Things That Make Me Happy #9 My Mother's Rice Pudding

Its been a (long) while since I have done a 'Things That Make Me Happy' post.

 

I guess I place all my excuses into being busy, stressed, tired, busy and busy. However, I am trying to get back to the happy place in my life that I was a year ago from now. It has been a strange and unexpected period that almost made me forget what I love the most in life.

 

But, no doubts here.

 

I do love a little (or a little bit too much) rice pudding. Now, the Muller Rice Pudding Pots you can grab from Asda simply do not classify as 'REAL' rice pudding. For you to have tasted 'REAL' rice pudding you must have tried my dear mother's or grandmother's one.

 

Honestly, it seems that generations of women from the Indian culture have been taught to cook rice pudding in several varieties from a young age and now behold many years of skill, practice and a specific taste to the puddings that they make.

 

My favourite type of rice pudding is a version make with long rice, date juice (which has been boiled to harden into a solid and melts in heat - I'm not quite sure of the name!) and milk. The rice is usually cooked slowly in the hot milk and then sweetened.

 

Oh my world, does this taste incredible.

 

Maybe its the fact I don't get a chance to eat it often or that it is simply damn incredible to me....sometimes even adding Rice Crisps / Puffed Rice adds a special dazzle.

 

Have you ever tried Indian style rice pudding? Which type is your favourite?

 

Priyanka xx

Meena Herbal Multani Face Mask

Meena Herbal Multani for oil balancing

 

During my time in India, my sister, mother and I went to a parlour for pedicures and manicures. One strange thing I saw was that they used Multani Mud as a mask for our hands and arms as part of the manicure. I've never seen this in London!

 

We asked where we could find this clay and grabbed some from the shop next door because it is much cheaper than in the UK.

 

The Multani packet inside is a powder which I added rose water and a little honey to make a paste (you can also use milk and olive oil if you have dry skin). To prevent the paste from becoming slightly clumpy, you should mix a little amount of liquid at a time and add more if needed; it is recommended that you leave the mask on for 30 minutes. I found that my skin was definitely softer and brighter. It also helped reduce the appearance of any spots.

 

It is said that over time using Multani pigmentation and scars are less visible.... I guess I will have to see if it does work in the long run.

 

Have you ever used this type of mud mask? Which do you think works on your skin the best? Everybody is different!

 

Priyanka xx

Browned Paleo Banana Coconut Cookie Recipe

 

Overly sweet tooth like me? In need for chocolate? Want to become a cookie monster without the 'unhealthy' feel?

 

Dear ones, join me.

 

I accept that my cooking skills are not perfect and that these cookies are a little over browned but doesn't mean that they taste bad at all!

 

To make these quick and easy yummies, you will need:

 

- 2 Bananas

- 1/2 Cup Ground Flax Seeds

-1/2 Cup Shredded Coconut

-1/3 Cup Hemp Seeds

-5/6 Dried Dates roughly chopped

-2 Heaped Tbs Honey

 (more or less depending on your preference; you can also sub any other sweetener)

- 4 Squares Dark Chocolate (I used Lindt 85%) Chopped

-1/2 Tsp Cinammon

-1 Tsp Nut Butter

-2 Tbs Olive Oil/ Coconut Oil

 

Method:

 

- Preheat the oven to 200 °c

 

-Line an oven tray with tin foil and spread with olive oil to prevent cookies from sticking to the foil

 

- Mash the bananas (TIP: Peel and warm the bananas for 40-50 seconds to make mashing them up easier) and mix flax and hemp seeds, coconuts, oil, cinnamon, honey and nut butter together in a large bowl.

 

-Allow to cool a little before gently stirring in the dark chocolate chips and chopped dates

 

- Place mixture on the foil and press into cookie shapes

 

-Bake in over for 6-10 minutes

 

TIP: To prevent over burning keep checking the cookies and take out of the oven before it goes too brown , pretty self  explanatory but I always seem to find the simple things in life too straight forward.

 

I ate my cookies with hot almond milk hot chocolate whilst I watched Vampire Diaries like a typical girl on a typical Friday night.

 

Let me know if you know if you liked this recipe and any variations you may have made.

 

Priyanka xx

New Years Resolutions 2016

  

New Year = New Me

That's what we all say don't we? But if we stick to it or not is a completely different question.

I tried not to overthink my New Year's goals this year so that I don't procrastinate over a 'fresh start' or 'one chance to get it right' sort of vibe.

1) Work out with more enthusiasm

Instead of working out to 'be skinny' I want for my workouts to have purpose, make me stronger, more muscular and mentally challenge me by pushing some boundaries every day to help improve my fitness levels.

2) Work smarter not harder or longer

Instead of working for hours at my desk, procrastinating and wasting time without actually learning anything I want to be able to work efficiently for short bursts to time (so I don't have a chance to worry or become bored) and maximise the quality of learning I do in a given time frame.

