#Bento 157 - Chicken stew with noodles and poached eggs

Today I cooked "anyhow" chicken stew. Why anyhow? Because I did not really follow any recipe and just threw in the ingredients I like. One pot of goodness which contains - chicken thigh meat cut into small chunks, onion, garlics, mushrooms, tomatoes, carrots and potatoes. Missing some celery, which will be perfect as it adds some "green" into this stew. 

And for the seasonings - I added 1.5 tbsp of light soy sauce, 1/2 tbsp of oyster sauce and maybe 1 tsp of dark soy sauce for its colour. Oh ya, I added some garlic powder too. 

All these in a pot and simmer for 45 min - 1 hour and it's done! Easy! Other than one pot rice cooker meals, this stew will be in my to-cook list during weekends in future.

For the poached eggs, I didn't use the usual methods but the method which I prepared half boiled eggs. However, the eggs were left in the water for 13 min instead. The result isn't too bad, just that it's a bit difficult to peel the shell (any solutions?) and the yolk isn't as runny. But this is good in a way as it won't be so fragile and breaks easily in the lunchboxes. So maybe next time I shall tweak my timing to 11-12 min instead. Isn't cooking fun? Like doing some science experiments......

It's a pity my fresh parsley kind of withered in my fridge, it will definitely work magic if I use them as garnish for my bentos today..sob sob. Hence, I used parsley flakes instead. 

Rayson's bento

Hubby's bento

Poached egg

I would also like to share a video for some food for thought. I think it's a really good video that reflects reality in society nowadays. Take some time to reflect if we fall into this trap as well, do we spend so much time and energy to uphold an image just for the purpose of getting "likes" on social media? Is the picture that you have uploaded the real you? 

#Bento 156 卤肉饭 Taiwanese Lu Rou Fan

I have been thinking of cooking this dish since last week and really looking forward to trying it because it looks so easy!  I am using the recipe as shown in the video from Share Food. I have seen more complicated recipes and quite lazy to try those but this looks simple and good!

There are many more videos and recipes featured on Share Food FaceBook page, do like the page if you feel that you have benefited and learned much from those recipes. 

And here's my mission accomplished.

Bento for hubby

I love 肥肉!

Area for improvement  is to reduce the amount of five spice powder. You know a bad habit/good habit of mine is using estimation. As I'm cooking a much smaller serving than the one shown in the video, I got to estimate the amount of ingredients myself. Too much powder! But my hubby feedbacked that it tastes fine! He's always so kind...haaaaaaaaa....

Rice cooker recipe - One pot meal with vegetables, chicken wings and salmon

Nowadays, due to my limited time (breastfeeding baby Rayes, brothers sleep, Rayes didn't sleep etc), dinners on Saturdays must be fuss free. Hence, I'm really falling in love with these rice cooker one pot meals, just throw in all the rice and ingredients and press the magic button "COOK", 30-40 min later, a nutritious meal will be ready! 

Best of all, the possibilities is endless! You can just change the ingredients so that you can have a variety of one pot meals. 

I threw in shredded cabbage, diced carrots, crab meat, lay the chicken wings on top and lastly 2 slabs on salmons. I marinated the wings with maggi soy sauce and salt and black pepper for the salmons. The oil of the chicken wings and salmons will seep into the rice...yum yumz!

For the rice, I added some salt and garlic powder for seasonings, you can also use chicken stock to replace the water so that the rice is more flavorful. Or you could also add 1 tomato to prepare tomato rice! 

Oh oh..not to forget, I also added in many, many, maybe 10+ cloves of garlic and a few slices of ginger to make the rice more fragrant. 

The only tricky part is the amount of water to add. I cooked 1.5 cup of rice today. Normally, I will cook rice and add water in the ratio 1:1. However, because salmon and chicken wings will produce some oils of their own, I reduce the amount of water added, hence for 1.5 cup of rice, I only add 1.25 cup of water. It's important to reduce the water else the rice will get a bit wet and soggy.

