Showing posts with label Healthy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Healthy. Show all posts

Friday, May 15, 2015

10 Ridiculously Easy But Yummy Breakfast Recipes In 10 Minutes

Image from Inmagine

Ever had one of those days where you just lay in bed for a good hour or two after waking up and you contemplate whether you should just stay there the whole day and skip the whole tedious part of changing out of your pyjamas and actually brushing your hair? Yeah, me too. But of course, chores need to get done, diapers need to be changed, and tummies need to be fed (be it your little one's, or your own). So you whimper as you slowly roll onto the floor and crawl to the bathroom and stand in the shower and sob for a few more minutes and after getting dressed, you go to the kitchen and wonder what the hell you're supposed to cook for your child without reaching for the sugar-coated multicoloured cereal yet again. Nor do you want to hand them a piece of dry toast and call it a day. So here is a tried & tested list of 10 tasty but healthy breakfast ideas you can try out for those days that you just seriously cannot function. They are easy, I promise, and will take less than 10 minutes to prepare, but are completely guilt-free because they are actually nutritious and delicious!


1. MINI BANANA PANCAKES
Image from Inmagine
This is Gemini Grrl's favourite recipe to make all by herself (under my watchful eye of course) and she eagerly eats it all up once it's fresh out of the oven. 
So if my 2 year old can cook this, so can you ;)

INGREDIENTS:

1 Over-ripe Banana
1 Egg
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
Butter


WHAT TO DO:

a) Slice up the banana into a bowl.

b) Crack in the egg and mash it all up with a fork.

c) Add the vanilla and mix well.

d) Butter up a muffin pan and spoon in the mixture.

e) Bake in the oven for a few minutes until golden brown.

f) Serve with honey, butter or peanut butter.

SERVES: 1 Momma & 1 Tot OR 2 Tots



2. QUICK-BAKED AVOCADO

Image from Inmagine
I LOVE avocados so much. Not only are they chockful of nutrition, but they taste heavenly and can be a wonderful alternative to cheese for those with dairy restrictions, are vegan, or just watching their diets. I may just write up a whole new blog post on it's own dedicated to my favourite avocado recipes.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Ripe Avocado
1 Egg
Pinch of Sea Salt
Pinch of Black Pepper


WHAT TO DO:

a) Slice the avocado in half and remove the pit.

b) Beat the egg and carefully pour it into the little pit-groove in the avocado halves.

c) Sprinkle the sea salt and black pepper over the egg.

d) Bake it in the oven until your desired consistency, or until the egg cooks.

e) Eat with a spoon and enjoy the goodness.

SERVES: 1 Momma & 1 Tot


3. PEANUT BUTTER & BANANA SANDWICH
Image from Inmagine
Bananas are so digestible and are a healthy way to start your day. So if you're looking for a fun way to jazz up the way you eat this delicious fruit, why don't you try out one of my favourite toast toppings?

INGREDIENTS:

1 Ripe Banana
4 Pieces of Wholemeal/ Multigrain Bread OR 2 Pieces of Toast (for an open-face sandwich)
Peanut Butter (Chunky for even more nutrition, but I personally prefer Smooth)
Honey (optional)


WHAT TO DO:

a) Slice up your banana.

b) Spread peanut butter onto your bread or toast.

c) Arrange the banana slices onto your bread or toast.

d) Drizzle with a bit of honey, if you prefer (but the sweetness of the bananas should be enough).

e) Fantastic with a glass of milk.

