Strawberry Srikhand

Shrikhand is a main dessert in Maharashtrian and Gujarati cuisine. It is mostly on the menu at festivals and Marathi weddings and tastes best when served with hot puris. {It was on the menu at my wedding too :)}

We generally buy ready made Shrikhand, especially when having guests over and add in some fruits and dry fruits to make it richer. However, the store bought ones are very thick, creamy

Finger Millet / Ragi Crackers

I tried this simple and quick snack on Sunday. It's perfect for when I want something crunchy and savory with my tea or coffee in the evenings. I have made this with a combination of Ragi and Wheat flour, but can be made by adding other types of flours like jowar etc. You can also mix and match the condiments to suit your taste. So let's quickly get to this recipe



Finger Millet / Ragi

Healthy Masala Toast

I have cut down on bread quiet a bit since I started to lose weight, however I do indulge in it once in a while. The only problem is that bread doesn't fill me up easily, unless I eat it with egg. I need to eat at least 4-5 slices to feel full and that is ~250 calories, that too without the butter/cheese/jam. So when my Mother in law made these Masala toasts, I thought these were a perfect way

Adelfo Cerame - Pre-Contest-Prep Experimentation Time: Re-Feeds, Bro-Science and Raw Pre-Workout Piña Coladas

Image 1: Caramel blueberry pancake?
Exactly! Food for SkipLoading.

Thursday, another week literally flew by and the last of Adelfo Cerame's pre-contest-prep experimentation weeks has begun. About time for an high-carb re-feed, don't you think so? "Re-feed? High in carbs? Isn't that this bullshit that leaves you bloated, fat and ugly?" In case this was what you just thought, when you heard the word "high-carb re-feed", it's about time you let Adelfo explain to you, why he thinks (and knows from experience) that an occasional carb-binge will do way more good, than harm.

Re-feeds keep things going, physiologically, as well as psychologically

Every Sunday I do a re-feed or carb load.... From what I have heard and learned from my own past experience a re-feed or carb load (even, or rather especially on a low carb contest prep diet) can be very beneficial. As someone once mentioned (I can't remember whom or where i had heard it from), our body is "smarter we are" and when it comes to dieting, it will, in the long run, always take measures that go against our efforts to get rid off those enervating, yet from an evolutionary perspective life-saving last fat-reserves. This is important to understand, as it is the fundamental reason why, no matter how clever we think we are, we will always have to work hand in hand with, not against our bodies.

Manipulation is the name of the game

Whatever we do will eventually trigger an adaptive response from our bodies and it goes without saying that the latter (mostly) goes right against our initial intentions.

Image 2: What contains 1C. of raw qephor, 1C of fresh pineapples, 2 organic eggs, a splash of coconut water, 1 tbsp. of agave and 1tbsp. of coconut oil? The healthiest pre-workout pinacolada you could think of! Sounds better than NO-Xplode 2.0, doesn't it ;-)

Let me give you an example: On a diet, your obviously goal is to increase energy expenditure, or even better, to increase fatty acid oxidation while maintaining your dietary intake at a level that will force your body to "feed" off its fat reserves. Now, theoretically, a proper way to do just that (increase fatty acid oxidation) would be to engage in steady state aerobic activity, which - as you have learned in Dr. Andro's latest blogpost on fiber types - via its activation of predominantly slow twitch oxidative muscle fibers should preferentially burn fat... now, if you are one of the meticulous student's of the SuppVersity, you will already be shaking you head, as you will be familiar with the unwanted endocrine and metabolic long-term consequences of endless arduous cardio-sessions, which - and here we have come full circle - are nothing but adjustments your body makes to "optimally" adapt to a training routine that requires the body of a marathon runner, and not the muscular and ripped physique of a future Mr. Olympia.

Similar adaptations occur when you cut calories, after a few days your body will realize that he is going to run "out of fuel" within no time, if he does not cut back energy expenditure. It is at these critical time-points, when your body is about to shift metabolic gears, when re-feeds and carb loads are indicated... and don't be afraid - the one day of (perceived) overfeeding is not going to make you fat (it may make you retain some water, yes, but that's about it)! Think of it as of hitting an afterburner for just as long as takes to kick start your metabolism into full gear again.

Carb-loading = selectively refueling

Figure 1: Adelfo's current macronutrient breakdown in kcal. As mentioned in the last installment he starts out high on carbs to be able to cut back on those during the prep, whenever he feels it's necessary.

