Planning a baby shower

One of the most exciting events to the run up of the D-day is the Baby shower. Back in January, I planned a baby shower for one of my closest friends. Little did we know that eight months down the line she would be returning the favour by helping hubby plan a baby shower for me :)

My husband planned and executed a brilliant baby shower for me recently (obviously with some help from my girlfriends and my darling sister). I was absolutely floored by the level of detailing and how well he had planned it. The event was a great success because the brilliant event planner had looked into every little detail. So I thought it may be a good idea to put together my thoughts on what made the baby shower a success. It may give you or your hubby or friends a few ideas for planning the next baby shower :)

Here is a sneak peek into how hubby made the party a grand success

Select a Theme: Setting a theme for the baby shower is a fun way to engage your guests even before the event. Gives them something to think about before the event. Hubby decided to go for the unheard of Purple Vs. Yellow. To further add a twist to this, he incorporated the Cat woman vs. Batman twist to the purple vs. yellow. So all those who felt it would be a girl (team Cat woman), were asked to dress in yellow and those who felt it was a baby boy  (team batman) were to dress in purple. 

Theme for our baby shower: Batman Vs. Catwoman 

The theme could be anything of your choice.

- Book themed baby shower: you could request guests to be dressed as characters from    their favourite books. You could have a corner lined with storybooks where the guests   could leave a message for your bundle of joy in the book of their choice. The decor could    be done up with some of your favourite childhood books and fairytales.

- Bows vs. Moustache baby shower: you could send out props (bows and moustache)   with the invite or have props lined up at the entrance & ask them to pick a prop of their   choice depending on whether they feel its a boy or girl. 

- Pink Vs. Blue: this is the simplest to implement & you can go for this if you are short of    time and ideas as all props and decorations for this one are readily available (an    observation to the mad caps store in Mumbai). We planned a baby shower around this    theme for my friend, shall do a post on this theme next to showcase how we went about    it.

-  Colour of your choice: you could choose to do up the place in colour of choice, the     decor, invites, some cupcakes.

The list is endless, you could come up with any theme based on your creativity & the time at hand. 

Decorations: Sky is the limit when it comes to decor and doing up the venue for the occasion. Following are some of the online stores where you can find decoration items for a baby shower: 

The venue was done up with purple and yellow gas balloons with baby pictures of mommy & daddy-to-be hung at the bottom of the balloons

www.partyhunterz.com : These guys have an outlet in Bandra in Mumbai which is pretty well stocked. In fact a walk around there store could also give you a few ideas on how you could do up the Decor. The website also lists other outlets across cities & gives you the option to shop online. My suggestion, be creative and don't restrict yourself to the goodies available for baby showers. Use various props available to create something of your own.

www.onlinestore.madcapspartyshop.com 

www.party-anthem.com

If you stay in Mumbai, you may want to check out some of the party shops in Crawford market. If you can brave the crowd & have the patience to look around a bit you may find some goodies. 

But most of the readily available decor adhere to the pink Vs. blue theme. So if you have some other theme in mind, you may have to be more creative by doing up the place with Balloons, flowers and mix and matching the various props and decoration material available at the store. My suggestion, be creative and don't restrict yourself to the goodies available at the stores for baby showers. Use various props available to create something of your own.

The pictures may give you an idea of how my husband went about decorating the place in line with his chosen theme.

Props for the Mom-to-be: Since the event is all about celebrating mommy & her bundle of joy, one should make her feel special. So it may be a good idea to get her a tiara or a headgear (could be made of fresh or plastic flowers or ready made one). Your local florist or an outlet like ferns N petals could help you customise one. You could also get her a sash (like the one beauty queens wear) which reads Mommy-to-be (these are available at some of the outlets I have mentioned above & could also be ordered online).

My sister got a beautiful headgear made from ferns n petals in the colour theme of the evening

And of course a sash which I wore with pride

Engage the audience

Yes, this event is all about mommy to be and her little bundle of joy, but there is go to be something to keep the guests engaged. Now there are multiple ways to doing this

Photo booth: Hubby created a fun photo booth with a backdrop of Cat woman Vs. Batman and placed loads of props in the corner. Props ranging from fun head gear, slates & chalk for people to write message for the mom & baby, wigs, posters which read “yummy mummy” to name a few. In this age of selfies, if you give people a backdrop and the props to pose with it is surely going to keep them happy and give you loads of images as memories for years to come.

Create a fun corner with a nice backdrop which depicts the theme of your party

Add some fun props for people to come and pose with & your photo booth is ready

Games: It’s good idea to arrange for a few games that could engage the guests and create a fun element in the party. For instance at my baby shower my friends had arranged for the following games

Pin the baby: similar to pin the donkey’s tail that we played as kids, in this case it was about pinning the baby on the mother’s belly (they had created a cut out for the same).

Plan some fun games for your guests. This is pin the baby to mom's belly that we had at the party

List the maximum number of baby items: The guests were divided in 4 groups and each group was asked to list down items that would be required for a baby. The team that listed the most won.

Guess Mom’s favourites: prepare a list of questions that judge guests on how well they know mom to be. The questions could range from Mom-to-be’s favourite cuisine, favourite holiday destination. the team that answers most correctly would win.

Capture those moments: engage a good photographer to capture those fun moments. In our case, hubby clubbed the maternity shoot with the baby shower. So an hour before the party started we had the photographer capture some fun images of the baby bump. Our event was captured by Vrutika Doshi, you can check out some of her other work here
https://www.facebook.com/vrutikadoshiphotography. All the pictures in this post have been captured by Vrutika. We loved her work, her non interfering style of working and would highly recommend her.

Some fun props for the family members 

Fun foods & cake:  you have a host of options available when it comes to decorative cakes & cupcakes. Depending on your choice, budget and theme you could get a cake and cup cakes customised for the event. 

