How To Make A Simple Rice Dish - Khichdi

A simple rice dish with rice and lentils is normally called khichdi in Asia, because that is where it comes from. It is typed as khichdi but called khichri. It doesn't really have a name in english it is just known as rice and lentils.
Khichdi is a soft rice and lentil dish it can be eaten any time of the day and can be given to babies as it is soft to eat. It is easy to eat and make, it isn't heavy on the spices either. It is mainly known to be given if someone is ill to make them feel better, but you can eat it whenever you want because it is part of a healthy diet.

The ratio of the rice and lentils is totally up to you I used 60% rice and 40% lentils but you can have 50% of each, it's whatever your prefer. You can use Masoor daal which comes in the colour brown and orange or moong daal which is the green lentils and even chick pea lentils, alternatively, you can even use mixed lentils. 

But do bear in mind some lentils like the moong daal may need more water and may take more time to cook than other lentils. If you would like the dish to be more dryer with less water then add less water if you would like it more softer then add more water. 

This recipe is khichdi using red lentils. Makes for 4 people in about 25 to 30 minutes.

Ingredients

Rice 3/4 of a cup (150g)

Red split lentils (Masra daal) 1/2 cup (85g)

Butter 2 tablespoon

Half Onion

Salt 2 teaspoon or to taste

Green Chillies 2 or 3 (optional)

Method

I used a saucepan with a lid to make khichdi but can be made in a pressure cooker or a pan making sure it has a lid though because you will need to steam the rice and lentils.

First of all, wash the lentils and the rice separately and soak in warm water for about 10 minutes and make sure they are drained out of the water before your cook them. 

Next, add two fully heaped tablespoons of butter and add half an onion diced into the butter. Cook the onion until it is soft and translucent and lightly brown, we don't want the onion to be brown too much. 

Once the onion is soft add one cup of water (water added to butter will make it steam up so be careful) and add the lentils in. After that, add 2 teaspoons of salt and the green chillies with the stem cut off and let it steam for about 5 minutes.  

Pinch the lentils to see if they are about cooked if yes, then add 2 more cups of water and add the rice in. 

Then cook for about 15 minutes on low heat with the lid on. You can check after 10 minutes making sure it does not stick to the bottom if you feel there is less water you can add more in and let it steam until cooked, and let it steam until the rice is cooked with the lentils.

Finally, your khichdi should be ready to eat 😊

This is optional but to add more flavour you can add black pepper, grated ginger, bay leaves or cloves. If wanting to serve to babies then you can just use rice and lentils, salt will be optional. You can accompany the khichdi with salad and yoghurt as well.

I hope you enjoy your khichdi!

Benefits of Dates

I want to express how beneficial dates are that is why I am going to tell you the benefits of dates and there are lots, with proof, this is something which is 100% correct because people who eat dates know that this does really work, most importantly dates are energising and there are a lot of health benefits to eating dates. Dates can be eaten on it's own or it is beneficial to eat them with milk, you can add them into the milk or eat them whilst drinking warm milk, or even make it into a date milkshake.

Scientifically it shows that dates are filled with vitamins, minerals and nutrients. Dates are a fulfilling fruit that's why they are best to eat in the morning when you have an empty stomach it will fill you up and give you all the nutrients you need. This is the reason Muslims open their fast during Ramadan with dates as it will help their hunger, low blood pressure and headaches. Dates have a similar taste to raisins and prunes, but has added benefits for everything and are much better to eat.

Dates can help with period pains, childbirth, for newborn babies and all types of health conditions including diseases, blood pressure, anaemia, constipation, diarrhoea, diabetes, mental conditions, skin, hair and eyesight.

A true story is about Hazrat Maryam A.S (Mary) when she was giving birth to Hazrat Isa A.S (Jesus) she was having labour pain so she was told by Angel Jibreel to shake the trunk of the palm tree where she was and eat the dates as they will ease her pain, they also minimise bleeding after birth.

For newborn babies it is said when they are born to give them a small part of a date and place it into the newborns mouth then they will slowly chew on it, after the baby is separated from the umbilical cord it needs it's nutrients which it can get from dates, it is a blessfull and beneficial thing to do for babies it is called Tahneek. This has been scientifically proven, a dose of sugar being rubbed inside a cheek of a baby will help against any issues especially for premature babies. Please seek more information before trying this method it may only be done by specialists.

Dates have a seed long seed inside them you can choose to open the date first and take the seed out and eat it, or you can bite into it eating the actual date and leaving out the seed. The best type of dates are ajwa dates for health problems, protection against toxins and magic,

There are different varieties of dates, first there are unripe dates these dates are newly formed dates still on a palm tree so they are hard inside but can be eaten, then we have dates that are ripe and soft which are mostly eaten by people, there are all kinds of dates with varying colours and different sizes as you can see below.

