Healthy Bite : 12 - Pancakes!

The quickest breakfast recipe and with calories less than 200 it sure is my favorite option for morning. In here I have opted for “A Wheat Pancake Mix” However, you can also try with Whole Wheat Flour. I highly discourage using Baking Soda/Powder & All Purpose Flour.  The other ingredients will surely do the magic of making them fluffy, tender and tasty!

Let’s keep in simple and straight like old fashioned. Things you need:

- 1 Cup of Whole Wheat Flour

- Pinch of salt

- 1 Tablespoon of White Sugar  

- 1 Cup of Milk

- 1 Egg

- 1 Tablespoon of Oil /Melted Butter

- A cooking spray &

- Pancake Ring (I made it from silver foil so that pancakes are not to be much disfiguredJ) – Optional!

Mix all the first 6 ingredients in a bowl and whisk it well until a good paste. However, Wheat and milk is quite on a judgment. Depends if it’s thicker or thinner accordingly you would want to fluctuate them.

Once you pour it on the sprayed pan, look for the bubbles and turn around.

However, estimation is ½ cup of wheat flour makes 5 Pancakes. So you can change that quantity as per the numbers you are making. In my case, ½ Cup of Pancake flour made 6 Pancakes, as the egg, milk and oil did the wonders!

Calorie Intake:

½ cup of cooked Pancake is 100 Calories + other 100 calorie option with pancake each are:

1 Tablespoon of strawberry jam, 2 Tablespoon of maple syrup or like served in here 1 cup sliced Strawberries, ½ cup of black or blue berries!

Have a great weekend!

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DIY: Let's Stud it!

Making studded shoes out of cloth based plain shoes is pretty easy and interesting to learn to begin with. I hope you remember the white shoes that we wore once a week for drill and other physical activities during school days (India) J. We absolutely hated them and esp whitening them was a big pain but Who knew that white clothed shoes could be best used for studding them up? J That’s the easiest one!

-          Get your hands on the reasonable priced shoes that are made of cloth for this post.

-          Studs or Spikes – I have picked up 5/8” Pyramid Large Studs, you can opt the smaller ones as well. In fact smaller would be better, this time I opted for a change as I own one already with smaller studs.

-          A butter Knife in order to press in, the ends of the studs.

Step 1: Shoes before – Converse shoes that I got in a very good deal. J

Step 2: Studs – Get your studs ready and picture the design well before. Once the studs are pressed in punch in small holes (of course) and it would look real bad if you plan change it later on.

Step 3: Press in stud -1, Ends would pop on the other side of the shoe -2, Press in with butter knife. This is it would look from inside once you done -3. Concerned if the ends would bother your feet?? – NO!! You would not even realize if there is something in it!

Step 4: They are ready, enjoy flaunting them!! J

Well, this is the simplest form of the studded shoes. I have these large studs and spikes ordered for my Denim Jacket and for a pair of old jeans! Once done, I will surely share it across!

They are numerous ways to get it done. You can stud any accessory or clothing like Bags, Shoes, Scarfs, T-Shirts, Jackets, Jeans, Belts, Ballerina Shoes, High Heels leather shoes, Wallet, Headband et al. Here's an interesting link with pictures on the same: Check it out here – Stud Obsessed.

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It’s IN again from the Past!

Sometimes I find few things about fashion and trend making bit ridiculous. No offence to fashion lovers. But when I see the current trend, I start making faces that - I wore this when I was a child. Yes! I wore my first skinny jean around 1995/96ish, denim jackets around 2006, Maxi Skirts were the most comfortable clothes ever (I am sure you are recollecting too, you wore those maxi skirts when you were out for picnics or beaches.. Yeah!! It’s coming back huhJ ), wide leg pants are so much worn in Goa by every other lady esp it was super hit during 2007ish as far as my memories go.

Dyed tops and Indian Salwaar Kameez remember? I mean believe it or not Dyed or Bleached - Jeans, Denim Jackets are back! J Tell me is it only me or you too finding this whole thing bit funny? Well, if there is something little different and which I really adore is for sure the Pleated Skirts. Yeah! It surely reminds me of wide pleated Bottlegreen divided skirts – School uniform.

I swear few things are growing really hilarious! J Nevertheless, I admire the fact that these things are back for sure with different shades, textures and makes. But honestly, I wish few of that stuff was in my hands right now and I wouldn’t have bothered shelling out bucks for the latest trendJ. Anyway, the whole point of this post is in case you are in mood of shopping and planning to spend bucks on clothing this weekend then here are the few top picks that I think you can consider buying.  And of course if you have these pieces hidden down under in your suitcases or closets, you better get them out NOW J

Pleated Skirt:

Below is the pick from Mango Clothing. Zara and Mango has some stunning pleated skirts! However, I feel the pricing it pretty high! I hope it’s reasonable in India. If so then it’s a must grab! You can style with graphic or plain tees or printed blouses!