SERVES: 1 Momma or 2 Tots



4. GREEK YOGHURT FRUIT SALAD
Image from Inmagine
Greek yoghurt is another staple in my house and we love it so much! It's actually healthier than regular yoghurt and you can use it in a lot of different recipes. It's better to get the plain kind and add in any extra toppings yourself to your liking. I always add some honey for a touch of sweetness (because Greek yoghurt is rather tart) and chia seeds for the extra nutrients, as it is a superfood :D

INGREDIENTS:

2 Single Serving Pots of Greek Yoghurt
Any Mixed Fruits & Berries
1 - 2 tsp of Honey
1 tsp of Chia Seeds


WHAT TO DO:

a) Cut up the mixed fruit or berries to bite size pieces.

b) Add in the chia seeds into the yoghurt.

c) Add in the honey into the yoghurt and mix well.

d) Top with the mixed fruits & berries.

e) Serve chilled and pretend you're having ice cream early in the morning :P

SERVES: 1 Momma & 1 Tot


5. PEANUT BUTTER APPLE SLICES
Image from Inmagine
"An apple a day keeps the doctor away", apparently. I guess what they mean is that it's good to eat some fruit everyday as part of a healthy and balanced diet. This is also a good snack for any other time of day, plus it's super fast to make. I like to add the granola on top for the extra flavour, fibre and crunch.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Red or Green Apple
Peanut Butter
Granola


WHAT TO DO:

a) Slice up your apple. The more PB you want, the thinner the slices.

b) Spread peanut butter onto each apple slice.

c) Sprinkle some granola on top.

d) Eat it as a healthy snack while watching the morning cartoons. Goes well with a tall glass of milk too!

SERVES: 1 Momma or 1 Tot



6. SOFT-BOILED EGG & BREAD DIPPERS
Image from Inmagine
Eggs are inexpensive, the easiest things to cook, but are so high in nutritional value. That's why our kitchen is always full of them! As soon as your bub is old enough, it's good to let them eat eggs for high quality protein. Most toddlers like to dip their foods, so these toast fingers are a fun way to make them finish up their meal.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Egg
1 Piece of Toast
Butter (optional)


WHAT TO DO: 

a) Boil your egg for about 10 minutes.

b) Toast a piece of bread.

b) Remove from pot and crack open the top OR crack open the whole egg into a bowl.

c) Cut up the toast into strips for easy dipping.

d) You may choose to lightly butter the toast fingers.

e) Let your tot have fun dipping and eating this healthy breakfast.

SERVES: 1 Momma or 1 Tot


8. CUTE FOOD ART
I LOVE YOU BEARY MUCH - My very own food art creation for Gemini Grrl. It is peanut butter on bread with apple slice cut-outs and blueberries.
Ok, you must admit that these cutesy food art creations that you've seen all over Pinterest and the world wide web sometimes makes you feel like a pretty crappy Mom for serving your child a boring piece of toast with some butter slapped on it. Fret not, because seriously, food art is not all that difficult to make and I have attempted a few of my own (with satisfactory results!). Bread is the easiest thing to start off with (and a common breakfast staple) and you can use cookie cutters to make fun shapes. Feel free to experiment with different bread/ toast toppings (peanut butter, kaya, Nutella, jam, honey, marmalade, vegemite, avocado, etc) for a variety of colours, as well as different pieces of fruit and vegetables. Just a simple smiley face will do and your kids will probably happily gobble it all up :)

INGREDIENTS:

Bread or Toast
Fruit
Vegetables
Breakfast Spread

WHAT TO DO:

a) Use a cookie cutter to cut out the shape of your food art base (for example, circle for a face).

b) Spread on any breakfast spread of your choice.

c) Cut out shapes out of fruit or vegetables and use to garnish/ decorate your base.

d) Present your work of art for your child to ooh and aah.

SERVES: 1 Momma or 1 Tot



8. OVERNIGHT OATMEAL CHIA SEED PUDDING
Image from Inmagine
As I mentioned before, chia seeds are a super food, and not only are they rich in omega 3, calcium, protein, iron, magnesium and anti-oxidants amongst other things, but they can be added to lots of different recipes without altering the taste. These humble looking little seeds will absorb any liquid they're mixed in and will swell up 2 ~ 3x their size and become fun little squishy pops in your drinks of puddings. Pair this with some rolled oats and you have a power couple right there. This is an overnight pudding recipe, which means that you have to prepare it the night before and leave it in the fridge, so you can just grab it in the morning, but to put it together takes up less than 10 minutes of your time.

