B-L-D on 30th October 2014

B-reakfast: 

Cottage cheese topped with Cheerios & organic raisins

L-uncheon: 

The following were cooked simultaneously in my Tecno 3-Tiers Electric Steamer & shared between the 2 of us.

Organic ten multi-grains (Simple Natural brand found at most Cold Storage outlets) with red dates

5 tbsps soaked overnight in 100ml of water. Add some chopped red dates on top of the rice & steam for 35 minutes.

Steamed organic tofu with minced free-range pork, broccoli, organic zucchini & wolfberries

Marinate pork with some sesame oil, mix in the chopped zucchini & spread evenly on top of the tofu. Top with some wolfberries & steam for 10 minutes. Add the broccoli & steam for another 5 minutes.

A simple dish with lots of nutritional value! A pity the pork's texture is a bit on the tough side. I'm probably too used to my mum's smoother pork marinated with corn starch. With so many genetically-modified corn products in the market, I guess I'll have to start my search for the organic version. Hopefully, I can lay my hands on one soon.

Steamed 'mo pei yu' (pronounced in Cantonese) with shiitake mushrooms

Drrizle some extra virgin olive oil over the fish & top with sliced mushrooms. Steam for 15 minutes (10 minutes is usually enough but due to the recent incident of the enmasse deaths of fishes at the local kelongs, I was advised to cook the fish more thoroughly and so I increased the duration of the steaming).

D-inner: 

Organic pasta in yellow onion, organic pumpkin & baby spinach sauce with salmon

Cook pasta till al dente. Steam salmon, cubed pumpkins & halved onion for 10 minutes then add spinach & steam for another 5 minutes. Remove salmon before blending (I'm using my Avent Combined Steamer & Blender) the remaining ingredients. Pour sauce over the cooked pasta, top with salmon & serve immediately.

Chicky in Creamy Potatoes with Asparagus Soup

I recently bought some organic Dutch Cream potatoes. &, as the name suggests, they've a creamy yellow flesh. Thus, it struck me that I could try cooking a creamy potato soup. 

Ingredients:

1/2 of a corn-fed chicken thigh fillet

2 small organic Dutch Cream potatoes, skinned & cut into 2cm chunks

1 medium-sized yellow onion, cut into quarters

3 stalks of thick asparagus, 'skinned' & cut into 2cm long sticks

1/4 cup of Farmhouse Fresh Milk

Organic cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:

1. Steam the chicken, potatoes & onions (I'm using my Avent Combined Steamer & Blender) for 10 minutes.

2. Add in the asparagus & steam for another 10 minutes.

3. Remove chicken and cut into bite-sized pieces. 

4. Pour in the milk & blend with the cooked ingredients. Stir in cheddar cheese, top with chicken & serve warm.

It turned out pretty successful for a first attempt \(^_^)/ The cheddar cheese actually added a different dimension to the overall taste. This recipe is definitely a keeper & by reducing or omitting the quantity of milk, it can probably even double-up as a pasta sauce too. As usual, my lil' connoisseur drank up every last drop of it!

Freeze-Dried Fruits as Snacks for BB

Vacuum freeze-dried fruits: a great recommendation by my girlfriend during the last Baby Market Expo Fair. They contain no preservatives & are made from 100% fruit with no added sugar either. Definitely a great snack to bring out to keep BB entertained at times..hee ;) I bought a packet of the Wel-B apricots ($10 for 6 small packs of 14g each) for BB to try & he loves them despite the slight sourness! Other than apricots, there're strawberries, strawberries with bananas & peaches. I was very tempted to buy the strawberries with bananas which is one of the bestsellers. Unfortunately, strawberries fall under the Dirty Dozen & they didn't have any organic versions. As I'm blogging this, I went to goggle for more information & realised they come in durians & mangoes selections too. I can't wait to lay my hands on some of them ;P

Knowing that I've started giving BB some healthier snacks, my MIL was so excited & couldn't wait to get in on the act and buy more for him. She bought some from the BabyOnline store located at Marina Square. However, one of the main sources of ingredients are from China which is not our preferred choice. Furthermore, I keep the remaining snacks in the same manner for the leftovers of both brands but these actually turned softer when I wanted to feed BB the following time. Lastly, when I poured out the oranges, a lot of orangey powder came out too. Much of the oranges seemed to have simply disintegrated on their own. 

In conclusion, I'll definitely be stocking up more of the Wel-B ones during the next baby fair! I might even give the strawberries & bananas a try since it contains 70% bananas & only 30% strawberries ^.~

Note: It's printed on the packet that it's for 15mo & above toddlers.

