Allergy Fact 14 - (Always Read Labels!)

*picture taken from kidswithfoodallergies.org

*picture taken from www.foodallergyconsulting.com

Thermomix Oatmeal

Ingredients:

1. 50gm organic gluten-free rolled oats
2. 90 to 100gm filtered water
3. A pinch of sea-salt

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1. Soak the oats overnight.

2. Drain the water away the next day and rinse the oats.

3. Pour the fresh filtered water into the TMX jug.

4. Set 10mins/100C/Speed 1.

5. Once it reaches 100C, add the oats and sea-salt and continue to let it cook.

6. Serve hot.

Bon appetit!

Grilled Chicken Chop & Potatoes

Ingredients:

1. 6 chicken drumstick-thigh (deboned)
2. Sea-salt
3. Potato starch
4 White pepper (optional)
5. 10 large potatoes (skin removed and cut into wedges)

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1. Season the chicken legs with the sea-salt, potato starch and (*white pepper - if you're able to) liberally. Place in container with lid and keep in fridge overnight.

2. Next day, preheat oven at 220C.

3. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

4. Place the chicken legs the undersides part up first (skin part on the paper).

5. Bake for 20 minutes.

6. Then turn the chicken legs around and grill for 30 minutes.

7. While the chicken is being grilled, prepare the potatoes. Remove the skin and cut into wedges.

8. Season with salt and (*white pepper - if you're able to) liberally.

9. Remove the chicken once they turn golden brown.

10. Place the potatoes on the baking tray and toss them around so that they are coated with the chicken oil.

11. Grill for 35minutes.

12. Serve them together!

Bon appetit!

Surviving the Heat Wave

We are currently experiencing a severe heat wave. I think the heat can truly melt our flesh off our bones.

*picture taken from Malaysia Meteorological Department website

38C!

I have been overwhelmed by the heat so badly that I blew out a gunk of blood from my nose. It's not time to fall ill yet. It's only March. And the haze has been ever present too!

To combat the heat, I've been doing a few things very religiously.

1. Drink TONS and TONS of water 

2. Drink lots of soup

3. Shower to Cool Down

4. Eat More Fruits & Vegetable

5. Sweat It Out

6. Hide in the AirCon Room

7. Drink Coconut Water

*all Keep Calm pictures taken from KeepCalmAndPosters.com

Do share if you have any other ways to survive this heatwave!

Maple Syrup Grilled Chicken Strips

Ingredients:

1. 2 chicken breasts (cut into thin strips)
2. Cornstarch OR potato/tapioca starch
3. Sunflower oil
4. 1 teaspoon sea-salt (you can add more or less to your liking)
5. White pepper (optional)
6. Maple Syrup (4 tablespoons)

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1. Mix all the ingredients above and place chicken in airtight container overnight in the fridge.

2. (Next day) Preheat oven to grill mode.

3. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

4. Pour the chicken strips onto the baking tray and arrange them so that they do not overlap each other.

5. Grill for 30minutes or until golden brown.

6. Pour into serving dish. You can have it plain or with hot rice.

Bon appetit!

Unshackled in a Decade!

It's 10 years today. 10 years ago today was the day I was struck by this incurable condition.

And this picture sums up the whole journey during these 10 years.

Freedom in a cage.

How?

I've been unshackled. I've been set free. I'm no longer bound by fear or insecurities. At first, I felt that I was locked up in a cage with no freedom. With no life. Sentenced to a life of doom.

And then when my soul started to heal, my perspective changed. My mindset changed.

And then I began to heal physically.

Even though I still have to live in a 'cage' today, I am free!


*picture used with permission (Taken by Lai Pei Yee from KL Book Appreciation Club)

Happy Pancake Day! (Thermomix Pancake)

Shrove Tuesday is the day in February or March which is preceding Ash Wednesday. This day is celebrated in some countries by having pancakes.

Today is pancake day. Let's have some pancakes!

