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Cook Smarts + A Giveaway

I love to meal plan. In fact, Sunday mornings are dedicated to just that. Here’s how it works: wake up, make breakfast, sit down with my laptop, a few cookbooks and a notepad, ask Vishnu if there’s anything particular he wants to eat, plan out meals for the week, make a grocery list, shop, and repeat every Sunday. I LOVE IT!

With that being said, you can imagine how excited I was to get an email from Jess Dang, the founder of Cook Smarts, a weekly online meal planning service. Jess was kind enough to gift me with a 3 month subscription so that I could try it out for myself. One more healthy meal planning resource at my disposal? Yes please!

Last week was my first week using Cook Smarts, and I absolutely love it. I even told Vishnu last night that I plan to continue subscribing after my current plan expires. Essentially, after you sign up, you have access to a “database” of recipes that are all healthy and simple to make (most require 30 minutes or less). Jess releases a new weekly meal plan every Thursday, so you can opt to follow it to the tee OR do what I do and pick and choose meals from different plans and create your own unique mix.

What I love about Cook Smarts:

The #1 most amazing feature is that you are able to select different dietary preferences (paleo, vegetarian, and/or gluten free) to match your needs. And when you do, the ingredient list and recipe change as well. LOVE!
As I stated above, the meals are healthy and chock full of fresh ingredients.
You have the option to “favorite” or “heart” different recipes, so that they are easily accessible when you sit down to meal plan.
Each recipe comes with a prep tab so you know exactly what needs to be done ahead of time.
If you decide to follow a given weekly plan (which includes four meals) and make only those meals, you have the option to create a customized grocery list, which you can then print out and take with you to the store.
For those who are just beginning their culinary journey, Jess provides lots of tips and video tutorials to help along the way.
Cook Smarts is affordable, with plans starting at just $6 a month.

As I mentioned earlier, I made two Cook Smarts meals last week, and they both turned out great. And as an added bonus, both dishes were pretty much one pot wonders, so not only was the cooking process easy, but cleaning up was also a breeze!

First up was the Tofu and Green Curry Noodles dish. The only thing I did differently was add a little bit of fresh ginger, chili and garlic. Seriously, this was fantastic. I loved the flavor combo and the simple ingredient list. I will definitely be making this again soon!

I guess I was in a very Asian inspired mood last week because I also used Cook Smarts to make Green Curry Lentils. I am a huge lentil fan, so this was right up my alley. This dish was hearty, healthy, and really unique (avocado cubes were used to finish off this dish). And again, all I did differently was add some fresh ginger, chili and garlic. It was perfection! And I’m really sad because I just had my last bowl for lunch yesterday. So basically, this one is also a keeper!

Trust me when I say that this is something you definitely want to try. It has made the whole “what should I make” dilemma non-existent for us because now we have tons of meal ideas all in one place.

So aside from purchasing your own meal plan subscription or signing up to receive access to 3 free plans, there is one more potential way to experience Cook Smarts…

It’s giveaway time!! Jess graciously agreed to gift one of my readers with his or her very own 3 month subscription to Cook Smarts (thanks, Jess!!).

To enter (feel free to pick one or all, but please leave a separate comment for each entry):

(Open to everyone regardless of location!)

1. Follow Cook Smarts on Instagram (@cooksmarts)
2. Follow my inner shakti on Instagram (@myinnershakti)
3. LikeCook Smarts on Facebook
4. Like my inner shakti on Facebook.

The giveaway will close on Sunday at 9:00 pm, and the winner will be announced in Monday’s post! GOOD LUCK!

Two New Reads

written by Parita 11 Comments

While we were inIndia, I read a total of four books. It was easy to do since our trip was sandwiched between two super long flights and dotted with a few short ones throughout. I was seriously on a major reading roll!

As you all know, I don’t like posting full book reviews. However, I thought I would share a little bit about two of the books I read because they were pretty amazing. And no worries, I promise there are no spoilers ahead.

The Husband’s Secret

Even after reading the back of the book summary, I had no idea what to expect upon starting this book. I thought it would fall in the mystery/suspense genre, but now that I’ve read it and had the chance to absorb, I would say it’s more drama than anything else.

