Livintuit

Sandbubble's photostream

2012-01-19T18:25:00.001-05:00

So I have tried to get my act together and share my photographs here on my blog. I am learning how to join all the pieces of the puzzle and connect my web presence seamlessly. Hope you enjoy what you see….Do share your comments and or follow.
There's more to come…..

Mathri:Indian Style Salted Cracker

2010-05-12T18:52:00.000-04:00

Ahhhhhh!!! The evening chai with Mathri and achaar (indian pickle)! Brings back great memories!!
Here is one recipe that I have found fail proof.......
Taken from the cookbook “Recipes with a Spice” - Indian Cuisine for Balanced Nutrition by Kusum Gupta.
These crackers can be made mild or spicy, as desired. You may store them, in an airtight bag, for a month or so.
Cooking time Approx. 40 min
15 min prep
Makes approx. 24 pieces
Ingredients:
• 1/2 cup semolina (suji)
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup oil, plus more for deep frying
Seasonings:
• 1 teaspoon salt, to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon caraway seed, to taste
• 2 teaspoons coarsely crushed black pepper, to taste
Method:
1. Mix the semolina in just enough water to make it completely wet and let it soak for about 20 minutes.
2. Mix the other flours, ½ cup oil, salt and caraway seeds together.
3. Add the soaked semolina and knead the dough, adding about ¼ cup water as needed, until the dough becomes semi hard and supple.
4. Make little balls (walnut size) and shape them into patties.
5. On a flat surface, roll each patty, sprinkled with a pinch of black pepper, into a small round, about ¼" thick.
6. Prick the rounds with fork for air vents.
7. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan or wok on medium heat.
8. Fry the mathri, few at a time, turning as needed, until golden brown on all sides.
9. Drain them on paper towels or brown paper bag.
10. Repeat for the remaining mathri.
11. Serve when completely cold.
Variation: May add 1 cup fresh fenugreek leaves (½ cup dry leaves), black pepper and red chili powder, when making the dough.
Enjoy with some sweet and sour/ spicy pickle!!!! Yummmmm!!!

Our Awakening

2010-04-13T13:20:00.000-04:00

Lots of things have been churning in my mind............
I recently finished reading James Redfield's Celestine series of books: The Celestine Prophecy, The Tenth Insight and the Secret of Shambhala. These books resonated tremendously with my current state of being. Once again they brought home the fact that we are all connected, that we are all in this together and that we as a group are evolving spiritually (yes we are!!! even though many believe we are headed in the wrong direction). Mankind has forever been on this journey of spiritual evolution and now more than ever our awareness of our spirituality has reached a critical mass. We are becoming awakened more and more!! How wonderful is that!! There is a growing realization that we are primarily spiritual beings inhabiting a physical body, rather than physical beings having an occasional spiritual or mystical experience.

Here are the Insights as listed by James Redfield himself.

THE FIRST INSIGHT . . . A CRITICAL MASS
A new spiritual awakening is occurring in human culture, an awakening brought about by a critical mass of individuals who experience their lives as a spiritual unfolding, a journey in which we are led forward by mysterious coincidences.

THE SECOND INSIGHT . . . THE LONGER NOW
This awakening represents the creation of a new, more complete worldview, which replaces a five-hundred-year-old preoccupation with secular survival and comfort. While this technological preoccupation was an important step, our awakening to life's coincidences is opening us up to the real purpose of human life on this planet, and the real nature of our universe.

THE THIRD INSIGHT . . . A MATTER OF ENERGY
We now experience that we live not in a material universe, but in a universe of dynamic energy. Everything extant is a field of sacred energy that we can sense and intuit. Moreover, we humans can project our energy by focusing our attention in the desired direction...where attention goes, energy flows...influencing other energy systems and increasing the pace of coincidences in our lives.

THE FOURTH INSIGHT . . . THE STRUGGLE FOR POWER
Too often humans cut themselves off from the greater source of this energy and so feel weak and insecure. To gain energy we tend to manipulate or force others to give us attention and thus energy. When we successfully dominate others in this way, we feel more powerful, but they are left weakened and often fight back. Competition for scarce, human energy is the cause of all conflict between people.

THE FIFTH INSIGHT . . . THE MESSAGE OF THE MYSTICS
Insecurity and violence ends when we experience an inner connection with divine energy within, a connection described by mystics of all traditions. A sense of lightness--buoyancy--along with the constant sensation of love are measures of this connection. If these measures are present, the connection is real. If not, it is only pretended.

