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Yes, you read it right. This is by far the most easiest bread recipe that requires very few ingredients without the use of any fancy bread making equipment. However, it needs some time for preparation. Here are the list of ingredients required for this bread.
-400 ml of lukewarm water (you can also do the mixture of 200 ml of whole milk and 200 ml of water, but make sure its lukewarm)
Directions:
Take 400 ml of lukewarm water or the mixture of milk and water in a cup. Add 1 tablespoon of cane sugar. Now add 1 teaspoon of your instant dry yeast. Stir them well and set it aside for 5-6 minutes. After sometime you will notice the yeast starts to activate . Keep in mind that if you add a little warm water, it might kill the yeast and if the water is a little too cold, the yeast wont activate. So make sure the water is of the right temperature.
In a separate bowl, add 3.5 cups of all- purpose flour. Add 1.5 teaspoon of salt, mix them well. Now slowly pour the water, yeast and sugar mixture and keep mixing them with a wooden spoon. Mix everything well with the wooden spoon and once it is all combined, you will end up with a very sticky and wet dough. This is the consistency that you want. Now add 2 tablespoon of olive oil and mix it with the dough. Scrape all the dough with the spatula and now cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and leave it on the counter for 6-8 hours.
After 6-8 hours, the dough rises and doubles in size. Now transfer that dough in lightly greased loaf making pan. Cover it with the plastic wrap and leave it for another 1 hour, the dough will rise again after 1 hour. Preheat your oven at 400 degrees F. At this point you can sprinkle any toppings like oats, sesame seeds or pumpkin seeds of your choice . Now bake the bread for 40 minutes. Once baked, remove it from the loaf pan and let it cool down completely. Enjoy with butter and other side dishes of your choice or make your favorite sandwich. Happy Baking!!
As we hear the word mindfulness, most of us think that it is hard and it is something that we have to practice following a specific guideline by sitting in a cross legged position closing our eyes. But in reality it is not true and as complicated as it sounds, it gets a lot easier, but obviously with some practice and consistency. It simply means paying attention to your thoughts, whether it be positive or negative.
We all experience every types of emotions in our everyday lives. Some emotions are positive that brings us happiness and joy and some emotions are negative that makes us sad and unhappy. Positive emotions lifts our spirit, gives us energy, motivates us whereas negative emotions drains our energy making us feel demotivated, unhappy and helpless. As a human being we are greatly bestowed by the gift of imagination. This can be one of the greatest gifts if we use it correctly to think, observe our thoughts and emotions, create new ideas, solve problems, to learn and to grow and it can also be one of the greatest curse if we do not use it correctly by overthinking, causing psychological stress, developing toxic attitude and behaviors leading to unhappy life, diseases and illnesses.
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Your little bundle of joy is arriving soon, and if you are a new mom you might be feeling little overwhelmed and nervous what products to buy and what are needed before the baby`s arrival. I was also in the same position too as a first time mom. I also bought a whole lot of stuffs that we never even used, some of them my baby didn`t even liked to use and some were complete life savers. Here is the list that I have compiled that were absolute necessity and some of them are good to have (never know when you might need them).
Infant Car Seat and Stroller: Infant car seat is one of the most important product that you need to purchase before the baby`s arrival. The hospital staffs make sure that you have proper infant car seat (rear facing) installed in your car before discharging you and baby out of the hospital. We bought the Graco Infant car seat and stroller Graco Fastaction Fold Jogger Click Connect Baby Travel System, Gotham that comes as a set. The price is reasonable as the car seat and stroller comes together, easy to use and its not very bulky.
Heat 2 table spoon of olive oil in a pan. Add minced garlic and let it fry until the garlic becomes golden brown (do not burn the garlic). Add sliced mushroom and let it fry for a while. After 3-4 minutes, add salt and pepper to your taste. Let it cook for another 4 minutes.It might start loosing water a little due to its moisture content. Now remove the mushroom and its water and keep it in another bowl for later.
