Hey foodies out there! Wanna get your blog rolling around the www world? Get instant recognition? Join BlogRush now!
Needless to say … just check them out and learn more on how you and your blog can benefit from them.
Aloha! Welcome to "almost a Domestic Goddess". If you love what I wrote, do subscribe to my RSS feed. I'll update you with the latest news about food, recipe and parenting.
Often called carbs, carbohydrates are the body’s most important and readily available source of energy. Even though they’ve gotten a bad rap in the 2000s and have often been blamed for the obesity epidemic in America, carbohydrates are a necessary part of a healthy diet for both children and adults.
The two major forms are:
simple sugars (simple carbohydrates)
found in sugars such as fructose, glucose, and lactose, as well as in nutritious whole fruits
starches (complex carbohydrates)
found in foods such as starchy vegetables, grains, rice, and breads and cereals
So how, exactly, does the body process carbohydrates and sugar? All carbohydrates are broken down into simple sugars. These sugars are absorbed into the bloodstream. As the sugar level rises, the pancreas releases a hormone called insulin, which is needed to move sugar from the blood into the cells, where the sugar can be used as a source of energy.
The carbohydrates in some foods (mostly those that contain simple sugars and highly refined grains, such as white flour and white rice) cause your child’s blood sugar level to rise more quickly than others. Complex carbohydrates (found in whole grains), on the other hand, are broken down more slowly, allowing blood sugar to rise more gradually. Eating a diet that’s high in foods that cause a rapid rise in blood sugar may increase a person’s risk of developing health problems like diabetes and heart disease, although these studies have been done mostly in adults.
Despite the recent craze to cut carbs, the bottom line is that not all foods containing carbohydrates are bad for your child, whether they’re complex, as in whole grains, or simple carbohydrates, such as those found in fruits. If carbohydrates were such a no-no, we’d have a huge problem, considering that most foods contain them. But, of course, some carbohydrate foods are healthier than others.
Good sources of carbohydrates include:
whole-grain cereals
brown rice
whole-grain breads
fruits
vegetables
A healthy balanced diet for children over 2 years should include 50% to 60% of the calories consumed coming from carbohydrates. The key is to make sure that the majority of carbohydrates your child eats are from good sources and to limit the amount of added sugar in your child’s diet.
Rip from: CT LLC
Personally I drink my coffee or tea either black or with brown sugar. Refined sugar is bad for health. Again, how can we avoid refined sugar in our daily lives? Unless we just rely our diet on salad. If you don’t like brown sugar, try substituting with honey. Honey is healthier compared to refined sugar since honey has traces of minerals and vitamins to its credit. In traditional medicine honey has more medicinal values than sugar.
If you wish to cut down on your carbs, try taking only 2 spoonful of rice each meal. Helps with loosing weight. So far, I haven’t succeeded as I find it a difficult regime to follow. *haha*
What you need:
Dough:
2,5dl or 1 cup whole milk
75g or 3/4 stick softened butter
1 50g yeast cake or 1 packet of dry yeast
1 egg
80g or 1/2 cup superfine sugar
2,5g or 1/2 teaspoon salt
0,55 kg or about 5 cups wheat flour
Finnish Filling:
50g or 1/2 stick butter
1 large egg
25g or 2 tablespoons sugar
100g or 1/2 cup maitorahkaa (a.k.a. quark)
vanilla cream flour [can be replaced by mixing together 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar and 25g or 1/4 cup potato or wheat flour]
Icing
1/2 cup or 1,25 dl confectioners sugar
3 teaspoons fresh orange or lemon juice
dash of water to desired consistency
How you bake:
Prepare filling by mixing ingredients into a smooth paste. Refrigerate until needed.
In a saucepan over low heat, warm the milk and butter to about 40C/104F.
In a bowl, crumble the yeast into the warm milk and butter mixture. Add sugar, salt and egg. Mix together well until the yeast is dissolved.
Add flour gradually until the dough forms a ball. Add more flour only if it’s still sticky and add only a little at a time.
Knead dough for about 5 mins until smooth and elastic.
Place a towel over the bowl and let the dough double in a warm, draft-free place for about 30 mins to 1 hour (warming the oven to about 40C works very well as a proofing box).
Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Gently shape dough into rough rectangle with long side nearest you. Lightly flour dough and roll into a 16-inch x 12-inch (40cm x 30cm) rectangle.
Spread filling on the dough leaving a 1cm/.5in border on the far edge.
Beginning with long edge nearest you, roll dough into taut cylinder.
Firmly pinch seam to seal and roll cylinder seam-side down.
Very gently stretch and roll to cylinder of even diameter and 18-inch/45cm length; push ends in to create even thickness.
Using a sharp serrated knife and gentle sawing motion, slice cylinder in half, then slice each half in half again to create evenly sized quarters. Slice 3,8cm/1.5in pieces from the rolls and place into a rectangular pan using a spatula.
