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December 22, 2018 By Richi Seth Leave a Comment

Low Fat Christmas and New Year Eve Recipes

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It’s that time of the year when you reconnect with your loved ones for celebrations such as singing carols, dancing etc, it’s the Jingle bells season. As we are nearing the closure of this year, I am drowned in sweet memories of Christmas Celebrations at school and with my friends and family. It’s a time to gorge on some festive food. But, the dilemma with most is how do you gorge on food and yet keep it healthy.

After pondering over the last few days here are some recipes which I have planned for my Christmas and New Year Eve’s party.

To start with here is a yummy soup recipe to stimulate the taste buds

1.    Cauliflower and Leek soup

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 leeks, sliced
  • 1 carrot, sliced
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 1 cauliflower, roughly chopped
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Method

  1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks, carrot and onion. Stir a little and cover and let the leeks cook till they’re soft, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add the cauliflower and stir to coat. Turn heat to high.
  3. Add a little water, basil and bring to the boil, then cover and let simmer on low heat.
  4. Puree the soup with a hand blender.
  5. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  6. A dash of nutmeg helps in stimulating taste buds.

Nutritional Value: Low-calorie soup rich in folic acid and soluble fibre. Basil and nutmeg act as super foods for immunity building.

  1. Stir-fried green beans: An accompaniment to the soup

Ingredients:

  • 100 gms Green French beans
  • 1tsp extra virgin olive oil
  • Sesame seeds
  • Grounded pepper
  • Rock salt
  • Oregano

Method:

  1. Heat oil in a pan
  2. Add sesame seeds and allow them to splutter
  3. Add the beans and sauté
  4. Put some salt, pepper and cover the lid
  5. Cook for 5-7min until a little soft yet the bite remaining
  6. Sprinkle some oregano and serve

Nutritional Value: The best side dish. Full of fibre, protein and low-calorie snack.

  1. Chicken, kale and sprouts stir fry

Ingredients:

  • 100 gm kale
  • 2 lean chicken breasts shredded
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1-inch ginger shredded
  • Red pepper thinly sliced
  • Handful Brussel sprouts
  • 1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 lemon juice and lemon zest

Method:

  1. Cook kale along with a good splash of water and cook for 1-2 mins until soft yet a little bite remaining, then cool under running water to keep the colour.
  2. Add half the oil and cook the chicken strips until brown, then remove and set aside.
  3. Heat the remaining oil and fry the ginger, pepper and sprouts until soft a little.
  4. Add all the above together and tip in the soy, lime zest and juice. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Value: A good combination of lean protein and fibre. Adding ginger and lemon makes it digestive. A good recipe for a snack or salad or as a main course with some brown

  1. Whole wheat flour and Ragi cake:

How can a party be without a dessert? Ditch the calorie-laden and not so healthy maida and give a twist to the cake.

Ingredients:

  • Ragi Flour-3/4 cup
  • Wheat Flour-1/4 cup+1 tsp
  • Baking Soda-1 Tsp
  • Jaggery-1/2 cup
  • Palm Sugar-1/2 cup
  • Oil-1/4 cup
  • Curd-1/tsp
  • Water-1/4 cup
  • Banana-2(Ripe)
  • Raisins-15
  • Badam-8
  • Butter-1 tbsp

Method:

  1. 1. Remove gasket and whistle of the cooker and keep it in low flame. This is to bring the preheat effect of the oven. (20 – 25 minutes would do)
  2. Heat water in a saucepan and add jaggery (powdered/grated) and palm sugar and let it dissolve and filter.
  3. Mash banana and leave aside
  4. In a bowl sieve both the flours together and add 1 tsp of baking soda and mix well.
  5. In another bowl add the jaggery + palm sugar mixture, mashed banana, curd, oil and beat them well.
  6. To this add the flour mixture and beat/mix well.
  7. Add the raisins and almonds and mix well.
  8. Grease the tin and pour the mixture
  9. Place a stand/plate inside the cooker and then place the cake tin.
  10. Close it and let it cook for 5 minutes in medium flame.
  11. After 5 minutes keep the flame slow and let it cook for 30-40 minutes.
  12. Use a toothpick to check if the cake is completely cooked. When you prick the cake deep inside the toothpick will come out clean when the cake is completely cooked.

