World of Wati

Winter 2012, First Snow

2012-01-26T17:19:00.003+09:00

A snow covered street, in front of our house

After putting Fredi to bed, I went downstairs and looked out the window. I let out a sigh when I saw a beautiful white blanket on the ground and on rooftops gleaming in the dark. It was one of the most beautiful snowfall I've witnessed in Japan. The view outside, with the snow in the dark, just gave me a sense of peace and serenity. The snow was still falling, in big little clusters, the kind that is dry and light. In times like this, how I wished the boys were up so we could go outside and throw snowballs at each other.

I grabbed my camera for I HAVE to take photos of the scenery, post them onto Facebook so my family and friends in Singapore and other countries could see what was going on. And here they are, the snow fall at night, and the morning after. Enjoy!

Shit! We forgot to cover our bicycles.

The trees, right outside our door

The morning after: Some snow had melted but it left a frozen ground. If not careful, one could slip, fall and get hurt

Our bicyles still standing, thank goodness!

Time to play and dig some snow

Simple fun is best

Tip it all off and do it again!

Mummy trying to break the ice and clearing snow off the street: that was my morning workout and it aint light!

You're a great helper Fredi with that small spade!

Ah! Daddy popped out to have a shufty

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Salmon in Spicy Coconut Stew

2012-01-22T17:50:00.002+09:00

I had been getting rather fishy last week. Since my craving for sweet stuff had more or less subsided, I had been rather inclined to eat more fish. This shouldn't be a bad thing as eating Omega 3 fats from marine sources is good not only for the heart, but also the brain and eye. This, of course, should be done regularly, as part of your daily lifestyle, not something you eat once in while. I try and make healthy eating second nature to me, like brushing my teeth. I think I have been a good girl so far. Yes, I do eat sweet stuff every now and then, but I don't think those little sweet treats will do much damage to my body because I eat real whole food 80-90% most of the time.

Tasty and great for the body: Salmon in Spicy Coconut Stew

The Sri Lankan Fish Curry I made previously was lovely, it was light and pleasant. This time, I want something richer to go with my favourite oily fish, salmon. What came out was a surprisingly tasty Salmon in Spicy Coconut Stew.

I used:

400g salmon (with bones or steak, whichever you perfer. I used both)
1 can (400ml) coconut milk (full fat)
250ml water
Juice of half a lemon
olive oil
1 medium size onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped finely
1 teaspoon ginger paste
4 small or 3 medium size tomatoes, quatered
2 chilli (optional)
Tumeric powder
A bunch of fresh coriander leaves
Salt to taste

Method:

Sprinkle and rub some tumeric powder and lemon juice on each side of fish. Marinate for 30 minutes
Heat some olive oil, about 4 tablespoons, and fry the salmon on each side for 2 minutes. You just want to brown it, not fully cook it. Place browned salmon on a plate.
Using the same oil, sauteed the onion until almost transparent. Add more oil if necessary.
Add the tomatoes, chilli, garlic and ginger paste and fry for another 2-3 minutes, until tomatoes are almost but not completely break up
Add the coconut milk, water and stir
Add the salmon in a single layer, coriander leaves and salt in the coconut stew. Stir gently to incorporate the salt. Cover and simmer on medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes, until salmon is cooked.
Test taste and adjust seasoning.
Serve hot with steamed rice and your favourite vegetables!

I'm not sure which curry I like better, but Roy said the salmon in spicy coconut stew is the winner! I agree!

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Sri Lankan Fish Curry

2012-01-16T16:32:00.003+09:00

When I read the recipe on The Pefect Health Diet, I told myself that it is so easy I have to do it soon. The original post was about the health benefits of eating Omega 3 fatty acids from fish, and that the recommended consumption is 1 pound (450 grams) of oily fish per week. I don't eat as much oily fish as recommended, so I take Omega 3 supplements (EPA & DHA) everyday without fail.

Sri Lankan Fish Curry, adapted from The Perfect Health Diet

My favourite fish has to be salmon. But this time, I used mackerel, another good oily fish, simply because they were selling them cheaper than usual. I was a little hesitant because of the bones, and Roy is particular about them. I went ahead and bought the fish with bones anyway!

The original recipe can be found here. This is my version, with a slight differentiation because I don't have some of the ingredients. In most of my cooking, I don't really measure. Do you ever see celebrity chefs measuring their ingredients when cooking? Not always! I depend on my instinct, unless I'm baking, so the measrements here are approximate.

