2015 in brief

Source

The good thing about blogging is that I can check back my blog posts to find out what I have done throughout the year when I can't seem to recall them from my failing memory bank. LOL.

January

• The toddler, then 17 months, had his first encounter with the notorious stomach flu.
• Put together a detailed guideline about how to cook grains for the little one: Part 1 and Part 2.

February

• Compiled a list of home remedies for common sicknesses in kids.
• Being a babywearing mom, I put together a basic guideline about choosing baby carriers.

March

• We traveled a lot this month; kicked off our travel escapades with our first family beach vacation at ClubMed Cherating.
• And followed by our first 6D5N family vacation to Taiwan: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.

April

• A slow month. This was when I started publishing my breakfast posts in a more orderly manner. Here's one for working moms and check out my Facebook page for more mouthwatering ideas in the #breakfastseries album.
• Visited and reviewed Babytots@play (Bukit Jalil) - Creative Play & Learn Centre for Children.

May

• Check out my collaborative blog posts with Babydash.
• Attended an informative event about the importance of sufficient water intake in our daily living.

June

• Another milestone achieved by my little one who turned a chatterbox at 21 months. Since then, he has been talking non-stop and never fail to amuse us. :)
• If you want to buy things from iHerb, use my code: WLB090. See what I have bought on this post.
• Achieved another milestone for my blog as I launched my series of featured mommypreneurs blog posts. It's like, finally. It took so long because I wanted to make it a special feature in June, my birthday month. There was a back story though, but let's just leave it behind.

July

• Reviewed Bonyu Ba.
• Reviewed PONS Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
• Reviewed Soap Cart.
• Check out my collaborative posts with Urban Stove.
• Officially a a certified breastfeeding peer counselor. Contact me if you need assistance regarding breastfeeding.

August

• My boy turned two. Big boy already. :)
• Visited a bazaar for mommypreneurs, organized by Moms4Projects.
• Reviewed EcoHaus Malaysia.
• Reviewed Baby Kimono Rompers by Haha no yume 母の夢.
• Reviewed Vi Vien's Homemade Vegetable Pasta.

September

• Started writing guest posts for HappyRecipe.
• Hosted a giveaway contest in conjunction with the release of Disney's Star Wars Rebels Season 2.
• Had our first family trip to Dinoscovery in Avenue K, KL.
• Reviewed Rawsome Chia Seed Puddings.

October

• Attended the private launch of iOli Malaysia.
• Wrote about postpartum depression, not that I had it, but it was written as an educational post.
• Reviewed INDIGObaby products from Nature's Treat.

November

• Visited another mommypreneurs bazaar and came in touch with a number of budding homegrown brands.
• Reviewed Raja Kayu health & well-being products.

December

• Compiled photos of activities with my toddler.
• Attended a blogger conference by The Parenthood in conjunction with the launch of the first London Street Family Park in Malaysia.
• Honored to be part of Freshcart Malaysia's "Ask Me Anything" session.
• Started my One Word A Day Journal on my Instagram and Facebook page.
• Reviewed Rainbows & Butterflies and Little Baby Grains.
• Check out my collaborative blog posts with RawSpiceBar.
• This eventful month included the timing to try for our rainbow baby.

Having said that, don't miss my recipes posts, published almost daily. Or you can follow me on Instagram and Facebook page for more instant updates about everything to do with recipes, motherhood, and toddlerhood.

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Ethiopian Chicken Stew & Berbere Roasted Vegetables (with RawSpiceBar's November Ethiopian Spice Box)

Thanks RawSpiceBar for sending me the November 2015 Spice Box. I have used the box's Pumpkin Pie Spice to make my cuppa Pumpkin Pie Spiced Coffee and to bake Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas.

Now I cooked Ethiopian Chicken Stew and Berbere Roasted Vegetables.

The spices I used are Berbere and Mitmita.

Berbere

Arguably the most famous spice blend of Ethiopian cuisine, berbere is smoky, spicy and complex. This spice mix is traditionally used in nearly all Ethiopian dishes but particularly shines in stews and on meats and poultry. Also try as a rub on roast chicken, roast vegetables or stir into oil and vinegar as a dip.

