Musichaus: Music Explorers Workshop

BB was in for a treat as he had received his first sponsorship from Musichaus for the Music Explorers Workshop (ages 1.5 to 3 years old) during this June school holidays. Yesterday was the first lesson & boy, was he really looking forward to it. BB got to explore various musical instruments & he seemed to have a special liking for the triangle, holding on to the metal rod most of the time. 

Here, he was beating the drum & learning rhythms simultaneously.

I can't help but mention about Teacher Trina who leads & directs the music programmes. She's super patient especially towards my ever energetic boy. She reassured me that it's ok as he's showing his own creativity in a different manner & that even though he may not seem to be focusing all the time, he's learning in his own unique way. True enough, that night on the way back, he was actually humming part of the lyrics of a song she sang in class. In fact, even on the next day, he repeatedly sang one of the other songs we sang & mumbled some key words from the book they read together.

Next, Teacher Trina introduced the piano which is not entirely new to him since he has 2 toy keyboards at home. He was more fascinated at the numerous buttons on it though *faintz

Storytime was another segment of the programme & this was another of BB's fave since he has always been such a lil' bookworm. What struck me as the main difference from another music class (which he had attended almost a year ago) was the incorporation of music into daily activities. The theme for this week was Nature & thus, Teacher Trina had chosen a related book to read. As she read, she actually made use of the various instruments to incorporate sounds into certain parts of the story to make it more lively. Furthermore, she also played sounds of nature like running water & different animals for BB to listen & guess what they were.

Look how attentive he is, a far cry from minutes ago where he was running around the room..lolz!

Teacher Trina even gave me other tips as to how to make music a part of our lives. For example, she asked me to put on some music while BB is going about his daily routines of playing, learning, etc. A little experiment mummies can try at home too. Let your child do some doodling without music. Then, turn on the music & give a new piece of paper for him/her to doodle again. You will notice that the colours or types of strokes used in both art pieces will actually be different. 

There's also a Music Adventurers programme for children ages 4 to 6 years old. More information for the programmes can be found at Music Explorers Workshop & Music Adventurers Workshop respectively.

When the class was about to end, BB refused to leave & actually wanted more. Teacher Trina was so kind to help us check if he could go to Kids' Atelier, a Reggio-Emilia inspired space designed for 6 months to 6 years old children, for a short playtime while Mummy toured the rest of the premises.

Mummies / Daddies with homebased work, if you have never heard of Trehaus, it's high time you do. It is Singapore's first co-working space with childcare & learning facilities. You can leave your baby or toddler with them for a couple of hours as you focus on your job next door yet check in on your little one anytime you want while the child-minders expose your kid to different sensory plays to stimulate their developments. As the drop-off service is also available to non-members, you can also get some errands done knowing your kid is in good hands. To name a few, there are the Arthaus & Dramahaus playtime. As the names suggest, one is an art workshop which make use of natural materials while the other is dramatic play.

His 'masterpiece' done during his short 'trial' at Arthaus <3

Choose between private offices, semi-private dedicated desk or co-work space or you can also opt to rent their spaces for events, networking & parties. With the numerous 'Work' or 'Work + Play' packages catered for different needs, I'm sure you can find a suitable one >.~.

This shows the common area where parents & children can co-exist in harmony & one of the semi-private dedicated desks.

This is the adults only zone with meeting rooms for up to 10 people & fully equppied with projectors & whiteboards where members have full access to.

Spacious patio area ideal for networking sessions.

To find out more information, please contact them directly.

Trehaus

Claymore Connect

442 Orchard Road, #03-01

Singapore 238879

9843 8077 / 6816 2779

www.trehauscowork.com

enquiries@trehauscowork.com

Opening hours: Mon to Fri, 9am to 6pm

Burgers with Homemade Beefy Patties & Portobello Mushrooms with Buttered Peas

This meal turned out totally differently from what I had planned initially..lolz! I chanced upon organic miso the day before so I bought some & had wanted to cook a soba in miso soup. However, I saw the bread buns that we had purchased supposedly for breakfast which I'd almost completely forgotten about. As usual, my lil' bread lover got so excited upon overhearing me muttered the word 'bread'. Thus, with the new turn of events, I asked if he wanted a burger to which few kids would be able to resist that temptation, right?

