Dear ones,
As we slowly step into a New Year, here’s wishing you a very happy holiday season and a joyful and beautiful 2019. It has been such a privilege and pleasure to be on a journey of exploring food and sharing recipes this past year.
Thank you so much for being an important part of this journey. Your feedback and support have encouraged me, helped me explore and learn beyond my scope, and improve myself. As a personal thank you, I would like to offer this 2019 monthly planner as a New Year’s Gift. I am a very pen and paper girl and I designed this planner to help me navigate through my weeks and I wish you would like it too!
I just wanted to take this day (and a little time of yours’) to reflect on some of the key highlights from last year and also ask your help (via this feedback form) in helping me look into “things to focus on” in 2019.
Three Key Highlights from this year have been:
Conscious and Mindful cooking
I always knew that my state of mind while cooking has an effect on the way a dish turns out to be so I am always very mindful of being fully present to the food and the process of Cooking. But this last year, we have been deeply touched by the effects we have on the environment through the various choices we make. As a conscious step, we have had made changes to our choices of food that are seasonal, local, and organic. We try to buy from local vegetable vendors but when in a supermarket, we’ve consciously started looking for “place of origin” tags.
We’ve also started becoming mindful of the waste we create from cooking. So choices like avoiding products that come in plastic packaging, using kitchen scraps to make vegetable stock, and composting the green waste from the kitchen.
I would love to know more suggestions from everyone!
I also started a closed facebook group Mindful Cooking & Eating to bring together questions, suggestions, and practices that help in the same. If you are interested in the dialogue, please do join in!
Meal Planning!
I love cooking and I enjoy cooking every day but there were always days when I would come back home with no clue or idea in my head of what I want to or could cook. On my way home, I will be trying to remember, “ok, what’s in the fridge? What can I cook? How much time do I have?” Does it sound familiar to any of you?
I can’t tell you how much Meal Planning has helped in making cooking stress-free and joyful every time! Almost 4 months ago, I started planning weekly meals. It takes some time on the Sunday or Saturday when I sit to do it, but after that meals during the whole week are a breeze.
It saves me time while doing grocery shopping, it saves me the mental exercise of figuring out what to cook every evening, it is healthy, and it helps in ensuring no wastage in the kitchen.
Would you like me to share my meal plans? Let me know in the Reader’s Survey or in comments below! I am a very pen and paper girl so I have to have my meal plan written and stuck on my kitchen wall! Here’s a template for meal planning that I made, if you would like to download one for yourself.
Improved Images, Recipe Edits, and Planning
This has happened all because of your comments and feedback. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I have been motivated to continue to improve existing recipes, and regularly post new ones because you have been there for me with your thoughtful emails and comments!
“That was very nice Ashima. I deviated slightly (as I often do when cooking) and added some carrot. Normally I would put quite a bit of fresh coriander on the top but went with the mint as you suggested and it was nice. I used quite a bit more red chili as well and ate it with some chapattis I made. Delicious.”
“I just made your moong dal recipe that I ate with your gluten-free Jowar roti (recipe on your website) for the 1st time and it was delicious! Very easy to make, not too spicy and very tasty 🙂
Thank you so much for making my day !”
Thank you to all of you for making my days, my weeks, my months, and the whole of last year! I really hope, you like the Monthly Planner I designed for you. I’ve designed this small questionnaire (or a feedback form) to know more about your preferences so that I can plan the next year more in tune with what you like! The questionnaire just has a few simple questions which will not take more than 5 mins 🙂
Thank you for your time, your support, and your love for my weekend kitchen!
Wishing everyone a beautiful and enriching New Year!
Lots of love,
Ashima
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