Alfalfa Sprouts Salad With Korean Kimchi, Kobe Beef And Meat Floss

Posted on June 19, 2015 by admin

I try to eat raw alfalfa sprouts twice a week. Depending on what is available at the supermarket, I’ll alternate between alfalfa sprouts, alfalfa and broccoli sprouts, onion and alfalfa sprouts (onion sprouts are a tad bitter) and salad sprouts. I only buy organic sprouts. I normally buy organic or pesticide-free veggies that we eat raw.

My alfalfa sprouts salad yesterday was very refreshing! I paired it with Korean kimchi, cool cherry tomatoes, Kobe beef jerky and crunchy meat floss. The Kobe beef jerky and crunchy meat floss were bought from Japan and Taiwan respectively by the MIL recently.

I used Mat Kimchi brand of kimchi imported from Korea. It’s my first time buying this brand and the girls and I are pretty satisfied with it. The spiciness level is very acceptable and even those who cannot stomach spicy food should be able to take this brand of kimchi. I always try to get kimchi that has added Lactobacillus for its health properties and Mat Kimchi’s kimchi has this beneficial bacteria.

The health benefits of eating raw alfalfa sprouts are myriad.

Some of alfalfa’s benefits include:

Cancer Prevention Properties:
Alfalfa sprouts are rich in canavanine, an amino acid analog known to be beneficial in fighting leukemia, pancreatic and colon cancer as well as fibrocystic breast tumors.

Lowering Bad Cholesterol Levels:
Alfalfa sprouts are rich in saponins, a chemical compound believed to help lower bad cholesterol (LDL) levels while maintaining good cholesterol (HDL) levels.

Improving Heart Health:
Saponins are also believed to reduce atherosclerosis (the hardening of the arteries) and other cardiovascular diseases due to its anti-inflammatory properties.

Anti-Inflammatory Properties:
The anti-inflammatory properties of saponins are believed to help prevent strokes, reduce the inflammatory process in arthritis and lower chronic inflammatory disorders.

Rich in Antioxidants:
Alfalfa sprouts are known to be one of the vegetables with the highest amount of antioxidants. Antioxidants are crucial in boosting the immune system as well as fighting free radicals. Antioxidants have long been known to lower the rate of cancer, stroke and heart disease.

Immune System Booster:
Studies have shown that saponins also play a role in the immune system by boosting the activity of natural killer cells, T-lymphocytes and interferons.

Weight-Loss Properties:
Alfalfa sprouts not only taste delicious but are also low in calories. They are rich in protein and fiber, making this vegetable a great alternative to greasy, fatty foods, which means it can help efforts to lose and control weight.

Improving Bone Health:
Estrogen, a compound found in alfalfa sprouts, are believed to help increase bone formation and improve bone density, therefore helping prevent osteoporosis.

Controlling Blood Sugar:
Studies have shown that consuming alfalfa sprouts may help manage diabetes. Limited studies have shown a small reduction in blood sugar levels; however, more research on the benefits of alfalfa sprouts in reducing blood sugar levels are needed in order to substantiate this argument

Healthy Breakfast – 30 May 2015

Posted on May 31, 2015 by admin

These are some light snacks for Cass yesterday while waiting for me to bring her out for breakfast of bitter gourd + minced pork vermicelli, which is our absolute favorite on a Saturday morning…

Izumio hydrogen water (to zap away free radicals), toasted almonds and toasted organic pumpkin seeds…

And of course our smoothie of the day of orange + green apple + mangosteen juice + fresh coconut water and a teaspoon of organic beetroot powder.

Healthy stuff eh? This is my little investment for my family and myself for good health and hopefully a life free from major ailments. 🙂

Awesome Rawsome Lunch – 2 April 2015

Posted on April 3, 2015 by admin

Yesterday was awesome rawsome lunch day for me. I do that twice or thrice a week, for lunch. Today is yet another day of going raw for lunch, well almost, as I will be adding an egg to increase my hemoglobin levels. I am anemic, caused by heavy menses, which in turn is contributed by a tiny fibroid in my uterus.

