Different Types of Sprouts

Sprouts can be of different types. From beans to grams to grains, you have a plenty of choices for growing sprouts at your home and taking care of your own health. Here, we have sorted out the most popular types of sprouts that can be added to our daily diet:

Also Read – 10 Amazing Health Benefits of Almond Oil Here

Apart from these, there are many other types of sprouts like radish sprouts, sunflower sprouts, Brussels sprouts, etc., which are not-so-popular yet extremely good for our health and body.


Health Benefits of Sprouts

Now, let us take a close look at various health benefits that can be enjoyed by including sprouts in our daily diet. Here we go:

1. Sprouts contain essential enzymes for our body, which are almost 100 times more than raw fruits and veggies. These enzymes play the roles of catalysts by extracting necessary nutrients from our foods and creating robust ‘nutritional building blocks’ for our body, thereby regularizing our bodily functions.

2. Sprouts are rich in high-quality proteins, which are even better than the actual beans, grams, nuts and grains. The procedure of sprouting itself improves the quality of proteins and induces more nutritional values in the sprouts.

3. Sprouts are a wonderful source of dietary fibers, which is one of the most vital nutrients required by our body. In other words, they can keep us fit and healthy by warding off toxins as well as unwanted fat from our body, thereby promoting weight loss.

Also Read – Health Benefits of the Mangosteen Fruit (Kokum) Here

4. Sprouts comprise very high levels of vitamins (mainly A, C, E and B complex), which is as much as 20 times higher than actual beans and lentils. Hence, they are definitely a healthier choice for us.

5. Sprouts have been found to be a great source of essential fatty acids. These are important for our health in order to burn excess calories and keep additional fat at bay.

6. Sprouts have lots of minerals bound to its proteins, which makes the body alkaline and maintains the right pH balance. As a result, we can stay away from a number of fatal diseases.

7. Sprouts can help us a lot in preventing untimely aging. They are packed with powerful antioxidants, which fights against damaging free radicals and keep our skin youthful for long.

8. Sprouts are known to be ‘protein powerhouse’, which is highly beneficial for pregnant women. Both the would-be mother and her fetus can get high level of nutrients from sprouts and stay healthy.

Know the company well: First and foremost thing to keep in mind is to be acquainted about the Company and its vision. If it’s a corporate firm then you can opt for a formal outfit- Girls can go for a formal shirt and a pencil skirt or formal pants. If you are planning to wear a suit, it’s wise to make sure how the company’s current employees are dressing up or else you would end up being the odd one out. Choose the fabric of your outfit as per the season; or else you will end up sweating like a pig if you land up layering yourself in heavy clothes in summer.

Dress up right: A very important aspect of dressing up right is choosing the right colour for your outfit. No matter which outfit you pick up, everything will be ruined if you choose the wrong colour. No flashy colours, no neon’s, no glitter, no blingy outfits instead go for more subtle colours- blue, white, off-white, black and white, brown, grey are all safe colours to opt.

Accessorize right: You can add a nice understated yet classy belt and make it a point to match the colour of your shoes and belt. You can also include a nice small chain with a small pendant probably a diamond pendant and match small stud earrings with it. A classy and simple bracelet can also be added to further enhance your style. A good watch is also a must for both men and women.

Footwear: You need to be well-dressed from head to toe literally so make sure that the shoes are not ignored. Women should go for peep-toes or flats. Heels are not a great choice but if you are comfortable in it, you can go ahead with it.

Concentrate on your looks: It is better to tie up your hair to a neat pony and if it is short you could leave your hair open too provided it is neatly done up.


Well done nails- a must: Make sure you have been for a manicure in advance as hands are also very much on display to others. Dry and dirty hands with long dirty nails can be a put off to the interviewers. Women have to make sure that there are no half done nails. If you have long nails, make sure they are clean, in shape and apply a subtle nail polish to make them look attractive.

No strong perfume or cologne: It is better to avoid strong scents as you never know the interviewer might be allergic to the scents.

Minor points: Girls make sure you wear a good supporting under garment, preferably of nude colour and no revealing clothes. Pants should not sport any pleats and the length should be enough to touch your shoes, not more, not less! Last but not the least- make-up, keep it to the minimum and be pleasant through the interview.

The most significant thing is that you need to be comfortable in whatever you wear; if you are comfortable then you will exude confidence and will sail through the interview without any hassle. So get, set, go and rock the interview!!

Your boss checks you out: Is your boss constantly checking you out?? If he is constantly gazing at you when you happen to be in his surroundings and not in a conversation with him in particular then he could be smitten by you. On the other hand if he is looking at you just for a few seconds, then not much to worry as he might just be watching if you are doing your job well. Just watch if he is looking deep into your eyes, checking you out head to toe even forgetting his surroundings.

Boss showering you with compliments: Is your boss showering you with compliments daily?? Then it could mean that he is attracted to you. Especially if he compliments on your looks and not your work. For instance, ‘Are you single?’ ‘Your husband is a very lucky man.. .’Etc. If he is strictly talking good about your work then there is nothing much to dig out of it but if it’s otherwise then there is surely something cooking here.

Texts you or Calls you often: Does your boss send you personal messages, forwards every often to an extent of putting you in an uncomfortable spot? It could possibly be because he is falling for you and that’s why he is seeking your attention. Especially if he is keeping a tab on your personal matters, enquiring too much about your personal life like.. ‘Did you have food, dinner’ etc, sending ‘missing you’ notes are all a very strong message that the person is most certainly giving you a lot more attention than a boss should ideally give.

Getting too ‘touchy’: Watch out if your boss is trying to touch you more often unnecessarily. A general shake hand, a formal hug can all be considered as exchanging pleasantries but anything beyond that need not be entertained. If he tries to touch you unnecessarily, for instance- holding your hand, patting your back, touching your shoulder etc, all these gestures are undoubtedly the hints that your boss is trying to get intimate with you. If you are uncomfortable with all this, you should tell your boss straight away that you are not comfortable with his behaviour.


You are bestowed with increments while others are not: Is your Boss giving you perks all of a sudden, when you are not even expecting it? You might have gone on a long leave and not really contributed in terms of work but yet you are given perks, then definitely your boss is doing this on purpose, probably for a personal favour in exchange.

These points are based on general situations. Every boss would not necessarily be like this. If your boss is attracted to you there is nothing wrong with it, provided he is single. It is completely up to you on how you want to respond to it. If you are also single and you too feel the same way about your boss then there is no harm in responding to his moves. But if your boss is married or is in a relationship with someone already then it would be better for you to stay off this whole scene as it will turn out to be nothing but a big fiasco in the end.

1. Position

The western part of the house is the best choice for constructing a dining room, while northern part is considered as the second best and eastern part is the third. You should always stay away from positioning your dining space in the southern side of the home.

2. Surrounding

Try to make the dining room on the same floor where your kitchen is located. They should be adjacent to each other. Even a toilet attached to the dining room is also a good choice. However, if you do not like the concept of an adjoining dining space and bathroom, keep a place where you can wash your utensils as well as clothes right next to the dining hall.

3. Color


Light red, pink and lemon are ideal for painting the walls of your dining room. If none of these colors suits your taste, go for light green or orange. Use fabrics of similar shades for decking the room up. From the table cloth to the curtains, each and everything should be decorated with the lighter shades of these colors. White and black are totally avoidable for this place.

4. Entry

Plan the door of your dining hall towards the western or northern part of the building. If there is no other way, you can think of an eastern entry too. However, the door should not be in a straight line of the main door of the house and its design should not have any arcade.

5. Dining Table

When it comes to the shape of the dining table, try to stick to square or rectangle for the most positive outcomes. It should not come with the feature of folding up in opposition to the wall. Always keep some space between the table and the wall.

6. Sitting Arrangement

No member of the family should face the south during the eating session. The headperson must take a seat which is facing the east, while others can be seated in any of the three directions i.e. east, west and north.

7. Drinking Water

If you want to store drinking water in your dining hall, choose a place at the north-eastern region of the room. Other parts should be avoided as much as possible.

8. Refrigerator

Many people like to place the refrigerator in their dining spaces right next to the dining table. However, you need to make sure that it is the south-eastern section of the room.

