ICED PEACH GREEN TEA

Good evening peeps!

So to update everyone, it is REALLY HOT in Dubai.

Also, I am tired of buying drinks which are just plain sugar. Even Iced teas are just filled with a lot of sugar. Occasionally it is ok, but on a regular basis it is not healthy and also expensive i.e- slowly affects your health and budget.

So without further ado, lets’ begin the recipe for my drink of the week– Peach Iced Green Tea. You can take this to work/ picnics etc. It is a refreshing, sweet and light drink. Perfect for Summer 🙂

The sugar is reduced, also you get the benefits of green tea with mint, which is great to cool down your body during these scorching hot months.

Makes up to 1 big bottle to chill and store in the fridge to last up to 1 week.

Ingredients:

-Green tea and mint tea bags- 5 sachets (Any brand will do)

-Fresh peaches- 3 chopped

-water- 5 cups

-Honey-2 tbsp

-Ice cubes-7

-Dried mint- 1 tbsp (you can get it from any supermarket, in the spices and dried ingredients section)

Method:

-Boil the tea bags and let the tea water cool. Discard the tea bags.

-Boil the peaches, let the flavor simmer, till they are nice and squishy. The idea is to make a puree’.  Sieve it in a bowl, remove as much of the juice as possible. Discard the dried pulp. Let it cool.

Mix the tea water with the peach puree’. Add 2 big tbsp of honey, mix well. Get a jug or a glass bottle of choice, add in the tea.

Add 5 cups of water and the dried mint. Mix really well. Keep it to chill in the refrigerator.

Add in the ice cubes, at the time of serving.

Serve it in fancy glasses or mugs, the choice is up to you. Cheers & Enjoy 🙂

Don’t forget to share your love ❤

 

 

PRINT AD-PIZZA HUT

Hi, guys!

I hope everyone is well. I know it has been some time since I last posted for you guys. Honestly, it is really the effort and persistence and patience that is required to do something organic and of your own from scratch. I am only human so some time back I did give in to the vices, but here I am now!

Excited to share our AD POST OF THE WEEK. This was by Pizza Hut Middle East. They had marketed these massive leaflets with Khaleej Times newspaper.

I am not very sure if you can see how massive the leaflet is in the photograph above. The reason it deserves a mention on our blog is that it’s unique and quirky. It is eye-catchy and stands out. So it excites the reader’s curiosity as to what is this leaflet about. The image of the pizza is almost life-size, like for 6-8 persons.

It really gets the reader tempted as it looks so real like you are about to eat a hot cheesy slice right now! At that moment, the reader has only 1 thought in their mind, it’s Pizza Hut Time!

It is a creative yet simple tactic, but it is effective. The image itself looks so tempting, the reader is bound to place an order at Pizza Hut, to enjoy a slice and share a fun moment with their loved ones/work colleagues.

Simple brand strategy to connect with their customers and create more memories with Pizza Hut. All the important details are given such as the brand name, where to order, other dishes to add on to the meal etc.

After all, it is Pizza Hut, a place where families have been coming to celebrate for years, creating memories and happiness. It is a credible and trusted family brand serving fine quality pizzas and more.

Another way they could use the leaflet would be instead of keeping half the pizza image open to the reader, completely conceal the image in the leaflet. Once you open the leaflet, it unfolds itself, like a plate of pizza being magically created in front of you, similar to children’s storybooks; characters and surroundings open up when you open the book and fold when you close the book.

This was one of the ideas I had.You are most welcome to share your ideas and your creativity 🙂  Also, don’t forget to Share your love ❤ 🙂

NUTTER BUTTER NICE-CREAM (SUMMER DESSERT)

Hello, lovely people.

Ramadan Kareem to everyone!

Hope everyone is doing well, even in this heat (The Summers in Dubai are on another level altogether)

With Ramadan going on, it is going to be really hard to maintain the weight (I hear ya!) Delicious and scrumptious iftar dinners and parties, inclusive of succulent biryanis and divine baklava cheesecakes and puddings and more, much more. Then there is Eid coming up- Need I say more 😀

So making a few small changes here and there could really  make a huge difference to our health and well-being and not put us in the negative spiral of food guilt.

This brings us to our RECIPE OF THE WEEK. NUTTER BUTTER NICE-CREAM. This quick and extremely easy dessert, satisfies the sweet tooth as well as the heart and you can eat it everyday without any guilt! Awesome or awesome? 🙂

So let’s  begin.

