The Right to Be Alive: January 2019

Wednesday, 30 January 2019

Thermomix Saffron Chicken

Ingredients:

1. 500gm of chicken breasts (cut into strips) (seasoned with sea-salt, cornstarch, pepper (optional) and some cooking oil)
2. Some saffron strands (washed)
3. Sunflower oil (or any cooking oil which you can tolerate)
4. Chives (chopped finely)
5. 3 tablespoons of hot water

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1. Pour some cooking oil and add the washed saffron strands into the TMX jug and set 15mins/100C/reverse spoon.

2. After one minute, add the chicken strips through the hole in the lid.

3. Cover the lid with the MC.

4. After 5 minutes, pour the 3 tablespoons of hot water onto the lid. It will slowly drip into the TMX jug through the slight gap of the MC and lid.

5. 1 minute before it is done, remove the MC and pour the chopped chives into the TMX jug.

6. Once the 15 mins are over, check if the chicken strips are throughly cooked. You can add another 5 minutes if they are not.

7. Serve hot with rice.

Bon appetit!

Friday, 25 January 2019

Allergy Fact 13 - (Pollen Food Allergy Syndrome)

Even though peanuts and egg allergies are the first things which spring to mind when we talk about food allergy, fruits and vegetables are the top-food-causing allergies in adults.

It is known as pollen food syndrome (PFS) or oral allergy syndrome (OAS).

This is usually related to an allergy to pollen (usually birch). Though not always present, most people will also experience springtime hayfever. PFS is related to an allergy to pollen which is usually birch.

Plant foods such as apples contain similar proteins which are also found in pollens. When people with PFS consume such foods, an allergic reaction occurs caused by a cross-reaction. The symptoms are usually confined to the mouth and throat. Itching and local swelling are the usual reactions.

Foods in their raw form which can trigger PFS:

1. Fruits: Apple, pear, cherry, peach, plum, strawberry, kiwi
2. Vegetables: Carrot, celery, potato, tomato, beansprouts
3. Nuts: Hazelnuts, almonds, brazil nuts, walnuts

Apparently it is common for people with PFS to get itchy hands when handling raw fruits or vegetables (especially when peeling potatoes).

People with PFS are diagnosed based on:

1. Symptoms of hayfever (March - May).
2. Oral allergy reactions with fruits, vegetables, nuts or herbs.
3. Reactions to raw but not cooked fruits and vegetables (or reactions while peeling fruits and vegetables).
4. Reactions when biting, chewing OR swallowing. Or reactions less than five minutes after eating.
5. Symptoms of mild to moderate tingling, itching, soreness or angioedema (swelling) of the oropharynx (throat).

*Bear in mind that some may progress to anaphylaxis. It is advisable to carry Epi-Pens.

To read more about PFS, click on LINK.

Click HERE to read in detail about Oral Allergy Syndrome.

Click on LINK to read about PFS.

*picture taken from HERE

Sunday, 20 January 2019

Home-Made Cloth Panty Shields

I have a lot of baby nappies from Joel's baby days. Some were turned into rags. I decided to turn many of them into home-made panty liners/panty shields.

The cloth ones sold outside do not have the perfect length. It's either the right thickness but it will be too short. Once I find the perfect length, it'll turn out to be too thick.

I started to develope an allergy to even the organic disposable panty liners/panty shields. No matter the brand (even Natracare), it would cause an allergic reaction. It could be the glue or something in the pulp. I have no idea what it is.

Fed up of wasting money (buying and experimenting with other brands) and also of being inflicted with allergies, I decided to sew my own panty shields/liners using Joel's old baby nappies.

Fold a nappy into half.

Then fold it into half again. Then cut it into the length you desire.

Sew around all the edges. Then attach the buttons. You would need to adjust the locations of the buttons (to the most comfortable positions) before you sew them on.