Strawberry Banana smoothie

Smoothies...yummm... i always love smoothies...be it any time of the year...and especially in the scrotching summer....refreshing...

is it summer yet? i doubt...but is already darn hot here in TX....hows it at your end? 

whoever  I speak to these days,be it some friend from up north...or someone from back home in India...everybody is complaining about the warm weather...i don't know whats up with weather this year..its extremely hot so early...my li'l one is stuck indoors almost for the whole day....dying to go out and play in the sand box, ride the slide n the swing...but have to wait until the end of the day to take a peek outside :( 

same with me too...

smoothies like this help us keep our cool on these days...

and what better fruit to use in the summer other than strawberry...these days you find  plenty of  locally grown berries in the farmer's market....red and delicious ones...good to munch on as such and also can we whipped into a quick smoothie....sometimes we switch our evening tea with a cool chilled smoothie....very relaxing after a long sunny day...

You'll need:


Strawberries: 6-7 nos, stems removed and coarsely chopped
Banana: 1, sliced
Yogurt: 1/2 cup
Milk: 1/2 cup
Sugar: 1 tbsp

Blend strawberries and banana with the milk and sugar until smooth and at the end add the yogurt and loads of ice and blend for another 30 secs...
I like mine slightly chunky....small bites of berries when you take a sip...oh, my!! heavenly..enjoy the summer :)

perfect straw cup for ur li'l one

Lil-Gripper-Straw-Cup

have you ever wondered which sippy cup is good for ur li'l one?? i have....and also have spent quite a lot of time in the kids aisle,  juggling 2-3 cups in my hands reading the manual and comparing the pros and cons of each...
recently bought this one for my li'l one whose is almost two...(actually she is 18 months old....but i like to say it as almost two...which gives me a slight relief as the arrival date of our second bundle of joy looms near..)
i was not sure if she is ready for the cup with a straw, so was using the regular sippy cup with a soft spout.but I found her struggling to sip a mouthful of water from it....and at the end she drank very less water.
this one with a straw helps toddlers drink water easily and also has a slider which closes and keeps the straw clean.
you can also toss it into your hand bag on the go...need not fear about spills too :)
somehow i felt it perfect for my toddler...so thought of sharing with u moms out there....just a thought :)
give it a try....ur li'l one might like it too

Rava ladoo..sweet semolina balls

its time for something sweet...generally i am not a sweet person....i mean literally and also when it comes to food ;) but recently I have a craving for something sweet once in a while... otherwise also i enjoy a small piece of dessert(be it anything) after my food...but just a small piece..even a candy would do...i guess these days my sweet tooth is popping up every now and then :)
this ladoo is a very simple one...even simpler when I accidently brought home a can of sweetened grated coconut from the Indian store...i usually buy canned coconut milk.this one was sitting next to it in the aisle.

You'll need:


Rava/Semolina: 1 cup
Sugar: 1 cup
Warm Milk: 5-6 tsp
Grated coconut: 1/3 cup
Cashew nuts: 10 nos
Raisins: 10 nos
Cardamom pwdr: a pinch
Ghee: 2 tbsp

Note: If you are using the canned sweetened grated coconut like me, use 1/3 of a can and you can omit the sugar as the coconut is already sweetened.

How to make:


Heat 1 tbsp of ghee in a pan and first roast the cashew nuts and then the raisins.Drain them from oil and set aside.
Add rest of the ghee and roast the rava on low flame till you get a nice aroma.
Mix grated coconut and sugar in a bowl. To this add roasted rava, followed by cashew and raisins.
Mix well and add a pinch of cardamom pwdr. To this mixture, add a few tsps of warm milk, just enough to bind everything together.
Gather small balls of size of a lemon from the mixture, just by rolling it in your palm.
Add a few tsps more of milk if its not firming up good.
Rava ladoo is ready...yumm...