Thoughts & Notes

This is the best medicine for every single thing honestly, and also the best snack you can eat it is sweet and chewy, share this information to others because it is very useful and will surely help them. Dates can be purchased from food stores they originally come from east asia and can be glazed with glucose to maintain it,  they can be stored anywhere dry and wash before eat. For further information contact me.

Switching to Juice & Water from Fizzy Drinks

In this post, I want to share and let everyone know why juice is good for you and I am sure everyone knows water is very beneficial for you, but also why fizzy drinks are not good for you. There are a lot of health issues that can be raised with fizzy drinks because they can seriously make you ill, me personally the gas in the fizzy drinks really affected me and as soon as I stopped drinking fizzy I noticed a massive difference, going to the toilet on time not having gas or bloating problems it took some time but my body did recover from the fizzy drinks.

You have probably seen all over the internet how people clean their toilets with coke and just think you are drinking that same drink, I know it's not good to think about but no matter how good it tastes it affects your body within you. If you can stop quick it will be good for you otherwise it can become an addiction. This video will give more information about what we are actually drinking and eating, we need to make sure we know what we eat and eat healthily.

I have switched from fizzy drinks to juices, I am not really fond of orange juices because they are tangy for me and I feel as though they can sometimes affect my throat but I do have it once in a while, but I love apple, mango, tropical and blackcurrant juice.

You can also give vegetable juices a try, it will be like a salad in a form of a drink, healthy and also delicious. If you haven't got a juice maker a blender will also do the job.

If I don't have time to make juice which is most of the time I drink ready made juices I normally go for the ones from Asda or Tesco brand which is around 75 to 79p per litre which is cheaper than fizzy drinks. If you can't cut down all at once I suggest minimising the intake of fizzy drinks, so maybe only having half a glass or one glass a day you will find it much easier.

The best liquid I can recommend to you for your body is water. The best and most healthy water on the earth is zam zam water, it is very beneficial for the body and is recommended to stand up and drink it as it purifies your whole body inside you, other drinks you sit down and drink because they do not purify your body inside instead cause harm.

Also, check out this Juicing article for more information on why juicing and juices in general are good for you, it includes recipes as well for making different types of juices.

and good luck in making a healthy start. 😊

Easy Snack Chocolate Cornflakes

I am sharing with you a easy snack you can which is very tasty, but also very quick to make, you can make this within 10 minutes and enjoy it with the whole family.

Ingredients:

For the chocolate cornflakes snack you will need:

Cornflakes (preferably Kelloggs)
Chocolate (preferably dairy milk)
Cupcake cases
Mini eggs, sprinkles, smarties (for decoration)

DK's cakes and bakes

Method

First of all, you need to get a bowl and place the chocolate in the bowl to make about 8 chocolate cornflakes you will need 200g of chocolate (a big bar of dairy milk). You can either use a microwave to heat the chocolate microwaving for around 45 seconds or longer, or you can get a saucepan and boil water until boiled and place the bowl of chocolate above it to melt it.

After the chocolate is melted you want to start adding the cornflakes in I recommend you add a handful at a time and then mix and add again the amount of cornflakes you add is up to you if you want your chocolate cornflakes to be really chocolatey then you would add less.

After you happy with the mixture you can place them into cupcake cases, and then start decorating.
To decorate it is entirely up to you though they still do taste very tasty without decoration. I love adding mini eggs, but you could also add sprinkles chocolate chips it's totally your choice.

After that leave it in the fridge for about 2 to 3 hours, so the chocolate and cornflakes can go hard and hold together and after that it's all done.
This is a really crunchy chocolatey tasty snack and I recommend you try this easy snack because you will surely love it. ❤ .
.

Fun Ways To Drink Fruit

If you are looking for new ways to drink more healthy then here are a few ways you can with fruit, they are super healthy for you. There are a lot of benefits to eating and drinking fruit and don't forget water. ☺
Here are some great ways to add fresh fruit to your diet kids will love them, and to all of these ways you can add as much fruit as you like.
I also did a post Fun Ways To Eat Fruit, check that out to discover alternative ways you can eat more fruit.

Juice

You can use fruits to make pure natural juice without sugar or other ingredients just fruit, it is simple and very healthy. You can make green juice and a lot more juices here are some juice recipes. You can plenty by keeping it in the fridge.

Smoothie

You can make your own smoothies, there are a lot of recipes out there, or you can purchase ready-made smoothies, you can add fruit in there. To make your smoothie you will need a liquid ingredient this can be any of your choice, milk, yoghurt, coconut water or even fruit juice. You can use frozen and fresh fruit to your smoothie and then blend them together until you have a fresh smooth smoothie.

