Tag Archives: healthy

food blog based in Bahrain, lifestyle, Product /cookbook reviews

Post to read if you want to turn vegan

December 11, 2016 Anita Menon Leave a comment

I practised being vegan for a short while just out of curiosity. I wanted to know how difficult or easy it was and how this lifestyle shift would benefit my health. I am a vegetarian and so the only things I needed to cut out of my diet were honey and diary products. It the beginning I found it difficult to cut out yogurt but after a few days, it didn’t matter. Did I feel any different health -wise? I certainly felt my bloating had reduced but other than that I didn’t see any major change. I even tried vegan meals from a home -based vegan meals set up and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I felt I needed to know more about being vegan means and embarked on a research around the same. This is what I found-

Veganism is being practiced widely these days and there is always a debate about whether it is just another food fad or whether opting for veganism has its own benefits. Before getting into whether it is fad or not, it is important to understand what being a vegan means.

“Veganism is a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose.”

As per this definition, being vegan is not just about changing diet habits but is a major lifestyle change. More and more people are opting to be vegan due to dietary and health concerns than moral reasons because they are either lactose intolerant or as a weight loss measure. Turning vegan means shifting into a lifestyle where shopping for cosmetics, clothes, holidaying, dining out should be vegan-friendly.

Generally, a proper vegan diet is considered healthy because it is plant based and omits meat, sea food, eggs, honey and all dairy products. But there is a chance that newly converted vegans may take time to adjust to quitting meat by replacing it with refined carbohydrates like pasta, rice, breads etc. In that case, vegan diet may not necessarily mean a healthier lifestyle. Before going vegan there are few things to keep in mind –

You may need a vitamin B12 supplement and an iron supplement. These nutrients are more easily available in animal foods and cannot be obtained from plant –based diets.
In a community that craves meat for every meal, it can be quite challenging to follow a plant based diet. People around will ask all kinds of questions which may be annoying or amusing and they won’t stop anytime soon.
Sources of protein will diminish and soy and soy products become the go-to source. But there are health concerns related to soy based “vegan- meat “products and they should be used sparingly in the diet.
You will have to take time out to read all the food labels, cosmetic labels and clothing labels.

But all the above reasons should in no way deter anyone from trying this lifestyle because people who have switched to this kinder and healthier way of living life, swear by the benefits.

The average vegan diet is higher in vitamin C and fibre, and lower in saturated fat than the one containing meat
Vegans have a lower BMI (height-to-weight ratio) than meat eaters, which means they are skinnier
Vegans have lower cholesterol levels and lesser risk of heart diseases because the diet is lower in saturated fat.
Turning vegan is an opportunity to discover food flavours and recipes that you may not have tried before.
A vegan lifestyle is a kinder way to live on this earth.

In Bahrain, being vegan means you are certainly in the minority and it is bound to raise many eye brows. However, there is a small yet strong vegan community that supports and strongly advocates the choice of being vegan. What’s more, many restaurants and hypermarkets have changed their outlook and have more vegan-friendly food and ingredients making life easier for this community. Here are some of the sources that may prove useful if you are planning to adopt the vegan way of life –

Vegan meals at your doorstep – @veganmealsbh delivers healthy, homemade vegan meals at your doorstep. Follow them on Instagram and you would know the menu which changes week after week. Having tried this diet for a week by ordering vegan meals from Vegan Meals Bahrain, here are a few observations –

Felt lighter
No bloating
Portions are just enough to feel full and on more.
Vegan take on classic dishes like shepherd’s pie were refreshing to taste.

