Apple Corn with Honey Dates Soup to Combat the Hazy Skies

Hello, everyone! I'm back after a seemingly long 'break'. First & foremost, thank you all for sticking around for the past few months!!! Despite the absence of new posts, I know some of you have still been referring to my blog for recipes & some inspirations. 

Many of you must have been wondering where I had MIA-ed to? Well, business was more or less as usual in my kitchen..lolz! My coming to 26 months old still essentially feeds on home-cooked food but I'll have to admit that I've started to close 1 eye to outside food since he's older now.Yes, only 1 eye, and not both. He may have an allowance of 1 to 2 'indulgences' per week, having the same food as us outside but I'll try to request for no salt & MSG for his portion. So far, our favourite restaurant with food that may be prepared as per the above requests is Fish & Co. Simply place an order of baked salmon or cod fish without any seasonings & sauces and he's ready to have them  (~.^) 

Food aside, I've been spending more time on his development for the last few months. With his rapid development in speech & his growth in awareness, my lil' BB is no longer that little..hee! His demand for attention has kinda increased exponentially. Thus, the focus in my blog may change slightly as well, with more emphasis on the 'Growth' aspect.

We've been more sociable as well. As my boy has not officially attended school yet, I've been meeting up with other SAHMs for playmates. These are good avenues for BB's social development & to learn how to share & interact with other children. Well, mummies need some support groups too, don't we?

Other than the Busy Bags exchanges which I've shared previously on Facebook, I have also made a Quiet Book for his 2nd birthday. This Quiet Book activity has only recently started to take off in Singapore. I've been wanting to share more but haven't quite gotten down to doing it. I promise though that it won't be long now : )

Lastly, I've also embarked on a wellness journey which I've procrastinated for like forever. I shall keep all of you in suspense for now but do stay tuned!

Enough for the catching up, let's dive straight into the recipe you've been awaiting for. With the bad hazy weather looming over our heads for the past few weeks, I have prepared this simple soup for my 'boys' at home. Consuming apples & corn together helps to boost our immune systems. In addition, mi zao helps to prevent the common cold as well as reduces allergic symptoms such as asthma & nasal inflammation by strengthening our lungs which I believe is what our bodies need most currently.

Ingredients (serve 2 adults & 1 toddler):

1.5l of water (2l if you prefer mild sweetness like myself)

2 organic apples, cut into wedges

2 organic corns, cut into thirds

2 Eu Yan Sang mi zao

Directions:

1. Bring the ingredients in water to a boil then simmer for 2h & serve warm.

I find this to be very thirst-quenching & throat soothing but a tad too sweet, especially for BB as his diet is still without much sugary stuffs. In view of this, I'll increase the volume of water to 2 litres for future attempts. Njoy the drink & bid the haze goodbye..soon, I hope!!

Beneficial Combination:

Apple + Corn = Can make skin glow & improve immunity

Organic Apple with Purple Sweet Potato Dessert

A twist to my boy's fave apple & sweet potato purée. As my boy is not much of a water drinker, this is one way to increase his water intake.

Ingredients (serve 1 toddler + 1 adult):

400ml of water

1 purple sweet potato, diced

1 organic apple, diced

1/8 tsp of cinnamon (optional)

Directions:

1. Bring the sweet potato in water to a boil then simmer for 5 minutes before adding in the apple. Cook for another 10 minutes, mix in the cinnamon & serve warm.

Without any addition of sweeteners, this actually tastes naturally sweet. I think we're just too dependant on sweeteners & seasonings in our daily lives. Once you take that leap of faith to omit them, your taste buds will adjust gradually & you'll also start to embrace the natural flavours of food & eat more healthily with your little ones ;) Happie Grubbing!

Double-boiled Apple Zucchini Porridge with Garoupa

Any food with APPLE in it will always appeal to my boy so it came as no surprise that he totally enjoyed his dinner tonight ;)

Ingredients (serves 1 toddler & 1 adult):

5 tbsps of organic 10 multi-grains

1 organic apple, diced

1 organic zucchini, diced

100g of garoupa fillet

200ml of water

Directions:

1. Soak the grains in water within a ceramic pot overnight to remove the phytic acid. Pour away the soaked water & rinse a couple of times before adding 200ml of water.

2. Place the ceramic pot into a metal pot with a pot stainer (or on top of a steamer stand) & fill it with water to match the height of half the ceramic pot.

