What I ate today: healthy edition Day 2

Sundays are sort of like our cheat days, but not really, we wake up half an hour later for our walk, and choose an easier exercise for the day, we chose tae bo. What hasn't changed about sundays is the food. It's always good.

After having holidays for 5 months, my food intake increased exponentially. In university I had 3 meals a day and one snack during physiology or biochemistry,now that i'm home I have more snack times, and not the best kind of snacks to be honest, but my sister and I are really trying to change that situation.

For breakfast yesterday I consumed my all time favourite cereal that just came back on the market after years. Its called Chocolate Pillows. It was called Chocolatey Squares before. Now when I love a cereal, I really get hooked on to it. I remember the last cereal I loved was Frosty Stars, and it had marshmallows in it which were space themed! I ate that cereal for over 8 months straight and at times, twice a day, till I could no longer find it in the shops. So I am looking forward to my time with this cereal. They're pretty much square puffs with chocolate in the center, and the chocolate melts in the most scrumptious way in hot milk.

                                      

My sister had oats with some freshly cut strawberries and cinnamon sprinkled on top, and a cup of steaming raspberry green tea. A good power kick for the morning.

She had a couple of eggs as a snack later on.

Lunch was out and we ended up at gymkhanna. My sister had some hot and sour chicken soup for starters which she said was even better than Ching's soup (I talked about this soup in my udon post) ! so i'll be trying that next time.

I had a masala papad/papadum. I love these. It's super thin,crispy and disc shaped. It can be made of different flours, and then it's covered with some salad and chaat masala. delicious!

We also had some lovely vegetable spring rolls.

Butter chicken and naan arrived for the main course.

For snacks yesterday we had some muffins, and lemonade. We make lemonade with a bit of cumin.

Hopefully we can keep up the exercise!

                                                                   -Priya-

What I ate today: healthy edition Day 1

My sister and I came up with a pact to try and get healthy, now that we have absolutely no reason not to. I'm having long awaited holidays after a long, tiring year. I basically studied and ate-we all know what the combination does fitness wise. I just couldn't afford to make health a priority at the time, although I did try take stairs whenever I could, and eat healthier options when I could-I just did little things to help me stay active.

I'm done with university now and finally have the time to start off my healthy lifestyle the right way.

We're really getting into it though. And one thing I'm so proud of is that we didn't wait for the new year, as I'm sure the majority of us do. We're going to try this for a week first. Basically being more active and eating somewhat cleaner and not giving up on foods you absolutely love-just having them in moderation. We came up with a meal plan for the week, so expect a new blog post everyday for a week and hopefully we continue with it. We aren't trying to lose weight though, just trying to be a lot fitter. I'm tired of panting every time I go up the stairs.

We started today with a 30min brisk walk followed by breakfast. I had oatmeal with a banana mixed in and cinnamon on top, plus some orange flavoured green tea. If you're not a fan of green tea then definitely try the flavoured ones, makes a big difference taste wise. I usually love ordinary green tea, but I only found flavoured ones at home by the London fruit and herb company. Pretty good in my opinion! 

The oatmeal filled me up for quite some while. I wasn't hungry again until about 11p.m. I had a half boiled egg (exactly 12 mins of boiling from experience) with some strawberries. 

For lunch we planned for a wrap. We used some sandwich ham slices and also a couple of chicken ham slices. Some lettuce, strawberries, bell pepper, onions, olives, gherkins, a little cheese of your choice ( we used simple cheddar and mozzarella), pepper to taste and honey mustard sauce (the highlight of my lunch).

Honey mustard sauce is pretty simple to make, and tastes absolutely delicious. 1/4cup of plain yogurt/mayonnaise, 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp mustard, 1/2 tsp lemon. Mix well and you've got a salad dressing! 

My mum is a pro at folding the wraps. She also helped us make the wrap covering itself. (I'll make a future post on how!).

Here's the final product. Instagram worthy! It tasted so much better than I'd expected and its easy to make. I loved the strawberries in the wrap too. A big hit with everyone at home. All in all, a great start to our get fit journey.  I feel like I will want to continue with it only if I enjoy in the food I eat, or else it'll be all the more difficult.