Ingredients:

1. 50gm butter (have some extra for frying)
2. 300gm oat milk
3. 2 eggs
4. 2 bananas (mashed)
5. 200gm buckwheat flour
6. 5gm baking powder
7. 1/2 tsp salt

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1. Place butter into TMX jug and set 2min/70C/speed1.

2. Add the milk, eggs, buckwheat flour, baking powder, salt and banana and mix 10sec/speed 5.

3. Heat up a frying pan.

4. Add some butter to the frying pan.

5. Pour a ladle of batter and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until bubbles start to appear on the pancake surface.

6. Flip the pancake over and continue frying for another minute or two.

7. Repeat with the remaining batter.

8. Serve hot with butter or maple syrup.

Bon appetit!

Is the Air in Your Home Polluted?

Did you know that we spend as much as 75% to 90% of our time indoors? Indoor air pollution is more toxic than outdoor as indoor air is much more concentrated as it is in a confined space.

Poor indoor air quality has been known as Sick Building Syndrome.

Poor indoor air can cause irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, headaches, dizziness and fatigue. Some people after long term exposure to bad indoor air develop respiratory and heart diseases.

Sources of indoor air pollution are:

1. Fungus, mold and mildew

• Mold spores are everywhere. And they enter our home through the doorways, windows and air conditioning system. They can even land on us, our clothes and bags when we are outside. We then bring them indoors with us. 
• Fungus, mold and mildew survive and thrive in humid and damp environment. Indoor relative humidity (RH) should be kept ideally below 60 percent. 30% to 50% is perfect. Not only does low humidity discourage fungus, mold and mildew, it also discourages cockroaches and dust mites too. 
• A dehumidifier will work in humid homes. 
• Click on LINK to read about the toxic effects of indoor mold.

      2. Tobacco smoke

• *Exposure to second hand smoke exposes one to 4000 over chemical compounds! (*taken from HERE)
• There is no way to minimise the effects of second-hand smoke. The only way is to not smoke. 
• Click on LINK to read more on smoke-free homes.

     3. VOCs

• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are compounds that easily become gas or vapours. Even though they are released from burning fuels such as gasoline, wood, coal and natural gasses, they are also released from many consumer products.
• Some examples of consumer products are solvents, paint and thinners, adhesives, hobby and craft supplies, glues, wood preservatives, household cleaners and disinfectants, moth repellants, air fresheners, pesticides and building materials and furnishings. 
• Formaldehyde is one of the most common VOCs. 
• Click HERE to read more about VOCs. 
• Click on this YouTube LINK to watch about man-made VOCs.
• There are now low VOCs house paint which are sold today. 

     4. Radiation

• *Construction materials such as bricks, cement blocks, granite, marble and glazed tiles contain uranium and thorium which are Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM). (*taken from HERE)
• These two elements undergo natural decaying process. During this process, they emit several types of radiation such as alpha, beta and gamma rays. 
• Apparently even toilet bowls contain radioactive materials and there's no running away from it!
• To read more about indoor radiation and how to protect oneself, click on LINK.

In order for indoor air to be of good quality, one must ventilate the house. Opening windows and doors to allow outdoor air to clear the stagnant indoor air is a must! And if it's a new home you're moving into, allow the house and furniture to off-gas as much possible with good ventilation before moving in.

On bad days where outdoor air is bad, air cleaners (air purifiers/ionisers) play a great role in helping maintaining good indoor air.

Some say that indoor plants help with maintaining good air quality. But wet/damp soil and bugs will be another set of problem.

Click on the links below to read more about indoor air pollution:

Breathe Easier

Improving Indoor Air Quality

Making A Healthier Home

Guide to Indoor Air Quality

Indoor Air Breathing

*picture taken from HERE

An advertisement on fresh air. 

Thermomix Chicken Cubes Potato Stew

Ingredients:

1. 4 large potatoes (peeled and cut into 4 parts)
2. 600gm chicken breasts (cut into cube size)
3. Sunflower oil (or any other cooking oil which suits you)
4. 1 teaspoon of sea-salt
5. 2 tablespoons of maple syrup
6. White pepper (optional)
7. 3 stalks of chives/spring onion (the green part) chopped into fine pieces
8. 500gm water
9. Cornstarch (or potato/tapioca starch)

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1. Pour the cooking oil into the TMX jug.