THE SIXTH INSIGHT . . . CLEARING THE PAST
The more we stay connected, the more we are acutely aware of those times when we lose connection, usually when we are under stress. In these times, we can see our own particular way of stealing energy from others. Once our manipulations are brought to personal awareness, our connection becomes more constant and we can discover our own growth path in life, and our spiritual mission--the personal way we can contribute to the world.

THE SEVENTH INSIGHT . . . ENGAGING THE FLOW
Knowing our personal mission further enhances the flow of mysterious coincidences as we are guided toward our destinies. First we have a question; then dreams, daydreams, and intuitions lead us towards the answers, which usually are synchronistically provided by the wisdom of another human being.

THE EIGHTH INSIGHT . . . THE INTERPERSONAL ETHIC
We can increase the frequency of guiding coincidences by uplifting every person that comes into our lives. Care must be taken not to lose our inner connection in romantic relationships. Uplifting others is especially effective in groups where each member can feel energy of all the others. With children it is extremely important for their early security and growth. By seeing the beauty in every face, we lift others into their wisest self, and increase the chances of hearing a synchronistic message.

THE NINTH INSIGHT . . .THE EMERGING CULTURE
As we all evolve toward the best completion of our spiritual missions, the technological means of survival will be fully automated as humans focus instead on synchronistic growth. Such growth will move humans into higher energy states, ultimately transforming our bodies into spiritual form and uniting this dimension of existence with the after-life dimension, ending the cycle of birth and death.

THE TENTH INSIGHT . . . HOLDING THE VISION
The Tenth Insight is the realization that throughout history human beings have been unconsciously struggling to implement this lived spirituality on Earth. Each of us comes here on assignment, and as we pull this understanding into consciousness, we can remember a fuller birth vision of what we wanted to accomplish with our lives. Further we can remember a common world vision of how we will all work together to create a new spiritual culture. We know that our challenge is to hold this vision with intention and prayer everyday.

THE ELEVENTH INSIGHT . . . EXTENDING PRAYER FIELDS
The Eleventh Insight is the precise method through which we hold the vision. For centuries, religious scriptures, poems, and philosophies have pointed to a latent power of mind within all of us that mysteriously helps to affect what occurs in the future. It has been called faith power, positive thinking, and the power of prayer. We are now taking this power seriously enough to bring a fuller knowledge of it into public awareness. We are finding that this prayer power is a field of intention, which moves out from us and can be extended and strengthened, especially when we connect with others in a common vision. This is the power through which we hold the vision of a spiritual world and build the energy in ourselves and in others to make this vision a reality.

What’s in your skin?

2010-03-01T14:00:00.000-05:00

Our internal organs clean out many of the toxins from the food we eat before they reach our bloodstream. On the other hand, a large portion of what we put on our skin just gets absorbed directly into the bloodstream (think nicotine skin patch). It makes sense therefore to be conscious about what we put on our skin. Since the cosmetic industry is very loosely regulated by the government, companies are able to get away with using ingredients that are harmful/potentially harmful to us. Environmental Working Group’s Cosmetic Database is a great resource to help us determine which products may be safer choices than others (http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/). I urge you all to visit and check out the products you use often to see where they rank in the database. Also print out their Safe Cosmetics Shopping Guide and keep it in your bag as a handy reference for which ingredients to avoid while choosing skincare products.

It is a relief to know that there are several safer options out there to choose from. We just have to be aware of them and be willing to try something different. In our home, we have been using brands such as Avalon Organics, JASON, Waleeda, Burt’s Bees, Giovanni, Juice beauty etc. for some time now and find them to be quite good with regard to safer ingredients. They still may not be the most perfectly safe product out there but at least they do not have the biggest offenders in them.

We as conscious consumers can make the cosmetic industry change its direction by buying only that which is safe and healthy for us. Let’s get proactive about our (and our planet’s) health by being more conscious of what we put on our skin!

Issues with health reform......I don't get it!

2010-02-26T14:10:00.000-05:00

One thing I am not able to understand is, why many American's are against the health reform as proposed by President Obama? I just don't get it!! I don't see what is so wrong with the changes he is suggesting? Why not take care of the uninsured? Why not have better health for all Americans? Why not focus on prevention rather than cure?......... Even if it means increased costs for all! I mean, couldn't we all pitch in by buying less of something we want? After all, isn't healthcare a basic need?? And by not giving subsidized healthcare to the poor and the aged are we not paying more in the long run?? We have to stop being so myopic and start seeing that what effects one, affects us all in one way or the other. Someone has to take corrective action and I feel President Obama is doing just that!

