Lunar New Year: Reunion got easier with NTUC FairPrice

9 days to Lunar New Year! Are you guys prepared yet?

If you have seen my previous posts, you will know how much I enjoy doing my grocery shopping in my favourite supermarket and that’s nonetheless – NTUC FairPrice! Like always, Fairprice offers a wide variety of traditional as well as new, unique products enough to gear us in ushering the Year of Monkey! ♡

PHOTO CREDITS: GOOGLE IMAGES

As part of Lunar New Year celebrations, NTUC FairPrice came up with many Chinese New Year promotions which started from 31 December to 29 February 2016! With it’s wide variety of products available at great prices, Chinese New Year shopping have never been this easy! Plus, you get a chance to win $100,000 worth of FairPrice Gift Vouchers!

FairPrice Fortune Draw (31 December 2015 to 29 February 2016)

Spend a minimum of $30 in one receipt to qualify in the FairPrice Fortune Draw and win prizes including $100,000 worth of FairPrice Gift Vouchers!

• 200 winners x Prize: S$500 FairPrice Gift Voucher each

Double up your chances with OCBC Plus! Visa Cards

• X 2 chances if you use your OCBC Plus! Visa Card

In addition, receive a complementary CNY Bag with a minimum purchase of $58 with VISA payWave or $48 on Visa payWave with OCBC Plus! Visa.

*While stock lasts and limited to 1 bag per cardholder per day.

PHOTO CREDITS: GOOGLE IMAGES

Watching your wallet? Fret not, there are many AWESOME deals up for grab with FairPrice Housebrand products which are affordable and delectable. I’m so glad to come home with so many of my favourite CNY goodies some of which are Harvest Prosperity Yu Sheng, Casahana Pineapple Roll, Sing Long Love Letters, FairPrice Fruits & Nuts Set, FairPrice Gold Cuttlefish Ball and FairPrice Shrimp Wantons! They were all my family’s favourite CNY must-have!

Harvest Prosperity YuSheng is a convenient staple for every family celebrating Chinese New Year. Not forgetting the most important part of Lunar New Year is the Prosperity Toss also known as “Lo Hei” is a Teochew-style raw fish salad which usually consists of strips of raw, shredded vegetables and a variety of sauces and condiments, among other ingredients. Therefore, yusheng is considered a symbol of abundance, prosperity and vigor. Today, Lo Hei is a common practice during Chinese New Year in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Let’s all HUAT!

Did I mentioned that my dad is a big fan for Love Letters?! He can eat at least 20 egg roll in one sitting! A perfect light snack before the annual family dinner every time! This premium quality egg roll from Sing Long is so crispy, delicious and suitable for both the young and old!

FairPrice Gold Cuttlefish Ball are made of high-quality ingredients and flavourful. Best suited for our Lunar New Year family reunion dinner! It’s so versatile you can make a quick snack, add them to soups or to be used creatively with noodles or rice! Retailing at $8.65 only!

What’s steamboat without shrimp wonton? FairPrice Shrimp Wonton completes every steamboat meal and moreover, it’s so healthy! Feast without guilt! Retails at $4.05 for a box of 12 – enough for a few satisfying bowls.

You may have seen this in my previous post but have you wonder why steamboat is an ideal meal for CNY?

First, it is so easy to prepare! Hence anyone can host a fail-proof, yummy meal.

•  A steamboat can serve a few people (e.g. 2) or as many people (like 20) as you like simply by adjusting the quantity of ingredients.
• You can do steamboat again over the next 1-2 days with the leftovers, especially useful when many eating places, markets and shops are closed during the first few days of CNY.
• You get to sit around the table for a long time as you cook your own food, hence promoting interaction and bonding.
• It’s a healthy meal, as you are enjoying the food which has been briefly cooked in hot broth. The food is not greasy at all. My main point! 🙂

For more steamboat information: Read here.

Besides the married giving red packets, most of us enjoy buying festive goods like canned abalones and goodies for my family relatives! Therefore the Prosperity Gift Set seems to be an ideal option as it includes New Zealand Superior Abalone, Australian Premium Wild Abalone and Pacific Clams! They are so easy to prepare and you may even add them in your YuSheng or steamboats! I’m sure they will be spoilt for choice! Retailing at $99.80 only! Moreover, get an instant $5 off when you charge it to OCBC Plus! Visa Cards.