TOTAL TIME TO PREPARE: 1 1/2 hr.

Makes 1 box.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup Frozen Banana

1 Frozen Pear-chopped

2 tbsp Organic Peanut Butter( You can make them at home, before hand, like the way I did in the images above, or you can also use the organic store bought variety, still tastes great)

2tbsp Organic Almond Butter

1/2 cup Chocolate Chips

Handful of Golden raisins

2 tsp Yoghurt

A medium sized rectangle box to store in.

HOW TO PREPARE:

Add in all the ingredients in a blender, except the raisins. Add only a handful of chocolate chips not all.

Blend really well, it would take some time. When you see a good creamy texture, that’s when its ready.

Pour the nice-cream in the box, add in the chocolate chips and raisins. Put it in the freezer.

Just before serving, remove it out for a few minutes for it to soften a bit. Enjoy with family and friends.

You can add in some creamy wafer biscuits or chocolate biscuit rolls for some crunch or even some nuts like walnuts or almonds.

Share this recipe with loved ones. Share your love, share your kindness.

🙂 ❤

 

 

 

PINK SORBET (SUMMER DESSERT)

 

Bonjour! Wonderful people.

How are you? Vous allez bien?

Well summer has arrived in Dubai. The super hot days are longer than the quiet peaceful nights. That time of the year has arrived when you just happen to stand out for a few minutes and the weather is trying its very best to make a  grilled hot kabab or tikka out of you. Its that kind of heat, where you just feel like your soul is melting away and you are left looking like a scarecrow. Damn, I painted some picture in your mind didn’t I ? 😀

On a more positive note, it is the time for ICE CREAM!  Repeat after me: I  scream, You scream, We all scream for…for …ICE CREAM! Yes  Bravo 🙂 No one is too old to say that!

So inspired from the colors of summer, our Recipe of the Day is PINK SORBET. A delicious fruity sorbet. The sorbet sold commercially has lots of sugar in it. The one we are making today is refined-sugar free, it has only pure, natural fruit sugar in it to sweeten it.

It’s a great treat for this boiling heat to cool down. It is great for those days when you just want to eat ice cream all day along, also a great accompaniment to your breakfasts/desserts. Yummy! So here we go.

TIME TO PREPARE: Half a day

Makes 1 box

INGREDIENTS:

Fresh Raspberries-15 Frozen for a few hours

Pear-2 small ones, chopped and frozen

Almonds-chopped

Water- 1 cup-per requirement

HOW TO PREPARE:

In a blender, blend together pear and raspberries until smooth. As shown in the images above. Keep in mind, you do have to blend well, so that would take some time. Add some water in to get a smoother texture.

But don’t add too much, you have to check continuously. Once you get a sorbet like texture, you can add in a few almonds, to give the sorbet a little crunch. Add in the sorbet in  a box, sprinkle in the almonds, cover the lid and freeze for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, remove it out and enjoy with family, friends or even just your own awesome self. Maybe you can try adding it on some hot pancakes, like below.

These are the famous and delicious 2 ingredient pancakes- just mashed bananas and eggs and some coconut oil and VOILA!

Enjoy my sugar-free sorbet. You can add your own toppings too if you like. I particularly think chocolate chips would go well too. Enjoy your summers and don’t forget to share your love. ❤ 🙂

Merci beaucoup et Salut! (thank you and bye 🙂 )

McCAFE AD

Hey you. The awesome one. Yes, YOU!

How you doin 😀

Yes, I know it’s been some time since I posted an interesting review of an interesting advertisement. As you may already experience this yourself, there is a LOT of trash out there, when it comes to advertisements.

Finding simple, impactful, straight-forward Ads, that create meaning is a rare find. That is why after searching for a long time, I present to you, our first Ad post of the year. WOOHOO!

Or do I say AHA!( You know like the big idea moment) 😉

This was a newspaper print Ad. It was published in Khaleej Times newspaper, in the Nation’s section on the top left hand corner.

While skimming through I didn’t quite understand, what it meant. Then as everything else in the world, a closer look and I got the answers. Picture is totally worth a gazillion words in this matter.

Single most persuasive idea: Get yourself to McCafe, we got WiFi and freshly brewed coffee.

Now,who doesn’t love the sound of that?

Key messages could be: ‘good quality coffee now being served by your favourite family brand’. ‘Swipe on your day to a quick and delicious start.’ ‘Being an adult is hard, but we got you covered.’ or even ‘Mmmmornings with McCafe, I’m lovin it.’

