10 Popular Dinner Ideas to Keep You Warm This Winter

Winter is a special season worldwide. Everyone gets ready for the holiday dinners and celebrations. While winter time is quite enjoyable, figuring out perfect dinner ideas to keep you warm during this period can be tedious. Fortunately, there are many dinner ideas that not only keep you warm during the winter period but are also healthy, providing you with the right nutrients. To get the most of these winter dishes, it is advisable to use a hot case or casseroles. A right casserole set will ensure your food remains warm until it is time to serve. Below is a list of 10 winter dinner ideas to keep you warm.

1. Gajar Ka Halwa

When it comes to winter, especially in India, Gajar Ka Halwa is a popular dish in every Indian household. Though it is served as a dessert, only one look at the piping hot halwa, and you can’t help but slobber. The dry fruits which appear on top of the dish make it more irresistible. What makes this even more popular during winters is that good quality carrots are rampant during the season. Carrots are the main ingredient used in making Gajar Ka Halwa dish. You can prepare the halwa and store it in a stainless-steel casserole to retain the warmth and taste for a longer duration. 

2. Slow down cooker curry chicken and spinach

This dish is essentially a chicken and lentil stew. The long cooking allows the condiments to reveal all their aromas. Curry powder is the basis of  this dish. However, you need to know that it's not made of just one spice. While curry leaves add flavor to a dish, curry powder is a blend of several spices. This sumptuous meal will not only satisfy your tastebuds but also keep you feeling warm during the cold winter.

Review: Deyga Anti-Acne Kit

Hello everyone! A few days back I shared my views on the Deyga baby care products. Today I am sharing my views on the Anti Acne kit by the same brand.

The Deyga Anti Acne kit comprises of 5 products. It aims at treating acne along with clearing clogged pores. All products are natural and handmade.

The five products in the kit are a cleaning bath bar, tea tree oil, neem seed oil, a tea tree toner and aloe vera gel. There are two bars of the soap in this kit. They come in a cute jute bag.

You can purchase these products separately as well. Check out the Deyga website: https://deyga.in/collections/combo/products/acne-control-kit

Deyga Anti Acne Kit

From left to right in the above pic we have a toner, aloe vera gel, tea tree oil, neem seed oil and soap.

The tea tree facial toner comes in a plastic bottle with a spray nozzle. A quick spritz gives a fresh feeling. Tea tree in this toner acts on the active acne by eliminating impurities and leaving the skin clean and shine free. I spray this on my face (keeping my eyes closed) and then gently pat my skin until it gets absorbed.

The aloe vera gel comes in a small plastic container and you need to dip your hand inside to take out the product. It is best to use a small spoon to scoop out whatever amount you need so that you don't contaminate rest of the product. Aloe vera is known for its moisturizing properties. This is the best moisturizer for acne prone skin as it does not give an oily feeling and doesn't clog pores. The best part is it can be used under make up as well.

The tea tree oil in this kit comes in a tiny glass bottle with a dropper lid. Tea tree oil is known as a natural antiseptic and has been part of every acne kit I have every tried. Pure tea tree oil is very strong and must be used with care.

This kit also contains neem seed oil. I have never used neem seed oil before on my skin. I have used it to kill insects on my plants. I have used neem leaves directly on my face as a teenager. The Deyga Neem Seed Oil is 100 % pure and you will surely notice the strong neem smell when you open the product. It comes in a glass bottle with a dropper. It's a heavy oil and does leave it's smell on the skin until washed off.

The soap in this kit is a Charcoal bath bar, this can be used on the face as well as body. I used one for my face and kept the other to use in the bath. Activated charcoal in this soap helps reduce acne and really gives a very clean feeling after use. On days when I was lazy I would simply use the soap while I skipped rest of the regimen. 

Price: Rs 2060

Deyga Neem Seed Oil

The team at Deyga recommends using this kit in a particular sequence.

1. Rinse your face with water

2. Apply a few drops of neem seed oil to the whole face and let it sit for 30 minutes

3. Clean the face with Charcoal soap

4. Apply tea-tree toner over the face and pat dry

5. Apply aloe vera gel

The above sequence does not mention anything about the tea tree oil. The way I used it is to add a couple of drops to the neem oil and use it as part of the step 2 above. Tea tree oil can also be added to bath water. Remember to not go overboard with tea tree oil, it is strong and needs a carrier oil or base oil to work.

One unique tip I got from the Deyga website was to use a drop of the neem seed oil on my belly button before sleeping to help get rid of acne faster. And it works!

