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

My 3 Dishes & Arrowroot with Black-Eyed Peas Soup for Dinner

Arrowroot with black-eyed peas soup: Skin & cut 1 arrowroot into big chunks. Add them with 280g of blanched pork bone meat & 50g of black-eyed peas to 2 litres of water & bring to boil. Then, simmer in low fire for 3 hours.

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

Organic brown rice: 1 cup of organic brown rice soaked for at least 7 hours in water to remove the phytic acid. Pour away the soaked water & rinse a couple of times before adding 1.5 cups of water. Steam for 35 minutes.

Steamed fish with red dates & wolfberries: Top fish with 6 red dates (seeds removed & diced), 3 tbsps of wolfberries & some ginger strips then pour 1 tbsp of organic extra virgin coconut oil over it (Optional: add 2-3 tbsps of water for more 'broth'). Steam for 10 minutes.

Steamed probiotics fed chicken with organic green kiwi: Peel off the kiwi's skin & dice it. Top 1 chicken thigh & 1 drumstick with the kiwi & steam for 25 minutes.

Steamed organic ladies' fingers (okra) & tomato: Top 5 lady's fingers & 15 organic cherry tomatoes (cut into quarters) with 1 tbsp of organic extra virgin coconut oil & 1/8 tsp of dried basil. Steam for 10 minutes.

Slurpilicious soup! Another addition to my small growing collection \(~.^)/ First try using kiwi in my cooking as my mummy told me that it'll help to tenderise meat. Very refreshing taste when eaten with the chicken but the gravy is a tad too sour for me. I think golden kiwis will be the way to go as they're sweeter in nature. My husband, on the other hand, finds it 'just nice'. He also gave thumbs up for the fish as he likes the combined sweetness from both the red dates & wolfberries. Added a mental note to myself to add a bit of water next time so that there'll be more of the light 'broth'. As usual, my lit' food lover happily gobbled everything up..lolz!

Beneficial Combinations:

Ginger + Kiwi = Clear heatiness & stop vomiting

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

Highlight of Yesterday's Luncheon: Steamed Tofu with Minced Pork &Wolfberries

Corn onion soup with xiao bai cai: Cut 1 organic corn into thirds & halve 1 yellow onion. Add them to 750ml of water & bring to boil. Then, simmer in low fire for 2 hours. 5 minutes before time is up, add in the organic xiao bai cai.

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

Organic brown rice: 4 tbsps of organic short grain brown rice + 1 tbsp of organic brown rice soaked overnight in water to remove the phytic acid. Pour away the soaked water & rinse a couple of times before adding 80ml of water.Steam for 35 minutes.

Steamed pomfret with organic extra virgin coconut oil: Top 1 pomfret with some ginger strips then pour 1 tbsp of EVCO over it. Steam for 15 minutes.

Steamed organic tofu with Australian corn fed minced pork & wolfberries (yields 3 portions of what is shown in the picture below): 100g of pork marinated with 1 tbsp of Bob's Red Mill All Natural Cornstarch & 2 tbsps of EVCO for at least 30 minutes. Mince 1 pack of tofu & mix well with the pork. Divide equally into 3 small bowls (alternatively, can use just 1 big bowl) & top with 1 tsp of wolfberries (or 3 tsps) for each. Steam for 20 minutes.

The tofu dish turned out to be pleasantly light & we both love it! Although this is a very simple dish, one can actually distinctly taste the individual flavours from all the different ingredients. The light sweetness from the pork, the clean tofu taste, aroma from the EVCO & not forgetting the natural sweetness from the wolfberries. I could barely believe it when BB, an avid soup lover, actually chose the tofu over the soup. As usual, he finished his normal portion of rice, 1/2 the fish, 2/3 of a corn, 1 1/3 bowl of tofu then down a bowl of soup ~.^

Beneficial Combinations:

Corn + Onion = Promote the production of body fluid & saliva to relieve thirst as well as lower lipids (fats in blood)

Tofu + Xiao Bai Cai = Promote the production of body fluid & saliva as well as moistening & remove heat from the lung to relieve cough

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

Luncheon for my 16M2DO BB

Red cabbage with onion soup: Cut 1 yellow onion into halves & 1/4 red cabbage into small 1cm squares. Add all the ingredients to 1.5 litres of water & bring to boil. Then, simmer in low fire for 1 hour.

