No matter how I dine, I still have to bring the food into the house and prepare it.
I might be making a nice living, but I certainly am not going out for dinner or have takeaways every single night.
As a working mother, I have mastered some quick and easy recipes and prepare them regularly. The 4 recipes that I share here are tried and tested recipes.
One of my reference points for healthy and tasty recipes are those listed on the Health Promotion Board website Do you have any favourite healthy and delicious recipes to share? Let us know by commenting on this blog. Thanks for sharing!
1. Chicken noodle soup with shallot and ginger
Ingredients:
a) 1 small whole kampong chicken, with skin removed
b) 6-8 white peppercorns or white pepper
c) 20 shallots
d) Knob of ginger (optional)
Method:
The chicken that I buy from the supermarket usually has the skin on. I will remove the skin from kampong chicken by using a knife to make a slit off the back of the chicken and pull the skin off with my hands. Using a knife, I will chop off the chicken head as well.
After that I will clean the inside of the chicken by rubbing some salt, then rinse the salt off the chicken. I will also remove the chicken heart and the fats. Going through the chicken feet, I will remove the plastic that is around the fee. Lastly, I will tuck the chicken legs back into the insides of the chicken.
Peeling the shallots can be a bit tedious…so prepare ahead. After peeling the shallots, leave them whole. Next boil about 1.5L of water.
Place the shallots at the bottom of the slow cooker and turn on the slow cooker. If you are short on time, you can start with “High”. Add the pepper. Place the chicken next and add in hot water that has been boiled..make sure it covers at least ¾ of the chicken. Cook for about 2 hours. At this point, there should be wonderful smell coming out from your kitchen. Taste the soup, add some salt if needed (optional)😊
Tip: To make it a 1 dish meal, I will cook rice/spaghetti and steam/boil vegetables (e.g. broccoli, carrots or spinach) separately. Once the soup is cooked, I will put rice/noodles, deboned chicken meat and vegetables in a separate bowl and ladle hot chicken soup onto it. Add in sesame oil to taste.
2. Salmon porridge with carrots
Ingredients:
For the porridge
1 cup of Thai fragrant rice
5 cups or more of water
200g of salmon fillet (remove for bones)
1 medium carrot
2 sprigs of green onion
1 tsp of sesame oil
Method:
Wash the rice thoroughly. Boil the water in a pot and pour the rice into the pot to make porridge.
Steam the salmon fillet for 10 mins. After that let the fish cool down. Flake the fish with a fork/hands to remove any bones.
Dice the carrot finely and slice the green onions. To save time, I use a manual food chopper for this.
When the porridge is almost ready (rice grains flowered/split), pour in the flaked salmon and carrots. Simmer for another 10 minutes, stir the porridge to prevent burning at the bottom.
Add the green onions and sesame oil at the end.
3. Steamed fish
Steamed fish is a nutritious dish for children. However, some children do not like the fishy taste/smell. I find steaming fish this way effective to get rid of the fishy taste.
Ingredients:
1) 400g of fresh white fish (preferably fillets) – eg bream, sea bass, snapper, pomfret, threadfin.
2) 1 knob of ginger (into 8 slices)
3) ½ tbsp of sesame oil
4) 2 tbsp of soya sauce
5) 1 tbsp of water
6) Dash of pepper
7) 1 stalk of spring onion (optional)
Method:
Use a shallow curved plate (so that the juices don’t spill out) and put 4 pieces of ginger on the plate. Pour the sesame oil on the plate and put the fish on top of the oil and ginger slices. This is to prevent the fish from sticking onto the plate whilst steaming.
Put the remaining pieces of ginger on top of the fish
Prepare a large pot or wok with water, cover and let the water boil. When the water boils, put the plate of fish, cover and steam for 8 minutes.
At the end of 8 minutes, lift the cover and pour in the mixture of soya sauce, water and pepper all over the fish. Let it steam for another 30 seconds. Turn off the heat and remove the plate of fish from wok.
Serve the steamed fish hot.
Garnish with spring onions if desired.
Tip: I use a stainless steel steamer so that I can cook rice/vegetables at the same time. Using a steamer really saves me time, rather than using a traditional wok/pot to steam
4. French toast
Ingredients:
½ tbsp of corn oil
2 slices of bread (choose wholemeal for a healthier option)
1 large egg or 2 small eggs
1 slice of reduced fat cheese slice
1 slice of ham (<450mg/100g sodium, <10g/100g total fat and zero nitrites)
Honey (optional)
Method:
Crack the egg into a bowl. With a fork or spoon, beat the egg until the egg white and yolk are combined
Pour the oil into a non-stick pan and turn on the fire. Let the oil warm up a bit.
Place one piece of bread in the bowl to coat the bread with egg. Place it on the pan to “fry” the bread on both sides, until slightly golden.
Place cheese and ham on 1 side of the bread and shift it to 1 corner of the pan
Quickly coat the other piece of bread with egg and fry the bread. Turn over.
Next put the two slices of bread together with cheese and ham in the middle
Use a fork to press down on the top piece of bread so that the melted cheese can “stick” the two pieces of bread together
Once ready, use a fork to scoop up the French toast onto a plate
Drizzle with honey over the French toast if desired. Can add a sunny side up if you desire:)
My girls love this for breakfast or for a light lunch. Really easy to make too.
Genesis Childcare Centre 1989 - a Reliable Childcare Centre in Tampines
At Genesis Childcare 1989, we believe that a good infant care right up to Kindergarten programme is built upon mutual trust and communication between the Centre and the parents.
In our Tampines childcare, we are dedicated to unleash the potential in every child. As such, we place a strong emphasis on the way our teachers communicate and guide your child in our preschool Tampines.
For parents looking for childcare at Tampines, Genesis Childcare 1989 has had over 30 years of experience in caring for your little ones. In fact, it is one of the leading Tampines kindergarten with a well-proven record of over 3,000 children graduating from our playgroup. Check out our Instagram story highlights to hear what our parents have to say about us!
Similarly, for parents who are looking for an infant care centre in Tampines or a Tampines preschool, Nurture Infant House is one of the leading Tampines infant care centres with more than a decade of experience in providing high-quality infant care programmes that readies your little ones for success.
If you are looking for a reliable childcare or infant care in Tampines, why not register with us for a complimentary guided tour? Get to discover the attentiveness that your child will experience with our caring teachers here at this Tampines childcare and infant care Tampines!
Click here to learn more about our child care centre or click here to WhatsApp us for clarification of enquiries regarding our playgroup Tampines.
Schedule a visit to our centres at these addresses:
Genesis Childcare 1989 (Tampines)
Blk 433, Tampines Street 43, #01-63 (S) 520433
Tel: +65 9666 4141
Genesis Childcare 1989 (Taman Jurong)
Blk 153, Yung Ho Road, #01-41 (S) 610153
Tel: +65 9666 4141
Nurture Infant House (Tampines)
(2 to 18 months Infants)
Blk 433, Tampines Street 43, #01-61 (S) 520433
Tel: +65 9666 4141