Tie-Dye & Bleached:

Yeah Zara certainly have some stunning pieces of Bleached Jeans. Anyway, my concerned is not that you should be buying from the mentioned stores. But to keep an eye on such pieces if you can get them in real reasonable prices as branding increases the pricing way too high!

Jean Jackets:

You can find the stunning pieces displayed here in Vogue. So, they are back and you should be proud wearing yours that are hidden up inside J

Well, have a wonderful shopping and diggingJ!

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DIY – My Green Clean Saviors

One noon I was spraying my stove to wipe off the stains. Suddenly it strikes me, is it safe to use spray or dish washing liquid or a wet cloth to wipe off a slab that I often use to place veggies or utensils??

I turned and looked around - The answer had to be in food or may be somewhere around it!! I needed few minutes on researching it and Yes! There were some amazing findings and eye opening facts about few things that would be more than a help! Let me share few of them with you in this post:

Alright! I found these 3 as the major cleaning helpers! Baking Soda, Distilled White Vinegar & Lemon.

Dishwasher:  Yes yes! I am very much talking about dish washer, In fact any machine that helps in our daily chores do need a cleaning as the soap builds up on the walls of the machine – there are 2 ways to do this

1.       Place a cup of White Vinegar in the bottom of the appliance and run through the whole cycle.

2.       Have 2 sliced lemons topped with Baking Soda and place it at the bottom again and run through the whole cycle.

Results: It reduces the soap build up on the inner rollers, racks and sprayers. I have tried this for 2 consecutive months. It works J You can carry out this once a month.

Shoe Closet: Aaahh!! Tell me about this! I never get this – whatever I do - the stink of the shoes never goes of the closets! Thanks to internet that I bumped into a super idea of beating it off!

Make a pouch from kitchen towel or any napkins that are light, fill in with Baking Soda and seal the pouch. Once done, place among the shoes and yeah it absorbs the odor very well. I have tried this, green light from me! J

Microwave, Oven and Refrigerator: Back in India, I used the spray called Colin! I know it was & is a famous mild helper for cleaning table tops, refrigerator, mirrors et al. But for kitchen I have realized Distilled White Vinegar is better off option. As shown, in the picture above – prefer a distilled white vinegar (it’s very cheap 99 CentsJ) and you can dilute it further too because it does have a strong smell. Trust me! You wouldn’t want that in your refrigerator or oven or microwave.

So, for Microwave – Place a well diluted white vinegar (portions are 1 cup water : ¼ Cup Vinegar) in aplastic container and run the microwave for 2 minutes. The steam or condensation from the boiling will loosen up the stains in no time. Later wipe it! J

For Oven – Dip a sponge in white vinegar (no need to dilute it further) and wipe all the sides, inside out oven!

Refrigerator – Again clean your refrigerator with well diluted White Vinegar J Trust me! It does sparkles – Tried and Tested! It works!

Lemon – I should have written about this at the beginning, it is the essential natural cleaner we could ever useJ. I remember the times when my Mum made me clean those brass/copper utensils and show pieces with lemon. Damn! It always worked! The blackish layer (oxidized)over the pieces turned in super shining copper in no time.

Lemon has varieties of uses: To begin with, it can act as a natural freshener. You don’t believe me! Check the picture below. 2 slices of lemon in a humidifier fills a pleasant smell in the room. Well, you need to clean your humidifier and keep changing the lemons often.

Lemon Juice can also remove the soap scum and hard water deposits on the taps in your bathrooms and kitchen.

Here are few super ideas to clean green

The above link have listed few brilliant ideas - Like your narrow necked bottle, wasting loads of water ensuring you get off the every single particle of detergent from the bottle. Solution - Use uncooked rice and warm water in a bottle, shake it well and have a super clean bottle ever!

I hope you enjoyed this post, this can also be better uses to the houses where kids are the rulers. By that mean – You are required to look into their safety. So, these super Green Clean – Eco-Friendly-Cleaning Recipes J can surely be a great help than detergents & Sprays!

Have a good day!

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Fitness Tip: 8 - Know the Seasonal Veggies & Fruits

In order to get the complete nutrients and minerals from food, one should know the veggies and fruits produced in the season. In a developed country like USA, most of the foods are stored to make it available year around kinda messes with the system.  

Well, there is absolutely nothing wrong in storing veggies and fruits. However, we need to understand that veggies and fruits that are stored for longer durations possess little or no nutrients by the time you consume them. Hence, the food should be absorbed when it’s freshly produced.

 There are again certain benefits to it –

-          You end up visiting farmers fresh markets. I absolutely adore visiting farmers market. I am planning to explore the other markets too from this weekend. So you end up having early weekends with little bit of fun.

-          Prices are reasonable and wise unlike super markets.

-          You get to eat varieties of veggies and fruits as per the season.

-          You can interact with the farmers

-          And Of course you consume the freshly produced veggies and fruits. J

I remember the times from my childhood days when my brother and I got into the huge farmers market in my town and grab the best deals on the veggies by bargaining. I always looked for freshness and my brother looked for bargains.