Get your freshest and yummiest CNY goodies with FairPrice today! If you are tight on your schedule, fret not cause NTUC FairPrice have announced that it will be extending the operating hours of its stores leading up to Chinese New Year to cater demand for groceries and provide greater convenience! YAY!! 🙂

 

FairPrice Online 

If you’re too busy to buy groceries physically, you can do that conveniently on your smartphone or desktop anytime from now till 7 Feb! After which there will be no deliveries available on Feb 8 and 9 (First and Second day of the Chinese New Year). All delivery services will resume on Feb 10.

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Strategically located in every part of Singapore, FairPrice makes groceries shopping a happier and convenient experience for all! Hereby, wishing all my readers a happy and prosperous Lunar New Year! ♡

FairPrice – CSR Food Waste Reduction Campaign

One of our biggest problem in the world, food wastage. How many of us are guilty about? How often do we throw our leftover food? Choosing the nicest fruit off the shelf after pressing a few others that are not-so-nice?

It’s time for us to play a part for our enviornment.

Did you know that every year, a third of the food produced for human consumption gets wasted in the world? In 2014, the total amount of food waste in FairPrice for that year was 2,200 tonnes, equivalent to 88 garbage trucks. This, however, only makes up about 0.3 per cent of the total food waste generated in Singapore over the same period. With food making up 10 per cent of the total waste in Singapore, food waste is something that is becoming extremely evident, and is affecting our world as we speak.

I am glad that FairPrice, being one of the biggest food provider in Singapore have launched its new waste reduction framework, which comprises 3Ps – Processes, Partnerships, and Public Education. Understanding the severity issue of food waste, and what it might potentially do to our planet, FairPrice want to promote a greater awareness of food waste. By developing a Food Waste Index – an industry-first in Singapore, that will be able to measure the annual total food waste of all FairPrice stores islandwide. Apart from that, partnering with Food from the Heart (FFTH) in efforts to donate wholesome food products to the less fortunate in our community. Currently 55 FairPrice stores donate to the Food from the Heart and the aim is to get all 126 stores to do so by July.

How can we play our part?

By reshaping our mindsets towards receptivity to ‘imperfect-looking but perfectly safe’ fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables often get neglected and discarded for their minor flaws like small scratches and bruises, which only adds to food waste. However, these imperfect-looking but perfectly safe foods possess the same taste and quality as any other! Now, we can buy packages of sliced fruit and vegetables at marked down prices, as part of supermarket chain NTUC FairPrice Great Taste Less Waste Selection initiative. This initiative will start off at its seven hypermarkets before eventually being rolled out to its other supermarkets.

FairPrice, being a retailer with a heart, strives to contribute towards a sustainable environment. And it is definitely not an effort of FairPrice alone, but hand in hand with everyone playing our part in reducing food waste in Singapore.

                              “Say No to Wasting Food.”

Oats Affair: How to make tasty oats meal every day?

Oats, my favourite breakfast food. Ironically now, everything with oats – I will love it!

I was often told about how oats were boring, plain and tasteless food. But I bet to differ that! Oats is one of the most versatile food in the world. From soften overnight oats, oat milk, oat cookies, oat loaf, granola, oat smoothie bowl, baked oat cake and the list goes on! I will be sharing some of my favourite recipes and show how to make tasty oats breakfast everyday!

Eating well doesn’t mean tasteless food, that is my philosophy. Thinking back, I wonder when I started enjoying oats so much. I guess it was the time when overnight oats are trending a few years back, pretty jars and oats photos are everywhere on the Internet. Being a recipe hunter – I sourced for many healthy, interesting and ‘look-yummy-kind’ of oats breakfast recipes and immediately, oats became my staple food for breakfast. A healthy and hearty breakfast within minutes, why not?

1. Overnight Oats

For overnight oats, I start with the 3 most basic ingredients;

1. Rolled Oat Flakes
2. Greek Yoghurt
3. Unsweetened Soy Milk (or any milk of your choice)

First, place oat flakes in a glass container and pour in milk till the brim that covers. Then, mix in desired amount of yoghurt to thicken up texture – it depends on the amount of oat flakes used. Leave them in the fridge overnight or at least 4 hours to soften oats. That’s it! Before serving them, do add in your favourite toppings. I like adding chia seeds, flax seeds, coconut flakes, cocoa nibs, nuts, nut butters and fruits! Banana, blueberries, strawberries and kiwis are fruits most commonly used in my recipes. Depending on availability, it is wise to switch around fruits that are in season by doing so you will only get the freshest and they probably cost lesser.