The book unfolds from the perspective of multiple characters, and while at first it’s hard to tell how each individual story relates to the others and to the main plot, the dots eventually connect. Liane Moriarty did an exceptional job developing each character in a way that showcases both the ying and the yang of his/her personality equally. The Husband’s Secret is a quick, engrossing read that makes you think about the truth a little differently. In my opinion, this is a must read!

The Fault in Our Stars

Powerful. The Fault in Our Stars is a powerful book that stays with you for a very long time. While some have dubbed this a Young Adult novel, I would argue that it’s for people of all ages. And I honestly don’t know how to summarize the raw tenderness, an oxymoron I know, that exists within the pages of this book. On the surface, the story comes across as a cancer tragedy, but it’s so much more than that. This book is full of emotion, joy, and love. Even in the face of death, the characters try to find meaning in their lives…no matter how unfair their time on Earth has been.

I was a mess while reading this book. Like my tears could’ve filled five bathtubs. At one point, Vishnu asked me to put it away because my eyes were red and he didn’t want his family to think something was seriously wrong. But don’t let that deter you. While this book was difficult to read and process, it was so beautiful and spiritual. I’m tearing up just thinking about it.

Oh and it’s being turned into a movie, but I’m not sure how it will translate in film form. With that being said, I would highly recommend reading the book before watching the movie. Trust me on this one!

And if you haven’t already, be sure to check out the first blog post in a new series called Par’s Picks. Lot’s of great blog post and articles to read!

What’s on your reading list right now?

3 Good Books I Read on Vacation

written by Parita 16 Comments

I was looking through the list of books I’ve downloaded on to my Kindle over the past few months and realized that I forgot to blog about one of my favorite parts of our Turks and Caicos vacation – sitting by the ocean and reading. Simplicity and relaxation at its finest. I try to channel the feeling every chance I get, but it’s never quite the same!

Anyway, the three books I read (I’m a speed reader) could not have been any more different. While I’m not going to do full reviews, I thought I’d touch on why I enjoyed each of the books so much.

Note: Unless I don’t plan to read a particular book, I won’t read full reviews about it. I like not knowing what I’m getting myself into (aside from what’s on the back cover). It’s more fun that way!

The first book I decided to delve into while on vacation was Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.

I’m sure most, if not all, of you have heard of this book. Gone Girl almost didn’t make it on to my Kindle because of the mixed things I heard after it first debuted. Personally, I really enjoyed this book. It was the perfect combination of psychological thriller and suspense, with every chapter being a cliffhanger. What drew me in the most was the love-hate relationship I formed with every single character, and the fact that with every page I was questioning my previous assumptions. I couldn’t put this book down!

Next up was And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini.

Let me start off my saying that A Thousand Splendid Suns by the same author is my favorite book. Ever. So I went into this one with very high expectations. And while this didn’t beat out my #1 favorite, it was one of those books that stays with you for a long time. It’s emotional (I cried several times) and very raw. And while I did enjoy it, I finished the book wanting more – more character development and more closure. Regardless, I recommend And the Mountains Echoed, as well as highly recommend The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns. Just make sure there’s a tissue box close by!

And finally, the last book I read on vacation was Across Eternity by Aris Whittier.

I actually learned about this book from the author herself! She emailed me a few months ago asking if I would be interested in reading and then reviewing the book on the blog. After reading a short synopsis (that thankfully didn’t give much away), I agreed. It sounded intriguing to say the least, especially because reincarnation is the central theme. Both the spiritual and romantic sides of me enjoyed this book because it addressed ideas and thoughts that have been openly discussed among my family and friends for as long as I can remember. If nothing else, this book really makes you think long and hard about soul mates and the (possible) connections and bonds we bring into our current life as well as take into our next. Overall, this unconventional love story was powerful and thought provoking. Most hard core romantics would probably enjoy it!

And just because quotes are my favorite thing ever, especially love quotes, I thought I’d share one of my favorites from the book – “Loving you means no fear. It means forgiving and forgetting. It means understanding and accepting.” How beautiful!

Now it’s your turn! Tell me what you’ve been reading this summer. I need recommendations for our long trip to India!

Honest Tea

written by Parita 9 Comments

As with most things that happen to me, my interaction with Honest Tea comes with a story.

