Tomatoes Beefy Rice with Eggs

Previously, this was a very popular 1 pot dish for LOs. The reason is simple. Fast to cook & good to eat. Furthermore, the variations for this dish is endless as long as you add in the main lead, which is of course TOMATOES. Since I happened to have 2 big tomatoes in the fridge so decided to cook it again today. Here's my version ;)

Ingredients (serve 1 toddler + 1 adult):

2 medium-sized tomatoes, top & bottom slitted

1/2 cup organic brown rice, washed

100ml of water

100g of minced organic beef (can replace with pork too)

8 organic French beans, diced

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 tbsp of sesame oil

1/2 tbsp of Bob's Red Mill All Natural Cornstarch

1/8 tsp of freshly grounded black pepper

Directions:

1. Marinate beef with sesame oil, cornstarch & pepper for at least 15 minutes.

2. Mix beef into rice & water, top with tomato & steam for 20 minutes (I used my Techno 3-Tiers Electric Steamer but can use rice cooker alternatively).

3. Add French beans & continue steaming for another 15 minutes..

4. Once rice is cooked, add in eggs & mix evenly, mashing up the tomatoes simultaneously. Optional: remove the tomatoes' skins then add more sesame oil & black pepper. Serve immediately.

Such a hassle-free meal yet so healthy & satisfying..I especially love the moist & juicy rice <3 BURP!!!

Sesame Oil Chicken Rice with Organic Pumpkin & Red Dates Soup

This is another of my all-time faves - "one-pot" chicken rice imparted by my mummy! The usual ingredients include Chinese sausages & dried shiitake mushrooms but we're all aware that sausages are not exactly a very healthy option due to high sodium levels & the addition of preservatives. Thus, they've been omitted. As for dried shiitake mushrooms, i've asked my mummy where I could buy good ones but she told me she also can't really find them nowadays & advised me to use fresh ones instead. That was quite a dampening news as I've always like their richer flavours as compared to the fresh ones. To compensate for the missing aromas, I subsituted normal oil with sesame oil instead & the results were great!

Ingredients (serve 1 toddler & 1 adult):

1 chicken leg + 1 small drumstick

1/2 cup of organic 10 multi-grains

4 tbsps of sesame oil

1 tbsp of Bob's Red Mill All Natural Cornstarch

1/2 cup water

50g of white bunashimeiji mushrooms

8 stalks of organic French beans, diced

Directions:

1. Marinate the chicken pieces with the cornstarch & half the sesame oil, and marinate the rice with the remaining sesame oil for at least 1 hour.

2. Add water to rice, top off with the chicken pieces & mushrooms then steam for 30 minutes (I'm using my Techno 3-Tiers Electric Steamer but rice cooker would do too).

3. Add the French beans & steam for another 5 minutes. Remove chicken pieces & give it a good stir to mix the ingredients evenly. Serve warm.

We both love the fragrance of the sesame oil in the rice. Be warned though that the rice is kinda wet & sticky partly due to the fact that it was cooked in my steamer where more moisture is added during the steaming process. Think along the lines of mui fan (which I happened to like too). Cooking it in the cooker should give you the usual rice texture if you're not a big fan of rice with lotsa gravy.

Ingredients:

240g of organic pumpkin

6 red dates, seeds removed

750ml of water

Directions:

1. Add all the ingredients to a pot & bring to boil. Then, simmer in low fire for 2 hours.

Nothing fanciful but just a bowl of comforting sweet-tasting soup.

Beneficial Combination:

Pumpkin + Red date = Invigorating spleen & replenishing qi as well as restraining & inhibiting qi of lungs

Pork & Creamy Tomato Spaghettini

Woohooooo! I finally got down to cooking a creamy tomato sauce-based pasta. This idea struck me just before CNY but I wasn't able to try it then as I ran out of plain pasta & was left with only the vegetable pasta of which some actually contained spinach. With the knowledge that consuming spinach with cheese would affect both the digestion & absorption of calcium, I had no choice but to wait until I re-stocked my pantry. 

Ingredients (serve 1 toddler & 1 adult):

100g of Alce Nero Organic Spaghettini

100g of Australian corn fed minced pork

1 glove of garlic, halved

2 purple onions, quartered 

9 big organic cherry tomatoes, halved

5 stalks of organic French beans, quartered

1 bay leaf

5 fresh basil leaves (can replace with 1/8 tsp of dried basil)

1 sprig of rosemary, stalk removed (can replace with 1/8 tsp of dried rosemary)

1/8 tsp of dried oregano

4 tbsps (sauce) + 2 tbsps (topping) of organic cheddar cheese

1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Directions:

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

2. Steam the remaining ingredients, except cheese, French beans & tomatoes, for 10 minutes (I'm using my Avent Combined Steamer & Blender).

3. Add in the tomatoes as well as French beans & steam for another 5 minutes. Remove bay leaf, add in 4 tbsps of cheddar cheese then blend to desired consistency. Pour over cooked pasta, top with remaining cheese & EVOO & serve warm.

Omzg!!! It was goooooooood (^.~)b With the addition of herbs, it tastes like bolognese but creamier & cheesier too. It was our first take on spaghettini & both of us enjoyed it tremendously. Much faster to cook than spaghetti but yet not too thin like angel's hair.

