/waffle syrup with pure Maple Syrup - it not only enhances the flavor, but is also a much healthier option.

O's room tour

I'm well aware, I have none but a few readers and that too mostly close family and friends ;);  I however, do follow quite a few blogs because besides books, other people's thoughts, ideas, rants, recipes, memes is what I enjoy reading the most - I've seen Room tours on quite a few blogs so decided to post one myself.

Our master bedroom is nothing to write home about - it's pretty spacious with a lot of empty space and a king bed + candles.  O's room however, is much more colorful and interesting so I thought it would be fun to document it :-) This post includes quite a few pictures.

Unlike a lot of moms to be, I didn't get a chance decorate my kiddo's room prior to his arrival.  I had complications towards the end of my pregnancy which required me to be on bed rest for a few weeks and he also decided to arrive early :) so, I started decorating in bits & pieces after he arrived, and whenever I could find time.

My little All-Star's name :) 

 Beautiful set of candles that I received as a gift when he was born.  They smell incredible and they're too cute to use up ;)

 These love, imagine, laugh foam letters, I found at Target for like a dollar each. 

Turtle nightlight and a cute frame which speaks volume :)

Kiddo's first hand & foot print :)

O's meal - Cracked wheat mush?

Happy Friday :-) Yayyyy!! We have a mini trip coming up this weekend to Boone, NC - looking forward to the drive and just change of scene.

On to the subject..

One good thing about O is that every food that I introduced to him as an infant, he still craves and loves even now as a toddler.

One of the first meals I introduced to O was cracked wheat in a soup form.  He loved it and so I started experimenting different recipes with it.  1 cup serving of cracked wheat contains 151 calories and less than 1 g of fat (According to Fitness magazine).  It contains protein, carbs, and a healthy serving of fiber.  Fiber as we know helps you in maintaining healthy digestion.

O's been under the weather lately so I thought this would be a perfect little bowl of love to help him gain some energy back.

I've made various recipes using Cracked wheat and this one happens to be quick and obviously healthy.  I don't know what else to call it so I call it 'Mush' :)  I temper a pinch of cumin seeds in EVOO along with curry leaf and saute' tomatoes, green bell peppers and (whatever other veggies available at the moment) sprouted moong.  I then add a few heaping TBSP of finely cracked wheat (found in Indian or organic grocery stores), pinch of salt and let it simmer for a couple of minutes - I then add just enough water and bring it to boil (about 5 minutes) and voila...it's done :)

Mommy and Kiddo both are happily satisfied :-)

O's meal - Wheat Sheera/Raab

Since he was an infant, O's favorite breakfast/meal has been Sheera or Raab(Thinner consistency).  It's made of Ghee(Purified Butter) and Wheat flour with a bit of water or milk - There's usually some sugar added for sweetness but O's always preferred Honey over any other sweetener so that's what I add once the Sheera is made & cooled (Since one should not cook honey or add it to hot or boiling food)

It's hearty, delicious and high in calories.  It's great for picky eaters and those who need to pack on extra calories.  While it is a good indulgence once in a while for adults, I would definitely not recommand it on a daily basis since it's so high in calories.  

Sprouted Moong beans

Sprouted Moong beans is the easiest, one of the healthiest and one of those recipes that requires you to do pretty much nothing.  It's super healthy and delicious - even my toddler loves it.  It's a quick fix anytime of the day and is quite filling too.

It's very low in saturated fat, no sodium obviously and a great source of protein, vitamin, iron, magnesium, fiber and potassium. 

All it requires is for Moong to be washed thoroughly and soaked over night; The next day, wrap it in a cheese cloth the next day and keep at room temperature for another 12 hours.  Depending on the weather, Moong should be sprouted the next day!

Family day out..

We had a great time just hanging out as a family yesterday.  We just hung out, did some fall shopping (much needed) and chilled..

We ended up at Bravo! Cucina Italiana restaurant for dinner, and it was absolutely delicious.  Being vegetarians, their starters menu appealed more to us than their main choice of entrees.

We ordered Cheese Ravioli Al Forno, Margherita stuffed Flatbread and Grilled Vegetable Pasta (not pictured).  All 3 dishes were absolutely hearty and delicious.  I am not a big fan of pine nuts but the crushed pine nuts atop of Baked ravioli sort of changed my mind last night.  The salad accompanying the stuffed Flatbread was to die for.  

Gorgeous

Its beginning to look and feel a lot like fall ...yayyyy for beautiful weather :-)