3. Bring water to boil, then let it simmer for 1 hour (please check occasionally to ensure that there is water left in the metal pot, especially for the first few times that you are attempting this method until you're certain on the required amount of water that would be needed without steaming away completely during the cooking process).

4. Meanwhile, start dicing the zucchini & apple then put them with the fish into the ceramic pot after 20 minutes.

5. Once the time is up (my induction cooker has a timer), serve warm.

Our Dinner with PaPaPa

Daddy-O is having reservist training this week & would be back earlier and so we decided to have dinner at home. Apple porky bone soup was already prepared during lunch & warmed up just before dinner was served.

Stir-fry organic Xiao Bai Cai with garlic: 1 clove of garlic, mashed slightly & 1 pack of xiao bai cai, washed & cut into smaller pieces, separating the stalks & leaves. Add extra virgin coconut oil to a hot pan followed by the garlic. Let it cook till starts to brown then add in the stalks & stir fry on low fire for 1 minute. Add the leaves in, stir fry till the leaves have turned a darker green & remove promptly.

Prawn scrambled eggs: 6 medium prawns shelled & cut Into smaller pieces (keep the heads to cook prawn bisque). Add some extra virgin coconut oil to a hot pan followed by the prawns. Stir fry till they start to change colour. Beat 3 eggs (I only used 2 as used up the rest earlier on for my brioche bread), pour over the prawn & let it spread evenly over the pan. Let it cook & set slightly then stir fry gently to combine the ingredients.

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

Organic brown rice: 1 cup soaked for 7 hours in 1.5 cups of water. Steam for 35 minutes.

Steamed fish with organic cherry tomatoes: 1 fish & 9 tomatoes, halved. Pour some sesame oil over the fish & top with ginger strips. Steam for 10 to 15 minutes depending how big is your fish.

Really glad to see that BB's appetite has almost fully returned. He ate an entire bowl of rice with the dishes & yet managed to finished the big bowl of soup I left for him (I usually don't feed him soup during the meal as he'll keep asking for the soup instead of eating his rice).

Beneficial Combinations:

Garlic + Pork = Eliminate fatigue, improve attention & help enhance immunity

Pork + Tomato = For healthier stomach & digestion as well as invigorate spleen & replenish qi

Harmful Combination:

Garlic + Red Dates = Indigestion

Apple Porky Bone Soup

BB had been asking for apples recently as we hadn't been able to buy nice ones. When we finally laid our hands on a pack of fresh ones, I made up my mind to indulge him on 2 of his faves, apple & soup!

Ingredients (serve 2 adults & 1 toddler):

3 small organic apples, core removed & diced

12 dried red dates, seeds removed

3 litres of water

1 piece of small pork bone with meat

A small handful of Chinese almonds ('nan bei xing')

Directions:

1. Blanch the pork first by placing it in a pot with enough water to cover it. Bring the water to boil then remove from heat, drain & rinse.

2. Place all the ingredients into a big pot, bring to boil & simmer for 2 hours.

For lunch, I used the soup to cook a simple salmon with peas vermicelli.

Ingredients (serve 1 adult & 1 toddler):

1 litre of apple pork soup

1/4 pack (about 100g) of Origins brown rice vermicelli, soaked in water for 15 minutes

2 pieces of salmon

1 big handful of frozen peas

Directions:

1. Transfer pork soup to a small pot. Add in salmon & cook for 10 to 15 minutes (depending on the thickness). Remove to cool & flake the salmon.

2. Add in vermicelli to warm up then peas to cook for 2 minutes. Top with salmon & serve warm.

Beneficial Combination:

Peas + Pork = Diuretic (promotes the production of urine), stop diarrhoea & aid digestion

BB's BLTD on 8th October 2014

It was a day out with my in-laws so I prepared & brought out BB's lunch, tea break snacks, and dinner as well.

B-reakfast: 

Apple cinnamon smoothie topped with toasted wheat germ

Steam, blend & cool down an organic apple. Add 3 tbsps of Greek yogurt (I'm using Farmers Union), top it off with some toasted wheat germ & mix well.

(Note: Don't add the yogurt to the hot steamed apple purée so as not to destroy the nutrients in the yogurt.)

L-uncheon: 

Spaghetti Bolognese mixed herbs couscous with salmon, peas with organic yellow capsicum & cherry tomatoes

Let 3/4 cup of water come to a boil before adding the salmon & diced capsicums. Remove salmon and flake once it's cooked after around 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the size & thickness of the meat. Add in diced tomates, peas & lastly, mixed herbs. Cook for another 2 minutes till water boils again then add in 1/4 cup of couscous. Cover the pot & wait for about 2 to 3 minutes till all the water has been absorbed by the couscous. Remove cover, fluff it up with a pair of chopsticks & mix in the flaked salmon. Serve warm.

