pretty flowers in a row.. blooming in the sun.. a little bench to rest on and a kettle grill for warm friendly gatherings…
Here is a fun idea for a tv-movie lunch day. Finger food with dippers.
I made roast potatoes with the Philips Airfryer by par boiling the cut potato in salted water for 10 minutes and drain, coat with a little olive oil and salt and bake for about 20 minutes in the Airfryer at 180degC.
Add some cucumber strips and cut apples with japanese mayonnaise on the plate. My son has fun chomping on them while watching a movie after school. I’ve added a bottled milkshake for protein.
Good lunch + good movie = fun afternoon.
Since the prepping for vacation, going to and back from vacation… then the post vacation work.. I think the 2nd week of when school started I felt a little burned out. I don’t normally loath my work but I am feeling a little too overwhelmed and started to complain more about it.
The home is feeling upside down… and my husband got us a few new organizing racks so I’ve decided I need time to focus and take the week to re-organize the house.
Here is the problem: I can’t get my head in to home re-org mode… or any house work mode… plus I have big ulcer on my tongue. I’m also kinda mean to the big man and little man. What to do?
Burgers doesn’t always have to go with fries. “Would you like fries with that sir?” is an ingenious marketing tool in the Fast Food biz to increase sales and well it worked for them and later moved on to be part of sets as ‘Value Meals’
Although… I love anything and everything with fries. HAHAHA! :P *wink*
The hamburger, I think is an actual meal from Germany. Served more like a steak-ish lunch or dinner with vegetables and potatoes maybe. Thats why in some places the burger we know today is called Hamburger Sandwich because it is place between two breads. (i didn’t do my fact check on this one though folks, so don’t quote me this time ..)
Back to the equation
Meal = protein + vegetable carbohydrate* + starchy carbohydrate*
*carbohydrate meaning complex carbohydrate
If serving fries with the with the sandwich that means for this meal I would be having two portions of starchy carbohydrate in the meal and it will be starchy carbohydrate heavy meal.
So an alternative to crunchy fries is long strips of cucumber and a table spoon greek yogurt as a dip.
In Saudi you can find greek yogurt as Lebneh and is quite cheap and plenty. Nice alternative to mayonnaise with no hydrogenated fats. Try to get fresh low fat ones.
The long strips of cucumber is very crunchy, we like that satisfying munch we’d normally get from fries. Soggy fries aren’t fun to eat anyways.
Burgers if homemade is very good meal. A simple recipe of mine is to just mix the minced beef or lamb .. here we can find goat meat too.. with a clove of minced garlic (i like using microplane for the mincing). Form into patties and let rest in the fridge, covered for 1/2 hour. Pre-heat oven to 385deg F. I briefly brown the two flat side of the patties and place in a baking pan. Bake for another 10 to 20 minutes in the oven depending on the meat cut , size and doneness that you like. One good indicator that its cooked all the way is that juices comes out clear.
This is a very rough recipe I developed for my son, no breadcrumb or eggs. I like the meat to be cooked through so its easier for him to chew. So it is not a gourmet recipe but a simple everyday one. I would also add cheese for him but not on mine.
If I have more time this is my most favorite Hamburg Steak recipe from Cooking with Dog YouTube Channel.
She served it with vegetables and potatoes without buns. That is a good combination.
Have a good week! :)
Guess who is lurking in the Library? hehe.. its ME!
One of the best ever things about living in this camp is that the library is less than five minutes drive away, no jams, no parking hassle, only just the joy of going through the rows of books.
So to start of my new found joy is this book:
You and Your Only Child: The Joys, Myths, and Challenges of Raising an Only Child
by Patricia Nachman with Andrea Thompson (Amazon Link)
What?? Hahaha!
Yes I only have one son and my mom is nagging endlessly (even today on Facetime!). Thought it would be appropriate to read.
You know how people with ‘the best intentions’ are?… “Your son will be loney. He need siblings for friends. He will grow up spoilt. He will grow up wierd.”