Nutritional Value: Low calorie with the goodness of calcium from ragi. Have it guilt free. 

  1. Crusty pita bread and chickpeas: A quick and less cooking involved snack

Ingredients:

  • Pita bread or a multigrain bread
  • Boiled chickpeas
  • Chopped onions, coriander, green chillies
  • Lemon zest and lemon juice
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Other herb seasonings

Method:

  1. In a bowl mix all the above ingredients and set aside.
  2. Toast the pita or the multigrain bread.
  3. Put this mixture and have it like that or can toast them in a sandwich.

Nutritional Value: Low-calorie protein rich and good carbs snack. 

  1. Christmas Balls: These amazing small balls will give a twist to the party

Ingredients:

  1. Dark chocolate
  2. Dry fruits mix(coarsely ground)
  3. Honey
  4. Sesame seeds(for coating)

Method:

  1. Take a bar of dark chocolate and make it melt in a hot water bath(Boil some water and keep the second bowl in hot water and put the chocolate bar)
  2. Now put all the ingredients together except the sesame seeds and make small balls.
  3. Now coat these balls with sesame seeds when still wet.

Nutritional Value: Have these with no hesitation as it is full of antioxidants and the richness of dry fruits.

Hope these party ideas are a hit at your Christmas party. The recipes are low calorie, nutritive, easy to make and  So enjoy the party guilt-free with these yummy healthy preparations.

 

February 17, 2018 By Richi Seth 4 Comments

Tennis Elbow: Symptoms, management and its prevention

How often have you heard or read in news about a sportsman suffering a tennis elbow or your friend saying I am suffering a tennis elbow? Many a time I am sure. But, are you aware of what is ‘Tennis Elbow’ and how can you prevent it. 

The elbow is known as the “funny bone” but if you suffer from tennis or golfer’s elbow, the pain you undergo when you hit the elbow is unbearable.

Tennis elbow can be caused by sudden injury of the muscle and tendon area around the outside of the elbow where the muscles and tendons of the forearm attach to the outside bony area- the lateral epicondyle of the elbow. Another common term, “golfer’s elbow,” refers to the same process occurring on the inside of the elbow called as medial epicondyle. It does not happen with the sportspersons only, it’s just the term which is referred to the sport as it can be a significant problem for some tennis players.

What Are the Symptoms of Tennis Elbow?

  • Pain around the outside of the elbow.
  • Pain is worse by moving the wrist with force. Examples include lifting, using tools, opening jars, or even handling simple utensils such as rolling pin, using a toothbrush or knife and fork.

How do you manage a Tennis Elbow?

Tennis elbow is treated primarily by physiotherapy which includes some exercises of forearm and wrist along with their strengthening progressively, bracing for resting the muscles, topical anti-inflammatory gels, topical steroid gels, and steroid injections. Surgery is needed in rare cases.

Immediate line of treatment to reduce the pain and inflammation of tennis elbow should be:

  • Rest
  • Avoid any activity that causes pain.
  • Apply ice to the affected area. Holding a cold compress, such as a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a towel, against your elbow for a few minutes several times a day can help ease the pain.
  • Massaging and manipulating the affected area may help relieve the pain and stiffness, and improve the range of movement.

Exercises:

It is important to maintain the fitness levels with performing some light exercises like:

  • Aerobic exercises like walking, running or jogging that are good for overall fitness
  • Gentle stretching exercises can help in rehabilitating the elbow and some of the good exercises for tennis elbow include gentle wrist extensions, flexes and rotations, wrist curls and extensions with the help of light dumbles.
  • Isometric exercises such as squeezing a ball, are also a good cure for tennis elbow.

