Tag Archives: Nepal

Getting healthier and fitter after a baby

Post baby body is a subject talked about a lot. Even before I was pregnant, I used to read about the effect of pregnancy and so forth.

Of course, if you have grown a small human being inside your tummy, your body needs to adjust to that so it is not surprising that the body changes so much. The only thing I wanted while I was pregnant was having a healthy bub and thank God Chhori is perfectly healthy and happy.

Long before I fell pregnant, I told myself, I am going to exercise as normal while pregnant and not make pregnancy an excuse to binge eat.

myoga

I did not do so bad with the pregnancy, as I only ate a few days without thinking and kept exercising unit the day before the birth. I am happy about it but I still managed to put on 18 kilos in total. The recommended average weight gain is 15kg so I was slightly worried that I went above the average even after putting in so much effort but when I looked at Chhori for the first time, it was all worth it.

my pregnancy

When Chhori was 3 months old, I joined a gym and I have shared the ups and downs of it in this blog. After around 6 months, I discovered that my gym did HIIT (high intensity interval training) classes and I joined the session almost every day. Even though I exercised only 30 to 45 minutes a day 4-5 times a week, I saw changes to my body within few weeks. exercising (1)

With exercise and diet, I managed to loose almost all the extra kilos from my body. One of the major changes, I made to my diet was introducing quinoa in place of rice or roti or bread. I know there are people who believe in super foods while others don’t. But for me it worked and I am now in a very healthy weight range again.

Different people have different goals after pregnancy and mine was to be fitter and healthier again and after last week, I have to admit to myself that I have done well. Last weekend I went to a friend’s daughter’s birthday party; it was a fine autumn afternoon in the park and we all had heaps of fun including Chhori who was pushing the walker everywhere.

chhori

Anyway, in that party, I met many people who I hadn’t met for several months and everyone complimented me on how good I looked, how I have lost weight and look as good as before the baby. There are many days when I am not happy with the way I look or my progress but that day I was over the moon, getting all those compliments.

Chhori (3)

I am still eating well and exercising as much as possible. I wake up early a few days and try to do some exercise before going to work. Also during lunch break I either swim, do yoga or run a few times a week. I hope to have leaner muscles and gain more strength. I want to push myself more and keep eating healthy.

Chhori (2)

I want to set an example to Chhori that eating healthy and exercising is really important in life and it is not a choice. If you make excuses there are many you can make but if you want to get what you want, you just need to push yourself harder and result will follow.

Take care everyone,

from nepaliaustralian

XOXO

P.S: Do not forget to nominate your favourite blog . NEPALIAUSTRALIAN’s Blog Award 2015

 

My mum’s pan fried Rohu fish

Nothing can beat mum’s home cooked meals. One of the things I have always craved for is my mum’s fried fish. I used to eat them almost every week when I was in Nepal but since I came here, I wasn’t able to make it as tasty as my mom used to make it. So last night I got mom to cook the fish for us so I that I could take notes of the recipe and I am sharing this with all of you too.

Ingredients

  • 1 whole Rohu fish (2kg) cut into pieces about 1 to 1 ½ cm thick
  • 3 teaspoons Coriander powder
  • 3 teaspoons Coriander powder
  • 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder
  • 2 teaspoons Chilli powder
  • 2 teaspoons Garlic mince
  • 2 teaspoons Ginger powder
  • 2 tablespoon Mustard seeds (or powder)
  • Salt to taste (I used 5 teaspoons)
  • 300 ml vegetable oil

Method

  • If you are using mustard seed, use mortar and pestle or grinder to make the powder.

basa fish (1) basa fish (3)

  • In a large bowl, add fish, Coriander powder, Cumin powder, Turmeric powder, Garlic mince, Ginger powder, Mustard powder and salt.

basa fish (2)

  • Mix it well with a help of wooden spoon as it has sharp bones.
  • Leave it in the fridge for 30 minutes or more if possible.

basa fish (4)

  • In a large pan, heat oil.

basa fish (5)

  • Add pieces of fish in a pan making sure they are don’t touching each other.

basa fish (6)

  • Cover the pan and let it cook until brown.
  • Turn the fishes and fry till it is brown on the other side too.

basa fish (7)

  • Have a plate ready with a couple of kitchen paper towels on it.
  • Place the fishes on the plate to soak excess oil out.

basa fish (8)

  • It is best enjoyed hot and be careful of the small bones.

