Be Good To Yourself...

Today has been a chilly day...one of those days where it's wet,damp and just plain cold. I don't want to complain about it too much because, well, there is nothing I can do except make the most of it. As in life!

While driving to work this morning, I had planned my entire day out as I normally do. I don't know what happened around mid day and all of a sudden, the elaborate meal planning and activities didn't appeal to me. All I wanted to do was get home and just sleep off the exhaustion of the last few weeks. I felt a sudden pang of guilt as I mentally crossed off stuff I was still finishing up. Half an hour later, I decided I would just be a little lazy, a little self indulgent and I ended up taking a 45 minute nap when I got home. The nap was exactly what I needed. Surprisingly, I had no phone calls,texts from work or elsewhere to distract me. It was meant to be.
This evening, dinner plans went to hell and I just made do with the ultimate of comfort foods- Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Tomato Soup and a Salad.

The best part is I don't and didn't  feel guilty! The old me would have felt bad for hours for serving such an effortless meal to the kids. Not today! The kids were happy, bellies full and off they went in their own directions leaving me content. This is a beautiful thing- it's called being good to yourself. 

I always used to sign my posts and hand written letters with "be good to yourself" to my loved ones. I finally took my own advice!
Now onto a good cup of Lemon-Honey tea and some fluff Danielle Steele Novel to finish off the day!

Comments OFF,

-T

Long Weekend Treats: Tea Review - Tetley Ayurvedic Balance and a Movie.

This is NOT a paid review.

It is the May long weekend here in my part of the world but the weather leaves a lot to be desired! It is wet, windy and NOT warm. All this makes me want to just keep sipping hot teas and coffees all day. So as much as I would like to drink coffee all day, I opted for a nice cup of herbal tea - an Ayurvedic one too nonetheless!

I has this sitting in my collection for quite some time now and am really glad I bought it! It is reminiscent of the Ayurvedic teas that I usually concoct on my own in the Winter season. This was pleasantly tasty along with the warming ginger and tulsi. I had this tea on its own without any addition of milk or sugar.

If you are into Ayurveda, I recommend you give this a go accroding to your Doshas. Tetley teas are available in the following flavors:
Tetley Vigour-Kapha - Ginger, Spearmint and Tulsi
Tetley  Poise-Vata - Cinnamon, Chamomile and Cardamom - NEXT to try!
Tetley Cool-Pitta -Lavender, Peppermint and Hibiscus

More Info on Tetley Ayurveda Teas Here

What am I talking about? Here, follow this link to Monica B's wonderful site about Ayurveda and you will see what I mean!

So of course, I paired this with a nice movie :) I finally had some time to myself without any work or social obligations so I decided to forego a night of paperwork to catch up on some Indian Netflix. I came across this gem - Incomplete - Asampta on Netflix Canada. Use English subtitles as I did because I cannot understand Bengali.

Okay, so as slow as this movie was and that too in Bengali- (a language that is definitely sweet on the ears)- I quite enjoyed the whole thing.
I really only got into the movie about 20 minutes in. As soon as the character of Tuki was introduced, I was hooked. Her presence on the screen is lovely! Look at the photos here and you will see what I mean. Its not hard to empathize with this character and her crass but still an endearing husband of hers. The main Character Indra is a bit annoying, only because he doesn't seem like he does anything important except look depressed throughout the entire movie. He is supposed to be in search of his childhood memories but NO such thing is mentioned except once. How disappointing!
The movie starts off with Indra's character coming to his friend Malay's home in the gorgeous Himalayan Foothills. Malay is a University Professor who has completely cocooned himself with his books, his blanket and whiskey in his humble home. We later find out that he is married to Tuki, who he has frequent troubles with. There is no mention of her name until twenty minutes into the movie. The constant bickering between Malay and Tuki are quite something, and a bit disturbing especially if you can relate to such things.
As Indra meets Tuki,his ex girlfriend, and the ex girlfriend's sister in law by sheer fluke, he begins to wonder about his own personal life and his decision to remain unattached. What happens after that? Well.....go watch the movie! If not for anything, watch the movie for the beautiful Himalayan Foothills, the misty cottage and most of all Tuki and her beautiful presence. I have to admit, I will probably watch this again!

