Think In the Box

Cheat-Days Done Right!!

Posted on March 15, 2018March 18, 2018 by Azhar Ali

Cutting those extra kgs and getting fit for summer requires dedication. We all know every bite of food turns into a math problem, the day we start hitting the gym.

However, gym is average one-hour of hard work and the rest is all about the diet you follow. More than anything else, sacrificing your favourite foods is the true manifestation of the age old saying of “No Pain, No Gain”. Thankfully, everyone on a strict regime of gym and diet is allowed to have one day in a week as the cheat-day to eat good meals without worrying about the calories. However, a cheat day also has a lot of limitations.

A cheat-day isn’t a ‘credit card with no spending limit’, but it’s a slippery slope. So, don’t start calling your favourite pizza place yet, the cheat-day comes with its own terms and conditions.

If you intend to stay faithful to your goal, only one cheat meal is recommended. Indulging beyond the point of return, will render the entire week’s workouts fruitless.

Okay, didn’t meant to go full doom and gloom here but there’s a silver lining. Since “treat your body like a temple” became popular, many innovative options popped up to satisfy cravings of the health conscious folks.

BOX8 has launched several healthy and mouth-watering and delicious Salads, Sandwiches and Wraps which are the perfectly delicious and guilt-free treats for your cheat day meals.

They are prepared with fresh vegetables, and generous amounts of a variety of proteins. Strict adherence to ‘Whole Wheat No Maida’ for wraps and ‘multi-grain bread only’ for sandwiches, have been implemented so that you will never feel cheated. No pun intended 😉

The Superfit Paneer and Char Grilled Chicken salads are wildly popular. They’re made with a load of fresh cut exotic veggies tossed with grilled succulent protiens. The dressings are made fresh in-house. It’s your guilt-free perfect cheat day treat loaded with flavours.

If you are craving carbs for your cheat day and you don’t feel satisfies without your Indian dose of paratha, then our Paratha wraps are your thing. Made with whole wheat paratha base, they’re stuffed with delicious fillings and baked in an oven. One wrap and you are will be thoroughly satisfied! ven Baked (NOT fried). Chicken Seek Kebab and Mayo Tikki wraps does the trick for most 😉

The sub-style sandwiches, made with multigrain bread are packed with your choice of proteins and veggies. You can choose from over 13 different varieties which are low on calories and heavy on flavours! The Paneer Tikka and Fusion Chicken sandwiches are a must try.

With these cheat day meals, it’s safe to say “Yummy in my tummy” will be the words in your mouth. Also, no disapproving looks from your trainer the next day 😉

Happy Cheat Day!

These foods will give you major #HoliHunger

Posted on February 28, 2018February 28, 2018 by Azhar Ali

Holi is a riot of colours and there is no stopping anyone from getting ‘magan’ in the spirit. While ‘O Rang Barse’ is the catch phrase of all holi celebrations, quite a few of us are all about the irresistible snacks and sweets. The diversity of these is so rich across the country, that if we add all of them in our ‘food bucket list’ it’ll take multiple holis to get to it.

How can one have holi without it’s signature foods!

Here are some of the dishes and desserts across India which are particularly enjoyed with colored hands 😉

Gujiya

Gujiyas are made of maida or flour and filled with khoya and dry fruits mixture deep fried and dipped in sugary syrup, popularly made in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. This sweet delicacy is made only during Holi, so don’t miss the chance.

Pakode

Pakode is a deep fried snack enjoyed through out the country. Mostly, gram flour is used for coating the veggies and then they are deep fried in oil. One of the most common finger food in Indian household, many make Bhang pakode for the ocassion.

Thandai

Thandai is a cold drink prepared with a mixture of dry-fruits,spices, milk and sugar. The drink can be enjoyed through out the year but for Holi, a special ingredient called Bhang (prepared from the cannabis plant) is added. This drink is perfect to slow things down a bit when the excitement gets intense.

Puran poli

Puran is a sweet stuffing made from chana dal and jaggery (or sugar), flavoured with cinnamon and cardamom. Though traditionally made on Holi by Maharashtrians,it’s famous in Gujarat too.Tastes best when eaten fresh with generous amount of ghee.