Vegans in Bahrain community – @veganbahrain is a community that provides all the necessary information about being vegan and where to find products and ingredients that are vegan – friendly.
Vegan Blog – One Arab Vegan ( onearabvegan) is a blog you must follow, in case you are planning to try the vegan lifestyle. All information about how to tackle unfriendly questions about your vegan lifestyle to the most sumptuous vegan recipes grace this blog penned by Nada. Be sure to subscribe to this one!
Vegan products – Lulu Hypermarket and Al Jazeera house vegan- friendly products. All it takes is some effort to read labels to ensure you are picking the right product.
Eating out – Initially, eating out may feel daunting but there are many restaurants in Bahrain that offer vegan- friendly menus. Café Amsterdam, Orangery, Pauls Bakery offer many vegan choices to diners.

Adopting a vegan lifestyle does not have to be an overnight shift. It can be done in baby steps, allowing the body and mind the time to accept the change by first cutting out refined, in-organic and processed foods and including more vegetables, fruits and whole grains in the diet.

food blog based in Bahrain, Food Chronicles, lifestyle

Rant & a soya mince – peas stir fry

July 14, 2015 Anita Menon 1 Comment

Rant alert!

You know that feeling when everything is spinning out of control despite your best effort? We all go through our fair share of troubles in our personal and professional lives. Then you try harder to control it by switching gears, changing direction and honking constantly, yet the derailment is imminent. What do you do, when it is all flailing arms, despair and utter confusion?

I understood two simple things-Wait for the storm to pass and life goes on.

Come to think of it, there are so many struggles and choices we face everyday. The struggle of striking that work-life balance, of finding that balance between finding time for yourself versus rest of the world, choices relating to eating healthy etc.

Life of an entrepreneur is extremely demanding and I always find myself struggling to balance my time for everything. I feel I am rushing all the time and sometimes ( well, most of the time) it is quite overwhelming. Food choices suffer because of this rushed state of mind. Not to mention all the food tastings and restaurant reviews I have to do. I keep making resolutions about cutting down sugar, exercising and I find myself steering away from it quickly. I fall for what is convenient and NOT what is beneficial. The most worrying part is, I do not feel guilty anymore. I find some excuse or the other to justify my indulgence and complete lack of discipline. Eating at odd hours has become a norm and desserts are an every day affair. I have sort of developed an addiction to sugar which is very, very disturbing. When I do not get my fair share of sugar each day, I grow irritable and cranky. An immediate infusion of sugar in any form quickly transforms me from a maniac witch to a fairy godmother. The transformation post sugar, is remarkable.

One of my recent pictures was an eye-opener for me. I rarely spend time in front of the mirror to assess my deteriorating state. But it caught me off-guard when I saw a random picture of mine clicked my someone else. I could see how different I was in my head vis-a-vis for real. Hence, I knew I have to act fast before it was too late. Plus coming from a family with all kinds of medical history, doesn’t help.

So I have decided to officially end my hedonistic food lifestyle and really take a closer look at how I am going to transform it. I believe I need to do this not just for my sake but also for my daughter who is absorbing everything that she sees.

I have started gym schedule with a trainer that is more endurance focused. I also have a diet plan. Mind you, it is not for the weak of heart – this diet plan. It is quite extreme and I need to be on it for 6 weeks. Usually I don’t write about my exercise or diet here because I am insecure in my head about not keeping up with it. But this time, I am going to be confident about it and I have no qualms in sharing this diet with anyone who reads my blog.

My diet for each day shall be as follows:

Starting 15th of July, up until 30th of August, 2015 ( 6 weeks) with 6 small meals

Only 1 liter of water through out the day.

Meal 1

100 g chicken + 100 g rice + 50 g almonds

Meal 2

100 g chicken + a portion of vegetables

Meal 3

2 whole eggs + 50 g quinoa

Meal 4

2 whole eggs+vegetables

Meal 5

100 g chicken + 3 rice flakes + 50 g almond

Meal 6

100 g chicken + a portion of vegetables.

Work out – 1 hour 15 minutes with the trainer in the evening

After one of this diet, I will try and including some cardio in the morning along with training in the evening with the trainer.

I really, really hope to stick with this plan and see it through. It is a matter of 6 weeks and it will be huge test of my will power especially because I am so addicted to sugar.

