Chunky Veggie Salad

Diet is Going good. I m able to keep my Temptations @ bay. For the past one week, i m having this Vegetable Salad before my Lunch. I Will not lie that it is heavenly ,But it doesnt taste that bad, yeah is a Raw vegetable salad, it is healthy!!!!  It gives u a feeling of fullness and the taste depends on the dressing you add to it. This is how i do it

1 Large Carrot
1 medium-size Capsicum
1 medium-size Onion
1 medium-size Tomato
2 small Cucumbers
Chilli Sauce - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Juice of half Lemon.

Wash and Chop the Vegetables into Chunky Cubes.If you like Cabbage you add it too. Since i m an HypoThyroid i havent.  

Mix them all together, add Chilli sauce, Add Salt and Lemon Juice and Mix Well.

Chopping the Veggies again depends on your taste, i like it Chunky as it satiates your feeling to Chew and eat. So, if you dont like it chunky, cut into Small Cubes.

If you dont like adding Chilli Sauce Try adding Pepper instead. I like adding both :)

Paruppu Kanji ~ Shivarathri Special and Diet Chart Week#1, Day~1

Paruppu kanji is synonymous with Sivarathri. I remember its made only on the Sivarathri day at home and I too continue that tradition, inpsite of it being a simple, no fuss recipe. I guess, this simple, lighter version of payasam/kheer is more special since its made only once in a year. That special appearance in the menu helps to retain the charm. The paruppu referred in the name is moong dal and kanji means porridge. Paruppu kanji is usually prepared in the evening of Sivarathri day. Usually, for Sivarathri, a dawn to dusk fast is observed. May be to break the fast, this kanji is made.

Its not a complicated recipe. Jaggery is added to cooked moong dal and cooked again to blend and finally boiled milk is added to dal-jaggery mix.  If you have cooked dal ready, then it is very simple to put together.  Its a healthy drink to keep yourself warm during winter.

You need


Lightly roasted moong dal - 1/2 cup

Jaggery -1/2 cup.

Boiled Milk - 1 cup

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tspn


Method

I usually roast moong dal before storing. Lightly roast the dal till you can smell the aroma. Wash and pressure cook in two cups of water. Lightly mash the cooked dal for a creamier consistency of the kanji. Add jaggery to the cooked dal along with the water its cooked with. Give a stir once in a while. The jaggery will melt and blend with the dal. Finally add a cup of milk and bring to a boil. Don't boil too much after adding the milk. Add cardamom powder and serve hot. You can bite into bits of the dal, though its almost liquid in consistency. Amount of jaggery and milk can vary according to your  preference.

Diet Chart Week #1 Day~1



For a long time, I wanted to go on an healthy diet atleast for few days in a month. But I was undecided as to

where to start with. Also could not come up with a healthy menu to follow. Then I decided to go off on sweet/deep fried on 2 days in a week. My husband was also ready to join in. We did that successfully for 3 months. Then the month of December saw many relatives visiting and various festivals. We fell back to our

old days. I was thinking of restarting that again and I saw Srivalli's diet program. Srivalli had charted the menu with help of her doctor father. And that was the kind of pointer I was looking for. It was easier to follow hers, since she too is a South Indian vegetarian. For the time being, I have planned to follow alternative weeks for a month and then later for two consecutive weeks. As for the first day, it went fine with out much trouble.  Though I did feel slight discomfort in the form of headache. But it was manageable. Thanks Srivalli for the inspire. Here is my chart for Day1.  My day starts at 5:15 a.m

6:00 a.m - 1 tspn ajwain/omam + 1 glass warm water

7:00 a.m - 3/4 cup coffee + 1/2 tspn sugar

9:15 a.m - 2 slices of wheat bread, toasted + 1 cup of moong sprouts+ cabbage salad

(MW sprouts and shredded cabbage for 4 minutes and added a dash of lime and pinch of salt)

11:15 a.m - half cucumber

1:00 p.m - 2 phulkas, Yard long beans/payar thoran/stir fry,radish sambhar and a glass of buttermilk

3:45 p.m - half cucumber and a glass of buttermilk

4:15 p.m - 3 slices of pineapple

5:45 p.m - 1 cup of tea with half tspn of sugar

7:15 p.m - cauliflower +ashgourd soup

8:30 p.m - 2 phulkas +snake gourd stir fry , tomato+onion salad, buttermilk

9:45 p.m - watermelon

Through the day, I have had 9 glasses of water (update - 2 glasses of lemon juice with honey) and 3 glasses of buttermilk.


I decided to blog the diet plan for future reference and also if it might be a motiviation for any of my readers to begin with. And since I have announced it here, that will be another reason for me to stick with the plan.

Energy Efficient Kitchens

The average American home spends about 20 percent of total household energy bills on running electronic devices and appliances; things like computers, refrigerators, washing machines and dryers, televisions, stereos, and dishwashers comprise the bulk of most home energy usage. Coincidentally, many of the most common—and most heavily used—household appliances are in the kitchen. The following tips will help you boost your kitchen’s energy efficiency, reduce your monthly utility bills, and trim down your family’s carbon footprint.

Refrigerators and Freezers

Be sure to set your refrigerator and freezer to a reasonable temperature. Most manufacturers have recommended temperature settings clearly marked near the climate control panel inside the appliance. If you can’t find it, a good temperature range is between 35 and 38 degrees Fahrenheit for refrigerators, and 0 degrees Fahrenheit for free-standing freezers.

A full fridge or freezer is much more energy efficient than an empty one. Whenever possible, stock them to near-capacity to reduce the compressor’s workload. This can also delay food thawing and warming in the event of a power outage.

Try to position the refrigerator in a cool spot, away from heat sources like the oven or a window that received direct sunlight most of the day. This keeps the fridge cooler overall and prevents the appliance from having to run overtime to compensate for the extra heat.

Freezers should never be placed in an area of extreme temperatures, particularly outdoors. Drastic climate changes can force the compressor to work overtime, causing premature wear and tear. Basements and garages are suitable alternatives if you don’t have room in your kitchen.

Air should be able to move freely behind the fridge or freezer. Set the appliance a few inches from the wall and regularly clean condenser coils (if you have an older model) so there’s no dust or debris restricting air flow. Your owner’s guide will have detailed information on how to safely clean the coils, and you can find specialty cleaning brushes at most major hardware stores.

Check the door seals and make sure they’re intact and airtight. If you notice any gapping, sagging, bunching or breakage replace the seals immediately.

Only open the fridge or freezer door when necessary and close the door when you’re not actively loading or unloading items.

Dishwashers

We’ve all heard the joke about washing the dishes before we wash the dishes (in the dishwasher). While most new models can handle large food particles, many of us are still in the habit of rinsing dishes before we load them in the washer. However, you can save more than 20 gallons of water simply by scraping dirty dishes instead of hand rinsing them before they go in the dishwasher.

There’s very little difference between the amount of water and energy a dishwasher uses on a full load and on a light load, but frequent cycles obviously use more energy—and cost more. To maximize your machine’s efficiency, try to run it only when it’s full.If your dishwasher has a drying feature, turn it off or choose the no-heat option. Heat drying requires even more energy and doesn’t make a significant difference in drying results.

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