Packed Basil Baked Chicken Thigh for BB's Weekend Lunch

A special treat for BB last weekend - basil baked chicken thigh with button mushrooms & tomatoes! I simply love using herbs to enhance the natural flavours ;)

Ingredients:

Half of an organic chicken thigh fillet

A dash of dried basil

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

2 button mushrooms (white or brown)

3 organic cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C.

2. Sprinkle some dried basil onto the chicken & drizzle some EVOO over. Rub the mixture over the chicken including under the skin.

3. Drizzle some EVOO over the mushrooms too.

4. Put both the chicken & mushrooms into the oven & bake for 20 minutes.

5. Put the tomatoes into the oven 5 minutes before the chicken & mushrooms are done.

(Tip: Instead of adding more oil, I dipped them in the golden essence, which comprised of the rich flavours from the chicken oil, EVOO & basil, that flowed out from the chicken during baking.)

BB totally enjoyed his luncheon that day! Kept asking for more by saying 'Mum-mum-mum!' when he had not even swallowed his last mouthful of food. Furthermore, he did the gesture of 'Please, please' (which I had taught him to do to ask for snacks instead of crying for them) on his own accord..lolz! I tried one piece of the chicken & omg, it was indeed good! A nice aroma of basil filled up my mouth as I chewed it. Who says healthy food without seasonings can't taste good? *Wink* To complete the meal, I also brought out a golden kiwi as well as some freeze-dried orange slices for him to snack on (will be sharing more about this healthy snack in my next post so do stay tuned).

B-L-D for my 15M5DO BB

B-reakfast: 

Bananacado milkshake with toasted wheat germ topped with Cheerios

My closest family & friends all know that I'm a very strict mummy when it comes to food. I didn't even give any commercial puffs (not even the organic ones) to BB during his 1st year. However, since he has already turned one, I'm gradually loosening the reins. Other than giving him the freeze-dried fruits, I decided that it's time to introduce breakfast cereals to him but definitely not the sugar loaded unhealthy ones. I've been following one of the mummies' posts on the Healthy Food for my Baby Facebook group & she shared that she's giving Organ Multigrain O's with Quinoa. It actually contains 80% wholegrains, 15% protein rich legumes & no added cane sugar. With all the healthy ingredients, there is not a single doubt that it fits all my criterias so I bought a box for BB. Oh boy, did he like it! It has since become one of his favourite breakfasts & a good snack to keep him occupied while we dine outside too. 

This particular morning, instead of giving him his usual Farmhouse Fresh Milk to go with it, I gave it a lil' twist. As I've some nicely ripen avocados & bananas, I blended an avocado, 2 medium-sized bananas with half a cup of milk. To further up the nutritional value, I added some toasted wheat germ to the milkshake. Last but not least, I topped with some Cheerios. BB, being the usual anti-fan of avocado, only opened his mouth after much scrutinising to ensure that there's a 'Ball, ball' (what he calls them for now) in each & every spoonful -_-lll His dear mummy here, on the other hand, prefers the plain bananacado milkshake..so good even on its own..slurp slurp!!

L-uncheon: 

The following were cooked simultaneously in my Tecno 3-Tiers Electric Steamer & were shared by the 2 of us.

Organic ten multi-grains (Simple Natural brand found at most Cold Storage outlets) with wolfberries

5 tbsps soaked overnight in 100ml of water. Steam for 20 minutes then sprinkle some wolfberries on top of the rice & continue to steam for another 15 minutes.

Steamed corn-fed chicken thigh fillet with organic grapes

I marinated half a chicken thigh with 10 small grapes overnight. Steam for 20 minutes.

Steamed pomfret with organic cherry tomatoes

Drrizle some sesame oil over the pomfret & top with 10 cherry tomatoes cut into quarters or eighths depending on their sizes. Steamed for 15 minutes (10 minutes is usually enough but due to the recent massive deaths of fishes at the local kelongs, it was advised to cook fish thoroughly so I increased the steaming duration).

Steamed Australia asparagus

Shave off the fiberous exterior layer & dice 3 thick stalks of asparagus. Drizzle with a bit of extra virgin olive oil & steam for 10 minutes.