Before I sign off on a healthy note, here’s the recipe of a delicious soya mince- peas stir fry which is wonderful with chappatis and even just by itself.

Bread Poha

2017-06-27 13:11:04

Serves 4

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Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

25 min

Total Time

45 min

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

25 min

Total Time

45 min

Ingredients

Bread slices, torn into small pieces ( atleast 8-10 slices- older the better)
2 large onions, chopped
5 green chilles, chopped fine,
peanuts - half cup( boiled)
salt as per taste
chilli powder - 1 tsp
coriander powder - 2 tsp
tumeric powder - 2 tsp
sugar - 1 tbsp or less
lemon juice - a dash
sprinkle of water
mustard seeds,- 1 tsp
cumin seeds - 1 tsp
dash of asafoetida
curry leaves - 8 -10 leaves

Instructions

Tear all the bread slices into bite sized pieces, keep aside
Take some oil in a flat frying pan, splutter mustard seeds, cumin seeds and add asafoetida
Add chopped onions and fry until light & translucent
Add green chillies and curry leaves and fry.
To this add, all the spice powders including salt and sugar and mix well.
Add boiled peanuts and fry well
Add bread pieces and let the spices coat the bread pieces very well.
Once the bread is mixed well, sprinkle water to soften the bread.
Take the pan off the heat and add a dash of lemon juice and serve hot

Sliceofmylyfe - a Food blog based in Bahrain http://www.sliceofmylyfe.com/

Food Chronicles, giveaway

A Persian Dream Cake ( Raw Cake) + A Worldwide Giveaway

January 27, 2015 Anita Menon 28 Comments

I was supposed to post this yesterday but I happened to have a terrible first experience of making a raw cake. I always make it a point to follow the recipe to the tee but if the recipe isn’t great, the outcome is always not what you expect. So I had to trash the first raw cake and attempt another one to successfully render my first culinary challenge given to me by my friend Emilia.

Raw Cakes – These are quite a rage these days. These desserts use absolutely no processed ingredients and rely on natural flavours and colours for the taste and the desired texture. There are vegan diet followers who are more enthusiastic about having desserts that use no butter ( but really! what is life without butter. I wouldn’t ever want to know) or eggs. Anyhow, people do what they do and to me it is always interesting to try out different types of ingredients, cooking methods etc.

So here I have completed my first culinary challenge and I am on the fence about the result. But if you ask me about making raw cakes a norm, I’d say – that is not happening. I love my cakes for the butter and all that unhealthy stuff that actually goes into making it. It would take some time and several raw cakes to develop a taste for these kinds of dessert. I would also go on to say that, while I feel happy about putting all healthy ingredients in this dessert, my mind refuses to feel satiated.

This cake takes plenty of nuts such as cashew and pistachio. It was requires fresh coconut, olive oil, rose water and honey. The original recipe asked for saffron which I did not have on me so I skipped it. Instead I opted for yellow food colour to give it the yellowish tinge.

Now that the culinary challenge is out of the way, here are the giveaway details. I am celebrating the completion of my 5 years of blogging with a worldwide giveaway. There will be 4 giveaways over 4 weeks and I will choose one winner every week. These giveaways will include things that are my absolute favourite and I have loved using them.

The first giveaway starts today and I am giving away my favourite food author’s book – Nigella Lawson’s – ‘How to be a domestic goddess’

I adore Nigella, her writing, and her cookbooks. Her recipes are thoroughly tested, easy for an amateur cook or a baker to use and find success. How to be a domestic goddess was my first ever cook book and even today, I go back to it for cakes and other dessert recipes.

In order for anyone on this planet to win this cookbook, all you need to do is to enter this giveaway. To enter this world wide giveaway, you would have to do the following:

1. Follow @sliceofmylyfe on Twitter

2. Follow @sliceofmylyfe on Instagram

3. Subscribe to my blog via email

4. Comment here on this blog post that you are interested in this giveaway and that you have done all of the above.

5. Spread the word by tweeting this — –>[Tweet “I have entered @sliceofmylyfe ‘s worldwide #giveaway and you should too! #bloganniversary #5years”]

One lucky winner will be announced next Monday – 2nd of February!!