Ingredients (supposedly for 1 toddler but my boy couldn't finish so I ate 1 too):

50g of organic minced beef

1 tsp of sesame oil

1 tsp of Bob's Red Mill All Natural Cornstarch

1 egg, white separated

A dash of basil

A dash of oregano

2 big portobello mushrooms 

1 tsp of organic VCO

2 tbsps of freshly grated organic cheddar cheese

2 big handfuls of Watties frozen garden peas

2 tbsps of water

1 tsp of unsalted butter

2 burger buns (I used the sesame loaf from Green Pumpkin Japanese Bakery at Nex)

Directions:

1. Marinate beef with sesame oil, cornstarch, egg white, basil & oregano for at least 15 minutes.

2. Preheat oven under Grill setting, max temperature (260°C) for 5 minutes.

3. Drizzle the underside of the mushrooms with the VCO & grill for 5 minutes. 

4. Half the beef & use a spoon to form 2 circular patties. Grill for around 10 minutes till they turn slightly brown on the surface.

5. Cut the buns into half, without seperating them. Lightly beat the egg yolk & spread it over the insides of the buns & grill for 2-3 minutes till the egg is cooked & bread lightly toasted.

6. Top the mushrooms with 1 tbsp of cheddar cheese each & bake for another 10 minutes.

7. Add 2 tbsps of water to the peas then also grill for 2-3 minutes till softened & cooked. Drain the water then melt the butter over the hot peas & mix well.

8. Assemble the burger by putting the beef patty on the bun then cap on the mushroom with cheese. Lastly, top with the bun & serve warm with the buttered peas.

I couldn't help but mention the most hilarious thing that happened while I was prepping lunch. My boy was so elated & grateful for his upcoming meal that he repeatedly thanked me for it..hahaha!! His impromptu luncheon turned out yummilicious!!! I remembered my first attempt at homemade patties weren't quite as successful as I found them too dense with oats added. Yet, this time round, I didn't even have time to do any research & simply jumped right into the preparations with just my gut feel. I was still kinda worried initially as i had pre-marinated the beef with sesame oil which is more commonly used for Chinese cuisines. To my surprise, the patty was quite tender with a faint fragrance from the herbs plus the juice from the portobello mushrooms complemented it nicely. Furthermore, the crispy toasted bread had a slight sweetness to it so all the flavours just seemed to come together in a perfect symphony in my mouth. No wonder BB devoured his in no time at all..lolz! I'm so going to replicate this again for my other 'boy' soon ~.<

Open Faced Sandwich with Avocado & Cheddar Cheese Scrambled Egg

I was brain-storming as to what I could do for breakfast with the remaining few slices of my bread. When I came across the ripe avocado on my countertop, this idea came to me instanteously!

Ingredients (serve 1 toddler & 1 adult):

3 slices of homemade purple sweet potato bread

3 kampong eggs

3 tbsps (for eggs) + 1 tbsp (topping) of shredded organic cheddar cheese

1 avocado, pitted & mashed

1/2 tsp of lemon juice

A dash of freshly ground black pepper

Some organic extra virgin coconut oil (EVCO)

Directions: 

1. Add lemon juice to the avocado & mix well. Spread generously onto 2 pieces of bread (may lightly toast the bread if desired) & set aside.

2. Beat eggs with the cheese. 

3. Heat up some EVCO till hot. Pour in the eggs & lower the fire to lowest heat. Use a spatula and push inwards to the centre from around the edges. Switch off the fire when the eggs are softly set but yet slightly runny & scoop out the adult's portion. Continue to stir fry the remaining eggs till fully cooked for BB. 

