Lights. Camera… ACTION

Finally, we are at the “action’ part of our game plan.  Did you take a moment to complete the first two parts of the goal achievement plan? well, I hope so.

Have you ever had awesome intentions of say loosing weight or becoming more active and you have failed miserably to act upon them?  Yep, we have all been there (me more so than others!)

In this part of the game plan, you will learn for yourself the difference between good intentions and great execution.

The key to your success in this stage is to prioritize your commitment to your self and to the goal that you have set.  So, for instance if you are pressured by your hubby to watch TV at the time that you usually work out (assuming that that is your goal), then you have to be strong, stand up for your goal and tell your hubby that he will really not melt if he were to watch TV by himself!

When you are placed in a compromising situation where you have to place your goal first, ask yourself the following questions (Kate Larsen, Experience Life Magazine, Feb.2012)

• In an hour, what will I be more pleased that I did?  (TV sounds great, but, that skinny waist will feel much better!)
• What choice will lead to the greatest amount of regret
• What would the person that I aspire to be, choose right now

So, this is the stage where the real magic happens.

Be true to yourself and to the goals that you have set and you will surely accomplish them.

The final stage in the goal setting saga . . . WINNING!

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Goal Setting–Guaranteed to Work–part 2

So, since the last time that we spoke (well, kindda) I hope you all had a chance to jot down the answers to all the questions.

Now, the second part on how to achieve your new years’ resolutions. How to Choose your goal.

In the ‘choose” stage, you fully commit to your goal.

This is the stage when you warm up for what is to come.  The most critical part in this stage is building a sense of confidence.You have to believe that you can with effort , make the change that you hope to make.

This is a make or break moment for most people. If you  do not believe in yourself and your ability to achieve your goal, then you simply will not try hard enough to do so.

The best way to build self confidence is to gain knowledge and information on the change that you are about to make.  So, for instance, if my goal is to increase my web traffic for this blog, then I will have to search on ways to do just that.  By gaining the knowledge you will in turn demystify the unknown on achieving your goal.  Also, another way to building confidence in yourself is to say to yourself “I choose to change” several times a day.

According to Kate Larsen, the following questions should be answered in this stage :

• What do I currently do that will help my achieve my goal
• what do I currently do that will deter me in achieving my goal
• what situations trigger me to engage in self-sabotaging behaviors
• How well do the choices that I currently make serve me
• What information do I need and what information do I already have to make this change

The answers to the above will lead you to the  next  2 steps in this stage – creating an action plan and setting appropriate benchmarks for your achievements.

An action plan will turn your intention into something concrete.

Benchmarks will allow you to see your progress.

Once again according to Kate Larsen, the following questions will help you will the action plan and the benchmarks.

• who/what are my resources
• who is my support
• When will I start the process
• what are my steps
• What will I have to give up to make this change
• How will I measure my progress
• How will I reward myself when I achieve the benchmarks for my goal

The next stage in goal setting and achieving is – Action!

Please take a moment from your busy day and jot down the answers to the above questions so you can proceed to the ‘action” part of goal setting.

I hope that you are finding these series on goal setting as useful as I am.

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Yeeee! The New Year is Here .But… are you ready????

OK.  The first 1/2 of January is over and by now we are sure to be slacking off all the great resolutions that we made only 20 days ago.  Yaah, I know as well as you do who you are!  Enough excuses about lack of time and feeling down and taking care of the kids.  Wake up and smell the coffee (hopefully one from Starbucks. . .. trust me , you will need it!).  You have 20 days less to complete all the goals that you set for yourself at the beginning of the year.

To make your task easier (since I am so totally awesome!)  I will share a great article that I recently read on goal setting.The article was written by Kate Larsen in the Experience Life magazine, Feb. 2012.

To make it manageable and not overwhelming, I have decided to discuss each of the 4 steps of goal setting on separate days.  Also, where possible, I will  present the ideas in a point form so that it is easier to skim through the article at a future date if you so desire (please desire!!)

OK.  So, as mentioned, there are 4 basic steps on how to achieve the resolutions that you have set for yourself.

The first step is to Think

• In this stage, you build a strong foundation for your goal – reflect on the changes you want to make and how you to propose to do that.
• Have your personal interest at hand while setting your goal – as in, you want to save $$ because YOU want to not because your spouse wants you to.
• Choose a goal that “lights” you up (please, I did not mean  “on fire”).  The goal that you pick for yourself should be energizing and challenging and at the same time not impossible to attain.
• The best goals are those that meet your intrinsic need for autonomy, competence and connectedness.  These goals will make you so much happier when you achieve them.
• Create positive goals such as I want to achieve 100 views of my blog a day (hint hint ! start spreading the word along people!!!) not . . .I will jump off a cliff if I do  not increase my web traffic!  Fear is a poor motivator. positive goals are more compelling.