Afternoon snack-a slice of brown bread with chocolate peanut butter and my mums homemade coconut jam cookie. Tasted better than it looks.

In the evening we did a 25minute kickboxing workout. This workout was so intense but it felt so good afterwards. I felt quite proud of myself for getting through it. I haven't shed this much sweat in a while (no tears yet though!!).

For dinner I had some hot and sour soup with 2 frankfurters -yup, I'm back to my old non veg eating self with good reason. Had a banana for dessert. I forgot to take pictures of my dinner (too hungry I think).

I've had a super productive day today and I'm hoping to maintain it throughout the rest of the week, one step at a time and hopefully I make it to my goals. I'm glad my sister is in this with me, I need all the motivation I can get.

                    ~Risha~

What I Ate

Hello! Long time, no see. I thought i'd sweeten things up a bit here by drawing what I ate last Sunday.

The hot chocolate was from Tiramisu (obviously), the butter chicken and naan from Khazanna. I absolutely love the gravy of their chicken, once I start, I just can't stop! The cake was from cake city, it was surprisingly good, I've had some pretty dry cakes and some extremely sweet cakes from there, but this was good. The tea is from the London Fruit and Herb company. I've been crushing on their tea for quite a while now! My favorite being apple and cinnamon, and the best thing is they are caffeine free. I'll probably do a blog post on their tea soon. I hope you all have a great week ahead!

                                                                            -Priya-

Udon, the way I like it.

Hello folks! It's obviously been a while(as pointed out by my sister on multiple occasions).
 Udon is a thick wheat flour noodle, it is japanese, but i'm sort of a Rachael Ray in the kitchen, I just prefer a 10 minutes limit rather than a 30 minutes limit.
I use udon in hot and sour soup. As someone who prefers foods to drinks, I always have something to chew on with my liquids, in this case udon.
I boil the udon with some salt till it's soft and can fold in on itself.

While the udon boils I prepare the hot and sour soup, which is a packet soup from a company called Ching's, it is the only packaged soup I consume willingly.
I cut a few carrots and spring beans which I boil too, sometimes I sprinkle some herbs on top, and voila, a healthy lunch in less than 10 minutes!

                 
                                                                           -Priya-

Good vs Evil: Dussera mela

Every year the Hindu community ( not forgetting Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh) have the chance to celebrate the Lord Rama's victory over the demon king Ravan. Basically signifying the win of good vs evil. Ravan's defeat is celebrated by burning a huge statue of him to the ground. We've celebrated this every year since as long as I can remember, and always geared up to eat the delicious fair/street type food at the SSDS temple, not forgetting the lucky dip games, and usually epic fireworks ( now banned, so there were none this year).

Statue of Ravan before being burned.  

Delicious Khandvi. I've always loved certain Gujarati foods, which I hardly ever get to eat since we cook it very rarely ( or rather, my mum makes something once in a while, I have no idea about cooking Gujarati food).  I've loved Khandvi since I was little, I believe it's somewhat difficult to make because of the rolling of the fragile dough. From what I know, it's made of gram flour and curd/yoghurt and spices, not forgetting the sesame seeds, mustard seeds and crunchy curry leaves on the top.

Pau bhaji at the Anghiti stall. I was pleasantly surprised to see that anghiti had decided to cook for the fair this year. Pretty good prices too.

My sister had these blurry bhajias which she flooded with chilli sauce unknowingly and then couldn't finish. I came to the rescue of course!

Classic makhni paneer and nan. This was from the anghiti stall. I had a couple of bites and it was delicious. Especially in the rainy weather. Yes, we were getting soaked but also went prepared to eat in the rain with our umbrellas.

This picture is my favourite, obviously. Look at all the jalebis! My all time favourite Indian dessert. A little secret- stick around until the end if you can, it'll become about 200kshs cheaper for a kg. ( if you manage to stay away for that long!).

Finally, Ravan burned as soon as it got dark.

To the ground! 