The problem with some corrective measures is that they lead to things getting worse before they get better. Sometimes there is no other way. When we have been burdening the economy with uncontrolled spending without any accountability, somewhere or the other we will have to pick up the slack. Even though the economic meltdown was the result of the greed of the financial institutions, we too have to take some responsibility. After all didn't we buy their story? We didn't have to, but we did. And we did it because it felt good to be able to buy that out of reach house, or take that expensive vacation for which we had not saved up money. For those mistakes of some of us, others who have lived frugally have had to pick up the tab. Like it or not, we are all interconnected. Our poor judgment affects not just us but the whole country and the whole world.

As we all know, there is always a period of adjustment with any change. Things shift around and then just fall into their groove. If we fear this state of change, we will not be able to grow as a nation and will help sabotage any movement towards betterment. Let’s not forget that we can find thousands of reasons to support an idea and thousands more to reject it. We have to look at the big picture, and not get swayed by short term discomfort (such as tax hikes). The cynics would say that this is just another way for government to take people for a ride. I say, let’s not let cynicism get the better of us. Just look at the big picture and you too will see that the health reform is a good thing. Even if this reform makes things a little bit better, at least that would be better than the status quo! That's my intuition!

Atta Laddoo: Roasted Whole Wheat rounds

2010-02-25T11:44:00.000-05:00

I made wholesome Atta Laddoos!!!
For those of you not familiar with the name, Atta Laddoos are roasted and sweetened whole wheat flour balls eaten as a snack/ dessert by people from the Indian subcontinent.
Now I know I am not the first mom to have made Atta laddoos for herself and her family!! However, these are atta laddoos with a twist!!!
Just like all of you, I too am constantly looking for ways to eat healthier and add healthful ingredients in ways that they become easier to consume and enjoy. Off late, I have started adding organic whole barley flour and organic whole millet flour as well as besan (gram flour) to my chapatti flour. The chapattis (whole wheat flat bread like tortillas) turn out so wholesome and filling! With just a touch of homemade cow milk ghee……Yum!! My kids like them too. So, I thought……wouldn’t it be nice to use this same flour to make some laddoos which could be an option for a healthy snack instead of the regular store bought stuff that our kids so often looooove to eat after school! I made those laddoos today and they turned out pretty yummy and were a breeze to make! Here is the recipe……

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour (with added barley, millet and gram flour). Whole grains provide a variety of nutrients, micronutrients and fiber for optimum health. They are in their whole form so we get nutrition in its complete form.
¼ to 1/3 cup of organic cane sugar (I used the minimum amount of sugar that would get the laddoos to taste good)
¼ cup of organic ghee made with organic unsalted cow milk butter. Here too I used the minimum amount of ghee. Ghee is one of most important ingredients in Ayurveda. It is one of the few foods that directly feeds Ojas (vigor). An increase in Ojas leads to increased immunity, greater intelligence, and increased clarity. According to Ayurveda, cow milk ghee is supposed to have Sattvik properties (foods that are pure and whose consumption increases in us tendencies to move towards purity and knowledge). Therefore, cow milk ghee should be a part of every diet (of course it should be consumed in limited amounts by people who have heart issues and high levels of cholesterol). Because ghee does not have any milk solids it is also tolerated very well by people who are otherwise allergic to dairy.
1.5 tbsp. Organic flax seed meal. Flax seed is great source of fiber and omega fatty acids.

Directions:
Roast the flour on low to medium heat stirring constantly to make sure the flour does not burn. After 5 minutes of roasting, add ghee and keep stirring until the flour turns a beautiful caramel (orangey, reddish brown color). Enjoy the lovely aroma that comes from the roasted flour and ghee! Take this mixture off the fire and immediately transfer on to a cool bowl. Let it cool for a minute or two and then add the sugar and flax meal and bind into 1 to 1.5 inch diameter laddoos. Enjoy!!!
With the above measurements, I made approximately 14 to 15 small sized laddoos. Here is a photo of them for you.
Now I just have to wait for the kids to get back from school and give it their stamp of approval…….

Do try making these and when you do, please let me know how they turned out. If any of you have other healthful recipes you came up with, please do share them with me.

