Puran Poli Recipe | A Lentil Stuffed Sweet Bread from Maharashtra | How to Make Puran Poli

Puran Poli #Recipe

Puran Poli is a lentil stuffed sweet flatbread from the state of Maharashtra. Chana dal, jaggery, flour, cardamom and ghee are the vital ingredients in this recipe. A similar puran poli is also made in Gujarat and some southern Indian states, but there is a difference in the lentil used for the stuffing. Like in Gujarat, toor dal is used while in Maharashtrain puran poli chana dal is used.

Making puran poli from scratch is a tedious job. However, on most festive occasions like Holi, Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali, etc., in Maharashtra, it is a must-prepare dish. In Marathi, 'puran' means the sweet filling and 'poli' means roti or the flatbread. Puran poli tastes great in itself; you can also serve it with ghee and milk.

15+ Holi Delicacies For You to Try This Holi | Holi Recipe Collection

15+ Holi Delicacies For You to Try This Holi
Holi #Recipe Collection

Holi is the Indian festival of colours. The festival has a strong mythological background and it signifies the victory of good over evil. To celebrate this victory, getting soaked in a plethora of colours in a norm on this occasion. You will surely find people playing with and getting drenched in colours on the streets on the day of Holi. As much as colours are a part of this festive occasion, so is delicious food. No Indian festival is complete without food.

Think of Holi and you cannot stop yourself from thinking about Thandai, Gujias, Samosa , Dahi Vada, and a variety of other sumptuous dishes that are prepared on the occasion of Holi.

So, while you plan to enjoy the festival day with colours, gulaal, pichkaris, dancing and merrymaking, here is a list of Holi delicacies, both sweet and savoury, that can make the festival even more special.

9 Easy Dessert Ideas for You to Try This Valentine’s Day | Valentine's Day Recipe Collection

9 Easy Dessert Ideas for Valentine’s Day

Valentine's day is around the corner. If you are looking for some easy dessert ideas to try this Valentine's day, this post will come in handy for you. Here you will find a collection of 9 tried and tested dessert recipes that can fit the bill this Valentine’s Day.

From the elaborate to the easy, you will surely find the one that can work for you.

Eggless Double Chocolate Muffins | How to Bake Eggless Double Chocolate Muffins from Scratch

This recipe for eggless double chocolate muffins has been long due. It has been sitting in my drafts for some months now. Since I have been somewhat occupied with a new project, this food blog of mine is suffering from some lack of attention. Half of the first month of the new year 2018 has elapsed and nothing had been posted here till now. I decided that I need to do the needful today and this recipe from my drafts has come to my rescue.

This recipe is a simple one and it is a healthy one as there has been no use of refined flour. I have used regular sugar, but you can go ahead and use brown sugar to make it even healthier and guilt-free. They go well with a cup of coffee. So, if you are planning a meet up with friends over coffee, this is one recipe you can try.

Word of the Year | A Word to Guide Me Through 2018 - Mindfulness #WOTY

Word of the Year | A Word to Guide Me Through 2018

Have you heard the 'Word of the Year' concept yet? 

Well, here is my two cents about it, but before that please bear with my rants for the year that was.

2017, the year that was.

2017 for me was a mixed bag affair. There were some highs and there were some lows. I did work on some of the goals I had set for myself for the year. For example, after almost a year of no posts on this space, I took up blogging again, although I could not be as consistent as I would have liked. I took out time to read some books too. I also got the opportunity to travel a little.

But, most of my time went in taking care of the needs of my little one. In the role of a mother attending the beck and call of her toddler, came the realization that motherhood is a demanding job, one that can keep you on your toes 24x7. In the process of fulfilling my mommy duties, and taking care of the home, I always had my hands full. Too much multitasking became the norm, and soon it started to take a toll on the quality of my life. I felt burnt out at the end of most days.

Thankfully, I realized sooner than later that I have my own limitations and that I do not have to be a superwoman all the time. I learnt to delegate and prioritize which have made life easier. I also learnt that it is okay to put yourself first before others sometimes.

Word of the Year for 2018

Mindfulness #WOTY 

So, when I came across the concept of choosing a Word of the Year - a word to guide you throughout a year, instead of making resolutions, ONE word came to me spontaneously. I am a little old school in that and have already made a list of resolutions to work on and stick to throughout the year. And I am going to do it with the help of this one word - MINDFULNESS.

Mindfulness is quite the buzzword these days. But, what exactly it is?

In simple words - mindfulness means being present in the moment. It is the state of being conscious and being aware in the present moment.

Doesn't sound like much, right? But it is. Today, in our fast-paced lives we are always multi-tasking. So, practically we are never living in the moment. I know being mindful is a habit and it will take a conscious effort to be there and I am going to make it there one baby step at a time.

There are a number of ways I can exercise mindfulness in my day to day life. Here I am listing a few ways and I am sure more will come to me in the way. 

• Take one thing at a time and do it well. Say, when I am spending time with my little one, I will just focus on that and be there in that moment. What I will not do is check my phone for social media updates, or flip the page of a book I am reading. I will concentrate on doing one thing at a time and do it well. 
• Mindfulness while cooking. I will try to cook as much we can eat and cut back on any food waste. More thoughts need to be put into menu planning. For that, I need chalk out a weekly menu plan a week in advance so that I can order groceries in time and the work in the kitchen is streamlined. It will also help me in developing food related posts here consistently. 
• Mindfulness while eating. For that, I will keep the phone away when having food so that I can savour the food I eat. I am often told that I am a fast eater - which means that I don't chew my food well. Being mindful while eating will be good for my gut too. 
• Mindfulness online. When you are into blogging, spending time online on your blogs, visiting fellow bloggers and spending time on social media is necessary. But, once we get online there are so many things that can distract us. Being mindful when online can help me in being productive when I am online. So, on any particular day, I am going to make a list of things need to be done online and set timelines for that so that I don't while away my time on unnecessary things online. 

There are so many more avenues to put mindfulness to exercise. In our words, in our actions, in our relationships, in our responsibilities towards the society, environment, etc. and more. I hope to better myself by being mindful.

If you have any tips more me for the same, let me know.

Have you chosen your Word of the Year?

Thanks for stopping by! Cheers!