All in all, a great event. A fun family evening out, and an excuse to eat delicious food. The event is not usually advertised, but it's always around October/November every year, after the last day of Navratri. I had a headache at the end thanks to the loud speakers, and my eyes were watering because of all the smoke ,  but it was time well spent in the end. My brother also won first prize in a drawing competition they had. Quite proud of him. :) 

                                                                      ~risha~ 

What I ate : Birthday Edition

I turned 24 yesterday. I remember being excited for my birthday days in advance when I was younger. Making plans of what I was going to be doing on the day was a huge part of celebrating. Every single person deserves to be celebrated, but this year I felt so different about it. All Kenyans know what 21st September signifies after last year. I felt like it was so much more important to celebrate peace and moving forward so I didn't think about my birthday even for a second before it actually came. I don't know if that's what growing older does to you, do you lose all excitement? Should it become just another day? Well, my family and friends made me realise that being alive and healthy is a huge blessing, and maybe your birthday is celebrated so you can have a chance to show how grateful you are. I had an absolutely unexpected lovely day. It couldn't have gone any better in my opinion. Spending time with family and friends was just what I needed, especially with the study mode I've been undergoing all year. I was spoiled rotten with all the food! And the food merchandise! Spending quality time over a meal is such a great thing to do, even more with good food.

Woke up to this! Look at the chocolate! And the waffle maker! And the chocolate mould! And the Jaffa cakes! (Which I devoured, cake like biscuit covered in chocolate with orange jelly in the middle-a British favourite!).Can you tell food makes me happy? (Ignore the mess in the back, early morning excitement can't be helped).

Started my day off with this beautiful blueberry cheese cake my mum made for me as a surprise. Truly tastes divine. I could eat it alone for days. Thank you mummy! Took me back to my primary school days when I'd come home to a huge cheese cake with a strawberry jelly top. Will always be my favourite.

Home made cappuccino in my new mug, again made by my mum! 

We were too full to have breakfast after the cheese cake (best breakfast substitute), so my mum took me for a hot chocolate. I had a fabulous time and it was delicious. I'm not sure of the name of this place but it's somewhere in spring valley. When I remember I'll put it here.

Lunch with friends. This is at Four cafe bistro in gigiri. I was looking forward to trying some place new. It definitely did not disappoint. Above is the chips mexicasa- which the four of us couldn't finish. It's basically chips with melted cheese, tomato, capsicum and onions if you wish. Then the pizza with pesto sauce, originally with chicken but we substituted it with mushroom instead. It definitely didn't disappoint. It was my first time having a pizza with pesto sauce instead of tomato/Arabiata! I think I'll try this at home sometime. 

Made some of the chocolate in the mould my parents got me. It's so much fun popping the pieces out of the mold. I also love how shiny the surfaces are. I'm planning on trying different varieties, maybe coconut, nuts, biscuits in the chocolate next time.

I'm sure you can guess where I went for dinner. For you! Tried the corn with cashewnut this time which I really liked. And the staff all came in singing happy birthday with this strawberry ice cream that we all shared( does anybody else feel awkward/not know where to look when people sing to you or make you open gifts?). 

I feel like I was so spoiled yesterday and I'm not sure I deserved any of it. But it was so much fun and I made so many memories which I think are very worth every moment. I know it seems like I ate a lot of Food, but I can't lie, I did! I could barely stand the thought of food when I got home. And I'm not a fan of overeating. But it was an exception I guess. Back to moderation from today. Also trying to remember that my age has changed, in case anyone asks me. :) 

                                                                       ~risha~

Banana Bread

The weather over the past few days has taken a complete turn and it's been freezing in nairobi. I love sweater weather and it's got me craving warm comfort food, especially after the long week I've had. I've been wanting to make banana bread for the last couple weeks but never had the time, or all the ingredients. I finally got down to it today and let's just say it's made my day. Perfect in the rainy weather with a cup of tea or coffee.

If only you could smell the cinnamon, coffee and chocolate scent throughout the house whilst this is in the oven. It's divine.

