Beat the Heat and Stay Cool!

Some more tips to beat the heat this season!

• Take at least 2-3 showers a day to stay cool. Add few drops of eau de cologne or fragranced essential oil in your bathtub or bucket water like peppermint, rose, sandalwood, lavender, ylang-ylang or jasmine to feel fresh and energized throughout the day!

• Create a soothing ambience in your bathroom. Light some scented candles, put on some light music and soak yourself in a tub of cold water for that ultimate relaxing effect. Use a loofah/scrubber and a soft, moisturizing bodywash to exfoliate dead cells off your skin. Sweat and extra secretion of sebum during summer makes our skin appear dull and lifeless. Exfoliate 2-3 days a week to reveal a radiant and youthful skin free from pimples, blackheads and pigmentation.

• Avoid spicy and heavy meals. Instead take lesser proportions of healthy food in short intervals to stay fit and active throughout the day. It is imperative to keep a light stomach during summers to keep lethargy at bay. Do not forget to drink plenty of water, fresh juices and lime water.

• Wear loose, natural fabrics and light colors to look and feel fresh. Dark colors absorb more heat. Stick to cotton and avoid synthetics, silks and other materials.

• Use a light, floral fragrance to feel fresh throughout the day. Carry one in your handbag and keep tissue papers handy to remove excess oil and sweat.

• Splash your face with icy cold water whenever you can. Alternatively, you can rub an ice cube on your face for that super cooling effect.

• Wear a sunscreen with SPF 30 or more during the day. If you are using makeup, apply a water-based foundation, light powder and waterproof eyeliner and mascara.

• Go for a swim if you can. Swimming is a great stress buster and cools you off instantly.

Think Cool and Stay Fit!

Stay Cool in Summer

How to stay cool and fit in summer? Million dollar question! As soon as summer arrives, we panic and start changing our daily food habit, minimize intake of eggs, meat, fried and other high calorie food, and do everything to stay cool and energized. Personally, I hate summer, irrespective of whatever seasonal delicacies it has to offer:) I cannot withstand the heat and sweat and keep on finding out interesting ways to beat the sweltering temperature outside. However, considering that we cannot escape summer woes, here are some ways by which one can stay cool during this season:

• Drink plenty of water and other fluids. 10-12 glasses of water is a must to stay fit and cool. Plain water is great; alternatively, water with lemon juice, sugar and a pinch of salt would work great! Fresh fruit juices, coolers, coconut water, green coconut water, aam panna, thandai, mocktails, lassi, jaljeera with a dash of lemon and mint are also wonderful refreshers and thirst quenchers! Hence, drink water and fluids as much as you can to stay cool and hydrated. However, keep intake of aerated drinks at bay, no matter how very enticing they might appear!

• Include salads in your daily diet. Come up with exciting new recipes. Go for fruit salads, if you like them. Salads are a great way to spice up summer and keep you fresh and rejuvenated day long!

• Exercise. Regular workouts are a surefire way to stay cool and fit, even during summers. Yoga, gymming, pilates, freehand exercises, swimming, kickboxing, walking, jogging, aerobics...just do it! Find your way to unwind. Choose the one that interests you. If you love sports, go for it. Regular exercising would flush out toxins from your body and keep you fit, energized, cool and confident. Combine workouts with deep breathing, meditation and pranayama for that extra zing!

• Mangoes are available aplenty this season. Include ripe or green mangoes in your diet. Lots of lovely recipes can be prepared with this delicious fruit, so make the most use of it.

• Keep lots of curd, lemon juice, watermelon, pineapple, cucumbers, neem, gourds, bitter gourds, pumpkins, spinach, drumsticks, green chilli, sweet potato etc. in your daily diet.

• Cut down on deep fries, meat, eggs, high protein and high calorie food, alcohol, soft drinks, junk food, salt, oily and fatty food, barbecued and roasted food. Eat food that is easy on your stomach.

Keep summer heat at bay...more coming up in next!

Hello Fellow Bloggers! Happy 2010!

Hello All,

I am back to blogging after a prolonged gap! I guess this break was much needed for me:) I managed to get my life arranged and back on track after some months of grueling job search and erratic schedule. Nothing was going my way. Eventually, I took the decision of moving out of the comfort zone of my nice, sweet home and beloved Kolkata. These days I have a second home in Bangalore, working and staying there on my own. I knew I had to, having no alternative option. This is my second going away from home, after my stay in the US back in 2003. I am not used to staying alone...rather I cannot stay. I miss my family, my dear ones, but I had to go. The job scenario was bleak in Kolkata and I had to take the decision of moving to Bangalore. It's a nice city, but I miss the bustling life of Kolkata. Moving to a new city entails a whole lot of problems and adversities. I had to handle those and get things organized. I took a break from everything--including my favorite writing and blogging. I did not even listen to music or watch movies. My life became constricted and I was left with no time. Thankfully, things are becoming normal now and I am back to pursuing my creative interests once again. I hope to regain those wonderful moments that shared with my dear blog friends!