My awesome rawsome lunch yesterday was Pesto Salad. The salad composed of alfalfa and onion sprouts, walnut, almond, pecan, sesame seeds, organic Japanese kyori, organic cherry tomatoes, green grapes, seasoned seaweed, fried shallots, Japanese Yuzu plum dressing and homemade Pesto paste.

Before lunch, I downed 2 glasses of raw smoothie, consisting of orange, apple, green grapes and alfalfa and onion sprouts. The kids and the hubs had orange and apple smoothie, sans the raw sprouts.

**BURP**!! That was so so filling and enough to sustain me till dinner while giving me the fuel to slave for the kids and household 😀

Can anyone eat such healthy stuff just for a day? Tell me you can! They are good stuff you’re pumping into your body alright! 😉

Healthy Salad For A Health Freak Mommy

Posted on March 27, 2015 by admin

Here’s what I had for lunch yesterday…

Onion and alfalfa sprouts with cherry tomatoes, Japanese kyuri, green grapes, Korean seasoned seaweed, toasted sesame seeds, fried shallots, 1/2 hard boiled egg and a small portion of pork chop (to bring my iron level up a few notches). I can very well do without any meat these days but I need to up my iron level, so am forcing myself to eat more red meat these days, though at times, this makes my tummy churn — feeling is like heart burn when I overdo on meat.

The natural sweetness from the green grapes adds so much yummy-ness to my salad. Even without any salad dressing, I can graze my greens away with so much delight! Best of all, grapes are au naturel (just make sure you wash them thoroughly) , definitely way better than a bottle of processed salad dressing.

This is so refreshing, so filling and it’s nutrients dense. It’s also high in fiber, high in protein and low in carbs and calories. Just perfect for a health freak mommy! 😀

Lunch Today – 5 December 2014

Posted on December 5, 2014 by admin

Cass is such an easy-going child. She is not as persnickety when it comes to food, unlike her 2 older sisters. She will even be happy if she is given just Honey Stars or bread for lunch or dinner! But would I do that? Only if I am super duper busy and unwell to cook.

Today is the first day that Alycia and Sherilyn are away. With just Cass, cooking for her is such a breeze!

This morning, I bought a piece of chicken keel to boil radish soup. Yes, only 1 piece of chicken keel vs. 4-5 pieces if I were to prepare soup for 2 more kids.

Actually, I ain’t in the mood to cook anything today due to sleep deprivation (I got up at 4:30am to prepare A & S for their early morning flight) but I forced myself to make a trip to the mini mart to buy chicken for the soup as well as some veggies for tonight. I had to finish cooking all the perishables in the fridge before we leave for Auckland on Tuesday.

For lunch, I blanched some Japanese colorful noodles (which tastes like ‘min sin’) for Cass. The colors of the noodles come from vegetables.

Seasoning for the noodles is pretty simple and just a few — sesame seed oil, a dash of organic soy sauce, toasted sesame seeds, fried onions, seasoned Korean seaweed and some radish soup. The turmeric chicken was left-over from dinner last night.

And my baby girl noshed away this bowl of noodles in a jiffy, as though it was some tasty, MSG-laden noodles from a Japanese restaurant!

Tonight’s dinner will be grilled chicken drumsticks, blanched veggie and radish soup. No wonder friends of mine with just 1 child are so free! Cooking for just 1 child is sup sup sui!! *feeling proud of smug* HAHA!

Going Green And Raw

Posted on November 25, 2014 by admin

I have been going green and raw for the past few days. Firstly, I am not feeling 100% up to the mark, no thanks to the flu bugs loitering in our home. No matter how hard I try to eat clean, I somewhat succumbed to the virulent bugs. But the good thing is – the infection is a very mild one and definitely does not warrant medication. Secondly, I am trying to steer clear of oily and heaty food to up my immune system. We have an overseas trip coming up in just 2 weeks. The girls ain’t following exactly what I eat but are sticking to non-oily, non-spicy and non-fried food.