4. Scoop on top of the avocado spread, top with some more cheese & pepper then serve immediately. 

BB finished his with a dollop of plain yogurt & some organic raisins in no time at all. It was a blessing in disguise that BB was having a bit of running nose & I decided not to let him drink the fresh milk which is supposed to create more mucus.

(Note: best not to consume milk with this meal. Refer to 'Harmful Combination' below) 

Healthy & delicious homecooked breakfasts always make the start of our days a better one...I hope they'd have the same greatness on you too! Enjoy!

Beneficial Combination:

Egg + Milk = Improve memory skills

Harmful Combination:

Lemon + Milk = Can affect gastrointestinal function

Homemade Honey Blueberry Jam Another Style

I used to make blueberry sauce for waffles or pancakes but since I had a loaf of failed brioche (texture resembled more of normal bread) on my tabletop, I needed jam so I tweaked my precious recipe to present you this.

Ingredients:

1 cup of fresh organic blueberries

1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice

1/2 tbsp of lemon zest (about 1/2 a lemon)

1/2 to 1 tsp of Origins Organic Raw Honey, to taste (please omit honey if your lil' one is less than 1yo)

1/4 tsp of pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp of ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp of Bob's Red Mill All Natural Cornstarch (optional)

Directions:

1. Pour the blueberries into a pot & mash them up depending on whether you prefer your jam to be smooth or slightly chunky.

2. Add everything in, except corn starch, then mix well.

3. Bring mixture to a boil & simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring regularly. You may add corn starch for it to thicken faster or just cook till it reduces to your desired consistency.

Ta-dah! Your homemade jam is done in just 15 minutes & you know exactly what went into it \(~.<)/

Other than the jam sandwich, I also gave him some cottage cheese & organic raisins. 

As expected, he targeted the raisins, one of his fave regular healthy snacks, first. Then, he explored the sandwich & I knew without a doubt that my lil' bread lover will enjoy it. It's not difficult to see from the following collage that it is fingerlicking good too..lolz! The cheese was the last item left but it did not take him long to empty his plate when I handed him a spoon. In fact, it was the first sign that he's almost ready to spoon feed himself =)

Last but not least, I'm so loving my Munchkin's Silly Sandwich Cutters! They come in 3 different designs & yes, I've succumbed to temptation & bought all 3..hee ; ) The elephant & penguin ones will enable me to make simple food art in no time & BB can entertain himself while doing his puzzle sandwiches ~.^

Beneficial Combination:

Honey + Lemon = Detoxification & treatment of common flu

Peanut Butter Bread with My Tesco Breadmaker

After my first successfully baked loaf of bread, followed by numerous other successful attempts, I thought that bread-making in a breadmaker was fail-proof. Never did I know I was so wrong until I encountered my first failure. I had some really nice purple sweet potatoes and so I decided to use them to bake a white bread variation using the basic white bread mix. As the steamed sweet potatoes have a high moisture content, I knew I had to reduce the amount of water called for in the recipe & did so. To my dismay, it was still too wet & the bread turned out like kueh in texture : (

After the first failed attempt, I lost motivation to bake for a while. When I found organic wheat bread flour at the Four Seasons Organic Market in Parkway Parade, which I was searching high & low for, it ignited my 'fire' again. I tried the light wholemeal bread recipe but unfortunately it led to yet another disaster. Once bitten, twice shy! Twice bitten, forever shy? No, I refused to succumb to the obstacles. Upon reflecting where I could have gone wrong this time, it struck me that it could be due to the new Fleischmann's natural yeast which I'd just bought. After doing some Googling, I realised I was right. This is an active dry yeast, not instant dry yeast, which needs to be activated. I followed the step-by-step instructions from YouTube to activate it, thinking that I would get it right finally. To my disappointment, the same problem occurred again! Being at my wits' end, I turned to shifus in the Tesco Breadmaker Recipe FB group for help. The two pieces of advice that were most apt to my situation were that I needed to increase the quantity of the active dry yeast & that some organic bread flour could be the possible root of the problem.