Ingredients

250g plain flour 

2 tsp baking powder 

125g softened unsalted butter

125g white sugar

125g brown sugar

3 large ripe bananas, mashed (I used 5 small ones)

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 tsps vanilla extract

200g good quality dark or milk chocolate bar, (I used milk chocolate with nuts and white chocolate )

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 shot of espresso, cooled. (I used 1/3 cup!)

Sift the flour and baking powder first. Then mix the sugars, mashed bananas, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, butter, espresso and of course the chocolate chips separately.. Mix we'll and add in the flour. Mix until all incorporated. Line the cake pan with butter. Bake at 180 degrees for 50-60 mins. (Put in a toothpick or skewer to check). 

It's as simple as that!

We did things a little differently this time-my sister filmed me making the bread and hyper lapsed the result and we made a little video. It was quite fun for us! (Please excuse the mess in the kitchen, that's the aftermath of lunch on a saturday when everyone is home :) ).

Looking forward to having the bread with my chai.

                                                                  -risha-

                                                   

Sunday treat- Creamy inn

Sundays are even more exciting when you know there's dessert involved. I've been having a sore throat on and off for the past few weeks (thank you weather, and immune system), so it felt so good to eat ice cream today. I'm a big ice cream fan if you didn't know, ready for it anytime, anywhere, even before my meal, and even better if I could have it instead of my meal. I don't eat it as much as I love it though, owing to the fact that I get a cold pretty easy after. It's been getting quite warm in nairobi lately so it felt good to indulge together with my family. The pictures probably speak for themselves. I'm not sure words would do them justice.

Ice cream Sundae with smarties and 4 different sauces-chocolate, strawberry, banana and peppermint. I wasn't too keen on the banana and peppermint, but it was delicious regardless.

The waffle was probably our sole reason for going to creamy inn. After a long day of contemplating where to go for dessert, we decided on waffles which I've literally not had in years, and i absolutely loved it! They initially said they didn't have waffles, but when the lady at the counter noticed our highly disappointed faces, she said she would make the waffle if we would wait for 30 mins, which we readily did-true sweet toothed people here! (my sister and my mum-were somewhat in shock and my mum had to say ' what, no waffles? How can there be no waffles? What will be eat then?') 

It was absolutely delicious, even more because it was so fresh I think. Warm and soft on the inside, slight crunch on the outside. I rediscovered my love for waffles, and so did my sister I'm sure. Rest assured this was devoured within minutes.

I'm now having my second cup of tea because I'm a little afraid of getting a sore throat again, but I'm also aware of how worthy it was. I'm always up for dessert, absolutely no regrets! 

We did notice a new chocolate fudge pizza they've started making. Going to think about trying it next time!

                                                                -risha-

Tiramisu treasures

When I was a child, my mum had to man handle me to drink my cup of milk, as some of you may know, not much has changed in that department! Everything about milk revolts me, the taste, the texture, the smell, the color, it all triggers my instincts to projectile vomit.

Recently while grocery shopping, I came across a branch of Tiramisu,which is a bakery, dessert bar and coffee house all in one!

I was so impressed that I decided to go to a larger branch today.

I ordered the hot chocolate (I know...i'm surprised I did so too!), and boy oh boy, wasn't I in for a treat! This would definitely rank on my list of best life decisions.

They give the option of having it with or without whipped cream, and I obviously chose with.

The cream perfectly complements the chocolate, and elevates the taste beautifully! The chocolate is thicker than any other hot chocolate I've tried. The viscosity of it was perfect enough to be scooped out with a spoon and also to be drunk. It's an absolutely delectable drink which is priced well enough for my student pocket.

It is the perfect dreamy hot chocolate for me, and I definitely recommend a visit.
                                                                          -Priya-

Rice cakes

I've always seen rice cakes in the supermarket near the bread section. I was intrigued because firstly they aren't expensive, and they look pretty interesting with all the different flavours. I decided to try the plain ones since it was my first time.

Pretty bland when you first bite into it, but very crunchy! I'm not very sure I could eat the rest the same way, and so decided to put some topping (a million times more delicious in my opinion).

With Nutella and banana. Highly recommend. So much better than you'd think.

