I am pretty sure all you people pregnant, married or single know what a 20 week baby should like (thanks to the baby boom in the blog world). I am going to keep these updates personal and highlight the best part of the week or anything weird/ annoying that may have happened, so I can look back a year down the line what I felt during the x week of pregnancy.

Last week has certainly been quite crazy, the first full week after the holidays and lots of work. To top it all, I was itching like crazy all week which mainly started after eating. I know skin dryness is a major issue during pregnancy but I have that taken care of. The doctor tested me for any medical condition that may be inducing the itching but nothing there too. In the end it looks like, I am allergic to something.

Major suspects:

• Dairy
• Wheat (croissant at Starbucks and the English muffin sandwich created a major disturbance in my life on Monday morning)

• Spices….i am thinking cayenne (curries scare me at the moment)
• Oily food.
• banana

• Eggs
• Avocado, how depressing would it be to eat a chipotle bowl without guacamole
• cheese (covered in dairy)
• Peanuts.

Clementines and yogurt have been my best friends this week, really if the little peanut nugget had been a girl  I would have nicknamed her clementine

Do you ever ask yourself this question, why does everything taste better with butter? I really do! Its the first crumbly bite of warm crumbly bread slathered with butter that makes you think so, it is the warm Parisian croissant that is just subtly perfuming the dough that makes you think so, it is the sinfully delicious sugary frosting that makes you think so..well I could go on, but you get the idea right!! Oh and I have been watching Julie and Julia and Paula’s best dishes all day. I also believe that a dish does not have to be swimming in butter to give it that distinct yum factor. A little butter goes a long way.

In India, classically north Indian dishes have the striking quality of bursting with aromas from the melee of spices mingling together in forbidden quantity of butter and heavy cream. These curries are typically cooked low and slow providing the blanket of comfort in the cruelly cold winters in the northern part of the country.

One dish belonging to this category of cooking is butter chicken or traditionally called Murg (chicken) Makhani (in a buttery sauce). Makhani is a buttery creamy sauce that has also been adopted by vegetarians to flavor their staples like paneer, mushrooms, baby corns or mixed veggies. If you are a vegan you can use also tofu, just like I used tofu to make my tofu tikka masala.

As comforting and delicious the food gets on adding butter, I cannot come to terms with the idea of clogging my own arteries and that’s when you put your thinking hat on. Good for me, my mum did the thinking and I follow her recipe.

So presenting to you my mama’s low fat butter chicken! It is easy, takes hardly any time to cook, easy on your waistline and take my word, its delicious!

Step 1: Cut the chicken thighs into 1 inch cubes and allow it to sit in the yogurt marinade for at least 30 minutes or upto 8 hours but no more.

Step 2: While the chicken marinates, get started on the makhani gravy. Chop tomatoes and garlic.

To a skillet, add 1 tbsp butter and whole spices. Let them cook for about a minute.

Next add the tomatoes and garlic and enjoy the olfactory pleasure! Once the tomatoes get soft and mushy which takes about 7-8 minutes add the powdered spices.

Let it go for another minute and using a blender or stick blender, blend it to a smooth consistency..no chunks please. And yes, the whole spices stay in do not remove them!

Step 3: Once the tomato mixture is ready, in the same skillet or another one add the second tbsp of butter, julienned ginger and serrano peppers. Let them cook for about a minute.

Add the smooth tomato mixture, cover and cook on low heat for for about 10 minutes.

While the gravy cooks the chicken can be cooked. I used a stove top grill to cook’em but you can also pan fry them or roast them.

Add the cooked chicken pieces, honey, milk , garam masala and season to taste. Let the chicken cook in the gravy for about 3-4 minutes.

Garnish and serve with rice or whole wheat naan (recipe coming soon)

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp butter ( you can also use canola oil, earth balance)
• 1lb chicken thighs
• 1 serrano pepper deseeded and julienned
• 1 inch piece of ginger julienned
• 4-5 medium sized tomatoes (I used roma) diced
• Whole spices: 1 stick cinnamon, 1 bay leaf, 2-3 cardamom pods, 1 flower of mace (optional)
• Powdered spices: 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2 tbsp garam masala powder.
• For the marinade: 1 cup Yogurt, 1 inch piece of ginger grated, 2 cloves of garlic minced, salt, pepper and lemon juice.
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 tbsp honey
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Marinate the chicken pieces in the yogurt marinade for at least 15 minutes but no more than 8 hours or else the chicken tends to get stringy and tough.
2. While the yogurt marinates for 15 minutes, get started with the makhani gravy. To a skillet, add 1 tbsp of butter, whole spices, tomato and garlic. Cook the tomatoes till they become soft and pulpy. This should take about 7-8 minutes.
3. Once the tomatoes reach a soft consistency add the powdered spices and let it cook for another two minutes.
4. At this stage pulse the tomato mixture in a blender or using an immersion blender to get a smooth consistency. This smooth consistency is the hallmark feature of a makhani gravy so don’t leave it chunky.
5. In the same skillet, add the second tbsp of butter, julienned ginger and serrano peppers and let cook for about a minute.
6. Add the tomato mixture and once it starts bubbling, cover and let it simmer for about 7-8 minutes.
7. In the mean time the marinating chicken pieces can be cooked. I grilled the chicken on a stove to grill, you can pan fry it or even roast in the oven for 30 minutes, whatever suits your fancy.
8. Once the chicken pieces are cooked, transfer them to the simmering gravy and let it go for another 3-4 minutes.
9. Lastly, add the honey, milk and garam masala. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Q. Your favorite dish at an Indian restaurant?