Gajar Ka Halwa

A sweet dessert made with grated carrots,milk and sugar stirred regularly and served with a garnish of almonds and pistachios slightly fried in ghee. A winter seasonal favourite but still enjoyed during many festivals, tastes best when it’s hot.

Barfi

Barfis are small treats that are made with condensed milk, sugar and ground nuts or flour. Cooked until solidified, this Holi sweet is cut into different shapes and decorated with dry fruits or sliced fruits.

Kanji Vada

Kanji vada is a popular delight in Rajasthan and Gujarat. It consists of small moong dal vadas immersed in a tangy mustard flavoured fermented liquid called Kanji. Kanji is generally prepared a day in advance which gives required tangy flavour.

Gulab Jamun

Soft,spongy and dipped in sugar syrup, this traditional sweet is made with khoya or mawa and flour used as a binding agent. Available throughout the year, yet it is still one of the favourite desserts for Holi.

Hey, do remember to try most of these delicacies from different parts of our great country. Too exhausted for cooking? don’t worry Box8 has it covered, guaranteed delivery all day on Holi. Celebrate the festival of colours responsibly and to the fullest!

Foodie’s Guide To Swearing

Posted on February 23, 2018February 27, 2018 by Azhar Ali

Swearing nowadays is a part of our daily routine, I can guarantee by travelling alone one gets to hear more than a fair share of swear words. Anything can be an art form but none expected swearing to be one too.

The present is all about creativity, most of the preexisting swears have lost their bite and now mostly used as a joke. Sometimes you need to get up-close and personal to let the person know, you mean business without being a jerk!!

Anything can be an art form but none expected swearing to be one too.

Why don’t we leave the rude and insensitive swear words behind, shall we?

Foodies, the term associated with people who live to eat. Food is certainly precious to them and I being a foodie myself, pity the fool who tries to deny them their meal. Foodies have a thick skin, they answerable to no one when it comes to food.

So here are a few creative swears with enough punch to rattle any foodie’s cage,

May your Biryani never have a chicken piece

This swear will surely anger the chicken-lovers because for them Biryani is never complete without it. The swear is so effective, that if somehow the curse becomes real then my advice to you is to start running.

2. May half your biskoot always drown in chai

Few things are less annoying than a biscuit breaking down midway, after dipping it in tea.The broken biscuit melts into crumbs ruining the tea. Now you know the perfect swear to infuriate tea-lovers.

3. May your magic masala spill while making maggie

The tasty, quick and easy to make noodles became a nation-wide sensation and forever reserved a place in our hearts.The kids love it and many adults feel the same.

What separates maggi from other instant noodles brands is the masala packet!!

Imagine the horror if someone by mistake spills the masala, then all goes to waste and I know there maybe ways to recover but that takes effort, which defeats the purpose of maggi. This swear will surely get a rise out of maggi-fans and use it at your own peril.

4. May you run out of ketchup before the last two fries

Ketchup without fries is unthinkable, hence the perfect swear to annoy people who love ketchup and fries.

If only one fries is left, yeah you can eat it but when there’s two remaining then it’s a problem.The person,you cursed with this swear will forever remember your name, so you better be careful the next time you encounter that person.

Bonus: May your Kit-Kat be broken before you unwrap it.

When it is Kit-Kat, half the fun is in breaking the twin bars into two lengthwise; but what if Kit-Kat was already broken? Kinda ruins the experience, doesn’t it? Never use this swear unless the person deserves it, because chocolate is sacred to foodies.

There you have it, fun and creative swears that will surely get the desired reaction out of every foodie. The key point is,the person on the receiving end knows it’s all in good fun. Maybe they too will come up with some other swears and turning it into a friendly competition.

Signs that Food is Your True Valentine

Posted on February 14, 2018February 14, 2018 by aneeshakhanna

Food in your dreams

Dreams for your food

If this is all you do

You just found your soul mate, dude!