You may choose to incorporate some or all of the above elements depending on the scale of event. The idea is to have fun and create some beautiful memories. And a note to the Mommy-to-be, don’t forget to give yourself a break and prop your feet up every once in a while during the party so that you don’t exhaust yourself (all that extra weight can really tire you out). 

Eggs Benedict : After all daddy-to-be needs some pampering too

While these nine months are all about the Mommy-to-be (that is you) and the little bundle of joy, everyone wants to make you more comfortable, cook meals that you crave for and in general work towards keeping you and your soon to be born baby happy. One must not forget about the poor daddy to be, who is having to cope with a new version of his better half (may or may not be an improved version :p) & with a whole lot of new emotions himself. Daddy to be deserves some pampering and attention too. After all men are kids too (well, thats a personal opinion :))

My hubby is as much a foodie as I am & we both love a hearty breakfast. So one sure shot way to make his day is whip up some delicious breakfast. When it comes to breakfast we both love eggs, eggs in all forms- poached, boiled, fried we love them all. Eggs qualify as super foods because of the nutrients they pack and hence are recommended as a part of diet for most pregnant women (unless you suffer from some allergies). Eggs are rich in Selenium, zinc and vitamins A, D and some B Complex which are required during pregnancy. 

However during pregnancy one must exercise caution when it comes to selecting and preparing eggs. Eggs must be fresh & must be stored well. If they emit a foul smell when you break one then discard it (not worth risking it). Also when it comes to egg preparations one must avoid raw or semi cooked eggs as it may carry salmonella bacteria. So during these nine months, it is recommended you cook eggs until both the yolk and white are solid (so its bye bye to the sunny side up fried egg with a runny yolk for a while). Completely cooking the egg destroys salmonella bacteria and makes the eggs safe to eat.

Salmonella poisoning may not harm your baby, but it can be very unpleasant for the mommy-to-be and lead to:

• severe vomiting and diarrhoea
• abdominal pain
• headache & high temperature

See the topic again steered towards you i.e. Mommy-to-be, this post was supposed to be about showering some attention on hubby. Now coming back to the Daddy-to-be, if you were to ask hubby to pick his favourite egg preparation the clear winner would be the Eggs Benedict. So I thought why not give it a shot. I googled hollandaise sauce and referred to the first link that I came across & then I saw a video on you tube on how to to poach eggs and I was all set to whip up hubby’s favourite breakfast.

Here are the links I referred to 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/hollandaise-sauce-recipe.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIvpbSEboYI

So here is my version of the Eggs Benedict

Eggs Benedict ready to be devoured

Ingredients

For the Hollandaise Sauce

2 egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice 

a pinch of Salt & pepper

1 teaspoon of butter

Poached Eggs

2 eggs

A large vessel 

1 teaspoon of Vinegar

a pinch of salt & pepper (to taste)

Assembling the eggs Benedict

2 slices of bread (ideally it is made with English muffins, I used bread since that is what was available at home at that point)

2 slices of Salami or Bacon 

Some butter

Method

Hollandaise Sauce

• Vigorously whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together in a stainless steel bowl and until the mixture is thickened and doubled in volume. 
• Place the bowl over a saucepan containing barely simmering water. One must ensure that the water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. Continue to whisk rapidly. Be careful not to let the eggs get too hot or they will scramble. 
• Slowly drizzle in the melted butter and continue to whisk. remove from heat once the sauce is thickened and doubled in volume.
• Add the butter and some salt and pepper to taste. Cover & keep it aside until ready to use for the Eggs Benedict.

For the Poached eggs

• Gently break the egg in a small bowl so as to avoid breaking the yolk
• Take a large bowl of water & allow the water to come to a simmer
• As the water simmers, lower the heat & add the vinegar
• Now using the back of a spoon create a whirlpool in the water
• Gently slide the egg into this whirlpool 
• Allow the egg to cook for 3-4 minutes depending on how runny you like the yolk 

Assembling the Eggs Benedict

• While the eggs cook, toast a slice of bread on the pan with some butter
• Place a slice of salami or lightly fried Bacon on top of the bread
• Once cooked, scoop the egg out of the water, allowing all water to drain and then gently place it on top of the bacon or Salami
• Now drizzle poached egg with some of that yummy Hollandaise sauce

Its quite a simple recipe but really delicious. So go ahead & whip up some yummy breakfast. Happy Cooking :)

Coping with fatigue during the third trimester

As one progresses into the third trimester one actually begins to feel pregnant, I mean really pregnant. You are getting bigger by the day & carrying all the extra weight around can really pull you down, making you feel tired constantly.

Well, at least thats been the case with me. I can feel all that extra body weight now which was not the case earlier. The third trimester can be particularly tough if you have a full time job. My day involves at least 2.5- 3 hours of commute time, to & back from work (don’t be too surprised, that’s Mumbai for you). Working hours are from 9.30 am to 6.00 pm, thus making my days pretty long. 

