Your Platform Magazine December 2022 Edition

Another hidden germ near Chennai – Thaiyur dam

Just 36 kilometers drive from Guindy metro station is Thaiyur Dam, a nearby getaway from Chennai. Thaiyur Dam is located in Chengalpattu district, Tamil Nadu. The dam is surrounded by agricultural land nearby and also has salt production fields. Thaiyur Dam is filled with rainwater in the winter months the water flows and makes it a mini waterfall, and a weekend getaway for the Chennaiities. It is located only 2 kilometers from Kelambakkam and 20 minutes drive from Sholinganallur. Fresh water flows from the dam in a particular place, from a height of 8 to 9 feet, making it in a mini waterfall. This waterfall is not a tourist spot, so there is no entry fee or any particular parking space. The location is available on google maps and can be reached without much chaos. This place is an ideal spot for a weekend gate away from Chennai. Enjoy the drive on a cozy Sunday morning to this destination with your favourite playlist. You are lucky enough if it is drizzling and you get to enjoy the blissful weather munching your favourite food. As soon as you reach the destination, you can walk towards the falls and enjoy yourself without any fear. You might go on a weekday, to avoid the crowd during the weekend. It is a safe place for kids as well, as the water is not very shallow.

yourplatform

Trends

Best places for photoshoots in Chennai

Locations that cost you, but are totally worth the experience and outcome. The below-listed places are in and around Chennai and are ideal for pre/post-wedding photoshoots and maternity photoshoots. Kindly check the availability of the places as you need to book them in weeks prior to book your slot. The below are the Secret Garden With beautiful backdrops set up and indoor places to shoot, Secret Garden is the ideal spot within the city limits. It is a beach house near Thiruvanmiyur that can be rented for 3 to 5 hours for photoshoots. Land of wanders The world of fantasy shooting spot in the heart Of Mahabalipuram, Chennai. It is a beautiful place to capture the most special phase of your life like pre-wedding, post-wedding, or maternity shoots. It is an ideal spot to Dakshina Chitra Museum Located 25 kilometers away from Chennai, Dakshina Chitra is a cross-cultural museum of art, crafts, lifestyle, architecture and performing arts of South India. The agenda is to preserve and promote the culture of the South Indian States. It has a collection of 18 authentic historical houses and is the best place to click pictures with a complete feel of your roots if you are South Indian. Chokhi Dhani A place to experience ethnic north Indian art and culture, rides and culinary. You get to taste the Rajasthani cuisine and also experience animal rides – camel, horse and bullock cart rides with the entry ticket. You get to click pictures in the beautiful mud houses and incorporate cultural activities in your shoot. Studio 24 This beautiful location is one of the great spots for romantic couples’ photoshoots with more than 50 backdrops, and professionally painted photography backdrops with all modern equipment and amenities. This venue with the best of art and architecture provides a beautiful ethnic theme to your shoot, The perfect light of the “Golden hour” Whether day or night”. Best places for photoshoots in Chennai (Part 2) Elements on ECR Elements on East Coast, Chennai features spectacular lights and more than 50 backdrop settings for the shoot. To link all of the backgrounds and their lighting, the garden has been incorporated. The beach is within a short distance from the property.

yourplatform

Technology

Rail Journey made better with Kuku FM

Long Rail journeys are not boring anymore, you can make the most out of it with Kuku FM. You just need to download Kuku FM on your mobile phone free of cost. With 4,000+ audiobooks and 10,000+ hours of content, India’s No.1 Audiobook Platform Kuku FM is available in most of the regional languages of India Languages namely Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, and English. Kuku FM is available on your android phone, iOS, Android TV, and Jio store. Listen to inspiring content or entertain yourself with fictional and non-fictional stories at ease while commuting in the language of your choice. With just one Premium subscription which is so affordable and pocket-friendly for even students, Kuku FM offers a lot. The Premium subscription is priced at 399 INR and with coupon code: platform50, you get a 200 INR discount and get the subscription for 199 INR. Select the below link to Use “Platform50” Coupon code to get 12 Months plan for 199 https://kukufm.page.link/Wx6ijTir66i4tFZq7 Audiobook Summaries Available in 8 different languages Uninterrupted audio files (ad-free) Unlimited downloads of audio Access to offline audio Audiobook Summaries Listen and learn more in nutshell. Book summaries save time and keep you motivated to listen to what you need to know and learn more, you get to finish a book a day. Enjoy the popular picks in your preferred language from the numerous genres provided. Covering business, self-help, motivation, and spirituality. They feature a variety of genres in stories and programs, including romance, humour, health, and crime. Focusing on all possible genres to cater to all audiences of different needs, Kuku FM provides content in various categories. From homemakers, kids, and elderly people to working professionals everyone gets benefited listening to Kuku FM as they cater to audiences of all age groups and interests. Prepare yourself for an endless flow of amusement by grabbing your headphones. Kuku FM helps to reduce screen time and acquire knowledge without any distractions for kids and youngsters. It helps us to use time wisely, without excessive use of social media. Kuku Fm can be accessed from anywhere, anytime. It is handy and can be used while traveling, doing household chores, driving back home, exercising and meditating. It helps you to use time wisely and make the most out of it. Upgrade your skills and knowledge both personally and professionally. Enjoy and learn from the range of courses provided to assist you in changing your life. Professionally conducted classes will assist you in achieving your objectives, whether they include finding mental calm or making healthy decisions. Listening to selected courses helps to acquire new skills or learn a new language, or you can prepare for government exams with the material provided.

