Fall Inspired Thanksgiving Tablescape

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A fall inspired thanksgiving tablescape with details on where to source the decor items for your own tablescape in India plus a video tutorial to set your own tablescape

Fall Inspired thanksgiving tablescape

The plan was to have this fall inspired thanksgiving tablescape go live at least a week earlier, but well things did not go as planned. We were not at home half of November, and before that work had kept me busy so the shoot got delayed and hence the post too. I do hope the post still gives you some idea/inspiration about how to set your table, or at least you get to save it for applying the tips next year. Thanks to 2020, things have been smaller in scale but just because its going to be a small gathering does not mean you can not make your place festive enough.

I know you might not believe it, given this last minute post, I actually started prepping for this year’s festive season last year. Last season I realized in terms of festive props, I did not have many, and as a stylist that can be a big problem. Especially since most festive shoots happen way in advance when festive decor stuff is not on the retail shelf yet. Also, since thanksgiving/halloween is not that big here in India, it means traditional decor stuff needs to be ordered online or DIY’ed which might take time. That in turn means either tell the client they will have to make do with what’s available or beg/borrow/steal from other stylist or prop houses (which in Delhi are not many and can be out of the client’s budget).

Fall Inspired thanksgiving tablescape

While the prep did start last year, the month of October is generally busy with client shoots since festive season shoots are at a peak. I had all plans to make content around Halloween and then Diwali but work kept me super busy last month. And even though I had planned out and prepped for the Thanksgiving tablescape way in advance, I just made it in time with the blog post. For Christmas though I am hoping to be better – not only with the tablescape but also with the recipes.

Although late, I still wanted to do this tablescape post mainly because I want to highlight some Indian brands plus brands available in India that are doing really good stuff in the decor department. As a stylist I am always looking for recommendations and thought this post might be helpful if you are ever in my position. Delhi people can avoid shipping time and actually visit the stores, but with Covid cases rising ordering the stuff online and getting delivered to your doorstep might be a better option. This post is not a sponsored post , but more of an appreciation post that thanks to them I was able to set up a fall inspired thanksgiving tablescape that I had envisioned.

TABLE DECOR BREAKDOWN

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Chocolate Amaranth Pudding and Tips for Weight Loss

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This chocolate amaranth pudding is a great gluten free dessert to make and tastes amazing with a hint of chili and cinnamon. 

Chocolate amaranth Pudding

Today is going to be a long post. I am not only going to talk about this chocolate amaranth pudding (which is delicious by the way) but also something that I have thought about writing for a while. Tips for Weight Loss.

So the weight loss tag in the title is only for SEO purposes. What I really want to say is Tips for a healthier you.

If you have been reading my blog since the beginning (if you have, you know I love you- and am so grateful to you for sticking it out even when I have been inconsistent with my posts). If you have been reading my blog since the beginning, you know weight woes have always been there in my life. When I started this blog I was at my thinnest best. But then the first year of married life, I gained a significant amount of weight. The second year onwards I worked towards losing it and documented my journey as well. I did a month of gluten free sugar free diet,  a week of raw food, followed by training for a triathlon. That was the time I was my fittest. I have done a juice cleanse diet too. For the most part post that intitial weight gain, my weight has been constant and my diet has been healthy and while I never had a skinny body, I had a healthy, fit one.

In 2015, after I moved to Dallas and within a span of a year I gained 20 kgs. I increased sizes, and was the heaviest I have ever weighed. When I moved back to India, friends and family both were shocked with the amount that I had managed to put on in a span of a year. I wasn’t going through a great time emotionally and all that emotional eating took a toll on my body.

In the 6 months I have been back, I have managed to shed 10 of those kgs that I gained. If pounds is your language, thats 22 pounds for you. In the past in the same time frame I have lost more, but this time I didn’t want any drastic change and the transformation has been slower but consistency is what I was aiming for. Plus, I have been busier work wise too, so fitting a realistic weight goal was what I decided on. It took me a year to gain 20 kgs, I have given myself a year and a half at least to lose it. Actually it took less than a year to gain it, but you get the drift.

Today, I thought I will share tips that worked for me. But before that I want to address an even bigger issue that troubles me when people gain weight. I want to share TIPS with people who have friends and family that have gained weight. I want to tell them the appropriate way to talk to people who have weight issues.

Don’t let the first thing you say to a person you meet after a while be that they have gained weight.

People don’t realize how sensitive a topic weight gain is and while I know you are so very shocked what happened to your best friend’s body, or your aunt, or uncle’s body, that person already knows that they have gained a significant amount, and probably that is why were dreading and putting off meeting you. Don’t make their weight gain the first thing you say to them.

Greet them with a hello, a hug or a kiss even maybe. Ask them how they are. How their work is, how their family is. If they have kids, ask about their well being. There are a ton of topics to talk about besides their obvious weight gain. Talk about the weather, if you find nothing else. Make them feel comfortable before you make them feel conscious. Wait for them to bring their weight issue up on their own. If they don’t, let this meeting be just about stories other than weight. In case they do bring their weight up, be empathetic, and encouraging. Tell them something nice about them which is not weight related- could be that their skin is glowing (fat does that to you sometimes), could be that they are still carrying their weight stylishly and maybe then and only then offer them some advice on a weight loss technique that has worked on you or your so and so cousin from Timbuktoo.

Actually, that is the only tip I have since that’s the one that bothers me the most. The other more obvious tip would be to not constantly make fun of their weight. There are other ways to encourage your loved ones to lose weight. Making jokes about their fat stomach, or heavy bottom is NOT one of them. Also, be supportive.

For the ones who are trying to lose weight, or that extra flab, here are my two cents.

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Kim and Meghana, The Spice Madams and recipe for homemade Baklava

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The Spice Madams

SpiceMadam subscription box

I met Meghana at one of the pop up festivals in Dallas.  She and Kim, her business partner and co-founder of Spice Madam, were two bright and cheery people that you couldn’t miss at the festival. On the pretext of being a food blogger and photographer, and potentially interested in their spice boxes I took Meghana’s number. Honestly, I just wanted to be friends with her.

Meghana is one of those people, whose energy and spirit is contagious. Kim shares that same energy and the two make excellent business partners. When we met for coffee afterwords Meghana told me more about Spice Madam and I was intrigued by the concept.

Founded in December 2013, Spice Madam is a global lifestyle brand that brings friends and family together through food. Every month, Spice Madam subscribers explore, discover & experience a different culture through each box. The Spice Madams, as Meghana and Kim are known, create subscription boxes filled with global spices and recipes, music playlists and fun cultural facts. A shopping list & meal plan is included to save time for busy lives and the authentic recipes are researched and tested to ensure that every customer can make them in their home kitchens. I can attest to their recipes- I shot the recipes for their Senegal subscription box and each dish was something I would want to make at home.

Spice Madam Travelers kit

Lamb kebabs with sumac and pita bread Read More →