Recipes From My Kitchen

2017 was the most painful year for me personally and professionally. In April 2017 I met with a running related injury which initially seemed like it would go away, but later realized required a surgical intervention. But that is a story for another time. Today I want to share about something I have never talked about before. On the professional front, I decided to shut down my company which I started in 2013 - MediaLabs. After a long corporate stint with leading companies and being a consultant for a few years, I finally decided to start off on my own. The idea of this startup was a project pitch I had made to an international bank for their backend operations support. Back in 2013 digital marketing companies were still emerging and no one had a concrete idea of how social and digital media actually works as a marketing tool. But everyone wanted to try it since it was the most sought after channel. My project pitch to my client included a lot of background research work f...

Do you agree that roasted garlic is the best thing ever? As far as near-magical transformations go, roasted garlic should get a standing ovation. Through the simple alchemy of hot oven heat, garlic starts off raw and crunchy and astringent, and it emerges soft and caramelized with a gentler flavor that borders on sweetness. It’s like night and day. Ingredients: 1 or more heads of garlic Olive oil Method: Heat the oven to 200°C & set the rack in the middle position. Peel (most of) the paper off the garlic. Peel away all the loose, papery, outer layers around the head of garlic. Leave the head itself intact with all the cloves connected. Trim about 1/4 inch off the top of the head of garlic to expose the tops of the garlic cloves. Drizzle 1 to 2 teaspoons of olive oil over the exposed surface of the garlic, letting the oil sink down into the cloves. Wrap the garlic aluminum foil and roast in the oven for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, begin checking the garlic. ...

As the leaves start to change color and cheery pumpkins show up on doorsteps, summer seems like a distant memory and we're smack-dab in the middle of fall. And while pumpkin spice-flavored treats make their appearance just about, well, everywhere, do you even know what it contains? Here's what it is and why you should make it at home. (Hint: It's as easy as it gets!) Guess What? There's No Pumpkin in Pumpkin Spice! For years, I thought pumpkin pie spice actually had pumpkin in it. Silly me. How on earth would you get pumpkin in there? Dehydrate and powder it? In any case, pumpkin pie spice is simply a blend of the traditional spices that go into a good ol' fashioned pumpkin pie. What's in Pumpkin Pie Spice? If you go the store-bought route, pumpkin pie spice blends can vary by manufacturer, but typically contain the more sweet-smelling spices, like cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and ginger. Allspice and mace are also common ingredients. Why Should ...

Forget jars of red sauce — homemade marinara is where it's at. This tomato sauce takes 20 minutes to make and requires zero planning. If marinara doesn't already have a spot in your stable of easy weeknight recipes, it will soon.  Pureed Tomatoes Versus Chunky Tomatoes Puréed tomatoes might feel like the obvious choice here, but I recommend using whole peeled tomatoes for your marinara sauce. These break down into perfect sauciness in about 20 minutes, but still retain a little substance, which gives the sauce some body — something sauces made with purée can lack. I've also used diced raw tomatoes, but find that these generally don't break down as easily or quickly; they're fine to use if you don't mind (or if you prefer!) a chunkier sauce. If you are using canned tomatoes, then any canned tomatoes you have in your pantry can be used in a pinch, up to and including tomatoes that you've canned yourself. Avoid tomatoes that have flavourings or herbs added ...

A couple of days ago I shared the pre long run checklist for runners , and today as we lead into the weekend for our next long run, here is the post long run checklist that I follow. After a long run, we all get that mental fog, so a post long run checklist like this keeps me on track to recover well and make the most of all the hard work in the long run. After all, recovery after the workout is just as important as the workout itself! Here's the checklist that I having been following: Post Run Hydration, Nutrition & Hygiene: As soon as I finish my run, without wasting any time, I first drink 500 ml of water which is specifically kept for post run. I then have my whey protein which kills my hunger for the time being and ofcourse its most effective at that time only. The next thing I do is change into a fresh t-shirt and wear a jacket to keep me warm. All these 3 steps are important and have their own significance to post run recovery. Post Run Stretches: I ...

"Oh! I have a sweet tooth"  "I just cannot live without sweets"  "Indian sweets are my favorite"  "Icecream is my weakness"  "Who doesn't love doughnuts"  Sugar cravings affect everyone. And I am guilty of it too. I have tried to go all out and cut out processed sugar from my diet completely and I have been reasonably successful. The key to dealing with them is to start with understanding why you’re getting them in the first place. Once we are conscious and aware of the reasons, we can make the necessary changes to lessen them. Top reasons why we have sugar cravings: Not Having Enough Calories:  I have made this mistake in the initial days when I wanted to lose weight. I would follow some random diet off the internet and then feel very weak and tired within a few days. I didnt know the science behind dieting or very specifically creating a calorie deficit. When we get the body in a calorie deficit m...

Running is more than just a sport. It is a way of life, and as a runner, you know that certain components are necessary for safe, efficient running. Proper gear and suitable running conditions are crucial. Proper gear is an integral part of running, and one of the most important pieces of running gear is, of course, running shoes. Once you have taken the time to methodically select the perfect running shoe for your type of running, your average pace, and the typical conditions you are accustomed to running in, it is important to ensure that you maintain proper upkeep of your running shoes. If you are training for your Half Marathon or Marathon, you will most probably be having more than 2 pairs of shoes. You might have also been told to retire your shoe after its had its life of running for 800km +. Each brand has its own retirement age and sometimes it depends on the condition of sole. As I'm leading up to a Marathon training, I have invested in an additional pair of sho...