Stop giving your toddler excess screen time

"Once a person crosses over the line into full-blown addiction — drug, digital or otherwise — they need to detox before any other kind of therapy can have any chance of being effective. With tech, that means a full digital detox—no computers, no smartphones, no tablets. The extreme digital detox even eliminates television. The prescribed amount of time is four to six weeks; that’s the amount of time that is usually required for a hyper-aroused nervous system to reset itself. But that’s no easy task in our current tech-filled society where screens are ubiquitous. A person can live without drugs or alcohol; with tech addiction, digital temptations are everywhere."

Please read on:
http://nypost.com/2016/08/27/its-digital-heroin-how-screens-turn-kids-into-psychotic-junkies/

A link for all moms-to-be

Don't be too obsessed with only giving your newborn breast milk. Just make sure they are fed.

Please read on:

https://fedisbest.org/2015/04/letter-to-doctors-and-parents-about-the-dangers-of-insufficient-exclusive-breastfeeding/

My story:

For both my girls, they were fed formula milk until my supply was well established. It took me around 5 to 6 weeks of sweat and tears and fighting through the nights as the baby latched on and on for hours on ends. It's something that's just mere memory for me now but I know it was a great struggle for a new mom. It was a tremendously stressful struggle for me. My big girl self-weaned at around 15 months old while I'm still nursing my baby girl at night now, at 16 months old. I'm looking forward to total freedom once she's weaning off but I know when that happens, I'll be missing all the time bonding with my girl through the nursing which only a lactating mom gets to enjoy.

Hello Kitty pasta

Memory Monday.

Cooked this specially for my daughter, over a year ago.

And she'll be turning 4 tomorrow. How time flies!

Supper

I live in a world full of temptations... I was tempted both by words and pictures to whip up an instant noodles meal. And I did.

I cooked my extra spicy maggi goreng in milk today, inspired by a Youtube clip that I've watched before. In the clip, milk and cheese were added to the extra spicy Korean ramyun to make it resemble carbonara. I didn't add the cheese while cooking though. I added half water and half milk (my fav Meiji fresh milk) to cook the noodles, and I topped it with pizza cheese after it was served.

To be honest, this is insanely satisfying. Yums!

Brunch

Flashback Friday.

Tomato rice

Throwback Thursday. 

Tomato rice for myself in the little rice cooker.

Last night's supper

I was struggling between cheese or egg. I wanted to put cheese. But when the water was boiling away, I suddenly had an urge to pop an egg in, and I did without hesitation. I didn't like it with both... kinda overwhelming for me. 

So here's my supper from last night, with baby spinach, golden mushrooms and an egg.

Giving my cousin a treat

Memory Monday. 

Those were the days, my pre-kids days, when I could just cook and invite my cousin home and enjoy a hearty meal together. :)

Just some veggie wraps and my homemade cream of broccoli with organic red rooibos tea.

Working late again

Made myself a night snack.

The soy patty and veg kept slipping out of the egg as I cut through my sandwich, due to the slippery melted cheese inside.

Added some ketchup too. It was actually a mess when I was eating it.

Working late

Supper - fuel to sustain me through the night.

I'm eating too much instant noodles... I always have cravings for them when I have to stay up late for work. 😓

My first creamy mushroom soup

First... My random shopping haul from today's short trip to the mall.

I've been buying all kinds of pasta for my two girls when I seldom cook for them. And I've been buying planting kits when plants generally don't survive in my hands. Oh dear, my short trip to the mall has become an impulsive shopping spree! (>_<)

As usual, I cook without any measurement (except for the amount of water this time), despite this being my first attempt at cooking creamy mushroom soup. I've studied several cream of mushroom recipes online before finally deciding that I'm ready to make some myself. 🍄

Here are the ingredients. I used an assortment of mushrooms, unsalted butter, organic mushroom soup stock cube in place of the usual chicken stock, cooking cream, ground nutmeg, mixed herbs and black pepper. I bought these ingredients from FairPrice Finest.

I started with rinsing and chopping up the assorted mushrooms, then I put them all in the saucepan with a dollop of unsalted butter.

When the mushrooms were all well sautéed and the yummy aroma filled the air, I added a dash of mixed herbs, ground nutmeg and gave my black pepper grinder three to four big twists.

I added around 450ml of water as the instructions on my organic mushroom stock cubes say 1 cube to 500ml of water. I was thinking the mushrooms have already given out so much liquid and then I'll be adding cream, so I reduced the amount of water by a little. Added water and then the stock cube, and stirred away as the soup was brought to a boil.

Took the saucepan off the heat and blended the mushrooms with my handy stick blender and then it was brought to boil again.

This piccy above was taken after blending and before adding the cream. It already looks like the real deal! But I want it even richer and creamier~ *yums*

Lastly, I added around half of the packet of cooking cream. The soup was allowed to boil briefly before it was taken off the heat to serve. Although I'm satisfied with this first attempt of making creamy mushroom soup, I feel there's plenty of room for improvement. It's not creamy enough;  maybe I should just boldly pour in all of the cooking cream instead! 

The entire process of cooking this soup took me only 25 minutes, and my baby girl had to suddenly woke up from her nap while I was busy cooking. To pacify the whiny baby, I got her to hold onto the packet of bagel while waiting for me at the kitchen entrance. And she tore the plastic packaging apart and started pulling out bits of bagel and eating them! 😅

Tea break is served - homecooked creamy mushroom soup with 3/4 sesame seed bagel. No prize for guessing right where the other 1/4 bagel has gone to. 😝

Added later at 10.30pm: I probably drank 30% of the soup in the afternoon and just now, I heated up the remaining soup and added all the remaining cooking cream into it. I also added a bit more ground nutmeg, black pepper, plus a pinch of salt. I poured the remaining soup into two big bowls for supper and I think it's very nice now! 😄

It's supper time with hubby! And he loves it~ ❤️

Reflection: The recipes that I saw mostly require adding flour to the mushrooms, which I omitted. Maybe doing that will add an extra richness to the soup. I shall try it another time, and remember to add all the cooking cream and not be too stingy on my black pepper, ground nutmeg and salt! They can make the flavours pop~

A hearty breakfast

Baby spinach and scrambled egg topped with cheese and sandwiched between two slices of buttered wholemeal toast. 

Added a side of plain yogurt topped with strawberry and honey to make it a heartier breakfast, which is further completed with mum-in-law's home brewed kopi. 👍

National Day big breakfast

Made myself a big breakfast.

Milk.
Butter.
Coffee.
Ketchup.
Black pepper.
2 slices of toast.
A bed of baby spinach.
Scrambled egg with cheese.
Pan-fried vegetarian soy patty.
And 2 yummy fresh strawberries.

Happy Birthday Singapore!!

Shopping at Finest

Tempted to make some ice cream and some cream of mushroom.

My loaded maggi goreng

First, the ingredients.

Next, serving it.

Finally, top it with cheese!

The quick pasta

Flashback Friday.

Oops I started first!

I was starving when I got home from work... so I whipped this up with the ingredients I found at home. Lacking in greens but otherwise super yummy. Or maybe that's just because I'm too hungry. I was generous with the cheese... wanting to finish them before they expire. Look at the oozing cheese on my scrambled egg~ *omnomnomnom*

Maggi goreng

Throwback Thursday.

Mushroom pasta and scrambled egg

Memory Monday.

Revisiting my simple yet memorable yummy lunch that I cooked earlier in July.