The past 7 days have been excruciatingly difficult at times while some of it has been easy. Being busy at work has helped me not think about food at work, since usually, correction, EVERY DAY I think about what I’ll have for lunch. But this time, I didn’t have to think of anything. I had my fruit juice for breakfast, my veggie juice for lunch and lots of water in between each day. Granted I am peeing 10 times more than I was before, but it’s definitely worth it.

Excruciating Moment #1: Watching Sameer eat baghaaray baigan one day and kabab/paraatha the other day! Man oh man!

Excruciating Moment #2: Sitting through a massive summer potluck at work! Someone throw me in a hole and cover it up!

Excruciating Moment #3: Watching Sameer chow down on Pizza! Someone just put a slice in mouth, please!

Sadly, they all had to do with eating!  However, I have been feeling my cravings diminishing each day. Also, I don’t feel hungry as much since I’m keeping myself hydrated in between juices with a lot of water. Truly is working though and I’m feeling optimistic starting Week 2. Noticed my nails have gotten stronger, as they would break, literally every day!

End of Week 1 Tallies

Total Amount Spent for Fruits & Vegetables: $200.54

Total Weight Loss: 7 pounds

However, the true test for me is the weekend – that’s usually the time I am pigging out for two days straight. Hopefully I can get through it without craving mussels with garlic bread or roasted chicken with penne pasta. Man. That sounds so good right about now. Stop, stop, stop! I can do this!!!

I downloaded an app called My Fitness Pal (www.myfitnesspal.com) where I can record everything from food, weight, exercise and get a record of my diet plan. Definitely easy to update and you can do it through your smartphone or online. Recommended for tracking!

The Breville Juicer came in the mail yesterday – the thing looks like it can create subatomic particles involved in creating the big bang theory or something. It’s sleek and it juices oh so well! Super easy to use too!

So, this morning I woke up, got ready, ran to the kitchen and prepped up the juicer. I threw in a head of kale, 2 cucumbers, 10 carrots, and 1 cup of raspberries in and got about 25 ounces of juice. It’s green in color and it tasted pretty good – a bit like grass but I think that’s the cucumber flavor overpowering some of the others.

My breakfast this morning!

I started drinking this around 8:00 AM and it is now noon. No sign of hunger as yet. But, that could also be because I inhaled Brazilian churrascaria last night at Fogo de Chao to celebrate my juice fast and it is still in my stomach. I know that’s actually not what you should do to prep yourself before this fast but hey, that’s one restaurant that makes me one hell of a happy camper! That was my way of saying goodbye to food for (I hope) 60 days.

Total Amount Spent for Fruits & Vegetables: $94.77

(The total amount will be updated each week as I buy more fruits and vegetables – a running tally. The fruits and veggies from the Farmer’s Market cost me $23 while the fruits and vegetables from Cub Foods cost me $71.77! What a difference!)

(For Talha & Naurine’s Valima on July 3rd, 2010)

Sameer Saadi & Zohair Beyabani – “Pehla Nasha”

In this 2nd webisode, we bring to your kitchens, the scrumptious and absolutely delicious Hyderabadi Biryani (by popular demand/multiple requests).  ”Biryani” is a meat + rice + spice (or veggies + rice + spice) dish, originating from Persia, and was brought to the South Asian/Indian subcontinent mainly by Muslim merchants and travelers.  And interestingly, Biryani is not only eaten in Pakistan and India, but its many variations can also be found in Iran, Afghanistan, Malaysia, etc. to name a few more countries.

The meat/veggies are cooked separately from the rice and then layered and steamed (dum‘ified – dum daytay hain! – Main bhi kahoon tu bhi kahay, dum duma-dum!). Hyderabadi Biryani, mainly non-vegetarian, is cooked the same way, and uses fried onions and yogurt to create the meat masala and finally topped off with saffron. (This is different from the “Kachchay Gosht ki Biryani” or the Raw Meat Biryani, also famous in Hyderabad, where the raw meat masala and uncooked rice are layered and cooked together.)

This is our family recipe and has been passed down in my Dad’s family who are originally from Hyderabad, India. And although my Mom (born in Aligarh, India) only grew up in Hyderabad, it was after she and my Dad got married that she quickly learned and adopted the Hyderabadi styles and ways of cooking, still keeping her own “Hindustani” cooking alive.

And since my Dad loved to cook so much, I often witnessed this heavenly biryani (and many other amazing Hyderabadi/Non-Hyderabadi dishes) being made by both my Mama and Pops.  Their duo created, by far, THE BEST Hyderabadi Biryani I have ever, EVER eaten – the perfectly cooked rice bursting with the rich aroma of saffron, accompanied by the finger-licking good meat masala that was always balanced in salt and spice and tenderness and taste!