I get the objective could be to create more awareness about the coffee that McCafe serves.  I love how simplistic and to the point it is.

The green swipe suggesting an app being switched on, on the smart phone.

The color green really stands out. The color stands for growth, life, energy, nature etc. In context to this Ad, it could mean, replenishing your energy with freshly brewed coffee. Awakening growth in you.

Green also subconsciously persuades you, that you are making the correct decision, in comparison to a red suggesting danger or stop. The placement of the coffee cup also emphasizes those persuasive ideas.

The brand logo at the bottom corner, tells you everything that you need to know in order for you to make the next purchase. McCafe is by Mcdonalds. An established and well-loved brand by families for generations, that makes it easy for the audience to believe in this Ad and this new product.

So guys, this is what I think about this Ad. Share your ideas would love to know if you agree with me or even disagree ( Yes, I am open to disagreements too-they lead to newer perspectives)

Share your creativity. Share your love.

🙂 ❤

 

OATS POHA(SNACK/LUNCH)

Hello everyone!

How is everyone doing. It is the end of the first month of this new year.

How has it been for you guys? Any new changes or back to old comfortable me.

Me? Im hanging in between. There are days of positivity and energy and action.There are also days of serious procrastination, laziness and crankiness. Well sue me, I’m human. I got 50 shades of every emotion! 😀

Republic Day of India just happened. One of the days to be really proud and amazed at my country and roots and what it has to offer. Different states have different varieties of food. We have all experienced Indian Moghlai and Indian Punjabi cuisines, through dishes such as Chicken Tikka , Biryani , Samosas etc.

So I bring to you today a specialty from the Maharashtrian region, it is called OATS POHA.It is very  light, completely satisfying and might I add extremely delicious. Back in India, people eat it as a savoury breakfast.

So here we go.

TIME: 30 mins.

Serves 2-3 ppl.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cup Quaker Oats

Coconut Oil for cooking

1 tsp Mustard Seeds

1 Red Onion-chopped

1/4 cup Red Onion-chopped to use as toppings(Optional)

2 Green Chilies-chopped

1/2 cup Fresh Curry Leaves

A pinch of Asafoetida

1 big tsp of Dried Mango Powder(Amchur Powder)

1/2 tsp Dried Coriander Powder

1/4 cup Unsalted Peanuts-crushed

Juice of 1 lemon-to add before serving

Salt (optional)

Fresh chopped coriander for garnish (optional)

HOW TO PREPARE:

Take a non-stick pan. Add in the oil and on medium heat add in the mustard seeds and let them crackle. Add in the asafoetida and mix.

Add in the onions and cook them until light pink in color.

Next add in the chilies and curry leaves.

Add in the oats and the mango powder and coriander powder and salt. Mix well.

Add in the crushed peanuts and give it a mix. Take the pan off the heat, let it cool.

Just before serving, add in the lemon juice and chopped coriander. Mix and Enjoy.

Tip- you can roast the oats if you like, before adding them to the pan.

Take the Oats Poha for a light lunch or even as tiffin treats for the little one. It is a great pick for travel, as it is delicious and without the mess. Add it to your quirky adult lunch boxes and you are ready to go.

Share your love 🙂 ❤

P.S.-Credit for second image-https://www.alibaba.com/showroom/quaker-oats.html

 

 

MACCOLI (LUNCH/DINNER)

Hello wonderful people! May I say I am pleased to meet you in 2017 🙂

A new year filled with new possibilities, new chances and new outcomes. How many of you have made new year’s resolutions ? How many of you are STILL being able to follow them? If you are, kudos to you, you are very strong ! Me on the other hand, just like the others, gave up on the last day of the first week. (I am guilty but not charged -_-)

All is not lost my friends! Let us not give up, let us get stronger. The fact that we realise that maybe we are falling back to our old self,is a great start to something different. We just have to take a step back, look at our actions and distractions and make the necessary changes accordingly.

Trust me I am at that stage myself, fighting every second to make the better choice. For me it involves, eating healthier, fighting fear and anxiety , motivating myself to make choices that scream self-love and self-respect. What does it involve for you? 🙂

On that exciting note, let me present to you our first food post of 2017 YAY!! 

MACCOLI. It is a quirky name, I know. 😀 It is whole wheat delicious macaroni with spicy broccoli and garlic sauce on the side. Yummy, comfort food for the sort-of cold weather we have here in Dubai, with a little fiery kick. So here we go.

