Wake Up and Smell the Cake

Finally FINALLY I got my indoor gardening set thanks to dearest Husband! :) Was aiming for clickandgrow and plantui, and we settled for plantui though more expensive, but can fit 6 pods at a time and the light seems better. So YAY! I've been trying to grow herbs at my home but since we're not at home most of sunlight time, we can't grow much. I tried pandan leaves but it eventually died, mint grew but more of a survival thing rather than growing fully leafy. All these because we don't put our plants in direct sunlight, and our windows are tinted. We have money plants though, which I put in the sun only on weekends but those plants can survive anything so those don't count. HAHA. With my very own plantui I hope to grow my own herbs! I started out with Thai basil on Sunday (cos who wants normal basil when you have Thai basil!) and yesterday I added in 1 pod kale and 2 pods coriander. Will be updating on the progress soon! So far I see that the thai basil se

Repeat recipe: Tyler Florence's Banana Muffins I've been wanting to make banana muffins over the weekend to use up the leftover bananas and yoghurt sitting in the fridge. Finally got some time yesterday night. My little girl sorta helped, it's not always that she wants to bake! I have lots of chocolates here and there and I can't possibly eat them all. Here I've used up 24 mini Toblerones muahahaha. I still have another 2 bags of mini Toblerones though! I don't know why but they don't taste as good anymore. I'm quite picky with chocolates these days. A sign that I'm getting older, plus I don't want to waste calories cos it's so hard to burn! Speaking of burning calories! I've been getting comments that I look slimmer, or that my face is slimmer now (must be the tudung) but honestly I feel the same. I still have babats and my flat tummy target is far from achieved. But at least my butt doesn't jiggle as much when I jog, cos tha

I have wanted to try a pasta alternative for my packed breakfast cum lunches, and I've always wanted to try couscous cos it looks so intriguing - grainy yet looks like mashed potatoes. Another reason for cooking couscous is my leftover chicken stock from the Hainanese Chicken Rice. I need a reason to use it since I have painstakingly strained it (though not all) and it's not easy to get homemade healthy halal chicken stock. I hate those chicken cubes urgh. Also my chicken stock has pandan flavour huahuahua. I didn't realise couscous is so easy to prepare! Way faster than pasta. Boil 1/2 cup of stock, turn it off, add 1/2 cup of couscous and wait for 2 minutes. Add lil bit of butter and fluff it up and it's done! 1/2 cup can make both my breakfast and lunch, cos after adding stuff to it like chicken, vegetables etc, it really becomes a big portion. If only The Husband would like to eat such things hahaha. Yesterday I did couscous with shredded black pepper chicken

No photos today, but just wanna document my breakfast effort this morning! Marinated chicken (garlic powder, ground cumin & coriander, black pepper, salt, cayenne pepper) with stir fried capsicum from the oils of cooking the chicken, butterhead lettuce and sour cream in a wrap. Yummy! But I'm kinda hungry now hurhur. I should've put more chicken. I think I'm gonna get for myself yoghurt.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and I'm one who can't live without breakfast. I have no idea how some don't have any appetite and just skip breakfast altogether! I've been lazy in preparing breakfast again, and since school closed, there's only one stall opened here and practically everything is fried, and/or laden with coconut milk. The tipping point was yesterday, when the man at the stall charged a higher price for the exact same thing we ordered the day before! And when I mentioned that why is there a difference, he totally ignored us. So here's to more homemade breakfasts again, and I have to either sacrifice my sleep, or be more efficient and somehow find breakfasts that can be made in a jiffy. Yesterday we bought minced meat, butterhead lettuce, eggs, vegetables and smoked salmon with peppers. The ingredients are enough to make sabsuka, egg sandwiches or wraps, aglio olio, and if I have more time, quiches. Today I woke up later tha

Am very sleepy and cranky because I don't get enough sleep and my eyes are dry. Yesterday we had a small celebration for Junior at my mum's house. He loved it :) He loves anything to do with cake and candles hahaha. I'm making it a point to make either a smoothie or overnight oats for sahur daily for extra energy and to force myself to eat 3 ajwa dates daily. I don't like dates because they are too sweet, but when paired up with oats and/or milk, they become tasty! So far I tried the following combinations: ground almond + milk + dates quickcook oats + milk + dates banana + milk + slivered almonds + dates all blended together. The last one is my current fave! Super yummy! I still have some bananas left so I'm gonna make more banana smoothies. Maybe add in chocolate and oats this time round hurhur. Banana oatmeal peanut butter smoothie sounds nice too. I'm so excited at the endless smoothie possibilities! Best of all no sugar needed! Okay back to

Eating healthy is not interesting at all. I'm starting to get bored. No wonder my grandmother can't stand being on the strict diet that she has to adhere to. Since we've found out my baby is big about a month ago, I've been trying to eat proper breakfasts and snacks so that neither the baby or I will gain unnecessary weight. No more canteen breakfasts (I cheated on 2 days so far but I'm still proud of the fact that it's only 2 days haha), cut down on chocolates and cakes and replaced with apples. So far my weight has not changed for 5 weeks now even though my belly is growing and I've found that apples really do help with appetite and managing your glucose. By far the best snack I've discovered so far! I've prepared breakfast of mostly wraps with marinated chicken or scrambled eggs and lots of salad. Good amount of protein with minimal carbs. But today I am starting to feel bored of healthy food. I am craving for potato chips with sour cream and