If “aaj lunch mein kya bana hai”

Is your dialogue pet

If the money spent on food

Is something you never regret

If dates with friends

Are just meant to hog on food

If slapping someone for stealing a bite from you

Is no longer rude

If ‘bas one last bite’

Has become your favourite excuse

If plans that don’t involve food

You straightaway refuse

If you are always broke

But never for food

If your bucket list for all the foods you want to try

Is already queued

If the fridge has become

Your hourly pilgrimage

If while writing an exam

You can only picture a food image

If the smell of parathas wakes you up,

Instead of your alarm ka sound

Then yes my dear friend,

Your soulmate you have found!

Food Innovations that Changed the World

Posted on February 8, 2018February 8, 2018 by samskritaj

With every passing year, new life-changing innovations take place which keeps making our life simple and trouble-free. Innovation happens in every step of human life, and food is not far from it. So here are top 5 food innovations in the last five years that will always be remembered by our taste buds for their out of the box taste and looks!

Tomato Sushi

The words “livable” and “vegetarian” are apparently the least things on your mind when you’re enjoying sushi, But currently, we’re overfishing many of the world’s remaining fisheries.

With that in sense, Chef James Corwell arranged about making a delicious flipside to a famous fish that would match picky palettes.

Using sous vide ways to taste, he invented a palatable, tomato-based substitute for tuna that should keep us in the sushi game strong.

2. Cronuts

A Cronut is a croissant-doughnut pastry created by New York City pastry chef Dominique Ansel of Dominique Ansel Bakery. The pastry is similar to a doughnut and is created from croissant-like dough which is stuffed with flavored cream and deep-fried in grapeseed oil. A trademark was certified for the name “cronut” at the United States Patent and Trademark Office. After the release of the Cronut, similar products have sprung up all over the world.

3. Banana Flour

Here is another prime example of a young innovator taking action to put the world’s waste to use. In this scenario, it’s the millions of tons of bananas that has damaged before ever reaching customers. Possibly, some Swedish grad students had witnessed enough gluten-free belly-aching and took a decision to make a flour alternate made of bananas. Banana chapatis anyone?

4. Glitter Latte

Clearly not all that glitters is gold. It can now very well be your morning cup of coffee. This glittering latte was popularized by a cafe in Mumbai and broke the internet. If you are curious, the glitter is absolutely edible. It doesn’t really have a taste of it’s own, but you’re sure to get a glittery lip.

5. Stir fried Ice-cream

Contrary to what the name the name suggests, it is not stir fried on a flame with oil, but on a cold ice-pan. Stir-fried ice cream also is known as Thai rolled ice cream is a handmade ice cream dessert formed with milk poured on an iced grill, mixed with fruit or various ingredients on the ice-pan. It reached worldwide in 2015 from internet viral videos.

6. BOX8’s Fusion Box

We’ve invented a unique concept of Desi Fusion with our signature 8 layer desi meal in a box! It comes with an amazing fusion of flavours and is super convenient

Know more about such out of the box food innovations? Hit us in the comments section below 🙂

Article contributed by Siddesh Bhoir for BOX8

Awesome Taste with Minimum Waste #TakeCharge

Posted on January 24, 2018January 24, 2018 by Azhar Ali

Blog creative 2

At BOX8 we not only deliver freshly prepared meals every time, we also ensure that there is minimum wastage. How do we manage both? Well, we have large team of data geniuses who have created a robust analytical model and process.

Finding patterns : Our data analytics team observes the data collected for the past month and creates a predictive model based on the patterns of ordering and consumption. This gives us an understanding on what can be expected on a given day. This is done based on the day of the week, events and even peak ordering hours.
Being Prepared : The predictive model is forwarded to all the outlets. Each outlet then gets to know what type of sales and the ordering patterns they are expecting for a given day .Accordingly the ingredients are ordered and the inventory is maintained.
Decisions taken : The central team monitors all the outlets. When the pattern deviates from the predictive model for any outlet, they make adjustments and adapt instantly. For example, if the outlet suddenly starts getting orders for their moderately sold products then the team will dispatch ingredients from the nearest outlet to handle the demand.

We are doing our part to minimize waste, now it’s your turn. It’s been 68 years since our country took charge on Republic day. Lets do it step by step in our own way. Time to #TakeCharge one step at a time!