Almond Butter, Blackberries, Cocao Nibs and Mango

Blueberries, Strawberries and Peanut Butter

Blueberries, Coconut flakes, Chia Seeds and Strawberries

The choices of ingredients used plays a huge role for a good breakfast. I use greek yoghurt and unsweetened soy milk for it’s high protein and low-fat content as compared to sweetened flavoured yoghurt/milk which contain added sugar. By doing so, I can reduce my sugar and calorie intake yet still enjoy the perfect oats breakfast with my favourite fruits and nuts! Do also note that overnight oats should be consumed within 3 days of making as to maintain freshness of oats, yoghurt and milk.

Read more on : Greek Yoghurt vs. Regular Yoghurt

This breakfast choice save me much time before the mad morning rush everyday. Digging in to a cold hearty breakfast packed with fiber, vitamins, proteins and nutrients which does not require cooking at all. How amazing is that! Also, have fun playing around with portion sizes as it took me a while on varying the amount of oats, milk and yoghurt to finally getting my favourite combination. Ahh…..My perfect post-workout fuel ♡

What else can you do with Oats?

2. Yoghurt Fruit Parfait – Layers and more layers! That’s how a parfait looks like. Using almost similar ingredients in the overnight oats recipe substracting the milk, parfait contain more fruits than oats! Good to go as a mid-afternoon snack, simply layer your favourite fruits, toppings, yoghurt, honey and oat flakes. Repeat steps. That’s it!

3. Oat Milk – Drink oats! Blending my own Oat Milk bring ease as it is free from added additives or preservatives. Naturally sweet and energy boosting, oat milk seems to be a great post-workout drink replenishing carbohydrates, minerals and protein lost during exercise. Moreover, it’s so simple to do!

(Recipe can be found on my previous post: Homemade Oat Milk)

4. Oat Smoothie Bowl – My “throw-in-everything and blend” breakfast! Days when I am too lazy to chew my food, oat smoothie bowl is my best friend. Place all the ingredients (usually fruits, milk, vegetables and oats) into the blender and blend it high for 30 to 60 seconds until smooth and top it with your choice of toppings.

(Recipes can be found on my previous post: Kale Smoothie Oat Bowl and Pumpkin and Banana Smoothie Oat Bowl)

Pumpkin and Banana Oat Bowl topped with Banana Coins, Chia seeds and Dried Fruits

Kale Smoothie Oat Bowl topped with Coconut Flakes and Chia Seeds

Honey Papaya & Banana Smoothie Oat Bowl with Persimmon, Coconut Flakes, Flax Seeds, Cocoa Nibs and Almonds

Black Sesame Steel Cut Oatmeal with Cocoa Nibs and Raw Almonds

5. Cooked Oatmeal with Egg – When mum is not home and my fridge went into a famine. Protein loading is not impossible and all you need is oat flakes and an egg! Boil oat flakes for about 8 – 10 minutes and crack an egg and stir together. Optional, add extra honey or nut butter to it for a more flavourful taste! Simplicity is sometimes a good thing afterall as this is one of the most cost-friendly recipe around!

6. Healthy Oatmeal Banana Bread – My favourite homemade bread in the world! With zero sugar and only natural ingredients, it’s absolutely healthy and filling! Homemade bread are chunkier comparing to conventional packaged bread which is not filling and contain many food colourings, preservatives and other addictives that I can’t even pronouce. Moreover, it is not that difficult afterall. Try it!

(Recipe can be found on: Stayfitandtravel: Healthy Oatmeal Banana Bread)

Oatmeal Banana Bread with Almond and Cashew Butter with Banana and Cocoa Nibs

7. Baked Oats with Banana and Raisins – With it’s name, this is basically oats baked with fruits, dried fruits and egg! Baked oats tastes like oat pie, which is crispy on the outside, moist and chewy on the inside. Best served with honey or pair it with a cup of coffee during tea break!

(Recipe can be found on: Stayfitandtravel: Homemade Banana and Cranberry Baked Oats)

Oatmeals are never boring. All it takes is a little effort and preparation for a wholesome healthy breakfast. Anyhow better than a greasy buttery bun at the confectionary or the fried bee-hoon from the coffeshop. Studies shown that eating oats keeps you full longer as soluble fiber in oatmeal absorbs a considerable amount of water which significantly slows down your digestive process. Moreover, oatmeal contains a wide array of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and is a good source of protein, complex carbohydrates and iron.

