Joy 'N' Escapade

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Nutty Beetroot & Sweet Potato Soup

Thursday, March 31, 2016

Nutty Beetroot & Sweet Potato Soup

I have always wanted to make Ellie's nutty sweet potato soup. Today's just the right day to do so, with the addition of beetroot.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
(Serves 2)

1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 medium beetroot, peeled & diced
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3 cups chicken broth
1 medium sweet potato, peeled & diced
1/4 cup roasted cashew nuts
1/4 cup creamy natural cashew butter
1/2 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon sour cream

How to:

1. Heat up olive oil in a large soup pot over a medium-high heat. Add onions and beetroot. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Add paprika, black pepper, garlic, and ginger. Stir in the broth and sweet potatoes and bring to a boil.

2. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

3. Add cashew nuts, then puree the soup in a blender. Add in cashew butter and honey and stir, over low heat, until the cashew butter melts. Serve warm, garnished with a dollop of sour cream.

Pretty!

Sour cream adds a different flavor dimension.

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

I'm also linking this post to the event, Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen.

Baby, Burppp..., I Cook, Self-enhancement, Solid food, Weekends

Toddler-approved Tuna, Cherry Tomatoes, Red Onion "Pizza"

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Tuna, Cherry Tomatoes, Red Onion "Pizza"

This "pizza" is toddler-approved! Why did I say "pizza"? That's because I didn't use a pizza dough as the base. I don't fancy making my own pizza dough and store-bought frozen doughs are expensive and most likely, unhealthy.

So, I used Lebanese flatbread. Hehe. You can easily buy Lebanese flatbread from hypermarkets. They are usually sold at the wraps/pita bread section.

Ingredients:
(Serves 2 adults + 1 toddler under 4 years old)

2 Lebanese flatbread
1/4 cup cream cheese
1 can tuna flakes in oil
1 medium red onion, cut into thin slices
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup shredded white Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded yellow Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon chili flakes (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper

How to:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.

2. Spread some cream cheese on the first flatbread. Lay the second flatbread on top and press lightly until both pieces stick together. Continue spreading cream cheese on top of the second flatbread.

3. Drain half of the oil from the tuna can and spread the tuna flakes evenly on the top of the flatbread, followed by red onions, and tomatoes.

4. Top with all three types of cheeses, sprinkle with chili flakes and ground black pepper.

5. Bake in the preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes. Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving immediately.

Flatbread makes a good pizza base. :)

Let's tear it up and eat!

This tuna-tomato-onion-cheese combo is great!

The edges of the flatbread are crunchy. Overall, it's like eating a thin crust pizza. My 31.5-month toddler eats the tuna and cheesy bits enthusiastically, including the crunchy edges. So there you go! My toddler-approved "pizza"!

#breakfastseries, Burppp..., Events, I Cook, People-to-People, Self-enhancement

Quinoa Salad (plus my diet & lifestyle change) - #breakfastseries

Friday, March 25, 2016

Quinoa Salad

I'm on a quest of eating as healthily as possible to prepare my body for the next pregnancy should my rainbow baby pays me a visit. :)

Here are a few points that I'm incorporating into my diet:

Avoid excess fat/oil, sugar, preservatives, and seasonings.
Cut down simple carbohydrates, e.g. white rice, white bread, pasta.
Eliminate simple carbohydrates from dinner.
Eat dinner before 7:30pm.
Drink at least 1.8L plain water every day.
Reduce tea and coffee to only one cup (without sugar) per week.

So far so good. I'm also exercising 20-30 minutes daily after reaching home in the evening. This daily routine keeps me motivated and less stressed out. I do hope my 31 months toddler will see me as a role model in terms of living an active lifestyle, not just typing away on mobile and laptop. :P

This quinoa salad serves as a great low-carb dinner. Great in taste and texture, and surprisingly filling!

Ingredients:
(Serves 2)

1/4 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 dried fig, coarsely chopped
4 pitted dates, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons raisins
1 cup cucumber cubes
1/2 cup blueberries
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon honey, plus more for drizzling
Raw pumpkin seeds, for garnishing

How to:

1. Add 1 cup of water into a pot and add the rinsed quinoa. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer over low-medium heat for about 12 minutes or until all water is absorbed. Let cool for 10 minutes and fluff with a fork.

2. In a bowl, add the chopped dried fig, dates, raisins, cucumber, and blueberries. Give them a gentle toss and add the fluffed quinoa.

3. Mix yogurt with honey until well combined. Pour into the quinoa mix and gently toss until well combined. Drizzle with some honey (optional) and top with raw pumpkin seeds. Serve immediately.

Great for breakfast and perfect for a low-carb dinner.

This post is also linked to the event, Little Thumbs Up (Little Thumbs Up March 2016: Honey) organized by Zoe (Bake for Happy Kids), Doreen (My Little Favourite DIY) and hosted by Joyce (joycescapade.com).

#breakfastseries, Action, Bloggie, Burppp..., Events, I Cook, People-to-People, Self-enhancement

Figs, Honey, Yogurt - #breakfastseries

Figs, Honey, Yogurt

Ingredients:
(Serves 1)

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon honey, plus more for drizzling
2 fresh figs, criss-crossed but not cut completely
1 dried fig, cut into half

How to:

Place yogurt in a bowl and mix with honey until well combined. Top with fresh figs and dried fig. Drizzle with more honey. Serve immediately.

Pretty breakfast boosts my mood every morning!