I am more conscious of the needs of my body these days & have incorporated a few simple changes to help tide over the constant feeling of fatigue and tiredness. Here are some things that have helped me

1. The best advise I got from my Mom was to listen to my body. Your body gives you the signs, listen to them, don’t ignore and keep pushing at it. Work can wait and so can chores. Nothing, absolutely nothing is worth risking the baby. If you are not feeling up to it, take the day off or exercise the option to work from home (if you have one)
2. I usually begin my day with a few gentle stretches in bed that helps mobilise the joints. Simple stretches like straighten the legs and rotate your feet clockwise and anti clockwise a few time. Rotate your neck clockwise and anti clockwise. Stretch your arms forward and rotate your hands clock wise and anti clock wise a few times
3. Then I try and do some simple breathing exercises. Both stretches and breathing exercises take me a total of 10 minutes in the morning
4. I try and begin my day with a breakfast that incorporates protein along with carbohydrates. It could mean eggs with toast or stuffed Paranthas (with paneer stuffing & very little oil). Something simple, filling but not very heavy so that I don't feel lethargic
5. At work I try and take frequent breaks and walk around a bit every one hour to keep myself going
6. I usually try and catch a small nap of 10-15 minutes at my desk post lunch
7. I try and catch up on my sleep during my long commute to and from work place 
8. I also try and keep my date with exercise on most days. That's because unlike what most people believe exercise gives you that extra boost of energy and makes you feel fresh. There are days when i just don’t feel like exercising that's when I allow myself a cheat workout of 20 minutes of slow paced walking. But I always go back to rule number 1 in case of any confusion, that is listen to the signals your body gives you. 
9. ALWAYS wear sports shoes when you go for a walk. I would strongly recommend you invest in good walking shoes because your ankles and feet have to carry around all that extra weight and they could really do with some support from good sports shoes.
10. I have also managed to get some extra help around the house because I don’t have as much energy for household chores. See if you can get a family member to help or if you could hire some additional domestic help to assist you with chores during this time period

I would love to hear from you on on how you coped in the third trimester. Are you experiencing the same or have experienced the same in the past?  Do you have any helpful tips that helped you tide over that constanly tired feeling? Till the next time, keep smiling and stay positive

Chicken Dum Biryani- to brighten up an otherwise dull weekend

The weekend that went by was a nice loooong one. Most of the people I know be it family or friends made the most of it by heading out for a small getaway or a refreshing minication or Mini Vacation :) My health didn't permit me to travel so I didn't have much of an option. I knew motherhood would change a lot of things for me but didn't anticipate the changes to step in so soon (even before the baby arrives).  

Under regular circumstances I would have sulked through the long weekend with an equally long face but these days I find myself a little more happy & cheerful than usual. I guess just the mere thought of the little one brings a smile to my face and makes it all worth it. So honestly I didn't mind chilling at home with hubby dear. 

In fact I decided to make the most of it by continuing with some of my cooking experiments. Now Hubby and I spent the first year of our careers in Andhra Pradesh. And a lot of that time was spent eating out, I would be busy gorging on the awesome Hyderabadi Biryani and hubby was busy wooing me :) So just the thought of Biryani transports us back in time. I thought why not try my hand at it.

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you may have noticed that I like cooking stuff that is quick to prep and easy to make. Hence the thought of making Biryani never really crossed my mind earlier because it felt like too tedious a process. But given the long weekend, I had a lot of time on my hands so Biryani it was.

Now here is the link that I referred to for my inspiration.

http://www.manusmenu.com/hyderabadi-chicken-biryani

As always, I did make a few tweaks to the Biryani I cooked. And I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that cooking Biryani wasn't all that difficult. Time consuming- YES, Difficult- NO. In fact its only the preparation which is a little time consuming so if you prep for it a day in advance the next day its only half an hour’s job.

So here’s my version of the Chicken Dum Biryani

Chicken Dum Biryani served with Raita and a salad of finely chopped onions & tomatoes on the side

Ingredients

Marinade 1

800 gms – chicken (I used the Zorabian Pre cut Skinless chicken with Bones)

1 small raw Papaya 

Marinade 2

1 bunch coriander leaves, roughly chopped

1 bunch mint, roughly chopped

1 cinnamon stick

2-3 cloves

2-3 green cardamoms

1 black cardamom

1 bay leaf

1 ½ tsp cumin powder

1 ½ tsp coriander powder

2 tbsp ginger paste

2 tbsp garlic paste

2-3  green chilli (you can use more if you like your food more spicy)

1 tsp red chilli powder (you can use more if you like your food more spicy)

2 tbsp garam masala

2 tbsp lemon juice

4 onions chopped fine & long and then fried golden brown

2 tbsp vegetable oil

3-4 pepper corns

1 tsp turmeric powder

2 ½ cup yoghurt

Salt to taste

For the Biryani

300 gms – 2 ½ cup basmati rice (make sure you get the best rice because this can really change the whole dish)

Salt to taste

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Layers

3 fried onions (preparation similar to the marinade)

1 bunch coriander leaves, roughly chopped

1 bunch mint, roughly chopped

2 pinch saffron, dissolved in 2 tbsp warm water

2-3 tsp of ghee

Instructions

Marinade 1

The first marinade is simply to tenderise the meat. Cut the raw papaya and puree it. Now add the pureed papaya to the chicken pieces and set aside for 30-45 minutes. 

Then rinse the papaya off the chicken.

Marinade 2

To make the marinade, mix all the ingredients together in a big bowl, add the chicken pieces to it, mix well and marinate in the fridge for at least 3-4 hours (or overnight).

Note: For the fried onions, simply chop the onions fine and long. Heat 2-3  tsp of oil in a wok and fry the onions till golden brown. Then drain them on a tissue paper to absorb the excess oil. 

Assembling the Biryani

When you are ready to cook your biryani, prepare the rice. Wash it and soak it in cool water for 30 minutes. Fill a big pot with water (take more than the required quantity of water like in the case of pasta),  add salt and oil and bring it to a boil. Cook the rice in it for 4 or 5 minutes. The rice should be about 3/4th Cooked. Now drain the excess water and set aside the rice.

Now take a heavy bottomed pot (a heavy bottomed pot prevents the chicken from burning), spray it with some oil and add the chicken and its marinade to the bottom. Make sure to spread it all around. Now spread the rice on top of the chicken.

Add the chopped mint and coriander leaves, the fried onions and the saffron water. Now pour the ghee over the rice.

