LUNCH IDEAS

Hello readers! I have been enjoying my detox liquid diet. I hope you tried it too because I am feeling absolutely light and wonderful.

Today I want to write about some lunch box ideas. I pack one for my husband everyday and its a task to pack something interesting and balancing nutrition. I usually give 1-2 portion of fruit, one portion of salad and another portion of bread. So today it like- 5-6 strawberries, 1 banana, corn salad and mushroom pockets.

Recipes:

Corn salad
1 cup fresh corn kernels steamed.
1 small capsicum finely diced
1 small tomato finely diced
1 tbs chopped parsley
1 small cucumber diced
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
salt, black pepper and red chili to taste.
Dash of lime to taste

Mix all the ingredients and its ready. For lunch box, its best to sprinkle salt on top which can be mixed just before eating. Salad can leave water sometimes. I put a lime slice separately to be sprinkled before eating. I got fresh corn kernels from a fresh maize.

Mushroom pockets recipe

50 g of mushroom diced
1 onion chopped
2 tbs of bell peppers chopped
1 green chili chopped
Salt to taste
2 tbs milk( coconut/almond)
1 small Lebanese bread

Saute all the ingredients. Add salt. Mix the milk and stir well. Now cut the bread from the center to make two pockets and fill in the mix. Press down to close the pockets and grill for 1 min both sides on a pan. Slice into triangle shapes.

Cool down and pack.

Its a well balanced lunch box.
Banana and strawberries will give the energy as mid morning snack.

Corn salad has the essential starch and all the veggies in it will keep him full for lunch. It also has essential minerals like Iron and Magnesium.

Mushrooms is low in calories and rich in minerals and vitamins and will be best for his early evening snack.

One Day Vegan Detox

One day vegan detox
----------------------------
During my recent visit to Jindals nature cure, I learnt about fasting on liquids. During the whole day, I got 9 different drinks and I was surprised that I wasn't hungry. Until then, I wasn't confident of fasting and found it extremely difficult to fast. I would get a head ache if I fasted and felt weak. This fasting on liquids works as a wonderful detox for the body. After I came back, I tried it on my own and it did go well. Here is what I had for the entire day.

7:00 am. I started my day with half cup almond milk,strawberry and blueberries smoothie as I had to go to gym for my work out. 

9:30 After I came back, I had a glass of tender coconut water.
12:00 One bowl of clear lemon coriander soup.

3:00 Almond milk banana avocado smoothie

6:00 Green apple orange basil juice
8 :00 A big bowl of veg soup

I didn't feel hungry or tired the entire day. On the contrary, I felt more energetic. I even had to go to a party yesterday, and to my surprise I didn't have any craving.

I felt so wonderful and I am already looking forward to my next week's detox which is every Monday. 

Here are the quick recipes.

Almond Milk, Strawberry Blueberry Smoothie

1/4 cup almond milk

4 strawberries

10 blueberries

Blend together and serve immediately

In my blog , I have shared the recipe of home made almond milk earlier. This smoothie gave me enough energy to kick start my day well and also keep up with energy required for the workout at 8 o clock. I did a 20 min running  followed by 30 min stretching and weight exercise. Returned at 9 from gym and had a glass of coconut water. 

Coconut water again is very high in nutritional value and quenches the thirst while providing the body with essential electrolytes.

Clear Lemon Coriander Soup

Pl see the recipe posted on 8th Feb for this soup. This soup nourishes the body and keeps the hunger pangs down as it has lemon and ginger. 

Almond milk Avocado and Banana smoothie

1/2 cup almond milk blended with 1/2 ripe avocado and 1 banana. This smoothie is high in calories and also essential fats. It was just right to drink that time when it was post lunch time and I was very hungry. It kept me full for next 3 hours. 

Green Apple Basil juice

In the fruit juicer, extract juice of half orange, 1 green apple and 4-5 basil leaves. Mix 3-4 cubes of ice and serve immediately. I sipped the juice slowly while the kids were enjoying their friends birthday party. The dinner served at the party was surely mouth watering, but to my surprise I didn't crave any of it and did feel proud of my self control.

After we returned home by 8.30, I had a big bowl of veg soup.

Vegetarian mixed veg soup

1 small tomato

1 small zucchini

4 inch piece of white pumpkin

1 carrot

3-4 leaves of coriander leaves

2 inch piece of red pumpkin

Wash all these veggies pressure cook for 1 whistle. Once cooled down, blend and strain. 

Add 1 tsp of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Heat the soup again and serve immediately. It is delicious and filling. 

Other options for drinks for detox are Aloe Vera juice. Carrot and beetroot juice. Last week, I didn't have the Avocado smoothie instead had Aloe Vera and carrot beetroot juice. There are many more options depending upon choice/mood and availability.

Hope you will enjoy doing it. 

Lemon Corinader soup

Lemon Coriander soup
-----------------------------

Many a times I cook for my daughter. She is only 9 but I must say she is a connoisseur of good food for her age. Yesterday I decided to make this soup for her. Since it was dinner time, I twisted it a little with some veggies as well. She prefers the creamy version where as I like the clear. That is why I did a two step process to make the soup. Here is a quick recipe.

Prep time: 5 min.
Cooking time : 10 min
Ingredients:
4-5 beans- finely chopped
3 -4 inch carrot- finely diced.
1 small onion- chopped
1 clove of garlic- minced
Ginger- grated- 1 tbs.
Lemon zest - 2 inch.
Coriander leaves- 2 tbsp.
Corn flour- 1 tbsp
1 green chili slit.

Steam carrot and beans.
Take 4 glass water and put in pan. Add ginger , lemon, green chili and coriander and cover to simmer.In a separate pan, saute onion and garlic with little oil and once translucent add corn flour mix and stir continuously until it comes to a boil. (for corn flour mix- take one tbs cornflour and add 1/2 cup water and mix).
Now add the half the boiled water to this mix. Add salt and pepper to taste.Since we have added the green chili earlier, be careful on the amount of pepper. Add steamed vegetables and serve hot. I got 2 cups of this soup.

For the clear version, we do not add the corn flour mix. So it is the boiled water with ginger etc and the steamed veggies.Again I two cups of this soup.

Salads so delicious

I recently visited Jindal Nature Cure in Bangalore. Everything was too amazing about the place. What overwhelmed me most was the food there. 10 days that I was there, I got to eat 4 different kind of salad everyday. Delicious as they were with no fancy dressing. I got back and tried to do some myself with whatever is available in the fridge.Each of these didnt take more than five minutes.  Sharing few here:

Radish and Sprout salad: (White colors)

Grated one small white radish. Few spinach leaves. Moong sprouts- half cup. Lemon and salt to taste. Toss everything together. Enjoy.

Beet root salad ( Red colors)

Grate one small beet root. Dice a tomato. Add half  pomegranate seeds . Toss together.

Corn and pepper ( Yellow and green colors )

Toss together corn nebules, chopped bell pepper , cucumber , few coriander leaves.Salt and lemon to taste.

Mixed fruit salad( All colors)

Any or all fruits in the fridge. Toss together. Add salt, pepper, lemon and serve immediately.

Papaya and Carrot

Grate raw papaya and carrot. 1/2 tsp vinegar. Few coriander leaves chopped. 1 tbs crushed peanuts. Toss together.