Treat your body better by starting your day with this nutritional superstar! Enjoy! ♥

SKIPPY® Natural Peanut Butter Spread + Giveaway

SPONSORED POST

Hoola! I am so excited to share with you a whole new series of SKIPPY® Natural Peanut Butter Spread! I guess everyone at all ages loves peanut butter! Who doesn’t? Peanut Butter must be the best thing on Earth! Having SKIPPY® new range of products right in front of me simply spells out joy and happiness cause there will be more funky recipes for me to explore and include them in it! SKIPPY® spreads are so versatile in every recipe and delicious at the same time ♡

Made with only the finest peanuts, the SKIPPY® Natural Peanut Butter Spread is free of preservatives and artificial flavors and colors, and uses palm oil in its natural state, without sacrificing the taste. In addition, its no-stir technology prevents oil separation making it easy and smooth to spread over everything and still has the classic peanutty taste of SKIPPY®. Providing seven grams of protein in each serving to fuel your day!

The SKIPPY® Natural peanut butter spread will be available in six different flavors. They are:

• SKIPPY® Natural Creamy Peanut Butter Spread
• SKIPPY® Natural Creamy Peanut Butter Spread with Honey
• SKIPPY® Natural Super Chunky Peanut Butter Spread
• SKIPPY® Natural Super Chunk Peanut Butter Spread with Honey
• SKIPPY® Natural 1/3 Less Sodium and Sugar Peanut Butter Spread
• SKIPPY® Natural Peanut Butter Spread with Dark Chocolate

SKIPPY® Natural Creamy Peanut Butter Spread

The Classic Creamy Spread: Made from only the freshest peanuts, this spread is smooth and creamy yet not too sweet. Perfect for daily spread over toast and as a topping on my overnight oats! I love this classic spread as it is most versatile, it can be mixed with almost everything especially useful for baking and cooking. I did pancake sauce (recipe below) with it too!

SKIPPY® Natural Creamy Peanut Butter Spread with Honey

Creamy + Honey Spread: What do you get when sweet meets satisfying? SKIPPY® Natural Creamy Peanut Butter Spread with Honey is a match made in peanut-butter-honey-heaven. Yummy! The texture is nice, creamy and thick with a tinge of sweet honey taste! After all, what’s sweeter than the taste of real honey? The perfect option for kids!

SKIPPY® Natural Super Chunk Peanut Butter Spread

Extra Crunchy Super Chunk Spread: My second favourite pick of all! I love peanut butter blended with real peanut pieces in it. Allowing the taste bud on a texture ride, they give a nice crunch in every bite plus the overflowing nutty taste. How could anyone resist it?

SKIPPY® Natural Super Chunk Peanut Butter Spread with Honey

Crunchy + Honey Spread: Savor the sweet crunch of SKIPPY® Natural SUPER CHUNK® Peanut Butter Spread with Honey. It’s a satisfying spoonful with real peanut pieces and real honey added to the mix. Spread the great taste naturally with this crunchy and sweetly delicious peanut butter with real honey!

SKIPPY® Natural 1/3 Less Sodium and Sugar Peanut Butter Spread

1/3 Less Sodium and Sugar: This is the best pick for me! I am enjoying the creamy peanut butter goodness with 1/3 lesser of sodium and sugar. This lighter option has a milder taste yet nice and subtle. Retaining it’s creamy texture, my favourite would definitely be this!

SKIPPY® Natural Peanut Butter Spread with Dark Chocolate

Chocoholics and peanut butter fans unite for a crazy good combination of peanut butter with dark chocolate that you’ll want to spread on whatever you can eat! I made Pancake Sauce by using SKIPPY® Natural Peanut Butter Spread with Dark Chocolate and served it with Banana Buckwheat Pancakes! Too good and delicious! It was not too sweet to my liking and tasted like the perfect combination of Dark Chocolate and Peanut blend.

Recipe

Pancake Sauce (serve 3 or more)

• One teaspoon of coconut oil
• One tablespoon of water
• 2 tablespoons of SKIPPY® Natural Peanut Butter Spread with Dark Chocolate
• 1 tablespoon of SKIPPY® Natural Creamy Peanut Butter Spread

Heat and stir them together, serve them with your favourite pancakes recipe!

PHOTO CREDITS: SKIPPYSG FACEBOOK

SKIPPY® Natural products have a retail price of approximately $6.00 per 425g jar and available at leading local supermarkets nationwide including Cold Storage, Isetan, Giant, Jasons, Mustafa, Meidi-Ya and Sheng Shiong.

Get more information on SKIPPY® Facebook Page 

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So here is the fun part!