Put a tight lid on & seal it with the help of some atta (wheat flour dough). Then put the pot on the fire, on top of a tawa or flat pan (this will help the heat to spread uniformly).

I cooked the Biryani in two batches since I wasn't too sure of the cooking time and was afraid to spoil the whole thing. So in case you are an amateur like me, I suggest you do the same.

Put the fire on high for the 3-4 minutes, then keep cooking the biryani on a medium fire for 15 minutes and on low for the remaining 5 minutes (it did not take more than 25 minutes for my Biryani to cook).

Serve warm with some raita & a salad of finely chopped onions and tomatoes on the side!

All cooked and ready to be devoured

These days I avoid heavily spiced food to avoid acidity & heartburn. The above recipe as it is would give you a mildly spiced, well flavoured Biryani.  In case you are one of those who love their spices you may want to increase the green chilli and red chill powder content in the Biryani. Happy cooking :)

Aah! the aromas of freshly cooked Biryani
( I had to hold my hubby back to get this shot because he couldn't wait to dig into the Biryani ) 

Preparing your pet cats for the Baby

As soon as I broke the happy news to my family & friends, I was quite surprised and amused when almost all of them asked me about what I intend to do with my cats now that I was expecting. 

The question sounded silly & absurd to me. Do you ask existing family members to leave to make way for new members? No, you accomodate and learn to live with each other. Then why should it be any different for pets be it cats or dogs.

And as always ADVISE & SUGGESTIONS poured in

Cats are jealous creatures they may harm the baby, leave the cats at your parents place for sometime

Put the cats up for adoption, you won’t be able to manage the cats with the baby

Babies need a clean environment & Pets are messy hence I should give up on my cats

Every second day one comes across posts of abandoned animals on facebook. People choose to abandon their pets because they believe that pets and babies can’t co- exist. My simple request to everyone, please do your research before you take such a drastic step. You mean the world to your pet and they are absolutely lost without you.

Babies and pets can get along beautifully, it is only a matter of time and effort we choose to invest in that relationship. 

I am a pet parent to two cats, both with very different personalities. Maya is the lady of the house, all prim and proper, she absolutely loves to socialise. She loves to be in the company of humans.

Chintoo on the other hand is more of a recluse and very skittish, easy startled by new sounds and chooses to hide in a corner till our guests are gone.

I think it would be quite evident from my description that the one on top is the social Ms Maya and the gentlemen below is Chintoo :)

So how have I started preparing my cats for the baby?

Cats love consistency and detest change. Anything new needs to be introduced to them gradually. You cant thrust a baby in their face and expect them to love it from day one. Keeping this fact in mind, I made a few changes already and intend to make a few in the future

• I intend to keep my babies crib in my room next to the bed. Currently my cat, Maya’s sleeping bed was also kept in the same room. The first thing I did was to move my cat’s bed to the second bedroom and gradually got her in the habit of sleeping in the other room. Any changes in habit need to be introduced gradually and before the baby comes. Too many new things and too many changes for the pet are likely stress them out and also add to your stress in turn.
• Now for all those who claim that pets are not clean, all I can say is pets are as clean or as dirty as you choose to keep them. Its the habit you inculcate. I have got my cats in the routine of having a bath every 7-10 days and also clip their nails often so that they don’t scratch us and the furniture. This habit would ensure cleanliness and protect the baby from any scratches in the future. I have also installed a scratching post in my house which allows them to indulge in their natural instinct without harming us or the house.
• One things I read in almost all articles is that the biggest mistake pet parents make is to shower their cats with a lot of attention before the baby arrives. Thats because they are aware of the fact that the attention would shift to the toddler once he/ she arrives. Thats the worst thing one can do. Schedule your playtime with your cats and avoid giving them excessive attention now because thats not something you will be able to continue in the future.
• Also as I mentioned, cats are creatures of habit so be it there playtime, food or litter clean up time, have a fixed schedule that you will be able to follow even once the baby arrives. The last thing you want is a cranky cat while you are still trying to adjust to the baby
• I would highly recommend you spay/ neuter your cats a few months before the baby arrives. Cats tend to be noisy & more aggressive when on heat and that could disturb your baby. 
• Now babies can be loud & cranky and such loud noises could startle or make your cats uncomfortable. I have begun to play baby noises for a few minutes every day before my cats to get them used to the idea of those sounds
• Another thing I intend to do is get them comfortable with the smell of the baby, use the baby powder & cream on myself a little before the baby arrives so that baby smell seems familiar to them later
• I also intend to ask a family member to bring home a piece of baby’s clothing to the house a day before I actually bring the baby so that the cats can be comfortable with the smell
• Now one thing that most parents are concerned about is what if the cat accidentally jumps and hurts the baby. I intend to keep the baby crib off limits for the cat. I shall keep a few cans with coins around the crib to startle the cat in case they do choose to play around the crib. That should be enough to drive them away. I also intend to do some more research about the crib tent like the one shown in the picture. If I find it suitable I may invest in one to keep my cats away from the baby initially.

Still exploring the idea of getting a crib tent

• When the cat attempts to sniff and meet the baby please be calm. Be mindful thats animals can sense tension. Hence we need to work towards making the first interaction as pleasant as possible. Praise the cat if it gently sniffs the baby in your presence, making all associations with the baby positive for you cats

Now thats preparing your cats. One precaution that I have taken is to stay clear of the cat litter. I have domestic help who helps clean it regularly. The reason for the same being risk to the foetus from toxoplasmosis. While cats may be carriers of toxoplasmosis, you could also get this from handling raw meat and not washing your hands properly or using the same chopping board to cut raw meats & vegetables or from eating undercooked beef or pork. So throwing your cat out is not a solution, you just have to be careful. You may request a family member to help with this in case you don't have domestic help or simply wear gloves and wash your hands well after handling the litter. Also be more regular with cleaning the litter because oocysts are shed in the feces of the cat. The oocysts take 1-3 days before becoming infective once they are shed. 