Avoiding metabolic shut-down is yet only one aspect. Another one I (and I assume other low-carb dieters will share this experience) have come to appreciate is that a carb-load will refill my glycogen stores - I've found this to be particularly important, when I start to drop my carbohydrate intake over the course of my contest preparation... and those of you who are familiar with Dr. Mauro Di Pasquale's anabolic diet, will also be aware of the fact that occasional high-carb re-feeds will allow you to take advantage of insulin's anabolic effects on muscle tissue without having to suffer from its fat-storing effect on adipose tissue.

During my re-feeds, I usually follow Dr. Mauro Di Pasquale's protocol, ramp up my carbohydrate intake, go low on fat and moderate on protein. In the past I used to carb-load with complex carbohydrates like sweet potatoes, brown rice and yams, but as of recent I have been experimenting with high GI, processed carbohydrates such as pancakes, pastas, white rice, and kids cereal (basically low fat junk food). I came across this type of re-feeding, when I read about a method called "Skiploading", which was created by a guy named Ken "Skip" Hill. He will be actually helping me for the last week of my contest prep which is considered peak week, with this method of carb loading to help fill me out and come in as dry as possible the day off show. I can't really go into detail, but if you google "Skiploading" you should get an idea of how I do my re-feeds.

Re-feeds, carbloading and intermittent fasting!? Does that all go together?

You think you could use some advice on your own training, diet and supplementation regimen and want it from someone who obviously knows what it takes to build muscle and lose fat? You can reach out to Adelfo via Facebook.

The way I implement these re-feeds into my intermittent fasting regime is as follows:  I still do fast for 16 hours and feed for 8 during my re-feeds on Sundays. This allows me to have three re-feed meals on Sunday, while I will stick to my usual routine for the rest of the week. Last Tuesday for example, the latter looked  like that:

• pre-workout:
  raw pina colada shake (cf. image 2)
• post-workout:
  8 oz raw wild caught soho salmon, 1 large sweet potatoe, 5 slices of mango and a handful of carrots w/ coconut water
• last meal:
  1 c raw milk, 2 oz raw cheddar cheese

As you may have noticed, raw carrots have become one of my favorites, lately. I switched over to carrots from eating tons and tons of broccoli and cabbage - not a bad choice, either, but carrots are easier to prepare, taste way better and are easier digested raw than either broccoli or cabbage.

Contest-prep pre-planning: Of Huge yams, "smooth" dairy and fruit-binges

When I start my prep, in about a week, I will probably have to start cutting back on my sweet potato/yam intake... I just realized how many ounces 1 large yam is when I weighed it.... it's like 16-18 oz, so thats almost like 80g of carbs that I'm taking in, and honestly way more than I'd thought. My current plan is to cut down to 2 medium sweet potatoes and aim for about 40g of starchy carbs.

Image 3: Contrary to what bro-science would tell you, Adelfo still did not "smooth out", despite gallons of raw milk and loafs of raw cheese. Either the bros were wrong (again) or the magic is in the bad buggers (bacteria) the FDA claims they want to protect US citizens from, whenever they raid an innocent farmer.

I've been reconsidering my dairy intake, or, I should say, my previous dairy abstinence, as well. In the past I used to cut dairy out completely, because bro-science tells you: "Dairy smoothes you out, bro! Stay away if you want to stay in shape!" ... well, now that I have been drinking tons of  raw milk for weeks and eating truckloads of raw cheese, I still don't feel that I have smoothed out. This does not go to say that at some point during the prep, I will have to get rid of them, but I got the strange feeling that raw milk and raw cheese will stay a staple of mine in the weeks and months to come, in the course of which I am also going to experimenting with sugary fruits instead of starchy carbs or low fat junk foods during my re-feeds. The rational behind this, is that - just as with the dairy - without trying, I will never be able to tell which type of re-feeding foods work best for me.

Luckily, I still have more than enough time to experiment with different types of carbohydrates to see which suit me best. A pros pos time, for me it's now time to hit the gym, where we are going to film a few more training videos for you - so don't forget to get back next Thursday, to watch me train, and read whether (and if how) I survived the fructose load from Sunday's re-feed ;-)

Sugar free Barfi

I have been trying to get my daughter to eat dry fruits, but so far she is very picky and only eats raisins. Of course she doesn't have a full set of teeth yet, but even chopping the dried fruits to small pieces or powdering them and adding them to her milk has not worked.

