Our daily greens and Buttoning skill

if you know how deep a thermomix bowl is,

that is how much our greens are.

i always filled veg to the brim.

that is pennywort, pegaga at the very top,

and i think sawi at the bottom.

i am buying organic vegetables for our smoothies now.

RM 9/kg

kj has never turned away from my smoothies these days.

if i think they are not palatable, i'll just swirl in some honey and he'll take it.

thank u darling

what do u think this is?

never tell a child what they are.

allow them to imagine.

buttoning activity

this is not his first buttoning activity.

he started with a simple hideous snake that i made, like those shown here.

or u can simply google button snake.

he finally tried it after a few persuasions (on different occasions).

the first time he saw this, he says it is a spider.

ok, be it a spider.

but he refused to button or unbutton the legs.

hence when he finally button all the NINE legs, i was on cloud nine.

actually, this was supposed to be a turkey.

hehe.

should i remove one leg so that there will only be eight legs?

spider has 8 legs dont they?

again, all u need to do is just google Turkey Button and u can get many examples from there.

Cabbage smoothies

menu & shopping list: from green smoothie habit

Day 1: Who Knew? Green Smoothie

Day 2: Feel Better Green Smoothie
Day 3: Beautiful Skin Green Smoothie 
Day 4: Thirst Quencher Green Smoothie 
Day 5: Carrot Top Green Smoothie
Day 6: Anti–Oxidant Green Smoothie 
Day 7: Cherry Chard Green Smoothie

 recipes for green smoothies

Read Raw Broccoli, Cabbage Slash Bladder Cancer Risk by 40 Percent; Cooking Destroys Benefits

half carrot. 5 leaves of cabbage, 1 orange, 3 slices of pineapple (with core- they are edible and healthy).

good blenders will blend the core until it is smooth and fine hence do not discard the core.

yummylicious!

beautiful orange hue

too bad im breastfeeding hence raw cabbage is a no-no for me. 

last night we had pineapple with kangkung and ginger. more ginger this time. oh man! i love the zing the ginger gives! LOVE this combination!

anything with pineapple is delicious i suppose.

this morning was kangkung and 3 kiwis with chia seed. slurp!

dosage of green smoothies

 kangkung, tomato, passion fruit, guava and frozen banana

guava is anticancer fruit?

i dont know, havent done any reading on this but since they mentioned, i began to buy them when i see it.

 kj's current dose of green smoothies

 previously he takes the bottle on the right.

after my confinement, i was back with a vengeance.

i increase his dose to the bottle on the left.

ive tested it.it was 3x more.

i didnt check the mls though.

note: please refrigerate on the bottle.

he doesnt usually drink fresh.

i AM the one drinking immediately since i am the one blending.

i will pass his portion to aunty and he'll drink in the late afternoon. otherwise, it must be refrigerated.

but last friday morning, kj had diarrhoea.

im not sure if it is due to the green juice or vco.

vco has laxative effect. i'll speak more about this next time.

he had extremely watery stools at home. they were yellow in colour.

i did not suspect anything.

when we went out, he had another round of green watery mucus.

that got me worried.

they were not smelly at all.

guess i should reduce his dose and further observe.

we have started drinking green smoothies for 3 months so this episode happens now.

wonder what was the cause.

EDIT: 10/9/13 : i found a source which tells us how much juice to give to children. so yeah, i think i might have overload him. but because im not juicing, I'm giving him smoothies, which does not have as much nutrients per se. anyhow, i'll tone down. just a few sips of what we're drinking will do.

 beetroot, carrot, lemon.

i sieved the smoothies.

so this is JUICE!

i dont own a juicer yet

this recipe is for his eczema - to reduce inflammation.

 passion fruit

wait till they wrinkled up then cut them into half and scoop the flesh!

yum! i love them.

 example of Kailan

this kailan is a bit special.

it is smallish in size and i love the entire plant, with its root.

i rarely see this in the market. this is not the common kailan that we see, with fatter stalks.

everyone talks about KALE.