Serves 1

TIME TO PREPARE:

15 mins.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Whole Wheat Macaroni-cooked (You can use the brand that is easily available to you)

3/4 cup Broccoli-chopped into small florets (You can eat them raw or steamed- I used raw for a good crunch).

1 tbsp Dried Parsley

1/2 cup Jalapeno Chili-chopped

3/4 cup Black Olives-sliced

1 big tbsp Fresh Garlic Sauce-I bought it fresh from Spinneys’ supermarket. Point is it needs to be fresh, not the pre-packaged ones.

Salt(Optional)

A squeeze of Fresh Lemon Juice(Optional)

HOW TO PREPARE:

Once the macaroni is cooked. Strain it and keep aside. Let it cool for a few moments.

Take a bowl, add in all the ingredients including the macaroni.

Mix well and serve. Enjoy!

Great for lunches and dinners with family. Absolutely perfect for work.Just prepare it a night before or even in the morning and take it with you in a pretty lunch box or a grown-up bento box.Love those!  Happy 2017 once again!

Share your love.

🙂 ❤

 

P.S-Credit for second image-http://www.all-creatures.org/recipes/images/i-pasta-elbow.jpg

CHUNKY LEMONADE (Beverage)

Hello folks.

Hope you are enjoying your holidays and the last few days of 2016. When I look back at this year, its been crazy for me. Mentally, emotionally,financially, physically challenging to say the least. It has been the end of a lot of things for me, that’s for sure i.e end of giving way too much love to people who don’t deserve it or value it.

2017 will be the start of many new things, such as directing the love towards myself, valuing myself, learning to respect myself in every form. I know it doesn’t happen in just a day, but its a promise, lifelong promise to yourself.To keep working at yourself, for yourself.

All in all, I would say it has been a sweet and sour year for everybody.

Inspired from that sweet & sour feeling, is our last post of 2016, CHUNKY LEMONADE Yay!

It is this amazing refreshing drink, it first hits you on the sweet spots of your taste buds, then Bam! hits you with its zingy sourness. It is like eating candy only healthy and doesn’t give you a sugar high 😀

So let’s get started.

TIME TO PREPARE:

10 to 15 mins.

Makes 1 Jug.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup fresh berries (strawberries,blueberries,blackberries)

2 big tbsp Honey

2 big yellow Lemons

1/2 tsp Dried Mint

4 cups of Water

Jug

HOW TO PREPARE:

Wash and squeeze out the juice of the lemons. Be careful about the seeds.

Roughly chop/mash the berries with a fork.

In a jug, add in the lemon juice, the mint and the water. Mix well.

Add in the honey and ice cubes. Adjust taste according to preference. Add more water if needed.

Keep chilled in the fridge. Just before serving, throw in the berries.Smoothly mix and serve.

It is a great party pleaser, great for a morning routine drink or just to give you a wake-up buzz during those lethargic afternoons. Take it with you in those pretty to-go bottles with the attached straw.You can discreetly show-off your awesome new drink 😉

Enjoy.

P.S:

HAPPY NEW YEAR. HAPPY 2017 RESIDENTS OF PLANET EARTH.May this year be filled with positive thoughts and awesome experiences 🙂 😀

Share your love ❤ 🙂

 

CHICK BITES (Snack)

Good afternoon everyone! Hope everyone is doing wonderful, if not then don’t worry it will get better 🙂

As the weather is FINALLY changing a little bit here in Dubai, I am sure you will understand my cravings for some hot comfort food.Cooler weather means hotter food. Nothing better than some deep-fried pakoras or chicken popcorn or just the good old jalapeno poppers, right? I know I understand.

However we all know the harm that does to our body inside and out. Transfatty oil clogging up our arteries.You know, most of the deep-fried vegetarian food that I come across has potato as its base and there is no nutrition in that. That is why I let my creative juices on intense mode and came up with our recipe of the week, my CHICK BITES (quirky name I know 😀 )

They are mildly spiced chickpea & veggie fritters. Nutrition check, Craving check, absolute deliciousness check check.It is deep-fried but you can also bake them. Still great and yummy. You can add these to salads or sides to your main meals or just snack on them when those ‘munchie cravings‘ arise.

Makes 10-12 pieces.

TIME: 1 hr

INGREDIENTS:

1 can Chickpeas-wash them thoroughly

1/2 cup Carrots-grated

1 big tsp Garlic powder

1 big tsp Cayenne Pepper powder

1 tbsp Dried Parsley- you can use fresh if you have

2 tbsp Cornflour

1 clove Garlic-chopped

Coconut Oil for deep-frying

Salt(optional)

Indian Chaat Masala(optional)

HOW TO PREPARE:

Take a deep bowl and add in all the ingredients, except the chaat masala and oil.

