The Brunette Diaries

Healthy lunch options for working women

You are a working woman who is pressed for time as you juggle your domestic life and your professional one. At times, you do not have enough time to cook luxurious meals to take to work for lunch, and finally end up spending money to buy food from your office cafeteria or hotels. But can this be an everyday affair? No; right? Home-cooked meals are always the best as it is healthy and nutritious, and cooked as per your preferences. So, here are a few healthy lunch options that can help to save time as well as provide healthy amount of nutrition and your choice of taste.

Salad

If you are someone who watches weight, then salad is a good option. Chopping a few onions, tomatoes, carrots, cucumber and coriander, and mixing them with boiled corn, a pinch of salt and few drops of lemon can be an easy early morning recipe. You can even add legumes and mushrooms to the salad. This big bowl of salad with your favourite veggies can provide you with the necessary vitamins and minerals. If dicing these vegetable can be hectic during mornings, you can chop them the previous night and store in the refrigerator. All you have to do when you wake up is to mix and pack them.

Roti roll

There are many easy sabzi recipes that can go well with rotis. You can make chapati dough the previous night and store in the refrigerator. The next day, you can make the chapatis and a quick sabzi and pack your lunch. Alternatively, you can stuff the sabzi inside the roti and roll it. While eggetarians can make scrambled eggs, non vegetarians can opt for chicken sausage roll.

Dal rice

Dal rice is one of the most favourite food combinations in India. It does not require too much effort and is easy to cook. You can mix dal with rice and pack as one, rather than carrying both in different lunch containers. Remember to mix extra dal to avoid drying up of your lunch.

Vegetable pulao

Pulao is a mix of rice with veggies and few spices, and can be cooked easily. You can chop some veggies the previous night and store them in the refrigerator to keep them fresh. There are many ways of cooking pulao, but an easier option would be to cook the raw vegetables along with spices and rice together.

Idlis

Idlis are a south Indian speciality cooked by steaming rice batter. Best combinations for idlis are chutneys. There are a variety of options; but, coconut or peanut chutneys can be made easily when you are in a hurry for your day’s work. Pack a couple of idlis along with any chutney and your lunch for the day is ready.

Stuffed parathas

If making the batter/dough and chutney/sabzi separately is a tough job, stuffed parathas are a good option. When you are preparing the chapati dough, you can mix spinach and roll it to make palak (spinach) paratha. You can also combine potato, paneer, radish and onions to the dough to make the respective paratha. In this way you don’t lose out on your veggies as well as a home-cooked lunch. Stuffed parathas can be combined with curd or pickles.

Now, can you give yourself a reason to not pack lunch from home?

The expert’s guide to office makeup

Putting your best face forward at work can be tricky. You have to strike a balance between being too fancy and just right for a work day. The lipstick that looks gorgeous at a party will certainly not be appropriate for a work day. That thin line is what you have to tread on. Let us have a look at an expert’s guide to office makeup:

Big meeting

If you have a big meeting coming up, try and keep the look polished. Stick to lipstick rather than lip gloss as it looks more professional. Try adding colour to the cheeks and a little mascara will do the trick.

Applying foundation

Ensure that your skin is perfectly primed and hydrated with a good moisturiser. It should be applied with a good foundation brush so that you can get the right finish unlike when you do it with your fingers. Start from the centre, where you tend to have maximum redness, if present. Slowly work your way outward into your jaw line and neckline. If you do this, lines will not be so visible. The final step is to set the foundation with pressed powder.

Office essentials

Always keep lip gloss, a blush and some eye shadows in your handbag or cabinet. You never know when an after office dinner or party may spring up and you may need them.

Day to evening transition

You may not always have the time to remove your makeup entirely. Try refreshing instead. Start by applying a few drops of night repair cream and slowly work it into your skin. This will bring a radiant glow.

It is essential that you never overdo your makeup, because at the end of the day you are at your work place.