Wish you all a happy and prosperous 2010!

Again a Long Gap...Ilness and Break From Blogging

Hope you are all fine and doing great!

This month has been very monotonous for me. I didn't get time for my blogs...got bored and caught up with flu in the midst of all the problems going on. Today back to blogging again and felt refreshed checking all your comments. Anamika's sweet comment suddenly woke me up to the realization that today is indeed the last day of the month and Saraswati Puja/Vasant Panchami. This day we celebrate Saraswati Puja and have khichri for lunch, which is a must for the day. This has been going on for years now, however, on this particular day, khichri is especially delicious because it is prepared with the finest rice, with ghee added to it. Besides khichri, fruits, sweets and payesh are also offered to the Goddess.

These days, I am very focused looking for a job and relocation to a different city...so quite tensed because of that. Wish me luck!

Back to Blogging...New Year and Resolutions

I was away from blogging for quite a long time...short tours, several pending works, applying for jobs, etc. kept me busy, since I'm looking for a relocation. So here I am, back to my favorite pastime. Hope u r all enjoying winter. I am a winter person and love gorging on various types of food during this time. Soups are absolutely delectable any time of the year. Especially during winter, hot and creamy soups are my favorite lunch and dinner items.

What do you especially love to eat during winter? Share it with me.

Hope you all had a fabulous year end and new year! It was quite good for me too...saw good movies, dinners etc. I have stopped making resolutions now...I've seen them fail every time:) I just try to go with the flow and make the best of everything. That works.

Wishing all my friends a wonderful and prosperous 2009!! Happy blogging!!

Simple Christmas Fruit Cake

Now that Christmas is approaching near, cakes top the chart of preferred foods. Almost all confectioneries and shops store cakes of various sizes, flavors and colors. Fruit cakes are always a sought after variety during Christmas, for people of all ages. Here's a simple recipe for preparing fruit cake at home.
Baking time: approx 1 hr 30 mins.

Ingredients: Flour(200 grams), Mixed dried fruits(100 grams), Castor sugar(100 grams), 1 tsp lemon rind finely grated, 1 Egg, Butter(100 grams), Milk 1 cup.

Recipe: Prepare and preheat the oven for few seconds before pouring the batter. Grease the cake tin evenly with butter/cooking oil.
Preparing the batter: Take a hollow bowl and mix the butter with the flour. Add mixed fruits, sugar, lemon rinds and prepare a smooth and thick batter by adding the egg and milk. Pour the mixture in the preheated tin and bake at 180 degrees C or 350 degrees F, for about 1 hr 30 mins. Wait for some time till the cake cools and then turn it out on a flat tray or dish. Serve it with fresh cream.

It's Showering Awards!

Some more lovely awards from my friends...

Dear Uma of Essence of Andhra, Kitchen Flavors of Yummy Food, Arundhuti of Gourmet Affairs, Neema of Recipeswap, Vidhas of Appetizing Recipes, Malar Gandhi of Kitchen Tantra , Ramya of Ramya's Kitchen Corner , Adlak's Tiny World of Adlak's Kitchen and Andhra Flavors of For Spicy Lovers have showered me with a bunch of lovely awards..."Kreativ Blogger", "Great Buddy", "Hard Working Food Blogger", "360 Degree Foodie", "Inspiration", "Beautiful Site", "2008 Best Blog Darts Thinker" and "A Perfect Blend of Friendship" awards, along with the 7 interesting tags...Thanks a ton dear friends; you all really make me feel very happy and energized!!

Here are some facts about me:

7 Things I Say More Often: Are you sure? Thank you, Please, Bye, What? Arre baba, Take care.

7 Things I Did Before: Learnt music, Woke up early, Painted and sketched in leisure times, Believed and trusted almost everyone, Exercised regularly, Did postgraduation and secured good grades by putting in less effort, Studied for long hours.

7 Things I do now: Wake up late than before, Try to learn and cook tasty food, Blogging, Extensive writing(my passion now) in my job, newspaper and websites, Meditation and praying to God, Dreaming(whatever it may be), Listening to music and watching movies.

7 Things I Want to do: Traveling occasionally, Learn music again, Take up workouts seriously, Control my temper, Buy a car of my own, Stick to my resolutions(which somehow gets messed up), Learn a new language or something creative.

7 Things That Attract Me About Opposite Sex: Nice eyes and smile, Warmth, Generosity, Clean hygiene and habits, Sense of humor, Something done impromptu by him which will take me completely by surprise and make me smile, Sensitivity and care.

7 Favorite Foods: Biryani, Phuchka, Rolls, Chicken pakora, Spaghetti/Chowmein, Chicken kebabs, saucy/grilled fish preparations...(7 is too less for a foodie like me; how can I leave ice creams?)

I pass on these awards and tags to:

Swati, Vaishali, Happy Cook, Divya Vikram, Anamika, Lakshmi Venkatesh.

ENJOY FOLKS!!!