9. Wash Basin and Drain

Placing a wash basin in the dining hall is also in trend these days. You can choose the eastern or the northern part of the room for this purpose. Do not ever position it in the north-western area or the south-eastern section. On the other hand, the drain should always be located either in north or north-east of your dining space.

10. Lighting and Decoration

The light of the dining hall should be so installed that it does not focus on the people directly during the eating session. Try to embellish the room with beautiful images, especially of the Mother Nature, and unique handicrafts for creating as well as maintaining a happy ambience.

So, follow these Vastu rules and enjoy your family meals happily forever.

Do Not React against Screams

It is the most common thing that almost all of us have to experience at workplaces. There are bosses who have least control on their tempers and hence, they end up making scenes of every single issue by shouting and screaming. They find it to be the easiest way to deal with their anger. But the truth is that nobody has the right to yell at others at work, not even the boss. However, if you want to handle the entire situation tactfully, stay silent during the whole episode. Make sure that you look straight to his / her eyes instead of looking down. In short, stay absolutely cool and behave like nothing happened at all in order to make your boss shameful. Your coolness might stop him / her from doing the same thing in future.

Be Confident to Cope with Rudeness

Some bosses simply deny interacting with company staff. They are extremely rude and never ever want to face the issues that are going on in the operational level of the organization. It is truly tough to speak to these types of people as they always create a boundary around them. But you need to be confident while dealing with them. Or else, you will never get heard. Be courteous while approaching such a boss for a 5-10 minutes of discussion session, but do not lose your self-belief. It would make him / her keep your request. However, be very punctual in such cases and try to be as precise as possible while expressing yourself. It will help things go on smoothly.

Count Your Pending Leaves before Seeking One

Lots of bosses immediately say ‘no’ when an employee applies for a leave. But the fact is that if you have proper reason and if there are still pending leaves in your account, nobody can reject your application. It is recommended that you keep a count of how many leaves you have already taken and how many are left. When your boss is about to disapprove your application, just remind him / her about your pending leaves. Also, do not forget to keep your HR in CC while sending the leave application. It will help you prove the truth of your words.

Draw Line on Abusive Behavior and Language

Finally, there are quite a few bosses who love to insult their employees and that too openly. They are exceptionally proud of their power and like to ‘utilize’ it in such a manner. It has been seen that this type of bosses are quite well known of their own limitations, which makes them insecure and they eventually try to hide those shortcomings by harassing their staff. If the behavior or the language of your boss becomes abusive, raise your voice against it without letting it grow further. If it does not stop him / her, just lodge a complaint to the person above him / her on the hierarchy or the HR personnel by stating everything clearly.

1. Take your time to say “congratulation to me”! Yes, you have finally made it and this thing clearly reflects that you have what it takes to be. Wishing yourself on the success will help you gain enough mental strength for the upcoming journey. So, relax and get ready.

2. Before joining your new company, do some research about it. This will be immensely helpful for getting through your very first days. Have a deep look at the company profile and try to learn as much as possible about it.


3. Get in touch with the HR personnel or your would-be supervisor at least before a couple of days of your joining. It can be either a phone conversation or a face-to-face meeting. But the matter of your discussion should be your new job role and responsibilities. This first step of preparation will cut down your nervousness greatly.

4. Once you are introduced to your new co-workers, follow an effective approach to create robust work relationships with them. Make sure that you meet the maximum number of people at the workplace. It will help you stay updated about the company always.


5. You should identify with your duties and be geared up to meet the expectation of your manager. However, if you feel that you are yet to understand the operation of the organization fully, try to talk to some of your colleagues. Their point of views about the office as well as the job will help you get mental strength to some extent.

6. Be inquisitive. It is one of the best ways to get rid of new job jitters. The more you stay quiet, the more you feel nervous. Hence, open up and ask questions. Supervisors do not like someone who ‘knows each and everything’ right from the start. Even your colleagues will also dislike it. But the moment you will begin to seek their help, they will also put their efforts in making you feel comfortable.

7. Try to take part in every single event of the company by your own initiative. It will not only help you learn about your organization more, but you will get noticed as well as appreciated for your active participation. In other words, your eagerness to learn will help you go through those first days in office successfully.

