Kids love these Fish Cakes

Fish Cakes!!

 

 

I’m trying to get Ellil into the habit of eating healthy. I don’t want her to think of it as eating healthy per se.  I just want her and Ro to be around healthy food as though that’s the norm and the other stuff is really abnormal.

Like most moms, getting a balanced meal into our toddlers is not always easy. So, I created this rendition of fish cakes which I tried on Ellil a couple of times now and she really really enjoys it with a side of Caesar Salad. We eat it with a garden salad. Either way, it works great as a snack on its own or accompanied with a salad at meal time.

I did this with canned tuna (as that is what I had in my pantry) but you could also try it with salmon. If I were doing salmon however, I’d add a little bit of dill.

They are super easy to make and another bonus – NO added salt or tartar sauce required!

1 can of tuna (in water of course)

2 medium potatoes

2 scallions chopped

1 small red onion chopped

1 tbsp of ketchup

1.5 tbsp of mayonnaise (olive oil based)

2 tbsp of whole-grain mustard

Fresh ground pepper

1 tbsp butter

¼ cup all-purpose flour

1 egg

¼ cup dried breadcrumbs

1 – 2 tbsp of olive oil or avocado oil

 

Peel potatoes and cut into 8’s. Boil them in a saucepan.

Once boiled, mash the potatoes with butter.

Then add scallions, onion, ketchup, mayonnaise and pepper.

Flake the tuna in a separate bowl. Once tuna is flaked add the tuna to the mixture above.

Form into round and flat cakes/patties.

In 3 separate bowls pour flour in one, 1 egg beaten well in one and breadcrumbs in one

Dip both sides of fish cakes into all 3 bowls in order above (flour first, egg second, breadcrumbs third)

Heat frying pan with 1 – 2 tbsp of olive oil or avocado oil.

When hot, place fish cakes gently in pan, cooking each side once (3 – 5 minutes max on each side). If you want it really well done, you can flip them a couple more times.

Should make 6 fish cakes.

Try them and let me know what you think!

 

Healthy Alternative to Mattar Paneer (Peas and Cheese)

 

  

This is NOT the creamy version, but is still very tasty and goes very well with naan or roti.

¼ tsp mustard seeds

¼ tsp cumin seeds

1 red onion diced

½ each of red pepper, orange pepper, yellow pepper diced

¼ cup green peas

1 block of paneer cut into cubes

1 -  2 tsp olive oil

Salt to taste

1/8 tsp sugar

½ tsp dried crushed red chillies (optional)

Ensure frying pan is large enough to contain all ingredients.

Turn stove on and ensure pan is very hot. Pour oilive oil into pan.

When oil is hot enough, throw in mustard seeds and cumin seeds. You should hear it pop.

Then put in onions and saute.

Sprinkle sugar over the onions.

Toss in all peppers and paneer. Stir.

Add salt to taste

Add dried crushed red chillies

Kid Friendly, Heart Healthy - Banana Nut Bread or Blueberry Banana Bread

 

Kid Friendly, Heart Healthy – Banana Nut Bread or Blueberry Banana Bread

 

 

 

 

My next few entries will be healthier foods moms and dads can make with their children and for their children. I’m no chef so if I can do it, anybody can.

Recipes that are easy and fast and taste yummy for kids and adults.

Ellil and I baked this together. It’s easy to make and “Delicious!” as quoted by Ellil.

1 ¼  cup all purpose flour*

¼ cup whole wheat flour*

3 ripened bananas

¼ cup walnuts or ½ cup blueberries

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 eggs

¾ cup flaxseed oil

¼ tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp salt

Makes 16 slices. Entire load consumed in a 48 hour period!

Mash bananas in a bowl. Add vanilla extract, oil and eggs. Mix all dry ingredients in another bowl (both flours, brown sugar, cinnamon powder, baking soda, salt)

Pour all ingredients into one bowl and mix

Add nuts/blueberries.

Stir

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray oil inside a loaf pan.

Pour batter into the pan

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centre of bread comes out clean

*Each subsequent time you make this, increase ratio of whole wheat flour to all purpose flour and see if your kids notice the difference. Ellil noticed when I did ¾ all purpose and ¾ whole wheat flour. She didn’t like it as much. So my ratio is 1 cup all purpose flour to ½ cup whole wheat flour.

Rest of book - Great Read.

Chapters 9 – 11 Great Book

 

 

Having finished this book and re-skimming it again, I have to say it was a terrific read. There were lessons to learn, much to think about and tons of research and statistics to back up a lot of what I was already feeling.

There’s something for everyone in this book. The parts that stood out to me were the parts that affected me most given my life and choices. So different parts of the book will impact different people but the take away will be the same.

It’s a book I hope to draw from again and again. Now that I’ll be going back to work with 2 kids at home, the timing of this read has been perfect.

Chapter 8’s title, ‘The myth of doing it all’. The best thing I took from this chapter is that studies show that “exclusive maternal care was not related to better or worse outcomes for children”. So one days that I am feeling especially guilty about going to work and leaving my 2 babies behind, I will know in the back of my head that I’m not ruining their future!

Oh, and the factors that did influence children positively…emotional intimacy between the parents, father’s involvement in the kids, and mothers who favour ‘self-directed child behaviour’.

