Healthy Home Cooked Food

Imagine a world where children were fed tasty and nutritious, real food at school from the age of 4 to 18. A world where every child was educated about how amazing food is, where it comes from, how it affects the body and how it can save their lives". - Jamie Oliver

Inspirational words by a great chef. Jamie Oliver has been working on campaigns to replace junk food with tasty nutritious meals focusing on young children.

Most of us (me included) are way too busy in our daily working schedule that we are denying our very children of the ultimate platform in consuming healthy food.

This made me reflect on the times that I relied upon commercially made food catered for infants and preschoolers alike.

The days when we went through McDonald's drive-thru to get Reena's dinner.

Or the truckloads of times she was given sugary drinks whenever she asks for it.

Preschools are trying their best to serve healthy food to children at a young age. They are going through the Singapore health promotion board just to ensure that food served in preschools are healthy.

And here I am jeopardising what have been instilled into my children.

Our responsibility as parents is to get children to enjoy eating healthy and nutritious food just as much as they enjoy junkies.

How do we get that? Turn it into a habit.

Get our fingers cracking,  we need to prepare, we need to be the ones cooking, we need to be firm and let them know that this is dinner and that's it, no way around it.

Reena was eating her chicken macaroni soup when she spat out her carrots. I asked her why and she answered, "Reena don't want carrots."

I cut it into smaller pieces and said, "Now they are cute little carrots. They taste better. Let's try them."

Reena did but refused the last one.

Her daily routine is dinner while watching television followed by sugar free grape juice.

She avoids water at all cost.

For that particular day, she wanted her brother's cereal puffs after dinner. I told her she could have it after she drank water.

This turned into a huge battle. She cried and wailed around.

I stayed firm to my word. That was when she realised that she can't crack this psycho and gave in. She drank a few long sips. I applauded with exaggeration and gave her a few fruit cereal puffs. I told her in order to get more she has to do the same.

Like I mentioned in my earlier posts. Everyday is a learning affair for us parents. I have experience handling young children but I still fall back into the trap of "giving in".

I am gathering more good healthy recipes for children and I would love to cook them up for my children.

This calls for a total dedication.  "Busy" must not be in my vocabulary anymore.

What is worst, Reena seems to be addicted to the ipad. Which is something I do not condone.

A routine table needs to be put into practice asap.

Tom Yum Pasta

I have been experimenting (cooking) with various halal food.

I can't deny that this recipe is amazing and was destined to be read by an amateur like me.

I have made my own adjustments to the recipe as it was a little fuzzy to begin with.

Tom Yum Pasta (Spicy)

Cooking time: 15 minutes

1. Spaghetti
 2. 1/2 cup Seafood
3. 1 small slice of Galangal
4. 3 Chilli Padi
5. 1/4 cup of Mushroom
6. 1/4 cup Coconut milk
7. 20 Dried chilies (boiled and blended to a paste)
8. 1/2 Tsp. Salt
9. 2 Tsp. Salt (for boiling spaghetti)
10. 1/2 lime juice
11. Oil (for frying)
12.lemon grass
13. 4 Kafir leaves
14. Shrimp paste (belacan)
15. 1 chopped garlic
16. 2 chopped shallots  

 1. Boil spaghetti. Add 1-2 tsp. salt in boiling. When it’s cooked, add cold water and set aside.

2. Heat the pan, add oil, fry garlic, shallots, galangal and chili padi.

3. About 3 minutes later, fry chili paste, lemon grass, kaffir lime leave, mushroom and seafood. Followed by shrimp paste and spaghetti.

4.Fry to combine, then add lime. (optional)

I inserted 30 dried chilli and turned it into a paste and it's crazy spicy, so if you are not a "spicy" fan, reduce the number of dried chillies.  For the seafood, I used squids, fish cakes and crabsticks.

Happy trying.

Mother's Day

Irman has been to school for a week and I am already feeling majorly exhausted.  But to see him eating well and being independent in an environment that is out of his comfort zone is a blessing.

Reena on the other hand is rejecting my hugs, kisses and attention whenever I got home with her brother in hand.

I have been observing her actions and believe that she might be feeling upset with the fact that I have not been dividing my attention fairly to her as well.

Reena now cries and wakes up in the middle of the night for me, and the current trend is for my mother.

I am trying my best to spend more time with her knowing that she needs it as much as her brother does. The problem is, Reena is not from the same school as her brother,  she is in Tampines taking the school bus back and forth. While her brother is in Toa Payoh,  the reason why I am picking him up from my centre, situated in Novena.

The journey from Irman's school to my parents' place is about an hour. By the time I reach home, it is already close to 8pm.

But nonetheless,  I must make time for Reena. No excuses. If I find this hard, I have to tell myself, it will be a hell lot harder in July when I officially start my Bachelor's Degree with University of Warwick.

I do not know how I will be juggling with work, study and kids. But I have to try. I do not want to push my studies further.

All of this made me realise the sacrifice of a mother,  a working mother at that.  We assist in bringing food to the table, assist in making end's meet. We are also the ones who care and educate the children despite our hectic schedule.

This is to all the hardworking mothers out there. If you feel that life is being hard on you, just look at the outcome of your sacrifice; your children.

Happy Mother's Day everyone.