Now for the recipe. I have adapted this raw cake recipe from here

Stuffed peaches in warm orange sauce

2016-09-15 04:15:11

Serves 6

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Ingredients

6 fresh peaches, deseeded and cut into halves
2 tsp stevia
1/2 tsp lemon juice
For the stuffing
1 cup paneer/ cottage cheese ( crumbled)
3 tbp low fat milk
2 tbsp stevia
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
Orange sauce
1.5 cups orange juice ( freshly squeezed)
1/2 tsp stevia
2 tsp cornflour , dissolved in 1 tbsp water
1/2 tsp lemon juice

Instructions

Heat 2 cups of water, stevia and lemon juice in a heavy bottom pan
Add the peach halves and let them poach on slow flame. Stir them in between
Take them out of the pan when the peaches soften and let them cool
For the stuffing
Mix the paneer/ cottage cheese with all the ingredients and stuff the cooled peaches.
Refrigerate the peaches & the stuffing
For the Orange sauce
Mix the freshly squeezed orange juice, sugar substitute and cornflour in a pan and cook on slow flame until the mixture thickens
Add the lemon juice, mix well and keep aside.
To serve - Take a chilled stuffed peach and place it in a small serving bowl and pour some warm orange sauce and serve immediately

Notes

Adapted from inspired from a recipe by Tarla Dalal

Sliceofmylyfe - a Food blog based in Bahrain http://www.sliceofmylyfe.com/

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A broken wheat and lentil soup and what I learnt from my father

August 27, 2014 Anita Menon 7 Comments

Each time I meet my father, I am astonished. At the age of 68, he seems to be exuding more vitality than me or my husband or anyone considerably younger. The last three months were a ball. I had my parents visiting us and that gave us ample amount of time to spend with each other. My father spent hours playing with my 4-year-old every single day and at times it was difficult to figure out who was having more fun. He was the one who took her out to the park and ran around with her for hours in this high heat- humidity situation in Bahrain. Where did he draw that kind of energy from?

I always knew my father was energetic and had tremendous zeal for life. I have never seen him pull covers over his head and sleep until late in the mornings. He is always up at the crack of dawn and some times even before that and by the time we wake up, he is already done with his morning rituals and could be seen chanting the Saraswati Sahasranama. Post which, he would have his breakfast and was ready to ‘carpe diem’.

Of all that I know about my father, there is this youthfulness about him that I admire the most. Oftentimes, I have wondered how he managed to not let life sap this from his being. We all know how life just slowly sucks away our enthusiasm even without us noticing and suddenly we are caught in a moment while looking up our picture on Facebook, wondering – When and how did I change so much!

In one such similar moment, I thought about this and found several insights into my father’s personality and his view on life.

So these are few secrets to how he manages to remain youthful and energetic:

1. Be creative – My father, who is a Pisces, has a natural inclination to being creative. Be it writing emails, to ironing clothes ( yes! he is very handy around the house), to keep the house clean and in order or even his conversations radiate with his creative genius. He finds more efficient and interesting ways to do banal things in life to keep it exciting. The loveliest trait about him is he always encourages everyone around him to be creative – to be the best possible versions of themselves. Easy as it may sound, it is quite difficult. But I have seen him practice being creative and over years it has become a habit. He is retired now but when he was an employee of a large and an esteemed organization, he was known for his creative approach to everything in his Department.

