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 ;>

Oats Porridge with Mummy's Homemade Corn Soup

Today, I had the honour of learning one of our favourite soups from the culinary master in my family, who is none other than my mummy ;) My younger brother loves the corn soup from MOS Burger so my mummy tried to replicate it at home. It has since become a regular item on our dining table.

Ingredients (yield 4 bowls of soup):

4 cobs of corn (Tip from my mummy: choose the yellowest ones you can find as they'll be the sweetest.)

4 to 5 bowls of water, depending on the consistency you prefer

Salt (omitted for BB's portion)

Directions:

1. Grate the corns.

2. Add 2 bowls of water to the corn purée, mix well with hand then sieve into a pot.

3. Repeat the process till you get your desired thickness of soup.

4. Put the pot over a fire, stirring constantly to prevent the bottom from getting burnt. Bring to a boil while keeping a close watch as once it boils over the pot, it will all be gone in an instant! Look out for the rising soup level as it means that it's boiling (you don't really see a lot of bubbles unlike boiling water). Turn down the fire immediately to a simmer while stirring constantly (this is an important step as my mummy highlighted that the corn will separate from the water if you don't do this while boiling).

5. Let it simmer for another 10 minutes while stirring occasionally. Add salt (optional) & serve warm.

The taste differs slightly from the original one at MOS Burger but I definitely prefer this with its natural sweetness & goodness in every drop! I used it as a soup base to cook oats for BB's lunch & it kinda reminds me of a plate of Italian risotto. I'll probably cook a thicker one as a pasta sauce the next time round.

Ingredients:

1.5 cups of corn soup

4 tbsps of organic rolled oats

1 piece of grouper

1 big handful of Chinese spinach, chopped

Directions:

1. Add the fish into the simmering soup & cook for 10 minutes.

2. Remove fish to cool slightly & to check for bones. Add oats into the soup & cook for another 5 minutes.

3. Add in the Chinese spinach then cook for another 5 minutes.

4. Remove from fire, add in the flaked fish & mix well. Serve warm.

My mummy actually threw the corn residue away. However, I think it can be used as a filler for pancakes or muffins, etc. Definitely something worth trying out ~.<

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!!!

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 ~.<

Organic Cheddar Cheesy Scrambled Eggs with Oven Baked Shiitake Mushrooms for BB

The packet of preservative-free pork chipolatas which I have in my freezer had been put to use at last! I simply grilled them in the oven for 20 minutes, turning them halfway through. Verdict? They tasted as good as their preservatives loaded counterparts, well marinated & juicy! &, the best part is that I don't have to feel guilty indulging in one of our favourite foods as I sunk my teeth into each bite d(~.<) I contemplated to let BB try some of it but decided against it after discussing with my hubby as we felt that it may still be a tad too salty for him now. One day, but not today . . . sorry, son!

I also attempted cheddar cheesy scrambled egg for the first time using my WMF long-forsaken pan. Having used non-stick pans for seemingly forever, I was quite apprehensive that it might turned out disastrous. Fortunately, all ended well.

Organic cheddar cheesy scrambled eggs: Beat 6 eggs with some shredded cheddar cheese. Heat up some extra virgin coconut oil till hot. Pour in the eggs & lower the fire to lowest heat. Use a wooden spatula to push inwards to the centre from around the edges. Switch off the fire when the eggs are softly set yet slightly runny (that's how we like ours done) & scoop out the adults' portions. Continue to stir fry the remaining eggs till fully cooked for BB. Serve immediately.

Oven baked shiitake mushrooms: Clean & cut the mushrooms. Drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil & sprinkle some freshly grounded black pepper. Mix well & bake for 20 minutes.

Tadah! BB's healthier version of all-day breakfast ;)

Another Source of Good Quality Meats in SG

It had been a pretty eventful & tiring week.

Last Saturday: BB's 1st visit to Singapore Zoological Gardens & BBQ birthday party for our niece

Last Sunday: Shopping with PoPo for her birthday present at Poh Heng followed by Ikea & dinner at Chin Lee Restaurant

Wednesday: Morning 'workout' at Vivocity's Polliwogs, luncheon gathering with some July 2013 babies & their Mummies & then shopping & buffet dinner at Furama City View with parents-in-laws

Thursday: Hi-tea at Shangri-La's Rose Veranda with my BFFs cum a play date for BB

Friday: Wedding dinner at M Hotel

Saturday: Brunch at Backstage Cafe & shopping with Daddy-O at Pasar Bella, Marina Square & Suntec City

Hmmm..so many things to blog about but my eyes can barely open (@.@) I'll just share my loots from Pasar Bella for tonight. Running out of meats for BB, I told my hubby that I'd like to make a trip to Pasar Bella to see what I can find there & I was totally blown away. James' Butchery & Co has a wide selection of good quality meats to choose from & the picture below only shows about half of what they carry which excludes their range of steaks as well as sausages!

I expected to find them more expensive than other places but was pleasantly surprise. Other than the organic minced beef which is $0.29 more per 100g, the rest of the meat I bought was actually cheaper here.

Organic minced beef - $3.59 / 100g

Probiotic fed bone in chicken leg - $2.09 / 100g (cheaper by $0.21)

Probiotic fed boneless chicken leg - $2.29 / 100g (cheaper by $0.51)

Probiotic fed minced chicken - $2.79 / 100g (cheaper by $0.01)

Australian corn fed minced pork - $2.79 / 100g (cheaper by $1.84)

I like the fact that I can get everything I need in one location (including pork which is harder to find). The only problem is that I stay all the way in the east :/ I guess I'll only be able to come meat shopping here again when I'm in the vicinity.