When I started using the kit I had quiet a lot of active acne specially on my back. So I used it for my face and also started using the charcoal soap on my back. Following the regimen regularly did help heal my active acne. Unfortunately I got caught up with house work so much that following the whole regimen seemed like too much of a task so slowly I drifted away. Now that I again have active acne I plan to return to this regimen once again. Whenever you start using any skin-care product kit it is important to follow the regimen because the products are designed to work together. The above products are good individually as well but they work the best when used together. 

Here's hoping I will step into the new year with clearer skin!

Happy Holidays!

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Review: Deyga Natural Handcrafted Baby Care Products

Hi friends!

I'm not sure how many of my old readers are still here reading my posts, this one is coming after a very very long time. If you are reading this, thank you for being with me as my virtual family!

Having a baby and then this pandemic, life turned upside down. Motherhood is something that filled me with gratitude and now as I watch my son grow it amazes me every single day.

Sometime back a brand called Deyga contacted me to see if I would be interested in trying out their products. I checked out their website and saw their products are pure handmade, natural and without any chemicals. I surely wanted to try them out. Ever since my pregnancy I have been very selective about what I use for myself. And now I follow the same for my boy.

I tried out two different categories from Deyga products. In this post I will first share my views about their baby care range. I tried out the Deyga baby massage oil and baby soap.

Deyga Baby Care - Baby Massage Oil and Bath Soap

Deyga Baby Massage Oil comes in a plastic bottle with a flip cap. The oil is thick yet flowy which makes it easy to apply on the skin. It is made up of Organic Sesame Oil, Jojoba Oil, Cold Pressed Almond Oil, and Calendula Oil. The blend of these natural oils leaves the skin extremely smooth. 

I did find the smell of the oil a little strange with a smoky note. It's mainly because there is no added fragrance. It's the natural smell of the oils that have been blended together.

I normally massage my baby about half an hour before giving him a bath. I take a little bit of oil in my palms, rub them together to warm up the oil and then use gentle strokes to massage him. Massaging with Deyga leaves his skin very soft and he doesn't feel any dryness after his bath.

Price: Rs 1150 (for 250 ml)

Deyga Baby Care Range

The Deyga Baby Soap comes in a lovely handmade pouch and is wrapped in a paper. Inside the soap is a white bar which is extremely soft to hold. The shape of handmade soap is not like a regular soap so you will find some irregularities in it's shape. There is no prominent fragrance in this and that is a plus point. I hate artificial fragrances in baby products.

The ingredients of this soap are extra Virgin Olive oil, unrefined Shea Butter, sweet Almond oil, cold pressed Coconut oil, and cold pressed Castor Oil. All these ingredients make this soap smooth and gentle on the baby's skin. Almond oil is extremely beneficial in nourishing the skin. It doesn't lather like artificial soaps but cleans well.

Price: Rs 390 for 1 bar

If you like to use natural ingredient products only for your child then you must try these out. You can continue to use these cruelty free products even when your child grows up. 

Do let me know if you've tried any handmade products for your baby.

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POSITIVE Root Therapy + Advanced Onion Oil for Hair Growth - Review

My last review was of a product from the POSITIVE brand. I tried two of their products as I mentioned in my previous post. Today I'm reviewing their Root Therapy+ Advanced Onion Oil for Hair Growth.

The Onion Oil for Hair Growth comes in a plastic bottle with a pump cap. The consistency is quite rich and it has a pleasant fragrance that reminds me of saunf or Anise. The pump makes it very convenient to dispense the oil and there is no spillage in case you topple the bottle over with your oily hands (yes this is a real life possibility when you are oiling your own hair).

This Root Therapy hair oil is a unique blend of 18 essential oils and 37 herbs!  Onion Hair Growth oil is power packed with nutrients like sulfur, amino acids and Omega 9 fatty acids known for their nourishing properties. The brand claims that regular usage of this oil helps improve the life cycle of hair and may even encourage hair growth.

POSITIVE 3 in 1 Activated Charcoal Peel-Off Face Mask Review

Hi everyone! I'm trying to get back to product reviews slowly and the first product being reviewed this month is Positive 3-in-1 Activated Charcoal Peel Off Mask.

Positive is a brand that I'm trying out for the first time and I noticed it because of their onion hair oil. Onion hair oils are really creating a buzz these days but more on that later as I've got a review of it in my next post coming out in quick succession to this one. Back to the activated charcoal mask.

The mask comes in a tube with a flip cap and is ready to use straight out of the box. I love these kind of masks where I don't need to bother about mixing ingredients myself. They are easy to use and are travel friendly.

The mask is black in color and has a shiny appearance. It's thick enough to easily get applied to your skin but runny enough to come out of the tube if you open the lid and let it sit pointing down - basically you'll get a hassle free application if you use your fingers or a brush for putting it on your face. I prefer using a brush for an even application to my skin.