Today’s lunch is salad with eggs (organic) again! 🙂

Besides stuffing myself full with greens, I have also been working out hard at the gym the past few days, sweating it out really well and I am so happy that I am finally picking up the momentum again since months ago. I have not hit the gym for almost 2 months as during school-going days, I would be too early for the gym. The gym is only accessible at 7am and I am always done with my run at the condo’s jogging trek by 6:50am. Besides sweating buckets, I have also been getting a good dose of morning sun the past few days. The morning sun shines right at me as the position of the air walker that I normally work out on faces the morning sun directly.

This Hakka Lui Cha was my lunch yesterday. As you can see, the composition of this healthy dish is mainly veggies, chick peas and peanuts in blended mint broth. While I gobbled down this bowl of green stuff, my girls ate soupy noodles with eggs and minced pork.

Health Freak Mommy’s Breakfast – 4 November 2014

Posted on November 4, 2014 by admin

This is what I had for breakfast this morning…

Roasted pumpkin wedges, carrots, aubergine and garlic with olive oil and salt. And I ate them cold. Straight from the fridge and I like it this way 🙂 In fact, I like food eaten (certain food, not all) straight from the fridge. I wonder if anyone has this quirk like I do!

I do not normally eat this sort of stuff for breakfast but today, I am feeling crabby. My aunt flow is giving me superdy duperdy painful stomach cramps like miscarriage kind of pain, with heavy pressure at the lower abdomen area since yesterday. Darn the fibroid in my uterus. It is causing me heavy aunt flow with blood clots too. This month is really bad. So bloody, so much blood clots and the pain is really crap!

Anyway, whether I am feeling great or in pain, life has to go on. While I ate breakfast, I read the newspapers and went through the clock with Cass. She is sitting for her final exam today and tomorrow.

What did you have for breakfast today?

Maple Syrup Health Benefits

Posted on October 16, 2014 by admin

This morning I bought a bottle of organic 100% pure maple syrup from the mini mart. I could not decide if I should buy it or otherwise as I think forking out RM34.90 for a 250ml bottle of syrup is just too expensive. At the mini mart, I was also hunting for agave nectar (which is slightly cheaper) but it was out of stock. In our household, we do not use white sugar. We use healthier alternatives like agave nectar, palm sugar or organic raw brown sugar. With no other choice, I bought the bottle of 100% pure maple syrup, simply because the new chicken recipe that I found requires maple syrup and I am very eager to try cooking this crock pot chicken drumstick cooked with maple syrup and dijon mustard. It looks very easy to prepare and sweat-free too.

Besides using maple syrup to cook the new chicken recipe that I have in mind, I can also drizzle some maple syrup onto my sugar-free skinny yoghurt which I take on most weekday mornings.

Why is maple syrup one of the best sugar alternatives?
This healthy sweetener is 100% natural, pure and free of any coloring or additives. Boiled down directly from tree sap, which is harvested from the maple tree towards the end of winter, pure maple syrup is an unprocessed, authentic product of nature. White sugar, for example, is typically derived from sugar cane, and processed and purified before being sold. Because maple syrup is not processed, it contains higher levels of potentially beneficial minerals, including calcium, potassium, sodium and copper, making it the best sugar alternative.

A previous study published in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2007 found that maple syrup contains polyphenols such as abscisic acid (ABA), which is thought to stimulate insulin release through pancreatic cells very much the same way berries increase sensitivity of the fat cells to insulin, which makes the syrup beneficial for those with metabolic syndrome and diabetes.

Maple syrup is one of the many wonders of the world and far more than a simple sweetener. Maple syrup is not only rich in essential nutrients such as manganese as well as zinc, but 34 new beneficial compounds discovered just a few years ago have been confirmed to play a key role in human health.

Overnight Oats With Fresh Coconut Milk

Posted on October 10, 2014 by admin

This bowl of overnight oats is probably the last thing you want to eat for breakfast. But looks can be deceiving. My bowl of chilled oats for today’s breakfast tastes awesome! It reminds me of the Bircher Muesli that I often eat at hotels for breakfast, sans the grated apple.