INGREDIENTS:

1 tbs of Chia Seeds
 1/2 Cup of Milk (can be cow's milk, soy milk, almond milk, etc)
 1 tbs of Rolled Oats
1 tsp of Honey (or to taste)
Mixed Berries
Chocolate Chips (optional)

WHAT TO DO:

a) In a small glass jar, spoon in the rolled oats.

b) Add the chia seeds.

c) Pour in the milk.

d) Add the honey and mix will.

e) Sprinkle in some mixed berries or chocolate chips for a sinful treat.

f) Mix well or close lid and shake jar.

g) Leave in the fridge overnight.

h) Eat it nice and cold the next day straight from the jar.

SERVES: 1 Momma or 2 Toddlers


9. ABC SMOOTHIE
Image from Inmagine
ABC, it's easy as 1-2-3! This simple but deliciously creamy smoothie is actually really good for you. A is for Avocado, B is for Banana and C is for Chocolate. Yeah, I came up with that name all by myself, so creative right? LOL! You have to put in minimal effort to cut up the fruits and then toss everything into a blender and press a button. How much easier can it get?

INGREDIENTS:

3 ~ 6 Over-ripe Banana (depending on how banana-y and sweet you like it)
3 tsp Cocoa Powder
1 Cup of Milk (Cow, Goat, Coconut, Almond, Soy - up to you!)
1 Ripe Avocado
Dash of Cinnamon Powder (optional)


WHAT TO DO:

a) Slice up the bananas and put in blender.

b) Scoop out avocado flesh and put in blender.

c) Pour milk in blender.

d) Add cocoa powder in blender.

e) Add a dash of cinnamon powder if you like.

f) Blend the living daylights out of your mix.

g) Pour into tall glass, add straw and any other toppings of your choice.

h) Drink up and don't even strain yourself to chew anything.

*TIP: If you like your smoothies to be cold, then I suggest you peel, slice and freeze your bananas overnight, then blend them up the next day when they're still frozen. This is better than blending in some ice.

SERVES: 2 Mommas or 3 Tots

10. NON-FUSS SAVOURY TOAST

Image from Inmagine
My Mom used to make us those super tasty prawn toasts growing up, and the Asian side of me actually doesn't mind eating it in the morning. But honestly, who wants to be shelling and mincing up prawns at the crack of dawn, right? (No, seriously, shut up). So here is my own insanely simplified version of savoury toast you can do with your eyes still half-closed.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Egg
3 Pieces of Bread
Five-Spice Powder
Cooking Oil
Chilli Sauce or Ketchup (optional)

WHAT TO DO:

a) In a bowl, whisk up the egg.

b) Add in a small dash of the five-spice powder and mix well.

c) Heat up some cooking oil in a pan.

d) Dip each piece of bread into the eggy mixture until well coated.

e) Fry the eggy bread in the pan until crispy.

f) Cut each fried bread into 4 small squares or triangles.

g) Dip in the chilli sauce or ketchup, whichever you prefer.

SERVES: 1 Momma & 1 Tot

***

But seriously though, you should also buy a big box of relatively healthy cereal, some good full cream milk, fresh berries and pour your child a bowl of cereal with fruit on those days that you seriously, honestly, just can not function. Don't feel guilty about it. At least you're trying to feed you child something of nutritional value. We all deserve a break sometimes! ;)

Monday, April 20, 2015

How I Lost My Baby Weight (& Then Some!)

Me & Gemini Grrl in 2014 (when she was turning 2yrs old)

My weight has always been an issue for me while growing up, and even up until this very day in fact. Being one of the tallest girls in class, I stuck out like a sore thumb. Looking back, I don't think I was even medically overweight and definitely far from being obese, but the few extra pounds I had that tipped the scale were apparently enough for me to be the target of body-shaming - from my immature classmates, to my insensitive relatives.

My weight would fluctuate and it is a struggle I am still facing now. Some people say my body is absolutely fine and my own husband says he loves me just the way I am, but I guess it's hard to shake off these insecurities when you've gotten picked on, teased, ostracised and bullied for your natural body type.

