Shocks and Shoes

Ramadan Kareem!!

10:29:00 pm

Image Courtesy: onislam

The Holy Month has begun!! Today was the start to 30 days of fasting. If you’re not clear about what Ramadan is about, here are the basics: You are supposed to abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset. Before sunrise, you have a light meal to keep up your energy for the day, and after sunset, you break your fast. Nothing in between. No, not even water. Harsh?? Yup, kind of. But you do get used to it :-).

Of course, apart from not eating/drinking, this is a month of long nightly prayers and reading of the Quran, since it was during Ramadan that the Quran was revealed. We are also supposed to give alms to the poor and be decent the whole time – no lying, backbiting, shouting etc. But then you’re supposed to be like that all the time, right? Yes, that’s the point. These 30 days are similar to a detox program physically, emotionally and spiritually. Those who actually invest in this gain the most out of it.

Since this food plan takes my metabolism for a ride, I’m planning to at least keep up my weight training throughout the month. It’s also going to be important to control what I eat after sunset and to avoid going on a binge-eating spree. (That sure is going to be tough).

Shown here is the four course healthy Iftar menu at Balance Cafe, Dubai

Image Courtesy: ahlanlive

Here are a few resources I liked that might be helpful to fasters: (Is that even a word – ‘fasters’?)

1. Healthy eating during Ramadan with recipes.

2. Guide to exercising in Ramadan

3. Ramadan Crafts for Kids

4. Increasing productivity during Ramadan

5. Fun Animations on the proper way to behave during Ramadan

Here is another interesting link: The extremely talented Neelu at ‘creating memories’ is having a ‘Journal your Ramadan’ event for 30 days, starting today. You don’t have to be fasting to participate; Neelu has given alternative topics for Ramadan specific prompts, so anyone can play.

I saw this just this morning, hence missed the ‘sunrise’ of the first prompt. So, I’ve exchanged it with the prompt of day 15, and so I present ‘Sunset’ today. Quite a cloudy sunset from my balcony:

Well, that’s all for now. In case you’re wondering, I had a cutlet and a samosa for Iftar, followed by tricolor pulao with cucumber raitha and a chicken dish sent over by my MIL. Okay, maybe no one was actually wondering what I ate today. Err….(awkward pause…..)

I’ll try to keep up regular blog posting as much as I can during Ramadan, I’ll at least try to participate in the Ramadan Journal event. So once again, Ramadan Kareem!!

Fashion

The Haul and The Holy!!

10:12:00 pm

Food

Recipe for the Week - Multigrain Pizza

12:07:00 pm

I’ve been quite busy with some stuff at home, hence the lack of posts this week!! Anyway, I hope this recipe will make up for my absence :-).

If you’ve been my long time follower, you’ve already seen my first pizza recipe. New here? Never fear, ‘cause you can still see it here. (Hey, that rhymes!) This recipe differs mainly in the fact that I’ve used multigrain flour for the base and I also made my own pizza sauce :-). I am so proud of myself!! Now, if only I also learnt to make cheese…..

Part I - Pizza Base

What you’ll need (2 pizza bases – serves 4):

250 g multigrain flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp yeast

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp olive oil

100 ml + more warm water

What you’re going to do:

1. Mix the flour and salt with a hand whisk till well mixed.

2. Dissolve the sugar in 1/2 a cup of warm water and add the yeast. Let it rest for 15 minutes, till all fermented and bubbly.

3. Add yeast mixture to the flour mix. Add more warm water to form a soft dough.

4. Add 1 tsp of olive oil to the dough, knead again and cover with a wet kitchen towel and leave to rise for 45 minutes ideally, or 30 minutes if you’re in a hurry.

5. After it has risen, punch down the dough and knead again. Roll out into a circle slightly larger than the base of your baking tin. Make sure the pizza is of uniform thickness.

6. Curl in the edges of the pizza and prick all over with a fork as shown in the picture.

7. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees and bake the pizza base for 10 minutes.

Part II – Pizza Sauce

What you’ll need (For 2 pizza bases):

350 g tomatoes chopped

1/4 cup tomato sauce

1 tbsp garlic chopped

2 tsp dried basil

salt to taste

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

What you’re going to do:

1. Pour olive oil in pan, and as it heats up, toss in garlic.

2. Fry for about 10 seconds, then lower heat and put in tomatoes and salt.

3. Cover and cook till mushy. Break down chunks with back of spoon.

4. Add basil, pepper and tomato sauce. Simmer till thick. If it’s too watery, it’ll ooze out in a pretty unpleasant way.

Note: I like my pizza sauce chunky, which is why I used whole fresh tomatoes. If you want it smoother, you can either blanch the tomatoes, peel, deseed and then puree, or you could use the ready to use packaged tomato puree.

Part III – Pizza Toppings

What you’ll need (For 2 pizza bases):

Note: The sky is really the limit here, I’ve just given a few sample ingredients below.