2. Set 2mins/Varoma/Reverse spoon.

3. Add the potatoes, water, sea-salt, maple syrup and cornstarch.
    (Do not add the chicken cubes at this stage as they will be broken up. The dish will not end up with chicken cubes!)

4. Set 25min/Varoma/Reverse spoon.

5. Once 10 mins have passed, add the chicken cubes through the hole in the lid. Cover back the hole with the MC.

6. If you want the potatoes to be softer, then add another 5 minutes.

7. Pour the dish into a serving dish and garnish with the chopped spring onions/chives.

Bon appetit!

THINK DIRTY!

I found this app and thought that it was very apt for people like me!

It's called 'THINK DIRTY'.

It lists down the ingredients of beauty products and their information on whether they are safe to be used or not.

You can scan the barcode of the products you have in your house and compare it with the list that they have in their database.

This product is a no-no. 

Nellie's laundry soda is clean!

Thermomix Sourdough Bread

(I used the TMX baguette recipe for this.)

Ingredients:
1. 330gm water
2. +/-500gm high protein bread flour
3. 150gm sourdough starter
4. Salt

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1. Place water into TMX jug and set 2min/37C/speed 2.

2. Add the flour, salt and sourdough starter and knead for 3 mins.

3. Place the dough into a bowl and let it rise.

4. Once it has risen, punch it back down and place it in the fridge for 24 hours.

5. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

6. Take out the dough from the fridge and knock the dough back down and place it on the baking tray. Allow it to rise for another 2 hours. Using a sharp knife, cut some lines on the top of the dough.

7. Preheat oven at 250C.

8. Bake for approximately 35mins or until golden brown.

9. Allow to cool.

Bon appetit!

Sourdough Starter

Ingredients:

1. Ground wheat (100gm)
2. Kefir grains and kefir water (150gm)

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I bought organic winter wheat groats and used the TMX to grind them.

I then added 100gm of this to the 150gm of kefir water and kefir grains to start the sourdough starter.

It multiplied at such rapid speed that I had to place the jar in the fridge as I couldn't keep up.

Once it expands, remove half in this jar and add another 100gm wheat and 150gm of kefir water again. (You can keep the amount you have removed in another jar. You can use it for pancakes or bread.)

Repeat this process for about a week or two.

Your sourdough starter will be ready to be used.

Year of the Oink

Once upon a time, there was a pig who went by the name of Oink. Oink was chubby, pinkish and piggish just like any other pig. Oink had a big heart (and tummy) and was well-liked and loved by almost everyone on the Farm except for one animal. It was the Red Hen.

Red Hen could not stand the sight of Oink as to her, he was filthy, fat and had no class whatsoever. She was mean-spirited, smug, bitchy and bossy as she felt that she was the epitome of perfection. Red Hen thought very highly of herself. She constantly pruned and preened herself. She saw herself as the perfect picture of class! Everyone else was below her.

Red Hen refused to let her little chicks play with Oink in the mud even though they adored him. She told them that they do not mix with the lower caste. Furthermore, Oink was unclean. 

Years went by and Oink became chubbier, pinker and BIGGER. Red Hen became, well, bitchier.

Every year, each animal would take turns to host the barn festival. This year was Oink’s turn.

The animals hung up the banner at the barn which said ‘The Year of the Oink!’ There were lots of food and games. Laughter filled the air. The atmosphere was joyous and warm. 

Suddenly a gust of cold wind blew in. At the door of the barn, stood an emaciated looking creature. It then collapsed.

All of the animals rushed to it (except for Red Hen of course). It was so sickly and thin that no one could recognise it. Oink then realised that it was Alfie! He was Oink’s cousin from another farm many, many miles away. With whatever strength that was left, Alfie told them that he had come to warn them of the drought that had come so suddenly. Then came the long-famine. Almost all the farm animals where Alfie lived had died. 