Beneficial Combinations:

French Beans + Garlic = Sterilise & detoxify as well as improve the taste

Garlic + Onion = Detoxification & anti-cancer effects

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

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

My 3rd Variation of Mushroom Cheesy Sauce with Corn Fed Minced Pork

My mushroom cheesy sauce has indeed come a long way . . . evolving from the 2 main basic ingredients to 3, & now to this latest version which actually includes 4. I guess in this case, more is indeed better..lolz!

Ingredients (serve 1 toddler & 1 adult):

100g of Australian corn fed minced pork

2 big portobello mushrooms, torn into smaller chunks

50g of enoki mushrooms

1 medium-sized yellow onion, cut into quarters

1 clove of garlic

3 tbsps of organic cheddar cheese, grated

1 tsp of grated Parmesan cheese for garnishing

10 stalks of organic French beans, diced

100g of edamame

1 cup of Alce Nero's Organic Vehicle Shapes Pasta

Directions:

1. Boil water then pour enough to cover the washed edamames to warm them up for 3 minutes. Cook pasta in the remaining simmering water till al dente. Drain & leave aside.

2. Steam the remaining ingredients, except French beans & cheeses, for 10 minutes (I'm using my Avent Combined Steamer & Blender).

3. Add in the French beans & steam for another 5 minutes. Remove the French beans, add in the cheddar cheese then blend to desired consistency. Pour over cooked pasta, top with Parmesan cheese & serve warm.

My boy was kinda excited as he ate his pasta today. Other than the improved taste, he was pretty fascinated with the new "Alce Nero's Organic Vehicle Shapes Pasta" as they're shaped as different vehicles which include cars, motorcycles, trucks, trains & aeroplanes. The added bonus was that it also came with a much lower price tag. NTUC outlets are selling 2 packs (250g per pack) for only $4.05. The Organic Dinos / Farm / Safari Kids Pastas which I used to buy cost $6.40 for a pack of 300g. I don't think I need to do the Math here for you to see that this is so much cheaper in comparison. One thing to note is that it's stated on the packaging that it's recommended for toddlers 24 months & above. Since I've even fed adults' organic fusiili to BB & he had no problem chewing those, I knew he would be able to chomp these down without difficulties too.

The other packet I bought was "Alce Nero's Organic Vegetable Alphabet Pasta" which comes in plain, spinach & tomato flavours. Similarly, it costs only a fraction of "Bellamy's Organic Vege Macaroni" ($6.95 for 175g) which I had been using. The only apparent "advantage" Bellamy has over Alce Nero is that it includes a beetroot flavour too.

Beneficial Combinations:

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

Garlic + Onion = Detoxication & anti-cancer effects

French Beans + Garlic = Sterilise & detoxify as well as improve the taste

First Experience of Eating Rice with Dishes & Soup On-The-Go for BB

Till date, I usually prepare one dish meals for BB whenever we dine out. As I still had some leftover Organic Pumpkin & Red Dates Soup with Organic Beef Balls from luncheon, I decided to try packing a complete meal with rice, dishes & soup.

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

Organic 10 multi-grains: 3 level tbsps soak for more than 7 hours. Pour away the water, rinse the grains a couple of times then add in 50ml of water. Steam for 35 minutes.

Steamed probiotics fed minced chicken with portobello mushroom & organic French beans: Marinate 50g of chicken with 1/2 tsp of sesame oil & 1/2 tsp of Bob's Red Mill All Natural Cornstarch for at least 30 minutes. Dice 1 medium-sized portobello & 3 stalks of organic French beans & mix evenly into the chicken. Steam for 20 minutes.

Steamed threadfin with wolfberries: Marinate threadfin with some organic extra virgin coconut oil. Top with 1 tbsp of wolfberries & steam for 15 minutes.

To my parents-in-law surprise, BB finished all the rice, dishes & even ate up the beef balls & pumpkin in the soup. Yet, he still managed to drink up the entire bowl of soup after that (^.~)v

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

'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.

Baked Frittatas

As a continuation to the post on Cheeses, I'd like to share one of my favourite snacks to bring out for BB on days when we're gonna be out for many hours - Frittatas! There're so many different flavours you can create from one basic recipe. Here u go!

Ingredients:

2 egg yolks or 1 egg (if your LO has passed the 3 or 4 days rule for egg white)

Any combinations of vegetables or meat you desired, finely diced or shredded

Shredded cheddar cheese

Virgin coconut oil (VCO)

Directions:

1. Mix all the ingredients together, leaving some cheese for later.

2. Apply a thin layer of VCO on the muffin tray & pour the mixture into each individual hole, ensuring that there's sufficient egg to cover the ingredients. Top with more cheese.

3. Bake at 180°C for about 15 minutes till golden brown.

Tips: 

- the smaller they're, the nicer they'll taste.

- do not use muffin liners as they'll cause the frittatas to become soggy (refer to the last picture).

These are some of the varieties that I've created so far ;)

Organic potato, asparagus, carrot & onion

Carrot with organic spinach

Organic pea sprouts & parsnip

Salmon & peas

Organic cherry tomatoes & onion