That's when my mother in law told me about the dry fruit barfi she used to make when my husband was a kid. She offered it

Cumin spiced Corn Chowder

Monsoon is here and how! It has been raining incessantly for the last few days and temperatures have dropped quite a bit. Though I am not really a monsoon person { yes, there I said it!} I am definitely enjoying the cooler weather and drop in humidity. I am actually craving something hot and fried  these days. So the other day when the toddler said she wanted soup I was all up for it. She

Falafel Sandwich

It was a rainy weekend. And as it goes with a rainy day & being confined to the house, you are bound to have a craving for something fried. So was I. I had also been hankering for some falafel for as long as I can remember. Hence, I decided to make this for a light dinner. Light because I did not deep fry the falafel, substituted chapati for pita and also used a healthier sauce.



Ingredients

A 'healthier' Puran poli

Puran poli is a favorite in my house. It is a must-have during the holi festival, but apart from that it features in our menu on a regular basis. However off late we have cut down on the sweets we all consume, I cause of obvious reasons and in-laws because of diabetes. Poor hubs has had to cut down on his sweets because of us.

Anyway back to the topic of this post. I had bought a couple of

Broccoli Salad

On my supermarket visit last week, I picked up a little bit of broccoli. All of us love broccoli, but it's not easily available near my house. So when I saw some at the super market I immediately grabbed it to make a quick stir fry.



Ingredients:

1 cup of broccoli florets

1/2 cup carrots sliced

1/2 cup capsicum diced

2 sprigs of spring onions greens and white.

2-3 garlic cloves, finely

Roasted Soya Beans

I usually crave something spicy and 'chatpata' in the afternoons along with my tea. And that is my biggest undoing in terms of eating healthy. Sometimes the dry fruits or peanuts or fruits that I am carrying as a snack just doesn't cut it and before I know it I am biting into a hot and spicy vada pav, pakoda or sev puri or bhel. I tried my hand at making roasted chickpeas which were a hit. But

Oats and Poha Chivda

Here is a little twist on oats, which all of us usually have in the sweet form. A traditional marathi chivda recipe, with oats in it. This chivda recipe is my grandmothers and she used to make it for diwali every year. Once she got a little older and couldn't really cook much, she would supervise me and I would make this chivda, for diwali 'faral' and to be distributed to the neighbours. What I

Skinny Mango Panna Cotta

I L-O-V-E Mangoes. 

If given a choice that would be the only fruit I would eat. :). The hubs and toddler both do not like mangoes, so all the more better for me, less people to share with. hehe.When I was pregnant I was not allowed to eat mangoes and I was so grumpy. 

Anyway this year I have had a lot of mangoes. Though I am not very picky about food in general, it's the opposite about

Paushtik Poha Phirni

I couldn't resist.....the title that is...

oh yes! and the phirni too.. :)



It is super quick and easy to make and substitutes rice with poha. I was just happy to have a 5 minute dessert recipe on hand and was not even aware of the benefits of poha until I read Sangeeta's ( Healthfood Desividehi) post about it. You can make it healthier by reducing the sugar and adding fruits on top instead.

Adelfo Cerame: Building Your Back - An RPE Based Focus Routine. Plus: The No-Bake Pina Strawberry Cheesecake

Adelfo's triceps training may be too simplistic to fill a whole blogpost with it, but it's easy to see that it works. You want more details? Then skip to his introductory paragraph right below the "plug" for today's installment of the Science Round-Up

Angelina Jolie's double mastectomy is still all over the news. Reason enough to address her decision to rely on a gene essay and get her breast removed in today's installment of the Science Round-Up. The show starts on 12PM EST on the Super Human Radio Network. If that's too early for you and you cannot make it to the live show (click here for the stream), don't worry. You'll can get the "Seconds", as well as the podcast tomorrow, right here at the SuppVersity.

What? You're fed up and have heard enough about Angelina Jolie and "boops, or no boops"? No problem, Carl and I are going to make up for that by shedding some more light onto the recently published news on the benefits of training over the full-ROM  and the hitherto only alluded to, but not explicitly discussed novel findings of the role IGF-1 and fascial stretching plays in skeletal muscle hypertrophy.