So when I finally got pregnant, I was completely over the moon because we had been trying for a few years, but at the same time a tiny part of me was worried about how much weight I was going to gain and if I would balloon up like a whale.

Although I was one of those lucky ones who did not suffer from morning sickness at all and did not throw up even once throughout my entire pregnancy, I did suffer from a bit of dizziness at times and waves of nausea every now and then, and didn't really have much of an appetite (which is very strange for me because I am such a foodie). So during my first trimester, I actually lost weight!

Then post-pregnancy, I lost even more weight than I had prior to being pregnant! Yes, you can hate me now, sorry. Haha! :P I did not take any magic pills, nor did I go for expensive liposuction or anything. It was actually not that hard at all (I am SO praying that this will be true for the next time get pregnant again!). So here are my own theories as to how exactly I shed the baby weight within just 1 month after giving birth.


BREASTFEEDING


Image source: weBegirls


Did you know that when you are breastfeeding, you are actually burning up to 500 calories a day?? Apparently that's the same as:

a) Jogging for 1 HOUR
b) Swimming for 1 HOUR
c) Mowing the lawn for 2 HOURS
d) Tennis for 1 HOUR
e) Horse riding for 2 HOURS
f) Water aerobics for 2 HOURS

g) Rock climbing for 1 HOUR

No wonder I'm so hungry all the time! I am actually still breastfeeding until now (Gemini Grrl is turning 3yrs old in a few months' time), and plan on stopping whenever she is done with it. 


DIET
Thai Crispy Fish Salad in Banana Flower Petal. (Image by Imagine)


No, please do not go on a diet. I personally believe that diets are absolute bullsh*t. However, it is good to watch your diet. Eat whatever you want, but everything must be in moderation. After giving birth, my Mom cooked me traditional Thai Confinement Food and would send it over piping hot to my house almost every morning before she went to work. This would include hot soups (lots of liquid intake is good for breastfeeding moms), banana flower (to promote lactation - trust me, this worked REALLY well!), pepper, ginger (both to help expel wind. Mmm, lovely. LOL!), chicken liver/ gizzard/ heart (to help replenish my blood loss), plenty of fruit and vegetables (for fibre and vitamins). I was also advised to avoid eating anything too sugary as it was empty calories and wouldn't really do much for my health anyway (I won't lie though, I did indulge in the occasional macaron and cupcake!).

Drink LOTS of water to help flush your body out because of water retention (sounds weird, I know, drink water to get rid of excess water??), but apparantly this is so. Soups and porridge will keep you full for longer, so maybe that's why I was pretty content eating 3 bowls of soup a day, without hearing any complaining from my tummy.



POST-NATAL MASSAGE & TUMMY WRAP
Image by Imagine

If you read my previous post about my TTC tips, you'll remember that I mentioned traditional massage as part of my TTC journey. Well, I used the same masseuse for my post-natal massages and she would come to my house with all her oils and wraps each time. I would get a lovely relaxing massage for about 1 hour each time and she would end it off with wrapping me up tightly in a tummy binder, which would help get me back into shape. 


1 month after giving birth, my tummy was FLAT. Oh, ignore my grimacing face - I am NOT a fan of the lizard family :S

I admit, I was a little skeptical at first and wasn't sure what exactly to expect, but I swear to God that just 1 month after giving birth (and only 2 weeks of these massages + tummy wraps), my body was more in shape than it was BEFORE I was even pregnant!!!! My tummy was absolutely FLAT and I think looked even better than it had in yearssss. I even wore a CROP TOP for my bub's very first outing to the nearby park. Hell, I wouldn't even wear one NOW, but I was feeling super happy with my post-baby body. You have to wear the tight wrap for at least 6 hours though (the longer the better) and it is VERY uncomfortable. Some people don't even last more than 2 hours. But there are some who will wear it to sleep! 