After all of our stuff was unloaded into our apartment on moving day, Vishnu and I headed out in search of food. We were so hungry that we didn’t go very far and settled for the empanada place 20 feet from our building. As I was ordering our food, Vishnu picked up a couple of teas for us. We are HUGE cold/iced tea lovers. In fact, Publix unsweetened iced tea is on my shopping list every week without fail. Anyway, when I took my first sip of this new to me Honey Green Tea by Honest Tea, I was impressed with the flavor. It didn’t taste artificial and was perfectly sweetened without being over the top sugary. And it was 70 calories for the entire 16.9 oz. bottle! Vishnu also enjoyed the tea and said that we should look for it the next time we’re out shopping.

Fast forward about a month or so. I was checking my email and saw that I had a message from Matthew at Honest Tea. I was shocked! He wanted to know if Vishnu and I were interested in trying out some of there products and reviewing them on the blog. Interested? Of course! In a weird way, it was as if Honest Tea overheard mine and Vishnu’s conversation and found us!

Fast forward another week or so. Vishnu and I had a number of packages waiting for us upon our arrival home from T&C. I had a feeling that a small shipment of the tea was part of the mix. What I didn’t expect was all of this.

We had to use the building’s cart to get everything up to our place!

We’ve been making our way through everything rather slowly because we don’t want to run out. Ha!

Our favorite products were the bottled teas and ades. So refreshing and light. And because they’re all under 100 calories PER BOTTLE, there’s no real guilt about drinking your calories. Trust me, the Honey Green Tea, Half & Half, and Peach White Tea are all very worth it!

Vishnu’s favorite was the Pomegranate Blue Ade and the Honey Green Tea.

I’m on a mission to find these in bulk. I think one of the grocery stores near us sells Honest Tea…will have to go see this week (fingers crossed).

We were also lucky enough to receive a few different flavors of Honest Fizz, a naturally sweetened zero calorie soda. Bubbly and crisp!

Both Vishnu and I felt that the flavors were pretty spot on. And while we’re not regular soda drinkers, we both enjoyed occasionally drinking these with lunch/dinner. My favorite was the Orange Pop, and Vishnu’s was the Root Beer.

And finally, Honest Tea was kind enough to send us Honest Kids Juice Pouches. Not only did they hear our conversation, but they knew we are really big kids at heart!

There was no shame when it came to drinking these pouches! I’ve enjoyed my fair share while munching away at lunch, and there have been multiple times where Vishnu’s enjoyed a pouch of juice in order to curb a sweet tooth craving. And if we did have kids around, I would happily serve them these pouches – no added sugar and sweetened only with fruit juice. Not too shabby!

And yes, our favorite flavors were the Super Fruit Punch and the Tropical Tango Punch.

One last thing I want to mention is the company’s aspiration around creating healthy, organic beverages all while promoting higher standards, honesty, and integrity in all that they do. I know a lot of companies are good at talking the talk when it comes to this kind of stuff, but from what I can tell, Honest tea is walking the walk (cheesy but true!). Check out some of the reports on the website for more really interesting information.

Thank you again, Honest Tea! We love your products and can’t wait to find them in our local stores!

Have you ever tried an Honest Tea beverage? Is there a particular brand that really resonates not only with your taste buds but your belief system as well?

Nature’s Gift to Your Hair

written by Parita 29 Comments

On Saturday morning, I decided to act on a little idea floating around in my head. An at home hair experiment if you will. I was a little wary, since my last home remedy was a major fail.

Growing up, my mom would apply baby oil to our hair all the time. So when I read that coconut oil can be used as a skin moisturizer, I figured it would work well in my hair as well.

Jar on the left – Swanson Vitamins & jar on the right – Costco

So after breakfast, I opened up my jar of coconut oil and scooped out a couple of spoonfuls into a small bowl. I then microwaved the oil for 20 seconds. I took the mixture into the bathroom and got to work. Using my hands, I applied the oil to my roots, eventually moving to my ends. When every last strand was coated, I tied my hair into a bun and continued on with my Saturday morning routine (clean, vacuum, blah, blah, blah).

A few things to note:

I have semi-thick, naturally wavy, coarse hair.
I washed my hair the night before and let it air-dry, so it was nice and clean.
Coconut oil hair will make you smell like one big Samoa cookie!

