In the mornings, I would check my emails (or my YouTube subscription). I ain’t gonna miss this room, now that mum is discharged.

Yeah we are back home now! And it was time to de-clutter this guest room. Yikes.

So for the first Project Get Organized activity, I started with something simple. Mum is staying here tonight.

This was my last oil painting … I saw so many nice abstract floral oil paintings at the hospital and now I feel like painting something again.

***

For lunch I made a healthy quinoa tuna salad. I replaced the mayonnaise with yoghurt and trust me, you won’t know that it’s yoghurt. Here’s the recipe.

Healthy Quinoa Tuna Salad

Ingredients (4 to 5 servings)

• 1/2 cup natural plain nonfat yogurt (without sugar)
• 2 tbsp dijon mustard
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 can tuna, packed in water, drained
• 1 cup diced cucumber
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 1/2 to 1 cup cooked quinoa

Method: Mix everything together. Simple as that!

You can’t tell from this picture but this salad had over 15 toppings! It better has — after all, I paid $9.50. I know I could always create  my own and pay less :P

See? I took almost everything and they managed to squeeze them all into the takeout box! I chose: Brown Rice, Cucumber, Carrot, Kidney Beans, Sweet Corn, Tomato, Edamame, Capsicum, Mushroom, Broccoli, Fresh Beetroot, Red Grapes, Mango, Pomelo, Jalapeño, Boiled Egg, Peanut, Sunflower Seeds, Gherkin, lettuce, cabbage …

“Mum, let’s take a picture together … wait let me set the timer first” …

She’s recovering well and should be able to go home tomorrow. My bro and sis will keep her company now. I’m heading to work.

There were so many nice refrigerators to choose from. We particularly liked those 2-door type but none would fit in our kitch — our width is limited to 180 mm –  and suppose width wasn’t an issue, we wouldn’t want to spend that kind of money (2K – 3k) on a fridge.

We finally chose this one (with black tempered glass), which matches our current kitchen cabinets (and was on sale). It’s looking pretty empty at the moment

Now that I have a fridge again, I want to give the weekly make-ahead meal a try!

***

What I’m currently loving at the moment is this breakfast-in-a-hurry cake aka 5-minute microwave mug breakfast cake. I’m using a secret ingredient which is making this cake so fluffy and light!

Secret ingredient = smoothie powder (only those with skim milk, vanilin and stabilizer as ingredients) from Phoon Huat (which I recently purchased). I just use a teaspoon of this powder. A little goes a long way.

[Microwave on high for about 2 - 3 minutes]

Yum!

This is my breakfast-in-a-hurry or sometimes a snack-on-the-go :P

Lunch? It has been simple

Monday Lunch – Lentils, hard boiled eggs and greens. I think I want to make curry chicken (edited to add: I made Assam Fish instead) for tonight’s dinner and enough for tomorrow’s lunch.

Breakfast – A 5-minute plum cake topped with peanut sauce (peanut butter + peanut flour + water)

I prepped and packed my lunch as the husb fixed my bike. I made a Quinoa Tuna Salad with cherry tomatoes and chopped almonds. I think salads make great easy packed lunch. Just need some greens, some legumes (carb), some meat or eggs (protein) and some nuts or avocado (healthy fats). I’m already thinking about my next lunch which involves lentils :)

[1/2 cup cooked quinoa, 1 can tuna, lettuce, cherry tomatoes, red onion, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, hidden almonds]

So I cycled to work today.  It took me 30 minutes (at moderate speed).

After I came back home from work, I did ChaLean Burn Intervals followed by plank abs. Made myself a quick warm (yikes — no ice) smoothie as post-workout before heading out again to a park for a Lantern Festival. It has actually been a long day (came back home at 9 pm) and I’m gonna call it a night. Tata.

I made myself a on-the-go breakfast today — a quick protein bread using sun warrior and peanut flour.

For the bread: 1 scoop sun warrior + 1 egg white + baking powder + cinnamon powder + water. Then microwave on high for about 2 minutes.

For the peanut topping: 1 tbsp peanut butter + 1 tbsp peanut flour +  water

Anyway, remember yesterday’s Mango prawn avocado bacon green salad? Here’s the recipe.

