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Delicious Recipes from Ragi

1.

After a long summer vacation kids are getting back to school. School life is tiring and we all have gone through it. It’s through these growing years that children need good nutrition and what if this nutrition can be made tasty and interesting with newer recipes time and again.

Here are a few healthy recipes that can be made with Ragi

  1. Ragi Porridge

Ragi Porridge

Ingredients

  • Ragi Flour 30gms
  • Water 200ml
  • Salt/ Jaggery
  • Milk 3 tbsps/ Buttermilk 50ml
  • Ghee 1 tsp

Procedure:

  • Take a pan and fill in the pan with water and allow it to boil.
  • Once the water starts boiling add jaggery or salt depending on the type of porridge. Then add ragi slowly while stirring in the water and prevent lumps formation.
  • Stir continuously till ragi is cooked for 5 minutes.
  • Once ragi is cooked add milk or buttermilk and turn off the heat.
  • Serve ragi hot with ghee and topped with nuts like almonds or walnuts.

Notes:

  • Ragi porridge is a simple yet healthy recipe that an infant can start their food with ragi apart from rice which is used as their first food.
  • Ragi is gluten free, hence it is given to people having gluten intolerance too.
  • It is less allergic unlike oats and thus, can be used as a universal food.
  • People who don’t take milk can substitute ragi for good calcium in their diet.
  • As we know ragi is a millet that is rich in calcium and iron. It also has good B complex vitamins.
  • It can be had as a breakfast option or mid morning snack too.
  • Can be used in weight loss diets too.

Preparation Time: 5 mins

Cooking Time: 5 mins

Serving size: 1 No.

  1. Apple and Ragi Halwa

apple-raga-halwa

Ingredients:

  • Apple 1 no.
  • Ragi 3tbsps
  • Ghee 1 tsp
  • Water little
  • Cinnamon powder a pinch
  • Jaggery 2 tsps

Procedure

  • Soak apple in salt water to wash off the pesticides on the skin for few minutes.
  • Grind the apple with skin or without skin and keep aside.
  • Take a pan, add water and jaggery and allow it to boil.
  • Once the water starts boiling add ragi flour and stir continuously and mix together to remove lumps.
  • Once ragi is cooked, add ghee and grounded apple paste to the ragi and mix well.
  • Stir it together for few seconds and switch off the heat.
  • Make sure we are not cooking apple too much.
  • Serve hot or refrigerate it for half an hour and serve with Grated nuts.

Notes:

  • Ragi is used for its good iron and calcium content. It’s as filling as our routine cereals we take.
  • Its best used for kids as ragi helps in bone formation and healthy teeth too.
  • It’s easily cooked and mixed with various ingredients to make it healthier as we mixed apple that is rich in soluble fiber and also Vitamin C and made the recipe more nutritious.
  • Best for breakfast option and evening snack once the kids come back from school , this recipe can be served to replenish their nutrition.

Preparation time: 2 mins

Cooking time: 7 mins

Serving Size: 1 no.

  1. Ragi Idli

ragi-idli-recipe

Ingredients:

  • Idli Rice/ or idli rawa -1 cup
  • Ragi flour/finger millet flour -2 cups
  • Whole Urad dal (whole/without skin) – 1 cup
  • Fenugreek seeds -1/2 tsp
  • Salt as needed

Procedure:

  • Wash and soak urad dal + fenugreek seeds for 4 hours. Wash and soak rice separately for 4-5 hours or we get lidi rawa separately which can be soaked and added directly to urad dal after grounded.
  • Grind urad dal adding water little at a time until smooth and fluffy. Remove and keep it in a vessel.
  • Grind rice adding water from time to time to a slightly coarse batter.
  • Now add the urad dal batter, ragi flour and salt to the rice batter and grind everything together until well mixed. The consistency of the batter should be similar to idli batter (neither too thick nor too thin).
  • Remove from the wet grinder and mix it well with your hands. Leave it to ferment overnight or for 7-8 hours. Use a big vessel to prevent it from over flowing as it will double while fermenting. Our Ragi Idli batter is ready.

Method

  • Heat water in an idli vessel or steamer. Mix the fermented ragi idli batter well and pour a ladle of batter into the idli molds and place it inside the steamer or idli cooker.
  • Steam cook for 10-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the idli comes out clean. Once done sprinkle water and remove from the mold after 2-3 minutes.
  • Serve hot with sambar or chutney of your choice.

Notes:

  • Ragi idli is a steamed recipe and it will gain lot of nutritional value.
  • Best had for breakfast options. It is also a good tiffin option for school or evening snack once the child returns from school
  • Easily digestible and has good probiotic bacteria as it is fermented.
  • Calcium rich with less fat.

Preparation Time: 30mins

Cooking time : 20 mins

Serving size: 4 no.s

  1. Ragi coconut cookies

ragi biscuit

Ingredients:

  • ¾ cup desiccated coconut / dried coconut
  • ¾ cup ragi flour / finger millet flour (can use even ragi puttu podi for the best crust)
  • ½ cup wheat flour or plain flour/ maida (if possible use unbleached flour)
  • 150 grams unsalted butter
  • 150 grams jaggery
  • 1 tbsp. honey
  • 1 to 2 tsp. Vanilla extract
  • 1 small egg

Procedure:

  • Take butter and jaggery in a bowl and beat them together till light and fluffy.
  • Once it is done add egg and beat it in a blender. Also add vanilla extract and mix well
  • Now add coconut, wheat flour and maida. Blend them continuously.
  • Once a moist dough is formed, sprinkle honey all over evenly and mix it.
  • Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
  • Preheat the oven to 180 C for at least 15 mins.
  • Make balls and flatten them slightly on the baking sheet.
  • Bake the balls till done. It may take around 10 mins.
  • Make these in batches till the entire dough is finished.
  • Cool the ragi biscuits on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container and use up within 2 weeks.

Notes:

  • These biscuits are very healthy and has good energy.
  • Can be used as an interval snacks for the kids instead of regular biscuits as these contain ragi which has calcium and iron.
  • As they contain wheat flour too fiber is also well incorporated in the recipe.
  • Kids like cookies and tend to go out and buy them. Instead these can be prepared at home with good sanitation and hygiene.
  • Overall, nutritious and kids love biscuits as their snacks, Hence, a well nutritious and filling recipe.

Preparation Time: 1hr

Cooking time: 10mins

Serving size: 4 no.s of biscuits.

  1. MULTI GRAIN DOSA

ragi-dosa

Ingredients:  1:4 ratios

  • 1 cup Urad dal (soak separately)
  • 1 cup of each jowar , ragi, bajra, brown rice ( anyother millet combination) (soak all together)
  • 2 tsp methi seeds
  • Salt

Preparation:

  • Soak
  • Grind all together and make a batter.
  • Leave it to ferment.
  • Add salt just before cooking
  • Make dosa on the pan and serve hot.

Notes:

  • Because of the colour of ragi, dosa is modified to be mixed with different grains and made acceptable to the eyes. As it is said, we eat first with our eyes.
  • We can mix only ragi and dal and rice and make dosas. But, making a multi grain dosa will also give various nutrients that each ingredients have.
  • Kids usually get bored with regular breakfast options hence, such innovative and different ingredients should be used to get various nutrients.
  1. Ragi and Nuts laddoo

ragi-ladoos2

Ingredients:

  • Ragi 3 tbsps
  • Almonds 4 nos.
  • Walnuts 4 no.s
  • Coconut 1.5 cup
  • Elaichi 4 no.s
  • Jaggery 1 cup
  • Sesame seeds 2 tbps

Procedure:

  • Roast ragi flour in 1 tbsp. ghee till it turns aromatic.
  • Dry roast almonds, walnuts and set aside
  • Lightly roast coconut and sesame seeds. Cool them.
  • Grate jaggery and set aside.
  • Now blend dry ingredients together or separately i.e., almonds, walnuts, coconuts, sesame seeds and elaichi
  • Now add Ragi flour in the blender and jaggery and blend well.
  • Let the oil in the nuts and other ingredients ooze out and mix well in the blender.
  • Make balls while the mix is still warm. If needed add melted warm ghee and make balls.
  • Ragi and nuts laddoo are ready to eat.

Notes:

  • As it is laddoo kids like to carry them in their wrist while studying or playing and eat.
  • They can be stored for weeks.
  • Most of the kids feel stressed up during their exams and tend to loose hair.
  • As ragi and nuts contain iron it will help them gain lustrous hair.
  • Also nuts contains good fats which will help the kids to have a good memory.