It's tricky because sometimes I did not manage to get the water right and the rice ended up either too hard or too soft. Anyhow, practice makes perfect so cook more often and you will get it right!

Before cooking, oh that's a slab of butter on top

It's done!

Dinner is ready!

Bento #155 - Breaded fish fillet and omelette

Marinated the cod fillet with some salt and black pepper, coat it with egg and panko and fried it on both sides till golden brown. Simple ya? 

The fillet sits on a bed of raw cabbage and carrots which I squeezed on a generous serving of Kewpie mayonnaise when we were about to go out (hence mayonnaise is not shown in the pictures). The veges will compensate for the oily fried fillet I guess.

Used the left over egg to fry the omelette so as not to waste the egg. So there you are, a hearty bento for hubby's lunch today. 

Bento #154 - Tiger pasta

Oh dear, I have been unwell for the past few days and have decided to take a break from cooking in the mornings so that I can recuperate. So sad that I am still as weak as before, first it's Rayson, then Rayden, my mother and finally I was also down with fever. I'm never spared! I wish I can be stronger as there is never a good time for a mother to fall sick.

Thank God for being with baby Rayes, there was one night when he was feeling hot and I thought he was coming down with a fever too. However, he latched more often than usual that night and his fever miraculously went off in the morning, he could even go ahead with his immunization! Praise the Lord! And I'm guessing that my breastmilk, filled with antibodies made him well.

Prepared Tiger pasta for Rayson's recess bento today. Pan fried shabu pork, dice onions and mushrooms, add in the pasta sauce and dilute with water if necessary. Bring it to a boil and all is done! Used the bow tie pastas again today, they look cute!

Bento #153 - Cold soba with teriyaki salmon

Friday is snack day for Rayson so I only need to cook for hubby this morning. There is a virus spreading around the house, first it's Rayson, then Rayden, my mama and now I'm not spared either. Initially I thought I must have over exerted myself last night doing my home workout but alas I'm down with fever! No wonder I was aching all over....Sad that I'm still as weak as ever...sob sob..

But the good thing is Rayson and Rayden recovered very well, they only had fever and no other draggy symptoms like running noses, coughs, phlegm etc......

Do you know it's very easy to prepare your own teriyaki sauce? 

Just use these 3 ingredients soy sauce, sake and mirin in the ratio 1:1:1 and tada! you have your own teriyaki sauce! I definitely prefer homemade teriyaki sauce as it is not as salty as store bought.

Bento #152 - Totoro Burger

Strictly speaking, I did not do much cooking today because the chicken patty of the burger is ready made so I just pan fried it and put it in the burger with cheese and some mayonnaise.

Most of my time is spent making the Totoro and I'm pretty happy with the results! Looks pretty cute!..Hee. So it's really a love-hate relationship for me when it comes to preparing charaben.

I love my new friend in my favorite shade of pink! A bit confused by the notifications though. Will join me for my swimming sessions soon!

Fitbit Flex 2

Homeworkout after boys are tucked in bed

30 high knees
10 burpees
20 Push-up
40 squats
40 pulse squats
30 mountain climber
10 groiners (only 10 coz I'm too noisy...worried that neighbours will complain)
30 jumping jacks
20 Tricep dips
Front and sides planks 40s each
20 Feet on towel pull in and out (unsure of proper name)
Ended with 30 jumping jacks

Next:

Marinate salmon for hubby's bento tomorrow!

Bento #151 Tom Yum Yaki Udon

Rayson is still recuperating at home but almost recovered, thank  God! Tom Yum Yaki Udon for Ray's bento today. I love udon because they are so versatile and easy to cook and it's also a much healthier alternative to instant noodles.

Instead of eating instant noodles, you could just cook udon and use miso as the soup base, throw in some vegetables and meat and ta-da......a healthy meal is ready. Our personal preference is Sakura brand udon which can be bought from NTUC.