According to the author, before you set your goals for 2012, ask yourself the following questions (experience Life, Feb. 2012 – Kate Larsen)

• What is my goal
• What do I want to change about what I am doing to achieve my goal
• How will my life be better when I achieve this goal
• What makes this the right time to change
• How do I feel about making these changes – your fears  and hopes
• How will I know when I have accomplished my goal
• What will my life be like when I achieve my goal

Think about these questions and take time to write down the answers. Some people also benefit from making a vision board.

The next step in goal setting and achieving is Choosing your goal. – until the next time, please take time to write down your answers and help me achieve my goal by spreading the word around for coolmama blog!

thanks and ciao!

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Spice Mixtures Commonly Used In Indian Cooking

So, this morning, I received a great comment from a true and tested follower of Cool Mama blog who pointed out to me that I had mentioned a mixture of spice in the last post and had not explained it’s content which would be confusing to those that are unfamiliar with it.  Thanks a ton Shy for pointing that out.

so, for today’s post, I decided to list the composition of two commonly used spice mixtures in Indian Cuisine.  Both can be readily purchased from an Indian Grocery store.  But . . . as my mom always says, it does not measure up to the home made stuff.  (And that is why, even to this day, she sends me my spices from Toronto!)

The first spice mixture is Dhana Jeeru (that is the one that I failed to explain in the post on ginger)

Dhana = coriander seeds

Jeeru = Cumin seeds

Dhana Jeeru is  made by blending together equal amounts of the two in a coffee grinder dedicated to spices alone (otherwise your morning cup of Joe will taste very  . . . hmmmmm…. “indianish”).  To bring our more flavor of any spices, it is best to toast them in a frying pan for a few min. until they are fragrant, cool them and then blend them.

This and all spices are stored well in a air tight container for up to a month in the pantry and thereafter in the refrigerator.  But, try to use it up within 6 months otherwise all the flavor will be lost and it won’t taste the same.

The second spice mixture is Garam Masala -

Garam = hot

masala = spices

Garam masala = mixture of hot (whoo hoo !!!) spices

The following will make about 2 oz. (adapted from Healthy Indian Cooking – 2007)

10 dried red chilies

3 X 2.5 cm cinnamon sticks

2 curry leaves

2 Tbs. coriander seeds

2 Tbs. cumin seeds

1 tsp. peppercorns

1 tsp. cloves

1 tsp. fenugreek seeds

1 tsp. black mustard seeds

1/4 chili powder

Procedure

Dry roast the chilies, cinnamon and curry leaves in a frying pan for 2 min.

Add the rest of the spices and continue to dry fry until fragrant (the spices will turn darker as they release their oils)

Cool the mixture and blend it in the coffee/spice grinder.

store in an air tight container.

Both these spice mixtures are awesome to have handy if you cook Indian cuisine often.

Enjoy !!

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Spicy 5 - Ginger

Main health benefit – quiets queasiness

One of the main ingredients in Indian and Thai cooking, ginger is a delicious and pungent spice.

The main health benefit of this great spice is to relieve nausea.  In a study conducted at University of Michigan and at the national Yang'-Ming university, it was concluded that 1000 mg of ginger relieved motion sickness at a higher prevalence than the placebo.

Ginger limits the release of vasopressin, a key hormone found in development of nausea and motion sickness.

Ginger is also helpful in preventing and treating arthritis, asthma, cancer, cholesterol, heartburn, heart attack, morning sickness, stroke and elevated triglycerides.

One of my favorite recipes using ginger is

Ground Beef, pea and potato curry.

Ingredients

3 Tbs. vegetable oil

1 small onion diced finely

2 sticks of cinnamon

5 peppercorns

4 whole cloves

3 medium sized potatoes peeled and cubed in 2 inch cubes

2 roma tomatoes – diced

2 Tbs. cilantro leaved chopped

2 tsp. Dhana Jeeru

1/2 tsp. red chilies

1/2 tsp. mustard powder (hurder)

2 tsp. garlic (minced)

2 tsp. ginger (minced)

2 tsp. salt

1 pond 93% fat free ground beef

1 cup frozen peas

1/2 tsp. garam masala

2 tsp. fresh lemon juice.

stir well.

Procedure

Heat oil in a pot over medium heat

add the cinnamon, peppercorns and cloves and stir until fragrant (approximately 30 seconds)

add onions and cook stirring frequently until the onion is translucent

add the cubed potatoes. cook until the potatoes are partially done (approximately 5-6 min.)  stir frequently to avoid sticking

In the meantime, place the tomatoes and all the ingredients up to salt in a bow and set aside.

Once the potatoes are partially done, add the tomato mixture.Cook until the spices are fragrant about 5 min.

Add the ground beef and break it down with a wooden spoon.  Mix well and cook 3 min.

Add 11/2 cups of water and  bring the curry to a simmer.  simmer on low heat for 15 – 20 min .  Make sure that toe potatoes are cooked through.  Add the peas.  Cook for another 5 min. until the peas are heated through.  Taste for salt and spiciness.  make necessary adjustments.

take of the heat.  Add the 1/2 tsp. garam masala and 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice.

stir well.

Serve over a bed of warm, fragrant Basmati rice or with warm naan.

Enjoy!

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