Thus, for today's bake, I decided to only use my usual organic hi protein bread flour. After doing some more homework online, I also discovered that I've to increase the active dry yeast by 1.25 times & the activated yeast should be added to the dry flour instead of adding it to the rest of the water with salt & sugar.

Ingredients (for a 700g loaf using the Basic Programme with Light Crust):

1.25 cups of water at room temperature

Approximate 1.875 tsp of Fleischmann's active dry yeast (or 1.5 tsp of instant dry yeast)

1/4 cup of Billington's molasses sugar

1.5 tsp of Nature's Glory unrefined Himalayas rock salt 

3 cups of Origins organic hi protein flour

1/2 cup of Adams creamy peanut butter (can use crunchy version too)

Directions:

1. Add a drop of molasses (or a pinch of sugar) to 1/4 cup of warm water (37°C to 43°C) & stir to dissolve.

2. Pour the yeast into the sugared water & stir vigorously until you can no longer discern the yeast granules then cover with a towel as yeast works better in the dark.

3. Let it proof for 10 minutes as you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

4. Pour the remaining 1 cup of water into the bread pan. Add in the remaining ingredients in this order: salt & sugar (on opposite sides), peanut butter (in the middle) followed by flour.

5. Check to see if the yeast is foaming which means that they are alive & well. Pour the activated yeast water onto the top of the flour in the bread pan.

6. Choose the correct setting, start the breadmaker & wait for your loaf to be ready.

(Note: I took out mine 10 minutes before the time is up to get a softer crust.)

As I made the first slice through it, I knew this is going to be one fluffy bread. In fact, it turned out to be the softest loaf I've baked so far. This is the second time that I'm using this recipe (1st time was with instant dry yeast & another brand of peanut butter) but it's definitely better than its predecessor. The contributing factor could be the active dry yeast, the peanut butter or the fact that I took it out earlier but nonetheless, this is a keeper for sure! It tastes so good even on its own. How do I know? Hee..because hubby & I already had some for supper ~.< My little bread lover will be in for a pleasant surprise for breakfast..lolz!

On a seperate note, I would like to recommend the above-mentioned brand of peanut butter. I did consider making my own peanut butter but couldn't seem to find organic peanuts. Therefore, this will do for now as it is one of the healthiest jar of peanut butter that I've come across so far which is made from 100% peanuts without any hydrogenated oils or salt. 

My First Attempt at Food Art with Homemade Light Whole Wheat Bread & Edamames

So sad T.T My 2nd attempt at baking a light whole wheat bread failed again. It turned out "flatter" & tasted more like kueh especially with it's texture. I won't be sharing the recipe of my bread till i get it right. Lucky for me, I've a rather supportive hubby! He ate 2 pieces for supper & commented that he still liked it.

Since it's still edible, I gave BB a bit to try to see if he would eat it. Surprisingly, he liked it too & kept going 'Mum-mum', asking for more. It was too late for me to make any jam to accompany the bread  as my boy is not exactly the patient sort to wait for it to be ready. I opened my fridge to see what I could find & saw that I still had some cream cheese left. In the end, I decided to try a cream cheese with honey spread (slightly soften 2 tbsps of cream cheese & mix well with 1/2 tsp of organic honey). 

I also used one of my new cookie cutters to cut out some small rabbits. Come to think of it, i still have an entire bag of kitchen accessories, mainly from Diaso, waiting for me to unpack. Bread, cookies,  seaweed & vegetables cutters, rice molds, food picks, food dividers, side dishes cups, silicon cups etc, loots accumulated over the months from countless visits to Diaso. It's high time I start putting them to good use.

Recalling that I've a pack of frozen edamames, an idea struck me. I could do a simple food art! I'm not exactly the artistic sort so don't expect anything too elaborate..lolz!

I call it ''Lil' rabbits hopping through the fields". How is it for a first attempt?