The dressing

This recipe is also shared on Slightly Indulgent Tuesday

A note on avocados (source)

• Seventy-five percent of the calories in an avocado come from fat, whereas most fruits derive their calories from sugars.
• The monounsaturated fat found in avocados is mostly oleic acid, which  may help lower cholesterol.
• Avocados have 60 percent more potassium than bananas, making them a great post-workout recovery food. They’re also rich in vitamin E and other antioxidants.
• You’ll also find a large amount of omega-3s and omega-6s in avocados, excellent news for vegetarians and vegans who want to incorporate these beneficial fatty acids into their diet without consuming fish oil, poultry, or eggs.
• Avocados are also rich in vitamins C and E and folic acid. They also help your body absorb beta-carotene from other foods. Half an avocado is only 150 calories, and makes a perfect topping on a salad or some of your favorite whole-grain toast. 

Tip: Eat a spinach and carrot salad with a little avocado, and you’ll not only get a dose of good fat, but you’ll also absorb more phytonutrients like lutein and beta-carotene. Scientists at Ohio State University in Columbus found that more antioxidants were absorbed when people ate a salad containing avocados than when they ate a salad without this tasty fruit.

Mikey vs Optimus Prime haha

Mikey was definitely scared of this giant. He’s hiding. See?

***

I blackened some chicken drumsticks today

For lunch I made a beetroot lentil quinoa salad for myself — he doesn’t eat beetroot (he calls it ‘alien food‘ haa). I’ve never cooked lentils / quinoa in the microwave. I tried doing it today and it worked perfectly. Seemed more convenient too as there was no need to wash the saucepan afterwards.

Topped with hard boiled eggs

I used (for 2 servings)

• 1/4 cup dried lentils
• 1/8 cup dried quinoa
• 1 medium red onion
• 2 hard boiled eggs
• 1 medium beetroot, boiled and sliced
• 2 tbsp vinegar
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and Pepper

Cook the lentils and quinoa together. Once ready, toss everything together in a medium bowl. Serve warm.

This is what happened yesterday after turning my back for like just a few seconds.

Mikey was the culprit. It was a mess but definitely better than having sticky floors.

After cleaning up, I had a lovely bowl of greens with peanut sauce  and hard boiled eggs

We didn’t do our interval run yesterday. Sleep was way more important =)  This morning, I did ChaLean Push Circuit 3

Post workout — I made Socca! aka Besan (chickpea flour) Pancakes

Socca is gluten-free, vegan, and full of fiber. It is an excellent alternative to  tortillas, pizza dough, crepes etc. You can add herbs (rosemary, basil etc), onions, chilli powder etc. to the batter. so far I’ve only tried the savory version.

***

I also had a bowl of Plum Salad topped with toasted almonds

Lettuce, shredded carrots, 1 ripe plum, vinegar, salt, pepper, extra virgin olive oil and toasted almonds

Our plan was to go to the night market (Pasamalam) at Geylang Serai but we didn’t have much luck finding a parking lot. So we just drove around and stopped for a two bowls of katong laksa.

And durian. I had zero bite. I can stand the smell of durian but can’t eat one. He devoured the fruit within 5 minutes.

[Image Source]

***

Remember the colourful salad that I made last Tuesday?  The purple cabbage is totally optional. In fact, I will skip it next time.

The veggies / fruits

• Half a purple cabbage
• 1 cup cooked garbanzo beans
• 1 bell pepper (red or yellow)
• 1 small pineapple
• 1 cucumber, deseeded
• 2 – 3 tomatoes, deseeded

The vinaigrette

• Freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 and a 1/2 lemons)
• Apple cider vinegar
• Salt
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 shallot or red onion
• Honey
• Mustard (optional)

I waited for the sun to be high up in the sky before heading out to the park. I needed some sun.

To the small park

Now, let me share this simple yet tasty salad which can be made ahead and kept in the fridge.

You can serve with anything on top. In this case, Honey Lemon Chicken

Ingredients (for one person)

• 2 cups thinly shredded green cabbage (you can mix green with purple cabbage too)
• 1 orange, peeled and sliced into half inch segments
• 1 tbsp of finely chopped cilantro
• 1 small shallot, sliced thinly
• Juice of half a lemon  or use apple cider vinegar (about 2 tbsp — you can readjust)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Dash of chilli powder (optional)
• Chopped nuts or seeds (optional)

Method

1. Place shredded cabbage, sliced shallots and cilantro in a medium bowl
2. Add the orange segments
3. Toss with olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice then sprinkle with a dash of chili powder
4. Top with chopped nuts or seeds if you like

Not too bad. Not too bad. I used one packet of Kow Peck Chye + garlic + half a grapefruit + toasted  chopped almonds and stir-fried them. Very simple.

