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People are becoming health conscious with every passing day and to meet what they want, they are sacrificing on many things when it comes to food. But sometimes it becomes really difficult to give up on something which is a part of your daily food habits. Work and family responsibilities often leaves no time for cooking, and it is easier to go out to restaurants or prepare meals with the ingredients available at home. And thus many people could not achieve their motive of healthy food.

Most of us are genuinely trying to do our best to stay healthy, so instead of leaving some things to stay healthy and fit, you can always make simple ingredient substitutions to create healthy recipes so that you don't have to sacrifice on taste, flavour and enjoyment. We're always looking for ways to make our favourite foods healthier, so we compiled a list of our best substitutions:

With today’s fast-paced lifestyles, it has become imperative that we need to be aware of the way we use our bodies, and that we also keep a close watch on the food we eat. Good exercise, good sleep, and healthy eating habits play an important role in keeping our minds and bodies fit and healthy.

We are going to embark into a New Year and with the holiday season coming up, it’s a great time to take stock. A great place to do that is to start from the Kitchen. It is a place that is used everyday, where families cook, eat, drink and spend a large part of the time bonding with eachother. And this is also the place that gets over stocked and piled up with pantry and dirt.

Green tea, a beverage par excellence, is one of the healthiest hot drinks around. Some may even go so far as to say it is the elixir of life, and many an ode has already been written in honour of its benefits ranging from improving blood flow, lowering cholesterol to preventing cancer and reducing fat to keep weight in check. The truth is, this impossibly simple drink seems almost too good to be true.

Diwali has come and gone. Whether you pulled out all the stops, exercised control, or followed simple ways to keep yourself feeling healthy while also enjoying the festivities, it’s that time of year when you’re going to want to cut back and detox a little. Dial back all the hectic indulgence and regain some balance. Now is as good a time to start as any, and we have just the tricks for you.

For a country with such a rich agricultural heritage, the plight of the Indian farmer today, is deplorable. One look at your daily newspaper is enough to understand the many ways in which farmers across the country are suffering. Failed not just by weather and changing environmental conditions, but by a range of issues that lead to a vicious cycle of debt, drought and inefficient management, that farmers are unable to come out of. If you’ve been following this issue in recent times and helplessly wonder how you can help make a difference, this is your chance to be an enabler of change.

You’re probably wondering who would want to inculcate any kind of healthy habit while cooking your annual Diwali goodies. It’s hardly the time to watch what you eat, count those calories or cut back on the festivities. But given the number of festive feasts you’re likely to indulge in, a little mindful eating, a little careful cooking can help ensure that you get through the season feeling fabulous.

The festive season is well and truly upon us. While we’re still recovering from all the binging on sweets and snacks during Navratri, it’s already time for Diwali. And with this festival comes another wave of endless parties, exchanging sweets, late nights of celebration, and all the irresistible festive food. Everybody tends to let go a little during this time of gluttony and indulgence, and inevitably the guilt follows. But you could break that cycle this festive season.

As an entrepreneur there is always a sense of panic, stress and meeting deadlines. Everything around us that is work related takes priority. We tend to forget that our body and mind is going through immense exhaustion and stress to keep up with our schedules to become successful. So much so we end up eating at odd hours, eating unhealthy, with no time to exercise, with no time to drink enough water and of course as a result getting less sleep.

It's festive time and we at Archana's Kitchen are sharing our love for our followers by giving away an Airfryer. An Airfryer is a kitchen appliance that cooks by circulating hot air, at high speed around the food that helps in cooking the food and producing a crispy layer on it.

The Air fryer is a fantastic appliance that will help you whip up some healthy potato chips, pakodas, vadas, cakes, crispy karela, crispy bhindi and more using very less oil in a traditional deep frying method. Airfryers come with adjustable temperature and timer knobs that allow for more precise cooking. Check out some recipes from Archana's Kitchen that use the air fryer. 

Festivals in India go back in time when there are unwritten customs and traditions that we follow, and they are passed on to us through generations.  Every festival has something special to offer and every region across India, including the smallest of the villages and towns have their favorite food to boast about.

Hi There!

Thank you for entering the Diwali AirFryer Giveaway with Archana's Kitchen!!

We value your time and information. The winners of the Giveaway will be notified via email after Nov 6th 2015.

Until then Click Here to See All The Latest Recipes From Archana's Kitchen

Happy Cooking and Healthy Eating!

Archana Doshi

How often do you get to attend an event by where the CEO of the company is there to speak to you and addresses an audience of bloggers and willing to answer all question on their products.

October 10th October, 2015, I was part of a meet by ITC Foods. The meet was called, ‘ITC Foods You Ask We Answer’, was aimed to introduce to us what all goes behind building successful food brands as well as provide an open platform to answer questions related to packed foods.

Pressure cookers are almost synonymous with Indian kitchens, and amongst the first things to be purchased when a new kitchen is being set up. The reason is simple, pressure cooking as a method is highly efficient. It is versatile and helps cooking everything from vegetables to lentils, rice and even root vegetables.

Kitchenaid appliances are legendary and one cannot but drool over them. From the iconic Stand Mixer to an entire kitchen of high-performance appliances that are all created with the same attention to detail, quality craftsmanship, versatile technology and timeless design.

Kitchenaid is the only appliance brand that only makes things for the kitchen, and they continue to keep pushing the limits with their products so you can keep doing the same with everything you create.

So this Diwali KitchenAid has some sparkling offers just for you.  Take a pick and gift yourself any one of these legendary appliances and why now - because they have a sparkling Diwali Offer just for you. Click here to see all the offers. 