Cover with a towel and allow to rise for about 30 mins while the oven warms to baking temperature.
Make icing.
Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200-225C for about 13-15 mins.
Cut pulla apart and drizzle icing over the tops.
How you serve:
Coffee or tea
For extra sweetness add vanilla cream (warm or cold)
How many servings:
12 pullas (buns)
Occasions:
Snacks, supper, coffee break
Contributor: Easy Pissy
What you need:
For sauce:
200 g minced pork
100g minced chicken meats
50g dried anchovies (Ikan Bilis)
4 dried black mushrooms soaked in water (cuts into strips when soft)
Small Onion chopped thinly
Garlic chopped finely
Black soya sauce to taste
Soya sauce to taste
Oyster sauce to taste
Corn starch
1/4 white pepper powder
Cut chilly and coriander or parsley for garnishing
For Pan Mee:
500g Flour
1/2 cup of Water
Salt
How you make:
For sauce:
Mix corn starch, soya sauce and white pepper powder into minced pork and chicken. Let it marinate for 5 minutes.
Fry small onion until crispy. Set aside.
Fry dried anchovies until crispy. Set aside. Discard some of the cooking oil if you think is too oily.
Heat pan, sauteed garlic and minced meats for 5 minutes. Then add mushrooms and continued to sauteed for 5 minutes. Add water and leave the minced meats and sauce to simmer for another 20 minutes.
Add soya sauce and black soya sauce to taste. Add water and let the sauce simmer in low fire.
For Pan Mee:
In a glass, add a pinch of salt into water. Add salted water into flour and start kneading into a dough.
Keep kneading dough until hand is not sticky with dough.
Pinch some dough and press until quite thin. Use a knife to cut into strips that look like noodles. Repeat this process. Add more flour to the cutted strips in order to retain the shape of the cutted dough strips. This cutted dough strips is called “Pan Mian” in mandarin.
Boil a pot of water. Cook the cutted dough strips for one person portion first in the hot water. Let it boil for 5 minutes.
How you serve:
Garnish with cut chilies and corianders or parsley
Serve hot
Chinese tea
How many servings:
2 persons
Occasions:
Lunch or Dinner
What you need:
For Roti Canai:
Flour
a little sugar
a little salt
water
oil (or ghee)
For Curry (simple):
Egg Plants - cubed and boiled
Potatoes - cubed and boiled
Stock
Curry powder
Onion - finely sliced
Salt
Coconut milk or yoghurt
How you make:
For Roti Canai:
Mix flour, sugar and salt with water and knead to form a smooth soft dough, divide into tennis ball size portion, rub with oil, cover and leave it for a couple of hours without touching it.
Oil the work top and work each ball into a very thin sheet - first flatten with your oiled palms, then thin further by pulling the edges(professionals do it by flipping the dough in the air in a circular motion), adding enough oil to prevent sticking. Oil the surface and fold into a square (egg can be added before folding).
Alternatively, you can thin out the sheet, oil and roll it up, coil in up like a sea shell, flatten and oil again and reapeat the flattening one or two more times.
Fry in a oiled pan on both sides till brown spots appear and crispy. Crush by pressing it together with both hands and serve immediately.
The bread can be eaten on its own with a sprinkle of sugar, or with any meat or vegetable curry.
For Curry:
First fry the onion in oil till soft and brown, add curry powder and fry till fragrant. Add stock and the rest of the ingredients, last the coconut milk. Season with salt if necessary.
Chef’s Note:
Beat an egg over sprawled dough to get Roti Telur or slice an onion to get Roti Bawang
How you serve:
Curry of any type
Teh tarik or Teh O (for us abroad, English breakfast tea)
Personal recommendation: Mutton
All time favorite: Sugar
Yields:
Depends on how much ingredients used
Occassions:
Breakfast, Dinner, Tea break
What you need:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 tablespoon vanilla powder
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon rum flavoring
4 ripe bananas, sliced
2 cups oil for frying
How you make:
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and vanilla powder. Make a well in the center, and pour in milk, egg, melted butter and rum flavoring. Mix until smooth. Fold in banana slices until evenly coated.
Heat oil in a wok or deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Drop banana mixture by tablespoon into hot oil. Fry until golden brown and crispy, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove bananas from oil, and drain on paper towels.