I made my first ever baked rice last Sunday. All in the name of having salmon incorporated in my meals. The first recipe I googled used milk, and so I settled for that! Subsequently I found recipes with cream but I don't need the added fat. Who does, anyway.  So here's the link to the original recipe . I always trust Australian and British recipe sites to give good food. Haha. Salmon Baked Rice 15g butter 1 cup milk 220g salmon, cooked 1 1/2 cups cooked white rice 1 tbsp flour About 1 cup grated cheese (I used Perfect Bake mix) 1/2 head of cauliflower Cilantro Melt butter in saucepan till bubbling, then add in flour. Mix well. Add in milk 1/4 at a time and bring to a boil. Once mixture thickens, turn off the stove and add in 1/4 cup cheese.  Layer in a 7 inch round pan, 1/2 of the rice, cauliflower and fish. Pour some of the milk mixture and sprinkle cheese on top, and repeat for the 2nd layer.  Add more cheese for the top layer! B

After lugging around my gym clothes in my humungous bag, I finally went to the gym during lunch today. Climbed up 5 storeys to the gym and did 2km only. I can only squeeze in half an hour. Felt a little woozy after getting off the threadmill. Mixed brisk walking with jogging though it's more walking than jogging hurhur. Let's start the no-diet plan, just good ol' exercise and eating healthy diet regime. I hope it works. Haha.

Ooh it's been weeks since I last updated! Lots happened, but nothing really interesting baked recently. Am on the bus on the way to class, so might as well update. This morning I was shocked at the price increase at the canteen that it has made me determined to prepare my own breakfast. The epok2 became smaller AND increased in price by 30 cents! Outrageous I tell you! So I think now I shall stock up on bread, salad vege, tuna eggs and chicken to make me some yummy sandwiches. No more of canteen food. Or oatmeal on standby in office if I am pressed for time. Shall not be lazy anymore!

I went to the gym yesterday! 2nd time. Last Friday I just followed my colleagues out of curiosity and then they got me to do some stretching exercises which are no joke by the way!! My legs were so sore I really needed to take full care when bending my legs! And that too, I did in my jeans. Haha. Wasn't dressed for it but oh wells just gave it a try. So yesterday I joined them again, this time I brought proper clothes and shoes and I was all psyched to get myself in shape! It was also my first time on the threadmill hurhur I know so suaku right. I don't go gyms and when I do jog (not run), it's at the park near my mum's house. And me and my lack of balancing skills, I was kinda scared so I held on to the handles when I started for the first 5 to 10 minutes or so. One good thing about the threadmill is that you have to force yourself to keep up with the speed. If you're in a park running, then you will tend to slow down or walk and that kills momentum. I didn't

Started day 5 with the usual chicken sandwich (new marinade!) and a little extra of banana and chocolate! Let's start with the chicken sandwich. Chicken cubes with lettuce and white bread, easy to prepare, good to eat! Day 1 and 2 I had the same chicken, boneless skinless healthy chicken cubes pan fried in honey bbq sauce, smoked bbq seasoning and black pepper. No salt needed. Was quite yums but I should have pan fried a little longer to get that charred effect. Yesterday I tried something different. The day before I bought dried basil and oregano and chili powder. Regretted not getting garlic powder too. I'm still figuring out basil so I tried the following instead: 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts 1 1/2 tbsp chili powder 2 cloves garlic, mashed & chopped 1 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp vinegar salt & pepper Was kinda good! But maybe I should've marinated longer so the flavours seep in. And probably can add a bit more vinegar too! I quite like stir fr

Day 4 of 29. I hope I can complete all 29! Shouldn't have procrastinated. Urgh. I have to fast like every weekday hopefully I can make it. And I hope it won't affect my supply too much. I think this fasting thing is making me more of a baking monster. Not being able to eat amplifies my need to look at these yummy cakes and frosting. Speaking of which, I wonder how my extra cream cheese frosting is doing in my freezer. Maybe I should have a look later. I feel like doing the red velvet cupcakes again! I love cream cheese frosting! I have been thinking of what cake I should make for my birthday. FFL says I shouldn't be making my own cake, but I like it and I can have whatever flavour and sinful goodies all packed into the cake, so why not! Right now I'm thinking chocolate. Lotsa lotsa chocolate. Haha. And a few days before that I think I will be making carrot cake with cream cheese frosting for Junior's birthday. His first birthday! Time flies. As I was bre

Just came back to office today after 3 days of MC. The usual throat infection fever cough running nose combo. Still have cough though. It has been an unproductive 3 days. The pile of work waiting for me at office and at home too. Only did laundry once and I spent most of my time at my mum's cos I was too lazy to go back home after sending Junior in the morning. Plus there's free food at my mum's hurhur. I was itching to bake, and when I finally decided to (same day as laundry), something last minute cropped up and my equipment went back into the cupboard. Bummer. I wanted to try out my expensive cocoa powder! Anyway. The blessing in disguise was getting to spend more time with Junior. Doing the usual, playing with pots and pans and the laundry basket. He loves household items very much. Watching us hang the laundry to dry fascinates him all the time. And something new he did: check what's under the ottoman! He is one inquisitive boy. He loves to practise sta

Season's here! Well it's been here for quite some time just that I haven't bought any. Today I bought two boxes, and I finished one (250g) in about 10 minutes. I could eat more actually, but I'm saving the other pack for tomorrow. Eating Korean strawberries always reminds me of my pregnancy with Junior. Same time last year, I was gorging down these sweeties almost everyday! Totally love them! Easy to eat, sweet and full of goodness. These are particularly sweet! I was thinking of making some cake or dessert with strawberries, but seems like these sweeties won't even make it to weekend for my weekly bakes. Heh.

What happened since I last blogged: I made mee goreng last Saturday! Could do with a bit more chilli. Tastes quite tomato-ish and more like fried spaghetti. But it feels good to wake up in the morning to prepare breakfast for Other Half :) Thinking of making nasi goreng kampung this coming weekend! Ate instant noodles at 4 plus in the afternoon yesterday.Too hungry! Lunch was five hours before that, and dinner would be in another two hours. But I felt guilty after eating them. All that salt and MSG penetrating my system!! Baah. I wish I had healthier stuff here, granola bars or fruits. I should really go and stock up on my fruits. Haven't been on a fruit filled diet lately :( And pomelo season is ending already sobsob. Never mind. There's still strawberries! Better get them before their season ends too!  Cooked sambal godok on Monday yay! :) Pictures up later! Was quite a success haha! Again, self-proclaimed. Haha. I actually don't have to cook everyday. Cos most of t

Was just given an early morning lecture by Makcik on eating properly. She just had her check up and now is regretting her bad dietary habits. Though I think I fare better in my food choices, I have to keep in mind too not to eat too much junk food and also fast food. Fast food is a bit tricky cos it's so easy to get and it's tasty too. Haha. Okay okay I shall TRY to curb eating fast food. Good reminder from makcik, and luckily today I didn't come in with McD's breakfast HAHAHAHA. Bought Gardenia's raisin loaf instead. Waahhhh healthy ah!! Now the next thing to do is to keep those chocolates on my table away from sight!

My stomach is getting a lot of attention from me. Haha. Easily bloated, hunger pangs, hungry very often, but when presented with food, sometimes I can be so full I can't eat so much, or I'm so hungry I can eat like a bear. And I still want my Korean strawberries! Found some at Cold Storage Bugis yesterday, and they look big and unsweet. I want the ones I had from NTUC Toa Payoh! Haha :p Am quite conscious of the food I'm eating these days, to make sure I get enough nutrients. Yesterday I was worrying if I have enough protein and iron cos I don't think I'm eating enough meat. While I was busy calculating how much iron I'm consuming, I realised I am eating multi-vitamins! Turns out, those yucky pills have already met my daily iron requirement! Haha! So what's left is calcium and Omega-3, but then again I've read that too much fish isn't good too because of the high mercury content in most fish. Bummer. And I've found a food that covers BOTH calci

Finally after so long, I'm reunited with my all time favourite cereal - Post Waffle Crisp! My father can't stand the strong caramel smell. Haha. But I love it especially when it mixes and sweetens the milk! Dropped by 7-11 to get milk before work. Decided to try Meiji Strawberry Milk. Kinda thick. It was on offer - but if it's from 7-11 I doubt the offer's worth it but hey I didn't have any other choice - at $2, and the kind cashier gave me a free gift! Kept in a yellow spherical capsule, inside holds two handphone accessories of the Little Men and Little Miss series! I got Mr Nosey and Little Miss Shy. I think I'll go with Little Miss Shy. Hurhur. [photos will be inserted later since I don't have my camera with me] FIL's friend came back from Amsterdam bringing back for us this pack of Gouda's Gilde Original Karamell Gefullte Wafflen . Looks delicious! Saw on the ingredients, Bourbon vanilla. And I thought, damn! Isn't Bourbon a type of

I am STUFFED! Had Tandoori Chicken Croissant sandwich from Coffee Bean . Wanted to get something healthy. But healthy is usually more expensive. Okay I realise croissant isn't as healthy as normal bread haha... I'll switch to the non-oily breads in future. The chicken portion was very generous and chunky! And the vege too! I like! It was like almost a whole tomato in the sandwich, with a long slice of cucumber, and salad. On top of that, there's side salad too! I love how they include raisins and almonds in it. Hungry monster finished it like she hasn't eaten for days. Yes! Every bit of vege and almond and raisin. And now my stomach's bursting. Dropped by NTUC to get pears and China Kong Pears (those yellow ones I know as buah lai). They shall be my snacks when I'm terribly hungry like this morning. Shall not resort to cookies anymore! Cookie Monster in rehab Today I shall start eating healthy seriously! No more hot hot chicken shit (literal translation o