Health Freak Mommy’s breakfast of overnight oats today composes of chia seeds, macadamia nuts, pumpkin seeds, ground hazelnut, fresh coconut milk and zero sugar. All the nuts and seeds were raw and soaked with the oats and milk, except for the ground hazelnut. The fresh coconut milk was added in last, at the time of eating. This breakfast is suitable for diabetics and diet freaks too as it is sugar-free, low in carb and high in protein. This is just so good. Eating clean just can’t get any better!

Blackstrap Molasses

Posted on September 2, 2014 by admin

I bought a jar of organic unsulphured blackstrap molasses last week. After reading up the health benefits of blackstrap molasses, I wanted to give it a try too.

Instead of popping iron pills for anemia every other day, I thought I might as well pop something more natural like blackstrap molasses.

Blacsktrap is a natural stool softener that can improve the regularity and quality of your bowel movements. I thought that I could try feeding Cass with this too.

When I tried a teaspoon of blackstrap when I got home from the supermarket, I was disappointed. It tasted awful on my tongue and I do not think I can bring myself to swallow down a teaspoon of this black, thick and gooey stuff neat everyday.

I have yet to try marinating my meats with blackstrap and then grilling them to mask the taste. I am going to try doing this one of these days. And I think I can substitute our regular Chinese thick dark sauce with blackstrap as it tastes somewhat alike.

I will have some experiments to do in the kitchen soon and I hope that my kids won’t even be able to point out the unusual taste in their grilled chicken and dry noodles darkened with blackstrap 😉

Health Benefits of Blackstrap Molasses

1) Safe sweetener for diabetics – Unlike refined sugar, blackstrap molasses has a moderate glycemic load of 55. This makes it a good sugar substitute for diabetics and individuals who are seeking to avoid blood sugar spikes. Moreover, one serving of blackstrap contains no fat and only 32 calories, making it suitable for a weight loss diet.

2) Laxative qualities – Blackstrap is a natural stool softener that can improve the regularity and quality of your bowel movements.

3) Rich in iron – Two tablespoons of blackstrap contain 13.2 percent of our RDI of iron, which our bodies need to carry oxygen to our blood cells. People who are anemic (including pregnant women) will greatly benefit from consuming 1-2 tablespoons of blackstrap molasses per day.

4) High in calcium and magnesium – Blackstrap molasses contains a mineral profile that has been optimized by nature for superior absorption. For example, two tablespoons of blackstrap contains 11.7 percent of our RDI of calcium and 7.3 percent of our RDI of magnesium. This calcium-magnesium ratio is ideal, since our bodies need large quantities of magnesium to help absorb similarly large quantities of calcium. Both of these minerals aid the growth and development of bones, making blackstrap a good safeguard against osteoporosis and other bone diseases.

5) Additional mineral content – Two tablespoons of blackstrap molasses also contains 18 percent of our RDI of manganese (which helps produce energy from proteins and carbohydrates), 9.7 percent of our RDI of potassium (which plays an important role in nerve transmission and muscle contraction), 5 percent of our RDI of vitamin B6 (which aids brain and skin development) and 3.4 percent of our RDI of selenium, an important antioxidant.

6) Colon Health
Blackstrap molasses is a very good source of calcium, which helps cleanse the colon of toxins. Calcium is often associated with a reduced risk of colon cancer.

7) Good Source of Selenium
Blackstrap molasses is a good source of selenium, providing about 5% of the DV per tablespoon. Selenium plays a key role in thyroid function, antioxidant protection, cancer prevention, cardiovascular health and inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. Selenium deficiency can lead to these and other health conditions.

8) Good Source of Vitamin B6
One tablespoon of blackstrap molasses provides 7.5% the DV of vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 is needed for the immunity, the nervous system, cell formation, blood health and energy production. It is also believed to have anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties.

9) Skin Health
Testimonials claim that blackstrap molasses is great for skin health and may help to cure eczema, psoriasis, acne and other skin conditions. Blackstrap molasses contains powerful antioxidants, which are believed to contribute to good skin health and lower the risk of lines, wrinkles and other skin conditions associated with premature aging.

With so many health benefits tagged to blackstrap, I really need to find innovative ways of concealing this syrup in the food for my kids and me! Or train my taste bud to accept it neat!