The Brunette Diaries

Mouth-watering cornflakes recipes your kids will love

Hello Mommies! Do you have many big boxes of extra cornflakes that your kids refuse to eat? Well, not every child is a fan of milk-and-cornflakes because it is tagged as “healthy” food. TV commercials be damned! But don’t worry; in a way that’s interesting food calling. Cook these amazing yet healthy recipes using cornflakes and cheat your family into health, without feeling guilty, of course!

Scroll down for some scrumptiousness…

Yummy granola bars:

Cornflakes granola bars are a healthy option to snack on

Ingredients:

1 cup crushed corn flakes

1 cup quick cooking rolled oats

½ cup chopped nuts

2 tbsp sweet melon seeds (charmagaz)

1 tbsp raisins (kismis)

½ cup sugar

Method: Roast the nuts, oats and cornflakes on a low flame, and keep aside. In a heavy bottomed pan, caramelise the sugar with a few drops of water and keep stirring to avoid burning. As soon as the caramel is ready add it to the roasted mixture with raisins and melon seeds and mix well. Lightly grease a flat surface, pile the mixture on it and roll it out until it’s as thick as your index finger. While it’s still warm, cut out small squares or rectangles and let it cool. Store it in an air-tight container. These yummy granola bars are so healthy yet so tasty, and make a delicious snack-time fix.

Cheesy cornflakes:

Ingredients:

1 bowl cornflakes

¼ cup roasted almonds

1 tsp low-fat margarine

2 tbsp grated cheddar cheese

A pinch of salt

¼tsp white vinegar

Method: Combine all ingredients in a microwave safe bowl and mix well. Microwave for 5 minutes or until the cheese melts and coats the cornflakes well. Garnish with more grated cheese and serve immediately. Is your mouth watering yet? Mine is!

Crispy chicken/paneer balls:

Ingredients:

1 cup boiled shredded chicken or grated paneer

1 potato boiled, peeled and mashed

1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

1 tsp cumin-coriander powder (zeera-dhaniya powder)

1 tsp red-chilli powder

½ tsp dry mango powder (aamchoor)

1 cup cornflakes

½ cup flour (maida)

¼ cup lukewarm water

Salt as per taste

1 tbsp oil

Method: In a large bowl, mix the first 6 ingredients, make 10 equal sized balls and keep aside. In another bowl, make a smooth paste out of flour and water with a pinch of salt. Crush the cornflakes to a coarse powder and spread it onto a plate. Now dip the balls in the flour paste and then in the crushed corn to coat it well and place them on a baking tray. Lightly drizzle the oil on the balls and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Vegetarians can follow the same recipe by substituting chicken with crumbled or grated paneer. Trust this recipe to make your children give you a big hug every time they find this in the lunchbox!

Tell me which recipe was a favourite with your family. Happy cooking, mommies!

Shawarma – A Lebanese Delight

Carter’s Blue, Piccadily, Maroosh and Falafel’s – what’s the first thing that came to your mind after reading these names?

Let us guess … – It’s Shawarma!! Being a Mumbaikars, we all know that these restaurants serve some of the best Shawarmas in Mumbai.

This Lebanese wrap is also one of the top emerging street food snacks in Mumbai. While Mumbai swears by its Vada Pav & Ragda Patties, one cannot deny the strong influence some of the neighboring countries have on its palette and this particular dish is one such example having its own loyal fan base.

Some people may call it a Roll or a Frankie but this Lebanese wrap is made up of Pita Bread or Khubz and is stuffed with grilled meat/paneer, cucumber & tomatoes, along with a dollop of creamy tahini sauce or mayonnaise.

This sumptuous delicacy can be easily cooked at home with very little oil and can be turned into a wholesome and healthy meal.

Easy Shawarma Recipe

– Brine 500 gm boneless chicken with a pinch of salt, sugar and 1 tablespoon of vinegar. Add enough water so that the chicken is immersed completely and leave it for approx 1 hour.