Preparation time: 20 mins

Cooking time: 10 mins

Serving size: 5 no.s of laddoos

  1. Ragi Banana Chocolate Cake

Ragi Banana Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all purporse flour
  • 1/2 cup finger miller flour (ragi flour)
  • 1/2 cup of cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 large eggs or Flaxmeal Egg Replacer
  • 1-1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
  • 1 cup milk or almond milk (vegan)
  • 1 cup oil
  • 1 cup of mashed bananas

Directions for Ragi Banana Chocolate Cake Recipe

  • To begin making the Chocolate Banana Finger Millet Cake Recipe, first get all the ingredients ready.
  • Next, preheat the oven to 180 C and grease and flour a large loaf pan or a spring foam pan or a bunt pan
  • Sift the flours, cocoa powder, along with baking powder and salt. Keep aside. I like to double sift the flours as it incorporates a good amount of air.
  • In a large bowl add in the oil, sugar, eggs (Flaxmeal Egg Replacer), vanilla essence and milk. Beat together all the ingredients until combined.
  • Gradually beat in the flour mixture and finally the bananas. Beat until all the ingredients are well combined.
  • Pour the cake batter into the greased pan, place it into the oven to bake for about 35 to 45 minutes until a tester when inserted inside comes out clean.
  • Once the chocolate banana cake is baked, allow it to cool for a little bit before you can cut into slices.
  • Serve the Healthy Finger Millet Banana Chocolate Cake along with tea or coffee or even as a healthy snack for the kids.

Note:

  • Cakes are delicious, and healthy if ingredients are planned well.
  • We buy cakes from outside to celebrate birthdays, anniversarys etc. Cakes are a token of celebration.
  • When prepared at home, we can plan healthy nutrients and prevent bacterial contamination and prepare hygienically.
  • As kids love cake delicacies, they can get good nutrients like calcium, iron, good calories too from ragi and as we are adding banana it had good antioxidants like zinc and gives us energy too.

Preparation time: 1 hr

Cooking time: 40 mins

Serving size: Half a kg cake

Let’s make healthy combinations for the kids and make them happy and stay healthy.

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All you want to know about Green Tea and its Benefits

japanese-green-tea

Although tea drinking has been associated with health benefits for centuries, only in recent years have its medicinal properties been investigated scientifically. One must recognize the healthy power of tea while getting the most out of their cups.

Tea’s health benefits are largely due to its high content of flavonoids — plant-derived compounds that are antioxidants. Green tea is one of the healthiest beverages and the best food source of a group called ‘Catechins’. Catechins are more powerful than vitamins C and E in halting oxidative damage to cells and appear to have other disease-fighting properties.

Of course, there is no single super food which can protect you from disease, how healthy are your eating habits and how active you are makes a big difference.

Here are some pointers giving information on various aspects of green tea varying from how to select a particular brand to its health benefits.

  • While looking for a Green Tea, look for brands that use all-natural ingredients and have no artificial preservatives. Also, try and opt for these 2 varieties of green tea whenever possible:

(I) Matcha: The green tea leaves are ground into a fine powder, which you can whisk into water for tea. Since  you consume the actual leaves, you get more antioxidants than from other green teas.

(II) Hojicha: Made from green tea leaves that are roasted until they’re dark brown. Because it’s picked at the  end of the season and roasted at a higher heat than other teas, hojicha contains lower levels of caffeine.

  • Ideally, skip the tea bag and opt for fresh leaves. That’s because, with green tea, you want to pour hot water directly over the leaves to extract their essence. Using a tea bag reduces the potency of the chemical reaction. If bagged tea is the only option, cut open the bag and pour water over the contents directly. As for the brewing bit itself, don’t let the water come to a full boil. Instead, pour the water over the tea right before it boils and then let the tea steep for 3-4 minutes.
  • One can take 3-5 cups of green tea in a day. It is advisable to drink green tea in between meals i.e. more than one hour after breakfast and lunch because it contain tannin which may decrease the absorption of iron and folic acid.
  • Green tea apparently helps regulate glucose levels slowing the rise of blood sugar after eating. This can prevent high insulin spikes and resulting fat storage.
  • Green tea contains less caffeine than Coffee but enough to produce an effect. It also contains the amino acid L-Theanine, which can work synergistically with Caffeine to improve brain function.
  • Green tea has the properties to lower total and LDL Cholesterol, as well as protects the LDL particles from oxidation. Observational studies show that green tea drinkers have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
  • Green tea also boosts the metabolic rate and increase fat burning. This in turn helps in reducing weight.
  • Green tea has power anti-oxidants that may protect against cancer. Multiple studies have indicated that green tea drinkers have a lower risk of various types of cancer. Tea catechins are strong antibacterial and antiviral agents which make them effective for treating everything from influenza to cancer. In some studies green tea has been shown to inhibit the spread of many diseases.
  • The bioactive compounds in green tea can have various protective effects on nervous system and may reduce the risk of both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, the two most common neuro degenerative disorders.
  • Green tea gives a feeling of satiety thus reducing the quantity of food one eats.