How to avoid office politics

Office politics is an unavoidable situation in today’s competitive world. When your colleagues interact with you do you find them trying to put you down? Unsatisfied employees are as common as stars in the sky. Salaries, work environment, positions are some of the common reasons for office politics. Try and stay away from it as much as possible.

Office politics often involves power struggles and conflicts of opinion. Steer clear of gossip and refrain from non constructive criticism of others. Try to master a strong work ethic that does not involve denigrating others to move up the ladder of success. Stay focused on the goal that is at hand. Here a few more tips to avoid office politics:

Focus on the goals given to you

Try not to get distracted by what others say and stay focused on what you have been assigned to do. An idle mind is the devil’s workshop. Keep yourself busy and you will not find yourself getting involved in office politics.

Go out of your way to be a good employee

Try to not let another person point a finger at you. Stay clear of any criticism by being the best you can. If you still manage to get into some sort of office politics, do not feel guilty because you know you have done your best.

Avoid gossip yourself

Gossip is like choicest morsels. Everyone loves to gossip. It makes conversations interesting. It is difficult to stay away from it, but you must. People who gossip with you have a high probability to be gossiping about you!

Follow a role model

Find yourself someone who is respected in the organisation and observe how he/she relates to the others. Someone who is already made it to the top. Try and be like him/her. These individuals usually avoid office politics by maintaining a positive attitude and dealing truthfully with people.

Steering clear of office politics is a demanding challenge. But you need to understand that office politics does nothing but stunt your growth and maybe the growth of others as well, which is morally wrong. Do not compromise on your ethics and you will see that reaching the top is far sweeter with hard work.

Dos and don’ts of office romance

People often fall in love with someone with whom they spend hours on end, and share the same passion as them. Office is one such place where spending long hours bring two people close to each other. If you already like a person at your workplace, it is important for you to know certain dos and don’ts. Nobody wants to end up with a broken heart or join the list of unemployed people because of their carelessness.

Don’t pounce on married people

You might be attracted to a colleague who is married and you may even find him/her best suited for you. But leave this man/woman alone. It is important to hold on to the principle of not breaking a marriage for selfish reasons. Fancying someone and trying to own someone are two different things. You can fancy anyone and everyone in your imaginations, but you cannot have them in real life. So, better keep the idea of dating a married colleague at bay.

Cautious flirting

Flirt cautiously. Others could be watching you!

It is important to make sure you keep your desires behind closed doors. Brushing past the person or giving away broad smiles even for a lame joke lets the cat out of the bag. Remember that you are not the only one at work. Your colleagues can easily notice your unexpected enthusiasm for only one person. You should never create such unwanted speculative atmosphere; it brings you close to being the topic of office gossip, not love.

Look forward to responses

There is no point if the flirting continues only from your side. Unless you get a response you will not be able to confirm the feeling to be mutual. Try becoming friends with that person. Many people put on their friendly mask at office, so it is likely that the person might not even notice your existence at work. Therefore, laying the foundation by making yourself visible is essential.

Beware of your company law

Each company has its own policies, which is why it is crucial for you to know your company rules and regulations. The last thing you want is to lose your love and job at the same time. Allegations of misconduct can be made. Therefore, read the contract thoroughly before you end up in trouble.

Don’t indulge in lustful sessions at office

Keep your sexual encounters away from the office

There could be some rooms in your office that are vacant more often than not. This does not give you the liberty of using that room for your sexual escapedes. What if someone enters the room during one of your sexual encounters? You wouldn’t want a random colleague, or anyone for that matter, to see you offering your bosoms to your lover-colleague, right? Also, avoid stealing a kiss or using the parking lot for momentary pleasure. These are all risky, especially in a professional environment. So, keep your passion in control when you are in office.

What if someone sees you stealing a kiss?

Are you the only one?

What is the guarantee that the person is not flirting with other colleagues as well? It is very easy for them to take advantage of their sex appeal and try flirting with multiple co-workers. Therefore, ensure that you are risking for the right person. No one wants to end up embarrassed for being fooled with false emotions. Confirm each other’s love to be mutual with no other interference.

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.