yourplatform

Food

Sabudana Waffle for a healthy and innovative breakfast

Bored of regular breakfast recipes, try this Indo-western one with goodness and creative touch. It is a quick recipe with minimal ingredients. Sabudana is gluten-free, which makes it a blessing for people with celiac disease as well as those who are gluten sensitive. Bloating, stomach discomfort, and weight loss are typical signs of gluten sensitivity. Consuming Sabudana improves digestion and prevents constipation. It has dietary fibre, which improves gut health and alleviates bloating, indigestion, and constipation in a person. Due to the high potassium content, is also known to lower blood pressure. Ingredients 3/4 cup of Sabudana soaked in water 1 cup of mashed potato 1/4 cup of crushed peanuts 2 tbsp of chopped coriander 1 tsp of grated ginger 2 green chillies chopped Jeera Powder Chilli flakes Salt Oil Method Combine mashed potato with soaked sabudana. Add crushed peanuts, ginger, garlic and jeera powder. Add salt and chilli flakes. Make patties with the sabudana. Cook it in the waffle maker for 6 to 7 minutes. Top it with green chutney, hung curd, and coriander. Just soak the sadudana and you can quickly bring the batter together and cook it in the waffle maker for 6 to 7 minutes and enjoy the easy breakfast.

yourplatform

Health and Wellness

Effective ways to reduce screen time

Screen time is an unavoidable part of modern life, but there are ways to reduce it without sacrificing productivity or overall enjoyment. An increase in screen time is associated with a number of negative effects, including poorer mental and physical health. A 2017 study found that young people aged between 8 and 18 who spend more than two hours a day watching TV or using a screen are more at risk of obesity. Another study of more than 12,000 people found that spending more than three hours in front of a screen every day was associated with premature death from cardiovascular disease. However, the benefits of screen time are often overlooked. Screen time can provide children with important educational benefits, such as increased literacy skills and improved communication. Recent research has found that using screens to support learning at home can help to improve children’s academic performance and reduce summer reading loss. Adults also benefit from increased screen time, with research showing that it can improve focus and productivity in the workplace, as well as help people to relax. Although there are some benefits of screen time, it is important to limit the time we spend online so that we can maintain our health and wellbeing. Here are a few tips you can use to limit your screen time so you can enjoy the positive benefits it provides without the negative side effects. The first thing you can do to limit your screen time is to set yourself some clear rules about when you can use your devices. For example, you could agree that you will only use your phone or tablet during certain times of the day, such as after dinner or while watching television. This will allow you to disconnect from your phone or other device at the end of the allocated time period so that you can enjoy some quality downtime with your family. You could also set a time limit for each session – for example, you agree to stop using your phone after half an hour of browsing social media. The second thing you can do to limit your screen time is to prioritize other activities. Rather than sitting in front of the TV or scrolling through social media on your phone, try spending more time doing things that you enjoy, such as socializing with friends or going on a family walk. Try restricting the time your children spend in front of the TV to no more than two hours a day – this may help to improve their attention spans and increase their physical activity levels. Taking breaks from screen time can help to prevent the symptoms of digital eye strain, which can occur when your eyes become tired from the strain of looking at computer screens for long periods of time. To conclude, although there are lots of benefits to spending time online or on your devices, it is important to keep your screen time under control to minimise the negative effects it can have on your health and your family.

yourplatform

Food

How to make Salem Thattu Vadai Set Recipe?

Ingredients 1/2 cup of grated carrot 1/2 cup of grated beetroots 1/4 cup of finely chopped onions 1/2 lemon juice Finely chopped coriander 2 chopped green chillies For the green chutney: 1 cup Coriander (Dhania) Leaves 1/2 cup Mint Leaves (Pudina) 3 Green Chillies , or jalapenos 2 cloves Garlic 1/2 Lemon , juiced Salt , to taste For the red chutney: 1 Onion , cubed 2 Tomatoes , chopped 2 cloves Garlic , or a piece of ginger 1 teaspoon Red Chilli powder 1/2 teaspoon Tamarind Paste Salt , to taste 1-1/2 teaspoons Oil Optional toppings/fillings: Roasted Peanuts (Moongphali) , few, spiced Boondi , few To make the filling: To prepare Salem Thattu Vadai Set Recipe, wash, peel and grate beetroots and carrots. Prep the other ingredients as well. In a bowl, mix grated beets, carrots, onions, finely chopped coriander leaves, green chillies and lemon juice. Add salt to taste and mix well. Keep aside. To make the green chutney: In a blender jar, place chopped coriander leaves, mint leaves, green chillies, garlic or ginger, salt to taste and blend to a fine paste. Remove to a bowl, add lemon juice, mix well. Keep aside. To make the red chutney: In a small saucepan, heat oil. Add onions and garlic and sauté for about 2 minutes till slightly soft. Add red chilli powder, tamarind/tamarind paste, tomatoes and fry again for about 2 to 3 minutes more. When cool, transfer to blender jar and make a fine paste. Remove into a small bowl. Add salt to taste and keep aside. Assembling Salem Thattu Vadai Set Recipe: Apply red chutney to one side of thattai. Place it on plate, chutney side facing up. Place a teaspoon or two (be generous) of the veggies filling over the crisp vadai. Top with a few kernels of spicy peanuts and some boondis. Smear another thattai with green chutney on one side. Place this on top of the veggies, chutney side facing down. Serve Salem Thattu Vadai Set Recipe immediately. Repeat with other thattai/thattu vadai till they are all used up.