How you serve:
Teh tarik, English tea, Coffee
Maple Syrup
Serve hot
How many servings:
4 persons ( to serve more, top up the ingredients)
Occasions:
Dessert, afternoon tea
What you need:
500ml Chicken stock
1 fat stalk (or 2 thin ones) Fresh or frozen lemongrass
1 pc Galangal
2-3 Kaffir Lime Leaves
1-2 tbsp Nam Prik Pao (Thai roasted chilli paste)
4-5 pcs Dried Chillies
2 tbsp Fish sauce
Lime juice - 1 medium lime or Limau Kasturi (Gat Cai)
Onion - 1/4 of a medium onion (sliced)
1/2 tsp Sugar
4 tbsp Coriander leaves
50 gm Boneless chicken breast (chopped)
4 pcs Straw mushrooms (or regular button mushrooms) (sliced)
Spring/Green onions
How you make:
For the lemongrass, use only the bottom white part (about 6 inches) and discard the woody grass part of it. With the flat side of a cleaver or a heavy object, pound and bruise the lemongrass so it releases the flavour. Cut into 2 inch segments.
Put lemongrass, galangal, fish sauce and stock into a pot and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer for another 15 minutes.
Uncover the pot and add the Kaffir lime leaves, chilies, onion, sugar and chicken pieces.
Simmer for 2-3 minutes, then add Nam Prik Pao and mushrooms. Simmer for yet another 2 minutes. Now add the spring onions and let it simmer for 30 seconds.
Turn off the heat, add lime juice and garnish with coriander leaves. Test for saltiness and sourness. If required, adjust with more fish sauce (salt) and lemon juice (sour).
This makes a medium-hot bowl. Some prefer to have it spicier. Find your own comfort level. Remove the lemongrass and galangal before serving if you like. They’re not particularly edible. Good for colds, good for a whole lotta things.
Chef’s Note:
Improvise to Tom Yam Goong:
To turn this into Tom Yam Goong (Prawns), use prawns instead of chicken but add it only in the final 1 minute of cooking. Prawns cook very fast and will continue to cook in the warm stock. Overcooking them will turn them tough and leathery. Instead of chicken stock, use water and add some prawn shells with the lemongrass. This will give you prawn stock. Remove shells before adding other ingredients. Frozen prawns suck. Don’t use them.
How you serve:
Fragrant Jasmine rice, fresh tomatoes and cucumber (to cool off)
How many servings:
3-4 persons depending on the size of your bowl
Occasions:
Cold rainy day or fall or wintry day
Smart snacking can help children meet daily nutrient requirements that may be missed at meal times. Children may need snacks, or “mini meals”, to help them get enough calories (energy) throughout the day. So, choosing healthy foods that add nutrients–without excessive calories–to their diets is essential.
Dairy
String cheese and fruit (canned or fresh)
Nonfat cottage cheese or yogurt with fruit
Smoothies with milk or yogurt and sliced bananas or strawberries
Whole-wheat crackers with cheese or peanut butter
Yogurt with fresh fruit or granola
Low-fat chocolate milk
Scoop of ice cream or frozen yogurt with fresh berries
Fruits and Vegetables
Raw vegetable sticks with low-fat yogurt dip, cottage cheese or hummus
Apples and cheese - pears and other fresh fruits work too!
Baby carrots
Fruit salad
Applesauce cups (unsweetened)
Frozen fruit bars
Dried fruit such as raisins or plums and nuts
Grains
Cereal - dry or with milk
Baked potato chips or tortilla chips with salsa
Pretzels (lightly salted or unsalted) and a glass of milk
Bagels with tomato sauce and melted cheese
Flavored rice cakes (like caramel or apple cinnamon) with peanut butter
Popcorn - air popped or low-fat microwave
Whole-grain crackers or english muffin with peanut butter
Vanilla wafers, gingersnaps, graham crackers, animal crackers or fig bars and a glass of milk
Rip from: Meals Matter
What you need:
175g chocolate chunks (milk, plain or white - it’s up to you)
50g softened butter
100g digestive biscuits
50g sieved icing sugar
cocoa powder
How you make:
Crush 100g of digestive biscuits
Melt 175g of chocolate in the microwave
To the chocolate, you need to add 50g of softened butter, 50g of icing sugar, and the crushed biscuits
Give it all a good mix , and let it chill in the fridge for 10 mins
Take about a tea spoon and roll it up into a ball
Then cover it with cocoa powder
Finally, put the truffle in a paper truffle case and you are done
For extra taste, add hazel slice or oats cereal as coating
Yields:
Depends on the size
Occasions:
Birthday party, weekend treat
What you need:
3 wooden ice-cream sticks
3 small bananas, peeled, cut crosswise in half
1 tub (7 oz.) Dipping Chocolate, any variety
Nestle Cookie Crisp or Nestle Trix Cereal
How you make:
INSERT an ice-cream stick into each banana piece.
DIP banana into chocolate, or brush chocolate onto banana pieces with pastry brush. Roll in cereal, completely coating all sides.
FREEZE 4 hours or until firm.
How many servings:
3 kids (one each) Haha unless you decided 2 each then double the portion of ingredients
Occasions:
Weekend treat, hot sunny day