In the same pan, add olive oil again and once it is hot, add your 2 cups of Orzo pasta and keep stirring. Keep roasting the pasta until some of them start to become lightly brown. This is the part you do not want to miss as it gives that extra flavor to your final dish. Now add chicken stock or vegetable stock. If you do not have both ,add boiling water until the pasta is fully immersed. You might need more as pasta needs to be cooked and it absorbs a lot of liquid. So keep stirring in between and once the stock or water starts bubbling, add your mushroom the one we prepared before along with its water -if any. Add half of the can of crushed tomato. Also add more salt and pepper if needed. Now let it sit for 10 minutes but keep stirring in between, you do not want your pasta to stick on the pan, so keep on adding your liquid (broth or water) depending on the consistency. Keep checking on it from time to time and add your spinach. Let it wilt for a while and your pasta should be done by now. Lastly sprinkle your grated Parmesan cheese and add some freshly cut parsley leaves and scallions for garnishing. Serve hot and enjoy!!!
-Half of a medium sized cabbage(sliced into thin julienne)
-1 medium sized red onion(thinly sliced)
-1 cup of chickpea flour
-Half cup of rice flour or all-purpose flour
-Salt and pepper to taste
-1 tablespoon of cumin powder
-1 teaspoon of turmeric
-1 teaspoon of chilli flakes (Depending upon of your preference of level of spiciness, add or reduce or skip the chilli flakes)
-Bunch of cilantro (chopped)
-1 tablespoon of cumin seed or carom seed (Optional) (I prefer using carom seed or cumin seed as they give a very distinct flavor and are great spices for indigestion, heartburn, abdominal gas etc).
-Coconut oil or vegetable oil for deep frying.
Directions:
In a large bowl, add both of your flour (chickpea flour, all purpose flour or rice flour) salt, pepper, turmeric, chili flakes, cumin powder and cumin seeds or carom seeds(optional), or all the dry ingredients. Now add your sliced cabbage, onion and cilantro and mix everything properly. Make sure the veggies are well coated in the flour mixture. You do not need to add water. Set it aside for 5 -7 mins. The cabbage and onion will start loosing their moisture content and will help to shape the fritters.
In a pan, heat coconut oil or vegetable oil for deep frying. Once the oil is hot enough, make little balls of the mixture from the bowl. The water from cabbage and onion should be enough to shape them in balls. If the water is not enough to shape them, sprinkle some water, but do not add a lot. Now slowly fry those ball shaped fritters in the hot oil. Let it fry for 3-4 minutes on one side or until golden brown. Now flip to the other side and fry again for 3-4 minutes or until they are fully cooked inside and are crispy on the outside. Enjoy it with some sauce of your choice or ketchup.
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The way our body works and the various systems that function inside our body is so vast and amazing. One of the bodily system that works really hard to fight off diseases and infections is our immune system. Immune system is the body`s natural defense mechanism against foreign bodies like bacteria, virus, fungi and parasites. A strong immune system makes us healthy by fighting off the foreign pathogens that invade our body and cause disease and illness. A weakened immune system means the body`s natural defense mechanism may not function properly and is more susceptible to diseases and infections.
There are various ways to keep our immune system strong and stay healthy in our everyday life. Lifestyle habits, diet, adequate rest etc are some of the major factors that directly affect our immune system. Here are some of the foods that can strengthen our immune system and keep diseases and illnesses at bay making us healthy.
Vitamin C rich foods: Eat a well balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Incorporate immune boosting foods in your diet like citrus fruits and vegetables which are a great source of vitamin C that helps in increasing White Blood Cells in your body. Bell peppers, oranges, wide array of berries, broccoli etc are all rich in Vitamin C that strengthens the immune system. But make sure you are getting the organic ones that are free of chemicals and pesticides.
Medicinal mushrooms: Mushrooms like Reishi, Shiitake, Lion`s mane, Turkey tail etc or even simple button mushrooms contain powerful ingredients that increase the antioxidant property of the body by scavenging the free radicals. They also enhance the various components of the immune system like increased WBC and killer cells which engulf cells affected by viruses and pathogens. I personally like using SACRED 7 Organic Mushroom Extract Powder – Reishi, Maitake, Cordyceps, Shiitake, Lion’s Mane, Turkey Tail, Chaga – 226g – Supplement – Add to Coffee/Shakes/Smoothies (Original) in my smoothies and teas and even sprinkle them on my food. If you plan to use mushroom supplements just make sure they are 100% organic and ethically sourced and preserved.