but kale is imported. not grown in malaysia.

there are people who managed to grow them in their garden here in malaysia.

u can also buy them in BIG supermarket but they are exorbitant.

so the next best thing to kale is kailan!

a bunch of kailan at the bottom, organic banana, sunflower seeds, green apple, orange, frozen coconut milk

for beginners:

u do not need to follow my smoothies to a tee.

just play around with the veg and fruits with some little imagination.

what fruits are sweet, which is sour and things like that.

banana is a versatile sweetener.

so always keep them in hands.

sometimes they sell a big bunch for RM1 when they are over-riped.

i dont mind.

buy them and freeze!

in fact i always look for such deals ;)

Vegetables that can be consumed raw: kailan, sawi, bok choy, red cabbage, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, tomato, cucumber, capsicum, wheatgrass (only for juicing), turnip/jicama/sengkuang, beetroot, water chestnut, yakon, carrot, lettuce, spinach, sweet potato leaves, kangkung, herbs (mint, basil, parsley, cilantro, ulam raja....)

all the ulams can be blended/juiced.

What to do with Bone Broth

the consistency must be gel like when kept in fridge.

then it showed you have succeeded in preparing the BONE BROTH.

this pot is chicken bone stock as it looks whiter.

beef bones stock would look browner.

(Refer to beef bone stock pic)

there is another good post on How to make bone broth at Wellnessmama.

she also explains what is broth and why broth.

 Many societies around the world still consume broth regularly as it is a cheap and highly nutrient dense food.

Besides it’s amazing taste and culinary uses, broth is an excellent source of minerals and is known to boost the immune system (chicken soup when you are sick anyone?) and improve digestion. Its high calcium, magnesium and phosphorus content make it great for bone and tooth health. Bone broth also supports joints, hair, skin and nails due to its high collagen content. In fact, some even suggest that it helps eliminate cellulite as it supports smooth connective tissue.

It can be made from the bones of beef, bison, lamb, poultry or fish and vegetables and spices are often added.

Anyone who has read Gut and Psychology Syndrome knows the many benefits of bone broth and how it can improve digestion, allergies, immune health, brain health and much more.

What isn’t as well know is that broth can help reduce cellulite by improving connective tissue, increase hair growth/strength, improve digestive issues andremineralize teeth.

Broth is also helpful to have on hand when anyone in the family gets sick as it can be a soothing and immune boosting drink during illness, even if the person doesn’t feel like eating.

Broth is very high in the amino acids proline and glycine which are vital for healthy connective tissue (ligaments, joints, around organs, etc). The Paleo Mom has a great explanation of the importance of these two amino acids: Read more from Wellnessmama

beef broth, onions, carrots, potatoes, celery, 2-3 bay leaves, peppercorn, sea salt

kj's meal

i did not add in flour which most western recipes call for.

flour would thicken the gravy

beef ribs for the adults

recipe of this pasta soup is the same as listed above except for celery.

u can add in anything that u have in the kitchen.

that is a cup of tahini milk.

1 tsb tahini, 3 banana, 2 cups of water = blend.

main reason why i cook bone broth is this:

Dr Weston Price thinks teeth is a growing material. It can erode and it can grow back, hence the idea it can remineralize and close cavities if proper nutrition is given (going back to the olden day natural diet)

i shared in Facebook:

Shia Million thank u for sharing this soup recipe.

ive always boiled my soups in the slow cooker overnight because im a lazy person but some colleagues told me that slowcooker soups are not as tasty as stove soups. whopps.

guess i will go back to my slow cooker after reading this.

plus, ds was breastfed until 2 plus yrs old and his teeth started to decay at 1.5 y.o. i was a little disappointed initially because people say bf-children has very healthy teeth and bones but it was not the case for him.
dh blamed me for night-feeding, so i was suppose to ignore him at night and just give water. he wanted night feeding even at 2 yrs old. daddy says no other food or drinks besides water after he has brushed his teeth.

in addition, he doesn't junk at all. hence food is definitely not a culprit.