Have a lovely day, I will update again this week.
Comments are OFF and Unpublished.
-T

Winter in our neck of the woods and a Green Goddess Smoothie

This is pretty much what my neighborhood has been looking like lately. I do enjoy winter, you know...its the perfect time to reevaluate everything from the seasons past and make new resolutions, improvements and such for Spring renewal.....I do this each winter. I really get a chance to relax more in the winter than the summer...because we're not out and about *that*much. Do you enjoy the winter, or would you rather not deal with it at all??

I apologize for not posting last week, everyone in the family was down with cold like symptoms....and when one gets sick....EVERYONE gets it.
My headaches have been ok.....not too many in the last week, but yeah I had a few....as usual. I am being so careful, but I still don't know what has been causing them. I am seriously considering eliminating dairy products by at least 50%, so that means NO more cold fruit yogurts and hard cheeses on a regular basis. Though I doubt I can cut out my morning masala chai..,NOT happening!
On a positive note, I have switched to Green tea now....YAY! I am no longer ordering coffees from the local drive thrus now....its Green Tea! Lets see if that helps.

I also cleaned out a whole bunch of stuff from the house last week....I got rid of OLD plants, and some junk and de-cluttered the house. I felt so good about it...in a way, these old things were holding on to some "negative" energy from last year so I got rid of it...I am planning to get some new things for the upcoming Spring now and reinforce positive vibes once again in my little home. Yes, I am really into "Feng-Shui" too.

Today, I have a great smoothie recipe for you all, and especially for women. Its called the "Green Goddess".

This is SO healthy, it consists of mainly green fruits and veggies and so the name. Try it for a healthy breakfast or a snack and you will be glad you did!

You will need:
1 small frozen banana, 1 small kiwi,  a handful of spinach or kale, 1 small avocado- chopped (optional), a few slices of ginger, and some almond milk or fruit yogurt ( I omitted the yogurt).

You can also add: blueberries, strawberries and other soft fruits for a nice flavor.

Blend all the ingredients into a smoothie and enjoy it fresh...don't wait to drink it though, it tastes a little "off" when consumed later on....just speaking from experience.
Regarding comments, a bunch of readers have emailed me asking my why I no longer have the comments section open. The reason is that I really don't have time to respond to each and every comment that someone posts, and I feel quite bad about it, so this way, if someone has a specific question, they can email me and I can write to them on a more personal level. I hope you all understand!
Till next time, Take care!

Up Close and Personal - Icebergs

Every spring, we are lucky enough to witness some of nature's wonders - the Icebergs. Here are some pictures from the weekend. I am supposed to be packing to move into a new home, but these icebergs beckoned and we just had to heed the call of the mighty giants. Enjoy the pictures.






Have a wonderful day ahead.

Comments Closed until the move into the new home. See you all later.

Pictures taken by: TS

Flowers From the Garden: The Bleeding Heart

One of the prettiest flowers in my garden....the "Bleeding Heart" so aptly named for its shape, just have a look.
The Bleeding Heart in Mid bloom and in full bloom.

Some Information on this beautiful Valentine flower, Courtesy: Canadian Gardening Online.

They may be common but bleeding hearts (Dicentra spp.) add elegance and beauty to any garden.

Also known as lady’s locket and lady in a boat, this quick-growing, clump-forming, classic perennial has been gracing gardens for more than a century, and is well loved for its early blooms and ability to thrive under myriad conditions.

BLEEDING HEARTS Notorious self-seeders, bleeding hearts will often create many new plants. Divide in spring or fall, but be sure to treat brittle roots with care. Cuttings can be taken from large plants after flowering or from young shoots once they’ve started to grow in spring.