Tennis Elbow prevention through nutrition

Apart from the above-mentioned treatment options, it is also important to support the connective tissues’ health with nutrient-rich, anti-inflammatory food:

  • Have plenty of colourful fruits and vegetables daily in your diet.
  • Consumption of Pineapples is beneficial as they are rich in vitamin C that helps in building collagen. They are also rich in bromelain, which contains powerful anti-inflammatory properties that can reduce pain and swelling caused by tennis elbow.
  • Having good quality protein which contains a high biological value like eggs, lean meat which serves as the “building blocks” for tissue repair.
  • Having supplements with vitamin C, vitamin A, zinc and copper.
  • Having anti-inflammatory foods and supplements such as barley, ginger, curcumin, omega 3 rich foods like fish such as mackerel and salmon, walnuts, flaxseeds etc.
  • Limit the intake of processed and canned foods and sugar.

Precautions to be taken

To help lessen the stress and abuse on tennis elbow:

  • Use the proper equipment and technique in sports.
  • Use of a counter-force brace, an elastic band that wraps around the forearm just below the injured elbow (tendon) may help to relieve pain in some people.
  • Avoid tight gripping and overuse of the wrist.

 

August 23, 2016 By Richi Seth 3 Comments

Quick healthy instant recipes

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Early morning cooking can be a nightmare for many people especially for the office goers who struggle with their morning meals and in this process often tend to skip their breakfast which is the most important meal of the day. Some struggle with their culinary skills and often have this excuse ready to skip their meals.

Try out these quick options to make your life easy and move to a healthy routine:

(1) Sandwich Spread: Here is a recipe of protein rich spread which you can use for your multigrain sandwiches. It is filling and rich of antioxidants. 

Sandwich Spread

Ingredients:

  1. Avocado
  2. One cup boiled chick peas
  3. One lemon squeezed
  4. A dash of olive oil
  5. Some salt and pepper

Procedure:

  1. De-seed the avocado and cut into pieces.
  2. Boil the chickpeas
  3. Add all the above ingredients in a blender along with lemon juice, salt, pepper, and olive oil. This recipe can be stored in the refrigerator and can be used for good 1 week.

(2) Oats Uttapam: This can be a great option to carry in the tiffin box too.

Oats Uttapam

Ingredients:

  1. 1 Cup Powdered oats
    b. 1 cup low fat yogurt
  2. Veggies of your choice

Procedure:

    1. Mix all the ingredients together. Add salt and cumin seeds. Can prepare this mixture a night before.
    2. Take the batter in a large spoon and pour it on the non-stick pan and spread. You can use some cold compressed coconut oil for greasing the pan.
    3. Once cooked flip the side and let it cook.

(3) Almond Mango Smoothie: This is a quickie to prepare and has a dose of essential vitamins. This is best made during the Mango season. This refreshing beverage will make you feel fresh and full.

Almond-Mango-smoothie              

Ingredients:

      1. A ripened mango
      2. Some soaked almonds
      3. To make it more nutritious some dates and walnuts will add to its value

Procedure: Blend all the ingredients together in a blender and have chilled.

(4) Sprouts sandwich: This is definitely a great easy snack recipe and full of nutrition.

Avocados_and_Sprouts
Ingredients:

      1. Multigrain bread
      2. Mix sprouts of moong, black gram
      3. Cut vegetables like onion, tomato, cucumber etc.
      4. To make it more protein rich you can add some cubes of cottage cheese or few peanuts.

Procedure:

      1. Take slices of multigrain bread
      2. Take sprouts and add vegetables of your choice, add some lemon to the chat.
      3. Put this mixture on the slices of bread. You can use some home-made spreads and paste like mint or tamarind paste instead of mayonnaise.

(5) Fruity Nutty yogurt: A delicious healthy smoothie, easy to make as well.

recipe414
Ingredients:

      1. Choose your favourite fruits
      2. Hung curd
      3. Some nuts like walnuts, almonds, raisins
      4. Honey or Jaggery by choice to add sweetness.

Procedure: Throw in all the ingredients in the blender and have it chilled.

Conclusion:

The above 5 recipes are quick, healthy and refreshing. These are good choices for those who are running out of time and are managing alone with their meals. These snacks can be taken any time of the day. They are healthy and easy to prepare.

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