So just as you start gearing up to welcome your tiny tot, make a few changes to make the transition easy for your pets also. I’ll be honest I am quite anxious about how my pets would react to the baby and hence am making all possible efforts to make this transition easy and smooth for all parties involved. I have done my research and am trying. Hope everything falls in place.

By the way on a lighter note, you guys have to watch tho video of cats with babies. Its hilarious :) Happy watching

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsDd35Jxxzs

Image source: http://www.balancingmotherhood.com/2007/11/19/crib-tent/

Pepper Chicken in Coconut gravy- Cooking, cooking & some more cooking

These days my food cravings seem to be getting the better of me. Given my new found inability to stomach non- home cooked food (thats just a term I invented), my experiments in the kitchen have only increased.

Hubby and I had been planning a visit to visit to Konkan Cafe at Taj President for the longest time ever and for some strange reason that visit never materialised. Not even thinking about eating out at the moment so it boiled down to recreating the magic of Konkan Cafe in my own kitchen.

Now I am no Masterchef so I am not sure if this even qualifies as Konkan food. I was only craving some chicken in a mildly spiced coconut gravy which lead me to this experiment :)

Now don't ask me where do I get these weird cravings from :p

I am just happy that it pushes me to cook food thats fresh, tasty and healthy (it’s chicken, so yes its full of proteins :))

A dear friend of mine had dished out some yummy pepper chicken for us when we had last visited their place for dinner. That was the starting point for my dish. however I didn't really remember the recipe she told me quite well so I turned to the web for insipiration. Here is the link i referred to

http://pachakam.com/Recipes/Pepper-Chicken-in-Coconut-Gravy-503

With a few of my own additions managed to pull off quite a meal. Hubby absolutely loved it. Yaaaaaaaaaay :)

So here goes my recipe for Pepper Chicken in Coconut Gravy

Ingredients

Skinless chicken (I used Zorabian chicken with bones)- 1/2 kg

Onions 3 (medium sized, chopped coarsely)

Tomatos 2 (medium sized, chopped coarsely)

Ginger & Garlic paste 1tbsp

Cloves 2-3

Cardomom 2-3

Red chilli Powder 1tbsp

Coriander powder 1tbsp

Cumin seed powder 1/2 tbsp

Turmeric powder 1/2 tbsp

Cinnamon stick (about1/2 inch)

Fresh grated coconut 1/2 cup

Coconut Milk 1/2 cup

pepper 3 tbsp

Salt to taste

Oil

Method

-Start by cleaning the chicken and make some incisions in the chicken for the marinade to penetrate.  Now marinate it in 2 tbsp of pepper and some salt. Set aside for 20-30 minutes.

- Heat 2tbsp of oil to the wok and fry the chicken in the oil. The idea is to only seal the spices and not cook the chicken completely. This should not take more than 2 to 3 minutes. Now set aside the    chicken.

- Heat a tbsp of oil in a separate wok & fry the onions. Add the ginger garlic paste and the whole spices  i.e. cloves, cinnamon & cardamom. Cook till the onions are nice and brown. I chose to discard the  whole spices once onions were cooked and the oil had taken in the flavour of whole spices since I  don't like any whole spices in my food. You may choose to keep them or discard them as per your  preference

- Now add the tomatoes and the grated coconut to the onion mixture and cook till tomatoes are cooked.   Don't add any water at this stage

- Add the spices i.e. red chilli powder, turmeric, cumin powder & coriander powder along with salt while the tomatoes are being cooked.

- Now add coconut milk and the semi cooked chicken and simmer for a minute

- Transfer the whole mixture to a pressure cooker and give it two quick whistles.

- Once the contents of the cooker cool down a bit, remove the chicken pieces from the gravy. Transfer  the Gravy to mixer and blitz it. The result is a smooth and creamy gravy.

- Transfer the Gravy to a wok and bring to a boil and add the chicken. 

- Garnish with a fresh sprig of coriander

I served this dish with some lovely crisp mini dosa. Stumbled upon the dosa recipe on another blog. The instant dosa recipe is a keeper, shall share it in another post.

Till then keep smiling & be positive :)

My struggles with shopping for maternitywear in Mumbai

As I piled on kilos in the second trimester, I realized I was fighting a losing battle with maternity wear. For some strange reason I was unable to find good maternity wear that appealed to my fashion sense and was comfortable.

There are a host of wesbsites that offer maternity wear such as www.firstcry.com or www.ninematernitywear.com. Honestly I was a little wary to shop online given the changes my body has undergone in the last six months. Hence I decided to explore the tried and tested route of Retail therapy at Malls. I had little or no references or starting points so I went to the usual suspects.

I was very disappointed to see little or no collection barring track pants at Mothercare (I visited the one at Phoenix Market City, Kurla). Given that the brand is called Mothercare they should be taking care of needs of to be Moms but that is definitely not the case.

Mom & Me on the other hand has quite a variety when it comes to maternity wear, be it Indian or western wear (I checked out both the Bandra outlet & the one at Pheonix Market City, Kurla). At the Bandra store the attendant was both helpful and knowledgeable, making the whole experience really nice. I found some very comfortable churidars to go with my kurtas for office wear. The material of the churidaar is nice and soft and they have a comfortable belly pouch that snuggly holds the belly in place. Bought this in both black & white, mix and match these with kurtas from Fab India and Kilol and my office wardrobe was all set, resulting in attire which is both smart & comfortable (given the long hours we spend in office, it’s important to wear something comfortable). However I struggled to find good western wear. I ended up buying three pair of maternity jeans, all from Mom & Me however I was not happy with either one of them.