Mitmita

This bright orange, crazy hot spice blend is perhaps Ethiopia's second most famous spice mix. African birds eye chili peppers, cardamom, black peppercorns and other spices add a spicy hot kick to meat stews, lentils or grilled meats. Also great for using in place of hot sauce or Siracha as a powdered dip or condiment.

Ethiopian Chicken Stew

Ingredients:
(Serves 2)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon RawSpiceBar's Freshly Ground Berbere
1/4 teaspoon RawSpiceBar's Freshly Ground Mitmita
1/2 teaspoon molasses sugar
2 chicken thighs, skin removed, chopped into 8 chunks
2 cups chicken stock
2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
Salt & pepper, to taste

How to: 

Heat up vegetable oil in frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 10-15 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add RawSpiceBar's Berbere & Mitmita spices and molasses sugar, cook, stirring continuously, for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
Add chicken chunks and chicken stock. Bring it to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer the chicken for at least 55 minutes. Add in the hard-boiled eggs and simmer for another 5-10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with steamed mixed grains rice.

Berbere Roasted Vegetables

Ingredients:
(Serves 2)

4 Russet potatoes, cut into large chunks
1 medium carrot, cut into juliennes
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1/2 tablespoon RawSpiceBar's Freshly Ground Berbere
Salt & freshly ground pepper, to sprinkle
Extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle

How to:

Preheat oven to 200ºC. Parboil the potatoes in boiling salted water for 5 minutes. Drain. Toss potatoes, carrots, and cherry tomatoes with RawSpiceBar's Berbere, salt, pepper, and olive oil until well coated. Place on foil-lined roasting pan and roast for 20 minutes. Turn the vegetables around and roast for an additional 10 minutes, or until fork-tender. Remove from oven and serve.

Find out more about RawSpiceBar on:

Website: https://rawspicebar.com/collections/spices/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rawspicebar

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rawspicebar/

Email: contact@rawspicebar.com

You can also SUBSCRIBE to their quarterly spice subscription here - https://rawspicebar.com/collections/spice-subscription-sets-quarterly

Connect with me on my Facebook page and Instagram for more updates!

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One Word A Day Journal

Source

I started this One Word A Day Journal on my Instagram and Facebook page to document my day-to-day personal experiences for the last 15 days in 2015.

Here's the compilation:

Posted by joycescapade.com

If time allows, I will write another closing post for this year. Till then, I wish you a blessed Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year 2016!

Let 2015 ends with fond memories and 2016 begins with many more new adventures, blessings, and even fonder memories!

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Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas (with Pumpkin Pie Spice)

Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas (with Pumpkin Pie Spice)

It's December, my favorite month of the year. However, December this year has been quite a rocky month but I believe every cloud has a silver lining. Anyway, I don't want to miss out this month's potluck, so I make Giada's roasted chickpeas and add some pumpkin pie spice (from RawSpiceBar) for extra kicks. :)

Recipe adapted from Giada De Laurentiis' Crispy Chickpeas.

Ingredients:
(Serves 2)

Vegetable oil
1 can (425g) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice (from RawSpiceBar)


How to:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven. Grease a baking dish with vegetable oil. 

2. Dry chickpeas thoroughly with kitchen towel. Toss them in a bowl with olive oil to coat. Sprinkle with salt and toss again. Transfer in an even layer to the grease baking dish.

3. Bake for about 30 minutes. Then, shake the dish a bit and resume baking up to 50 minutes to 1 hour. Once done, toss with pumpkin pie spice. Let cool at least 1 hour before serving.

Ready for some crunchy goodness!

These crunchy and crispy spiced roasted chickpeas are best munched on with a cuppa of piping hot pumpkin pie spiced coffee while reading a favorite book, without the toddler, of course. Haha. Munching these delicious chickpeas is kinda therapeutic too. Good for me at the moment. :)

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC) for this week's theme, IHCC December Potluck!

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Pumpkin Pie Spiced Coffee (featuring RawSpiceBar)

Thanks RawSpiceBar for sending me the November 2015 Spice Box. I love my cup of Pumpkin Pie Spiced Coffee, of which I have added some Pumpkin Pie Spice.