Probiotics: Another immune boosting foods are probiotics like yogurt, sauerkraut, kefir, kombucha etc. They help your immune system by balancing the healthy gut flora in the gastrointestinal system and also by releasing the antibacterial peptides that kill the harmful bacteria in the gut. I always make my own sauerkraut from organic cabbage and add them to my meals. Its super easy to make with very few ingredients. You can also add good probiotic supplement in your daily life. I try making my own probiotics from fermented foods most of the time. Besides them, I also use a good quality, organic, raw probiotic supplement to keep myself healthy from Garden of Life – RAW Probiotics 5-Day Max Care – Powder Banana Flavor – Acidophilus Probiotic Support for Digestive and Immune System – Gluten, Soy, GMO-Free, Certified Organic – 2.4 oz
Bone broth: Bone broth has become another name in the list of superfoods due to its endless beneficial properties. Restaurants have started to serve bone broth instead of coffee. It is gaining a lot of popularity these days as bone broth has become the new botox due to its anti-aging properties. Bone broth contains essential amino acids that are rich in antioxidants, helps in healing leaky gut (breakdown of the lining of the stomach and intestine causing undigested foods and toxins to pass into the bloodstream), helps in production of collagen to promote skin youthfulness and elasticity and healthy hair, improved immune functions, improved digestion, speed up the recovery process in the body and much more. Not only it has all these healing properties but it is also very simple and easy to make. I usually collect the bones after baking the whole organic chicken and throw it in my instant pot Instant Pot DUO60 6 Qt 7-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Sauté, Yogurt Maker and Warmer with some chopped organic carrots, leeks, celery, ginger, garlic and turmeric with enough water and 2 -3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar from Bragg Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar, 16 Ounce (1 pack) and slow cook for 24-30 hours. Voila!! There you have, your own super healthy, immune boosting, healing superfood and anti-aging secret in your kitchen.
Spices: Just adding a dash of spices in your food makes them burst with flavors and also give your body a healthy dose of immune boosting properties. Spices like turmeric, cayenne pepper, cinnamon are known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Turmeric contains curcumin which is the active constituent of turmeric. It is antiviral, antifungal and antiseptic. Besides these, it is also found to be protective against cancer. Cayenne pepper contains capsaicin which kills bacteria, virus and parasites in the body that can cause illness. The essential oils in cinnamon have antibacterial, antiviral, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory properties preventing the body from diseases and strengthening the immune system. So next time you want that extra flavored dish, be sure to add some spices in your food and enjoy the benefits of having a strong immune system and healthy body.
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Ingredients:
-1/2 pound wild caught shrimp (peeled and deveined) ( I prefer using wild caught ones than farm raised, since farm raised contain more man made toxic contaminants and are fed low quality meals with antibiotics and hormones than wild caught, which are caught from their natural habitats and eat from their existing environment.)
-1 medium sized onion(finely chopped)
-1 medium sized tomato (finely chopped)
-2 cloves of garlic (minced)
-2 cups of organic sprouted quinoa (I prefer mine sprouted from Pure Living – Organic Sprouted Quinoa – 15 Oz , because the sprouted ones helps in easy bio-availability of key nutrients. I also soak them overnight with some raw apple cider vinegar Bragg Organic Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar, Raw, 16 Ounce – 1 Pack which helps to get rid of phytic acid present in the grains. Phytic acid prevents our bodies from absorption of nutrients. Therefore soaking the grains removes phytic acid but activates the phytase enzymes which helps in better nutrient absorption and digestion.)
-1 tbsp of organic unsalted butter
-Salt and pepper to taste ( I prefer using Himalayan pink salt Sherpa Pink Himalayan Salt, 2lbs Extra-Fine Grain because it is less processed and contains minerals and trace elements and has low sodium content than table salt. Also, it makes food tastes better.)
In a medium pot, heat your unsalted butter.Once the butter is melted, add your chopped onions and minced garlic and saute it until golden brown. Now add your chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper per your taste and ground cumin. Keep stirring in between until the tomatoes are soft and mixed with onion, garlic and seasonings. Now add your shrimp and cook them until they change their color. Now add your soaked quinoa and mix everything. Add 4 cups of water or stock of your choice and let it simmer until the quinoa is cooked and fluffy. You can also add some lemon juice if you want to enhance the taste. Serve hot and enjoy with your choice of veggies.