And if neither of those is really of interest, you may be interested in a hitherto more or less unknown strain of gut bacteria of which Belgian scientists believe that it could be used in the "prevention or treatment of obesity and its associated metabolic disorders" (Everard. 2013)... What? Oh, you are just there for Adelfo's bi-monthly guest post and want me to shut up and just post his latest guestpost? Ok, here you go

Adelfo Cerame on Building a Better Back - A Template to Build On

After reading yesterday's SuppVersity post about a study on “localized” muscle growth in the triceps, I coincidentally get an inbox coming from Adel asking if I could write up a triceps routine in light of yesterday's post. As much as I love working triceps, though, had to counter his suggestion, as I don’t have that many tools in the toolbox for the triceps, so the workout would probably have been pretty boring for most of you. I stick to triceps extensions using a rope or weighted dips, and the rest of my triceps gets hammered when I do push movements such as bench and overhead presses. So, instead I suggested a back routine since building my back has been the main focus and priority so far this off-season…

An RPE based 2x back focus training

Here’s an example of 2 pull day workouts that coach Alberto had me on for these past 8 weeks during my reverse diet/ off-season improvement phase. Obviously this program was tailored to my personal needs, but if you grasp and understand the concept of using the RPE scale and incorporate it into your training program, you can adjust my back workout with a few tweaks to make it your own based on your specific focus, regardless of whether that's strength, hypertrophy or maybe some sports-specific goal.

Table 1: Tabular overview of the two back days in my recent routine. As the labels "day 1" and "day 3" already indicate these are just the "back days" of a focus workout, so that you'd train the missing body parts on seperate days.

Now, you're probably asking yourselves how on earth you can determine which weights to use on those exercises, right? Basically, the weight you pick is determined by the RPE (rate of perceived exertion) and the rep ranges given in table 1 – so it might take some playing around with the first time to find your initial set based on the RPE.

What's the RPE scale?

10 = absolute max
9 = 1 rep left in the tank
8 = 2-3 reps left in the tank
7 = ....

Let's take an example: If your given rep range was 8 with an RPE of 9, then you should lift a weight that you can do for 8 reps but still have one more left in the tank if you wanted to (you obviously don’t perform this additional rep, just know that you had one left)

When it comes to grips I like to play around with all possible variations and often even change them from set to set depending on how I’m feeling. In general, I'll choose a grip that will allow me to lift more weight and will allow me to perform more sets while maintaining a maximal muscle stimulus…

Lets use the Hammerstrength chest supported seated row machine as an example. The closer my grip the more weight I can pull, but the wider the grip the more challenging for me, so I mix it up wide to close from set to set but eventually when fatigue starts to kick in, I will switch to my preferred close grip so I can push myself to perform more sets and prolong that certain exercise that I’m on, and since the focus is to grow the back, I obviously want to add more volume, which in turn will add more frequency of hitting that specific back area I am trying to improve.

Figure 1: Back development after the contest - 1 week,  4wks, 6wks,  8wks, 8wks (from left to right)

This has been my off-season back development so far since I started my post-contest reverse dieting. I started my post-contest reverse diet the following Monday right after my show where it says “week 1” on the left hand side of figure 1, and here I am currently at week 9 (photo to the utmost right of figure 1). I’m making gains at a turtles pace so it may not seem like much but I’m enjoying how I’m able to maintain my leanness this far out post-contest, and I will be able to see and appreciate my gains more so if I’m able to maintain this body composition for the duration of my off-season; which should be a very long one.

Pre-Workout Goodness: The No-Bake Pina Strawberry Cheesecake

Adelfo Cerame's "The No-Bake Pina Strawberry Cheesecake"

Before I sign off for today, here’s a pretty sweet pre-workout meal I came up with…I call it the “No bake Pina Strawberry Pre-workout cheesecake”

Ingredients:

• Pineapple cottage cheese
• Non-fat Greek yogurt
• Low-fat graham crackers
• Karbolyn 

Directions: Pretty simple and self explanatory from the images – just adjust portions/measurements based on your macronutrient needs.

References (for the introduction):

• Everard A, Belzer C, Geurts L, Ouwerkerk JP, Druart C, Bindels LB, Guiot Y, Derrien M, Muccioli GG, Delzenne NM, de Vos WM, Cani PD. Cross-talk between Akkermansia muciniphila and intestinal epithelium controls diet-induced obesity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 May 13.