The actual portion was double that shown in the picture below. I love the vibrant colours which reminds me that this is a nutritious meal with all the different vegetables in it. My MIL had never eaten couscous before so she tried some. I was thrilled that she finds it nice & fragrant & she likes it! BB enjoyed it too but could only finished half of it. The remaining ended up in my tummy as usual ;)

T-eabreak:

Organic blueberries

It has been quite a while since BB had the chance to enjoy this favourite of his as the season for the organic ones seem to be over. I couldn't find them in NTUC outlets & only selected Cold Storage outlets carry them. Plus, a couple of times we chanced upon them in CS, they weren't very fresh.

D-inner: 

Double-boiled 10 multi-grains with organic minced beef, pumpkin & French beans

Soak the Simple Natural Organic Ten Multi Grains in 3/4 cup of water within a ceramic pot overnight to remove phytic acid. Place the ceramic pot into a metal pot with a pot stainer (or on top of a steamer stand) & fill it with water to match the height of half the ceramic pot. Bring water to boil, then let it simmer for 1 hour (please check occasionally to ensure that there is water left in the metal pot, especially for the first few times that you are attempting this method until you're certain on the required amount of water that would be needed without steaming away completely during the cooking process). Place the diced French beans into a bowl / plate before putting it on top of the ceramic pot to steam for 10 minutes (I prefer to do this so that I can cool the vegetables down before packing them in another container so that they don't become overcooked in the thermal flask). After 20 minutes from the starting time, add the diced pumpkin into the ceramic pot & give it a good stir together with the grains. At 10 minutes left to the countdown, add in the minced beef marinated with sesame oil & stir it in too. Transfer immediately to your thermal flask once it's done. Add in the French beans before serving.

Beneficial Combinations:

Beef + Pumpkin = Tonifying spleen & replenishing qi as well as detoxify & alleviate pain

French Beans + Millet = Clear heatiness & cure for insomnia

My 15M20DO BB Self-Feeding Sweet Potato & Organic Apple Purée with a Spoon

I prepared one of BB's favourite purees for breakfast - steamed sweet potato with apple! Sweet potatoes are packed full of nutrients but can be a tad too dry though. Apples seem to be a perfect complement to them as they introduce more moisture to the purée. This purée can also be added into oats porridge, used as a dip or even as a jam to be spread onto bread.

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato, peeled & cubed

1 organic apple, cubed

Some toasted wheat germ

Directions:

1. Steam the sweet potato cubes for 10 minutes.

2. Add the cubed apples & steam for another 5 minutes.

3. Blend (I'm using my Avent Combined Steamer & Blender), top up with wheat germ & serve warm.

After feeding BB a couple of mouthfuls, I noticed that the mixture sticks on to the spoon which made it an excellent choice for him to learn how to spoon feed himself. I hesitated no further to let him give a go at it. He did manage to scoop some to feed himself but still tends to fall back using his hands many a times. It was a wonderful sensory exploration experience for him but I couldn't say the same for myself. Yes, you probably guessed it. The cleaning up of the aftermath was certainly no joke. As the purée dried up, it actually stuck to whatever surface it was on, which happened to be almost everywhere..lolz! Straight to the showers he went, of course. Well, it could have been worse, right? At least it wasn't oily..hee ~.<

The Good, The Bad & The Evil

I remember I used to marvel at the soup bases that mummies shared on the 'Healthy Food for My Baby' Facebook group when I was prepping myself for BB's weaning. So many ingredients were used in preparing the soup base & they would add in even more ingredients when they use it to cook porridge for their lil' ones. 'The porridges will definitely taste delicious!' was the thought that went through my head.

As I was following the 3/4 days rule for BB, it seemed to take forever to introduce new foods to him. Gradually, I was able to add in more ingredients to his porridge after he passed the respective allergy tests. Unfortunately, my parents weren't too supportive of it eventhough I was only using no more than 3 to 4 vegetables then. They were concerned that some of the combinations may bring more harm than good. Despite me explaining to them that a lot of mummies are doing the same or even more than me, they still weren't convinced. To put their mind at ease, I told them that I'd do more research on it. I then decided to look for a book shared by one of the mummies which shows foods with a list of other foods which when consume together, will either bring about some health benefits or harmfulness. To my dismay, it wasn't carried by Popular. While continuing my search for it, I chanced upon a similar book at a small book sale in Bedok Mall's FairPrice Finest so I bought it. 

