Breakfast of Milky Organic Blueberries Couscous

Another easy peasy healthy breakfast whipped up in no time at all (~.<)v

Ingredients (serve 1 adult + 1 toddler):

1 cup of fresh milk

60g of organic blueberries

1/2 cup of Origins organic couscous

1/4 tsp of pure vanilla extract

1/8 tsp of cinnamon

Directions:

1. Using low heat, bring the milk to a boil. Once it starts to bubble, off the fire & add in all the ingredients.

2. Lightly mash up most of the blueberries & stir them into the couscous. Once the couscous absorbs the liquid in 2 to 3 minutes, it's ready to be served! 

Both of us enjoyed the subtle sweetness from the blueberries as well as the vanilla extract's wonderful aromatic flavour.

Buttered Prawn Bisque Couscous

As I was removing the prawns' heads & shells to prep for a prawn omelette, I noticed how fresh the heads were with their bright red roes. It would have been such a waste to throw them away & so I decided to keep them for subsequent use as a soup base. The following day, an idea came to me! I've always loved prawn or crab bisque so maybe I could try replicating them at home. It sounds complicated, right? But it's actually pretty easy peasy to prepare.

Ingredients (serve 1 toddler):

10 prawn heads

4 peeled prawns

1/4 cup of Origins organic couscous

1 cup of water

A handful of peas

2 stalks of organic leaf lettuces

1 tbsp of unsalted butter

Directions:

1. Bring water to boil & add in the prawn heads to cook for 15 minutes.

2. Pour in the prawns & cook till they start to turn red. Remove the prawn heads then add in couscous followed by lettuces & peas. Simmer till the water has been absorbed by the couscous which should only take between 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Remove from heat, stir in the butter then serve immediately. 

I tried a mouthful & it was yums! I must make a mental note to cook more for myself the next time round. Sinful but worth every bite of it ;P'

Beneficial Combination:

Peas + Prawn = Enhance body's immunity

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

Sweet Couscous for Breakfast

As promised, I tried out a sweet couscous for breakfast today. However, as BB developed a fever early this morning, he didn't get to try it. I've been taught by my parents since young to 'starve a fever' thus I would usually reduce the food intake while increasing the nursing frequencies or durations. He 'buffeted' as usual in the morning, only had a couple of mouthfuls of unsweetened green beans plus 1/3 bowl of the soup at my mum's place for brunch, nursed again after he woke up from his nap & had a double boiled pear as a light dinner. As per every night, he nursed before bedtime & knocked out by 9.30pm which is pretty early by his standard.

Ingredients (2 adults serving):

1/2 cup of organic couscous

1 cup of fresh milk

1/2 tsp of pure vanilla extract

A generous dash of cinnamon

Organic raisins

Almonds or walnuts (chop finely for toddlers but I left them whole since they were for hubby & me)

Directions:

1. Heat up the milk, vanilla & cinnamon in a pot. Let it come to a boil before adding the couscous. Simmer till the water has been absorbed by the couscous which should only take between 2 to 3 minutes.

2. Remove from heat & top with raisins & almonds or walnuts. Serve immediately.

The initial plan was to top with fresh mango chunks but my mango was still unripe after cutting it :( Since it was sourish & parts of it were kinda hard, I changed to raisins & nuts at the very last minute. Another fast, easy & healthy breakfast option for all you busy mummies ~.^

Moroccan-Spiced Beef Couscous, My Style!

Did you know that couscous is actually a pasta and not a grain? I didn't until I was researching for a suitable recipe for the recent packet that I had bought ;p Yes, it's actually made from semolina wheat. Even though couscous is not as nutritious as whole grains, it can still be included in your diet provided it doesn't take the place of grains. Without a doubt, it's here to stay in mine at least, especially given the fact that it takes almost no time in heading from the packaging to a delectably cooked meal on the table.

The list of ingredients for most of the recipes I found was pretty long & I've only got a few of them available, so I decided to just make do with what I could find in my kitchen. Thus, although mine is a simplified version, it actually turned out delicious!

Ingredients

1/4 cup of organic couscous

40g of organic beef

1 bay leaf

1 clove of garlic, chopped finely

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1/6 organic red capsicum, diced

A handful of frozen peas

A generous dash of cinnamon

A small dash of nutmeg

1 tsp of Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (EVCO)

1/2 cup of water

Directions:

1. Heat up the EVCO in a pot. Add the bay leaf & garlic & fry till the garlic starts to brown. 

2. Add both the onion & capsicum & fry till almost tender then pour in the beef. Gently break up the beef with your spatula & fry till slightly brown.

3. Pour water in & let it come to a boil before adding the couscous followed by the peas. Simmer till the water has been absorbed by the couscous which should only take between 2 to 3 minutes & it's done! Remove bay leaf & serve warm.

Yes, it's that simple! Preparation & cooking only took me 15 minutes. After trying a mouthful, I almost couldn't believe that it tasted so good. I was so excited that I asked my hubby to give it a try too. Guess what he said? He asked me if I could cook it for him some time soon (~.^) This is such a quick-to-cook single dish meal which will be very ideal for most working mummies who want to prepare a healthy meal for their children but are yet pressed for time. Hmmm..an idea just came to me! Breakfast shall be sweet couscous tomorrow. So, stay tuned ;>