Dicentra (from the Greek words dis, meaning “two”, and kentros, meaning “spurs”, referring to the flower’s unusual shape) are spring blooming, but some flower longer than others. Generally, the cooler the location, the longer the blooms will last. Most species come from the forest floors of deep woods and moist canyons and are thus well acclimatized to shade gardens.
Of the more than 150 species of Dicentra, the following is most often grown in Canada and are hardy to Zone 3:

Common bleeding heart (D. spectabilis) Old-fashioned bleeding heart, a.k.a. valentine flower, is the most familiar to many gardeners and is definitely worthy of notice, which is in fact what spectabilis means. Native to northern China, Korea and Japan, it was introduced to English gardens in 1857, where it still thrives. Growing from 60 to 90 centimetres tall, it features nodding, rose-pink, heart-shaped flowers with protruding white inner petals. The entire plant goes dormant in summer.





Source: http://www.canadiangardening.com/plants/bleeding_hearts.shtml

A Must Read Blogger!

I stumbled on Garrett's Vanilla Garlic blog through a comment he left me on one of my posts. Little did I know that he would soon become one of my favorites!

His posts are laugh out loud funny! Check out the below links to see what I mean....and most of all, his CUPCAKES....oh, those wonderful, delightfully SINFUL cupcakes of his are enough to make me swoon. Just look at the links below.

Lids and Creamer are to your left: This is Hilarious!

Preggers and the Peon: FUNNY!

Check out his WICKED cupcakes! Some of my bookmarked Links are:

Graham Cupcakes with Key Lime Filling and Whipped Cream.

Pear and Cranberry Cupcake with a Chocolate Ganache Frosting.

Lime Cupcakes with Prickle Pear Frosting.

My Favorite to try: Pomegranate Cupcakes with Tangerine-Mascarpone Cheese Frosting

Many more recipes and anecdotes on his site.....Happy Reading!

Happy Mother's Day

To all the Mothers, a lovely bouquet for you all. Wish I could give each one of you these pretty flowers!

Let me share a short poem I found on the net.

"Once Upon a memory,
Someone wiped away a tear,
held me close and loved me,
Thank you, Mother Dear" - Author Unknown

Happy Mother's Day. Make everyday a special one.

The Secret To A Great Cup Of Tea........

The secret to a great cup of tea!

There's nothing like having a hot cup of Masala tea while the temperatures drop outside....or when it snows, or even when the wind howls...a steaming cup of tea is enough to chase the chills away! I have been having an extra cup of tea everyday, ever since the advent of the Winter season here in Newfoundland., and it's been helping me stay warm. Though I prefer coffee while outside of the home, Masala tea is what I prefer in the comfort of my own home with home made savouries such as Namkeen puri and Chakris, Ganthiya, Khakra...and the like!!

My dad once shared a secret with me to make the best tasting Chai ever and I'd like to share it with you. I remember my dad making the late afternoon tea for everyone in the house- everyday. The taste of his tea was absolute bliss! That was his specialty. He still does it- bless his heart!
One day, I was so curious about what he put in, I just had to ask him...and he told me. He carefully took out a package of "Milkmaid's Kulfi Mix"!!!!!! A tablespoon of that he said made all the difference! Boy, was I surprised at his creativity! The rest of the ingredients were the basic, shredded gingerroot,cardamom powder and a pinch of Chai Masala. Here is the recipe:

For 2 cups of Masala Chai:

1 cup water
1 cup milk
pinch of cardamom powder, shredded ginger root,1 tbsp Kulfi powder
Pinch of Chai masala, Sugar to taste
Tea leaves

Bring 1 cup water along with the shredded gingerroot,and cardamom powder, chai masala powder and sugar to a rolling boil. Add the milk and stir in the Kulfi powder. Add the tea leaves now and let it come to a boil again. Keep stirring until the desired strength is reached. Strain and serve!

There you go, Dad's secret to bliss in a cup!