Gobhi (cauliflower) masala is one of the few dishes that is cooked in almost all Indian kitchens. While there is a traditional tried and tested recipe I have in my recipe box, I always keep my eyes open for some new easier cauliflower recipes. I am taking no credit for this recipe idea after having seen it on many blogs and on aarti party.

Roasting the cauliflower in the oven with the spices intensifies the flavor and when it comes to spices there are so many combinations you can try. I stuck to a simple Indian theme and can safely tell you this combination is a winner in our house.

Here I present my version.

Cut cauliflower florets, wash and dry to remove excess moisture

Sprinkle your choice of spices, I would say curry powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and garam masala.

To enhance the flavors further I added the zest of 1 lime.

Easy peasy marinade: 1/3 cup olive oil, juice of one lime, salt and pepper. Pour over the spiced cauliflower and mix really well.

In the oven at 425 F for 30 minutes!

Served along side white rice and dal!

And some tea!

Your favorite Veg?

First..A very Happy New Year to all my blog friends!!!

Now onto some baby update..

My last prenatal appointment was at 16 weeks which was a routine check up to monitor my overall progress and how I felt! My blood reports were discussed and everything looked good except that I was in my second trimester and still not gaining any weight, actually I lost four pounds. While the doctor did not find it unusual she just wanted to do an ultrasound to check if the baby is doing fine.

At the ultrasound, the technician asked if we wanted to know the sex of the baby and we were so excited to find out since we were was not expecting to know until mid-January.

So the ultrasound revealed that we are having a boy!!!

We are very excited to have our little boy with us in five months. Right now I am at 18 weeks and feeling great!

While weight gain I think is not much of an  issue, I have to be sure that I make some changes and one major one is to include more protein in my diet. The others being,

• Drink milk
• Eating greens with both my meals
• consume 4 servings of fruits
• Again increase my protein intake (this is supremely important)

With pregnancy a lot has changed. While I have been blessed to not get much morning sickness there have been somethings that I just cannot eat even now which include,

- Eggs

- Brown rice/quinoa

- cheese (yuck!)

- chicken (Never been much of a eater but now even the though makes me queasy)

Hope you all had a fantastic start to the new year!

Instead of a baby post, I have a reflections 2011 post today. This year has been full of ups and downs with the biggest highlight being our little peanut. I will be doing a baby post on new years day and reveal the sex of our little peanut. Until then any guesses???

So here is my 2011 in posts and pictures!

January:

I was in India!

Had a series of fun Guest posts!

Travel- Singapore

February:

Celebrated my birthday with family at Wasabi by Iron Chef Morimoto in TAJ!

My birthday gift- my very first macbook. (just so you know I am in love with my macbook)

March:

Tried chipotle for the first time..It is the little things in life my friends

April:

Experience hail stones for the first time.

May:

Ran my first race- 5K

Celebrated 5 years of togetherness with my husband at the Biltmore Estate in NC!

Switched Labs after putting two years of my life into a downhill research project. (Side note: Found a new lab that I am currently working in and absolutely love my work)

Determined to fulfill one of my new years resolution to be an early riser: FAILED MISERABLY!

Started a 100 things that make me happy series!

First blogger meet up ever with Anastasia!

June:

Some fun recipes were tried during this month,

July:

Second race-5K

August:

Strained my hips that put me off running for a while

September:

The injury streak continues with a toe fracture.

October and November were really uneventful. I was in my first tri and the exhaustion just got the better of me. No meals in the kitchen worth sharing on the blog.

December:

My pregnancy announcement

Celebrating this milestone in Vegas

Christmas feast at home.

While I have some solid goals in mind for the year 2012, I know I’ll have to be flexible with a baby on the way. Here’s hoping that 2012 will bring us all happiness, joy, good health and good luck!

Happy New Year in advance from The Healthy Diary family!

Every year for thanksgiving and christmas we get into the spirit of celebrating and cook up a feast… wait a correction here, someone only gets into the spirit with me…I cook up a feast. The theme this year has been Tandoori. For folks unknown to the magic of tandoori Indian food, it is food roasted in a clay oven at very high temperature which gives it a naturally smoky flavor. The most common food cooked in a tandoor (clay oven) are Naan and chicken.

This thanksgiving I decided to go for a full on tandoori menu and the husband was so impressed that I made it again on Christmas!

Menu:

Chicken tandoori, roasted in the oven

Hara bhara kebab

Salad

Whole wheat naan

See the small corner of the naan torn, the husband ate it!

Veg. pilaf

Chocolate-toffee cheesecake pie.