we started going to the dentist at 1.5 yrs old till now, 3 y.o.

thankgod we cancelled the anesthesia appointment once last sept.

just last month, we tried to fix his teeth. we have been using Toothmousse and the tooth was arrested, which was a good sign. then we can now proceed to 'restoration'? it is like glueing a cap on the rotten tooth. but he was all cheeky and wiggly inthe clinic so the cap slid off the moment we reached home. well the dentist has warned us about it.
sigh. we have been a regular at the dentist, started since young so that he can get himself familiar with the dental process and etc. we told them that aesthetic is not as important.
the choice that she gave was, to use the toothmousse and arrest the decay and wait till he is old enough to sit through the whole dental process, or to go though NS and get a beautiful set of teeth.
parents who wants their children to have beautiful smiles will then need to go through the NS to get the procedure done, for such young children.

i am now going to boil more bone soups and pass them to the babysitter so that he can drink more, instead of having the privilege to drink only on weekends when he is with us 
May 2013

how to prepare citrus for consumption

 yellow watermelon

kj likes it initially.

ate it for 2 nights and on the third night, he says mommy can u buy red watermelon?

 peppermint, pumpkin seed, yellow watermelon, 1/4 lemon, coconut milk, 2cm of ginger

this is the correct way to slice off the lemon skin.

the rinds are good.

i do that to oranges as well.

reserve as much pith as possible.

watch Jay Kordich - The Father of Juicing, juices orange juice.

do u know which is cilantro and which is parsley?

 this is SOURSOP aka durian belanda.

i love this fruit!

google it if u dont know how it looks like.

sorry forgot to snap a picture before tearing them apart :)

best to purchase ripe ones.

because sometime the unripe wont ripe, or they will over-ripe if didnt check constantly.

soursop is ANTI CANCER fruit.

ha! tu-dia!

everyone will now run to grab this fruit! :D

i love its sweet and sour taste.

what i do now is that i buy and freeze them for later use.

storing fresh cilantro and parsley

btw, the picture above is how we should keep them fresh.

check out the experiments here on the best storage method.

i copy this site on how to keep the herbs fresh.

was confused which is which.

Left: parsley. Right: cilantro (daun ketumbar)

better view here.

have always thought cilantro is parsley is this while.

-_______-

 soaked goji  berries (or wolf berries), 1 apple, 1 aus carrot, 1 green apple, a big bunch of parsley

 with one banana (as thickener) and almond milk

 the colour of the smoothie.

2.5 cups frozen soursop, 1 green apple, 1/4 lime, cilantro

kj must drink all the smoothies that i have made.

those that i think are delicious he'll have a bigger cup.

less palatable ones he'll get half cup.

there was only once, yesterday, i have no idea what was i blending. i did not think and i just chuck them in. was running out of fruits.

well, it turned out quite horrible so i had mercy.

he was spared.

haha!

menu from sandra boynton's book!

 saute onion and garlic in olive oil and butter

 add milk and blend

 broccoli stew

 eat with rice!

yum!

i prefer a more diluted and smooth thick soup but papa chef likes to cook it this way.

i love pumpkin soup which could be whipped up in the thermomix in 20 mins but no one else likes pumpkin besides me.

hate it when hubs is a picky eater this way.

his excuse is that he can eat or  he will eat anything (not exactly everything) that i cook, but it is just that he does not fancy eating those certain food.

since im a healthy person,

i need to compromise a little.

i dont cook bittergourd at home for example.

so i eat them when we eat out.

smoothies today: sawi, 1 red apple, 1 orange, 0.5 inch ginger, few cashew nuts soaked, 2 large dates, half avocado, brazilian nut milk.

too much variation so the concoction tastes weird but who cares? as long as it is nutritious!

i dont care.

hentam saja.

kj gets half a cup if the drink is not palatable.

i do need to be sympathizing.

albeit saying YUCK! not good.

he will still obediently finish it.

