All you need is a little love

All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.” - Charles M. Schulz

Snoopys creator sure knew what he was talking about. Love , chocolate and food make the world go around. I was always told that a way to a mans heart was through his stomach , but the way to a toddlers heart is also food.

My two loved ones adore a good meal . I entered the borosil hamper #beautifulfood contest on a whim , considering the sorry state of my crockery cupboards. The husband and the toddler were craving a lovely home cooked meal served in royal style.

Sadly , I had no crockery to speak of , considering an international move from the land of have alls (the USA ) to the land of , well I had nothing much to speak about.

So , cutting a long story short , I entered the contest and won a borosil hamper. Fast forward a few days , there stands a handsome ( I wish) with the best gift ever. A big read huge borosil hamper just brimming with all the essentials for a teeny tiny kitchen. Thanks god and the judge for the competition.

Zoom to round 2 of the contest and I persuaded my Camera savvy (sorta ) husband into taking photos of the meal . Long carbohydrate rich twirls of soft creamy pasta , tossed in garlic infused oils and sauteed with a rainbow of red , green and yellow peppers beckoned. Flecks of mixed herbs showered the pasta. (The Hubby was beyond convinced , I had to literally hold him off )

The starter was a yummy luscious tomato soup garnished with swirls of cream and showered with the crisp bell peppers. The soup looked restaurant style served in my spanking new borosil bowl .

Well , I did mention love and chocolate . The husbands loves himself any sweet thing and yes he went goo goo gaa gaa over a kesar essence infused dream.  ( An essence bargain scored at more ) . The voluptuous serving of baby pink mounds of whipped cream ensconced a pillow soft cloud called rasgulla. It just needed a hint of tutti frutti to complement it.

Whats a meal without  a little excitement ? Soft , light as a dream chocolate cupcake decorated by a 3.5 year old while your heart is palpitating at the sheer mess. Love overrules all sense and sensibility and I helped her pipe out a white cloud of fresh cream topped with pink and white sprinkles and colored sugar. She loved the experience and the bliss showed on her face.

Too much action needed a little unwinding and I relaxed with a glass of chilled aamsutra....

The meal was followed by a perfect comment , momma you make the best food......WOW, Mommy Bliss..

I want to thank Borosil for giving me an opportunity to pull out all the stops and prepare a fingerlicking meal and presenting it beautifully. Usually i just slosh it and plop it on whatever hapless crockery I have.

This is my entry for the 2nd round contest of   http://www.myborosil.com/. Fingers crossed for the next big hamper coming my way....

Just Because

The pitter patter of little feet outside the doorbell , the jangling of the doorbell and the Mom open ups heralded the arrival of Sanskriti. The whirling dervish of excitement caught me in a bear hug and inquired , “Mom , when is my birthday ? Can it hurry up? “.This was followed up with demands of marshmallow fondant and ganache .Not too bad , considering that the budding baker is only 4 years old .

I decided to give in to her demands and uttered those 3 words which she loves to hear every time, “Yes , lets bake “. Her infectious laughter upped the ante and we decided to surprise her dad with a chocolate and chocolate cake. Luscious , light as air chiffon sponge with a decadent , creamy and heart melting chocolate ganache.

As we measured and scooped ingredients , we were on the lookout for the perfect vessel for all the gooey goodness.I suddenly remembered the borosil square glass dish gifted by my mom which had been the recipient of many a finger licking sweet dish.

With little fingers helping me and nibbling on the chocolate , we smashed and broke the chocolate into pieces. Mysteriously only 50 gms survived out of the 100 gms , with a tiny mouth smeared with chocolate. Sifting and blending , we prepared a thick and chocolatey mass of goodness. We poured the voluptuous batter into the dish and set it to bake. Little fingers helped with the cleaning up of the mixing bowl .

With the cake baked and cooled , we set off with the death by chocolate ganache frosting.The thick bittersweet ganache makes you gulp down the frosting all at once. The ganache with its glistening cream and chopped chocolate came together in a thick viscous chocolate mass that was lightened up with vigorous whisking.

The icing completed , we waited with baited breath for the bell to ring and to shout surprise for the unsuspecting Dad.Confronted with sheer dark and intense indulgence , he asked me the occasion . I replied “just , because”. Sometimes nothing gives more pleasure than a rich and creamy dessert served in a bowl that reminds you of good things .

This is a post for the borosil contest on indiblogger . Here is the link http://www.myborosil.com/

3 Exercises for periods

Whenever its that time of the month or even before it we start feeling fatigued and listless.In fact we do go to work / studies and also manage the house expertly even during these times but as always exercise is neglected .
In fact many myths are there to not exercise related to anemia etc but after discussion with your doctor you can maintain fitness during these days and exercise is  the best panacea for the dreaded bloat which adds 5-10 pounds .Being active increases endorphin's and oxygen supply to the blood making you feel tons better .