The chicken marinated in the grapes had a light sweet taste to it. Another great tip learned from the same mummy mentioned above. BB finished almost all the rice, asparagus as well as 1 pomfret & 3/4 of the chicken. Not forgetting the bowl of grapes in chicken 'broth' (essence from the steamed chicken as I accidentally poured the water droplets formed on the lid during the steaming process into the bowl when I opened it) which he finished all ;)

D-inner: 

Organic rolled oats porridge with broccoli, free-range pork, organic capsicum & kampong egg (no picture as Mummy forgot to take..heehee)

Ever since BB prefers food with more texture, I've stopped blending his oats. Therefore, it takes a slightly longer time, about 15 minutes, to cook them nowadays. I brought to boil 3/4 cups of water & then added 3 tbsp of oats. Let it cook for about 5 minutes under low fire before adding 40g of minced pork, 1/6 diced capsicum & diced stalks of 3 florets of broccoli. Cook for another 5 minutes. Pour in the rest of the broccoli as well as the kampong egg. Stir in the egg & cook till its fully cooked. Serve warm.

My 3 Dishes + 1 Soup for BB's Dinner

Beet, corns with onions soup: Cut 1 beet & 2 corns into quarters. Cut 2 yellow onions into halves. Add all the ingredients to 2 litres of water & bring to boil. Then, simmer in low fire for 2 hours.

The following were cooked simultaneously in my Tecno 3-Tiers Electric Steamer.

Organic ten multi-grains (Simple Natural brand found at most Cold Storage outlets): 4 tbsps soaked for 7 hours in 1/2 cup of water. Steam for 35 minutes.

Steamed kampong egg with free-range minced pork: 40g of pork marinated with some extra virgin coconut oil. Beat 1 egg (approximately 50ml) with 100ml of water (I've tried 50ml before but found the texture too firm but too soft this time round so I'll try 75ml the next time). Halve the pork & put each portion into the bottom of 2 chawanmushi bowls (mine are from Diaso) then pour half of the egg mixture into each of them. Steam for 20 minutes

Steamed threadfin with wolfberries: 1 piece of threadfin fillet & a small handful of wolfberries. Steam for 10 minutes.

Basil organic cherry tomatoes & lettuces: 3 stalks of lettuces torn into smaller pieces & 6 to 8 cherry tomatoes cut into quarters. Sprinkle dried basil sparingly over the vegetables & drizzle some extra virgin olive oil. Steam for 5 minutes.

BB ate half of the rice, fish & egg but finished the vegetables. Being the soup lover he is, he asked for another serving of soup & drank up every drop of it ;)

BB's Fave 2-Ingredients Mushroom Cheesy Pasta

This is one of the easiest pasta sauces which both BB & I enjoy tremendously. Only two key ingredients are required - mushrooms & cream cheese. I've used shiitake, portobello & a mixture of trio mushrooms (brown & white buttons + portobello). The tastiest of them is the shiitake version as it has the strongest fragrance of them all.

Ingredients:

2 brown buttons

2 white buttons

1 big portobello mushroom

2 tbsps of cream cheese

Directions:

1. Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp cloth & tear them into smaller chunks.

2. Steam them for 5 minutes (I'm using my Avent Combined Steamer & Blender). Add in the cream cheese & blend to the desired consistency. Pour over cooked pasta & serve immediately.

No-Frills Toys: Paper Cups from Diaso

Who says toys must necessarily be expensive? During BB's 1st year, I actually pinned a lot of activities-related posts on Pinterest but never quite got down to using any of them. I decided enough was enough! Therefore, I told myself to stop spending time looking for more activities & my resolution for his 2nd year would be to spend the time with him instead. 

During my visits to Daiso, I began looking for suitable "accessories" which I could use for BB's playtime at home. One of them was plastic / paper cups. I opted for paper ones as I'm worried that the plastic ones might cut him if he squeezed them too hard (my BB is a pretty strong boy for his age). 

The initial plan was to stack them up for him to knock them down. BB, on the other hand, seemed to have his own idea as to what he intended to do with them. Instead of enjoying the knocking down process, he actually took one up & put it into another one. One after another, he picked them & stacked them all up. Sometimes, it's simply impossible to follow the plan you'd originally made for them & the next best thing to do is to just go with the flow..hahaha = ) As long as he's having fun & learning along the way, it really doesn't matter to me.

The latest way that he's playing with them is as though he's treating it as a phone if you said to him "Halo, halo! Who's there?". Lolz ^.^lll

I've only used 1/4 pack which means I'll need to find other ways to utilise them ; ) So, do stay tuned!

Meats: Corn-Fed, Free-Range & Organic

When it came to the introduction of meat (excluding fish) to BB, I actually kept deliberating as I didn't feel like feeding antibiotics & hormones loaded meat to him. I only started giving it to him when the Culina Butchery (click here for a list of their outlets) that I chanced upon within FairPrice Finest at Bedok Mall actually sold organic beef as well as corn-fed chicken.