– Chop vegetables for a salad – 1 Onion, 1 Red bell pepper, 1 cucumber and Tomato, a bunch of lettuce leaves, and olives and jalapenos as per taste.

– After chopping the veggies, season them with salt & pepper and add 1 tablespoon of Tahini Sauce/Mayo.

– After an hour, transfer the chicken to another bowl and add to it ½ tablespoon of tandoori masala, 1 tablespoon of Kashmiri red chili powder, 1/2 cup Yogurt, 1/2 tablespoon Ginger-garlic paste and salt & pepper to taste.

– Mix all the ingredients well and once done, brush the chicken with oil and cook it on a non-stick pan for about 20 mins.

– Once cooked, cut it into strips.

– Take a Khubz or pita bread and spread 1 tablespoon of Tahini sauce or Mayonnaise on the bread and then fill it with chicken and salad.

*Vegetarians can use Paneer instead of Chicken.

So what are you all waiting for? Surprise your clan with your culinary skills and you can thank us later.

The Kukkad Soup AKA Chicken Soup

‘Bhai, Chicken toh hoga na?’

This question has popped up innumerable times on various occasions because we Indians just love Chicken!!

Indian Chicken recipes with masalas have a huge fan base both because of their protein content and their taste! Keep a platter of tandoori chicken and people will devour it within minutes. That’s the power of chicken! But again, not all chicken recipes are healthy enough to be consumed on a daily basis.

So, we bring to you ‘The Kukkad Soup’ aka Chicken Broth in our own Jugaadu way!

Many of you must be wondering, ‘’Yaar, Healthy ke naam par bland and tasteless hoga!’. That was our reaction too but when we actually tried it, it was far from being bland and tasteless. In fact, it was delectable! Compliment this soup with multigrain bread or a salad and you have a wholesome meal ready.

To make the kukkad soup at home, just follow the simple steps mentioned below:

Steps

– To make this hearty soup, first put a large pan on medium flame. Add and melt 1 tablespoon butter in it.

– Once the butter melts add in 1 pod of garlic and 2 spring onions, finely chopped.

– Saute the mix on a low flame till it turns light brown. Then add the chicken meat and let it fry till the meat turns golden brown.

– Meanwhile, boil 6 cups of water in a heavy-bottomed pan on high flame. Once done, transfer the boiling water to the pan and let the meat get cooked and allow its juices to get released into the soup.

– Once cooked, strain the soup into a big bowl or pan and remove the fat from it after cooling it and straining it again

-Put the pan on medium flame again and add the soup into it. Break and separate 2 egg whites into a bowl. Now slowly pour the egg whites in a thin stream to the soup while stirring continuously

– Season the soup with salt and black pepper and allow it to boil again for 2 minutes.

– Turn off the heat and strain the soup one last time. Garnish it with chopped celery or coriander and voila! Our kukkad soup is ready to be served.

And we are sure, after eating this you’ll be singing,

‘Yeh Toh Kukkad Kamal Da’

How to avoid weight gain due to a desk job

So it’s been a crazy-busy couple of weeks. You step on the scale one morning and, yikes! You’ve gained five pounds! How the heck did that happen? Well, research shows that what you weigh isn’t just the result of eating too much and exercising too little; it’s also linked to your feelings, your experiences, even where you live. Any change in your life circumstances can produce changes in eating and exercise, which leads to weight gain. This is more popularly known as ‘emotional eating’. Getting married and having kids are obvious triggers for weight gain, but there are other, more surprising transition points that can also influence your weight. This guide will see you through them all.

Also read: The expert’s guide to office makeup

You recently got promoted

The good news is that you love your new gig. And the bad news is that the big job is calling for a wardrobe in a bigger size! Chalk it up to stress, which prompts our bodies to release the hormones and insulin, which stimulate hunger. Usually in tense situations, we ignore the voice that tells us to eat healthy, and instead turn to high-calorie comfort foods. There’s only one solution: outsmart it. Bring a high-protein, fibre rich, fresh produce lunch, for instance; chicken salad, almonds and a orange, or yogurt and berries. The key is to choose foods that are satisfying.