Here are a few words of caution before embarking on a fitness regimen during periods

• Make sure to stretch to avoid any muscle pulls
• In case you attempt yoga inverted poses should be avoided.
• Ensure the right protection and  proper clothing and shoes.
• Don't go overboard and don't undertake strenuous /vigorous exercises. It can interfere with your periods ex avoid boot-camps , Excessive weights 
• Moderation should be the key and always listen to your body ..

Here are a few easy ways to remain fit and active

1. Moderate Walking - Choose a speed which is comfortable and ensure 40 minutes of walk every second day .Fresh air / Treadmill whatever is accessible will be extremely beneficial .You can soak out all the stress using aromatherapy products .If going outside does not appeal to you , you can turn to our handy dandy "youtube".I have used youtubedownloader to download videos to repeat use.Here is a video where you can walk the pounds away at home.You can also divide the segments into 1 mile increments.

    2. Light to Moderate weights for Sculpting Arms / Shoulders- By focusing more on sculpting

       arms and shoulders in combination with light cardio and walking you can reap maximum 

       benefits.This will not put pressure on your Abs alone and will be much easier to do .You can also

       do arms with  weights lying down to define your biceps .Again, youtube is a treasure trove of

       videos .Here is one  I like

    3. Do a Dance Workout - I don't know of anyone who doesn't enjoy dancing.Dancing just puts 

        you in a better mood and makes everyday feel like a party.There is just so much satisfaction in 

       dancing.Just grab a friend or two or even one and lets Cha cha. Zumba is also particularly fun 

       during periods and you can dial up or down the intensity .If nothing more at-least you'll be up and 

       about rather than in the dumps  .Who can be grumpy during a booty shake ? You can

       try a variety of dance videos including 

And after all this when you are sweaty and soaked you can reward yourself with goodies from your own stash of edible goodies  provided by freedommantra .You can also dip into your freedommantra box and  luxuriate in aromatherapy products.Chocolates , fine fragrances and periods go together like nothing else in life

This is a guest post for freedommantra .I have received no consideration for this post .Freedommantra is India's first monthly period subscription box.Cant wait for it ? Then subscribe and request an invite at www.freedommantra.com





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3 Apps for your periods

So we are back after a long hiatus...It’s been a roller coaster 6 months. The gist of it being "Relocation" aka moving bag and baggage to our Homeland .Now that the dust seems to be settling in we are going to be blogging again regularly - Hopefully...

This time around I want to talk about periods/ menses/ aunt flo /being down ... There are many monikers , but we talk very less about the process of going through it.It’s considered a routine thing but everyone who has a period every-month knows what a task it is.These days there are apps for everything, even a breastfeeding/ motion recording app from SIMILAC. Trust me I used it.....and you will too...if you are a first time mom. So, when I looked for period apps I was surprised to find a surfeit of tech tools for periods. Here is a short list of tools that I particularly liked 

(Image courtersy google images )

1.     Period Calendar / Tracker (rated as 4.5 stars by 630,712 people) this is the topmost period app available and is compatible with both ipods and android. It does much more than just tracking your period. You can just enter your last period date and length and hey presto it automatically predicts your next period and you next fertility date.

·        Record your period dates and predict future periods - Use as a pregnancy Planner by recording body temperature etc

·        You can track your moods and symptoms like acne etc. in case you need to visit the doc.

·        Manage your weight by entering and monitoring your weight in the log

·        It has a pregnancy Mode where it pauses your period anticipation and starts delivery countdown

·        Log into forums and exchange information with fellow users

(https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.popularapp.periodcalendar)

2.     The Period Tracker (rated 4.5 stars by more than 45,000 people) this is compatible with both ipods and android. This is an interactive and feature rich app with a very eye catching interface. 

·        You can track your periods easily by pressing a button at the start of your period. It helps to predict your next period based upon data entered for the past 3 months ( that's great cause PMS may not be the only way to predict the start of the onslaught)

·        You can easily access all your current and future period dates 

·        Choose your moods and enter your symptoms

·        The best part is that it is discreet as it shows up only as a "P Tracker"

(https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.period.tracker.lite)

3. My Cycles Period and Ovulation (rated 4.5 stars by 7,771 people)
    

·        This also has a discreet icon – a pink flower  

·        At the login itself it asks you whether you want to use it for ovulation or for period records .This is a fairly detailed tool for both uses

·        You can record various life events and if you are expecting you can also record symptoms for the same

·        More Geared towards pregnancy and ovulation

(https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.medhelp.mc&hl=en)

There are many more apps for period tracking and I will be covering some more of them but these essentially will fulfill your needs of period management, ovulation / fertility, weight records and connecting with various forums. 

All these tools are great for records but if you want to ensure period supplies without the hassle of remembering the dates or late night panic runs to the chemist then subscribe at www.freedommantra.com for your monthly essentials without the hassles. 

An innovative concept – freedommantra , India’s first monthly period subscription service aims to cover your monthly needs without any stress. Just subscribe and enter your next period date and the items will be delivered at your doorstep in a discreet package , leaving you to enjoy your periods.