BB finished everything & asked for more so i added another portion of edamames. This is the third time he's having them. In fact, edamames were the first kind of table food he had outside. We were dining at a Japenese restaurant & he was kinda cranky after waking up from his nap. Remembering that edamames are pretty nutritious, I ordered a plate of unsalted ones for him. By the second time he ate them at another Japanese restaurant, he imitated us & was able to push the peas out of the pods by himself. However, he seemed to have forgotten all about it as he put the entire pod into his mouth when I handed him a pod today..hahaha! Upon eating the rest, he pointed to the bread & asked for more but I didn't accede to his request since he had just got well & shouldn't be overeating.

Edamames are here to stay for good in BB's list of healthy snacks. They are easy to prepare, simply by adding them into a bowl of boiling water for a couple of minutes, and they're ready to be served! Furthermore, it'll also help to improve his motor skills as he tries to get the peas out of their pods & subsequently picking them up as well. Lastly, it'll keep him entertained for a while as we R&R & enjoy a cuppa..hee ~_^

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 ~.<

Eggless French Toast with a Twist!

I've been making different varieties of bread for my family almost every weekend since I've gotten my own breadmaker. Yesterday's choice was peanut butter loaf, so naturally we'll be having that for breakfast today. As I walked into the kitchen, I saw the bunch of ripe bananas hanging there and thought that banana should go well with peanut butter. It then struck me that I've seen a simple baked banana recipe which I might be able to use to bake my bread. To my disappointment, I couldn't seem to recall where i came across it even despite googling for it. However, I chanced upon another recipe for a banana toast which I found to be pretty interesting & easy.

Ingredients:

2 pieces of homemade peanut butter bread (or any other bread you have at home)

1 ripe banana

60ml of fresh milk (breastmilk / formula milk)

A dash of cinnamon

1 tsp of extra virgin coconut oil (EVCO)

Directions:

1. Cut each piece of bread into 3 or 4 long strips.

2. Place all the remaining ingredients except the EVCO in a bowl & mash with a fork till almost smooth.

3. Heat up the EVCO in a non-stick pan (I'm using HCP). Dip the bread fingers into the mixture & fry for 1 to 2 minutes with low heat on each side until they turn golden.

Voila! Yet another marvelicious breakfast or snack is ready! I served it with some cottage cheese & organic raisins & both of us absolutely enjoyed it ^.^

1st Homemade Bread & Blueberries with Chia Seed Jam

Bread fever is on! Finally managed to lay my hands on a Tesco breadmaker & this was made possible all thanks to a very kind mummy who got her friend to help us bring in all the way from Malaysia.

I had wanted to make a flavoured bread but Daddy-O said that I should just start with a simple white bread for my 1st try. Thus, I simply followed the white bread recipe provided in the manual. It was so effortless. Just measure & pour in the ingredients in the proper sequence & it'll do all the hard work for you. Kudos to the inventor of the bread machine!

What's the point of having home baked bread without homemade jam right? So, after the breadmaker started to do its magic, I proceeded on to do a super duper easy "no cook" organic blueberries with chia seeds jam.

Ingredients:

1 cup of organic frozen blueberries (I bought fresh ones & froze them myself)

3 tbsp of chia seeds

1 tbsp of honey (optional)

1/4 cup of water

Juice of 1/2 a small lime

1/8 tsp of cinnamon (optional)

Directions:

1. Blend (I used my Avent Combined Steamer & Blender) blueberries until you get your preferred consistency (smooth or chunky) & transfer to an airtight glass container.

2. Add chia seeds, honey, water, lime juice & cinnamon. Stir well, cover & put into the fridge till the chia seeds swell up.

After a long wait of 3h, my loaf was finally ready! Looked great from the outside but I still had to wait for it to cool down before I could slice it. Alas, the moment of truth . . . It was soft on the inside but I found the crust a bit too thick to my liking. Guess I'll have to choose the light setting instead of the medium one for my next attempt. I couldn't wait till breakfast to try them out so I had a slice for supper at 1.30am. Nice! 

Daddy-O had it for breakfast & brought 4 slices as well as half of the jam to let my in-laws try. So glad they all enjoyed the healthy breakfast. As for my lil' food critic, he had it with jam & cream cheese . . . &, he loved them both!