***

Yesterday I saw my gynae for a follow-up after my hysteroscopy. The histology results came back and everything is fine.  It was a benign polyp. The bad news is that endometrial polyp can grow back if there’s too much estrogen hormones in the body.  Too much of estrogen in the body is bad. Likewise, too little estrogen is bad (causes thin uterine lining).  Our body hormones need to be balanced. I hope some acupuncture will help.

Speaking of hormone balance, I am currently reading Jillian Michael’s book called “Master Your Metabolism“, which is about naturally balancing your hormones. She offers information throughout, including: food shopping lists, hormone-trigger food charts, how to eat power nutrient foods, quick and easy recipes, 2 weeks food and grocery plan, she addresses PMS, andropause, metabolic syndrome, PCOS, and menopause.

So anyway …  after my appointment,  I had a late lunch at my favourite soup spot. I ordered a Tokyo Chicken Stew (Chicken/Dairy Free/Gluten Free). The chicken is really tender.

And a garden green salad consisting of Romaine Lettuce, Cherry Tomato, Tortilla Crisp, Dou Mio, Cranberry, Cucumber, Sunflower Seed, Hard Boiled Egg, Choice of Dressing.

In other news,  I can’t wait to receive my Sun Warrior package!

Lemon Vinaigrette (makes 1/2 cup) – From Martha Steward

Ingredients

He’s starting to lick himself excessively again! See the bald patch? :(

Today’s workout

Warm Up (Adapted from Insanity)

• 100 Jumping jacks
• 100 High Knee Lift
• 100 Butt Kicks
• 100 Switch Kicks
• 50 Squat Jumps

Workout:  One-On-One  with Jackie (workout segments in the video below)

 Post workout food: Egg and Cheese sandwich

And cucumber + pineapple salad

Our fridge is broken! Luckily it was pretty much empty!

On a happier note, I met another friend earlier that evening and we went to eat Japanese Ramen at Daikokuya (Paragon).

In town

Appetizer – Salmon Sashimi

Salmon Sashimi is only raw fish that I like. It was delish. By the way, there’s this place in Singapore (Woodlands area) called Fassler Gourmet Singapore, and they sell salmon at low price. I have not had the chance to check out this place yet!

For my main, I ordered a mini Sapporo Miso Ramen – topped with bean sprouts, corn, nori (seaweed), leeks, bamboo shoots, sliced cha shu (pork loin) and served with springy and curly noodles. The mini bowl is $9 and the big bowl is $14. I’m not a fan of noodles (had so much of left overs indeed) but I ordered it because it’s their signature dish.

My other main was a spinach and egg salad @ $7 ++ (I requested for hard boiled eggs instead of soft ones) with sesame dressing on the side. I didn’t know that this type of spinach could be eaten in raw form (I usually stir fry them). It didn’t taste weird at all. I think I might include this spinach in my big homemade salad bowl next time hehe.

My salad plate after.

Our other appetizer was fried chicken.

***

My biological clock woke me up at 0600 today. It’s been a week since I completed The Insanity 60-Day Total-Body Conditioning Program. I am doing month 2 again but this time I am not following the calendar to the T aka taking it so seriously.  I will try to do a complete review of Insanity soon …

Edited on 11-Dec  to add: Although my knees and legs are perfectly fine after the Insanity 60-day program, I gotta give my body a break from all the jumping and pounding! So I am not repeating Insanity Month 2 anymore. Instead, I am focusing on strength, once a week long run and doing other less intense AM workout DVDs — Jackie and Jilian are back into my life hehe.

This was taken on Saturday

In the mix

Yesterday’s salad bowl: 1 can tuna, handful of cherry tomatoes, handful of grapes, some crunchy biscuits, tablespoon dried raisins, almonds, peanuts and lettuce. YUM. I’m sticking with my big salad bowls until I get sick of them :)

On another note …. I bought this Pacific brand almond milk for the first time yesterday.

I tried it this morning in my oatmeal and I think I prefer the creamy  SILK brand :)  Pacific almond milk is too watery for my liking. But that doesn’t mean I won’t be buying it again.

It’s pouring cats and dogs over here … such a good time to sleep!! XOXO.