I used:

4 tablespoon olive oil (more oil if necessary)
450g mackerel
1 medium onion
2 small garlic
1 teaspoon ginger paste
a bunch of corriander leaves
1 red chilli (optional)
1 teaspoon chilli powder (optional)
1 tablespoon black mustard seeds
2 tablespoons cumin powder
juice of half lemon
2 vine ripe tomatoes, quatered
2 cups water
salt to taste

Method:

Sprinkle and rub the cumin powder on the fish. Add the lemon juice and marinate the fish for 2 hours in the fridge
Heat the oil and fry the fish for 2 minutes on each side. You just want to brown the fish, not fully cook it
Place fish on a plate
Using the same oil in the pot, sautee onion, garlic and mustard seeds together. Add more oil if mecessary. Sautee for 5 minutes, or until onion turns transparent
Add tomatoes, ginger paste, chilli and chilli powder. Cook until tomatoes start to break up
Add water
Add the fish on a single layer, corriander leaves and salt (abut 1/2 teaspoon). Cover the pot and cook for 7-10 mins, or until fish is cook
Test taste and adjust seasoning to your liking

Dinner is served, Sri Lankan Fish Curry

My favourite veggie: Stir fried cabbage, with spinach, garlic and dried anchovies

We ate the curry served with steamed rice and my favourite stir fried cabbage. Roy had it with steamed broccoli. Despite the bones, Roy said it was lovely. To me, the bones added to the taste, and I had no issues eating boney fish as I grew up eating it like that anyway. I liked the flavour, it was light and pleasant, not overpowering on the spiciness. I prefer it to be hotter but I liked it the way just it was. Will definitey be making it again, but without bones next time!

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

French Apple Tart

2012-01-12T14:58:00.003+09:00

It is very clear that I love sweets! Especially when it comes to that time of the month, I always crave for something more eloborate, not just dark chcolates. It itensifies a week before it starts and then subsides a week the cycle finishes. I've been playing with the idea of creating another blog, dedicated to just food that I make. But for now..

Apple Tart, after baking

My latest sweet indulgence was French Apple Tart. It was surprisngly so easy to make, especially if you used ready made frozen pastry sheet, like I did. It was not gluten-free, although I plan on making a gluten-free version after stumbling this recipe. The last time we had something similar was Roy's Tart Tatin, which was gorgeous.

Apple Tart, before baking

When making my first recipe, I always start with small proportion, enough for 2 people, sometimes 3 if Fredi likes it, which is most of the time!

I used:

100g thawed and softened frozen pastry sheet (make sure the fat used is butter, not otherwise)
1 and 1/2 Fuji apple (they are rather big in Japan)
2 tablespoons Okinawa granulated black sugar (or sugar of choice)
40g unsalted butter
1 tablespoon apricot jam
1 tablespoon water

Method:

Heat the oven at 180 degrees C
Roll out pastry sheet into a thin layer of crust. Trim the edges by using a ruler and cutting with a knife, but I just folded and tucked them in to straighten them
Using a fork, prick holes in the crust
Put it in the fridge while you prepare the apples
Peel, core and slice the apples thinly
Take pastry crust out of fridge and arrange apple slices overlapping one another
Using your fingers, sprinkle the sugar over the apples. Use more sugar if neccessary. 2 tablespoons gave the right level of sweetness for me
Cut butter into little cubes and sprinkle them evenly over the apples
Place tart in oven and bake for 180 degrees C for 30-35minutes, until pastry and apples brown around th edges
Once done, take it out of the oven
Microwave the jam and water for 1 minute. Mix the mixture and seive it using a tea strainer so that the glaze is smooth, but if you can't be bothered to seive it, you can skip it :-)
Using a brush, glaze the tart with the apricot mixture to give a shiny appearance

Apple Tart, after baking

Apple Tart served with Haagen Dazs Macadamia ice-cream

You can serve it warm or cold, with your favourite topping. I love this tart because it is very classically French! I love the taste of the black sugar and it wasn't that sweet, it was just right. The thin crust was crispy and soft and the apples were beautifuly done too. Definitely worth a try!

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Abok-Abok Sago

2012-01-07T16:36:00.004+09:00

For international readers, the title means a Malay dessert of steamed sago (tapioca pearls) with coconut and palm sugar. Traditionally, freshly grated coconut and palm sugar are used. Then the sago is mixed, wrapped in a banana leaf in a cone shape and steamed. This was how exactly my mother used to make them. Sounds complicated but very easy to make!

While it is a challenge to make a truly traditional Malay dishes and desserts in Tokyo, it is not at all impossible. All I have to do is think of an alternative and improvise. I am lucky to be living where I am right now as I have easy access to ingredients to make traditional desserts.