I first bought a good fitting basic blue with a belly pouch that sits firmly over the belly. However I wasn’t too comfortable since the jeans kept slipping and with no loops for a belt, there was no way to hold them up (Unless I choose to wear suspenders). Thinking that I may have bought one which wasn’t the right size, I bought another one in black (with a belly pouch). This time I picked one which was a little more snug; unfortunately the result was the same, they just kept slipping down.

The two types of maternity jeans I bought for myself; Unlike the ones shown in the picture, the ones I bought from mom & me, didn't have loops for a belt.

Unhappy with the belly pouch design, I thought I should try the one with the waist band that sits right below the belly. This led me to my third & final purchase, nice fitting blue denim. I wasn’t comfortable wearing this for long durations. The waist band that fit right below the belly made me feel uncomfortable after a while. So now I have three pair of maternity jeans but none of them that serve the purpose of smart, comfortable casual wear.

I even tried Debenhams at Phoenix Market City, Kurla, but they didn’t have too much variety on the occasion that I visited. I did stumble upon a pair that looked like it could be the elusive dream pair that I had been searching for, only to realize that it fit like the 70s style bell bottoms.

Honestly I was quite dejected since the only option left in my wardrobe was Indian wear. Then one of cousins asked me to go check out Marks & Spencer. I was a little apprehensive because I never really shopped at M&S. I discovered something known as Treggings at M&S. Now this is a cross between trousers and leggings and comes with a comfortable elastic waist band that sits at the waist comfortably accommodating the growing belly. And the large variety of sizes available at M&S ensured that I found the perfect fit (Yayyyyy :), the joys of finding a good trouser that fits).

Treggings from Marks & Spencers

I bought treggings in two basic shades, grey and black and picked up a few cotton & Linen shirts (a couple of sizes bigger to accommodate my growing belly) that looked smart and felt super comfortable. These treggings have now become my best friends and I can practically live in them apart from my track pants (from Jockey)
I am glad my maternity wear struggles finally came to an end with M&S (I shopped at the outlet at Phoenix Market city at Kurla). Would love to know how you coped with your maternity wear needs and suggestions of any new outlets that I may have missed would be most appreciated.

Image source: http://www.upscalejeans.com/designer-maternity-jeans/

Image source: http://www.queenbee.com.au/content.aspx?Dyn=true&pageID=66

Image source: http://m.marksandspencer.com/mt/www.marksandspencer.com/plus-pull-on-stretch-treggings/p/p22186685

Nachni Ladoos- Some more cravings & more cooking!

One thing that one gets in abundance when you are expecting is ADVICE. Lots of advice, good advice, bad advice, not so good advice and the completely ignore advise.

I have a sweet tooth and I crave for something sweet post my meals. I happened to mention the same to a colleague in office and she ADVISED me to try Nachni Ladoos. Nachni- I wasn’t too sure of, Ladoos- yes I am all for it. Now any advice that pertains to sweets has my interest. I decided to google it & it turned out that this was actually some good piece of advice :) Nachni ladoos is a good to have sweet when you are expecting.

In fact Tarla Dalal’s website http://www.tarladalal.com has a host of great Nachni recipes that are recommended for consumption during pregnancy. Nachni or Ragi is also known as finger millet and is a good source of Iron, Calcium, Vitamin A & Vitamin B. Since its high in fiber content it is also known to regulate the digestive system and prevent constipation.

So I decided to give it a shot. I was pleasantly surprised since this was not just easy to cook (not very time consuming) & the ladoos turned out very tasty.
I referred to this recipe by Tarla dalal.
http://www.tarladalal.com/Nachni-Ladoos-(-Nutritious-Recipe-For-Pregnancy)-22452r

As always tweaked this to suit my taste buds and to make the cooking process as simple as possible

Ingredients

1 cup ragi (nachni / red millet) flour
5-6 tbsp ghee
4-5 tbsp powdered sugar
1/4 tsp cardamom (elaichi) powder (2-3 elaichis should suffice)
2 tsp roasted poppy seeds (khus- khus)

Method

- Heat the ghee in a broad non-stick pan, add the ragi flour and cook on a slow flame for 4 to 5 minutes or till it turns golden brown in colour, while stirring continuously. This can be a little tricky, you don’t want to overcook it or undercook it. Look for change of colour and a nice fragrance of cooked flour.
- Remove from the flame, add the sugar and mix well. Be careful at this step since the mixture is very hot. Use a spoon for mixing this together. You may increase or decrease the quantity of sugar depending on how sweet you like the ladoos to be.
- Add the cardamom powder, and mix well.
- Transfer the mixture into a greased plate and spread it evenly and keep aside for 10 to 15 minutes
- Refrigerate for 15 minutes and keep at room temperature for 5 minutes.
- Before making the ladoos you may want to grease your hand with a little ghee as it helps to shape the ladoos better. Then scrape the ladoo mixture & using your hands roll each portion into a round ball. I made small ones so the mixture yielded about 18 ladoos. The idea behind making small sized ladoos was to Control the portion of consumption. A small ladoo would satisfy sweet craving while  keeping the number of calories under check :)
- Roll each ladoo in lightly roasted poppy seeds till they are evenly coated from all the sides.
- Store in an airtight container.

Give it a shot & do let me know if you enjoyed making & eating it.

Creamy Spinach Fettuccine with mushrooms- a healthy twist to satiate my unhealthy food craving

My family thinks I am a big foodie because I simply love good food. And given an option, I love to experiment with different cuisines and also try out new restaurants. However I must confess that my stomach is not as fond of restaurant food as I am. I have a rather weak digestive system and a less enthusiastic stomach which makes me fall prey to illness if I eat out too often.