My lovely Mama & My beloved Pops – This one’s for both of you – for giving me your cooking genes. And I can’t thank both of them enough for passing the recipe on and giving me the opportunity to share it with you as well!

Comments, suggestions, critiques, likes, dislikes are welcome! The few sentences I speak in the “intro” are in Urdu, but in the Hyderabadi accent… an accent often made fun of because, well, it does sound funny! It doesn’t stop me from randomly throwing out a phrase here and a word there in Hyderabadi!

Bon Appetit and we humbly apologize for the delay in getting this 2nd webisode out!

(Thank you Shuja Bhai for the technical suggestions and feedback!)

–

Sammy’s Kitchen is a new cooking show privately produced by Sameer and Samreen Saadi (s2elements.com) where we try a variety of recipes found on the net, created by ourselves or even family recipes that have been passed down from our parents’ generation.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Go Organic!

We watched this documentary and were moved tremendously! Enough that we started searching for local farmers in the area we live in and making a conscious decision to buy organic fruits and vegetables, milk, eggs, etc. We usually get our meat from a halal meat shop in Minneapolis and we have been told that the butcher actually goes to a farm to get the meat, so it’s actually fresh. But we don’t really know if those animals are injected with hormones or not. We hope not! But in any case, this documentary is definitely an “eye-opener” and will make you think before you stop at a Mcdonald’s or any other fast food chain.

Let’s move this movement forward and strive to buy foods that are natural, healthy, and actually good for us, our bodies, and our future generations. Take an hour or so, and watch this documentary. It’s on Netflix and can be played instantly. Search for “Food, Inc.”

http://www.foodincmovie.com

*drum roll in background*

It is…A Dell Laptop – Thank you Husbaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand!

I’ve nicknamed it “laal bhabooka” – you’ll know why when you see it below and if you know weird hyderabadi urdu (ie bhabooka).

Dell Inspiron Laptop with Intel Core 2 Duo Processor – in Cherry Red

Random Fact:  this is the 3rd RED gift from Sameer!

It’s a smooth and very “chikna” laptop and after browsing/window shopping for a few hours at stores and a few more hours online and with Sameer’s expertise, this was the one I liked the best.  The Sony Vaio caught the corner of my eye a bit, but this one took it home with the look, feel, the specifications and the amazing battery life! It comes installed with Windows 7, has a DVD/CD Burner, has a webcam which I probably won’t need but it’s nice to have, 4 GB memory, HD widescreen display, 3 USB ports, and much much more! Sameer tells me it’s got an awesome processor and the battery life is a little over 8 hours! And I love the color.

Find it here at Best Buy!

Check out the review on CNET

Love  you Sameer!

Butter Chicken: Deeeeeelicious and Easy!

Sammy’s Kitchen is a new cooking show privately produced by Sameer and Samreen Saadi (s2elements.com) where we try a variety of recipes found on the net, created by ourselves or even family recipes that have been passed down from our parents’ generation.

Sameer & I both love to cook and enjoy the food to the fullest – And we mean, savor every bite with a “MMMM”, an “UFF” and a “WOW!” I guess that explains the 20+ pounds we packed on since we got married!  Nothing to be proud of, but we can definitely be proud of the many cooking techniques, skills and recipes we have picked up along the way.

This is the 1st episode/webisode and we are making the famous Butter Chicken.  Hope you like the recipe and our very first cooking show!

Comments, suggestions, critiques, likes, dislikes are welcome!

Bon Appetit!

Butter Chicken’s recipe can be found on: www.sharearecipe.net (Main Dishes)

Sammy’s Kitchen Webisode 01 – Butter Chicken (Part 1)

Sammy’s Kitchen Webisode 01 – Butter Chicken (Part 2)

Eid Gift from Samreen

I always wanted one of these but never got around getting them.  I used to have similar ones with a checked pattern on them – I think i still have ‘em laying around somewhere.  So anyways it was Eid and traditionally we are supposed to exchange gifts, but i haven’t gotten anything for Samreen yet – or have I?

This blog was created as we both share a lot of information, media, and current events and discussions on a normal day-to-day basis so we thought, why not blog about all of these nooks and crannies that are essential to our lives and essentially complete who we are. Whether it’s a movie or a song, a piece of art or a slice of cake, new gadgets or creative products, programming techniques or gaming techniques on Xbox … basically, anything goes, as each is an element that either touches us ever so lightly, creates a rumble, or constitutes an impact in our lives.

Elements of Life by Tiesto (c) 2008 Black Hole Recordings

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