Here’s your chance to try all 6 flavours from ‪#‎SkippySG‬! To take part in this giveaway;

1. Like SKIPPY® Peanut Butter Singapore Facebook page 

2. Share this blog post on your Facebook and tag three friends!

3. Leave a comment below with your Facebook URL and email address.

2 winners will be picked randomly and giveaway will end on 31 March, Tuesday at 12am. Good luck everyone!

The Straits Times: Closer ties as neighbours bond over food

Our neighbourly story was featured on Straits Times on 22^nd February 2015! What an honour for me to speak to The Straits Times after my entry submission for Let’s Makan emerge as the finalist.

Click Here for Let’s Makan Website (Entry Submission)

Let’s Makan is an initiative by The Singapore Kindness Movement, to enhance neighbourly ties and gathering of neighbours from different walks of life by sharing a meal together. It hopes to foster closer relationships among neighbours.

I find this initiative really helpful as everyone in Singapore enjoys food! Eating together is definitely the best way to get to know one another. By organising food sessions with my neighbours, we came to know each other’s food preferences, type of food we like or dislike, and raving over yummy hawker stalls that we promise to go together. For me, having a bunch of good neighbours living close to me was a great blessing. We are able to look out for one another in times of need and foster meaningful friendship together.

Click Here for the ST Online Article

“The decline of neighbourliness across the world follows a similar pattern. Dual-income families, the individualisation of leisure and entertainment, dense city living, greater physical mobility brought about by better public and private transport, and growing disparity in incomes, are all factors that have made neighbours more insular and less connected to one another.”

Getting out and speaking to your neighbours might feel daunting, but be brave! It will be worth it and you will be surprised on how keen people are. So take the first step and be the someone! I believe everyone can make the world a better place to live in and start by fostering good relationship around the neighbourhood ♡

First Wedding Anniversary at Pidgin

Just how time flies. 13th February 2014, the most important day in my life.

Being together for 5 years, I am truly blessed with all the love and support from W. He have been the pillar of strength in times of need. It have been a truly blessed journey with him although our journey wasn’t the easiest.

We had a simple dinner at Pidgin Kitchen & Bar after work and it was fantastic! The fusion of food served enticed our taste buds, especially the Quail Egg Maguro Mix and Uni Angel Hair Pasta! ♥

Thank you for being you. Xx

Celebrate Lunar New Year with NTUC Fairprice

I am so excited to celebrate the Lunar New Year with my favourite supermarket and that’s nonetheless; NTUC FairPrice. Counting down to less than 2 weeks to Lunar New Year! Are you ready yet? This year, NTUC Fairprice return with a wide range of traditional as well as new and unique products enough to gear us ready to usher in the Year of Goat with abundance! ♡

PHOTO CREDITS: GOOGLE IMAGES

As part of Chinese New Year celebrations, customers who spend a minimum of $30 in one receipt will qualify for the FairPrice Fortune Draw with attractive prices to be won! How exciting is that!

FairPrice Fortune Draw (8 January to 11 March 2015)

Spend a minimum of $30 in one receipt to qualify in the FairPrice Fortune Draw and win prizes including $100,000 worth of FairPrice Gift Vouchers!

• 10 x Grand Prize: S$5,000 and 1 year’s worth of groceries
• 100 x Consolation Prize: S$500 

Double up your chances with OCBC Plus! Visa Cards

• X 2 chances if you use your OCBC Plus! Visa Card

Additionally, enjoy 5% off at everything at FairPrice, FairPrice Online and Unity when you charge a minimum of S$500 monthly (excluding all FairPrice, FairPrice Online and Unity purchases) to your OCBC Plus! Visa Card.

Hamper Ordering and Availability

You should place any hamper order by 10 February 2015 (Take note: 3 days of processing needed excluding day of order, Saturday and Sunday)

For deli items, do order 3 days in advance with the ordering forms available in stores or at Deli Order Counters from 8 January to 12 February 2015; collection period from 9 to 18 February 2015.

Take note: Availability of certain items varies from store to store, whilst stocks last.

PHOTO CREDITS: GOOGLE IMAGES

Shopping at NTUC FairPrice during this festive season warms my heart as I rekindle my yearly family affair shopping around with my parents for our Lunar New Year goodies! From those crispy love letters, flavorful pineapple tarts and tidbits! As a kid, I used to rush to the candies shelve first when we reach the entrance of NTUC FairPrice. My sister and I would go about grabbing our favourite candies and my pick will be the milky and creamy White Rabbit Sweets! Don’t you miss peeling the “wax paper” around it? It would be a great pick for your guests to indulge during their CNY visiting!