Mash and mix well. Heat the oil for deep-frying on the side.

Take a little oil in hands and make balls, keep aside.(See image reference)

Make sure the oil is hot enough by adding a piece of the batter and see if it cooks. Deep-fry the chickpea bites till golden brown in color. Soak excess oil on tissue paper.

If you want to bake them, pre-heat the oven for 15 mins. Add in a little oil on the tray, add in the balls. Bake at 180 deg. for 30 mins. or till it turns golden brown. Once you start seeing the top getting colored, flip them on the bottom, so even that gets cooked.*Every oven is different.

For an Indian twist, sprinkle a little chaat masala before serving.

Serve with sauce of your choice. I love garlic so I ate it with some garlic mayo, you could also try sweet chili sauce.

You can add these Chick Bites to your salads,add them to wholewheat bread sandwiches, serve them as sides to your mains or just munch on them as tea-time snacks. You can take them to work, get-togethers or even for school as tiffin treats. Enjoy them with your family and friends.

Share your love.

🙂 ❤

SWEET POTATO BOWLS

HELLO LOVELY PEOPLE!!

How art thou? Yes, I know I was missing for a few days. To be honest I was dying to come back. I am actually a mess right now, that is why I needed some time off to focus on dealing with stuff that I was procrastinating to do and just forcing myself to do it and get on with it.

I have a lot of major changes happening in my life, such as trying to remove toxic relationships out of my life(to do so is incredibly difficult and painful), extremely uncertain career changes, trying to control my ever so talkative, confused and fearful mind. Yeah, lots of fun 😀  -_- (*slowly starts to run away)

Considering I love sharing my ideas and recipes with you guys, I am back again. It is kinda soothing to do this with you lovely people. It is easy, certain and fun 🙂

So here we are for the new post of the week i.e my SWEET POTATO BOWLS. I think these are perfect as a side dish or even for mains if you have a light appetite, served along with a bowl of yogurt or organic coleslaw.

These are immensely flavourful, delicious and nutritious. I have to admit they do take some time to prepare, but a little bit of effort in advance will help you satisfy those hanger pangs later (See how I say, Hanger, I know That feeling). So here we go.

TIME: 1 hr

Serves 1

INGREDIENTS:

1 Sweet Potato- washed

7 Paneer/Cottage Cheese cubes-crumbled (keep the extra crumbled paneer for garnish)

1 tsp Dried Parsley

1 small Tomato

2 cloves of Garlic

a small piece of Ginger

2 Green chili’s

a pinch of Hing/Asafoetida

1/4 tsp Garam Masala

1/4 Coriander/Dhania powder

Salt (optional)

1 tbsp Olive Oil

a pinch of Dry Mango powder/Amchur powder-for garnish

Lemon juice-for drizzle on top

HOW TO PREPARE:

Step 1–

Cut the sweet potato in half and cut a little piece of the ends/points of the potato, to make it bowl-shaped.See photo for reference. You dont want it to be a wobbly bowl, it should stand tall.

Cook the sweet potato on a pan, till it is cooked and soft. I check it with a knife, if it comes out smooth, its good to go. Remove it from the pan and let it cool.

With a small spoon or if you prefer a knife, scoop out excess sweet potato. A nice thick layer of the sweet potato pulp should be good. See photo for reference.

Step 2–

In a food processor add in tomato, chili, garlic and ginger.Process all the ingredients for 2-4 mins. till the pieces are small enough but not completely minced.

In a separate pan add in the olive oil, add hing and the tomato mixture and cook on medium heat for 5 mins. till they cook. Add in the crumbled paneer.

Add in the coriander, garam masala powder.Add 1/2 dried parsley. Add salt. Mix well on slow heat. Remove from the pan.

Step 3–

Add the paneer mixture to the sweet potato bowls. Press the stuffing at the back of the spoon, to fill as much as possible. Bake in oven for 5 mins on 180 degrees. Remove from the oven, let it cool.

Sprinkle crumbled paneer, dried parsley , dry mango powder and lemon juice. Serve with a bowl of fruit yogurt. Enjoy.

Share with family and friends for lunches/brunches/light dinners/breakfasts too! They can be great tiffin treats for you and your little ones.

Share your love.

🙂 ❤