Organic Fusilli in Organic Pumpkin & Spinach Soup, Topped with Cod

Ingredients (serve 1 toddler):

1 piece of cod fish

50g of organic pumpkin, cut into small chunks

50g of organic baby spinach

3 tbsps of organic fusilli

Directions:

1. Cook pasta in a pot of simmering water till al dente. Drain & leave aside.

2. Steam both the cod & pumpkin together for 10 minutes (I'm using my Avent Combined Steamer & Blender).

3. Add in the spinach & steam for another 5 minutes. Remove cod & flake. Blend the pumpkin with spinach to desired consistency. Pour over cooked pasta, topped with cod & serve warm.

Beneficial Combination:

Cod + Pumpkin = Prevent dry skin & cold

Portobello Mushrooms with Onion Cheesy Pasta Sauce

We were out for lunch last weekend & I cooked a pasta sauce with onion, portobello mushrooms & spinach but I didn't add in cheese for fear that it may turn bad. BB accepted the taste but I somehow felt that it was missing something. Therefore, I decided to retry again today as Daddy-O had to work late & dinner would be just for the both of us.

Ingredients (serve 1 toddler):

1 piece of cod fish

3 small portobello mushrooms

1 small yellow onion, cut into halves

1 handful of organic baby spinach

3 tbsps of organic baby pasta

Directions:

1. Cook pasta in a pot of simmering water as per instructed till al dente. Drain & leave aside.

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

3. Steam the cod, mushrooms & onion for 15 minutes (I'm using my Avent Combined Steamer & Blender).

4. Add in the spinach & steam for another 5 minutes. Remove cod fish & flake. Blend the mushrooms, onion & spinach to desired consistency, pour over cooked pasta & serve immediately.

The improvised recipe is shown below.

Ingredients (serve 1 toddler & 1 adult):

2 pieces of corn-fed chicken thigh

3 small portobello mushrooms

1 small yellow onion, cut into halves

2 tbsps of organic cheddar cheese

1 cup of organic fusilli pasta

(Note: Cod & spinach to be omitted if you're adding cheese.)

Directions:

1. Cook pasta in a pot of simmering water as per instructed till al dente. Drain & leave aside.

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

3. Steam the chicken, mushrooms & onion for 20 minutes.

4. Remove chicken to cut into smaller chunks. Add in the cheddar cheese to the mushrooms & onion & blend to desired consistency. Pour over cooked pasta & serve immediately.

Note: I usually cook the pasta & prepare the sauce concurrently to save time.

Yeah! This time round the taste is just right! Adding the cheese does make a significant difference to the taste. It was another satisfying meal for both BB & me ~.^ This is also the first time BB is having fusilli. I used to cook his baby pasta before cooking mine but since he's older now & can chew pretty well, I decided to let him try our adult version. The same ingredients are used for both types of pasta anyway. He ate them without any difficulty. Seems like we can stop buying the more expensive baby pasta..hee

Beneficial Combination:

Chicken + Onion = Moisturise body, warm stomach & strengthen waist

Harmful Combination:

Cheese + Cod = Cause diarrhea or abdominal pain

Cheese + Spinach = Affect the digestion & absorption of calcium

'Rice' to the Occasion for my 13M 27DO BB

BB hasn't been himself in terms of his usual feeding recently. He would have only a few mouthfuls before refusing to open his mouth for more. More often then not, I would have to play & coax him to eat more but nevertheless he's still having lesser than his usual serving. A few of the other toddlers in my "July 13 Mummies" group were also showing similar symptoms of food regression. Thus, I concluded that they were most probably teething & thus didn't have much appetitie. 

Since it was likely to be a passing phrase, I wasn't too concerned about it. However, I noticed subsequently that he would eat more whenever food which offered more "texture", such as pasta, was fed to him. With this observation, I arrived at another conclusion - he may be tired of having the usual porridges (even the sight of them turns Mummy off now..lolz) & instead is craving for more interesting foods instead. Hence, I present to you his lunch menu for yesterday ; )

Steamed organic mixed grains rice: 1 tbsp each of buckwheat, red lentils, millet & quinoa (pre-mixed by me) & short grain brown rice soaked overnight in 3/4 cup of water which is then steamed using my new steamer (review will be shared soon so stay tuned).

Steamed cod with fresh shiitake mushrooms: 1 thawed cod fillet marinated with a dash of fresh-ground black pepper, topped with 3 small shiitake mushrooms (sliced) & steamed for 15 minutes.

Kampong fried eggs with organic French beans: 1 packed of French beans, washed & diced. Heat a bit of EVCO in a non-stick pan (I'm using HCP) & stir fry the beans on medium heat till they soften & turn a darker green. Spread evenly over the entire pan before pouring 2 eggs beaten with some black pepper over them. Let the egg cook for about 1 to 2 minutes till slightly golden brown then flip over to the other side & cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.

Red cabbage with yellow onion soup: 1/2 of a red cabbage, sliced into 0.5cm thickness with 1 onion cut into halves & add all of it into a pot with 1 litre of water to be boiled at a medium fire for a minimum of 30 minutes.