Really…??? I am full with confidence that he will grow up fine with or without siblings but yeah if I can find out real facts about raising the only child would be better to fend off annoying comments about just having one child.
The book is pretty comprehensive with many cases of children that are raised as the only child. There are families that chooses to have only one child and others had circumstances that lead to only one child. Some are because of divorces and they discussed about when the child has step-siblings or half-siblings when the parents re-marry.
I like that the author discuss every possible scenario with actual parents and children views. Some are grown up children so that assured me how one would turn out. Both in ideal cases or not so ideal cases. I really do appreciate the depth of the issues brought up in the book. Especially in some cases where a child is actually getting ahead, have more benefits and advantages by being the only child.
From this book I’ve formulated:
My son will grown up just like a normal child with or without siblings. Done!
Just a little back information, my injury was kinda caused by me having a little accident with my son but its debatable with the doctor. He thinks it could be by something else because of the extent of the injury. Maybe its both the fact that it was torn when my son landed too hard on my arm and I came in late to get it properly diagnosed so it has severely worsen when I came to see him.
The sad part for me is after the surgery we kinda didn’t have anyone to help us with my son so when my husband went back to work I am the only one taking care of him. Poor little baby (okay toddler since he is two), I was just on the couch sitting next to him while he waddles about and the only eating milk and biscuits since I can’t cook yet. He had to also wait for daddy to come back to help change is diapers if he did a number two. (we were lucky he kinda did it only in the evenings..)
It lasted a few months and its just so heart breaking to see my son treated like that. My mom was already nagging about having the next one since he is already three… hmm has anybody noticed?? I can’t use my arm?? HELLooooo??
“OH.. you don’t need your arm to get pregnant.”
Oh thank you for the anatomy lesson dear… hahaha! Oh I give up! Just nod and move on.
Don’t be surprise when you are sick and injured some people just don’t understand or ignore you completely. Worse my parents got angry at me for being sick and not taking care of myself. I have a few friends who boldly concluded that I hurt my arm because I was too fat. huh?? You’d think they will be more emphatic right… hmmm I’ve had my share of hurtful comments including why I should quickly have another child.
So what to do in situations like this? Sigh… just have to ignore it. If you can’t take the comments.. Ignore and avoid the person if possible. You are already dealing with your pain and rehabilitation you don’t need people like these.
One day, when I am well, less days with pain and down time, when I’m strong enough I will think about having another child, if ever that time will come.
I want to raise every child the best that I can but now I can’t even take care of the one I have properly, so I will dedicate what I have for him and for my husband. So Mama! hehehe I have facts now your grandson will not turn wierd and lonely… just stop bugging me.. ( I don’t think that will work.. hahaha!)
This is probably the best ever thing my husband got for me this year. The Philips Air Fryer. I was already ‘goo goo gaa gaa’-ing over it in Kuala Lumpur just before the move, I am always a Philips fan so I like lurking around the websites for new things which sometimes has not come over to the Malaysian shores. It retails RM 1099 when it was first introduced. Not sure how much is it now. In saudi it was SR 999 so we got the one here.
Philips Airfryer Advertisement
For whatever currency its close to 1k so… its definitely not cheap but after my first use… I’m in L.O.V.E … *-*-*-*
It promotes itself as fast way to make french fries.. especially the frozen fries.. and it does do a marvelous job at it. Frozen fries is already fried once in the processing plant so its already coated nicely in oil before its frozen and pack for the consumers to fry again at home. French fries are fried twice.
This baby if you compare it with a deep fryer.. well.. just don’t okay! FAT are delicious.. no matter how you reason deep fried ANYTHING in REAL oil.. is fool proof marvelous…. *lip smacking* delicious. Don’t kid yourself by saying anything else.
Its kinda like a mini oven with a fan and a basket. It heats up an circulates the hot air around the food to ‘Air Fry’ it. If you know how to make crispy things in the oven so thats how this works… difference is.. ITS FAST!!
