Book Review – The Sun and her Flowers

Posted on January 26, 2019 by Bhanu Misra Marya

My goal for this year is to read 10-12 books. I personally think it’s a little audacious for my current season of life. Mainly because I don’t have dedicated reading times and when I do read it’s very short spurts. On the train to work, while the kids are having a snack, in the car, while the kids are watching TV etc. It’s always interrupted and I’m not one of those people who can zip through a book in a few sittings.

Modern day poetry is all the rage these days! And after reading Cleo Wade’s book “Heart Talk” (which was an amazing book!) I was curious to read more poetry. I picked up “The Sun and her Flowers” by Rupi Kaur, solely based on the colour of the cover book. It’s bright and optimistic (as opposed to her 1st book, a dark and moody cover – which I subsequently never read!)

It’s a magical arrangement of words, emotions and intense story telling. This book of poetry is soulful, descriptive and relatable (being a 1st generation Indo-Canadian). I was more drawn to the poems in “rising” and “blooming”. Something I wasn’t expecting was the rawness of the poems in “wilting” and “falling”.

I feel like modern day poetry although still is emotional and heart wrenching like it’s traditional predecessors, is more about healing and self guiding. And that self-help aspect is not just for the writer but the reader as well.

Check out the other books I’ve ready in 2019!

Maghmour Recipe – Eggplant and Chickpea curry

Posted on January 16, 2019 by Bhanu Misra Marya

Since becoming a pescaterian I have re-fallen in love with eggplant! I’ve been trying different recipes and came across this Lebanese Maghmour. It’s garlicky, thick, slightly smokey and incredibly velvety.

Perfect with rice, salad, as a dip or on its own.

So good I had to make twice in 1 weekend 😂

I recently got an Instant Pot so I figured I should put my crockpot into semi retirement. And I’ve swapped my Nutribullet for a big mouth food processor. I also got a hand held emulsion blender. Oh and I got a crank chop – by far the best kitchen tool I’ve tried!

After years and years of not having much kitchen equipment I now have so many options! Safe to say, I’m looking for new recipes to try with all my new tools!

That said I didn’t use ANY of those to make this dish. I also put a little more of a desi spin on it by using haldi (tumeric) and dhannia (coriander powder). They add colour and thickness to stew/curry like dishes respectfully.

What you’ll need:

– 2 large eggplants, cut into 1-2 inch pieces (leave the skin on)

– 1 (15 oz) can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained

– 1 (15 oz) can of diced tomatoes, including juice

– 1 tbsp. tomato paste

– ½ – 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided

– 1 large onion, diced

– 8-10 cloves of garlic, minced (you can also use garlic powder to taste)

1 tsp. Smoked Paprika

– 1-2 cups water

– Tumeric, coriander powder, salt and pepper to taste/likeness

What you’ll do:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Lay non stick foil onto a baking sheet
To a large bowl add the chopped eggplant and add in enough olive oil to coat the eggplant. Mix with your hands to coat evenly. Lay on the baking sheets and roast until done, about 15-25 minutes. Turning half way through. When done, remove from the oven, lightly salt and set aside.
In a large pot add another portion of the EVOO. Add the onions and cook until they become transparent, make sure to stir constantly to avoid sticking. Add a few pinches of salt and pepper to taste and then add garlic. Stirring constantly for about 1-3 minutes.
Add the eggplant cubes, drained chickpeas, tomatoes, tomato paste, smoked paprika and about half of the water. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer and cook for about 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more water, if the mixture gets dry. I like to try the dish and add salt/pepper/EVOO as necessary. I also added tumeric and coriander (1/2 teaspoon here and there as needed).
Serve and enjoy! You can store the dish in the fridge for 5 days (but it will probably be finished before that 😋)

Goal Set 2019

Posted on January 7, 2019 by Bhanu Misra Marya

Well we are officially into our first week of 2019, but I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t put any thoughts into new years goals. This year I wanted to keep it somewhat open ended and rather give myself room to explore where I want to be able to grow in 2019. Below are some areas I am working on this year!

