Mingle it up

Whole Wheat Apple Raisin Muffin
I just love Red Delicious Crispy Apples. They look also so vibrant & radiant. No wonder these were the first I tried in my muffins :).If you are trying Muffins for the first time please go through My Muffin Story post to read some muffin making tips.
The most important one is don’t over mix the batter. Around 10-12 strokes of folding the wet & dry ingredients should do it otherwise you will end up in tough muffins.

Here is what you will need for your Muffins
1 Cup Whole Wheat
1/4 Cup Wheat Bran
1 Egg (I use an Egg Substitute Ener-G Egg Replacer)
1/4 Cup No-Sugar Added Apple Sauce
2 tbsp Canola Oil
1 tsp Vanilla
2 -3 tbsp Sugar Or Honey - Depending upon how sweet you like (I use 2 tbsp of Splenda- Sugar Substitute)
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
Pinch of Nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1 Cup grated Apple with Skin (About 1 Medium Apple)
2-3 tbsp Raisins (If you like more you can add more)
3-4 tbsp buttermilk (2 tbsp of Yogurt diluted by 2 tbsp of water)

Few Slivered Almonds for decoration on top of the muffin.

Makes 6 Medium Sized Muffins
Around 140-150 Calories per Muffin.
Oven Temperature - 375 def F
Time - 22-25 Minutes.

1. Sift in the dry ingredients like Flour, Salt, Baking Soda, Cinnamon, and Nutmeg. Add Wheat Bran into the flour mixture & mix well.
2. Now add Wet Ingredients + Sugar separately in a bowl. Start with blending Sugar, an Egg with Canola Oil and then add other wet ingredients.
3. Now mix the wet ingredients in dry along with grated Apple & Raisins.
4. Don’t over mix it; just make sure everything is well incorporated.
5. Line your paper cups in Muffin pan & grease them well (Or you can choose to not use them and drop the batter directly into your Muffin pan. But make sure to grease your pan well then).
6. I generally use an Ice-Cream scoop to scoop out the batter evenly in all the cups. And sprinkle some slivered almonds on the muffins.
7. Place the filled Muffin pan in the Preheated Oven for about 20-25 minutes.
8. Check with the tooth-pick to see if they are done. Let them cool on the Wire rack for 5-10 minutes.

Hi Everyone,

Back again with some breakfast ideas J . I am a working woman so generally don’t get enough time in the morning to whip up some hot breakfast for me & my husband. We used to generally eat Cereals or WW toast with Peanut Butter with a cup of tea. But recently most of the times we would skip it since it was boring to have the same thing over n over again. Giving breakfast a skip would make me extremely hungry during Lunch time and would keep me unsatisfied the whole day. It was just not working. If you have read my previous blogs you might know by now how much I love Trader Joes. So one day my husband decided to try TJ Muffins for breakfast. He liked it but not so much, that’s when I decided to give it a try & make my own.

My Muffins are definitely inspired by several muffin recipes out there on the web. But I have tried to make few variations in mine to make them healthy, power-packed & surely tasty enough that you would look forward to have them every dayJ.

In my muffins you can find

-Reduced oil (I add some “No Added Sugar Applesauce” for moisture),

-Reduced sugar (prefer to keep it balanced with natural sugar of the fruits in the muffin),

-only Whole wheat flour used,

-Use little Wheat Bran in all muffins - This boosts the nutritional value (read fiber, protein) in my muffins

-Always Fruit. My breakfast muffins always contain fresh fruits like Apples, Oranges, Strawberries, Banana, Pineapple.

You can also add ground Flaxseeds in your muffins to pump up your Omega-3 Fatty acids intake. Flaxseeds can help reduce cholesterol, your blood pressure etc.

Muffin Making/Baking Tips from AllRecipes.Com

Me & my husband simply love Gujju food & can’t get enough of it anytime :).   I remember when we were in LA we would always go to Rajdhani - the unlimited gujju food restaurant(I strongly recommend that restaurant. Plus the service is awesome people come and serve you food unlike the other buffets where you go and pick up;)). Up here in Seattle there are no gujju restaurants & we really miss that. But nevermind - I have upped my Gujarati cooking skills since then & big thanks to my mummy for that.

This recipe is requested by one of my friends who likes my gujarati dal. Here it goes -

Ingredients

1 Cup Dal
12-13 Peanuts
2-3 Kokum
½-1 tbsp Jaggery (depending upon how sweet you like your dal. I put ½ tbsp to add just a hint of sweetness)
5-6 Curry Leaves
1 Medium sized Tomato (I like to use Roma tomatoes)
2 small finely cut chillies (I use thin Thai Chilies)
½ tbsp grated ginger
2 cloves (optional)
1 small piece of Cinnamon stick (optional)
1 tbsp of Lemon Juice
2 tbsp Coriander Leaves

Spices 

All the spices are to taste. So please start with little & work up with respect to your judgment and taste.

1 tbsp of oil
2 tsp of Mustard Seeds
Pinch of Hing (Asafoedita)
Salt to taste
1.5 tsp Turmeric powder
2-3 tsp Chilli powder
½ tbsp Coriander powder
½ tsp Cumin powder
1 tsp of garam masala

Serves - 4-5 people.