And during these nine months one can never be too careful because you have to take care of that lil one too. Hence my quest for some yummy recipes so that I can churn out healthy yet delicious meals for myself to satiate my cravings. 

I had been craving pasta in white sauce for a bit but i wasn't too keen to eat out (given the rains & high probability to fall ill this season). When all else fails one turns to Google these days & it sure did answer my prayers.

Stumbled upon this yummy, sort of healthy (can’t be totally healthy with all that cheese & cream) recipe for white sauce pasta with spinach. 

Here is the link

http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/2011/07/15/creamy-spinach-pasta/

What I really like about Manjula's blog is the easy to understand recipes cooked with easy to find ingredients. They have also shared a video link for the recipe on the blog which is quite helpful. I did make a few small tweaks to the recipe given. So here is the recipe with my tweaks

Ingredients:

For Pasta

6 0z fettuccine pasta approx. 2 cups uncooked pasta (I used fettuccine, you may use any pasta you like such as penne, fusili. This is a personal preference)

1 tablespoon oil

1 teaspoon salt

For Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons all purpose flour (plain flour, maida)

1 teaspoon Italian herb mix (one can also use the oregano sachet you get with Domino's Pizza, i think it adds a great flavour to any pasta)

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon red chili flakes adjust to taste

1 cup heavy cream (I used Amul fresh cream)

1 cup milk (you may vary the quantity of milk depending upon how thick you want the sauce to be)

¼ cup Parmesan cheese (In case you dont have parmesan, you may also use a grated amul cheese cube instead)

½ teaspoon salt

6 0z chopped spinach without stem about 2 cups

In addition to spinach, I also used thinly sliced button mushrooms (4-5)

Chopped garlic (3 pods)

Method

Bring a large pot of water to boil, add salt and oil   After water boils add the pasta.

Cook the pasta until it is tender. Here I suggest you stick to the time & instructions mentioned on the pasta pack. For instance the fettuccine required only 5 minutes of cooking time to get it to al dente. If you over boil it, it becomes soggy and that ruins the dish. Drain the water and set pasta aside.

Heat the oil over medium heat and add the garlic (don't cook it too much) & then quickly add add all-purpose flour, then stir for a minute. Add Italian herb mix, black pepper, and chili flakes, and stir for another minute.

While stirring slowly add milk making sure there are no lumps. After it comes to a boil, add cream then bring it to a boil again.

Add spinach, mix it well and let it cook for 2-3 minutes stirring continuously, then turn off the heat (if you think the sauce is too thick, you may add some milk to lighten the consistency). Add cheese and stir.

In a separate pan saute the thinly sliced mushrooms lightly with some olive oil and added the same to the sauce.

Pour the sauce over pasta and toss. You may use a few mushrooms to garnish the dish

I would like to believe that this is sort of healthy since it has mushrooms & spinach along with the cream and cheese :)

My attempt at the Creamy Spinach Pasta with Mushrooms 

So the creamy spinach fettuccine allowed me to indulge in some semi healthy yet delicious food all in the comfort of my home. In the next post, I'll share the recipe of the yummy dessert I prepared for myself.

Keep Moving & working out for a Healthy baby and easy delivery

Compared to the first trimester, the second trimester seems to have gone by in a flash. The body seems more used to the baby and is a lot more accommodating than it was in the first trimester. So although I never really had a bad phase, I have just begun to enjoy my pregnancy more in the second trimester since it is a lot more easier to tackle.

I seem to be enjoying my workouts also far more than in the first trimester, although I have noticed that I tend to become breathless faster now given the bodies increased oxygen requirement.

My Mom advised me to brisk walk for at least 45 minutes every day. She explained that an active lady is more likely to have a normal delivery. In fact she has advised me to workout twice a day i.e. 45 minutes brisk walk in the morning & evening as I progress into the third trimester. I’ll be honest, haven't really done that diligently. 

To convince me further she made me read a few articles that clearly mention that studies have shown that if a woman is physically active during pregnancy she is likely to boost the brain development of her child. Honestly, this has been my motivation to work out & the reason why I try and squeeze in at least 3-4 days of exercise each week. The rains in Mumbai have however only made my task more difficult. Those of you familiar with Mumbai would know that it can rain for days at end in Mumbai with no trace of sunshine, so there go my plans of brisk walking.

Hence I had to look for an alternative, thats when a friend recommended Lara Dutta’s pregnancy yoga video available on youtube. Given the fact that I used to practice basic yoga before pregnancy, I found the video quite easy to follow. In fact the exercise are well spaced & well explained in the 35 minute video. Refer to the link given below. 

Easy to follow, Lara Dutta's pregnancy yoga video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44fYnoSLL3c

Just a word of caution, I would recommend you check with your doctor before you start on any exercise regime. If you have issues  such as low lying placenta or other problems, some exercises may not be suitable for you. 

At the one day yoga session held at Saket city hospital, they give you an easy to follow handout along with the option of recording the session in class

Also during a recent trip to Delhi (my hometown), I happened to attend a yoga class at Saket City Hospital. This a one and a half hour session conducted by a trained instructor under the guidance of a gynaecologist, where they show you various Asanas that you must incorporate in your daily exercise routine. You are encouraged to bring your better half along, who could make a video for you while you practice yoga as a reference for the future. The session was simple & all exercises were very well explained with variations that one could perform as one progressed to the second and third trimester. The Yoga instructor and the gynaecologists also interacted with the expecting mothers and addressed any queries we had. If you stay in Delhi, I would surely recommend this one for you.

I think its about finding one activity to keep you fit and active as your progress towards easy childbirth and a healthy baby. 