Factors that every couple can work on. Hurray!

Chapter 8: My favourite

My favourite chapter so far: Chapter 8

 

 

I must admit I have not read the entire book yet but so far this has to be my favourite chapter. it is one topic that doesn’t get talked about enough but has a pertinent effect on how well a gal can do in this world, professionally speaking. It’s a critical read for guys and gals alike and is titled, “Make your partner a real partner”.

Bottom line, if you’re an ambitious girl with skills to pay the bills, but also wants to come home to a healthy, happy family you need to find a man who understands this and is willing to work harder than previous generations in order to make this happen. I say ‘man’ specifically because same sex couples tend to have a more balanced division of labour in their relationships than heterosexual couples. So boys must roll up their sleeves in the house and lean into the home just as their girls are leaning into their work.

I am lucky. I found a man who is in many ways the type of man that is desired according to this chapter. Needless to say I felt very proud and even a little smug that I figured this little tidbit out totally subconsciously. It wasn’t that I went looking specifically for these ‘skill sets’ or asked questions about his childhood to ensure he would be of a certain type but it  had to have been those very traits that drew me to him.

The fact that he knew his way around a kitchen better than me, for example. He owned a restaurant when we first met and it was always a packed house when he did the cooking. Hands down, fantastic chef. I’ve always been well fed thanks to the culinary skills of Mama Ghosh and after marriage I continue to be well fed thanks to Raj.

I could give you example after example to illustrate how he’s a great husband and a terrific father, but you probably don’t want to read all that. Instead I’ll leave you with one thought.  If your children can be raised in a home where they don’t associate tasks as ‘blue’ or ‘pink’ but rather a choice that either parent completes for the sake of the family unit, aren’t we all better off?

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

 

 

Sorry I missed the last couple of days but Rohit has been sick and I needed to give him all my attention. He is getting better now, slowly but surely. He’s on two puffers twice a day to help with his terrible cough and cold. Not easy for him, poor kid. But he still manages to smile and show me his beautiful dimples.

In this Chapter, titled ‘Don’t leave before you leave’ the discussion is about women who plan for their exit without even properly entering the workforce. The assumption being that since 'one day I will get married and have kids, maybe I should not go for the tough jobs but take something more peripheral so it’s not so demanding for when I do have other priorities'. I can’t say that I consciously have made this decision. Have you or do you know anybody who has?

Actually, now that I think about it…I did do something similar. After I finished my MBA one of my choices was to go into consulting and after discussing with a bunch of different people, particularly my father, I decided not to go into the field because of the constant travelling involved and I was asked if I’d be ok doing all this travelling and living out of a suitcase after I got married and had little kids? I decided ‘no’ and so didn’t take the offer. However, the field I ultimately ended up deciding on has serendipitously been the best choice for me.

See, the world is conspiring in our favour?! Even when I made an incorrect decision according to chapter 7, it ended up pushing me into the right field!

Ha! Thanks world!

Still Leaning In

Still Leaning In – Chapter 6

 

 

The highlight of Chapter 6 for me, seek and speak the truth, is when the topic of crying at work is brought up. I work on the trade floor and as a trader fully understand that you must have a thick skin. We all work in extreme proximity to each other where I can reach my arm out and touch my co-workers shoulder.  Every move, conversation, sigh is shared and the culture is the most unique type of culture I’ve ever experienced. I love it and wouldn't want it any other way.

But I get it that it’s not for everyone. Needless to say when working on a big deal or trade that involves a group of people and we are standing at our desks and on the phone figuring things out in the heat of the moment, you have to keep your wits about yourself. There is something to be said about grace under fire. Nothing is more counter-productive than having some guy in who is involved in the deal, blowing a gasket and freaking out externally in the midst of one of these intense moments. But sometimes it happens. Miscommunication or somebody changing their mind at the last minute is usually the fuse that gets them started. They get all heated up and emotional and revert back to their primal behaviour. Raising their voice, pounding their chest like a Jane Goodall movie. Sometimes from their desk and sometimes over the speaker phone. It’s human nature. Everyone on the trade floor is type A and driven and wants to be number 1 so a display of human emotion is natural. 

But the way a man expresses emotion is very different from the way a woman expresses emotion. If I get really upset with someone’s behaviour or feel betrayed by someone my eyes well up and my voice starts to quiver. It’s happened a couple of times with me. But I know better than to cry on the trade floor. I put a lid on it. I wait till the deal is done, get off the floor and go for a walk and let myself go privately. Just like there’s no crying in baseball. There’s no crying on the trade floor. I didn’t need anybody to tell me that. I, like all the other women up there who thrive in that environment know better than to show that side of us so publicly.

With that being said, off the floor one-on-one conversations with people I trust does allow me to let my guard down and I have on some occasions allowed myself to cry. I believe these moments are necessary. We spend more waking hours with our colleagues than we do with our families in any given week, so it doesn’t make sense to not be yourself. It’s too much pressure and you can’t stay happy that way. So if you’re hurt or you’re going through something personal you need to share that. Otherwise, it will burden you and make you a less productive, disenfranchised and unhappy. And no one wants to live like that. Not even type A  girls.