I was still in a craving mode for traditional desserts after my sucessful attempt with the Glutinous Black Rice Pudding. What's next? I remember a packet of sago and dessicated coconut sitting in the kitchen cabinet waiting to be used, so what to do with them? Abok-Abok sago!

100% Pure Okinawa Black Sugar

I don't have anymore palm sugar left so I substituted it with 100% Okinawa black sugar. This specialty sugar has quite a similar caramelish, malty taste to palm sugar, with the trace minerals and vitamins intact because it's unrefined unlike white sugar (which I avoid). It comes in irregular rock shapes, so you can actually suck them like candy, as some people in this country do! Fredi loved it after grabbing a handful when I wasn't watching.

Muffin pans in place of banana leaves

I also don't have banana leaves, so I just went ahead and used muffin pans instead and they turned out fine!

Since I'm not sure how the dessert will turn out, I made it using small proportion, so please double or triple the measrements if you make it for more than 4 people.

I used:

1/2 cup sago, or tapioca pearls (soaked for 30mins, washed and drained)
4-5 tablespoons pure black Okinawa sugar, chopped into small pieces (use palm sugar or other dark unrefined sugar)
30g dessicated coconut (use freshly grated if possible)
pinch of salt

Method:

Prepare the steamer
Mix the soaked sago, dessicated coconut and pinch of salt together
Put a tablespoon of sago mixture into muffin pan, followed by a tablespon of sugar (see photo above), and followed by another tablespoon of sago mixture. You have 3 layers total.
Place the muffin pans into prepared steamer and steam for 15-20 minutes on medium-high heat, or until sago turns transparent
Serve warm or at room temperature

Steamed and cooked Abok-Abok Sago. Notice the melted black sugar. Beautiful!

I love the the way the shape turned out, not coned but round.

The recipe above makes 5 and they turned out perfect. The black sugar worked really well, and the dessicated coconut turned soft from the steam. I am satisfied with the result and will definitely be making it again. Of course it would be even more decadant if I used fresh coconut and wrap the sago in banana leaves. I can only remember, as a child, the fragrance of the banana leaf as I peeled it to reveal the cooked sago inside. But my modern version is just as good if not authentic!

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Rice as Dessert: Glutinous Black Rice Pudding

2012-01-04T17:06:00.006+09:00

Rice is quite a versatile ingredient as it can be used either as dessert or otherwise. It's mainly starch, a safe starch that is converted to glucose used by the body for energy, among other things. I love rice, I am Asian in general and a Malay in particular so rice is a staple in my diet.

Recenty I have a strong craving for something coconutish. Since adapting back to eating healthily, I find that I started to crave for traditional food more and more, food that I used to eat when I grew up as a child in Singapore. Coconut and rice are two major ingredients used in most traditional Malay dishes including desserts. I have 2 packs of black rice in my kitchen cabinet, perfect for making Bubur Pulut Hitam, or Glutinous Back Rice Pudding!

Traditionally, pandan leaves are used, but none are sold in Japan so I used the Madagascar vanilla beans instead, the same beans I used for making ice-cream. It is also traditional to use freshly squeezed coconut milk for the pudding, where the santan pekat, or "thick coconut milk" is used for the topping while the santan cair, or "thin coconut milk" is used to cook the black rice.

I used:

2 cups glutinous black rice (soaked for at least 4 hours or overnight, and washed)
4-6 cups water (may need more)
6-8 tablespoon sugar to taste ( I can't remember exactly how much I used but adjust to your liking. I used Okinawa black sugar and unrefined cane sugar together)
vanilla (I used vanilla beans. If you can find pandan leaves, use that instead)
1 can coconut milk (scoop out and reserve some of the cream ("thick coconut milk") that has settled on top of the can and save the rest with the water ("thin coconut milk") that has settled at the bottom of can for cooking later)

Method:

Put water, black rice and vanilla in a pot deep enough to hold all that water.
On medium-high heat, bring it to a boil.
Once boiled, turn heat down to medium-low and cook for 30-45 minutes until rice is cooked through and soft enough to bite. Ensure to stir every few minutes to cook it evenly. It should have the consistency of a thick, soupy porridge.
Add the sugar, start with 6 tablespoons, and gradually increase until you are happy with the level of sweetness.
Add the "thin coconut milk" and bring it to a boil for a minute or 2 and turn off heat.
Add a pinch of salt to the reserved "thick coconut milk" and mix well. This is the usual practice, but optional. I like it with salt.
Serve the pudding hot, topped with the "thick coconut milk".
You can refrigerate the pudding up to 3 days. To warm it up, just nuke it for 40s-1minute. Alternatively, you can eat it cold!