Prices are as follow:

Organic minced beef - $3.30 / 100g

Organic stir fry beef - $3.80 / 100g

Fresh corn fed bone in chicken leg - $2.30 / 100g

Fresh corn fed boneless chicken leg - $2.80 / 100g

Fresh corn fed minced chicken - $2.80 / 100g

Fresh corn fed boneless chicken breast - $2.80 / 100g

However, I've had several "foul" experiences with their minced chicken. I would usually separate the minced chicken into 50g portions for BB's meals and freeze them. To my disappointment, they all smelled sour after thawing. I went back to their counter & told one of their staff about what had happened. He was very apologetic & immediately offered to compensate me by giving me a fresh batch with some extras too. In addition, he also explained that as the corn-fed chickens have not been injected with antibiotics, they are prone to turning racid more easily. Thus, he advised that I should take some free ice packs provided by NTUC to keep them cool during the journey home. 

Despite heeding his advice, the same thing happened once again. I went back to them again but this time another staff member attended to me. He did offer to replace them yet again but being once bitten, twice shy, I wasn't keen to go through the same ordeal again. I intended to write in to feedback to Culina for them to take the appropriate measures in ensuring the freshness of their meat but haven't gotten down to doing it..heehee ;P From then on, I've resolved to only buy their chicken thighs, clean them myself, portion them and freeze. So far, they've remained fresh.

As for pork, they only offered normal ones. Luckily, one of the mummies on the Healthy Food for my Baby Facebook group shared about free-range pork sold at The Fishwives at Cluny Court. 400g of free-range pork is sold at $18.50. Slightly on the pricey side but given that it's flown in from Australia, it still seems pretty reasonable. Not forgetting to mention their preservative-free chipolata sausages sold at 6 for $10. We can finaly indulge in one of our favourite foods without any worries. I can't wait to try the pack in my freezer soon ~.^

Steamed Sugarless Bananas with Organic Raisins Mini Cupcakes

As it was Children's Day yesterday, I decided to give BB a lil' treat and so I did steamed cupcakes for him again. I added his favourite bananas & used my mini cupcakes liners instead as I realised that the colours actually run from the bigger ones which I used previously (had to remove all the "coloured" portions before feeding BB).

In addition, I'm trying out Sunview's green organic raisins which I just purchased from the Four Seasons Organic Market Booth at the Baby Market Expo Fair ($5/per tin instead of the usual price at $7.80).

Ingredients (makes 16 mini cupcakes):

1 cup of organic unbleached flour

2 tsp of baking powder

1/4 tsp of cinnamon powder

2 eggs, beaten

2 tsp of pure vanilla extract

2 tbsp of extra virgin coconut oil (EVCO)

4 tbsp of fresh milk (can substitute with breastmilk or formula milk)

4 tbsp of mashed banana (1.5 medium-sized bananas)

4 tbsp of Sunview green organic raisins

16 pieces of mini cupcake liners (Note: to prevent 'contamination' from the running colours caused by the liners, it may be better to buy plain white ones)

Directions: 

1. Place a pot / wok of water on the stove to boil.

2. While waiting for the water to boil, mix & sieve the dry ingredients, except raisins into a big bowl.

3. Combine the wet ingredients, pour into the big bowl, then mix well.

4. Add the raisins & mix into the batter.

5. Scoop 3 tsps of batter into each cupcake liner.

6. Ensure the water is boiling "vigorously" before putting the cupcakes onto your steamer stand. Steam for 6 minutes under high heat & do not open the lid during the steaming process. Remove when ready & serve warm.

I used my wok for the steaming as my mini muffins tray couldn't fit into my pot. This time round, I didn't cover the cupcakes with a kitchen towel as its lid is too big. Thankfully, the cupcakes turned out fine too. I let BB self-feed himself as I did the second batch (remaining 4 cupcakes as my tray has only 12 holes). He ate four & actually asked for more but I didn't give in to his request as I did not want him to gorge himself silly..lolz! The main difference between the big & small cupcakes is that the small ones actually stick to the liners. I suspect it's due to the addition of bananas. Despite that, I prefer the smaller ones as I think they look really cute so I'll be sticking to them for now (~.<) 

As for the raisins, I find that some of the Sunview's ones are pretty big as compared to Pureharvest. Furthermore, the raisins are not as sweet too. Thus, I'll choose Sunview over Pureharvest as I do not want to feed BB food that is too sweet in case he rejects blander food in the future.