The Second trimester- ideal time to plan a getaway! Our experience of a beautiful holiday at The Machan, Lonavala

Hubby and I both enjoy driving which explains our love for long drives and we also enjoy spending time outdoors. In fact before we embarked on this eventful journey of becoming parents, we would head out to to Lonavala, Nashik, Igatpuri & other such weekend destinations around Mumbai whenever we got the time.

Our little adventures have taken a back seat nowadays with the little one taking priority. I wasn’t allowed to travel during the first trimester. I was in fact asked to take it easy, so we were stuck in the city. By the end of the first trimester both of us were aching to head out of Mumbai. And with the monsoons approaching, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.
We stumbled upon this beautiful property called The Machan in Lonavala. I looked up the website and the place looked like a lovely little retreat right in the lap of nature. The property is a little ahead of Lonavala (on your way to Amby Valley) & consists of 14 tree houses. Since we were talking about staying in tree houses in the middle of the forest I was a little concerned about how suitable this place would be given my condition. I had two main concerns
- One, given the place is in the middle of nowhere I was concerned about the bumpy ride
- Two, since the property consists of tree houses, I wasn’t sure of how convenient & accessible would the rooms be given my condition

I called their reservation desk and was happy to get in touch with a rather helpful and knowledgeable lady who was only too happy to address my concerns. She explained that the off-roading section was barely a small stretch and would definitely not be too bumpy a ride. It was accessible by most kinds of vehicles and didn’t require cars with off-roading capabilities so we need not worry about it causing any stress to me or the baby.

The lady also explained that they had different types of Machans or tree houses to cater to the needs of different guests and families.
- The Heritage Machan was for larger groups consisting of 6-7 people. The canopy machans are more private and accessible by a spiral staircase. The Forest Machans could be suitable for both couples and families and is accessible by a wooden bridge. They also have cabins in case you do not prefer Machans and the most recent addition to their property are the nested machans.
Given our love for outdoor and our keenness to stay in a Machan she suggested we book the forest machan which was also easily accessible through a wooden bridge thus addressing my concern on accesibility :)

We set off for our little holiday after half day of work on Friday. We were only too happy to beat the traffic (since most people were still busy toiling at work) and after a 2.5 hour drive we reached Lonavala. As I mentioned earlier this place is a little ahead of the traditional Lonavala hang outs like Tiger point & the area has little or no coverage hence they encourage you to carry a map or the set of instructions that are emailed to you with your reservation confirmation rather than depending on Google maps or any other GPS device. As promised the off-roading or the rickety road was a mere 1 km stretch, not too bumpy and Hubby’s Mahindra XUV 500 actually made the ride pretty comfortable.

This property is built on an untouched green patch of land in Lonavala so you are completely cut off from the crowds and the commercial madness. Little or no cellphone coverage only adds to the overall experience and takes you farther away from the city than you really are.

We were warmly welcomed by the property manager and offered a welcome drink while they finished the initial formalities after which were guided to our Forest Machan. I went expecting a pretty basic accommodation but was pleasantly surprised with what we got. The Machans were anything but basic; the rooms are nice and big with wooden flooring and French windows on three sides that offer panoramic views of the green hills. The huge bathroom has an open shower with a lovely hill view and a Jacuzzi where you can sit back and forget all your worries. The room also has a small refrigerator which is stocked well with beer, water, soft drinks and a cooler to keep you cool & comfortable in case it gets very hot during the day (sorry no air conditioners here). What’s more they even offer room service at a nominal extra fee. What more can you ask for in the middle of a forest (ok not exactly a forest but a patch of a forest). Each room offers utmost privacy with no one peeping into your room.

Lovely sit out area in the Forest Machan that offers stunning views of the lush green forest

Not much to do around here except maybe bird watching, star gazing (ruled out during the monsoons), play a few board games or reading. My favorite activity was watching the show the fire flies or jugnus put up for us each evening, we would just sit back in the balcony and watched the magic unfold. We also enjoyed the guided nature walk around the property which is organized every evening at 5.30 PM. You also have the option of exploring the place on your own as they provide a map in each of the rooms.

The very specious and comfortable Forest Machans (two at the bottom and one at top). We stayed in the one at the top

The meals here are pretty basic & almost like home cooked khaana with options for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. The dining area is also quite interesting, it a little canopy of sorts with provision for serving a buffet & a little fireplace (apparently it gets cold in the months of December & January). The seating is mostly outdoors with a provision for a couple of tables in the canopy although I would highly recommend a lovely candle lit dinner under the stars. You have to inform the staff about whether you would be joining them for lunch or dinner and these meals are chargeable (only breakfast is included in the room charges).

I must mention here that unlike neighboring properties this place does not employ graduates from hotel management institutes; they choose to employ the locals. So the staff may not know their merlot from the Shiraz but they serve with all their heart. They go out of their way to make your feel comfortable and the property gets full marks for its hospitality.
We didn’t quite realize where the weekend disappeared and we enjoyed every moment of our little break. I would strongly recommend couples who are expecting to take such short breaks in and around your home town. It’s important to spend some quality time together before the baby comes. Some suggestions before you head out for such a trip.
- Check whether the property is accessible and comfortable for pregnant women and also check with your doctor if you are fit to undertake the journey
- Stop and stretch those legs during the journey and do your bladder the favor by taking a pee break (I know you just have to go so often these days)
- Carry basic medication
- Wear comfortable and loose clothing

- Wear comfortable and appropriate footwear (I picked sports shoes for this trip because this required a bit of walking in the middle of greens)

- Carry some snacks and foods for those hunger pangs

- Don’t get too adventurous with food and stick to the basics (you don’t want to fall sick during a holiday). Inform the staff about your condition and give specific instructions about your food like having your meat or eggs well done.

Here’s hoping that you can plan a similar break soon. Do write in to share your experiences.