2 pizza bases that have been baked as per Part I

Pizza sauce as prepared in Part II, divided into half

(Divide the following ingredients into half for each pizza base)

100 g salami/sausages/cooked chicken cut into bite sized pieces

1 capsicum sliced into rings

1/4 cup sweet corn

1/2 cup button mushrooms

100 g mozzarella cheese grated

2 tsp oregano

1. Spread the sauce on the base evenly. Put in just enough to cover about 90% of the base.

2. Arrange the salami/sausage/chicken on the sauce, followed by capsicum rings.

3. Sprinkle the sweet corn evenly across the base.

4. Top with grated cheese and sprinkle oregano over it.

5. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees and bake the pizza base for 10 minutes, till the cheese is all melted.

10. Cool a bit, cut into slices and dig in!!

I’ve tried two versions of toppings – one with sausages, olives and regular Amul Cheese and one with salami, mushroom and mozzarella. You can use any combination of veggies, meats and cheeses – they’ll all be irresistible!!

Look at that lovely crust!!

All that lovely melted cheese!!

Except for the cheese part, this is quite a healthy pizza, with multigrain flour, very little oil, salt and loads of veggies. Using fresh chicken/paneer instead of processed meats makes it even healthier. You can always reduce the cheese, although I wouldn’t suggest doing away with it altogether.

Honestly, this isn’t difficult to make and is a perfect meal for when you have little guests/playdates to entertain. Something their Moms can’t find fault with!!

This recipe is a participant in the ‘Flavors of Cuisine – Italian’ event hosted by Priya at Priya’s Versatile Recipes, which is part of the Flavors of Cuisine series started by Julie at ErivumPuliyum.

Fashion

Safe ‘Sale’ing!!

9:14:00 pm

Fashion

Black and White!!

9:57:00 am

Personal

Half Yearly Goal Update

5:44:00 pm

It’s been 6 months into 2012!!! Can you believe it??? It’s actually been 6 months since we wished everyone a Happy New Year and made our resolutions and moved on from winter through spring and summer onto the monsoons. Wow, that sure was fast!!

Anyways, this seems to be a good time to take out all my 2012 resolutions and give them a thorough once-over. I know I have been posting weekly updates on them, but now I’d like to have a good look at what I have actually accomplished.

Here are my updates in the order of Good, Average and Bad.

1. Quality time with Cub: I have consciously made an effort to spend more time with Cub. I read to him everyday at nap time and we make crafts almost weekly. He’s also got some new activity books and we’ve started on them.

2. Fitness: Ok, here is one area where I’m proud of myself. I’ve lost 3 kg since the start of the year and I exercise at least 3 times a week, sometimes more. Barring my knee pain episode, I’ve been regular. Yay!! I’m planning on losing two more kg by the year end :-).

3. Regular Praying: Another area that has seen good improvement. I’ve been a lot more conscious about my prayers and quite regular too. I’m glad I made it a resolution.

4. Reading: I thought initially that this would take some effort, but surprisingly now I just automatically want to read, without thinking about keeping up a resolution. I’ve averaged about 2 books a month so far. Good!

1. Cleaner Home: My home has been neater and definitely more organized, though not exactly clean. I’ve got loads of baskets and containers for toys, toiletries, craft stuff etc. There’s much less clutter now :-).

2. Regular Blogging: My blog posting has been OK, not exactly good, but better than last year. At least I set my schedule and have been quite consistent.

3. Adventurous styling: I was aiming for two outfit posts per month, but managed only one a month. However, I have been trying out new stuff, and without breaking the bank. This year has seen me be really, really controlled at shopping and I even had a successful shopping ban period!!

1. Nagging: I just can’t seem to stop nagging. I simply CAN’T. I think it’s ingrained in my DNA or something. Or maybe it’s something you automatically get the minute you become a Mrs. I don’t know, anyway, I’m hardly making any progress here.

2. Healthy Eating: Well, this is kind of a mixed bag. I’ve become an avid fruit and wholegrain eater. But controlling portions still remains a challenge. Especially on weekends. Also my water intake needs to be improved.

3. News watching/reading: Ok, this has not gone as planned at all. This is really embarrassing to admit, but I pick up the newspaper about once a week, on Sundays. I watch the news only if someone else is already watching. The one good thing I did was ‘Like’ Ibnlive on Facebook, so I get updates and links to the trending news stories.

Others: I really wanted to do a lot of DIY stuff, but haven’t been able to make time for it. Also, my baking skills have improved, what with baking my own bread and stuff!! Also, better time management and ‘looking at the big picture’ are on the cards for the rest of the year :-).

Ok, so I have improved some and let myself down a little too, but hey, I’m not stressing about it!! I think I’ve done well for myself so far and am confident I can do better!! I’m really glad I decided to put up weekly updates, it has really helped to keep my path in focus.

How about you guys?? Are you planning on doing half yearly resolution updates too??