I had such a blast cooking this  meal and especially since the husband loved it all

And my secret Santa gave me something from my kitchen wishlist,

Excuse my dorky look...

Coming up next, a baby post!!

In case you are wondering about my sudden disappearance again, I have a perfectly valid explanation this time. We were on our babymoon to the Sin City!!!! This was my first time in Vegas and believe me, I was very apprehensive about going to this place. Since I am not a drinker, gambler or late night dancer my chances of liking this city were miniscule. But Vegas proved me wrong. Agreed, people who do all of the above will guaranteed have much more fun, but vegas can be for losers like me too

Walking around all the places there, my lungs were filled with enough cigarette smoke that I could have breathed till date. In addition to the regular glitziness, we got to experience more decorations since Christmas is right around the corner!

Our room,

The view from our room at the Wynn, cannot rave enough about the wynn…it was just spectacular!

Decorations at the wynn,

Palazzo,

I really cannot wait to go to the real Venice after seeing this,

Digging into my sorbet- lychee and guava, eating for two remember

no idea why I am surprised here,

Really beautiful,

Walking on the strip…electric…

The bellagio water fountains had some technical difficulty..so the show was cancelled…boo.

Caesars palace

Lovely decorations at the bellagio!

And the coveted chocolate fountain,

Now here’s the deal about my food photos, I did not have my compact sony point and shoot with me so my pictures are phone quality and really crappy.

Grand lux cafe: Indo chinese shrimp…the best dish! With a coconut background and sweetened with currants and apricots this dish was just amazing.

Tao Asian Bistro: Veggie dumplings, sweet onion tempura, shrimp pad thai! The staff was excellent and educated us taking our dietary restrictions in to consideration.

  Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill:

the famous bread basket,

Appetizers: Chicken tacos with caramelized onion.

Cornmeal crusted chile relleno- nice dish but very cheesy and right now cheese and I are on loggerheads.

Vegas is just spectacular and one of the most vibrant places I have been to!

Okay, enough of these random hide and seek posts,  I have been wanting to share a news for the last three months (ever since I found out),

Pretty sure, my baby will have brown hair and not blond

[Source]

We are going to have a baby!!!!!!!!!!!

Little Peanut is due June 02, 2012.

This could probably explain the lack of regular posting on the blog.I have been blessed to have just minimal morning sickness however I have not been so  lucky in the physical exhaustion department. Working long hours in the lab did not help either, I literally have hit a wall everyday at 6:30 pm. The headaches have been driving me nuts too. I have some residual pain over my lids as I type this.

How far am I: 14 weeks 3 days.

How do I feel: Happy to be in the second trimester. Don’t have a visible bump yet but I’ll attribute that to my not so lean frame.

Activity: I was a big “bum” for the first two months, but i am slowly getting my groove back, still not proud, but its better.

Food: No cravings or aversion in particular.

Since I am now in a much better state and cooking and eating, resuming my blog life seemed to be the right thing to do at  this time

Hey guys!! Over the hump, although I do feel this week has just been drrraaaaggggiiinnngg (dragging, if the stretching made it too hard to read)

And then I have Paula Deen’s spatula,

Nigella’s Magic Egg WhiskLibbey Spice Jar’s

While there are many more kitchen products I would love to have, these were the ones I could remember on top of my head. You can see, I am not a fashionista but a kitchenista. I love love products that pretty up my kitchen

Note, the picture is recycled

Hello lovely people! In my last post I mentioned about November intents, I mean we are already a week into November, but challenges and goals are what keep me going in real life and on the blog.

Goals for November

• Like Sarah, I want to make a regular reading schedule for my defense (scheduled for late January/early February).
• After my injuries my workout schedule has been terribly thrown off, I want to get myself back in action by working out 4 days/week at least.
• Make healthy easy meals 5-6 times a week. You have no idea how bad I have been these days.
• Include greens in at least one of my meals everyday. I have been slacking off with my greens and its time I take some action.

Now that I have this off my mind and into words, lets move onto some kitchen action.

Baking, I know as hard that is to believe I baked a bread at home and the best thing of all I succeeded. For those who don’t know this, I am not a baker. Today I wanted to try making an easy banana bread at home, so I came across this recipe online and decided to follow it to the “T”. I have one expectation from recipes, if they are posted for others to follow they should be correct, right! Well this one left my dough so dry, I had to add 1 cup of almond milk to moisten it. Once I did that modification, it looked fine and off it went to bake in the oven!

After about 30ish minutes,

It was perfect, moist a bit dense but really flavorful. The molasses flavor really came through. Oh, and it is husband approved

Dinner was simple and Julie and Julia inspired. After watching Julie cook bruschetta in the movie, all I could think of was bruschetta. I used whatever ingredients I had on hand and something fun was created.

Really, I have to agree butter makes everything better!!!!

The base: Whole wheat bread cut into triangles and toasted with butter!

Toppings: EVOO, balsamic vinegar, roma tomatoes, canned artichoke hearts, cilantro (the only herb I had on hand), red pepper flakes, Salt and pepper!!

Your favorite chick-flick?

Your favorite thing to bake?