Avena sativa, commonly known as oats is a species of cereal grain widely known to be a health food loaded with nutritious properties and the ability to lower harmful effects of cholesterol. Oats are packed with dietary fibre - they contain more fibre than any other grain - and contain vitamins of the B-family like B-1, riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, vitamin B-6 and folate. These vitamins play a vital role in metabolizing carbohydrates, proteins, fats and nucleic acids from your food consumed, allowing the body to use energy drawing from it. Oats are a hardy crop that when harvested can be stored for long periods of time, making them available throughout the year. Commercially they are sold as oatmeal, rolled oats, steel cut oats or oat bran - which is the outer casing of the oats intact. Their distinctive nutty, grain-like texture and taste comes from being roasted post-harvested. The great thing about oats is that despite being hulled, they withstand the process and retain their bran and germ, which accounts for most of the fibre and nutrient content remaining intact. Here are 4 compelling reasons why you should include oats in your everyday diet.

Take on the KitchenAid India Navratri Blogger Challenge here @ The Hub at Archana’s Kitchen, where you share traditional "Sweet Recipes & Fasting Recipes" that are usually made during these 9 holy days of Navratri. Contest - Closed

For generations we’ve been told that we need to fight cholesterol in order to stay healthy. So we go on all kinds of restrictions, to eliminate all manners of dietary cholesterol that we may consume and tip the balance and put ourselves at rick of hypertension and heart disease. The truth is, dietary cholesterol is not the only source. The human body produces cholesterol, to perform a variety of important functions. Cholesterol is produced in the liver, and plays a vital role in maintaining healthy cell membranes, building crucial hormones and vitamins. Cholesterol also forms bile production. Bile is a greenish fluid, also produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder, and used in the digestion of food that contains fat. Bile acts as an emulsifier, breaking down large globules of fat into smaller particles so they can mix better with the enzymes that digest fat.

WIN is the biggest Blogging Event in India, organized by @BlogAdda.  I am going to be a speaker and conducting a workshop on "What It takes To Make Your Blog Successful" . Join me as I takes you through my journey and give you all the tips and tricks of the trade. You must not miss this session. 

If you like to stay abreast with food trends and developments in clean eating, you’ll know that millets are suddenly getting a lot of good press. You might wonder why this food group that has been present in India for nearly 10,000 years is suddenly being touted as excellent for human consumption. You’ve probably dismissed this as the latest food-fad. But think again, here are five facts and very good reasons that make a good case for adding more millets in your meals.

With rampant growth if diabetes amongst Indians, caused by rapidly-changing unhealthy lifestyles, sedentary lives and increasingly processed and manufactured food items, doctors and health advisors are stresses the need to go back to natural and home remedies to control blood sugar, more than ever before. Research has already shown that a largely vegetarian diet that is low in calories, high in fibre and protein can help control diabetes, and in many cases prevent onset, when combined with healthy lifestyle choices and regular exercise.

Many of you have been following me on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. But I am now introducing you to my page on Yummly.

Yummly is an easy to use platform to share recipes, make collections of the recipes and the best part is you can easily find your “Yum” recipes. Additionally, you get to search and save recipes that you may want to cook later.

Below every image on Archana’s Kitchen, is a “Yum” Button.

• Every time you visit a recipe, do take time to “Yum” the recipes by clicking on the button.
• The more you “Yum”, the more recipes you add to your collection.
• The more you “Yum”, the more number of people will get to see Archana’s Kitchens recipes and they will get to “Yum” them too

Here’s the link to Archana's Kitchen Publisher Page on Yummly. I am still building my Yummly page, so I would love it if you can “Yum” the recipes on the page too.

Thank you for taking time to share the recipes from Archana’s Kitchen across all social media. It is because of you, the tried and tested recipes are able to reach to the millions of users on the web.

Vada pav is undoubtedly the Superhero of all snacks. It packs a punch in a small size, and is gastronomic adventure to the hilt. Who can resist the cocktail of flavours that run down your food pipe with an ecstasy in every bite! Little wonder then, that India’s most trusted QSR brand, Jumboking has dedicated its foundation day, as vada pav day, on 23rd August.

I have a lot of gratitude for the few friends went an extra mile to get me an Invite for an event that one can't miss! That's the invite to meet Australian Master Chef George Calombaris at JW Marriott Bengaluru in association with Zomato and Gold Rush Entertainment. The event was Press Meet and tasting session with George where he had cooked up some great stuff. 

He also unveiled the George Calombaris Collection on Zomato with Pramod Rao, Director, International Operations at Zomato

I was so amazed by the humbleness of the world famous chef and the ease with which he connected with the audience. And simply loved his Australian accent.  It was fascinating to hear his experiences when he landed in Bengaluru and the host took him around for a jog in the morning and a breakfast at the famous Airlines hotel.

His description of the doughnut got us all into laughter! Oh yes, you must have got it right, its the Medu Veda that he dunked into sambar and called it a doughnut! He was totally thrilled and amused of these deep fried "Savory Doughnuts" as he called them. Its so neat, that he was so open to trying out something as local as it can get! 

George Calombaris along with two chefs who had accompanied him for the India travels had set up a 3 course tasting session for the press. 3 out of the two were non vegetarian. With a bit of hesitation, I whispered into the mic and asked if is he cooking up something for the vegetarians.  

And of course, he overheard it and brought out some amazing greek rolls with onion bajji as the stuffing!  The show stopped was the Rizogalo, Salted Caramel Rice Pudding with Almond Biscuit and Rice Ice Cream. This is something I am definitely going to recreate in my kitchen and share it with you.

1- The the most humbling part was to get served by the Chef Himself!

2 - Super Duper Delicious Greek Rolls with Onion Bajji :)

3 - Rizogalo, Salted Caramel Rice Pudding with Almond Biscuit and Rice Ice Cream

4 - If you are in Bengaluru, do check out the GC Collection of Restaurants