8. Another great way to fight your uneasiness is to ask for feedback from the supervisor. If you do not work on your weak points or utilize your strengths, you will never be able to overcome that discomfort. Hence, try to rectify yourself as per the needs of your company.

9. Your opinion counts. Just because you are new to the company, you should not stay quiet. Express your suggestions as well as ideas about the progress and development of the company and let others know that you care. It will ease out the situation much.

10. Never ever promise yourself that you will know everything about your organization and learn all about your job responsibilities on the day one. It will end up making you more anxious. Rather, give yourself sufficient time to become skilled at your tasks. Set attainable short-term goals and struggle to achieve those from the day of joining. You will definitely feel more confident.

Stay Clean and Hygienic

Imagine a workstation with stains of tea or coffee here and there, food1 grains scattered all over the place, ink or water spread over important papers, a thick layer of dust covering the keys of the keyboard and a completely muddy floor! Do you really feel that it should be yours? No way! Your workplace is a place where you spend the maximum time of your day right after your home. So, try to treat it just like your home and keep it clean and hygienic.

Keep Things Organized

You are working as a sensible employee of your company and your desk etiquette should reflect it. Try to keep each and everything organized at your workstation as much as possible. Put all essential stationary as well as official items, such as papers, pens, highlighters, markers, and so on at the right places. If there is anything which is useless and you don’t need any more, simply throw it away. You’ve been provided bins for this purpose, right?


Don’t Stack Files at the Desk

A cluttered workstation is not only visually annoying, but it is highly unprofessional too. So, stay away from piling your important files and documents on your desk. Rather, clip them together, insert them in labeled folders and place them inside the drawer. You should also not stock up extra printouts or daily newspapers at your workstation. Get your drawer cleaned up in a regular manner.

Don’t Amass Personal Items

Never ever put your personal belongings on your desk. Be it your large stylish handbag or a small funky purse, you should always keep it inside the drawer. If you carry any other personal item like, headphone, car key, bluetooth, photo of your near and dear ones, etc. with you, make it a point that you do not keep those at your workstation. Rather, deck up the place with a calendar, a notepad, a pen, and anything else that would come handy in due course.

Don’t Eat or Smoke at the Desk

Having your lunch or munching on snacks at your desk is another bad practice. It not only spoils the hygiene of the place, but also makes your colleagues reluctant to come to your desk for any official purpose. Always throw the boxes or wrappers of packaged food items in bins. You should also never smoke at your workstation.

Make Right Use of Phones

Do not take personal calls by sitting at your workstation. If there is no other way, try to speak in a low volume. Also, do not spend lots of time in talking over phone. Making personal calls from official telephones is also a strict no-no.

1. Choosing the Right Spot

It is the first step towards a small and beautiful kitchen garden. As sunlight is one of the major growth factors for plants, you have to choose an area in your kitchen which gets enough sunlight (at least for 6 hours a day). If there is no such spot in your kitchen, go for the most lighted part in your house.

2. Picking Vegetables and Herbs

Once you are done with choosing the site for your kitchen garden, start selecting the plants that you want to grow there. Your first choice for this purpose should be the fruits, vegetables and herbs that are liked most by you and your other family members. Also, consider those plant items that you need to include in your regular foods. If you wish, you can opt for the fruits and vegetables that do not require much time or space to grow.

3. Finding Perfect Planting Pots

Traditionally, earthen pots or containers are used for planting veggies in a kitchen. However, you can always go green by using recycled bottles, buckets or large bowls made of plastic. This is a great way to save space and grow the plants of your choice in your own house. Moreover, it does not need much effort and saves a lot of bucks too.

4. Buying Quality Planting Mixture

Investing in a high-quality planting mixture is essential for successful kitchen gardening. Make sure that the mixture is full of nutrients, which are vital for proper growth and maintenance of veggies. If you ever find that your planting mixture lacks certain crucial elements, provide nourishment to the seedlings by adding soluble liquid fertilizer to it once every 14 days.

5. Planting Seedlings Carefully

After purchasing seedlings from your nearby nurseries, you just can’t plant them without taking proper care. Remember that their roots remain very soft at this time and hence, you need to be extremely gentle while handling them. You can also sow the seeds obtained from fruits or vegetables yourself. However, do not forget to soak the planting mixture properly in water prior to this. You also have to keep this mixture slightly moist up to the germination of the seeds.