3) Laugh harder and don't be so hard on myself

I have recently found that because Im always worried about work I forget to actually have fun. sometimes I feel so contrained by work that I forget to laugh at the little things in life. This year, however stressed I may become, Im going to laugh harder at my own little trip ups and at the little incidents that may occur. 

4) Go to sleep earlier

I often find my self in a bad mood not wanting to talk to anyone simply because I'm still exhausted from the night before. 8 hours sleep minimum is my new shout for energy.

5) Stop feeling like I need to impress people or be perfect

Nobody is perfect so I am going to stop trying to be. Instead I am going to focus on things that are really important and become confident simply being myself.

One of the best things I have ever learnt is KISS- Keep It Simple, Stupid!

What are your New Year's Resolutions?

Priyanka

Trying to Make That Stubborn Frizz, Ease....

Frizz. I hate it.

Frizzy hair is just not my ideal look even though some people might be able to rock it.

 

Due to having bleached colour, naturally wavy, slightly dry hair; the smallest amount of rain and wind can often lead of stands of frizz from creeping into my fresh hair. I try to only wash my hair twice a week maximum and once a week is usually fine for me (I am a lazy girl).

When blow drying my hair, I like to use John Frieda's Frizz Ease Anti Frizz Primer by applying it on damp hair. I only purchased this recently and have found that actually it has been making a huge difference by eliminating the 'just washed puffy' dance my hair likes to do the day after.

I also have been using the Straight Fixation Smoothing Cream on the front crown section of my hair. I find that even when I'm not styling my hair much I will blow dry the front areas straight so that I at least can look decent.

 

I have used the Flawlessly Straight Conditioner once and then straightened my hair. I found that it locks in lots of shine in my hair so that even if you straighten your hair with a not so great straightener it doesn't look damaged and in fact makes you straightened hair last longer without needing retouches.

 

I would recommend all these product to you if you would like to make your frizz ease (you get the joke?!) and tame your lovely strands. However, adding to much of any of these will weight your hair down because they are quite concentrated products.

 

Let me know what other products you have found works to keep your hair lovely and smooth.

 

Priyanka xx

Bannana, Mango Nut Oatmeal

Breakkkfassttting with Priyanka once again!

 

Oh yeah baby (I know you love it).

 

Life couldn't get better with a stack of mangos/ mango puree in my fridge. Literally, all week I have been jumping out of bed (which is very difficult since its pitch black every morning) excited to eat my mango filled breakfasts.

 

Here is a way I have been loving to incorporate my favourite fruit into my first meal.

 

Banana, Mango Nut Oatmeal:

 

-1 Tbsp. Oats (you can cook as much oats if you usually do)

-1 Tbsp. Chia Seeds

- 4-5 Chopped Slices of Mango

- 1 Small Handful of Blueberries

- 1/2 Banana

- 1 Tsp. Pumpkin Seeds

- 1 Tsp. chopped almonds

 

If you want to be really cheeky like I was this week add a heaped Tbs of CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER. I found one from Asda called The Wild Peanut Chocolatey which has honey and no added sugar so therefore is 'clean' to eat.

 

- Cook the oats with chia seeds in the microwave/ hob

- Place the chopped mangos in the centre of the oatmeal and coined banana slices around the edge

- Add you toppings; chocolate peanut butter/ chopped almonds, pumpkin seeds and blueberries on top.

 

There are so many variations of this breakfast you could try. I've had my mango oatmeal with healthy sweet potato brownie chunks on top and oh it's delishhh.....

 

Let me know how you like your morning oatmeal so I can test them out in my own kitchen.

 

Priyanka xx

Mac Pro Longwear Concealer

Dark spots? Scars? Acne? 

Trust me, been there done that.

 

I had been searching for a good, high coverage concealer in Boots for a long time and finally gave up hunting for something that clearly doesn't exist. A good concealer in my eyes is difficult to find, especially when you're using it for coverage purposes.

 

Mac seems to be a popular and trust worthy brand in many people's eyes, so I opted to buy Mac's Pro Longwear Concealer and I am glad I made that decision. I put 1 pump of the concealer in a small circular container (which was originally a Mac tester pot) and use my No.7 Concealer Brush dab it onto any places I want to cover up, which is mainly darker scars on my forehead. I have found that layering the product over the area is key to making it look natural, even though this takes a little extra time to do.

 

The concealer is light weight, has brilliant coverage and lasts all day so no touch ups are necessary. A little product goes a long way and I think it is perfect for camouflaging. I haven't used this under my eyes because this shade would be too dark for that purpose and I prefer slightly lighter, natural coverage for the under eye area.

 

Have you tried any other products that cover up pigmentation effectively?

 

Priyanka xx