Tom Yum Yaki Udon
Serves 1

Ingredients

1 packet of Sakura brand udon
Sliced lean meat
1 small red onion (diced)
3-4 cloves of garlic (diced)
3-4 mushrooms (diced)
3-4 crab meat (diced)
Green leafy vegetables
NTUC Tom Yum Paste

(Very flexible, you can actually use any ingredients you like!)

Method

1) Marinate the sliced lean meat with some black pepper and light soy sauce. Cook the sliced meat in boiling water until they are cooked (changed colour and no blood). I cook the meat first to prevent myself from overcooking as my slicing skills are not good and I will always be worried if the meat is fully cooked which ended up the meat being too tough. Keep the water after cooking the meat.

2) Pour some oil in the pan and fry the diced red onion and garlic till fragrant. Add in the mushrooms and stir fry a while until they are soft. Add in the crab meat.

3) Add in the udon and place the green leafy vegetables on the top. Scoop a few spoonfuls, maybe 5-6, of the water used for cooking the meat and pour over the udon. Close the lid, cook over medium fire until you can see steam coming out.

4) Open the lid and mix the udon and ingredients well. Add in 1 tbsp of tom yum paste ( I did not add any salt or soy sauce or any other seasonings because the tom yum paste is already quite salty) and continue to mix the paste and udon well.

5) Dish out and sprinkle some nuts on top and it's ready to serve!

And if you are craving for some authentic Thai food like this Tom Yum soup. Why not visit Sa.Yum Dining room, a newly opened Thai restaurant at Club Street. We had a great dining experience at Sa.Yum! Quote "HAMIKO2017" to enjoy 15% off your food order, valid till 24 April 2017.

MEIJI RUN 2017 – The World’s Most Delicious Race is Back!

Meiji Run 2017

Back for the second year to bring more fun and healthy activities than ever to runners in a full-day event, the Meiji Run 2017 will offer participants the choice of a Meiji 5km Fun Run or the newly introduced 10km Competitive Cash Back Run. There will also be a Meiji Yoga Session on-site, to cater to not only yoga enthusiasts, but also to runners who may be keen to give yoga a go.

Good News!

Registration has started and Bento for Love's readers will be able to enjoy 5% off their registration fee when they enter promo code ‘MEIJIXBENTO4LOVE’ . This is unlimited and can be applied for 

Meiji 800m Kids Dash/ 5km Run/ 10km Run. Visit www.meijirun.sg to sign up today.

This code will expire on 20th April 2017

Meiji Yoga 2017

Yoga enthusiasts can look foward to Meiji Yoga, a mass yoga session where participants will be nourished with a serving of Meiji Amino Collagen before their yoga session and then treated to a Meiji Breakfast, which includes refreshing Meiji Bulgaria Yogurt served with fruits and the newly-launched Meiji Bulgaria drink. On top of that, participants can pamper themselves with a short spa massage or manicure at the sponsors' booths.

Meiji Yoga details

Date: 20th May 2017 
Time: 7.30 am-10.30 am

Venue: Sentosa’s Palawan Green (Early Bird Tickets (bookings before 14 April) are priced at $35/Pax)

Meiji Yoga entitlements

• Yoga Mat
• Sports Singlet
• DrawString Bag
• Meiji Breakfast and Spa

Meiji Run (5 km Fun Run; 10 km Competitive Cash-back Run)

Finishers from both the 5 km Fun Run and 10 km Competitive Cash-back Run categories will receive delicious treats in the Meiji Snack Hamper (worth $20) and a customary finisher medal.

Even better is the 10 km Competitive Cash-back Run category which allows runners who complete their race in less than 50 minutes to receive a cash-back of up to $100 worth of cash vouchers, redeemable at the Meiji Fair on the event day itself! (For more information, kindly refer to the timing tiers incentive table below)

The faster you run, the lesser you pay. How good is that!

