Japanese Goma Dressing

Ingredients:
1. 1 lemon juiced (2 TBS or 30 ml)
2. 2 TBS white sesame seeds ground or 2 TBS tahini (sesame seed paste)
3. 2 TBS (30 ml) soy sauce
4. 1 TBS (15 ml) olive oil
5. 1 TBS (15 ml) water
6. 1 clove garlic
7. 1 tsp (5 ml) sesame oil
8. 1 tsp maple syrup
9. 1/2 tsp mirin (optional)
10. Sprinkling of salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Additional Information:
Daddy FECS loves the Japanese goma dressing. Goma dressing is made of sesame. We usually use the store-bought one, but today, I have decided to make it myself. I use olive oil instead of mayonnaise that some recipe call for. It is a healthier version, but it still tastes very similar to goma dressing. Give it a try, and let me know what do you think :-)

Sorry, I used it for my kale avocado salad and forgot to take a picture. I will do so next time.

Since my blender is not so powerful. I blended the sesame seeds first. Then I included the ground sesame seeds with the rest of the ingredients and blend again.

References:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/sesame-dressing/

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from The Healthy Chef

Ingredients:

1. 200g (2 cups /7 oz) rolled oats
2. 100g chopped strawberries (optional)
3. 60g (2 oz) olive oil or butter (melted)
4. 60g (2 oz) honey or maple syrup
5. 1 egg
6. 100g (3 1/2 oz) block good quality dark eating chocolate 70% (see notes)

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 150 C / 300 F.

2. Add oats, olive oil or melted butter, maple syrup and egg into a mixing bowl and mix well.

3. Squeeze the dough with your hands for a few minutes until the cookie starts to come together.

4. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes so the oats soften a little more and hold together.

5. Chop up the chocolate with a large knife.

6. Add chocolate and strawberries into the dough and mix through.

7. Form into balls and and flatten slightly.

8. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden, checking half-way through the cooking so as not to burn them.

9. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Additional Information:

I tried this today 26 June 2016 (7Y3M21D), and J and my mum liked it. According to The healthy Chef, "Oats are a great source of soluble fibre that will keep you regular, lower cholesterol and fill you up for hours. According to studies, the beta-glucan fiber found in oats can help regulate your appetite for up to 4 hours as well as help lower cholesterol. I’ve also used macadamia nut oil in this recipe which gives it a lovely buttery flavour and is also heart healthy and anti-inflammatory to the body. Cocoa from dark chocolate is rich in Magnesium, iron, copper, manganese and riboflavin, essential micronutrients for health and vitality. The high flavenoid content of cocoa has been scientifically linked to a reduced risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Cocoa also contain theobromine that boost endorphins and increases mental alertness."

References:

https://www.thehealthychef.com/2015/05/oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cookies-2/

Healthy No-Cook Swiss Bircher Muesli with Raspberries

Adapted from The Yummy Life

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup rolled oats
2. A handful of sunflower seeds
3. 1/4 cup mixed nuts chopped (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts and pecans)
4. A sprinkle of raisins
5. 2 TBS Greek yogurt 0% fat
6. 8 raspberries
7. 1 tsp maple syrup
8. 3/4 cup fresh skimmed milk
9. Half vanilla pod (optional)

Directions:

1. Add 2 layers of rolled oats, 1 layer of sunflower seeds, 1 layer of chopped mixed nuts, a sprinkle of raisins, 1 layer of yogurt and 1 layer of raspberries into a mason jam jar.

2. Add 1 teaspoon of maple syrup.

3. Fill it with fresh skimmed milk.

4. Stir, mix well and refrigerate overnight.

5. Serve with some fresh raspberries on top.

Step-by-Step Pictorial Guide:

1. Add 2 layers of rolled oats, 1 layer of sunflower seeds, 1 layer of chopped mixed nuts, a sprinkle of raisins, 1 layer of yogurt and 1 layer of raspberries into a mason jam jar.

2. Add 1 teaspoon of maple syrup.

3. Top it up with fresh skimmed milk, stir and mix well.

4. Stir, mix well and refrigerate overnight.

5. Serve with a little sprinkling of chopped nuts and some fresh raspberries on top.

Additional Information:

I normally doesn't measure, but just estimate it into a mason jar jam as shown in the picture. This is a healthy and tasty way of making oatmeal, that can be done the night before and save the morning rush.