:)

bioavailability of turmeric and what green smoothies has done to us

today's smoothie: 1/2 small beetroot, 1/4 lemon, 2 banana, 2 cubes frozen coconut milk, 1 green apple, 2 cups sweet potato leaves, 1/2 inch turmeric.

just today i learned that we should add oil/fats in combination of turmeric to make it more bioavailable, as reported here.

hence coconut oil or vco?

this tastes GOOD!

hubs asked for more.

whenever he asked for more, i know ive nailed it!

besides, his divulgence about both his and his son's poo are not smelly anymore which could be due to the smoothies helps tremendously in boosting my enthusiasm.

i always treasure such feedbacks.

he also pointed out that kj's mouth was not foul smelling anymore ever since we started on the smoothies.

also, he feels more energetic.

well, another power booster would be the son drinking them!

usually he would say not good!

however upon constant urging, he would down his share.

 there is nothing more pleasurable than that! :)

oh, some mommies shared that sweet potato leaf is a galactagogue!

needless to say, we will be consuming more of these now.

dont forget.

more vegetables, less fruits.

and ROTATE them.

best would be to incorporate 60% vegetables and 40% fruits.

this blog pretty much explains everything u need to know about green smoothies.

there is a debate about how a high power blender being able to break down the cell walls of the vegetables and fruits, thereby releasing all the nutrients and minerals which the body can readily absorb.

do share with me if u ever come across any other conclusive or reliable resource on this.

our thermomix serves us well to this point.

2 combs of banana for ONLY TWO RINGGIT!

u should have seen that victorious smile on my face that day!

felt as though i had won a lottery!

banana is a great companion.

tips: freeze it! they should be in your hands anytime u need it as a thickener or to mask a strong tasting veggie.

Get healthy!

watermelon smoothie:

 mint , thats the amout that i use.

watermelon, mint, almond milk, 1 banana

 black strap molasses

get the unsulphured.

got this from BMS Organic.

You'll find significant amounts of calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium and selenium in blackstrap molasses. WHFood

Unsulphured Blackstrap Molasses Benefits: A Mostly Ignored Inexpensive Superfood

they claim that blackstrap molasses can also give you black hair!

i need to revert my few strands of white mane to black!

you can either take 1 tsb per day directly, or dilute in warm water.

some people add it into their coffee.

i started with diluting in a cup of water and KJ says mommy, see! i showed him and he goes No, i dont want, i dont want this. not good. he has not even tasted it.

sigh.

It's yummy! i like it! and cringed when he is not looking.

now i am taking it neat, i reckon it is more palatable this way.

A few interesting articles:

• Natural Fibroid Treatment (bms means blackstrap molasses). they mentioned about bms giving them black hair as well
• Fibroid Tumors - Has anyone had success reducing them with diet?
• Shrink Fibroids Apple Cider Vinegar Baking Soda Eliminating uterine fibroids naturally with powerful 3-Step System
• Endometriosis and fibroids using TCM

another must have is the apple cider vinegar. BRAGGS brand preferable, because it is raw.

u will see dirt and slime below the bottle but that is what we want, they are the goodness.

i use filtered acv (apple cider vinegar) to wash my hair though.

you'll see a bottle in my bathroom, i use it to rinse my hair after shampooing, if i have time.

acv acts as a conditioner. and also other lots of other goodness to our hair.

have been using it since pre-uni days.

 three aust avocados for RM 20!

how extravagant huh?

hubs brought them to be weighed and he asked me to guess the price.

and he says he aint eating them.

-_________-''

why do we wanna buy imported stuff when we can get local avocado?

only in sabah people!

dont be envy :p

see how beautiful our local avocados are?

the 2 green ones at the bottom are the locals whereas the top black one is from Australia.

compare the sizes.

local ones are WAYYY cheaper and bigger!

 smoothies for today:

beetroot, half lemon, potato leaves

this is how fresh beetroot looks like

whole beetroot

ive never seen this in the west (Msia).

however you can easily find them everywhere here.

i added in half avocado hence the smoothness.

bananas can do that too.