This dal has 2 main steps

STEP 1
1.  Boil your Dal with peanuts in around 2 cups of water.
2.  Once your dal is done, blend your dal well with spatula so that it mixes well with your water. Try not to mash the peanuts while mixing the dal.
3.  Add may be 1 more cup of water or depending upon the consistency you like.
4.  Turn on the flame to medium low
    a. put the dal + water mixture
    b. add jaggery
    c. kokum
    d. Salt

Ingredients

1 Medium Onions finely chopped
1 Medium Green Bell Pepper finely chopped
½ Medium Red Bell Pepper finely chopped
1 Medium Tomato
2 tbsp of Tomato Puree
Any vegetables you like - Zucchini, Broccoli, Corn, Carrots
½ tbsp ginger finely chopped
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 bay leaf
½ Cup Garbanzo Bean
½ Cup cooked Whole Wheat Elbow Macaroni
2 ½ - 3 Cups Fat Free low sodium Vegetable broth (I buy this from Trader Joes. I LOVE shopping from TJs).
Fresh or Dried Basil & Oregano
Red Crushed Chilies,
Paprika,
Garlic salt with parsley (Or you can use plain salt)
2-3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Cooking Time - 20-25 mins

Serves - 3-4.

Heat some oil in Pan and add 1 Bay leaf.
Add Chopped Ginger, Garlic
Add Onions & sauté them for about a min & add some salt. Salt helps removing moisture from Onions.
Add the chopped bell peppers. Cook them for another 1 min.
Add any other vegetables you like depending upon their cooking time.
Add Garbanzo beans & let it cook for another min.
Add Tomato & cook till almost tender.
Add Tomato Puree & cook till you see oil starts to separate (approx for 2-3 mins)
Add all the spices like Basil, Oregano, Red Chilies, Paprika, Garlic Salt and Salt
Add Vegetable Broth & let it simmer for about 3-5 mins
Add cooked Elbow Macaroni & let it cook in the liquid for another few mins.
Put 2 tbsp of grated Parmesan Cheese in the soup to get a little creamy texture.

Serve with some grated parmesan cheese on top.

Popularity: 29% [?]

Ingredients

Oven Temperature - 375 deg F

Time - 40-45 mins

Tips: Raisins may be replaced by the same amount of chopped dates or omitted entirely. Quick breads should be mixed until well blended but not over-mixed in order to prevent the formation of tunnels in the baked loaf.

Combine eggs, oil, flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, vanilla, salt and baking powder in large mixing bowl. Stir until well blended.
Stir in nuts, raisins and apples until a rather stiff batter is formed.  Add a few tbsp of water if needed.
Mix until all ingredients are thoroughly blended, but do not over mix.
Pour into a greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 mins or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Popularity: 34% [?]

Ingredients

Oven Temperature - 350 deg F

Time - 30-35

Serves - Makes 12 Cupcakes.

Preheat oven to 350 F and line Muffin baking tray with cupcake papers
Put all the ingredients except Flour & Soda in a heating pan & bring it to boil.
Shut the heat when it comes to boil & let it cool.
Add the flour, baking soda & the above mixture.
Mix well but don’t over mix it.
Pour this mixture into a greased cupcake and bake at 350 degrees for almost 30-35 mins or until a tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean.
When cupcake springs back when touched in the center you know that are done.

Popularity: 31% [?]

Ingredients

Egg and butter should be at room temperature

For glaze:
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup sugar

Oven Temperature - 350 deg F

Time - 35-45

Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and almonds.
Beat butter, sugar, egg, orange zest and orange juice in a large bowl.
Add the above flour mixture to this and stir until moistened.
Pour this mixture into a greased 9″ by 5″ loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for almost 35-45 mins or until a tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Remove the bread from the oven and let it rest for couple of minutes.
Meanwhile mix 1/2 cup of orange juice in 1/4 cup of sugar, heat and stir until sugar dissolves.
With a spoon, glaze this orange-sugar juice over hot orange loaf.

Popularity: 31% [?]

Eggless Chocolate Cupcake/Cake

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup oil
1 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon vinegar OR 1 Egg

Oven Temperature - 350 deg F

Mix all ingredients together until moist and well blended. Put in cupcake cups and bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Frost with your favorite icing.
To make a layer cake,
double the recipes and put in 2 round cake pans.
Increase baking time to about 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Healthy version of the cake- (Whole Wheat sugar free Cake)

Ingredients

Replace 1-1/2 of All purpose While flour with 3/4 cup White + 3/4 Whole Wheat
Replace 1 Cup of Sugar with 1 Cup sugar Substitute (I used Splenda)

Popularity: 32% [?]

Having the right mindset is the most important factor in your weight loss. You should use this to channelize your energies in the right direction. There will definitely be days when you want to indulge in just about everything unhealthy but with the right mindset you can always come back on track.

I find this quote by Swami Vivekananda very inspirational, “Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life - think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success, that is way great spiritual giants are produced.”

Lets start -

1. Be very clear on why do you want to loose weight.
It could be any reason, you want to look great & get sexy body, get rid of pregnancy fat, want to get healthy, no more plus size sections for you.

2. Throw away your past failures and inhibitions.
Past bad experiences are like detractors, they pull you down. Past is past. Act wisely in present for a lovely future.

3. Be open about your weight loss to people.
Tell your friends & family about your plan rather than shying away and lying. This always helps when you are in a party, over to a friend’s place for lunch/dinner, team lunches etc.

4. Sketch out a plan & stick to it.
Set your goal for example goal weight, goal size, goal inches. Have mini milestones to reach your goal. Treat yourself when you reach your milestones like a book you wanted to buy, shoes, Ipod etc. Reward yourself for your hard work !

5. Maintain Logs.
Its very important to monitor your progress and see the numbers. Its very motivational for you to stay on track if you are doing good or a good indicator if something is going wrong.

6. Pick a time & day of the week for weighing.
Weigh in every week at one time & register your weight. Your body weight fluctuates during the day so its best not to be obsessive about weighing everyday. Similarly measure your inches if your goal is specifically to decrease your waistline, reduce your flabby arms etc.

I think these are some important points to always keep in mind when you are on a healthy plan to reduce or maintain weight.