Are we contented with our life?

I usually go for a walk in the afternoons, in the office at about 3 pm most of the days. Just to relax from the hectic day at work and go around the buildings with greens on its sides and take a fresh breath, to get back to work and be more productive. And while I walk I use to just think about something which I wanted to and couldn’t get time for me the rest of the day and you know, just to have some time alone. Once in a while you need to have some time alone... it’s true or not, I feel that.

Today also I left and when I opened the building door to go outside, I can see one more lady coming from inside the building, ready to leave home. So I just hold the door for her until she gets out and she said "Thanks!” Guess What? She is physically challenged. Yes! Both her legs are slightly bent and she is trying to manage her walking with out a stick and she is doing pretty well. She cannot walk like how we do but she was doing great. I kind of got pitied her. To my surprise, she was walking in the same path I take to go for a walk and her parking lot was some where around that area. She was going in front of me and when I was just putting my head and down and walking , suddenly I heard a "thud" sound, when I looked up, there she is ... she fell down right in front of me. I was shocked and ran to help her lift. She said "that's ok. This is what happens every time.” I asked her "R u Ok?” she said "I am. It’s the problem I have." and started to walk towards her car. I felt bad at heart, I again asked her, "do you need any help?", she said, "I am fine”.

OMG! What is happening with most of us? She has more confidence what we have. Kudos! To her. She takes life as it is. But we try to always get not satisfied with what ever we have. One should think, what do we don’t have? Instead of thinking what should I still need to have me satisfied? Be contented with what ever you have and try the next level. But for the sake of trying the next level, don't loose your today's happiness.

Yesterday is History
Tomorrow is Mystery
Only Today is real.... live it!

God has given us everything for leading a good life, more than anything he has given a good health, which many people don’t have. I really felt bad many times, when people compare them with those who are much more than them and loose their happiness and not comparing them to those who are much less than them and be happy.

What ever you have is the best you can get for this life. It’s like a chain....
If you have a good health, with all the parts of the body, good family, blessed to get 3 meals a day, have clothes to wear and protect you according to climatic changes...... then comes the next level of expectations... good job, good car, good house..... are we satisfied even then... NO. Then comes the next level of comparison and go in search of even better job which will pay you more, nice hike every year, you are ready even to travel long distances and spend 2 hours in the morning and 2 hrs in the evening in just driving and forget to spend time with the kids and the family.

What do you gain at the end? NOTHING except for money. With too much of that no one is going to be happy, neither you not the people around you. So at the end, just for nothing you stressed out a lot at work and spoiled your health in many ways (stress, not eating properly, going late to bed, waking up early without getting a proper 8 hour sleep), loose the good happy days with the kids and your family. Can you see this to be a fake life?

God has given only one life and we have to enjoy it to our best, enjoy each and every day, every minute... we should try to be happy with what we have.

My husband gave me my first valentine gift after our engagement and before our marriage. Guess what? Some ornament? Some dress? Something flashy? No... It was a book, can you believe? The book is "The Present". It was really good, it insists that the present (today) is a present (gift) to you, so make use of it. I realized these only after my marriage and still trying to put everything into action, didn’t achieve it yet.

Inventions @ my kitchen 4 my kids lunch

Moms… are the kids making you crazy by not eating lunch at school? Are you in search of a nice kid loving menu for your little ones? Then this is the place for you to gather some information.
I underwent all these and kitchen became my research laboratory every day when I prepare lunch for my kids. These little ones started kindling my brain, and I found good and healthy stuffs to pack for them. Of course there are few items, which are not that healthy, but we need to send the kids food like that once in a while, so that they don’t get aversion towards food by itself.
I always used to keep 3 items for them to school.

1. Main dish
2. Veggie side
3. Fruit of the day

Note: They don’t finish of all the three every day.

I always make sure that what ever dish I cook for the kids; I use the frozen mixed vegetables in almost every dish, so that they are not lacking veggies in their food.

Main dish list for their lunch box
Mac&cheese
Mixed rice – (broccoli, carrot, beans)
Stuffed Chappati – Gobi/Aalu
Pasta – with mixed vegetables
Bread Keerai Sandwich
Semiya – with mixed vegetables
Idly – topped with veggies
Cabbage Dosai Cheese Quesadilla
Idly fry
Thakkali pachadi Rice
Curd Rice
Poori with potato masal
Costco Chappati Quesadilla
Veggie Patties
Pav Baji Bread and masal
Noodles
Chicken Nuggets/Mozzarella Cheese sticks

Side Dish List
Carrot Poriyal
Beans Poriyal
Bok choy poriyal
Vendaikkai Poriyal
Carrot – fresh
Cucumber – fresh
Avacado – fresh
Totamto – fresh
Broccoli Poriyal
Cauliflower Poriyal
Potato fry
Potato Masal – stuffing

Fruit of the day – any fruit from the below list, which ever is available

Banana
Strawberries
Honey dew
Cantaloupe
Water Melon
Peaches
Nectarines
Mango
Apple
Pears
Grapes

All these 3 will make a complete lunch for them and they will have enough nutrients for the day. But be sure.. they will not eat everything every day, but these are my best picks, which went successful with my kids most of the time.

Badham Halwa

Hey its sweet time again. I dont like sweets much, but all of a sudden created interest in making them. One day, when I was thinking about it, it striked my mind that there are lots of Badham got hidden in the pantry shelves, we actually forgot abut it. Then I decided to make Badham Halwa out of it. It came out really well.

Here goes the recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup Badham
1 cup Brown Sugar/ white sugar
milk needed amount
Ghee 4 Tbsp



Method:
Soak the Badham for 2 hrs in hot water. So that it will be easy for us to peel the skin off. After peeling the skin, put the badham pieces into a blender and add milk to it just until the badham pieces are immersed into it. Grind the badhams with milk and dont make it a smooth paste. make it coarse. Then add 4 Tbsp of Ghee in a non stick pan and add this mixture to the ghee, put sugar right away along with the badham paste and stir it continuously without leaving even a minute. It will take nearly 20 to 30 minutes for the halwa to be ready.

Enjoy!