After reading through the book, I realised that my parents were indeed right. For example, ABC soup, a very common soup cooked by mummies, usually contains carrots, corns, yellow onions & potatoes. However, carrots should not be eaten together with onions / corn & corn should not go with potatoes as illustrated in the following 2 pictures. I've since formed a habit of referring to this book before cooking any meals for BB. 

For mild cases, nutritional values are reduced or indigestion may develop. For examples,

Tomato + Zucchini = Reduce nutritional values

Beef + Rice = Indigestion

For more serious cases, diarrhoea or vomitting or even adverse health effects in the long run may be experienced or in worst cases, even poisoning! 

Prawn + Pumpkin / Kiwi + Milk (especially for mummies who eat overnight oats) = Diarrhoea

Chicken + Sesame = Possibility of poisoning if consume frequently

Without a doubt, the soup or soup bases will be very sweet & flavourful by adding more ingredients. However, in this context, more doesn't always necessarily mean better. On the contrary, some foods actually complement each other so do try to pair them up. For examples,

Chicken + Mango = Increase nutritional values

Apple + Corn / Cabbage + Carrot = Boost immune system

Cod + Pumpkin = Prevent flu

Lettuce + Pork = Energise 

Moving forward, I'll indicate at the bottom of each post the nutritional benefits, if any, for the dishes I've whipped up. I'll also add them on for those recipes that I've already posted previously. Cheers to healthy eating!

BB's 1st (& Daddy said LAST) Spiced Applesauce Smash Cake

We had a small celebration at home on BB's actual birthday last month. While waiting for my hubby to knock off early from work, I prepared the batter for the cake.

Ingredients:

2 cups of organic wholemeal flour

1 tsp of baking soda

1 tsp of cinnamon 

1/2 tsp of nutmeg

1 tsp of pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup of VCO

1 cup of warm unsweetened applesauce (I steamed & blended 2 small organic apples using my Avent Combined Steamer & Blender)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 160°C & generously grease an 8" round pan with VCO.

2. Sieve flour, baking soda, cinnamon & nutmeg into a medium bowl then whisk them together. Add vanilla extract into applesauce & mix well. Pour VCO into another larger bowl then add flour mixture & applesauce alternately, blending them in. Start & end with the flour mixture & mix until just incorporated.

3. Spread batter into the prepared round tin & bake for 20 - 25 minutes until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Use an overturned small bowl to cut out 2 small cake rounds.

The first activity was Pressies Attack! He had a great time tearing the wrappers apart & playing with some of his new toys. As Daddy-O helped him to set up one of his bigger toys, I proceeded to assemble the cake.

Ingredients:

1/4 block of Philadelphia cream cheese

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/8 cup (1 ounce) of unsweetened organic apple juice (the very first time I'm using a bottled juice, with much reluctance though, as there may be browning if I used fresh apple juice)

Directions:

1. Soften the cream cheese.

2. Whisk the cream cheese with the apple juice & vanilla extract until creamy.

3. Spread some evenly onto 1 of the cake rounds. Place the other cake round on top. Reserve a bit of the cream cheese & spread the remaining mixture on the top & sides of the cake. Put the reserved cream cheese in your piping bag fitted with a star tip (I'm using an icing syringe set from Daiso) & pipe rosettes on the outer edge of the top of the cake (optional). 

I also bought a block candle & cake banner set to decorate the cake. Tadah! BB's 1st smash cake is done ;)

BB was kinda lost at what to do with it initially & just played with the cream cheese. I fed him a small bite to show him that it's actually a food. However, it was much bigger than what he usually has for BLW. After some contemplation, he decided to dive head first into his treat. We were pleasantly surprised at his improvised choice of feeding method & had a really good laugh. The aftermath was not the least bit pleasant however. Eventhough we had already lined the floor, he had adorned himself with cream cheese & crumbs from his head to toes & his nostrils were of no exception. Too bad we had forgotten to take a photograph when he was done but you can imagine the sight! I seriously regretted not stripping him down to just his diaper. Straight to the showers he went. Despite the terrible mess we had to clear afterwards (mostly done by his Daddy-O actually), this would be an unforgettable memory for many years to come.