Alfie then died.

A sense of doom blanketed over the party.

Red Hen cackled so hard that she turned purple. Drought?! They had rain! Their land was ripe and flourishing. 

Red Hen laughed at the look of despair on the faces of the animals. She believed that she was Miss Lucky and no bad thing could happen to her. She brought luck to everyone! What nonsense had Alfie talked about? Besides, he was Oink’s cousin. The low caste creatures. Who knows he could have lied to get free food from them! 

Everyone told Red Hen to shut up and to show some respect.

Red Hen snorted. No one could tell her what to do. 

She strutted out of the barn and clucked at the top of her voice that nothing bad could happen to her. She was untouchable!

The days then started to become dry. Rain became scarce. Slowly, the land became barren. Drought set in. Dry winds brought news from other farms that the long-famine had struck.

The animals were feeling jittery. They had never experience a famine before. What would they do if the land that they lived on could no longer feed them? The food in the barn house would slowly but surely run out. Gloom and despair began to set in.

Red Hen blamed Oink’s cousin Alfie. She blamed Oink too. If it had been the Year of the Chicken, this wouldn’t have happened. Oink had brought upon this curse. He was the cursed one.

The long-famine came, and things were bearable until one day. Father Farmer had a bad fall. He was bedridden and the help that he had hired stole the food that he had stored and ran away.

Father Farmer became weaker and weaker. Without Father Farmer, all the animals knew that they would die.

What should do they do?

Oink looked at everyone. All of them had begun to show signs of starvation. Red Hen even took to eating whatever she could scavenge from the ground. She even snatched whatever her chicks found right from their beaks. She took anything from anyone whenever she could. So much for good luck.

Oink thought deep and hard for a week. He then made up his mind. He went to see Father Farmer for one last time. He nuzzled his head on Father Farmer’s hand. Father Farmer was so gaunt looking. He could barely move. He had not eaten in a while now. Oink licked Father Farmer’s hand and face. Father Farmer gave him a faint smile. Oink then left.

Oink started the machine. The machine roared to life. Oink took one last look around the barn and the farm and then he walked into the machine.

5 years later...

The farm survived the long-famine. And that was because of Oink’s sacrifice. His whole chubby body fed the farm. Father Farmer sold some parts of Oink in exchange for hay, grass and grains. The rest of Oink was frozen. Father Farmer regained his strength and became well. On the first anniversary of Oink's death, he miraculously found an underground well on his land which was at the location of Oink’s pig pen.

Every 12 years, on the day of Oink's ultimate sacrifice, Father Farmer would have a big feast and celebrate with spectacular fireworks show in remembrance of what Oink did for them.

What happened to the Red Hen? She was now old but she was still as mean-spirited, smug, bossy and bitchy as ever. One day while she was pruning and preening herself as usual, she heard a peculiar sound. Curiosity got the best of her. She hopped up her chicken coup to try to pinpoint the source of the sound when she tripped, slipped off the roof and hit her head on the ground. Her chicks didn’t bother about her. They stepped all over her head and body. Mrs Duck just waddled away. The horses just continued neighing. The farm dogs did not even blink at her direction. As she lay there dying, a snake slithered in, bit her and pulled her out into the woods.

What was that peculiar sound? It was the squealing of a dozen piglets!

*Happy Chinese New Year everyone!*

*picture taken from HERE

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!

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

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. 

My version of cloth panty shields/liners. 

You can even use these napkins as liners over reusable cloth sanitary pads when you have your period.

Allergy Fact 12 - (Respiratory Allergy, Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis)

*picture taken from HERE

To find out more about the topics in the picture above, click on LINK

Allergy Fact 11 - (8 Top Food Allergens & Their Alternatives)

*picture taken from HERE

Allergy Fact 10 - (Hand Sanitizers Do Not Work!)

*picture taken from HERE

2019!

Wishing each and everyone of you a healthy 2019!

*picture taken from HERE