Its great for smaller portions and don’t really need to pre-heat. Compared to the big oven which kinda needs half hour of pre-heating time and for a small portion you kinda don’t want to waste that much energy to heat such a big oven. It is a lot bigger then a toaster oven but who makes fries in a small toaster oven anyway.
Now here is my first time attempting to make fries with fresh potatoes. I’ve soaked the cut potatoes in salted water for 15 minutes, rinse and coat with a little oil, place in the basket and cook for the amount stated in the instructions.
The machine comes with a cookbook. Since I got mine in Saudi it also features middle eastern recipes.
And voila! … oven fries in 20 minutes (or so…)
Look at how nice the brown on the edges are…
This is quite good, my son loved the first batch.. see he is eating it with a little dip and he is playing cards. Actually the cards was his homework for that day. He had to write (with me of course.. he is only 5) about playing card games with his family.
As all crunchy things it has to be eaten hot so serve immediately.
Now this is the very best part… see this two containers? Thats it! Bang in the dishwasher and done. Cleanup is super easy. Seasoned cooks? you know what its is like to clean up after using the oven or the deep fryer right? Disposing the leftover oil is enough to give me nightmares.
This happy mommy can whip up potato chips from real potatoes fast, with so little oil and clean up.
Potatoes are a real good source of nutrition for us but it has a bad rap because of the fat and salt we douse on it so with this my son can still enjoy crispy potato chips without me cringing at the deep fried part.
I’ve gone on to make everything with this product, ‘fried’ fish with tumeric and tamarind (ikan goreng kunyit asam), roast broccoli, chicken wings, roast potato, crispy big prawns and etc.. Man, the possibility is endless.
So yes I love this appliance. It not a must have but its darn useful that I have placed it permanently on the kitchen counter next to rice cooker.
There are other version of this kind of appliance which ‘fries’ food with little oil like the Tefal Actifry. My friend loves her Actifry. The device uses a paddle to move the food around so the oil and the heat moves evenly to make it crispy. That is probably fantastic for stir frying. Maybe if this gets really popular they can come out with more affordable versions so everyone can enjoy less fat in their food but somewhat great taste, FAST. :) Here is hoping.
Related videos:
Now that I am out and about I get a few questions about how I find time to exercise.
If you are the main caregiver for your child and its not possible to hand the child over to a babysitter, how do you find time to exercise?
Hmmmm that is a though one. Realistically if you have a small baby and a toddler you kinda have to be creative where and how you want to do it at home. There are good exercise videos that can help but I would recommend starting with a low impact and shorter exercise time.
Before I got the treadmill I really did rely on videos to keep me focused.
As for time… I think if you can stick to a routine its great but taking care of a little kid is demanding on its own, you are getting your dose of activities and up on your feet all day. If we are talking about cardio exercises then just squeeze in whenever you see there is an opportunity. Don’t feel bad if you can’t.
The dilemma is always… sigh I’m getting fatter, my clothes don’t fit well… URGH I don’t want to come out from the dark looking like this. You gain weight, your face looks tired, you smell funny and the list go on.
Maybe what we should be more concerned is not so much the ‘exercise’ that is pumping and huffing but really understanding what the body is needing. Sometime the puffiness that made the clothes don’t fit is not just about not exercising routinely.
Stress can cause weight gain, not enough sleep can cause weight gain, not eating the right food at the right time can cause weight gain.
So if I could turn back time I’d firstly focus a few things on me first before the child like preparing food for me, eating breakfast first thing in the morning. Find time to sleep and rest. I am constantly up on my feet all day that by the time its time to sleep everything hurts that I can’t sleep in the end.
Which led to the weight gain and then worsen the injury I had… which led to the surgery and rehabilitation.
So if you really are pressed for time, maybe you are too busy, if you are up on your feet all day catering to children’s whims maybe your worse is not finding time to exercise but find time to rest and recuperate that body everyday. Focus on nutrition instead. I find that most time I’ve done everything for my son that when I got hungry I just grab whatever and shove down enough so I feel full. So by planning out what to eat, when to eat, that will help you in the long run.
