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Showing posts with label chia seeds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chia seeds. Show all posts

Thursday, October 20, 2016

Gondhoraj Lemonade with Chia seeds and Mint ( Diwali Collaboration)

As the festive season draws to a close, Diwali becomes the perfect excuse to indulge oneself in every possible way. Unfortunately, it is also the time when we pile on the calories and the resulting kilos. Suddenly that skinny pair of jeans that one picked up last month from a sale seems too tight and the love handles just don't go with the halter blouse that one had got stitched for a cousin's wedding. That leaves one with no option other than hitting the gym with renewed vigor and simultaneously praying for a miracle to melt all that lard in less than a fortnight's time.

Enough reason to revisit our eating habits for the festive season. And cut down of the consumption of high calorie foods. One of the key points to be considered while planning a menu is that the brain often confuses between hunger pangs and thirst signals. Hence while our body might just be craving for some liquid replenishment, one can end up mistaking it for hunger and end up stuffing oneself with food.

To reduce the chances of needless calorie consumption, it is important to keep oneself hydrated. And the best way to do it is by introducing a traditional drinks like shikanji, buttermilk and jal jeera in the Diwali menu. Most of them aid in digestion, replenish the water content of our body and also make us feel somewhat full. And in turn, we end up putting less on the plate.

Keeping this in mind, I prepared a lemonade with the famed Gondhoraj lemons which are found in West Bengal and North-East regions of India. These highly fragrant limes are a rather rare find in Bangalore but then I got lucky on a weekend trip to the vegetable market. I ended up adding some crushed mint (for digestion) and some chia seeds (for fiber) to the lemonade. It turned out quite refreshing, delicious and attractive. The soaked chia seeds settling down on the mint leaves make for a rather pretty sight.

And this being a Diwali Collaboration with my blogger friends Parinaaz ( A Dollop Of That ) and Saswati ( Delish Potpourri ), there are more drinks recipes to be discovered. (Just scroll down to the bottom of this page ! )

Read on for the recipe of 'Gondhoraj Lemonade' -






















Preparation Time - 5 mins ( plus 40 mins soaking time )

Ingredients -
  • Juice of 1 Gondhoraj lime
  • 1 sprig of mint
  • 1 1/2 tsp sugar syrup ( use Sugarfree Natura if you want to avoid calories/sugar )
  • 1 tsp chia seeds
  • 200 ml water
  • a pinch of salt (optional)


Preparation - Mix in the water, salt and sugar syrup in a jar.

Lightly crush the mint sprig and drop it into a tall glass.

Pour in the lemonade. Sprinkle the chia seeds on the top.

Put it in the fridge for 35-40 mins for chilling. The chia seeds will also get soaked in the meantime.

Remove from the fridge and serve.
















Do check out these fabulous drink's by my fellow bloggers -






















Parinaaz's Babri Beol Thresh

and






















Saswati's Ice Creamy Gulkand Shake .

Monday, June 13, 2016

Oats Chia Pudding

"Did you start taking Amla juice ?"

"Hey what about those yoga classes you were planning to join ?"

"Did you buy that wheat grass powder ? "

"You on started drinking Women's Horlicks . Do you find any difference in your energy levels ?"

"Are you using Olive oil for everyday cooking ?"

Women chatter. Having done with kids and husbands, the female conversation inadvertently steers towards the topic of eating and staying healthy. Most of us are fighting an everyday battle in terms of balancing taste with nutrition. And since we tends to relegate our own needs in favor of those of our spouse or the kids, the results are all too visible. Weight gain and dipping energy levels are some of the most common issues faced by women post their thirties. But ask anyone of them if they are doing anything about it, and the most common response would be " I do not find the time. "

While it is very much true that the household work load distribution ratio in India is very much skewered, there are some simple changes that can be brought about in one's lifestyle. Start with eating the right kind of breakfast. Usually I find women eating breakfast all too late or eating too much of carbs or fat and rarely any fruit. Hence, this is one area where we can definitely improve upon.

And an overnight Oats Chia seeds pudding with a serving  of fruit is definitely one step up the hierarchy of good health. Oats, Chia seeds, milk, yogurt, almonds and fruit make it the most complete and balanced kind of meal that can replenish the depleting sugar levels and keep one going for hours. Plus it is ridiculously easy to put together and can be have had out of jar even as you go about the house pulling out socks and books from the unlikeliest of places.

Read on for the super easy recipe -





























Preparation Time - 5 mins

Ingredients -


  • 3/4 cup oats 
  • 2 tsp chia seeds
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 tbsp yogurt
  • 2 pinch nutmeg (optional but recommended
  • 2-3 drops vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp chopped almonds
  • 1 serving of fruit ( apple/banana/strawberry/mango or anything one likes )
  • 1 tsp sugar or 1 tsp honey


Preparation - Take a jar or a small glass. Pour in 3/4 cup milk, yogurt, almonds, nutmeg and most of sugar/honey. Mix well and the add the oats. Let it sit for 10 mins.

Mix the remaining milk with vanilla extract, a few drops of honey and the chia seeds. Pout it over the soaked oats. Close it and pop it into the fridge. Leave overnight.

Let it stand at room temperature for about 30 mins to 1 hour in the morning before consumption. Top it with chopped fruits of your choice ( you would be having some left after adding them to the kid's cornflakes or making a fruit chaat for husband's lunchbox) and eat.































Note - Soak about 25-30 almonds overnight. Drain and wash them under running water. Peel and chop up into small pieces. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge and add 2 tsp to your Oats-Chia pudding everyday. The overnight soaking process stimulates the production of enzymes in the almonds and hence one gets the maximum benefit of consuming them.

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