So, did my lil' food critic find these dishes to his liking? YES, he loved them & opened his mouth enthusiastically bite after bite. Yippeeeee! Eating BB = Happie BB & Mummy \(~.^)/ 

I was a bit apprehensive initially as my boy doesn't like foods that are too bland & I didn't use any salt or soy sauce during the cooking process. Fortunately, I've taken that into account & used the natural taste of the ingredients to enhance the overall flavour. Cod already has a stronger "fish taste" to it & the aroma of the shiitake mushrooms complement it perfectly. I believe you'll definitely be seeing more of these nutritious & flavourful fungi in my home cooked dishes.

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!

Double-Boiling Porridges

One of the most useful tips that I've learnt from a Facebook group 'Healthy Food for My Baby' is on double boiling oats (a big Thank You to the mummy who shared it whoever you're) which I've improvised & used it to cook BB's porridge. Why double boil u may wonder? It ensures that the temperature stays almost constant at around 100 degrees Celsius which is essential as some nutrients may be destroyed at too high a temperature. Furthermore, through this method of cooking, most nutrients from the food will be retained. For me, another added bonus would be that I won't have to 'watch' the fire to prevent my porridge from getting burnt. If you've a slow cooker at home, you probably don't need to do this but even the slow cooker at my mum's place needs the occasional stirring or else the porridge would end up sticking to the bottom. 

I have chosen to make use of my existing kitchen appliances to create my "personal double boiler" instead of buying one to add-on to the clutter on my countertop. The appliances include:

Ikea metal pot & pot strainer (any large metal pot with a steamer stand will do just as fine)

Ceramic pot (can be purchased from NTUC)

Induction cooker (stovetop of course can too)

I shall share how the above method is implemented, with the porridge recipe that I have just cooked today.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp of Simple Natural Organic Ten Multi Grains (found at most Cold Storage outlets)

3/4 cup of water

1 piece of cod fillet, thawed & deboned (I bought a big packet of cod fish chunks & defrost the required chunks whenever I need them)

1/2 of a small purple sweet potato, peeled & diced

A handful of chopped spring onions

Directions:

1. Soak the grains in water within the ceramic pot overnight to remove phytic acid.

2. Place the ceramic pot into the metal pot with the 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 between 1 hour to 1.5 hour depending on the strength of  your fire (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. After 20 minutes, add the diced sweet potatoes into the ceramic pot & give it a good stir together with the grains. 

(Note: My rule of thumb is to double the respective cooking time for the ingredients as the fundamental of double boiling is cooking with indirect hear, thus implying an increased cooking time).

5. At 15 minutes to the countdown (10 minutes if the fish is not very thick), place the fish into a bowl / plate before putting it on top of the ceramic pot to steam. I prefer to steam the fish separately so that I can double check for any fine or small bones as I flake it after it's cooked.

6. Once the time is up (my induction cooker has a timer), remove the steamed fish to cool slightly. Add spring onions to the porridge & stir them in to allow it to be 'cooked' by the piping hot porridge. Flake the fish & serve it warm with the porridge.

Meals for my 1Y 24DO BB who has been feeling under the weather

Another gloomy day yesterday. The only thing that cheered me up was that BB was on the road to recovering from his intermittent fever & running nose which started since Monday. Thus, I cooked one of my favourite staples for him. Oats, fast to cook & very nutritious! I'll definitely be dedicating an entire blog on oats separately so do stay tuned (Oats) >_^

Ingredients (8MO & above):

3 tbsp of blended organic rolled oats

50g of organic minced beef

1 small chunk of cubed organic pumpkin

1 large floret of chopped broccoli 

3/4 cup of water (can vary the amount according to your desired consistency)

Directions:

1. Boil water then add in pumpkin & let it cook for about 10 minutes.

2. Add in the blended oats & the secret to achieve a smooth texture is to whisk it as it cooks.

3. Pour in the beef & use the whisk to separate it into smaller bits before adding the broccoli last. Simmer about 5 minutes for the beef & broccoli to be cooked. Serve warm.

As for dinner, drawing inspiration from almost out of nowhere, I whipped up a simple macaroni in egg flower soup for him. A perfect meal to warm up his lil' tummy on the chilly Friday evening. My new favourite pasta is the Bellamy's Organic Vegie Macaroni above. Love it's trio flavours! Best for days when I'm running out of vegetables in my fridge.

Ingredients (12MO & above but if changed to an age-appropriate pasta, can be used for 10MO & above BBs):

2 tbsp of macaroni

1 piece of cod fish (I bought a 1kg frozen pack of cod fish from NTUC which is already portioned out)

1 beaten kampong egg

1 stalk of white asparagus (a chance find at Nex's NTUC)

1.5 cups of water

Directions:

1. Boil water & cook cod fish for about 10 minutes. Remove cooked cod fish to cool.

2. Add macaroni & asparagus into the cod fish soup & cook for approximately 8 minutes. Meanwhile, flake the cod fish to check for any residual bones.

3. Pour egg in a slow & steady stream. Let it cook a while before stirring slowly to create the ribbon-like egg flower.

4. Mix in the cod fish & serve warm.

Let me share a little secret with you. It was actually my first attempt on creating egg flower & I'm glad I nailed it. Hee ^.~ For both meals, BB finished almost everything I gave him. I was thrilled to see that his appetite had more or less returned to normal.