Nourish your creative side to stay young

2. Appreciate beauty- Usually in life, we get carried way by the routine and forget to appreciate the beauty around us. Somehow, most of us are not even gifted with good observation skills unlike my father. My father is very aware of everything around him and is quick to appreciate its unique beauty. How beautiful and grand do the date palms look swaying in the wind, especially when laden with ripe dates, how beautiful do the crottons look and how the building’s reception with its black marble looks majestic and so on. This is stuff that I pass by every single day of my life but I never have the intention, inclination or the time to appreciate it. Beautiful people, beautiful things, flowers, gardens, fountains, beautiful buildings and the list is endless – fascinate my father.

Appreciate beauty to stay young

3. Connect with people- It has been a year since we moved this building complex but I haven’t had the chance or the interest to know my neighbours or make friends around the building. In three months time, my father managed to make more friends just by going to the park with my daughter. He knows the names of the attendants in the supermarket below our building and also the names of the plumber, repairman, the water guy to list a few. I see him giving them personalized attention and taking care to ask them about their lives. They are ever so happy to serve him.

Connect with people and try to bring smiles to their face to stay young

4. Maintain a child – like wonder – Even at 68 years, my father is intrigued about everything. He reads up a lot and follows anything that is trending – be in music, news and opinions, culture etc. Lately he was asking me about Timbaland and a few recommendations that I could give him about the tracks that he has composed and sung. He is genuinely curious and that shows in the way he explores the books that my brother and I read. He has a soft spot for young adult’s fantasy fiction as well.

Be genuinely curious about the world around you to stay young

5. Be addicted to the idea of being in love – Being in love is a feeling different from all others. It gives you that spring in your step, that colour to your cheeks and you feel like you are walking on clouds. Well, that is the feeling we should have in our hearts all the time. Unfortunately, it seems so difficult in this fast paced life to feel that light – hearted, and enjoy the finer moments of life. My father, an eternal romantic at heart, always seems to be joking and having a time of his life. He seems to be addicted to the idea of being in love – no not with any person as such except, of course his wife, my mother – but generally in love with the feeling of love.

Be in love to feel young

These are his five strategies that contribute towards his youth-like demeanour. I think, there may more but I may take some time to explore them and eventually imbibe them.

This recipe here is not my father’s favourite by any means but it is my way of showing how I have begun to learn all his secrets to staying young. Over and above his secrets, I am trying to develop a few strategies of my own such as eating healthy and exercising well. The diet- exercise combination keeps in a good mood and hence productive. When I feel productive, I know I am on a creative pursuit and that leads me to be curious. I do have to work on my ‘connect with people’ area where my skills are tremendously deficient. And feeling light – hearted, like being in love is still a work-in- progress.

This light and hearty soup made of broken wheat and brown lentils is a complete meal. I feel completely satisfied after having this for lunch (preferable) as I find that my cravings are reduced drastically. I have had this soup, 3 days in a row for lunch and did not get tired of it – it is that good! It also got featured in a Dubai based culinary magazine called “The Chef’s Special” for their Ramadan special issue along with my Falooda recipe. I wrote about how Ramadan, when planned properly can be an enjoyable experience by finding the balance between fasting and feasting.

Do try this soup and if you do, please let me know how you enjoyed it! The recipe is as under:

Here’s wishing everyone a fantastic few days of the working week and a wonderful weekend!

Product /cookbook reviews

Muneera Obaidli’s Ramadan Detox Plan

July 22, 2014 Anita Menon 3 Comments

One week or less remains before Ramadan comes to a close. The intense fasting and prayers have changed the atmosphere around here. Everything is so quiet and so still, that it inspires you to look inwards. It is perhaps the right time to detox the body along with the mind. Muneera Obaidli who has been involved professionally in the health industry for over 7 years with her health food business, Vida for Life, has created this Detox Plan for Ramadan. I was invited to sample and provide my honest feedback about her special Ramadan menu. The purpose of this menu is to help you make the most of your fasting experience by providing meals that cleanse and nourish the body and keep it hydrated throughout the fast. It is a vegetarian and gluten – free which keeps you bloat-free and aids digestion.

Healthy food does not have to be boring and Muneera’s meal plan stands testimony to that.