6. Providing Enough Space

We usually do not care about the space present between two seeds while sowing them. It might turn out to be a big problem later. So, make sure that you discard a few of them from in between as soon as the seedlings come out. Just cut them off or prick them out and you are ready to provide enough space to your future kitchen plants to grow.

7. Watering the Plants

Finally, take utmost care of your garden so that you can get most out of it. Water them every now and then so that the planting mixtures remain moist and the seedlings remain hydrated. However, stay away from overwatering your veggies. You can always choose a sprinkler for watering the plants in your kitchen garden efficiently.

Top ten gifting ideas for this Valentine’s Day:

Men are hard to be impressed as compared to women. Men do not love the typical Valentine’s gifts like chocolate, flowers etc. so it takes a lot more effort to impress your man through gifts.

1)   Romantic vacation: As per a survey 50 per cent of men like to go on a romantic vacation to bring in the Valentine’s Day. So if you are ready to put in some extra dollars then plan a surprise vacation for him and blow his mind off.

2)   Passionate Sex: Yes, next thing that men love is sex. Plan something exotic this Valentine’s for him. Express your love literally by making him feel special. Try to find out what he always wanted to try out on bed, and what better occasion than this to execute these sexy ideas out for him!! He will be spellbound for sure with this one.

3)   Get kinky: If you are a couple who are open to experiment then this is the time to have some fun. Buy some really kinky stuff, blindfold him and serenade the night through with the gifts.

4)  Smart watch: If you have do not want to do anything intimate and you just want a meaningful gift for him then you can go for a watch. These days the trendiest watch is the smart watch. This helps your guy to send text, use Facebook, email etc. all with a watch. Besides that the watch will remind him to never reach late to meet you.

5)   Wine: If your man has a great taste in wine than gift the most exquisite one and he will surely be impressed with it.

6)  Gadgets: A gadget loving boyfriend can always be happy getting more of them from his love herself. The gadgets to choose from are plenty, for instance, Tablet, laptop, PlayStation, a trendy phone etc.

7)   Gym equipment: If your man is someone who loves working out then gift him an equipment that will help him burnout his calories. Gifting a gym bag is also a good option. Gym bags with different compartments to keep different items like matt, sweaty clothes are very useful for him.

8)   Get him his favorite fragrance: You can never go wrong with perfumes as a gift for your man especially if he belongs to the metro-sexual clan. For that matter you could even get him a grooming set, he will love it.

9)  Cook for him: If your man is a foodie then set up a cozy candle light gourmet dinner for him. Cook his favorite dish and set up the place with soft lighting and lovey-dovey stuffs around. Light music in the background and you are done. I bet your man will love you for all the efforts you have put in just to make him feel special.

10)   Cuff links for the uber cool man: If your man has an uber cool sense of style the cuff links is a best gift for him. He will love the gift as well as notice that you appreciate his sense of style.

Servings for: 4 persons

Time Required:

Ingredients Required:

(a) General Ingredients:

(b) Garam Masala Ingredients:


Black cardamom – 4

Method of Preparation:

1. The preparation of peas pulao is really very simple and easy. However, you have to be very careful while cooking the basmati rice. So, let us start with cleaning the rice. Wash it properly unless and until the drained water runs clear. Once you are done with it, add water to the washed rice. Let it soak for at least half an hour. Then, draw the water off gradually and keep the rice aside.

2. Prepare all other ingredients to start your cooking. Clean and wash green peas under running water. You can take either fresh or frozen peas for this purpose. Peel the onions and slice them up finely. Also, cut the green chilies into thin, long pieces.

3. Take a pot with thick and wide bottom for cooking the rice. If you are more comfortable with pressure cooking, opt for a pressure cooker instead. However, place the pot on the oven over medium heat. Pour vegetable oil or ghee into it. Also add the butter to the oil. Let the mixture get heated.

4. Now, add the whole cumin seeds to it. As soon as they start to sputter, put in the whole spices or garam masala ingredients like bay leaves, cinnamon stick, black cardamom, green cardamom, cloves and mace one by one. Fry for a couple of minutes till a wonderful aroma starts to come.