1) Make our house our Home

2) Get educated

3) Practice creative consistency

4) Improve my self care activities

5) Keep focus on my wellness journey

6) Quality time for the relationships that really matter in my life

And there you have it – and yes that is the easy part.

When I used to have a gym membership, I remember the first 3 weeks of January it was so packed I’d have to wait for a cardio machine! But by February 1st, we were back to the regular gym crowd and having several treadmills always available to choose from.

It’s simple to write down the goals you want to work towards but actually reaching the goals is the hard part. From my own experience, I know that if you really want to achieve something, you have to “be ready” to (aka your mind has to “be ready”). And by that I mean, put in the time and effort, do the hard things and be flexible on the path.

So here are some tips to help you strive for progress while working towards your new year goals:

1️⃣ Use a Habit Tracker: a great way to mark that tiny step you took towards your goal is by tracking it. Checking a checkbox can be very satisfying and a great motivator for continued progress.
2️⃣ Set a Challenge for 30 Days: It could be that you want do 100 squats a day, cut out refined sugar or drink 8 glasses of water – try doing it for 30 days. Better yet start your 30 day challenge in February or March. It greatly reduces the stress around resolutions failing at the beginning of the year and also lets you try out something without a major commitment.
3️⃣ Reward yourself: I think this is the most important one. Try setting mini milestones and associated rewards when you reach them. It might be getting your nails done or buying new running new gear. Celebrating even the tiniest of wins is great for productivity and performance. Your brain will start to link pleasure with reaching a goal and continue to strive for that in the future.

Reflecting on 2018

Posted on January 1, 2019 by Bhanu Misra Marya

Happy New Year!
It’s been an intense year for me. And I didn’t want to end it without doing a little review. So here goes…! (PS: I got the template of questions from here)

What was the single best thing that happened this past year?

Finally, starting up on a new project, doing the work that I longed to do and knew I was 200% capable has been very invigorating. Although it wasn’t easy and it was 3 years of putting my goals aside. Just a reminder to myself. Success doesn’t happen over night. There was a lot of work involved. There was a lot of leaning on my support system. There was a lot of tears and stress. But at the same time I saw a strength in me that I hadn’t seen in a year. I was yearning for something better and doing all the right work to get it. But something inside of me told me that a positive attitude and optimistic mindset coupled with that hard work – would get me where I needed to be All the success stories I read, positive quotes I wrote down, self reflection, optimistic thinking, blood, sweat and tears – it all worked together to get me the jump I needed.

What was the single most challenging thing that happened?

Taking care of E while on Mat Leave. Everything was a challenge, feeding, napping, that she crawled early so I was always having to watch her all.the.time, the fact that she had a different attention span so even going to the library program was hard. What I’ve learned about her this year is that she is determined, she knows what she wants and she’ll do whatever necessary to get what she wants.

What was an unexpected joy this past year?

Miss S’s growth and development – as our first born child, as a big sister, as a responsible member of this family. It was not something I was expecting but now I understand what parents mean when they say it’s such joy to see their children grow!

What was an unexpected obstacle?

“corporate hierarchy”

Pick three words to describe this past year.

Balance
Challenge
Strength

Pick three words your partner would use to describe your year—don’t ask them; guess based on how you think your spouse sees you.

Perseverance
Motherhood
Amazing

Pick three words your partner would use to describe their year—again, without asking.

Challenging
Fulfilling
Father

What were the best books you read this year?

Light is the New Black is hands down the most powerful book I’ve read in my adulthood. On that note: I’ve created a list of books to read in 2019 (can’t wait to dig in)!

Who were your most valuable relationships with?

My Family
My Husband
My Daughters

What was your biggest personal change from January to December of this past year?

Getting back to fitness
Returning to work

In what way(s) did you grow emotionally?

I grew out of trying to please everyone for the sake of everyone else’s happiness. Now I am doing what makes me comfortable to make sure I am the best mom/wife I can be.

In what way(s) did you grow spiritually?

After reading Light is the New Black I knew that there is help all around me and everything happens for a good reason and in good time. I leaned to pay more attention to my intuition and to the signs from the universe.

In what way(s) did you grow physically?

Found my fitness inspiration again

In what way(s) did you grow in your relationships with others?