Not only is the massage relaxing for you, but it helps with your blood circulation, reduces water retention, expels wind, gets your womb back into place, and well, come on, you deserve to treat yourself! I am actually tempted to call the masseuse up again to wrap my my cake belly right now :P



EXERCISE
Image from Imagine

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!! Only joking. I wasn't exercising at all. Well, at least not in the gym anyway. Ain't nobody got time fo dat! Especially when you're a SAHM with no help whasoever, your husband's at work and you're left all alone at home staring at the new precious little bundle of joy that you have absolutely no friggin' clue what to do with. Getting up at all hours of the night, rocking my baby to sleep, running to the bathroom to pee when my bubs was asleep - all that was enough exercise for me already! 

But honestly though, if you were active during your pregnancy, then not only will that help with a faster delivery (mine was 7 hours in total from start to finish), but it also helps you to easily shed the post-pregnancy weight. If you have the energy and luxury of working out after your baby is here, then go for it! I miss being inside the gym as well, but seriously could not be bothered anymore right now. But you can just burn a few extra calories by doing everyday stuff. Baby-wearing, carrying your ever-growing baby, take a brisk walk with your little one in a stroller, take the stairs, go window-shopping with your girlfriends. Every little effort counts, trust me.

Now that Gemini Grrl's almost 3 years old, I'm still keeping myself active by going out with her, running around, chasing after her, dancing, swimming, and basically just being a Mom.


GENETICS
My Mom & 1yr old grumpy me ^_^ \m/

I think it's sort of true what they say. A woman ages like her mother. For me, I should hope so, because my Mom is still in pretty good shape and looks good! After giving birth, her body bounced back quickly, so I guess I get my genes from her. Phew!

But yeah, I guess you can't help this one. Although nothing is set in stone. Even if your Mom gained double her body weight through the years, that doesn't mean that you will inevitably follow in her footsteps.


MY FINAL THOUGHTS

The most recent full body-shot of me taken in April 2015 (3 years after giving birth).

Let me be very honest here. Yes, I lost 20kg after giving birth. Yes, I was the thinnest I had ever been in a very long time. But when my period finally returned when my daughter was about 1.5 years old, that's when my body realised that I was a woman and started to pump more estrogen once again. My hips came back, my thighs became juicier, my ass got bigger, my batwings waved hello, my tummy got soft and I gained about 10kg and counting. I can blame it on all the extra desserts I sneaked in, or hormones, or lack of intensive exercise. But no, I don't care - I shouldn't care - and neither should you. Being pregnant and giving birth is no easy feat. Sure, millions and billions of women go through it around the world, but it still does not diminish our amazing accomplishment. I am not saying you should just give up and drink lard by the tubs, eat a whole wedding cake for breakfast and snack on bacon bits secretly stashed away in your diaper bag. 

But I am urging all Moms out there to be happy with your post-baby body because it is a testament to the beautiful creation which you bore. I am writing this down as a reminder to myself as well, because there are days when I stare at the mirror after trying to squeeze myself into a pair of old jeans and I wonder wtf happened. Motherhood happened, that's what. 

So go through my list and try it out if you want. It may or not work for you. My body may or may not bounce back like it did before with my next pregnancy(ies). Who knows? And frankly, who cares? Embrace your curves.

I remember the day I was leaving the hospital to go home with my baby for the very first time and I was in the bathroom changing out of my hospital gown and into my lovely little dress. I took a long hard look at myself in the mirror, especially my saggy bulging midsection where my baby used to reside, and felt sheer horror for a split second.

"Is this what my body is going to look like forever and ever??"

 I wondered to myself. But then I could hear the excited chatter outside of my close friends, family and husband, oohing and aahing over the little miracle I pushed out of my body just 2 days earlier, and I smiled to myself, thinking, 

"I don't care. It was all worth it"

And you know what? Looking back almost 3 years later, with my beautiful Gemini Grrl by my side, with her radiant smile, cheeky antics, funny observations, effervescent personality, I feel that it definitely is all worth it. 

Every single kilogram.