Day: November 12, 2016

Compilation Of Easy & Healthy Home-Cooked Dinner

I realized that I have not cooked Chicken Adobo for 3 years when I referred back to my old blog post for the recipe!  Since it is pretty easy to prep and I have ran out of idea on what to dish out, we had Chicken Adobo early this week.

Chicken Adobo is a popular dish in the Philippine cuisine that involves meat, seafood, or vegetables marinated in vinegar, soy sauce and garlic, which is browned in oil, and simmered in the marinade. The chicken is then grilled briefly in the oven.  I added a handful of bay leaves into the simmer sauce for a more flavorful lift.

Below – braised pork belly with garlic, onions, carrots, potatoes and hard-boiled eggs in soy sauce. This is the Chinese equivalent of stew… my creation 😀

Below – sauteed Shimeiji and Maitake mushrooms with minced garlic and organic shoyu.

Below – sauteed organic cabbage with carrots; grilled sesame chicken drumsticks and boneless chicken thighs marinated with aromatic five-spice powder and garlic powder.

On busy or lazy days, grilled chicken is always my ‘trump card’ for this dish always gets the thumbs up from the girls. I could have the chicken marinated in any of the myriad flavors using only robust and healthy herbs and spices and the outcome is always pleasurable for everyone. It is so easy to prep and is a very forgiving dish. It can be a total child’s play too – just get your kids to help with marinating the chicken with whatever seasoning and spices that they like and a few hours later, pop it into the oven. While the oven does its job, you can sit back and relax and check your Facebook updates. I normally hang the fresh laundry while the chicken is grilling in the oven or stir fry the vegetables.

Below – sauteed spinach with minced garlic; braised soft baby pork ribs with homemade preserved sour plum (an aunt from Taiwan made this for us), organic miso, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, garlic, onions and sour plum sauce.  Braised for 1.5 hours in high flame and I had a very delightful and succulent almost fall-off the bone ribs, which the kids noshed down in a jiffy.

Below – sweet and peppery soft pork slices. Pork slices were marinated for several hours with white pepper, garlic powder, organic brown sugar, corn flour and soy sauce. Pan fry the pork slices until they turn golden brown, then add water and 1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce and simmer until sauce thickens and reduces to your desired consistency. This will pair well with rice and vermicelli.

I cooked enough to give some to the girls’ grandaunt and kept some for  next day’s lunch, which I ate with some blanched vermicelli.

These are the dishes that busy working mums or dads can prep in under 1.5 hours.  Oil splatter is minimal too.

Lately I have been trying out new dishes and I have been very pleased with the outcome. I cooked Mee Siam (Tomyam noodles) for the first time two days ago and it was a success. Even the persnickety and critical foodie hubs gave his seal of approval. I shall write a new blog post on my Mee Siam next. Stay tuned…

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Should You Opt For Condominiums As Your Home?

There are loads of reasons why someone who opt for high-rise such as condominiums even when a condominium for sale usually come with a hefty price per square foot. When purchasing a condominium the buyer is agreeing to buy all the space within the walls. Everything outside the condo belongs to the building manager. Condos are a great buy, but to determine if they are right for you there are some pros and cons to consider.

The Many Advantages
Condominiums are usually conveniently located in places like downtown locations, or within walking distance of public transports, restaurants, shopping, schools, and medical facilities. It also gives a sense of security to many people who feel safer having close neighbors. This is especially true when some condos are heavily guarded with security guards, buzzers and gates with security codes. 


Low maintenance sounds like not the case when you need to pay more or less half a dollar per square foot but trust me, it is. You are paying a low maintenance price to get things like plumbing taken care of.  Moreover, you don’t have to worry about mowing your front law or backyard or taking care of the common area. The area under your own administration is just too limited which is a good thing.

Amenities are a good selling point for condos. Most places offer many types of amenities like a lifestyle gym, pool, playground and grocery stores. Not forgetting a close community goes by the name of condominium association. Each owner is a part of this association. The association has an elected board that is responsible for repairs and maintenance issues, along with enforcing policies or bylaws. They handle disputes between neighbors as well. 

Last but not least, you can pretty much lock the door and go whenever you feel like getting out of city for a vacation. Your condo is much less likely to get broken into because of the security condominium offer. More often than not, your condo will be located in the heart of the town or city or even close to great shopping center and restaurant allowing you to enjoy the life a little better.

You Can’t Have It All
Of course not everything can go in your favor especially when you as the unit owner never owns the land underneath them or around them. You will only own the space between the walls of your condo. Common areas are shared with others in the neighborhood. There is little storage space and bedroom does not typically exceed 3 per condo. The space is not too large either. Sometimes the rooms and restrooms are small. Consider how much space is needed in the home. Consider how much time will be spent in each room. 

Sometimes there is not a lot of privacy. Sharing a wall means hearing the neighbors’ next doors from time to time. Another thing to keep in mind is that condominium corporations can impose numerous monthly fees. Some of the fees may cater for electricity but more often than not, they will only include building insurance and property maintenance. The amount of the fees depend on the square footage of your condo so the bigger the unit, the higher the fees you will pay. In some instances, the fees can runs you an extra RM 500 per month. If moving from a home to a condo, the association might come across as weak. It is made up of homeowners not property-management professionals. At times they have been known to be inefficient. In addition, renovations of a personal unit might need the approval of the association. 

There you go on the many pros and cons of staying in a high rise like condominiums. When you are on the hunt for the perfect condominiums, consider everything involved from the location, security, parking spaces, layout of the unit and more. Fret not, I’m not asking you to go condo by condo to check all these out, you just need to visit property portal like PropertyGuru to look for condominiums for sale and you can get all the information hassle free.

 

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Ways You Can Help People With Cancer

A diagnosis of cancer can change a person’s life and turn their world upside down on the spot. In some cases, the diagnosis is not severe and the problem can be handled with medication or surgery. But then there are those cases where the outcome is not as certain and the future is not so guaranteed. People who get told that they have cancer are always in need of support and assistance, and there are plenty of ways that you can help.

Get Involved With An Active Group
Many churches do cancer crusades where they raise money and awareness for the need to fight this deadly disease. Sometimes getting involved with a group that is focused on helping with a problem can give you the determination you need to help. It can be difficult to really understand what cancer patients need from day to day, but being part of a crusade will help you to maintain contact with the people who need help the most.

Be Part Of A Support Group
Support groups are made up of a wide variety of people who want to help cancer patients to handle the day to day pressure of fighting such a disease. The misconception is that you must have some kind of experience with cancer to be part of a support group. The truth is that anyone who cares and wants to lend a shoulder for patients to lean on is welcome.

Visit Patients In The Hospital
You do not have to be a pro athlete or celebrity to make a difference in the lives of cancer patients. If you want to help brighten a cancer patient’s day, then arrange with the hospital to bring flowers or balloons and maybe a song to sing to help patients out. You may not be a doctor offering treatment, but you are doing the next best thing by giving patients something else to focus on for a while.

Be Active In Fundraising
Cancer fundraising groups can always use more volunteers to help bring in funds and get the word out to the public. If you want to help, all you need to do is volunteer your services to a local cancer fundraising group.

It is normal to want to help cancer patients, but not everyone knows how to get involved. Sometimes all it takes is a little of your time to make a big difference in the life of someone suffering from a horrible disease.

 

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HEALTH FREAK MOMMY