The Misters and my relationship is transitioning from “surviving parent mode” back to a balance between parenting and love relationship.

What was the most enjoyable part of your work (both professionally and at home)?

Being creative, writing docs, interacting with people and learning new things everyday
Being a mom is my greatest joy and my greatest challenge

What was the most challenging part of your work (both professionally and at home)?

Working with new people
Not being considered for more growth, well more than what was given to me
(…and that’s OK more for me to work on so I can prove people wrong!)
Being a mom, is probably the most unrewarding work

What was your single biggest time waster in your life this past year?

My phone

What was the best way you used your time this past year?

My commute. I used it for reading, for writing, editing photos, for listening to podcasts/music, to learn / get education, chatting with the Mister, planning or just taking a nap!

What was biggest thing you learned this past year?

My mind is incredibly strong and what I/You think is what I/You become

Create a phrase or statement that describes this past year for you.

“Just keep moving”. Whether is the last km of a run, getting something completed before needing to catch my train, drinking an extra glass of water, being a little more patient … You’ve got to just keep moving.

Healthy Double Chocolate Cookies & Our Christmas Decor

Posted on December 29, 2018 by Bhanu Misra Marya

The days leading up to Christmas, all I wanted to do is wrap gifts (it’s a very calming activity), do christmas crafts and bake cookies. Well in my case they are healthy cookies (like this, this or this)!

I’ve come to realize that eating sugar and butter filled sweets does not make me feel good. I don’t get any satisfaction from them and end up over eating them in hopes of feeling that ahhh moment – which never does happen. But when I eat something that I’ve made that only has a few healthy ingredients, it just tastes better and I feel satisfied by the “indulgence”.

Anywhooo, back to this easy recipe. Definitely more than a 5 ingredients, but super easy to make all you need is a blender (I used my Nutri Bullet) and maybe some helpful kiddo hands :)

What you need:

1 cup of oat flour

1/2 cup of almond meal

1/6 cup of cacao

1 ripe banana

1 egg substitue

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/6 cup of maple syrup

1/4 cup of dark chocolate chips

splash of vanilla extract

pinch of salt

What you’ll do:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Blend the oats and almonds (to make oat flour and almond meal respectively) and combine all dry ingredients. Mix well. In a separate bowl, add all wet ingredients (except the chocolate chips). Mix well then add dry ingredients and mix again. Once the mixture has a wet gooey consistency, fold in the chocolate chips. Place tablespoon full portions 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until cookies are cooked / spring back from the centre. Cool for 5 minutes before enjoying!

*If you are feeling extra indulgent, add some almond butter, some coconut whip and chocolate curls!!

Holiday Wish List 2018

Posted on December 12, 2018 by Bhanu Misra Marya

It’s funny as I get older, I either want less stuff or just keep my eye on things long enough so I can get them when they go on sale 😛

Vegan long puffer jacket: I have a long maternity jacket from Old Navy (yes – I still wear it) and a short Mackage jacket (soo warm and cozy). Both are great and serve their purpose but I need a winter jacket that combines length and the ability to keep my entire body protected from the cold. Being socially conscious is a plus point for sure!
Long sleeve running top: Give me all the workout clothes. Right now I am in need of a black long sleeve tee!
Runners: I love my Nike Zoom Structure runners. And these are the next version (22 I think). I prefer neutral colours in sneaks especially as I use the same pair for training and running.
Sheet Masks: I love using sheet masks. I love using them on Sundays. And I love how easy they are to use when I need to take some time out for myself.
Mini Food Processors: In our 22nd century world where everyone has a vitamix, I’m over here trying to get to to the 21st century because I still need a good old fashion food processor.
3 Little Wonders: Trying to incorporate anti-aging and vit C into my skin care routine. Hoping this mini version gives me the boost I need!
Electronic Toothbrush: Totally a want that I’ve wanted for years!
A new planner for 2019: I live and breath with my planner. I do all the usual stuff, record events, birthdays, anniversaries, set goals and tasks as well as habit track. The right planner makes me feel organized and it’s an absolute necessity for me.
Jade facial roller: Jumping on the IG bandwagon here and really want to try it out.