What is RawSpiceBar?

RawSpiceBar is a delivery service that delivers freshly ground global spices and flavor kits for cooking global dishes direct to your doorstep for $6/month.

RawSpiceBar sources whole, high quality, unique spices and flavors from around the world. Their spice blends are perfectly portioned, freshly ground, and expertly blended by top chefs for maximum authentic flavor. You will also be receiving kitchen-tested recipe cards featuring regional cuisines. All spice blends are freshly ground just days before shipping direct to your doorstep.

What's in the Monthly Spice Box?

• Three freshly ground flavor kits with a regional theme
• Kitchen-tested recipes to cook 3 global dishes serving 4-6
• Spice stories & culinary history of each new region
• Surprises like bonus spices, toasting tips, discounts and other fun stuff

What's in my November Spice Box?

November's box is Ethiopian Spice Box that comes with these three exquisite spices.

Berbere

Arguably the most famous spice blend of Ethiopian cuisine, berbere is smoky, spicy and complex. This spice mix is traditionally used in nearly all Ethiopian dishes but particularly shines in stews and on meats and poultry. Also try as a rub on roast chicken, roast vegetables or stir into oil and vinegar as a dip.

Mitmita

This bright orange, crazy hot spice blend is perhaps Ethiopia's second most famous spice mix. African birds eye chili peppers, cardamom, black peppercorns and other spices add a spicy hot kick to meat stews, lentils or grilled meats. Also great for using in place of hot sauce or siracha as a powdered dip or condiment.

Pumpkin Pie Spice

This fall inspired spice blend is unlike all those other traditional blends - with freshly ground cinnamon, allspice and star anise as the star ingredients. Sprinkle over squash and roast, stir into yogurt or ice cream or brew into your morning coffee or add to cookies, breads, cakes, pies or other baked goods.

Ingredients in the Pumpkin Pie Spice packet: Cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, mace, star anise, spices.

For my instant Pumpkin Pie Spiced Coffee, here's how I make it:

In a mug, I add a packet of instant 2-in-1 milk coffee (12g), 1 tablespoon molasses sugar, and 1 teaspoon RawSpiceBar Pumpkin Pie Spice. Mix well and pour in 1 cup of boiling water. Stir well and serve.

I have another few recipes coming up in next blog posts. Stay tuned! You can follow my updates on my Facebook page and Instagram.

You can also SUBSCRIBE to their quarterly spice subscription here - https://rawspicebar.com/collections/spice-subscription-sets-quarterly

Find out more about RawSpiceBar on:

Website: https://rawspicebar.com/collections/spices/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rawspicebar

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rawspicebar/

Email: contact@rawspicebar.com

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Little Baby Grains for babies and toddlers

What is Little Baby Grains?

Little Baby Grains is founded by Grace, a certified Dr. Sears Health Coach, full-time mother of two little darlings, and an entrepreneur. I know her from Gracious Little Things where she shares her mommy experiences and useful tips.

Little Baby Grains is a provider of organic and natural / chemical-free rice grains suitable for babies from 6 months. Based on your baby's age and needs, they will recommend different blends of baby rice for him or her.

Here are the blends:

For Babies (between 6 months to 1 year old)

• Fresh Start: Organic / chemical-free white rice suitable for babies and toddlers from 6 months onwards. You can choose between organic white rice from Taiwan or chemical-free white rice from Sarawak.


• Light and Easy: Organic / chemical-free white rice and organic millet suitable for babies and toddlers from 6 months onwards. For the white rice, you can choose between organic white rice from Taiwan or chemical-free white rice from Sarawak.


• Junior Nutri-Color: Chemical-free white and red rice, and organic millet suitable for babies and toddlers from 9 months onwards.

Note: All blends above are sold by 1kg pack each.

For Toddlers (after 1 year old)

All three above plus below:

• Nutri-Color: Chemical-free white and red rice, and organic millet suitable for babies and toddlers from 1 year onwards.


• Nutri-Duo: Chemical-free white and red rice suitable for babies and toddlers from 1 year onwards.


• Q-Junior: Organic / chemical-free white rice, chemical-free red rice, organic millet and organic quinoa suitable for toddlers from 15 months onwards.