So, look out for the “Seasonal Veggies and Fruits Charts” as per the location and print it out sticking on your kitchen cabins or refrigerators. Shop accordingly in the markets. Bring varieties in your kitchen. Seasonal veggies and fruits are generally divided as per the season(which is very obvious)- Spring, Summer, Fall and Winters. However, there are selected veggies that are available year around.

Here's the link for your reference:

Guide to Seasonal Fruits & Veggies 

There are links to various seasons' production - click on the Spring for this season veggies and fruits listings.

Happy Shopping!
 

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Peter Pan Collar

A round-cornered clothing collar, named after the costume worn in 1905 by actress Maude Adams in her role as Peter Pan. Since then, it has become a women's fashion item several times. And this year it has come back in fashion that was mostly associated with little girls dresses.

Peter Pan Collars were trend in 2011 Fall up and high on the runways! But I like I said – It’s pretty unfair to get the trend up to date every other time. What matters is we need to have different options and varieties in our wardrobeJ. So girls gear up for the change from regular V, U or Closed collars neck sweaters to Peter Pan!

Here are the - Louis Vuitton collars on the runway. Gorgeous isn’t it?  

From Here

Here’s my outfit:

When the Electric Blue sweater goes well in contrast with the Pink Denim and Biker Boots!

Have a happy weekend! J

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Florals - An Investment!

Floral Dresses or tops or trousers – Can never go out of season during springs. Looking into the current trend of Spring styling most opted dresses are mix of colors and florals.

Colors like Reds and Oranges, Greens, Yellows and Pinks, Pinks and Purples, Blues and of course Neons are few color combinations gearing up in market. There’s lot happening and honestly it would rather be unwise to follow everything. Color or floral Denims are sure a good investment as blue jeans does get mundane, printed shirts, pastels dresses, Fabric Blazers et al are few amazing additions in the spring trends.

But this post is about Floral – Spring has always been about flowers and vibrant colors for obvious reasons. Hence, this trend would never change for coming years. The prints might change from bold to subtle colors, large to small prints. However, looking at perspective of a reasonable buyer, I like to invest in my clothes than grabbing up anything that is hanging around. So, my advice to you is - Invest on nice floral dresses, wedges, sandals, scraves or tops. They come around every year.

This spring I did not buy floral tops for a reason that I already own few. These are few pictures from 2009 Spring in UK, when NEXT launched vibrant floral tops and dresses and I invested in few that still come along very well this spring J

2009 at Cambridge, UK

 

2009 at Scarbourough North Yorkshire, UK

 2009 at Leeds, UK

Happy Shopping!!

Have a great day!

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Fitness Tip : 7 – Confusion hovering over the Oils!

Well, it’s been very long since I published any post on my blog. I was quite away from the networking and being online. I guess a little long break can refresh many things J.

So, I hope everyone had a lovely weekend and here’s the post that might interest you to think over your cooking oil. Well, it started with a conversation between a friend of mine and me. Housewives are often worried about their husband; of course there is a big reason for that – His Health!

While our discussion rolled over their health checkups, diet, and cholesterol we bumped into section that confused me. I said I prefer Olive Oil while she said it has good percentage of saturated fat! HHmmmmm!!! I knew Olive Oil has not the highest Saturated Fat as it "doesn't solidify at room temperature". That's a simple visual judgment of oil.

However, I wanted to get my thoughts right! I guess it was time for me to go back and research a bit more before I say anythingJ. However, I was sure that "Trans Fat" is the number that we should be more concerned with. So that brings me to the question: Does Cooking Oil contains Saturated Fat? In short, Yes it does!! But in varying degrees, depending on the type of oil.

So, to begin with you need to understand that everything is relative in the market of products. You are going to choose the best from the better ones and of course the worst. So that tends to increase your measuring factors. Then, How to read between the lines of Nutrition Facts Label on Oil?  

You should be concerned more about Trans Fat that is generally generated during processing the food and low numbers of Saturated Fat. It’s applicable to every food you buy - I prefer low Saturated, Zero (0) Trans Fat, less of Sodium. These fats are coined as Harmful Dietary Fats unlike Monounsaturated & Polyunsaturated.

Below is the snapshot from Wikipedia states the different fat percentages. 

My preference is Olive Oil J

Why?

- To begin with its Trans Fat is 0,

- Lesser Saturated Fat

- Olive oil is considerably rich in monounsaturated fats, rich in Omega 3 Fatty Acids.

- Anti-inflammatory Benefits.

- It has wide variety of valuable antioxidants that are not found in other oils.

As per WHO (World Health Organization) –

One should limit intake of fat and oil. Avoid saturated Fats, those that become SOILD at room temperature such as coconut oil. It says avoid not eliminate. It becomes better of when WHO says “Eliminate Trans –Fatty Acids. Bingo!! That is what you are supposed to look into.

Have a great day!

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