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Yay! So now there is this beautiful and amazing journey ahead of you when your body slowly goes through a lot of changes and creates a life inside of you. Isn’t it beautiful? This is the time when you slowly transform yourself from being a women to a mother. So this time is extremely important to take care of your body as you are creating this life inside of you. Here are some of the tips which helped me to make my pregnancy easier and hope this helps you too. Always make sure with your health care provider before applying these tips and whether they are safe for you or not depending on your pregnancy.
Since every body is different and every pregnancy is different, so some of you may experience some things differently than others, which is absolutely okay as long as you and your baby is healthy. During my experience in pregnancy, I had horrible morning sickness but luckily it lasted only for the first trimester. I wonder why its called morning sickness since it lasts whole day and night. But wait, I am not here to scare you, since every experience is different and you might not even get morning sickness during your pregnancy. My morning sickness started around 8 weeks of my pregnancy . My favorite foods like dumplings, pizzas started grossing me out. Food aversions really started to kick in and I could not eat anything. Everything would smell really horrible. The only thing I could eat was saltine crackers, apples, and some plain rice . One thing to avoid morning sickness is to keep yourself hydrated even though you don’t feel like drinking water, but it really helps. Keep some crackers or other snacks that you can eat by the bedside. I would wake up around 4 am in the morning and munch on the crackers to avoid throwing up in the morning. Sucking some fresh ginger also helped me with the nausea. My doctor prescribed me some medications for my morning sickness but I didn’t felt like taking it as I was staying home at that time and it was manageable. As mentioned earlier, it was not that bad and it slowly subsided after 3rd month or the first trimester.
Homemade tortillas make great dinners. Throw in some chicken, avocado and mixed greens and there you have- your own taco or wraps. These can be made ahead of time and can be stored for later use. And its very easy to make with very few and simple ingredients that might be lying in your kitchen. Here is one of the easiest way to make it.
Ingredients:
-2 cups of all purpose flour
-70 ml of warm water
-1 tsp of baking powder
-1 tsp of salt
-2 tbsp of vegetable oil or coconut oil
-Rolling pin to roll the tortilla
Directions:
In a mixing bowl, add your flour, salt and baking powder. Mix them well and add oil. Now slowly add water and keep mixing it until you make a dough like consistency. Make sure not to make the dough too hard or too soft, or you might end up with very hard tortillas or very soft dough which will be hard for you to work with. Knead it for 5-7 minutes until there is no more dough sticking on your hand or on the bowl. Once you have a smooth dough, cover it with a tea towel and set aside for 10-15 minutes. This helps the gluten to relax and work its way out.
After the dough has been rested for 10-15 minutes, divide it into small and equal size. I usually make them the size of ping-pong balls. Once you have them in the size of ping pong ball, flatten them out with your hand. Now, slowly roll them with the help of rolling pin on a clean surface. Keep rolling it on all the sides until you get the desired shape of tortillas. Don’t worry if it is not round enough, it does require some practice.
Once you have rolled the tortillas, heat the skillet. I usually use a cast iron skillet as it distributes the heat evenly. Once the skillet is hot, place the rolled tortillas and slightly press it on all the sides with a wide spatula. It will start to puff up once you press gently on the tortillas. That is exactly what you want, as it makes your tortillas nice and soft. Now flip to other side, and once it puffs, repeat the same process by gently pressing on the tortillas until its fully cooked. Once they are cooked you can use them for tacos , wraps or quesadillas. Once it cools down, this can also be stored in a big Ziploc bag in room temperature for 2-3 days and used for later.
Cut the paper roll in half. Now add water, baby wash and coconut oil in a large container and pour that mixture on the paper roll that was cut in half. Once the paper roll is all drenched in the mixture, slowly remove the inner brown tube. You are all set to use the wipes now and store it in an air-tight container for future uses.
These wipes are easy to make and you know what you are using on your baby`s skin with very few and clean ingredients. The coconut oil is an excellent moisturizer for the skin. These can be used not only during diaper changes but also to clean sticky hands and faces. Besides you don’t have to use all those store bought conventional wipes that contains so many dangerous chemicals that are known to cause skin allergies and dermatitis etc. The conventional disposable wipes are not good for the environment either, these when flushed in the toilet may cause blockage in the sewage system and when disposed in the landfills they can cause huge problems since they are not biodegradable. Lastly, you can save tons of money (almost 180$/year @15$ /month) if you make your own and have a peace of mind by using all natural and clean ingredients on your baby, right!!