Trust me the child will grow, then when they are off to school you can start building that routine. For now just relax… if you have time to exercise… just do it. Enjoy raising your child, isn’t that why you wanted to have them in the first place. :)
whole grain toast + cheese + orange slices = starchy carb + protein + fruit carb
add a glass of water and maybe your a hot drink of like ginger and lemon tea a nice start with zest. (especially on groggy mid week mornings)
Took a little longer to write up the next entry… I was having a little problem with my wrist. I was doing a little yoga (from a home video).. maybe it bruised it a bit. My arm may not be able to take the weight just yet. The plank and downward facing dog in sun salute is definitely not easy. So ice, Voltaren and a wrist support… its getting better. (see paying attention in physiotherapy pays!)
Spring break 2012…
I asked my husband if we could travel across the dessert to a destination for vacation. After a lot of thought we decided to drive from Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia to Dubai in the U.A.E.
Looking at the Satellite maps its about 1000km away… wow.. thats probably the furthest we have attempted to drive to a destination but well here we go!
I’m not very good with taking photos when we are on the road to be honest. Even when I do get a snap of it. Sigh… it doesn’t do any justice.. hahaha.
The beauty of the dessert, you just have to be there to see it. The colour of the land changes from hard rocky dusty earthy brown, golden soft sand and rusty red earth to name a few.
The terrain also changes from flat to sandy dunes to really ancient looking mountain rock formations.
Definitely not boring at all. I was wondering a long time ago if in the dessert the sand shifted when the wind blows how do make buildings or roads? Well the can still make road but there is a bull dozer that comes to scoop the sand off the roads just how you would do with snow. As the wind blows I can see the sand slowly grain by grain crossing the tarmac and sometimes is forms little waves as if its dancing. My favorite has to be when we were crossing the sand dunes… so beautiful and serene.. one could feel one could fly.
Dotted along the highway are herds of camels. If you squint hard enough maybe you can see them in the photo above. We saw them grazing, we saw the camel herders either on a jeep or on the camel guarding the grazing camels. I even saw tents and pens of the family raising camels from the car ride. We passed a town that sells the supply for the farms and herding families with rolls of hay. They also raise a special desert goat called the Gharuf, we see them occasionally but since the camels were bigger it was easier to spot.
A sleep over in Abu Dhabi and the next day we arrived in Dubai. It wasn’t really 1000 km with a new highway in Abu Dhabi, it wasn’t on the GPS yet and the thing kept reminding us to drive on paved road for hours!
Thats me and my son exploring the Dubai Creek.
Dubai was just a destination for us… a surprise really waited for us there. We had so much fun every single day that week we forgot we had to go back. HAHAHA! Its a tourist heaven. The malls have pretty much the entire world from American stores to British to French and everything in between. We got to sample real macaroons from France too. After covering the touristy spots I think we spent a heck lot of time in the Dubai Mall. Which is next to the tallest building you can see in the photo above. Thats the Burj Khalifa currently the tallest building the world.
Sometimes it kinda good to not plan everything to minute details. We like doing that, travel to someplace, book a hotel and lets explore the city or place for a week. I don’t really like cramming many places in a short period.
Most importantly this trip gave us a really good mind break. Last year was really though on us with the move and for me my mom got ill just before I came. Previously before with the injury I couldn’t travel comfortably so I didn’t enjoy my vacations anywhere. My head was really cloudy.. I’m a positive person but for once this trip, I was well, I had so much fun that when I got home I was geared up to do everything. Its like the pressure in my head has released out. For my dear husband too, who has to deal with everything since I got hurt. I have never seen him so happy… hahaha! :)
Finally when its time to go home my son said, “AWWW… but i don’t want to go home! I want Dubai…. hummm… I’m gonna miss this place” … hehehe.. so cute.
I think I finally got tired of shopping (can you?) so its a relief that its time to head back and we get to experience driving across the desert again.. Yaay!
(Although it was getting pretty hot… definitely not to travel in summer)
I leave this note with photos from the road trip. Have a great day dear readers. Thank you for visiting today. :)
Peas in pods
Shelling them with my son.