Joy And Sorrow......

2010-02-18T12:27:00.000-05:00

'The Prophet' by the great poet Khalil Gibran is truly a gift to mankind from god. It is so beautifully and succinctly written! Every time I read each of the poems, I get goosebumps!!

Khalil Gibran on Joy and Sorrow

Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.
And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.
And how else can it be?
The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.
Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter's oven?
And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?
When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has
given you sorrow that is giving you joy.
When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are
weeping for that which has been your delight.
Some of you say, "Joy is greater than sorrow," and others say, "Nay, sorrow is the greater."
But I say unto you, they are inseparable.
Together they come, and when one sits, alone with you at your board, remember that the
other is asleep upon your bed.
Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy.
Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced.
When the treasure-keeper lifts you to weigh his gold and his silver, needs must your joy or
your sorrow rise or fall.

Children by Khalil Gibran

2010-02-10T13:55:00.000-05:00

Your children are not your children.

They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.

They come through you but not from you,

And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,

For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls,

For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,

which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them,

but seek not to make them like you.

For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children

as living arrows are sent forth.

The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,

and He bends you with His might

that His arrows may go swift and far.

Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;

For even as He loves the arrow that flies,

so He loves also the bow that is stable.

Just Breathe......

2010-02-08T12:14:00.000-05:00

In our time of dilemma and confusion we have all had someone tell us that the answer to our problem lies within us. Makes one wonder, if that were true, why the confusion in the first place? Could it be that we have the answer somewhere inside but we are looking for it in the wrong place? Is it that the solution to our problem is buried deep under piles and piles of counter productive and counter intuitive ways of thinking? If so, then changing our approach to solving the problem, should get us a different result, right? I have been experimenting with this age old idea for some time and find that it really works! When I can remember to practice it.......that is. You see, intuitive living takes practice. Each time I replace old counter intuitive ways of thinking with an awareness of the presence of intuitive knowledge within me, my intuition comes alive! The answer is uncovered and appears before me without any struggle, discomfort or agony. So how do we become aware of our intuition? Age old wisdom tells us to use our breath, our life force, as a tool to tap into the wonderful well of our intuition. Whenever I find myself in a bind and no amount of thinking and head banging has helped, I remind my self to just breathe. Once the choppy waves of my troubled thoughts subside, the answer simply bobs up to the surface. By answer, I don't mean the winning number to the biggest lottery or whether you should buy the red dress or the black one! Answers are more all encompassing and true in every sense. They help us get our priorities right so we know what we need to do in a given situation with clarity. Make sense? If so, let's practice to just focus on breath for a few minutes everyday to become more intuitive.

My first posting: Let's Eat Well!

2010-02-06T10:27:00.000-05:00

So here I am writing my first blog entry. I thought long and hard about what I wanted it to say, but finally decided I wanted to be spontaneous and intuitive.
So why DO I want to blog? Well…..let's see….
I find myself to be a person passionate about life and its different aspects. I think of myself as a traveller on this wonderful journey of life wanting to discover new and old ways of doing everything better. I am constantly looking for ways for me and my family to eat, live and feel healthy. In the process, I have accumulated some information/knowledge which I think others could benefit from. I also feel sharing information with others will teach me something more about myself and take me further on my journey of self discovery!
Since eating healthy is extremely important to me, I thought it would be apt to write something in my first post about it.
I live in Virginia, on the eastern coast of the US which at present is going through peak winter (we are in the midst of a winter storm as I write!). To keep warm, cold winter months call for foods that are warming in nature. Ancient Indian and Chinese traditions have been cooking based on seasons for thousands of years. It makes intuitive sense that if we eat season appropriate foods, we will be eating for better health. Here's something to think about.....We dress season appropriate but eat whatever is available in the grocery store even if it is something grown in a place thousands of miles away experiencing a different season. We wouldn't wear summer clothes in winter no matter if the stores sell swim wear and shorts.
Therefore, let what grows locally in each season be the guide to what is on our kitchen table. I encourage you to try it and see if it helps ward off the winter colds and spring/summer allergies.
Once again, to eat healthy in winter eat locally grown warming foods. As a rule of thumb vegetables that take longer to grow (most root vegetables like carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onion and garlic) are more warming than ones that are quick to grow.
My intuition tells me that if we let nature be our guide to eating well in any season, we will open doors to more healthy living and help sustain our planet's resources too!!!