• Q-Boost: Organic / chemical-free white rice, chemical-free red rice, organic millet and organic quinoa suitable for toddlers from 18 months onwards.


• Progressive: Chemical-free red rice suitable for toddlers from 2 years old.

Note: All blends above are sold by 1kg pack each. Each kilogram pack ranges between RM18 to RM25.

Orders will be sent via courier. For orders of 20kg or more, drop-off is an available option. Apart from the rice packs, you can also purchase starter kits and party packs. Pretty interesting I'd say. I recommend that you read up their informative FAQ section if you have questions.

Q-Boost

I was given a pack of Q-Boost (1kg) for this review.

The pack comes with a summary of storing instruction.

There's also a QR code where you can scan
for cooking instructions.

Q-Boost contains four types of grains:
organic/chemical-free white rice, chemical-free red rice,
organic millet, and organic quinoa.

Ingredients and country of origin are listed clearly.

All are mixed well in the container that I use to keep the grains.

Recipes

Here are a few recipes that I have created using Q-Boost.

Recipe can be found here.

Recipe can be found here.

Tomato Porridge

Ingredients:
(Serves 2 meals)

1/2 cup chicken fillet
1/2 medium Japanese cucumber, cut into cubes
A handful chopped spring onions 
5 cherry tomatoes
6 tablespoons Q-Boost, soaked overnight in room temperature
Pinch of pink Himalayan salt
1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil

How to:

Put all ingredients (except coconut oil) into the stainless steel pot of an electric lunch box. Add enough water to cover the ingredients. Turn on the power and set the timer to 30 minutes. Stir in virgin coconut oil before serving.

Root Veggies Stew with Steamed Rice

Ingredients:

(Serves 2 meals)

1 small beetroot, cut into cubes

1/4 medium radish, cut into cubes

1 medium pumpkin slice, cut into cubes

1/2 small chayote, cut into cubes

1 small potato, cut into cubes 

1 small sweet potato, cut into cubes

Pinch of pink Himalayan salt

1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil

6 tablespoons Q-Boost, soaked overnight in room temperature

How to:

Put all ingredients (except coconut oil and rice) into the stainless steel pot of an electric lunch box. Add enough water to cover the ingredients. Turn on the power and set the timer to 60 minutes. Stir in virgin coconut oil before serving. Steam-cook the rice in the second tier of the same electric lunch box for 30 minutes. Remove the cooked rice from the cooker and let the stew continues cooking until the 60th-minute mark.

Win Christmas Gifts by Little Baby Grains!

Thank you for your support! For every purchase of RM50 throughout December, we are giving you a Christmas gift in the...
Posted by Little Baby Grains on Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Contact

For more information, please visit:

Website (Online Store): http://www.littlebabygrains.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/littlebabygrains
Email: littlebabygrains@gmail.com
Contact number: 012-735 5160

Thanks Grace for collaborating with me for this post and for the pack of Q-Boost.

Little Baby Grains is listed on Featured Mommypreneurs on joycescapade.com.

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Vanilla Cinnamon Oatmeal - #breakfastseries

Vanilla Cinnamon Oatmeal

This week at IHCC, we are making any Ellie Krieger's recipe with either (or both) cinnamon and sugar in it. Sugar and spice and everything nice! I make Ellie's vanilla spice oatmeal - simple, fuss-free, delicious! :D

Recipe adapted from Ellie Krieger's Vanilla Spice Oatmeal.

Ingredients:
(Serves 2) 

1 & 2/3 cups water
Pinch of salt 
1 cup organic rolled oats
1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon molasses sugar
1/2 cup oat milk
1/4 cup homemade granola
Pinch of ground cinnamon
4-5 whole walnut, lightly toasted


How to:

1. Bring water and salt to a boil in a pot. Stir in the oats and simmer over low heat, uncovered, for about 10 minutes.

2. Off the heat. Stir in vanilla extract, molasses sugar, oat milk, and granola. Mix well and ladle into two bowls. Top with ground cinnamon and toasted walnuts.

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC) for this week's theme, Cinnamon & Sugar.

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