Quick Mushroom salad recipe

I made this yummy salad just on a whim the other day. The mushrooms had been in the fridge for long enough to start growing their own fungus and I had to do something with them. Searched a lot of recipes online but almost every recipe had one or two ingredients which I didn’t have. So last minute this happened:

Splashed some 1 tsp of olive oil in a pan, added the French beans, let them sauté

Adelfo Cerame: Simple Recipes to Go With a Sensible Diet. A Practical Follow Up on the "Beach Ready Program"

Adelfo's latest pictures... believe it or not - after the Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger ;-)

With the last installment of his blogpost series here at the SuppVersity in the back of your heads, you should actually have a decent idea of how to train and split your macros to get "beach ready" in time. There is yet one thing of enormous practical importance that did remain somewhat in the dark. Where do you get those macros from? As Adelfo did of course point out, you are supposed to put a primer on whole foods, but I guess few of you will be happy with eating everything raw out of bag you carried with yourself home when you did your groceries at the farmer's market, supermarket or wherever you like to buy your foods... Are you the gal/guy who still feels that "healthy eating" equals downing blunt chicken breast, tuna and rice an nibbling on rice cakes as a "cheat"?!

Then today's follow up on Adelfo's highly popular "Adelfo Cerame's Beach Ready Program: A Blueprint to Shed The Winterfat in Time. Sample Workout + Diet Guide" from April, 18 2012 is for you and there is little for me (=Adel) to do, but lean back and have you enjoy Adelfo Cerame's cookery & nutrition class ;-)

Simple recipes to go with a sensible diet…

Now that you've got an idea of your daily overall energy requirements (depending on your goals) and the corresponding macronutrient goals, that you have internalized that you are supposed to prioritize protein and fiber in all of your meals and have - hopefully - finally realized that all foods are “OK” to eat - including those that contain carbohydrates! You don’t have to deprive yourself any more of certain foods because they are deemed evil.

My off-season macros

• Kcal: 2570
• Fats: 45-55g
• Carbohydrates: 250-300g
• Protein: 190-220g
• Fiber: 25-55g

Vegetables + fruits: At least 1 serving of both per day (and that doesn’t mean one cherry tomato!)

My current goals: Packing on lean muscle (off-season)

If you approach your nutrition with balance, moderation and consistency, you will be succeed - whatever your goals may be and no matter how long it takes!

I will take my own current dietary intake as an example to illustrate how to put all these important principles into practice. A sensible and above all flexible approach to what is - in my case - an off season diet.

I have outlined my current macro-nutrient intake as well as a handful of stats and my current goal in the infobox on the right hand side of this paragraph. It's advisable that you write a similar "primer" for yourself, especially when this is the first time you are dieting this way. This help you stay accountable and combine foods in a way that will allow you to "hit your macros" and grow, lose fat and/or increase your performance (or whatever other goals you had in mind, when you came up with the "rules") - for me the net result of this process looked like that:

• This was my food log from yesterday
  
  Meal 1 – Pre-Workout Meal/ Macros: 24g fat/ 51g carbs/ 44g protein/ 5g fiber
  
  
  
  I was out meeting with a client at a local coffee shop and by the time it was over I realized that it was time for me to train in an hour or so. So I knew that I would be caught for time and wouldn’t have time to cook, so I stopped by the nearest fast food spot and grabbed myself a jr. bacon cheeseburger that I knew would fit within my macronutrient goals for the day… went home and made myself a quick protein shake and grabbed an apple to go with that as well, along with my multivitamins, fish oil and vitamin D3, so still prioritizing protein and fiber and getting in my serving of fruit when breaking my fast. (don’t let the cheeseburger fool ya!) And it’s off to train I go!
  
  Meal #2 Post-Workout meal/ 20g fat/ 142g carbs/ 68g protein/ 11g fiber 
  
  
  
  After my workout, I was having the urge for some loco moco (it’s a Hawaiian dish) it’s pretty simple to make but can be pretty fattening if you order from a restaurant, so I made my own so to make sure that I would stay within my fat intake for the day. Your traditional loco moco dish uses white rice, burger patties, whole eggs and brown gravy – the only adjustments I made was using a leaner burger patty (96/4 extra lean) and used brown rice instead of white because more fiber in brown rice (again… prioritizing fiber!) I also threw in 200g of mixed greens on the side so I can get my serving of vegetables for the day as well ;-)
  
  Meal #3 before bed/ 7g fat/ 104g carbs/ 78g protein/ 22g fiber
  
  
  
  By the end of the night, I pretty much hit my goals for getting at least one serving of fruit, at least one serving of veggies and the majority of the 25-55g of fiber listed in the info-box a couple of paragraphs above.
  