With some pizza toppings. Corn, olives, tomato paste and Parmesan cheese and oregano. Delicious but making it hot for too long makes it soggy. (Rice inside is fluffed up and filled with air)-not sure what the solution for this is.

I'm thinking of trying them with some guacamole (an all time favourite of mine), maybe even hummus another time! It's a very versatile, and healthy breakfast food or snack. You can eat it any way you wish to. The Nutella and banana is definitely my favourite so far. I'm definitely trying the flavoured ones next time.

                                                            -risha-

Breakfast Bowl

I'm on holiday, which to be honest means an increase in my intake of junk food with about zero exercise. I've experienced what that kind of lifestyle can do in my last holidays, so trying to break the trend i'm trying to eat healthy, which leads me to making my own food. This also keeps me more active, so that I don't sit around all day catching up with tv shows and movies.
I made a healthier breakfast that's quick, easy and gives me enough energy to start the day.

It's pretty simple if you want to try it out ,some vanilla yoghurt, half an apple which I chopped with my superb knife skills(sort of like a ninja), half a handful of macadamia nuts(though I prefer almonds), and bran flakes(because my mum bought them and no one wants to eat them...they're sort of tolerable in yoghurt). Banana is always nice to add, but I ran out of them. 

I feel happier when I eat healthier, so hopefully I manage to keep up with this.

                                                                   -Priya-

Lemon bars

I was in the mood of trying something new baking wise for a while now. I just never had the time and the perfect recipe to make something I would enjoy. I love trying new things, hence the lemon bar recipe which I kept seeing all over the internet, I watched a couple YouTube videos and read a few websites and decided on this specific recipe. It's delicious, with a soft cookie like base and a chewy middle, and a crunchy top layer. The only thing I would change the next time I make it is the sugar content. Slightly sweeter than I had expected, and that's saying something considering I'm the self proclaimed queen of all the sweet toothed people out there. They're delicious regardless and not as time consuming as I'd thought, and would go perfectly with a cup of coffee in the nairobi weather we've been having lately. Warning: This May just be a picture heavy post.

Step 1-make base

Combine 1/2 cup soft unsalted butter (make sure it's room temp!) with quarter cup confectioners sugar, 1cup all purpose flour, 1/8 tsp vanilla essence and a pinch of salt. (I used salted butter so didn't add any salt).

Then mix with a wooden spatula, no whisk needed at this point! Mix until all flour is incorporated. Ultimately ends up looking like cookie dough.

Lightly grease a slightly deep pan, and spread out the doughy mixture evenly, then use a fork and make holes throughout to ensure even cooking.

Then put this in the oven for 22 mins at 180 degrees.

Step 2-make lemon mixture

Fresh lemons are the best for this! Use a grater to get some of the lemon rind. Then juice the lemons until you have a quarter cup of lemon juice. I used the rind from 3 lemons.

In a separate mixing bowl, put in 2 large eggs, and 1 egg yolk alone. Then put in 1 tablespoon of flour and 1 cup of confectioners sugar. 

Mix using a whisk until everything is incorporated. (Don't get scared if mixture is too watery looking, it's supposed to be!).

Then put in the lemon juice and the lemon rind and mix well.

Dough base is probably ready now. It should look slightly browned at the edges.

Get it out of the oven and simply pour the lemon mixture over it.

Put it in the oven for another 25 mins at 180 degrees.

Should look like this once its out of the oven, browned at the edges and slightly over the top.

Wait for it to cool completely. (Which I couldn't do since I was in such a hurry to try it, hence me ruining the cutting it into perfect slices , but I just had to try it while it was hot). 

See the slice missing? Already eaten.

Sprinkle on some icing sugar or even some glaze (half cup icing sugar with 1tsp milk/lemon juice can do the trick). 

Really glad I made this and definitely having it for breakfast tomorrow. (Not healthy but not sorry either).

It's not complicated to make at all and it was so much fun too! I might try a different fruit next time I make this instead of lemon. The lemon taste isn't too overpowering, but you can definitely taste it. Highly recommend if you have a sweet tooth!

                                                                         -risha-