Strawberry Falooda; made healthy

Yesterday was the auspicious festival of Rakshabandhan. Rakshabandhan is an Indian festival where every sister ties a decorative thread bracelet on her brother's wrist and asks for his protection. You can read more about Rakshabandhan here.


It is extremely hot here and to combat that and celebrate the special occasion, I made Falooda!

Both my kids love strawberries, so I made strawberry Falooda. It is a classic Indian Icecream drink , which almost everyone loves! It is quite filling due to the numerous ingredients present in it and quite versatile due to the fact that you can add whatever you have on hand. I have made it healthier by adding lots of fruits, chia and basil seeds. Check out the recipe below:

Servings: 6 tall ( 10 oz) glasses

Prep time: 20 minsCooling time: 3-4 hoursTotal time: 3.5-4 hours

Ingredients:

Milk: 1 liter ( 1000ml)
Vermicelli: 1/4 cup
Sugar: 1/4 cup
Corn starch: 1/2 tsp
Sabja/basil seeds: 1 tbsp
Chia seeds: 1 tbsp
Hershey's Strawberry syrup: 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp for garnishing
Cashew halves: 1 tbsp
Walnut pieces: 1 tbsp
Banana, peeled and chopped: 4-6 ( one per glass)
Strawberries: 12, washed and chopped ( 2 per glass)
Cherries: 6 ( one per glass for topping)
Strawberry Icecream: 6 scoops ( one scoop per glass).

Method:

Warm the milk on the stove. 

Once warm, take one glass milk aside. Mix in strawberry syrup to half of that milk . Add it to the pot.

In a separate cup, dissolve the corn starch in the other half of the milk. 

Add this to the pot with vermicelli,  sugar & cashew pieces and boil it for 10-15 mins until the milk thickens slightly and the vermicelli is cooked.

Once slightly thick, turn off the flame. 

Add in the chia seeds. Stir well and keep it aside to cool down.

Once cooled, place it in the refrigerator atleast 3-4 hours to get cold. Then use as needed. It stays fresh for 3-4 days, so can be made ahead in case you are having a party.

To serve:

Take a tall glass. Add 1 chopped banana & 2 chopped strawberries.
Now pour the milk mixture until 3/4 full. 
Now add in a scoop of Icecream. 
Top it with walnut pieces, drizzle strawberry syrup and place a cherry on top.

Serve immediately!

Enjoy!!

I am sharing this delicious dessert with my friends at Throwback Thursday #51, Fiesta Friday #133 and Saucy Saturday#57! 

Cooking made easy:

The fruits in this can be varied to your choice. You can also use orange segments, pineapple and grape pieces. You can use any flavor to make the milk base. You can top it with nuts of your choice or skip it totally!  You can top it with whipped cream too!! The permutations and combinations are endless!!

Tip for healthy living:

The treat above is mainly for children. Adults can eat too.. You can make it low calorie by using low fat milk or make it more protein-rich by using almond or soy milk. You can use a skinny tall glass and fill it with fruits and nuts and very little of the liquid base and a small scoop of ice cream! It is totally upto you!

Food for thought:

The difficulty in life is the choice. George A. Moore

Please do share your thoughts. Your opinion matters!

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Strawberry-Watermelon-Kiwi Cooler ; Diabetes Friendly Thursday

Summer is here!Let us beat the heat and indulge ourselves with Diabetic Friendly Mocktails and Coolers with Team DFT.

Creating Recipes with a Cause!
I am a proud DFT blogger. 

To learn about DFT, read this link. 

To view more DFT recipes, Click here!

Summers are hot,making us hot and thirsty most of the time. Most people tend to indulge in soda which we all know is not good for anyone. If coke can clean toilets, imagine what it might be doing to your gut?? People often indulge in ready made,processed juice drinks that have several unhealthy ingredients like high fructose corn syrup and very little to no fruit juice in it!!  Some people make healthier choice by drinking fresh fruit juice or 100 % juice. But did you know that   drinking too much fruit juice is not good either!! Even in it is 100% juice!! The daily recommended amount of fruit juice is only 150 ml per day?? All other recommended servings of fruit should come from pieces of fruit and not in the juice or liquid form. Store-bought smoothies which are marketed as "healthy" were often found to be loaded with sugar and high in calories as much as 300 calories in a 12 oz serving! You can read more in the "footnotes".

It is of course without any doubt, best to drink water during summer to quench your thirst. However, if you insist on drinking juice, drink healthy, freshly made fruit coolers without any added sugars and a small amount of fruit in it.This can be easily made at home in a blender with just 2-3 fruits. Try this easy-peasy recipe below:

Servings: makes two 8 oz glasses

Ingredients:

Watermelon cubes: 1 cup
Strawberries, chopped: 1/2cup
Kiwi, chopped: 1/4 cup
Sparkling water: 3/4 cup
Ice cubes: 1/2 cup

Method:

Add all the above ingredients to a blender and blend for 1 minute or until slushy.

Pour into chilled glasses.

Serve immediately.

Enjoy!! I am bringing this to my dear friend Angie's Fiesta Friday where Loretta@Safari of the mind and Caroline@ Caroline's Cooking are co-hosting.

Cooking made easy:

This recipe can be made with any fruits ( that can be directly added to a blender) that you have available on hand. You can try different permutations and combinations.

Footnotes( Tip for healthy living):

It is recommended that one eats a total of 10 servings of fruits and vegetables everyday. Out of the 10 servings, only one daily serving should come in the liquid form. The recommended daily amount of sugar is  6 teaspoons and most store-purchased juices have half of this amount in each cup. A Dunkin Donut Coolatta has 25 teaspoons of sugar in one large cup!! One has to be very mindful while selecting a fruit/cool drink.

Strawberry is a nutrient-dense food that is rich in vitamins, fiber and antioxidants. They are among the top 20 fruits in antioxidant capacity and are rich in manganese and potassium.Just one serving of strawberries provides more vitamin C than one orange.

Kiwi is a super-fruit that is purported to promote healthy skin tone and texture. Amongst fruits it has the highest vitamin C levels per ounce than most other fruits.It also helps reduce blood pressure and prevent diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

We know that watermelon is healthy, low calorie and  cooling to the body. It has a high glycemic index of 72 but a low glycemic load of 4. This is because of the large amount of water that constitutes the watermelon. It is also loaded in antioxidants with high levels of vitamins A and C. It also contains lycopene, which is heart healthy.

Disclaimer:

I am not a nutritionist or dietitian. My knowledge and information is based on my research and reading from different resources. Please consult your doctor or dietitian before making any changes to your diet.

Go ahead and enjoy this summer sipping on some diabetic mocktails and coolers with team DFT. Check out the other recipes below:

1. Sonal's Jal Jeera.

2.Shailja's Java plum mocktail.

3.Prachi's aloe vera peach punch.

4. Swati's cucumber mint lemonade.

5. Anupama's green tea infused watermelon orange cooler.

6. Parvathy's orange iced tea.

7. Apsara's strawberry mint lemonade.

8. Chahat's grape pinapple mint fizz.

9. Vidhya's green tea spritzer.

Food for thought:

Excellence means when a man or woman asks of himself more than others do. Jose Ortega y Gasset