Take care everyone,

from nepaliaustralian

XOXO

P.S: Do not forget to nominate your favourite blog . NEPALIAUSTRALIAN’s Blog Award 2015

Newari Gwaramari

In Kathmandu most of us have happy memories of eating Gwaramari and tea for breakfast during cold winter months.

In Newari “Gwara” means round and “mari” means bread so Gwaramari literally means round bread but to people who have eaten it, it is not just ordinary bread but a very yummy one with a distinct flavour.

I was craving for some Gwaramari for a while so I decided to try making it with a friend. It took us a few attempts to get it right but I am very happy with the end result. It tasted really good.

Ingredients

  • 250 g plain flour
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • Salt to taste
  • 300 ml water
  • 500ml vegetable oil (for deep-frying)

Method

  • In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cumin, coriander and salt.

Nepali Gwaramari (2)

  • Add water slowly stirring continuously to make a thick paste.
  • If you have time, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight otherwise for at least 2 hours.

Nepali Gwaramari (3)

  • In a deep pan, heat the vegetable oil. The oil is hot enough, if you drop small amount of batter and it quickly rises and becomes brown.
  • Once the oil is hot enough, take a table spoon of mixture and place it gently on the hot oil. The dough will puff up and rise to the top of the pan. You can add multiple balls at the same time.

Nepali Gwaramari (4)

  • Fry them until golden brown.
  • Take it out and use paper towel to soak the extra oil.

Nepali Gwaramari (1)

  • It is best served hot with some Masala tea.

Take care everyone,

from nepaliaustralian

XOXO

Bollywood fundraiser concert in Ashburn, Virginia for Nepal earthquake victims

First of all a big thank you to Deepa, one of my regular readers, and all the organisers for organizing a fund raiser concert in Ashburn, Virginia for Nepal Earth Quake Victims.

If you are anywhere near Ashburn, VA on 5th June 2015, please go and support the event. It will be a fun night with lots of songs and dances by local artists.

Admission is free but please be generous and donate for a good cause. Rajdhani Mandir will make a one to one match for the first $10,000 raised. All proceeds will go to earthquake victims of Nepal and believe me every penny counts.

Details of the event

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Date: 5th June 2015

Time: 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Venue: Clubhouse Lawn at Loudoun Valley

              43100 Barnstead Drive

               Ashburn, VA 20148

Thank you everyone once again.

A heartfelt plea from my friend

As most of you are aware a major earthquake struck eastern Nepal, the second one in two weeks. Over a hundred people were killed and more than 2,500 injured.

AS and I are lucky that all our close relatives survived the quake but not every family was so lucky. Here I am sharing the story the family of my friend’s first cousin. The family lost everything in the earthquake, their house, their business which was their only source of income, and above all their father.

“The earthquake that struck Nepal on 25th April claimed my father’s life. I still regret that I wasn’t home that day. My sisters were able to pull my mother out of the house and all my sisters managed to get out alive but my dad couldn’t.” – Sujan Malla (My friend’s cousin)

I know most of you have already donated to one cause or another to help Nepal but today I am requesting you to donate $5 if not more to this family and help my friend build a house for a family who have lost everything. I know skipping coffee for a day is not a lot to ask for.

I promise I will keep you posted how we go with the fundraising and once the house is built; I will definitely share the good news.

Here are some words from my friend.

My uncle’s family was a normal and simple Nepali family with a father, mother and kids. They were leading a simple joyous life running a family business “Newa Bamboo Kitchen”. Despite the mother’s poor health, the family was happy and always there for each other.

Suddenly the earthquake changed everything. The family lost the father, their only house and their business in one day. Now they are living in a tent with no source of income and an uncertain future.

When I saw the posting about the quake in the social media, I was worried about my uncle as he was already old and sick too. I tried to get in touch with the family but had no luck. After three days, I got in touch with my cousin and the news devastated me. I couldn’t imagine how it would feel to lose a family member and to lose the house and the property that generated the only income to sustain the family.

There isn’t much I could do other than being sad and feeling sorry. I had few sleepless nights wondering how they must be bearing the pain. I couldn’t really be at ease and determined to try and raise some fund to give them a little relief from their burden.

So here I am requesting all of you to help this family. I know, you must have donated some way or another but I still request you to kindly spare 5 dollars for this family. Maybe we can cut back on some of the stuff that we don’t need right away. Monsoon is coming to Nepal soon and it is heart wrenching to even imagine how they will survive without help. Government help is slow to arrive and hard to get so we are the only hope they have.

Please click here and donate whatever you can.

I would like to thank you for reading this plea. Please help me share this link to spread the word amongst your friends and family.

Thank you,

Sunanda Dongol