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

Organic multi-grains rice (1 tbsp of barley, buckwheat, millet, red lentils, quinoa & short grain brown rice): Soak overnight in 120ml of water. Steam for 35 minutes.

Steamed probiotics fed chicken thigh meat with coconut water: Marinate chicken with 5 tbsps of fresh coconut water & steam for 20 minutes. 

Steamed grouper tail with broccoli & organic cherry tomatoes: Marinate grouper with some sesame oil. Cut cherry tomatoes into quarters & broccoli into small chunks. Steam for 15 minutes.

The steamed chicken with coconut water doesn't look that appetising but looks can be deceiving. The aroma of the coconut is actually infused into the meat & there's a light sweetness too. However, BB's favourites for the day were the tomatoes & cabbage. He would only open his mouth provided he sees a piece of tomato in each spoonful (~.~)lll He ate everything I gave him, inclduing half the fish. Unlike the 'Soup King' he usually is, he actually shook his head for soup & pointed to the cabbage instead. Thus, I topped up more cabbage & he finished them as well as the soup.

Another 35 Minutes Meal

Probiotics fed chicken, corn, red dates with onion soup: Cut 1 corn into thirds & 1 yellow onion into halves. Cut to the centre of each of the 8 red dates (I use 'ji xin zao') to allow more flavours to be infused into the soup. Add all the ingredients, including a piece of chicken thigh, to 2 litres of water & bring to boil. Then, simmer in low fire for 2 hours. Remove the chicken thigh after 30 minutes if you don't want it to be overly cooked & use scissors to cut down to the desired size.

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

Organic ten multi-grains (Simple Natural brand found at most Cold Storage outlets): 5 tbsps soaked overnight in 100ml of water. Steam for 35 minutes.

Steamed organic 'xiao bai cai': 3 stalks of xiao bai cai cut into smaller pieces. Add some soup & steam for 5 minutes. 

Steamed pomfret with wolfberries: 1 small pomfret & a small handful of wolfberries. Steam for 15 minutes (10 minutes is usually enough but due to the recent incident of the enmasse deaths of fishes at the local kelongs, I was advised to cook the fish more thoroughly).

Nice sweet soup from the addition of chicken meat & red dates. BB finished up everything in the second picture above plus half the fish! He has always been a corn lover but given the fact that corns don't contain much nutrients, I'll usually give it to him only after he has more or less finished his meal. This was the second time I gave the entire piece of corn to him & he managed to eat more compared to the first time before dropping it on the floor. He even figured out by himself that he could suck on the core to get more sweetness out of it. It was quite a hilarious moment hearing him do that..hahaha!!!

B-L-D on 30th October 2014

B-reakfast: 

Cottage cheese topped with Cheerios & organic raisins

L-uncheon: 

The following were cooked simultaneously in my Tecno 3-Tiers Electric Steamer & shared between the 2 of us.

Organic ten multi-grains (Simple Natural brand found at most Cold Storage outlets) with red dates

5 tbsps soaked overnight in 100ml of water. Add some chopped red dates on top of the rice & steam for 35 minutes.

Steamed organic tofu with minced free-range pork, broccoli, organic zucchini & wolfberries

Marinate pork with some sesame oil, mix in the chopped zucchini & spread evenly on top of the tofu. Top with some wolfberries & steam for 10 minutes. Add the broccoli & steam for another 5 minutes.

A simple dish with lots of nutritional value! A pity the pork's texture is a bit on the tough side. I'm probably too used to my mum's smoother pork marinated with corn starch. With so many genetically-modified corn products in the market, I guess I'll have to start my search for the organic version. Hopefully, I can lay my hands on one soon.

Steamed 'mo pei yu' (pronounced in Cantonese) with shiitake mushrooms

Drrizle some extra virgin olive oil over the fish & top with sliced mushrooms. Steam for 15 minutes (10 minutes is usually enough but due to the recent incident of the enmasse deaths of fishes at the local kelongs, I was advised to cook the fish more thoroughly and so I increased the duration of the steaming).