This morning's #breakfastbowl. Ingredients: Greek yogurt + milk + raw honey + instant oat (for the base), toppings are fresh figs and organic pumpkin seeds from @myfreshcart, air-fried banana chips from a colleague, and organic brown and golden flax seeds from the hypermarket. I'm absolutely in ❤ with pretty #breakfast! #breakfastmadeeasy #breakfastseries #breakfastinajiffy #freshfigs #greekyogurt #honey #pumpkinseeds #flaxseeds #bananachips #healthyeating #dontskipbreakfast #yogurtbowl #birchermuesli #flatlay #igbreakfast #foodphotography

A photo posted by Joyce Lee-Bates | Mom Blogger (@joycescapade) on Mar 23, 2016 at 12:53am PDT

Action, Bloggie, Burppp..., Events, I Cook, People-to-People, Self-enhancement

Honey-roasted Chicken with Roast Chickpeas & Vegetables Salad

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Honey-roasted Chicken with Roast Chickpeas & Vegetables Salad

After braving through last week's doom and gloom, I'm feeling super ambitious this week! I want to cook a dish that can satisfy the requirements of four blog hops. Yes, FOUR! Hahaha!

Here they are:

(1) Little Thumbs Up (LTU) with the theme "Honey" hosted by yours truly

(2) IHCC March 2016 Potluck

(3) Kitchen Flavours' Bake-Along with the theme Baked/Roast Chicken

(4) Deb's Souper (Soup, Salad, Sammies) Sundays

Guess what? Donna Hay has one recipe that does exactly what I want! This is the one: Honey-roasted Chicken with Roast Chickpeas & Vegetables Salad. There's honey (for LTU), roasted chicken (for bake-along), roast chickpeas & vegetables salad (for Souper Sundays), and it's a Donna Hay's recipe (for IHCC). Woohoo! One stone kills four birds. Hah.

Dinner is served!

Recipe adapted from Donna Hay's website.

Ingredients:
(Serves 4)

1/2 large beetroot, peeled and cut into thick strips
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into thick strips
1 medium red onion, cut into eight wedges
1 cup frozen baby peas, thawed
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 x 200g chicken breast fillets, skin on
2 x 400g cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

How to:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.

2. Place the beetroot, carrots, onion wedges, baby peas, honey, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper on a large baking tray and toss to coat. Roast for 10 minutes.

3. Add the chicken breasts and chickpeas to the tray, drizzle with olive oil and roast for another 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

4. Top the roasted chickpeas and vegetables salad with the roasted chicken breast. Serve.

An explosion of colors, tastes, and textures.

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC) for this week's theme, IHCC March 2016 Potluck!

I'm also linking this post to the event, Bake-Along #93: Theme - Bake/Roast Chicken organized by Joyce from Kitchen Flavours, Lena from Frozen Wings, and Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids.

I'm also linking this post to the event, Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen.

Action, Bloggie, Burppp..., Events, I Cook, People-to-People, Self-enhancement

Honey-Crisp Baked Chicken with Creamed Spinach

Sunday, March 20, 2016

Honey-Crisp Baked Chicken with Creamed Spinach

The saying goes if you're down, do something you like to cheer yourself up. I don't think so, to be honest. When I'm down, I just want to do nothing. So I have been very lazy this week and nothing special comes out from my kitchen. But my kiddo needs food, so I have to cook. Feeling down or not, I gotta cook something. On a side note, I would have been in my second trimester if I'm still pregnant. Sigh. Dear rainbow baby, where are you? Darn you hormones, stop messing around. Argh!

Anyway, I have chosen Ellie's dishes for our lunch today. Thank goodness the kiddo likes it, except the spinach, as expected. Hah.

Honey-Crisp Baked Chicken

Recipe adapted from Ellie's Honey-Crisp Oven Fried Chicken.

Ingredients:
(Serves 2)

2 skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and black pepper
Olive oil
2 tablespoons honey

How to:

1. Marinate the chicken breasts with Greek yogurt in a bowl. Keep in the fridge for at least one hour.

2. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Coat a baking dish with olive oil. In a shallow dish, mix breadcrumbs with paprika, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.

3. Remove chicken from the fridge. Brush each chicken breast with honey and dip in the breadcrumbs mix. Make sure both pieces are well coated. Drizzle with some olive oil and place them on the prepared baking dish. Bake for 45-50 minutes.

4. Once cooked, remove from the oven and serve. I serve with creamed spinach (recipe below) and cooked quinoa.

Creamed Spinach

Recipe adapted from Ellie's Creamed Spinach.

Ingredients:
(Serves 2)

1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small shallots, finely chopped
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

How to:

Heat up oil in a pan over medium heat. Cook chopped shallots for about 2 minutes. Then, add flour, milk, and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer for about 2 minutes. Add spinach and simmer for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper before serving.

A simple, no-frill lunch.

The honey-crisp baked chicken is really good!

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

Action, Baby, Hahanoyume, Japanese, Mommypreneurs, Mood Mania, People-to-People, Self-enhancement

Haha no yume 母の夢 introduces newborn baby gift sets

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Source: instagram.com/hahanoyume

Like what you see in the photo collage above? The babies and toddlers are wearing baby kimono rompers by Haha no yume 母の夢. Yes, baby kimono rompers.

These beautiful rompers are made from 100% fully imported Japanese cotton, inspired by traditional Japanese Kimono's simple wrap style and come with easy-to-use snap buttons for quick nappy changes.

Check out how my toddler wore his Haha no yume kimono romper when he was much younger. :)

Newborn Gift Sets

Haha no yume has just recently rolled out their newborn baby gift set in collaboration with three big brands specializing in handmade and handcrafted babies/kids products: Bebebundo, Black Milk Project, and Black Crown Projek.

Gift-wrapped in soft tissue inside a rigid white box with matching satin ribbon, these gifts sets are perfect baby shower pressies for lovely mamas-to-be!

You can pick from four (4) available combinations: