A Skippy Breakfast

So, how many of you skip breakfast even though we know it's important? *me!* The usual "no time", "nothing to eat", "not hungry" excuses. I am glad to say that I have not passed this habit of skipping breakfast to my children. They do eat, at least drink a glass of milk.

Do you know that eating breakfast will lead to better behaviour in kids? Not hungry = happy kids :) They get higher test scores as they can concentrate better in class with a filled tummy. And this next info will interest us mummies, eating breakfast can help in weight control by regulating caloric intake! We won't get hungry till lunch time - means less snacking. Makes sense!

But there's no time in the morning! Those of you with kids in the morning session, I hear you! Try preparing a handy and easy to eat breakfast to let your child eat along the way. Plan ahead and prepare ingredients the night before and assemble in the morning.

It's always sandwiches! The child groans, even I groan. It's BORING! So avoid repetition. Be creative by preparing different cuisines. It can be asian porridge, a continental breakfast of scrambled eggs and baked beans, roti prata, a slice of banana cake, cereal or oats etc. Some kids find it hard to swallow in the morning, in this case, you can prepare a nutritious beverage such as a fruit smoothie or milk shake.

Ok ok so you have a fussy child. Here are some helpful tips:
1. Set a good example, you eat too!
2. Make sure the food is tasty.
3. Children thrive on routine, serve them their favourite meal a few times a week with some variations.
4. Do not bribe your child, you will run out of ideas and money LOL :D
5. Instead, find a substitute for food your child doesn't like eg. muffin instead of bread.
6. Kids are attracted to colours, offer a variety of food with different colours.
7. Keep offering new foods even if they reject them at first.
8. Keep eating fun by involving the children in food preparation.

Now the last tip really worked on my sons. My younger boy Dylan, who doesn't eat peanut butter at all on it's own, chomped down a couple of these delicious peanut butter cookies which we baked together over the weekend!

Some interesting facts on peanut butter...it is not butter and neither does it contain any! It is actually a spread made from roasted peanuts. Peanut butters are at least 90% peanuts and does not contain any additives such as artificial preservatives. It takes 850 peanuts to make 500g of peanut butter! Peanut butter is an excellent source of protein and dietary fibre, containing healthful unsaturated fats and other vitamins and minerals. One tablespoon of peanut butter = 30g meat protein! Kids need protein for normal growth and development, building and repairing of tissues. So wow! I didn't know all that about peanut butter! I thought it was just a few peanuts mixed with loads of butter! How enlightening :) So peanut butter is good for you and an easy breakfast choice, spread over a slice of wholemeal bread or you can try the two recipes I am sharing with you below.

No more excuses, do try to start your child's day (and yours) with a nutritious breakfast, don't skip it! Have a Skippy breakfast instead :p Here are two peanut butter recipes to start you off. One is the peanut butter cookie *yum yum* and the other is a peanut butter milk shake *double yum*! Enjoy!

This is an extra step I did, to roll the cookie dough in some cinnamon sugar :) 

 

 

 

 

Skippy Classic Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients:  Makes about 3 dozens cookies.
1 cup unsalted butter, softened (i used half cup instead)
1 cup Skippy crunchy peanut butter
1 cup granulated castor sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda (i used 1 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:                                                      

1          Cream together butter, peanut butter and sugars. Beat in eggs.
2          In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir into batter.  
            Put batter in refrigerator for 1 hour. 
3          Roll into 1" balls and put on baking sheets. Flatten each ball with a fork, making a criss-cross pattern. 
4          Bake in a preheated 180°C oven for about 15 minutes or until cookies begin to brown. Do not over-bake.  

Skippy Banana Milk Shake

Ingredients:

1 medium frozen Delmont banana, peeled
4 tbsp Skippy creamy peanut butter
1 cup vanilla ice cream
1 cup chilled fresh milk

Garnishing:  Chopped Nutty Bars  and  chocolate chips or shaves

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in blender.  Cover process until smooth.  

Pour into chilled glasses.  Top with crumbled Nutty Bars and chocolate chips.  Serve and Enjoy!

Portobello Fettuccine

I was supposed to cook and serve this dish for Dylan's garden party but I totally forgot about it till the guests started arriving :s Anyway it's a really simple dish and I love the simple ingredients plus it is vegetarian yet still packs a punch from the portobello mushrooms so do give it a try!





INGREDIENTS:
200g of fettuccine pasta (or amount enough for 2)
4 big portobello mushrooms or 6 small ones
1 big onion
1 ripe tomato or a few dollops of tomato sauce
5 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
salt and black pepper to taste
sprinkle of dried basil
chilli flakes (optional)

METHOD:
Cook the fettuccine as per instructions on pack and coat with some olive oil after draining. Set aside.
Chop the mushrooms and tomato coarsly and the onion finely.
Heat some olive oil in a medium pan and fry the onion till slightly brown and fragrant.
Add in the mushrooms and vinegar and stir for a few minutes till the vinegar starts to caramelise.
Toss in the tomato and let it cook before including the pasta.
Mix well.
Sprinkle in the basil and chilli flakes before serving.
Enjoy! :)

something sweet, something light, something happy

***Pls note that I am no longer baking these for sale. If you want to eat them, bake them ;) recipe below***

The years before the kids/studio came, I was an avid baker. My quiche and desserts were most sought after by my friends (not shy right?) and I often make them when I had the time. One Valentine's Day, I baked these delightful shortbread for friends as well as for sale. If I recall correctly, I sold about 20+ jars and it was real hard work! Cutting the shortbread was tough as this recipe required you to cut them after baking. I think I make easier money as a photographer hahaha! Anyway enough talk, I thought since it's Valentine's Day, here's the recipe :)