Milkshake

Another way is to make a milkshake, pick the fruit you like and then choose your favourite ice cream and add about 3 scoops of it ant to finish off add milk, for a thinner milkshake add more milk, to start off you can add about 1/4 of a cup. The difference between a milkshake and a smoothie is that in milkshake the key ingredient is ice cream.

Detox water

This is a very simple way to drink water, but with added fruit to give the water a hint of fruit taste to it. All you need to do is add water to a jug and add in your favourite fruits, the fruits will give out taste into the water, there are some infused water combinations on my Pinterest check them out for ideas on which fruits you can use. Orange and kiwi, lemon and cucumber, and strawberry and lemon work well not only is it fun to drink, it is healthy. You can get ready made infused water instead as well.

Fruit Cubes

When drinking any type of drink add some ice cubes, not ordinary water ice cubes but fruit ice cubes. All you have to do is place the fruit in the cube try like berries or any of your choice, you can cut it so it fits into the tray and add water or juice and leave it to freeze. It's an innovating way to make the most out of ice cubes as they add an extra freshness of fruit to your drink and it will definitly appeal to kids.

Tea

If you love tea, why not try fruit tea, you can get fruit tea from supermarkets now as well. You can also make your own iced tea, all you need is your preferred fruit and tea bags, water and granulated sugar it's your choice if your want to sweeten your tea.


Check out my Pinterest Board for other new ideas

Fun Ways To Eat Fruit

If you want to be more creative when eating fruit, especially with your children then here are some ways, in which you can add fruit to and eat fruit in fun ways, so they will taste even more tasty and look even more beautiful.

What we eat is often affected by how appealing or easy it is, these ideas for fruit will definitely make them fun and appealing and are great ways to encourage children to eat healthy and enjoy fruit.

Ice Cream and Fruit cone

When eating ice cream to the ice cream you can add some fruit in there like banana, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and all the other types of berries. Children obviously love ice cream, so they would also love the fruit in there as well.

Or, you can eat ice cream with fruit as a fruit cone, like a normal ice cream cone but add a lot of fruit in there. You can even use ice cream cups or even a plate.

Chocolate

It's not important to have a chocolate fountain, simply just melt some chocolate into a bowl and cut some fruit into pieces like apple, banana, and strawberries and dip the fruit into the chocolate and just enjoy it. You can also keep them in the fridge, so the chocolate goes hard and make them into chocolate covered frozen fruit.

Fruit skewers, Fruit pots, and Fruit salad

Using this way to eat fruit is an easy way, the fruit looks colorful all together, to make fruit skewers just add your favourite fruit onto the skewer stick, it is great to have as a snack or at a party, make sure your children are safe with the sticks.

Fruit pots are products you can get from the supermarket these are good to add to your children's packed lunch, you can also make them at home. A fruit salad is a big salad of chopped fruit you can make in a bowl or plate, and you can add juice, syrup or mint leaves to it.

Cake or Tart

Add fruit to a cake or a tart, there are a lot of recipes out there that include fruit as an ingredient, you can place the fruit at the top and inside the cake or tart, using strawberries is very common in cakes. Or, another fun way is to make strawberry shortbread kabobs they look and taste amazing, check my Pinterest board for the full recipe.

Ice lollies

You can get an ice lolly tray which makes lollies (or you can use empty yoghurt pots) and add your preferred juice and then add chopped fruit which you would like to have, there are alternative ways which you can make them this includes using yoghurt, milk, water or fruit puree. Then leave to freeze and enjoy your lollies, these will be great for summer.

Jelly

Make jelly and add fruit inside the jelly and then leave it in the fridge for a couple of hours and when it turn into jelly you can decorate it even more by adding fruit on the top and around the jelly.

Yoghurt

In yogurt add some fruit like all the berries or any of your choice, or you can get yoghurts that already have fruit in so you can eat it as it as. Another way is to make frozen fruity yoghurt bites you can find the full recipe here.

Glorious Treats

Custard or Trifle

Make custard of your choice banana or strawberry, and before serving add chopped fruit like banana, apple, strawberries and other berries into the custard, it will taste delicious with cold custard. Or, perhaps trifle, trifle includes jelly custard and double cream you can add fruit to the jelly and at the top of trifle with some grated chocolate.

Check out my Pinterest board fun ways to eat fruit and more tips and methods.

I hope you enjoyed these ideas and will use them to eat more fruit and encourage your children as well.
Not only can these ideas work, you can also cut fruit in awesome shapes using cookie cutters or a melon baller to make them look cute.

Another tip, when having breakfast, dessert or even dinner prepare a fruit salad along side it, you can even get plates for kids that have 3 or four sections in them which are called sectioned plates so in one section you can add fruit and vegetables.