VD5 — Thai Spring Roll with almond dipping sauce

The one day package that I was requested to review had the following:

1. Fresh young coconut water

2. Green mango smoothie

3. Ramadan detox soup

4. Quinoa madrooba

5. Thai spring roll with dipping sauce

6. Buckwheat wrap

7. Cauliflower soup

8. Raw chocolate mousse

I was also provided a document elucidating the reason behind having each meal at a certain time during non-fasting hours. While I cannot vouch for their prescribed effect as promised by the program, I can definitely comment about the taste of each meal item. I couldn’t possibly have had all the meals in a single day, so I distributed them over two days.

–> I started my day with the Green Mango Smoothie which was refreshing to say the least. I could easily taste the green mango, spinach and perhaps a green apple as well. It was filling and delicious. As per the program leaflet, Vida recommends that people fasting should opt this smoothie for ‘Suhoor’ because this smoothie will keep you hydrated, is light and easy to digest. Having a heavy Suhoor will only lead to more food cravings the next day and people who are fasting should definitely avoid that.

–> By mid morning, I had my coconut water which rejuvenated me and with this I also had the buckwheat wrap. The wrap has no filling in it but it is flavourful on its own. The program suggests that it is better to break the fast in the evening with this glass of fresh young coconut water which not only quenches the thirst but also rebalances blood sugar levels. It will infuse the body with natural minerals , enzymes and electrolytes. It is also recommended that people who are fasting also drink several glasses of water with pinches of sea salt to hydrate and flush out toxins that may have released due to fasting for prolonged hours.

–> Lunch was a hearty cauliflower soup with grilled chicken breast ( the chicken breast wasn’t in the diet plan). The soup was creamy and appetizing, and I felt satiated and enjoyed the soup a lot. The program suggests having this soup instead of refreshing smoothie for ‘Suhoor’ on days when you feel like something savoury instead of sweet.

–> Evening had me ravenous and I enjoyed the delicious Thai spring roll with an almond dip. The almond dip was something I had never tasted before and it was addictive. I was eating it in spoonfuls. The spring roll, straight from the fridge were crispy and delightful. Basically a lettuce wrap with vegetable filling made for a filling snack along with the almond dip.

–> My final meal of the day was the Ramadan detox soup with was clear soup with alpha-alpha sprouts which felt like noodles. Just a simple yet clever way to incorporate protein while tricking the mind into thinking it’s actual noodles. This was my favourite meal of them all.

–> I skipped the dessert and thought of having it the next day after lunch. Next day, I had the Quinoa madrooba where the broken wheat was replaced by quinoa to make it protein rich and gluten free. It was interesting but wasn’t exactly exciting. Then came the raw chocolate mousse which wasn’t my cup of tea at all. It tasted too sour. I wasn’t sure what ingredients were used to make it and perhaps this feedback will be useful to Vida to improve upon their desserts they’re offering in this detox plan. Perhaps only cut fruits could suffice to satisfy any sweet cravings. Funnily enough, in these two days I had minimal sweet cravings. It may have to do with the fact that I was consuming no gluten products all.

( Madrooba is like a savoury porridge usually made from broken wheat, masalas and chicken, and cooked in chicken stock)

All in all it was an interesting meal combination with so many flavours and textures to try. I felt light and bloating -free in these two days and this goes on to say how much you would benefit if you try the entire detox program. Cleansing the body is a must and maybe Ramadan is the right time to get it done considering the calorie intake is already quite restricted. Every meal is well packaged and the portions are controlled which itself proves that a lot of thought has been put behind this meal plan. As per the information provided by the Vida team, they offer custom meal plans taking into consideration any kind of special health and taste preferences.

For all who are interested, contact the Vida team on [email protected] or call tel: 17534999. These meals will be delivered at your door step!

Wishing all my Muslim friends a blessed and healthy last week of Ramadan.

Food Blog based in Bahrain