Meiji Run 2017 details

Date: 20th May 2017 (Saturday)

Time: 3.00 pm - 8.00 pm

Venue: Sentosa (Palawan Green)

(Early Bird Tickets (Before 14th April 2017):

5km Fun Run- $45/Pax

10km Competitive Cashback Run - $55/Pax

Meiji Run 2017 Entitlements

• Sports Tee Shirt
• Meiji Finisher Hamper – Worth $20
• Tote Bag
• Face Towel
• Medal and Meiji Vouchers
• Finisher Medal
• Water Bottle – for 10km runners only
• Limited Edition Meiji Run Plush Toy – for an additional $5

Meiji 800m Kids Dash

Not to forget your little ones! Meiji 800m Kids Dash is a category specially for children aged 4-12 years old. Healthy living starts young right?

Other activities

After their hard work, runners can also be treated to a variety of activities catered to their enjoyment. You can take pictures with your loved ones at the Photo Booths or savor Japanese food and beverages at the mini Japanese food fair before winding down at the Outdoor Movie Screening.

MEIJI Fair

Customers who spend above $50 in a single receipt at the Meiji Fair, which is also opened to public, can spin the prize wheel and stand a chance to win additional Meiji products or receive a limited edition Meiji Run Plush toy (while stocks last) at the check out counter.

Participants who shop at the Meiji Fair will also be entitled to join a lucky draw to win 2 air tickets to Japan!

WOW!

Meiji Run 2017 is certainly an event to look forward to. Hmm...which category should I join? The Meiji yoga sounds really relaxing and pampering...Oh..maybe I should join the run since one of my goals of 2017 is to resume my exercise regime to maintain a healthy lifestyle......and the 10km cash back idea makes it so worthwhile for runners who can complete the run within 50min......

My boys will definitely love the mini Japanese food fair where they can eat, eat and eat ..........and check out the $20 Meiji hamper.......Yumz!!!

Visit www.meijirun.sg to sign up today and remember to use the promo code  ‘MEIJIXBENTO4LOVE’ to enjoy 5% off your registration fee!

Bento #150 - Shabu pork and mushroom pizza with a sunny side up

There is something more accurate than a thermometer ------SILENCE. It is an abnormality in my house therefore I know something must be brewing and yes....Rayson is down with FEVER! Hence, he's staying home today, must be the aftermath of Chinese New Year. 

I realized my hands are getting itchier, initially I thought I will only prepare bentos 3 out of 5 days but now, I am cooking almost every morning. Even though I do no need to prepare food for Rayson, I would still very much like to cook for Ray. 

Yesterday, I fell asleep with baby Rayes in my arms, after breastfeeding him in the middle of the night (really do not know the time.....) And when I woke up, it was already 530am!! I'm late! Yes, 530am is late for me. My alarm is supposed to ring off at 430am, I wonder why I did not hear it or did it ring in the first place. 

Fortunately I have already cut and marinated all the ingredients the previous night. I had wanted to prepare burgers for Ray and Rayson today but since Rayson is staying home, I decided to use the burger buns to make some pizzas for Ray.

I cut and marinated a few strips of shabu pork with black pepper, salt and Worcestershire sauce the previous night. In the morning, I pan fried the marinated shabu pork and diced mushrooms, mix them with some Kewpie mayonnaise and place the mixture on top of the buns which have been cut into half. Sprinkle some parsley, topped with lots of mozzarella cheese and pop the buns into the oven to toast for 10-15 min or till the cheese is browned. Some lady fingers and cherry tomatoes for his veges.

Bento #149 - Rice cooker chicken rice

There is a bit of "mishap" for my rice cooker chicken rice today. I think my NTUC chicken rice mix was spoilt! When I took it out from the fridge and gave it a stir, I was shocked to see that the oil has turned whitish and the whole bottle looks just like porridge texture. It smelled fine but I threw it away nevertheless, definitely not going to take the risk. I probably left it in my fridge for too long a time.

