The Green Smoothie.

One of my favorites. I am sure you will love it too.

Ingredients:(for 2/3 servings)

1. Pineapple - fresh preferred, about 1/4th of a fresh pineapple
2. Orange Juice - 3 cups freshly sqeezed
3. Spinach - a hand full for each serving
4. Carrots -1 
5. Vitamin C powder - any sugar free version will do. I use Ester C 750 mg.
6. Black Salt
7. Honey(optional)- 1 Tsp

Process:

Blend all the above ingredients in a blender and your drink is ready :)
Can strain it if less fiber is desired.

Cozy Little Feet :)

I have been fascinated towards making foot warmers for those tiny little feet. Baby stuff are so much fun to make. Hard to let go without finishing. Baby/Kids stuff are very rewarding to make, considering their small size they get done very quickly.  I have been trying some designs and made just one piece of each design. They came out quite good. I am happy with the results :) Nice mommy-made socks for my little one...what a nice feeling. Will post pics of pairs soon. For now just 1 piece of each pair. I was too restless to try out different designs. Did not have the patience to make two pieces with similar designs together.

Little Blue Bootie. Technique:Crochet.

Orange boots with shoe lace. Technique:Crochet.

Socks and a little brown bootie. Technique:Crochet.

Water Kefir

Water kefir grains (also known as Sugar Kefir Grains or Tibicos) allow for the fermentation of sugar water or juice to create a carbonated lacto-fermented beverage. Incredibly easy to brew, the starter culture can create a new batch of kefir every 24-48 hours. This makes a fantastic non-dairy alternative to milk kefir and can be flavored after brewing to make a variety of delicious sodas.

For more detailed information about what they exactly are Click Here.

To know their exact composition Click Here.

My Husband took his first sip of water Kefir and concluded "Now I know exactly how you were staying so happily without me the past 1 month. You were busy making home made beer and drinking it." LOL. Actually it does taste a bit alcoholic, much like beer(esp the one I make using Jaggery). I have not had much alcohol since I got pregnant with my daughter, so this is quite a thing for me. I love it anyways!




We started Water Kefir after 1 year of doing the SCD diet.

Water Kefir that I made using Kefir Grains,Spring Water, Himalayan Salt and Jaggery.

 Dont know what Jaggery is? Cick Here.

Water Kefir Grains.

The typical recipe for Water Kefir is:

• 4 cups Spring water.
• 4 Tbsp Sugar.
• 4 Tbsp Kefir Grains.
• 1/8 th Tsp Himalayan salt/ pure sea salt.

Process:

• Mix all the above ingredients and let them stand for 48 hours.
• After 48 hours strain the mixture through a nylon strainer to seperate the kefir grains.
• If you want a fizzy carbonated drink, keep the liquid in an air tight container for another 24-48 hours.

My Kefir Supply for just 2 days :)

Enjoy Your Kefir and feel good and happy! :)

Milk Kefir(Using Starter)

If you are serious about boosting your immunity and increasing your daily energy, then adding traditionally fermented foods to your diet is a must. Kefir, which means 'feel good" in Turkish, is an ancient cultured, enzyme-rich food filled with friendly micro-organisms that help balance your "inner ecosystem" to maintain optimal health and strengthen immunity.

Kefir's tart and refreshing flavor is similar to a drinking-style yogurt, and it contains beneficial yeast as well as the friendly 'probiotic' bacteria found in yogurt. When used regularly, the naturally occurring bacteria and yeast in Kefir combine symbiotically to help balance your intestinal flora and boost your immunity.

Among its many beneficial powers, Kefir:

• Provides supplemental nourishment for pregnant and nursing women
• Contributes to your healthy immune system
• Promotes a relaxing effect on the nervous system and benefit many who seek a restful night's sleep
• Helps support your normal intestinal tract function, promote bowel movements and your healthy digestive system -- and is beneficial after the use of antibiotics to restore balance to the digestive tract
• Curbs unhealthy food cravings by making your body more nourished and balanced.

The exceptional nutritional content of Kefir offers a wealth of healthy benefits to people in every type of condition. More than just beneficial bacteria, Kefir contains minerals and essential amino acids that help your body with its natural healing powers and maintenance functions.

The complete proteins in Kefir are partially digested and therefore more easily utilized by the body.

Tryptophan, one of the essential amino acids abundant in Kefir, is well-known for its relaxing effect on the nervous system. Because it also offers loads of calcium and magnesium -- both of which are critical for a healthy nervous system -- Kefir in the diet can have a particularly calming effect on the nerves.

Rich in vitamin B12, B1, and vitamin K, Kefir is an excellent source of biotin, a B vitamin which aids the body's absorption of other B vitamins, such as folic acid, pantothenic acid, and B12. The many advantages of maintaining adequate B vitamin intake range from regulation of the normal function of the kidneys, liver and nervous system to helping promote healthy looking skin, boosting energy and promoting longevity. Kefir's ample supply of phosphorus -- the second most abundant mineral in our bodies -- helps utilize carbohydrates, fats, and proteins for cell growth, maintenance and energy.

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I have made my Kefir using the Body Ecology Starter and it came out great. I will be ordering some kefir grains soon and experiment with them too. For now I think I am very happy with this particular starter and totally hooked to it.

How to make it: Time and temperature are two important factors that determine how thick and tasty your Kefir will be. In the warmer months Kefir may be ready to drink in 18 hours. If you let it sit out too long at room temperature, it will become thick and eventually start turning into cheese and whey. If your Kefir is "lumpy" and too sour, you are leaving it out too long. It should be creamy and "drinkable"...a little thicker than milk. At this point, shake it well and place the Kefir into your refrigerator. It will thicken slightly since it is continuing to culture, but at a much slower pace.

Enjoy your Kefir! :)

Missed Dancing all this while.

Ahh...finally hubby is back..meeting after over 1 month was so sweet :) He looked as new and fresh as he did when we first met 6 years back LOL. I spent our 5th anniversary all alone here so off course he had to compensate... and he did with a ton of gifts and a lovely gold pendent that he got from India. I and Sanchayita missed him so much. It is only when you separate from a loved one that you understand the real value of his/her presence in your life.

And I missed dancing immensely too the past 2 months. Although I did practice at home but I missed seeing the girls and my Guru. The chit chatting and laughing on small things :).Dance is something that is deep deep ingrained in me, in my soul. Dance is meditation, dance is peace, dance is worship, dance is the feeling of oneness with the universe, with the divine lord, the Almighty. Oh..I just can't describe what it means to me to wear that practice saree, close my eyes and get away from this world, to different world, a world where I am just me. I am so glad I will be starting again next week and I have a lot to catch up with. The girls have been learning a new Jatiswaram all this while. God! Catching up with two months missed lessons is not going to be easy!
Posting a few pictures from our Holiday party last December. We had so much fun.

The Girls, goofing with Hand Warmers that Di gifted us..I am the standing girl on the left hand side wearing the olive colored saree. 

Yummy Food.

The "Charming Chikas"