Ok, so 1.5 hours later, I showered and washed my hair. I had to lather, rinse, and repeat before I felt comfortable that all of the oil was completely gone. I also applied a small amount of conditioner to my ends for extra protection.

Y’all, after drying and straightening per usual, I was so impressed with how soft, smooth, and shiny my hair was. Not only that, but it felt fuller too. I couldn’t stop running my hands through it! The true test came when I stepped outside to run errands. AND…my hair was frizz free after being exposed to two hours of Miami humidity. Trust me, that is something! Even the next day, as I was styling my hair, it just felt so soft and smooth.

This picture does my experiment no justice, but you get the picture.

Finally – a natural, cheap and successful at home beauty experiment! And because it worked way better than I expected, I plan to coconut’ify’ my hair once a week from now on. I’m growing out my hair (a few more inches at the very least), and I think this will help keep it manageable…hopefully!

Have you ever applied coconut oil to your hair? If you know of any other simple home beauty remedies, please share!

Ready. Set. Cupcake!

written by Parita 17 Comments

I hope y’all had a wonderful weekend! We did a whole bunch of nothing. Well, I did nothing and Vishnu studied. It was kind of awesome…for me at least. I have a feeling the coming months are going to be super busy, so I’m trying to soak in the nothingness while it lasts.

When I say I did nothing, I don’t mean I sat on my butt and watched TV all weekend (although that would’ve been nice). I cleaned, prepped my tax paperwork, made snacks for the week ahead, and baked cupcakes.

Let’s focus on the best part of that last sentence – cupcakes. As y’all know, I have a HUGE sweet tooth. It’s insane. So when Ready. Set. Cupcake! contacted me a couple of weeks ago to try a sample of their frozen cake batter and buttercream frosting, I was more than willing to oblige!

Ready. Set. Cupcake! is a neat, fun, convenient way to bake delicious desserts. As I mentioned, the cake batter and buttercream come frozen. When you’re ready to bake, you defrost both for 30 minutes, pipe the cake batter directly into your muffin tins, bake, cool, and frost. I didn’t have to use a single bowl or spatula. And I loved that aspect of this product because I hate having to wash measuring cups/spoons, spatulas, multiple bowls, etc. That’s why, if you’ve noticed, when I make my own desserts, I stick to very simple things that don’t require much in the way of utensils. I don’t have the patience for it!

Also, I love that you can customize your desserts. For example, I turned a plain chocolate cupcake with vanilla icing into a chocolate peanut butter cupcake. All I had to do was knead 1/4 cup of peanut butter into the vanilla icing until incorporated. Voila – from plain to peanut butter. Just like that.

And while these may not be healthy in the “I can eat as many as I want” kind of way, the product line is all natural and free of preservatives, trans-fats, and hydrogenated oils. Not too shabby!

Even Vishnu joined in on the fun!

Honestly, Vishnu and I were both a little skeptical about how these would taste. Frozen batter and frosting!? Ick! Well, I am happy to report that our instincts were wrong. We loved the final product! The cupcake was rich, a little dense, and perfectly sweet. The peanut butter frosting was amazing! And that’s saying a lot because I’m not a frosting person and neither is Vishnu. It was sweet, creamy, and thick. I could swim in this stuff!

So while you do end up with a delicious little treat, there are a few potential drawbacks. At this time, Ready. Set. Cupcake! is only available at Whole Food Markets in the Florida region. I’m hoping this changes soon. Also, this product isn’t cheap. I think it retails for about $7. This is probably something I wouldn’t buy on a regular basis. However, I think it’s a great option if you’re looking for a quick, no frills, semi-homemade dessert that tastes decadent and delicious. And finally, since I didn’t have a mini muffin tin, I baked my cupcakes in a regular sized one. According to the package, you should be able to get 24 mini cupcakes out of one bag. I figured 24 minis equaled 12 regulars. Not so much. I was only able to make six regular sized cupcakes. Kind of a bummer! Hey, at least they still tasted great!

Well, my friends, I hope this coming week has some sweet treats in store for you! Have a great Monday.

What do you think of the Ready. Set. Cupcakes! concept?

Cook Smarts + A Giveaway

Two New Reads

3 Good Books I Read on Vacation

Honest Tea

Nature’s Gift to Your Hair

Ready. Set. Cupcake!

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