Sattva: Issue 19
New year's eve, Brunch and dinner menus, a fascinating podcast episode and more
Wishing you all, dear readers, a Happy New Year!
I have been drafting this newsletter since 1st Jan, and in a span of 5 days, the Omicron wave seems to be all around us. I’ve had to rewrite the intro to the first newsletter issue of 2022 a few times keeping in mind the evolving situation.
Since the start of the pandemic, our mental well-being has been drastically impacted. The last few months of 2021 felt safe and the new year has begun with a steadily climbing peak of Covid cases. It is tough not to be affected by the news of newer variants and increasing cases around us. We all have the same question on our minds - when will this nightmare end and when will we get back to our carefree (in retrospect) lives? Like I tell myself, hang in there and do the best you can to stay safe, stay mentally and physically occupied.
How was your new year’s eve?
Our neighbour had invited us for a party that evening. Even though we had all agreed to take a home test before attending and there was the option of sitting on the deck in the open air, the stress of starting a new year by falling prey to Covid kept us from attending the party.
I have not been a fan of wild parties or large gatherings, even in normal times. It is the small and intimate get-togethers that I truly miss. I shall wait for the days when Covid is behind us and we don’t have to do a SWOT analysis for each time we go out and meet someone or invite someone home, until which time ‘stay safe’ is the mantra.
As you might have figured by now, I decided to chill out at home on NYE. I made myself a Negroni (my current fav cocktail) and ordered food. My husband and kid watched the new season of Kobra Kai, while I settled to watch Bordertown, a Nordic Noir crime series that has me hooked. I went off to sleep by 11.30 pm when I couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore. Woke up all fresh by 6 am to welcome 2022, and a prayer to the universe that the new year is kind to everybody.
Brunches and Dinner Parties - Menu Ideas
As the cases were down over the last few months, we had been inviting friends over once in a while. Not groups, but just in ones and twos. We would sit in the open area of our deck, play some soft jazz and enjoy our food and drinks. Now with Omicron and the third wave upon us, I plan to suspend even this limited entertaining, but I do want to share with you some of the interesting menus I cooked for friends.
You can make a note of it or bookmark this post for ideas when you do invite friends over. I hope this is helpful for you because I find the ‘what menu do I plan’ part tougher than the cooking itself.
North Indian brunch menu
Jamaican pepper roti, peas pulao, moong masoor dal, pindi chhole, instant pickled carrot, cucumber orange raita
North Karnataka menu
Jowar rotti, jhunka, shenga pudi (peanut chutney), badanekayi ennegayi (stuffed baby eggplants), horsegram curry, green moong stir fry, methi salad
I wrote about this in detail with links to most of the recipes in the previous issue of Sattva.
Desi Grazing board
Marinated paneer, mobile khakra (small-sized rectangle-shaped khakras), cherry tomatoes, strawberries, grapes, tomato-onion chutney dip, coriander-yoghurt dip, carrot and cucumber sticks. Get all the details on making your own Indian inspired grazing platters in my Instagram post.
A podcast episode I want you to listen
I listen to podcasts for at least 10 hours a week. The topics I mainly choose from for my podcast playlist are self-development, science and healthcare. One such podcast is Huberman Lab which focuses on neuroscience and how our brain and its connections with the organs of our body control our perceptions, behaviours, and health. A recent episode ‘Slow and Revere Ageing’ I heard, featuring Dr David Sinclair, author of the book Lifespan: Why We Age & Why We Don’t Have To, was utterly fascinating.
The podcast delves deep into what exactly is ageing, what causes it and how almost every chronic disease is a result of ageing.
The other topics discussed in detail are:
Intermittent fasting, long-duration fasting
Supplementation with resveratrol, NAD, metformin
Regular blood tests (markers) that help determine biological age
Future of longevity and research (for example, a gene therapy that can reverse blindness)
A scientific analysis of artificial sweeteners, Xrays, methylation and ice cold baths
You’ll find a link to the podcast in the resources at the end. It is over 2 hours long and completely worth your time. I would love to know what you thought of it.
Other stuff
I’m back to blogging this year. I started with a post that’s been in the works for a while - How to choose a healthy peanut butter brand. This post talks in detail about the ingredients that usually feature in commercial brands of peanut butter and how to choose something that is good for you. Do give it a read.
I have written 24 columns for Mint Lounge in 2021, including 46 recipes. You can find the links to all the columns along with recipes in this sheet if you want to read any of them or try out any of the recipes.
With a plan to start journaling and being more organized with 2022, I had taken recommendations for good journals and planners from my audience on Instagram. I have compiled all of them into an Amazon shopping list. Take a look if you want to get yourself a good planner or journal.
Resources
Slow and Reverse Ageing - Huberman Lab x Dr David Sinclair YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Lifespan: Why We Age & Why We Don’t Have To - David A Sinclair
How to choose a healthy peanut butter - Saffron Trail
Journals and planners - Shopping list
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