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“To bring about any lifestyle change you need to be honest with yourself”

Rahul-Singh-1

He tried gym workout with a personal trainer for the longest time but, it did not work. It did not give him the required results. All he did was put on more weight. His family members were worried for him as he was single and yet to be married. A little gift from his sister and his own determination and dedication helped him get on the fitness path and change things for himself for the better. Let’s hear Rahul Singh’s story in his own words. 

I am a chemical engineer and I work with a firm that deals with Chemicals. Just to give you a background of my physical stature. I am 6’2” and my weight was around 112 kg around December’15. I was into fitness. I used to go to the gym regularly. My job involves lots of travelling. I travel across pan India and abroad as well. Whenever I was travelling I used to do treadmill in the hotel gym. But there were no effects felt on me. This was despite the fact that I had a personal trainer and also did intensive work out. My weight never shrunk.

My eating habits were not good. I never ate on time and never ate right. I used to have all the junk foods and did not keep a check.

Then one day my sister and folks a home were worried for me as I was getting on the heavier side. That is when my sister gifted me a GOQii. The idea behind giving me the band was also to get me fit and healthy before I get married. I did not know anything about GOQii. I started with a fresh slate.

My coach is Dr. Sangeeta. She started this journey for me and told me what to do and what to focus on. She said that only if I am dedicated and put in efforts will I feel the change. My health goal was weight reduction. As per my height, the ideal weight I should be is around 88-92 kilos.

I got on to a fitness regime. I started cycling and it was Dr. Sangeeta’s idea. I started with around 7-8 km daily and now my stamina has been extended and now I do 100-120 km in a week. Daily I ride about 30 km and weekends I do long rides.

Along with my activity, my coach has also given me food tips which I am following. Earlier I was inclined to junk food like McDonalds. Dr. Sangeeta told me to start with raw food, to start eating salads. I started having salad half an hour before eating food because of that I felt less hungry and thus the actual food intake was comparatively less as compared to the previous one.

My family members also noticed this and my mom joked saying that one month’s food supplies now lasts for two months. I am focusing more on raw foods such as salads and fruits. I have started eating a fruit every day, at least one fruit a day. Earlier, I used to eat one fruit a week, maybe not even that. Now this has all become a habit, it’s not like I’m forced to do it. If I don’t get fruit in a day I feel my meal is not completed.

The result of all this discipline is that I have lost 7-8 kg.  I am at 102 kg. All thanks to GOQii. What has amazed me is that I have brought about only a lifestyle change and changed my eating habits and I am doing it diligently.

GOQii as a band is very good. The person using GOQii has to be very honest and very crystal clear in his ideas. You have, to be honest with updating your daily logs and input all your daily activities, daily logs in the app. You have to also be honest with your coach. If you’re hiding things about what you are eating and doing then you are likely to not benefit. I am happy with my coach and she has actually she has taught me so many things and brought new ideas and concepts to the table that has helped me a great deal.

With regard to step counts to be very frank, for the past one and a half month, I’m not actually counting my steps. I’m actually counting my kilometres of cycling and I do share it with Dr. Sangeeta on a daily basis. But, I guess on an average daily when I go 30-35 km it’s almost same across my target of 12000 steps. I’ve seen it usually reaches 10000-11000 step mark. And in my daily activity, 3000-4000 are my average steps which I do. So I’m easily at 13000-14000 steps daily. And the target steps for me is 12000, so I cross that.

I like this band and I’m one of GOQii’s ardent fans. People around me are also seeing the change in me and I am recommending GOQii to people who I think need it.

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“With my coach’s efforts and my determination, I have been able to quit smoking after 29 years”

stop-smoking-now

At some point in time, we have all come across people who smoke. You also know how often they make resolutions to quit smoking and never end up keeping up with it. Quitting smoking can be a long and hard process. But, staying tobacco-free is the longest and most important part of it. Every day you must decide not to smoke today. One needs to create new habits such as drink lots of water, eat well and sleep well. Now that is exactly what S Balakrishnan (name changed to protect identity) who quit smoking after 29 years of smoking. Let’s hear from him what exactly did he do and how he did it…

I have not been a fitness freak or had a regular fitness regime. But, I would go for my morning walks daily. I never missed it and that was my only exercise towards being health conscious. As for my job it largely involves sitting at my desk but it is stressful. It’s the stress that was an excuse for me to increase my smoking along with being a habitual smoker since my college days. Smoking led me to acidity and lack of sleep as well.