References:

http://www.theyummylife.com/Refrigerator_Oatmeal
http://www.theyummylife.com/recipes/224

No-Cook Swiss Bircher Chocolate Muesli with Banana

Recipe adapted from The Yummy Life

Serves 1

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup uncooked rolled oats
2. 1/2 cup skim milk
3. 2 TBS low-fat Greek yogurt 0% fat
4. 1 TBS cocoa powder
5. 1-2 tsp maple syrup
6. 1 ripe banana sliced
7. 1/4 cup mixed nuts (almonds, hazelnuts)
8. 1 tsp flaxseeds (optional)
9. A handful of sunflowers seeds (optional, but my favorite)

Directions:
1. Add oats, milk, yogurt, cocoa powder, maple syrup and nuts in a jam jar.

2. Screw on lid on and shake to mix well.

3. Remove lid, add bananas and stir with a teaspoon to mix well.

4. Return lid and refrigerate jar overnight.

5. Eat chilled.

Additional Information:
We were in the Swiss Alps and tried the Bircher musli and we loved it. It is very easy to make. The oatmeal porridge is cold "cooked" by letting it soak in milk and yogurt overnight in the fridge. You can literally add anything you like from raisins to nuts to any kinds of chopped fruits.

The picture above does not look so good, although it tasted good (I am not so good at taking pictures). You can find a very nice picture of no-cook otameal from The Yummy Life:

http://www.theyummylife.com/recipes/222/Banana+Cocoa+Refrigerator+Oatmeal

References:
http://www.theyummylife.com/recipes/222/Banana+Cocoa+Refrigerator+Oatmeal

http://www.mueslilover.com/2010/02/recipe-jamie-olivers-bircher-muesli-or.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muesli

Healthy Tasty & Nutritious Edible Playdough

Makes the size of 1 tennis ball

Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup almond or hazelnut butter
- 50ml liquid honey or maple syrup
- 1/2 cup rolled oats ground
- 1 TBS of wheatgerm ground
- 1 tsp of brewer's yeast
- 1 tsp oil (optional: avocado oil or any nut oil such as walnut oil)
- 1 tsp carob powder (optional, to make it chocolaty)
- Food color (optional)

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, mix in almond butter and honey and mix well.

2. Add ground roll oats slowly in along with the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

3. Knead until smooth. Adjust with almond butter, ground rolled oats or honey accordingly.

How to play?
Here is one way.

Tips:
1. After playing with it, use it as spread on the bread for your child's lunch box, for example.
2. Bake it in the oven as cookies at 200 °C (392 ° F) for 5 - 7 minutes or
3. Simply eat it on its own by rolling it into small balls, refrigerate for 15 minutes and ready to serve as snack.

Additional Information:
I tried to research the internet for edible playdough, but only came across the tasty but rather unhealthy ones. Ok, given it is playdough and not dessert, it shouldn't matter much, but I just wanted to find something that is healthier.

Most of the recipes call for dry powdered milk as the replacement for flour in the playdough, which in my opinion is too much dairy. And for the Chinese, it will create too much heatiness in the child, eating milk powder straight!!!

The most popular edible play dough from the internet is peanut butter, but I am not a great fan of peanut butter. I like it, but not enough to want to eat it as playdough. However, I like hazelnut and almond butter.

So I have decided to experiment and make my own edible playdough that is fun, tasty and at the same time nutritious minus the dairy.

This can be an activity for a small children's birthday party, if one can ensure that the hands of the children are clean to play with edible playdough. I know I have classified this under the label "Inexpensive Birthday Ideas", even though this dough is a rather expensive dough. However, in comparison to the cost with the recent trend of Singaporean parents celebrating small children's birthday with hired chef in the form of prata man, balloon man, magician, etc. for small children birthday party, this idea is then indeed fun and a lot way less expensive! It is all relative I guess.

I woke up early this morning before Joshua woke up to make it. It is really tasty, and I hope I can wait till Joshua waits up to play with it and not eat it myself!

This is an activity you can do with your child.

Links:
http://livelearnloveeat.com/2015/02/13/healthy-naturally-sweetened-edible-play-dough/
https://youtu.be/b2eV2zkwAq4

Here are the steps in pictures:

Updates: 29 June 2014 (5Y3M24D)

It was a long time since we did this activity, when J was 2.5 years old. But he remembered it. J has been requesting to make edible playdough for sometime, and we made it together today. We made different color ones this time. He wanted to make his name too. I made the fruits. Then J got the idea to make lollipop with the playdough.

We are out of the normal routine today. That meant that we did not have a rigorious learning day (by that I meant writing Chinese character, piano practice, etc., but we did manage to write a page of Chinese character and a more relax piano practise), but it was only during the most unexpected time that memory is made. It has been very special and memorable one-to-one time. God is trying to speak to me and teaching me the balance of being more relaxed.