D-inner: 

Organic pasta in yellow onion, organic pumpkin & baby spinach sauce with salmon

Cook pasta till al dente. Steam salmon, cubed pumpkins & halved onion for 10 minutes then add spinach & steam for another 5 minutes. Remove salmon before blending (I'm using my Avent Combined Steamer & Blender) the remaining ingredients. Pour sauce over the cooked pasta, top with salmon & serve immediately.

B-L-D for my 15M5DO BB

B-reakfast: 

Bananacado milkshake with toasted wheat germ topped with Cheerios

My closest family & friends all know that I'm a very strict mummy when it comes to food. I didn't even give any commercial puffs (not even the organic ones) to BB during his 1st year. However, since he has already turned one, I'm gradually loosening the reins. Other than giving him the freeze-dried fruits, I decided that it's time to introduce breakfast cereals to him but definitely not the sugar loaded unhealthy ones. I've been following one of the mummies' posts on the Healthy Food for my Baby Facebook group & she shared that she's giving Organ Multigrain O's with Quinoa. It actually contains 80% wholegrains, 15% protein rich legumes & no added cane sugar. With all the healthy ingredients, there is not a single doubt that it fits all my criterias so I bought a box for BB. Oh boy, did he like it! It has since become one of his favourite breakfasts & a good snack to keep him occupied while we dine outside too. 

This particular morning, instead of giving him his usual Farmhouse Fresh Milk to go with it, I gave it a lil' twist. As I've some nicely ripen avocados & bananas, I blended an avocado, 2 medium-sized bananas with half a cup of milk. To further up the nutritional value, I added some toasted wheat germ to the milkshake. Last but not least, I topped with some Cheerios. BB, being the usual anti-fan of avocado, only opened his mouth after much scrutinising to ensure that there's a 'Ball, ball' (what he calls them for now) in each & every spoonful -_-lll His dear mummy here, on the other hand, prefers the plain bananacado milkshake..so good even on its own..slurp slurp!!

L-uncheon: 

The following were cooked simultaneously in my Tecno 3-Tiers Electric Steamer & were shared by the 2 of us.

Organic ten multi-grains (Simple Natural brand found at most Cold Storage outlets) with wolfberries

5 tbsps soaked overnight in 100ml of water. Steam for 20 minutes then sprinkle some wolfberries on top of the rice & continue to steam for another 15 minutes.

Steamed corn-fed chicken thigh fillet with organic grapes

I marinated half a chicken thigh with 10 small grapes overnight. Steam for 20 minutes.

Steamed pomfret with organic cherry tomatoes

Drrizle some sesame oil over the pomfret & top with 10 cherry tomatoes cut into quarters or eighths depending on their sizes. Steamed for 15 minutes (10 minutes is usually enough but due to the recent massive deaths of fishes at the local kelongs, it was advised to cook fish thoroughly so I increased the steaming duration).

Steamed Australia asparagus

Shave off the fiberous exterior layer & dice 3 thick stalks of asparagus. Drizzle with a bit of extra virgin olive oil & steam for 10 minutes.

The chicken marinated in the grapes had a light sweet taste to it. Another great tip learned from the same mummy mentioned above. BB finished almost all the rice, asparagus as well as 1 pomfret & 3/4 of the chicken. Not forgetting the bowl of grapes in chicken 'broth' (essence from the steamed chicken as I accidentally poured the water droplets formed on the lid during the steaming process into the bowl when I opened it) which he finished all ;)

D-inner: 

Organic rolled oats porridge with broccoli, free-range pork, organic capsicum & kampong egg (no picture as Mummy forgot to take..heehee)

Ever since BB prefers food with more texture, I've stopped blending his oats. Therefore, it takes a slightly longer time, about 15 minutes, to cook them nowadays. I brought to boil 3/4 cups of water & then added 3 tbsp of oats. Let it cook for about 5 minutes under low fire before adding 40g of minced pork, 1/6 diced capsicum & diced stalks of 3 florets of broccoli. Cook for another 5 minutes. Pour in the rest of the broccoli as well as the kampong egg. Stir in the egg & cook till its fully cooked. Serve warm.