The turning point in my life came when around 5 months ago, I attended a program organised by my company. At the programme, they gave out a fitness tracker–GOQii to create awareness of health and fitness among us employees and we were also told that the tracker is accompanied by a coach who will help us decipher the data tracked and give us tips on health and nutrition and lead a healthy lifestyle.

Initial one month I procrastinated on wearing the band. Then I decided let me try it out. My coach Sweta Karia has helped me a lot in my lifestyle change. My first health goal was to quit my smoking and reduce my acidity.

And I am glad to say that I have been able to stop my smoking habit for the last 1 month and this is one of my major achievements. I have been smoking for almost 29 years. If it was not for my coach I do not think I would have ever been able to do this.

Sweta did not do anything drastic to get me out of the habit. Our target was to get me off smoking in 3 months It was a slow and steady process. I used to smoke on an average 10 cigarettes a day. My coach systematically cut down the smoking from 10 to 8 to 6 to 5 then 4, 3, 2, 1 and then a lot of struggle and she was constantly supporting me then finally I was able to stop it. I’ve had also been asked to go for a walk whenever I feel the urge of smoking. But, I do not have the urge anymore.

My second issue was with my food habits. I thought I ate healthy but obviously, I didn’t. I lacked understanding on what to eat, how much to eat, when to eat, what should be daily water intake. All these concepts were well defined and explained to me by my coach over these last few months. Being on GOQii has helped me get clarity on lots of aspects of health and nutrition. It has helped me understand what goals I need to achieve, quantification and how I can achieve them.

The one thing I have realised with GOQii is that one has, to be honest to oneself and your coach and follow the tips given to you diligently to get the best results.

My acidity was aggravated due my excess coffee drinking and smoking. I used to drink 5-6 cups daily. I was asked to bring it down slowly. Old habits die hard but I tried.  I knew if I did not, it could only get worse and that would be painful for me.  I bought it down to 4, but coach asked me to take just half a cup every time. So, then the frequency also came down from 4 to 2.

My water intake has also increased from 1.25 litres earlier to the current 2.75 litres of water every day. This has helped me a lot. I have also started having a lemon juice after my morning walks and then have my breakfast and bowl of fruits. My vegetable intake has increased and then the food intake has reduced. I have controlled my rice intake to a large extent. I go for a maximum of vegetables and salads, sprouts, carrots etc. These small habit changes have proved fruitful.

My activity levels have also seen a gradual increase. I also participated in a 21 km run and 10 km run and could do it easily. I clock around 13000 to 14000 steps a day which is quite normal for me nowadays. Along with all this, my coach has also advised me to do some breathing exercise at least twice in a day.

One more point what I’d like to mention is that there are 4 units of service that is followed in this industry. These are namely Design of service, Delivery mechanism, Passion, Touch and Feel and lastly building long term relationships.

GOQii follows these four essential aspects very well. The band is designed so well that there is clarity in the band usage. It links to the app easily without a cumbersome process and easy to operate. The charging mechanism is also simple. So the first aspect of design and quality is taken care of. GOQii’s delivery mechanism is also well taken care of in the form of their communication, the follow-ups that they do on a regular basis helping you keep your goals extended etc. The third thing I’d talk about is the passion, the touch and feel and emotion attached is well delivered. Each one at GOQii is a passionate about their roles and that is evident in various ways.The coach takes part in helping you as one of your own family members and she guides you properly.If your step count is down they motivate you to do more

Lastly, GOQii is trying to build long-term relationships by constantly seeking feedback from players on what sort of improvement we are able to do etc. That stems from the CEO who is in constant dialogue with his players trying to understand their needs.They not only take feedback but also try and implement and then they demonstrate to you without even saying explicitly. But, the effects are visible.

What does coach Sweta Kariahave to say about her players?

Initially, his meals were not well balanced and he used to smoke 10 cigarettes per day.
He was very dedicated towards his goal to quit smoking completely within a time span of 3 months and with all the efforts he made things possible. Not only that, we worked on his water intake, vitamin C intake as his immunity which was at risk due to smoking and unbalanced meals coupled with high stress levels..

I have never heard a NO from him for anything that I have asked him to do. We made things happen slowly. We started with initially bringing down his smoking to 2 cigarettes per week and slowly by the end of 3 months we came to 0..and is still at 0.

The other goals were given 100% attention too by him which makes him feel much better now and he is super active, healthy and happy too with the lifestyle changes he has made!!!

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