  The only thing I had left to hit was my protein intake and that’s usually pretty easy - if nothing else, you just grab a protein shake or quest bar.
  
  Once I hit my goals for the day I usually use the rest of my energy allotment for the day to eat I have left in the fats and carbs department from whatever I feel like on a given day.
  

So at first glance, especially with the Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger I ate pre-workout…. You’re probably thinking ...

"WTF?! He eats like shit!!!"

An overview of my macronutrient intake for the day - de facto intake vs. goals.

But hold on there kemosabe… If you look below at my totals I stayed well within my macronutrient goals and hit more than enough fiber for the day.

In the end you will have to concide that "my approach" definitely has it's beauty, right? After all, I ate the foods I wanted, just as long as I stayed within my goals for the day.

Ah, and in case you're asking yourselves "What happened to the intermittent fasting? Didn't Adelfo follow an IF routine so successfully?" I still incorporate an intermittent fasting meal protocol into my regimen, because I love having my big Viking style feasts!

---

Bonus: Adelfo's recipe of the week

Before signing off, I leave you with the recipe to one of my favorite post-workout meals. I call it the “Ahi Tuna Bacon Sashimi Bowl” – don't worry it sounds complicated, but is in fact very simple to make:

Healthy food does not have to taste blatant, it does not have to be difficult to prepare and it does not have to consist of chicken, broccoli and rice only. Adelfo's Ahi Tuna Bacon Sashimi Bowl is an excellent example, but by no means the only delicious and healthy food you can prepare in no time even if you are no Michelin-starred chef.

Ingredients (*):

• 10 oz. sashimi grade wild caught Ahi Tuna
• 1 strip of center cut bacon
• 400g of mixed greens (romaine, spinach, herb, slaw…)
• 2 (85g) baby beets
• 100g of sliced roma tomatoes
• rice wine vinegar, Ponzu sauce, Sriracha sauce
• 1 tbsp. sesame oil, sesame seeds

• Directions: (1) Throw in all your greens in bowl (2) Pour some rice wine vinegar and ponzu sauce with the mix and toss (3) Layer the baby beets and diced tomatoes on top of the greens (4) Layer the sliced and diced ahi tuna next (5) Sprinkle the bacon that you fried and cut into pieces (6) Pour your tbsp. of sesame oil on top of everything (7) Top it off with sriracha hot sauce and sesame seeds (8) Eat (9) Wash it down with a shot of sake and a cold Sapporo ;-)

*These portions are based on my macronutrient goals for the day, so measure accordingly to yours… and shot of sake and glass of Sapporo is optional ;-)

Spicy Veggies in Zero Oil { Chow Chow }

People commonly assume 'diet food' is boring and bland. But it is not true at all. Of course, the use of a lot of oil and butter brings out the flavour in the masalas and makes Indian food tastier, but there are quite a few tasty and spicy vegetables that can be made with less or zero oil. 

The recipe I am going to share is one such recipe, with potatoes, french beans and carrots in a spicy

Summer Soup

I made Gazpacho yesterday, it's a Spanish cold soup, perfect for the summer. Also perfect for those who don't like eating salads!
I don't have exact measurements, the hubs had told me this recipe long time ago and I just recreated it using my own judgement.

Ingredients:
1 red onion
1 tomato
1 cucumber
1 Capsicum
2-3 garlic cloves
Salt
Dried Basil
Olive Oil
* the original recipe calls for torn

Tabbouleh Salad



Have I told you how much I love Lebanese/ middle eastern food. I was first introduced to the cuisine here in mumbai itself, at a small restaurant called Piccadilly in Colaba, I instantly liked the falafel and shawarma and slightly spiced lebanese rice. But I really fell in love with the food on my trip to Egypt way back in 2007. How could I not? Sitting at a beautiful restaurant on top of a

Roasted Chickpeas

How are you all doing? I had a great weekend. For a change I took complete benefit of the three days, planned everything so that I can relax, read books spend time with toddler, meet friends and also get some chores done. 


Though the husband was working on Friday and Saturday, my daughter and I had a blast. I took her to the park every evening, danced at home, lazed around, did a lot of