Never mind, I guess the pandan leaves, chicken juices, ginger and lots of garlic will still be able to compensate for the loss. Hence I added in some salt and light soy sauce for the taste. I think overall the rice still taste pretty good even without the chicken rice mix. 

However, today I added insufficient water. I cooked 1 cup of rice but only use 1/4 cup of water, and some of the rice turned out a bit hard and so I had to throw them away, what a waste! But the good thing is.....most of the rice is still edible and taste pretty okay, especially those soaked in the chicken juice...yumz. 

Why did I use only 1/4 cup of water today? Because previously, I used half a cup but the rice turned out wetter than what I preferred so I decided to reduce the water further today. Sigh........

Rayson's chicken rice bento

 As requested, I made chicken rice balls for Rayson. I really love the cutie eyes food picks, they made everything come alive! I was lazy to punch out nori so I just used the spring onions for the mouths.

Hubby's chicken rice bento

Sharing another of my home workout which took only 10 min, perfect for SAHM!

The number is really just an estimation as I followed a video clip and the exercise changes when the time is up so I didn't really count accurately but roughly between 15-20.

I like this set...it has a nice variety and my muscles feel like they have done some work. I couldn't do normal push ups (knee down is fine) hence the burpee is a struggle for me and I only managed to do 6! I couldn't do runners crunch also..so I did the normal crunch 勉强是不会幸福的.

1) Lateral plank walk × 10

2) Rainbow plank × 15

3) Oblique plank with reach × 15 each side 

4) Reverse lunge x 20

5) Push-up burpee × 6 (only!)

6) Reverse fly x 15

7) Runner's crunch x 15

8) Triceps dip and bridge x 15

9) Creepy crawler x 15 

10) Rayes cries..............

                                            Have a great Monday!

Bento #148 - Pan fried fish with a sweet and sour topping

Snack day for Rayson today hence I only need to prepare lunchbox for hubby. Pan-fried fish fillet with a sweet and sour topping. I learned this topping from my confinement auntie which I modified a bit.

Sweet and sour topping:

Mix chopped onion, garlic and some red chilli together, then add 1.5 tbsp of lemon juice and 0.5 tbsp of soy sauce.

Pour the mixture into a pan and stir fry for a while. When you are almost done, add in some honey, (depends on whether you want it more sweet or sour). I threw in some spring onions too as I have too much of these in the fridge. Pour the mixture over the pan-fried dish and you are done!

Am hoping that 2017 will be a healthier year for me and hence I have decided to start exercising which I have stopped since I gave birth to Rayson in 2010. No need for expensive gym membership or running marathons or swimming 10 laps in the pool. Homeworkout is a convenient and flexible choice as I can start exercising immediately after baby Rayes fell asleep, no time to waste. Though I still swim as and when nowadays, homeworkout is indeed a saver when I am running out of time. Sharing a video of one of my workouts. If you are thinking of starting, now is the time.

Completed this set in 13 min: 

100 skips
30 crunches
100 skips
20 lunges
100 skips
30 havyk raises
100 skips
30 Russian twists
100 skips
40 squats
100 skips
30 reverse flys
100 skips
20 up and down planks 

Bento #147 - Garlic bread with homemade garlic butter spread and baked egg and cherry tomatoes topped with cheese

Prepared garlic bread with homemade garlic butter spread for Rayson today. It's so easy I'm never going to buy garlic bread again. I am using this very simple recipe from Wokking Mum. I added lots more garlic powder because we love garlic! 

The baked egg and cherry tomatoes topped with mozzarella and cheddar cheese is a winner and so easy to prepare. I also pan fried a scallop for Rayson as the scallops have been sitting in my freezer for too long a time I'm trying to clear them.

The cute little pink container from DAISO holds Rayson's favorite Kewpie mayonnaise which he will use as a dip for the garlic bread.