Also make time for exercise. Yes, we know you’re too swamped, but we mean it. Working out or having an active lifestyle makes you more energized and helps reduce stress. If you don’t have time to hit the gym, go for a 15-minute brisk walk after lunch. Stand up and walk around for five-ten minutes at least once an hour. By moving frequently, you keep your major muscles working, which may ward off the negative effects of being sedentary.

How to lose weight without hitting the gym

Losing weight takes a lot of discipline and determination, whether in the gym or outside it. Some of us just don’t have the time for hitting the gym. Or maybe we are just not a gym-person. So how do we get rid of all the excess fat reserved in our body? Follow these steps to achieve your desired weight without sweating it out.

Smaller meals:

Not all of us are conscious enough to count every calorie, so try to make your meal portions smaller. And bunk the second helping altogether. You can take shorter lunch breaks at work so that you don’t over-eat.

Avoid too much sweet:

If you really need to have a dessert after your meals then try to swap the ice-creams and cakes with a piece of dark chocolate. It’s a healthier option to satisfy your sweet tooth without piling up on the calories.

Move your butt:

Having a sedentary lifestyle can make losing weight very difficult. Take regular breaks every 2 hours to walk around the office. Skip the elevator and start taking the stairs whenever possible. Enrol for a fun weekend dance class. The more you move, the faster you lose that weight.

Sleep:

Sleep is more than just a pretty-making mechanism. Your digestive system is also pumping hard to process your food, metabolizing carbohydrates and breaking down fats. Some studies have linked sleep deprivation to weight problems; so the bottom line is – if you don’t want your ‘bottom’ to grow bigger, hit the sack at the earliest.

Have sex:

That’s right; sex is a great way to shed the extra calories. An average sex session burns 150 to 250 calories per half hour – depending on how hot, flexible and athletic your session was. Now don’t be disheartened even if you aren’t extremely acrobatic in love-making, as sex naturally gets your heart rate up, which in turn improves circulation and burns calories and fat.

Laugh while you still have teeth:

Last but not the least – laugh more! Laughing heartily five times a day has the same beneficial effects as ten minutes on a rowing machine. How great is that!

Apps that help you lose weight

Losing weight is not everyone’s cup of tea, but it is definitely achievable. With a little motivation and dedication, you can too, reach your goal weight, and that too this year itself. Going to the gym, working out, while following a strict diet isn’t going to cut it. For the constant track of your journey as well as the progress, you need a personal trainer. A trainer that isn’t just present in the gym, but is with you 24/7. Your SMARTPHONE. As many aren’t aware, your smartphone can be of a great help in achieving your weight loss dream. How? All you need to do is just need to download these following apps, which are designed specifically to keep track on your health, on your food intake, calories, workout and many more.

1) My Fitness Pal

When you download this app, it will first take your weight, height and your lifestyle to understand what you eat, and how it can help you to lose weight easily. It cuts down your weight loss goals shorter, for like what you can achieve in a month which is really motivating.

2) Lose It!

This app keeps a proper track on your food and calories, your current weight, and prepares you a plan to focus on weight loss along with tracking your workout regime and your only job is to lose it!

3) Fooducate

Fooducate educates you about every food there is to eat. It helps you understand what harms your body, which food is rich in fibre, protein, calcium and so on. With the help of this app, you know what you eat and this way you can easily substitute the harmful junk you were eating into healthy and wholesome foods.

4) Pact

We are sure you must’ve seen a video of a girl running behind a car where her friend is seated giving her cash for running. How about you get cash for every kilo you lose? That’s what the app Pact does. It’s a weight loss app that uses cash stakes to keep you motivated and help you achieve your goals.

5) Nike Training Club

If you’re not comfortable with personal trainers or their high budgeted bills and expenses, this app is for you. Here you can get professional help from Nike’s experts and tons of workout plans from, guidance from pro athletes and celebrity trainers and much more. The app considers your requirement and plans your regime accordingly.

So, which app are you downloading next?