For every Lunar New Year, we enjoy inviting relatives and friends over to our place to play some card games, chit-chatting and eating together. My family love gatherings most. Simple time of togetherness is so precious and joyful. Even preparing the food on the table seems pleasant and fun as everyone plays a role from getting the plates, washing, cooking and serving! During Lunar New Year, how could one miss out sumptuous food?!

In Singapore, the festive season will not be complete without “Pen Cai” (盆菜) also known as “poon choy” in Cantonese or “Big Bowl Feast”. This festive dish symbolises prosperity and abundance! With my favourite pick – Skylight Imperial Banquet Abalone Treasure Pot! Everything in a pot, heat and serve! I love putting in extra scallops, abalones and mushrooms! This dish is so easy to prepare and super delicious!

I LOVE STEAMBOAT! This list of products below are my usual buys as I am a huge fan of steamboat! Basically, I love everything in soup be it clear chicken or tomyam broth. Getting excited for reunion dinner already! I look forward to my Shrimp Wantons, Okaido Premium Scallops, Fresh Prawns & Fish and Frozen Pork Collar Shabu Shabu!

Wonder why steamboat is an ideal meal for CNY?

• First, it is so easy to prepare! Hence anyone can host a fail-proof, yummy meal.
•  A steamboat can serve a few people (e.g. 2) or as many people (like 20) as you like simply by adjusting the quantity of ingredients.
• You can do steamboat again over the next 1-2 days with the leftovers, especially useful when many eating places, markets and shops are closed during the first few days of CNY.
• You get to sit around the table for a long time as you cook your own food, hence promoting interaction and bonding.
• It’s a healthy meal, as you are enjoying the food which has been briefly cooked in hot broth. The food is not greasy at all.

For more steamboat information: Read here.

Not forgetting the most important part of Lunar New Year is the Prosperity Toss also known as “Lo Hei” is a Teochew-style raw fish salad which usually consists of strips of raw, shredded vegetables and a variety of sauces and condiments, among other ingredients. Yusheng literally means “raw fish” but since “fish (鱼)” is commonly conflated with its homophone “abundance (余)”, Yúshēng (鱼生) is interpreted as a homophone for Yúshēng (余升) meaning an increase in abundance. Therefore, yusheng is considered a symbol of abundance, prosperity and vigor. Today, Lo Hei is a common practice during Chinese New Year in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Let’s all HUAT!

Shopping at the nearest NTUC FairPrice brings more joy as compared to clothes shopping. Serious! I love nourishing and indulging in good food and I believe NTUC FairPrice is my best provider for a great range and fresh food supplies at affordable prices. Strategically located in every part of Singapore, making groceries shopping a happier and convenient experience for all! ♡

Recipe: Kale Smoothie Oat Bowl

Adding greens to my meals have never been so simple! Currently, I am increasing my greens intake by adding them in for breakfast – one of the easiest ways to kick-start a healthy day. Green juice, green smoothie and green oat bowl makes a perfect breakfast choice for me. I picked kale as my choice of green! Why?!

Kale is also known as “the queen of greens” and has a long list of benefits under its name. This nutritional powerhouse is low in calorie, high in fiber and has zero fat, at the same time delicious! Kale plays an awesome role by aiding in digestion and elimination with its great fiber content. Nutrient-dense, kale contains fiber and sulfur – both great for detoxifying and keeping our liver healthy. Moreover, you can mix and match kale with any kind of frozen fruits and transform distinctly different flavor profiles possible with it. How yummy!

For more kale benefits: Read here.

1. Kale Smoothie Oat Bowl

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup of Kale (4-5 leaves)
• 1 Frozen Banana
• 1/2 cup of Frozen Coconut flesh
• 1/2 cup of Rolled Oats
• 1/2 cup of Soy Milk (Unsweetened) / Any milk of your choice
• A handful of chia seeds
• Honey (Optional)

TOPPINGS

• Strawberries Slices
• Banana Slices
• Blueberries

DIRECTIONS:

Place all the ingredients into the blender and blend it high for 30 to 60 seconds until smooth. Pour kale oat smoothie mix into a bowl and top it with your choice of toppings. My perfect breakfast choice anytime!

2. Kale Smoothie Drink

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup of Kale (4-5 leaves)
• 1 Frozen Banana
• 1/2 cup of Frozen Coconut flesh
• 1 cup of Soy Milk (Unsweetened) / Can replace water for a lighter taste

DIRECTIONS:

Place all the ingredients into the blender and blend it high for 30 seconds until smooth and serve.