Cranberry Shortbread Hearts

Ingredients
Makes about 1 1/2 dozen 1 3/4-inch hearts
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup finely chopped dried cranberries or cherries

Directions
Heat oven to 325 degrees.with a rack in center. Combine butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, flour, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Beat with a wooden spoon until combined but not too creamy. Stir in dried cranberries.
Pat dough evenly into an 8- or 9-inch-square baking pan. Bake until just beginning to turn golden, about 20 minutes. Place pan on cooling rack until cool enough to touch, about 20 minutes. Run knife around edges, remove shortbread, and transfer, right side up, to work surface. Use 1 1/2- to 2-inch heart cookie cutter to cut out cookies. Use a paring knife to trim stray bits of cranberry from edges. Cookies will keep for 5 days at room temperature in an airtight container.

Citrus Yoghurt Muffins

Last year, by some freak coincidence, i found out that a fellow forum mate on a motherhood forum i have been actively a part of is actually my secondary school mate! We have not met for 17 years since we left school and we are both mothers now to sons about the same age :)

Her name is Miaofang aka Curly and this is a superb recipe i got from her.

Citrus Yoghurt Muffins



200g self raising flour
175g caster sugar
1 tbsp each of grated lemon, orange and lime zest
225ml fat-free plain yoghurt
115ml sunflower oil
1 lightly beaten egg

1. Preheat oven to 200C.
2. Combine flour, sugar, all zests, in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat yoghurt, oil and egg until well blended. Add flour mixture, stirring until just combined. Do not overmix.
3. Spoon batter into muffin cups. Bake for 20 mins. Remove tin from oven and cool for 5 mins. Then eat!

NOTE: i didn't have oil so i used melted butter instead. the batter was also very thick, not sure if i got the right kind of yoghurt. so i added a bit of milk to the batter. i baked at 165C for 15mins. oh and instead of caster sugar, i used organic brown sugar.





only after shooting the shot below did i realise what a horrible hand model i make :s

Bolinhos de Maryann

Inspired by the other mummy bloggers who have been cooking up a storm of late, i decided to try a dish from Mei, an ex-client who lives in France with a chef hubby and a cute daughter!

She calls it Bolinhos de Bacalhau (codfish balls) but because i was too lazy to go buy fresh cod, i used canned tuna instead kekeke and she said i couldn't call them Bolinhos de Bacalhau anymore so here i present to you, Bolinhos de Maryann!





You can get the original recipe from Mei's blog, below is my "anyhow hantum" version :p

Bolinhos de Maryann (tuna balls)

1 can of tuna
2-3 potatoes
2 eggs
1 small onion
chopped parsley / peppercorns

1. Fry onions and peppercorns with tuna
2. In the meantime, boil potatoes till soft
3. Mash with fork
4. Mix the tuna with the potatoes, 2 beaten eggs, chopped parsley & a pinch of salt
5. Set mixture aside for 30 mins
6. Shape into balls & fry till golden brown.

Serve with an ice cold beer.

Note: i found the mixture a bit wet to shape so maybe i put in too little tuna or should i reduce the egg to just 1? help me analyse Mei! ;)

My weekend off

After 3 months of hardwork this year, 6 days every week, i decided to give myself the weekend off to spend some time with the family. Clients expect you to work 7 days, when i tell them we are closed this saturday, some will ask why? *rolls eyes* To some of the more annoying ones i will reply, "Oh because we've earned enough for this month already!" hehehe

We were supposed to bring Kayden for his first movie on Saturday but after the bicycle ride at Punggol Park (he rode a whole kilometre!), he was quite poofed so that didn't happen.



I dunno what was wrong with him that day, while on his bicycle he refused to let me take any pictures of him, anytime i pointed the camera in his direction he will squeal and whine :s it was as though i was some annoying papparazzi. Here are his feet running away from me!











this photo below if you take a look at the reflections in his sunglasses, you will see the mummy papparazzi on one side and daddy on the other side :p






Then today, i tried making Nigella's Strawberries and Meringue Cream after seeing her do it on Nigella Express.



It was my first time using balsamic vinegar in a recipe and i love it!
The recipe called for a packet of meringue nests which i have no idea where to get, so i baked some from scratch with an old pavlova recipe.



The result as you can see was quite heavenly. The cruch and chewiness of the meringue pieces in the cream together with the sweet and sour strawberries were delicious :) Try making this! It's easy!





Strawberries and Meringue Cream

INGREDIENTS
500g strawberries
2 teaspoons caster or vanilla sugar
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
500ml whipping cream
1 packet of individual meringue nests

HOW TO MAKE
Hull and finely chop the strawberries and put into a bowl. Add the sugar and balsamic vinegar and leave to macerate for about 10 minutes.

Whip the cream in a large bowl until thick but still soft. Roughly crumble in 4 of the meringues nests – you will need chunks for texture and fine dust.

Take out about half a cupful of the chopped strawberries for the garnish later, and fold the cream and rest of the fruit mixture together.

Arrange on 4 serving plates in a mound, and top each one with some of the remaining macerated strawberries.

Serves 4