yourplatform

Food

How to make vegetarian Enchiladas

Enjoy this delicious Mexican treat at home with readily available ingredients. Though it is slightly a time-consuming process, you get to have the best homemade healthy Enchiladas at home with loaded veggies or meat of your choice. It is one of the best Mexican. Ingredients For Corn Tortillas 1 cup of maize flour ½ cup of wheat flour 2 tsp of butter 1 tsp of salt For Stuffing 1 tbsp of olive oil 2 tsp of garlic chopped 1 cup of chopped capsicum 1 cup of chopped mushrooms 1 cup of boiled beans 1/4 cup of boiled corn 1 cup of tomato puree 1 tsp of cumin powder 1 tsp of red chili flakes 1 tsp of garlic paste 1 tsp oregano 1 tsp of red chili powder 1 cup of vegetable stock/water 2 tsp of lemon juice 1 tsp of chopped coriander ¼ cup of chopped olives 1 cup or more cheese mixture] Salt Pepper For Enchiladas sauce 2 tbs of butter 2 tbs of all-purpose flour 1 tsp of smoked paprika 2 tsp of chili powder 2 clove garlic minced 1 cup of chopped onion 1 cup of chopped tomatoes 1 tsp of coriander powder 1 tsp of oregano Salt Method Combine maize flour, wheat flour, butter and salt, knead it and set it aside. Flatten the dough and cook it in the pan on both the side to get the tortillas. In a hot pan, add butter and all-purpose flour, smoked paprika, chili powder and garlic. Add onion, tomatoes coriander powder, oregano, salt and grind it. In another pan heat oil, add boiled kidney beans, sweet corn, panner and mushroom Add capsicum, onions, green chilies and saute. And chopped coriander and set it aside. Layer tortilla with enchiladas sauce and sauteed veggies to wrap it. In a baking tray, spread the enchiladas sauce and place the frap and layer it with the sauce and top lavish spread of cheese and bake it. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake it for 10 to 15 mins and serve it.

yourplatform

Food

How to make Eggless chocolate waffle

Crispy and chewy – perfect waffles can be made at home. It is super simple and quick. Chocolate Waffles, a delicious breakfast food made with milk, flour, and chocolate sauce, is enriched with the health benefits of chocolate. For a wonderful flavor, top this tasty and simple dish with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. It works well as a birthday meal, and you can also make this mouth-watering waffle recipe for gatherings like potlucks and cat parties. Both kids and grownups will love this delicious meal. Please give this recipe a try, give it a rating, and let us know how it came out. Ingredients 2 cups of all-purpose flour ¼ cup of Cocoa Powder ¼ cup of Grain sugar 1 tsp of baking soda 3 tsp of baking powder 2 cups of curd 4 tsp of melted butter Pinch of salt Method Grinder all the ingredients together in a mixer till you have a light fluffy batter. Preheat the waffle maker. Brush with butter, once it melts pour in some of the batter. Let it cook completely until crisp on both sides. Garish it with melted chocolate syrup and nuts of your choice. Top it with ice cream, if you are not conscious about the calorie count and enjoy.

yourplatform

Food

150-calorie oatmeal for quick weight loss

This oatmeal is for those who want to lose weight within a week or two, as it is extremely low in calories and can be followed when you want to get in shape before any occasion. As the meal comprises of fruits it is quite a balanced diet. This diet can be followed for a shorter span of time to instantly cut down on carbs and fats. Water can be replaced by skimmed milk, which will add about 86 calories per cup. It is still a healthier option. Ingredients 2 cups of water 1 cup steel cut/ rolled oats 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 2 teaspoon honey 4 large strawberries 1 small banana Method Slice the strawberries and banana In a bowl combine oats, cinnamon, nutmeg and give it a good mix. Plate the oatmeal in two bowls and top with sliced fruits. The above-mentioned quantity and measures serves two. This recipe is super light and 150 calories, 1.5 g fat, 4 g fiber, 4 g protein, 33 g carbs per serving.

Blog Post

Search