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For breakfast, I prefer eating from a bowl as it feels more satisfying than drinking it in a glass. After 7-8 hours of sleep (hibernation), the body requires more energy to kick-start the day. Therefore, by adding in oats into our usual smoothie combination – makes it a perfect breakfast choice. As for the smoothie drink, I consume it during “snack-time” for an energy boost or as my dinner replacement if I am not feeling too hungry at night.

While smoothie bowls are trending, it is also important to take note of the calories consumed. By adding too much nut butters, sweetened yoghurt, raw nuts or granola – you can easily end up with several hundred more calories than you might suspect. Therefore, do keep portions in check and smoothie bowl definitely makes a nutritious and healthy meal.

I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as I do! ♡

My favourite breakfast recipes

Who else agree that breakfast is the best meal of the day?! Well, I do! I love breakfast most and look forward to them every time I finish my morning workout session. I vary my breakfast choices from oatmeal, fruit/tofu/oat smoothies, eggs toast, and nut butter spread on whole-grains and fruits salad. Also, I get much inspiration from my Ig feeds from people like @stayfitandtravel, @funkyfitnessfoods and many other health foodie gurus! It is always interesting to try out a new breakfast recipe and totally get hooked on it. By doing so, I expand my knowledge on healthy eating and learn to prepare healthy food for my subsequent meals as well.

            Do you know the benefits of eating breakfast?

1. Energy Boost to Start the Day

Everyone should start their day off right by eating as many vitamins and other nutrients as possible. The great thing about breakfast is there are so many common breakfast foods that can be considered super-foods because of their nutrition value:

• Eggs: Including an egg or two for breakfast may require a few extra minutes of preparation time, but the potential health benefits make them worth cooking and eating. Not only are eggs packed with protein and amino acids, they are also one of the few, significant sources of vitamin D, which is important for absorbing calcium for stronger bones.
• Whole grains: Whether you are taking them in the form of bread, cereal or oatmeal, breakfast is one of the best times to enjoy whole grains in your meal. This super-food is a great source of fiber, which is essential for a healthy heart and digestive tract, and can help reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer and diabetes.
• Vitamin C: You can hit your daily intake of vitamin C in your very first meal of the day, whether it’s in the form of a juice or solid fruit. Oranges, grapefruits and apples are common fruits on the breakfast table.

2. Breakfast Helps Reduce Morning Crankiness

Imagine going without food for 8 to 12 hours during the day; you probably won’t be the most approachable person in the office or classroom. Do yourself, your classmates and your co-workers a favor by eating breakfast to help you deal with any morning moodiness and stress.

3. Metabolism Boost

When you sleep, your metabolism tends to slow down. The only way to jump start your metabolism for the day is to start off right with a healthy breakfast. This will allow your body to start burning through calories from the very beginning of the day, rather than in the middle of it after you’ve eaten lunch.

Read more on : Benefits of eating breakfast

My recent breakfast try-outs;

1. Pumpkin and Banana Smoothie Oat Bowl (Inspired from @stayfitandtravel)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Slice of Pumpkin (Steamed and puree)
• 1 Frozen Banana
• 3/4 cup of Rolled Oats
• 1 cup of Almond Milk

TOPPINGS

• Chia Seeds
• Banana Slices
• Dried fruits

DIRECTIONS:

Place all the ingredients into the blender and blend it high for 30 to 60 seconds until smooth. Pour pumpkin smoothie mix into a bowl and top it with your choice of toppings. This must be one of my favourite recipes – it is really simple and easy to make!

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2. Overnight oats topped with Organic Almond Butter, Rock Melon and Cocoa Nibs

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup of Rolled Oats
• 4 tablespoon of Greek Yoghurt
• 1 cup of Oat Milk or any milk of your desired choice
• Honey (Optional)

TOPPINGS

• Homemade Almond Butter
• Rock Melon, diced
• Chia Seeds
• Raw Unsweetened Cocoa Nibs

DIRECTIONS:

Place all the ingredients into a jar/bowl and mixed them thoroughly. Add in homemade almond butter (otherwise, any other nut butter), chia seeds and cocoa nibs together. Close lid and leave it in fridge overnight. Rolled oats should be soft after soaking in milk and yoghurt (at least for 4 hours). Topped the overnight oats with fresh fruits of your choices and enjoy!