5. Add the thin onion slices to the roasted whole spices. Stir fry for 1 minute. After that, add ginger paste, garlic paste, and the pieces of green chilies to the pot. Cook all the ingredients until the onions become soft and golden brown.

6. Pour all the green peas into the spice mixture. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes so that they are cooked a little. Beat the fresh curd and add it to the peas. Also, add rest of the water and stir with the help of a spoon so that all ingredients are mixed together.

7. Now, put the drained basmati rice in the pot. Sprinkle salt over it according to taste. Cover the pot with a lid and adjust the flame to high. Make sure that the lid sets tightly over the pot. Or else, the rice will not get cooked properly and your peas pulao will not taste good.

8. After some time, open the lid and check if the water is absorbed by the rice completely. The grains should neither remain hard nor get melted.

9. Finally, serve your hot peas pulao with raita or spicy veg side dishes.

1. Rice Pudding

What about starting with a dessert? Yes, you can easily prepare a yummy pudding by using leftover rice. Here is the recipe:

Preparation:

Take a large mixing bowl and put the cooked rice into it. Add beaten eggs, fresh milk, sugar, nutmeg powder, cinnamon powder, raisins, lemon zest, salt and vanilla essence to the rice one by one and combine properly. Butter a medium-sized baking dish and transfer the mixture to it. Fill a large baking pan with water and place the baking dish in it. Finally, bake the entire thing in a pre-heated oven for minimum 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Top your pudding with whipped cream and serve hot or cold.

2. Masala Rice

Looking for something hot and spicy? Try making this masala rice with leftover rice and you will never get disappointed. Check out the recipe:

Preparation:

At first, fry black mustard seeds and whole cumin seeds in oil. Once they get browned, add chopped onions to the pan and sauté until they become tender as well as translucent. Now, prepare a mushy mixture by blending chopped tomatoes, green chilies and curry leaves with the onions. After that, add spice powders (turmeric, coriander, fennel, red chili and garam masal), salt and asafetida to the mixture. Also, add cooked rice and keep stirring so that all ingredients get mixed well. Finally, garnish with shredded coriander leaves and serve hot with raita.

3. Rice Paratha

Do you know that you can turn your leftover rice into tasty parathas? Yes, it is simple and more or less similar to other paratha recipes. Here we go:

Preparation:

Prepare a tight dough by mixing cooking oil, water and salt with the wheat flour. Keep it aside by covering with a clean and moist cloth. Now, start preparing the stuffing by making the cumin seeds sputter in hot oil. Put chopped onions and ginger-garlic paste to it. Once the onions get golden brown, add chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder and red chili powder to them. Sauté until the entire mixture becomes soft. Now, add the cooked rice to it and blend everything well. Your stuffing is ready. Make small balls from the dough and put this stuffing at the center of each of them. Roll them out into parathas and serve with butter cubes.

4. Rice Idli

You can also use your leftover rice in South Indian way. Just try your hands at this soft and delicious Idli. The recipe is here:

Preparation:

Soak split husked black gram and idli rava in water for 3 and 2 hours respectively. After that, drain them carefully. However, store some drained water while straining the husked black gram. Now, put the cooked rice, strained black gram and strained idli rava in a mixer grinder and pour 3 teaspoons of that stored water to it. Grind for a few minutes. Then, again add 7 teaspoons of water to the grinder jar to make the idli batter perfectly fluffy. Now, take it out of the grinder, mix some salt and leave overnight by covering fully. Next day, follow the regular process of making idli and you are done!

5. Rice Dumpling

Finally, here is a tasty snack that you can make with your leftover snack and enjoy anytime. Read the recipe of rice dumpling below:

Preparation:

Firstly, add a few tablespoons of sesame seeds to the leftover rice and blend them well. Also, add a little pepper and a pinch of salt to it and keep the mixture aside. Meanwhile, prepare the stuffing by mixing mashed boneless chicken, mashed paneer, chopped green chilies, and salt properly. Now, divide the rice mixture into several small balls and stuff them with this chicken-paneer mixture. Heat oil in a pan and deep fry these rice balls till golden brown. Serve your rice dumplings hot with green and red chutney.