#100healthydays broken down... Meet Malavika!

We have a very special guest post for you today. Meet my friend Malavika, an amazing person who is beautiful inside and out. She’s a 27 year old radio presenter on the U.A.E’s premier Bollywood Radio Station: City 101.6 and I asked her to write for us as she takes on a new challenge: 100healthydays. Being the celebrity she is allows her to be in a position to inspire a lot of people and that is exactly what she has been doing! Read all about it and let me know what you think. Isn’t this a wonderful and realistic way to slowly modify our lifestyles? I definitely do.  W.P

About 100healthydays:
My name is Malavika and I’m on a challenge, a campaign, a journey of self discovery called #100healthydays. The big idea is that if you do one little thing everyday, consistently to work toward a certain goal – you are more likely to reach there. My goal is to have a stronger, fitter, healthier body in 100 days. I blog and post about my daily steps toward this new me on my blog and on facebook on the page ‘100 healthy days’. Food, exercise, a new way of thinking, and technology that helps me achieve my goal – are all the things I blog about. If you think you’d like to do this too – Jump on board! All you have to do is post your daily efforts on facebook, twitter or instagram and # it with #100healthydays.

Does it work?
YES. Social media is a bit like a parent, a teacher and peer pressure combined. Just the idea that I need to do something to post about has gotten me to work harder.

Food tips, tricks and recipes.
I love food. No really. I’m in a relationship with every meal and I refuse to eat bad tasting food just because it’s healthy. This has really gotten me to try all kinds of new, yummy recipes. Here’s something that always works for me – Making food look good and smell good is half the battle won. I like to heat my food and sit down at a table when I eat. Some how that makes me more mindful of what I am putting into my body and I enjoy every flavor. Not only does that make food tastier but it also satiates you in a way the-standing-by-the-sink-and-grabbing-a-mouthful doesn’t.

A recipe to share:
Here is a recipe that my mum has passed down to me. A super-healthy, multigrain porridge. Mum usually makes this powder once in a few weeks and stores it. When you are hungry, boil 300 ml of water, add 2 heaped tablespoons and let it thicken. Pour in a little milk, add some sugar or jaggery and it’s ready to eat/drink. On nights when I come back from late night events, starving … this is particularly useful! 

The recipe itself:
Ingredients needed:

1. Finger millet/Ragi -1/4 kg
It’s possible to find this in any Indian store, especially South Indian ones
2. Pear millet/Kambu -1/4 kg
Also known as bajra, again common especially in Gujrati, Rajasthani and Maharasthrian cuisine
3. Green gram - 1/4 kg
Mung bean, the stage 1 of sprouts, Moong as we’d call it in Hindi
4. Wheat - 1/4 kg
5. Par boiled rice - 1/4 kg
6. Fried gram - 100 grams
This is Chana dal, roasted gram or buna chana dal.
7. Barley - 100 grams
8. Sago/saboodana - 50 grams
9. Dry ginger -2 inch piece
10. Almonds -25 grams

Method for preparing the porridge powder:

1. Wash finger millet/ragi well and soak it in water overnight.
   
2. Next day, rinse well, drain the water, tie it in a muslin cloth and hang it.
   
3. Leave it for sprouting. Rinse once in between.
   
4. After it has sprouted, rinse it again gently, drain the water and spread it on a cloth for drying. Dry it well either in the sun or in shade inside the house.
   
5. After it has dried well, dry roast it, till you get a nice aroma.
   
6. Repeat the same process as above for Pearl millet, Green gram and Wheat.
   
7. Dry roast boiled rice, fried gram, barley, sago, dry ginger and almonds separately.
   
8. Now combine all the 10 ingredients and ground/powder it. Your porridge powder is ready.
   

ENJOY!