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I usually prepare oiaj – oats in a jar, the night before consuming them. As leaving them in the fridge overnight will soften oats further. This breakfast choice save me much time before the mad morning rush everyday. Do also play around with the portions, it took me a lot on varying the amount of oats, milk, yoghurt and fruits to finally getting my favourite combination. I also use Greek yoghurt for it’s high protein and low fat content as compared to sweetened flavoured yoghurts which is full of sugars. A cold yet hearty healthy breakfast packed with fiber, vitamins and nutrients in a jar which does not require cooking at all. How amazing!

*Do also note that overnight oats should be consumed within 3 days of making as to maintain freshness of oats and milk.*

I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as I do! ♡

Recipe: Creamy Mushroom Soup

Healthy Creamy Mushroom Soup Recipe inspired by Limaran Augustina

Mushrooms MUST be my favourite food! I love them in my soups, salads, sandwiches, mains in any cooking method or even eaten raw! Since young, I always seems to be inseparable from mushroom soup, it was a MUST-ORDER food for me whenever it was available on restaurant’s menu. I simply love it. As I get more into healthy eating and cooking my own food, I explored more recipes which I could whipped at home instead of purchasing off-shelves mostly, heavily sodium and preservatives loaded. And I came across Limaran’s blog on her simple version of creamy mushroom soup, which I found easy to do and nutritious at the same time. This recipe is protein-loaded as it consist of yoghurt, cottage cheese and skim milk being the substitute of cream. Eliminate the use of cream as it is full of empty calories and fat. Moreover, this recipe requires little ingredients as those comparable online.

Do you know that mushrooms have a long list of nutritional benefits?

Mushrooms are an excellent source of B vitamins, such as riboflavin, niacin and pantothenic acid, an excellent source of the essential minerals, selenium, copper, phosphorus and potassium. Plus, it contains low fat and carbohydrate with the absence of sodium. Perfect food for people who are conscious about their weight. Mushrooms are known to reduce cardiovascular diseases by lowering blood pressure, cholesterol and also boosts the body immune system with anti-inflammatory and strong antioxidant properties.

Read more on: Wikipedia (Mushrooms) and Health Benefits of Button Mushrooms.

I did a tweak to the amount of ingredients used as I brought 2 big baskets of mushrooms and increase the amount of milk/cottage cheese and greek yoghurt whilst trying out the texture of the soup. This is why I love cooking as I am free to customize the end product taste to my own liking! Heh.

INGREDIENTS:

• Assorted mushrooms (Portobello, White and Brown button, Shitake, Brown Shimeji)
• 5 – 6 tablespoon of Greek yogurt (To replace cream)
• 3 tablespoon of Cottage cheese (To replace cream)
• 1 litre of Skim Milk (Lower in fat and calories)
• 5 – 6 garlic cloves (Too much, but I super like garlic!)
• 1 red onion
• 2 yellow onion
• Sea Salt
• Italian Parsley
• Olive oil

EQUIPMENT:

1. Blender
2. Frying Pan

Just 9 simple steps to follow & your creamy mushroom soup is on the way! ♡

Step 1: Soak all mushrooms and wash them thoroughly

Step 2: Chop assorted mushrooms into small pieces and mix them together.

Step 3: Prepare all other ingredients including onions, garlic and parsley leaves.

Step 4: Fry garlic, parsley and onions with a little bit of olive oil, until you can smell the fragrance.

Note: Do not fry them till brown.

Step 5: Add in all mushrooms and fry everything together.

Note: Do not fry them till brown.

Step 6: Before blending the ingredients, pick out some mushrooms to be added into the soup after boiling for a different texture and chunk.

 Step 7: Portion by portion, place all ingredients into a blender and add in skim milk slowly.

Step 8: Pour all the blended mixture together with the chunks of mushrooms into a pot and heat. Continue stirring till it boils and add in Greek Yoghurt and Cottage Cheese.

Step 9:  Add in few teaspoons of salt to season. Keep stirring until everything else blends and your creamy mushroom soup is ready to serve!

Topped it up with more parsley and black pepper for a more enhanced flavour. Slurps~ Simple, healthy and delicious! I will never go back to conventional mushroom can soup even though it is conveniently available, cheap and time-saving (preparation and cooking time). As, what I reap from that can soup is preservatives, sodium, fats and colouring. I would rather spend more money and time nourishing my body that has work so hard for me. Like what I mentioned on my previous post about 70/30 rule. Healthy food plays a crucial role in enhancing overall health and fitness. Way to go healthy eating!

A perfect weekend meal during the rainy season these days, enjoy ♡