Of course, you can Google around and find that there are several ways to making this simple, hearty and healthy dessert. I love rice and coconut (it's a superfood in my opinion, including the fat) and a bowl of hot Glutinous Rice Pudding satisfies my craving nicely for traditional dessert. I ate it for 3 days in a row, 3 times a day!

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Can You Recognise the Characters?

2012-01-02T21:31:00.002+09:00

When Wilkie was still raw from his bout of chicken pox, he had to stay indoors and Roy had been the one looking after him most of time. So what did they do one day when Fredi and his mummy went out to the weekly playgroup? Some fun art on the floor of our balcony. Can you tell who the characters are?

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Spicy Bean and Carrot Soup

2011-12-28T16:00:00.007+09:00

Food for the soul: Spicy Bean and Carrot Soup

What could be more satisfying than a bowl of hot soup to warm up the body in this chilly weather. I love Winter in Tokyo as it's dry, sunny and blue sky is a rather common sight. The temperature at the moment ranges from 5 degrees in the day and could dip to -2 when it's dark.

All the Christmas leftover had gone and dusted, and I felt like making soup, something thick, something spicy but very easy to make. Enter our favourite Spicy Bean and Carrot Soup. The idea was adapted from this book, one of the recipe book collection in our kitchen. I did some small changes but most of the ingredients are the same as in the book.

This was what we had the soup with: Rice, fried cabbage with chilli and dried anchovies, avocado and spicy beef

I used:

1 can chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato puree
1 fresh tomato, diced
1/2 large or 1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped very finely
1 can red kidney beans, drained and washed
1 medium sized carrots, skinned and cubed
2 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder (more if you like it hotter, I do but Roy could only take it so far)
1 tablespoon chilli flakes (same as above)
2 tablespoon olive oil
20g butter (or ghee)
2 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon unrefined sugar
salt and black pepper to taste
Some chopped fresh coriander to garnish (optional)

Method:

Heat butter and olive oil in pot. When oil is hot, but not smoking hot, add the chopped onions and carrots and fry for 5 - 7 mins.
Add the garlic and fry for another 5 mins until onions and carrots are slightly browned.
Add canned tomato, tomato puree, chopped fresh tomato, all the spices, sugar and water. Stir and cook for 5 mins and bring it to a boil.
Reduce fire to low and simmer for 20mins. Stir every 5 mins or so.
Add the red beans, and cook for another 5-10 mins, with the lid on. Add salt and pepper.
The carrots should be tender by now. Test taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.
Let cool for 10 mins.
Transfer half of the soup into a blender and blend for 2 mins.
Pour it back into the pot and stir. You want the soup to be creamy and with chunky bits at the same time.
Serve it hot, garnished with freshly chopped coriander (it makes a lot of difference!) Best eaten with crusty bread, or steamed rice.

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Christmas 2011

2011-12-27T15:51:00.005+09:00

Christmas this year was merrier than in the past because for the first time, we had our own Christmas tree, complete with presents under it.

Christmas morning

In the past it was usually a quiet affair, for we had no compelling reasons to make it grand. For us, the key to great excitement and fun have always been for the kids, and that means presents. Not that this year was any grand at all, it was just that Wilkie is older and understand things much better.

2nd day of chicpen pox

On Christmas eve, Wilkie was one unlucky child though. He caught chicken pox. Roy took him to the doctor and he was given the usual cream to apply on the spots and was advised against going outdoors for 2 weeks. Fredi is vulnerable for he hasn't caught chicken pox, so he was given an injection to prevent the pox from being worse than Wilkie, if he ever gets it himself.

Anyway, we deliberately waited till the last minute to put the Christmas tree up and lay the presents. The boys were in bed, unbeknownst to them that mummy and daddy were busy downstairs. The idea was to suprise the boys when they wake up in the morning.

On Christmas Day, I was the last to get up. Wilkie ran upstairs, woke me up and asked me to "hurry up and come downstairs... there's a Christmas tree and Santa put presents!"

Wilkie looked subdued but he was back jumping up and down after the shot

Both Roy and I were so happy to see his reaction as it was exactly what we had planned. The night before we told him if Santa is going to get off at our local train station to send presents. Although he's got chicken pox, the sight of the surprise Christmas tree and the presents he thought Santa gave lifted his spirits high and cheered him up. He had no fever, he was as happy as he could be.

Breakfast in the morning to start Christmas Day

After breakfast and shower, it's time to take more photos!

Presents...

More presents...

Then we opened the presents, very slowly, and then it was time for lunch. We had roasted turkey bought at Seibu department store--no hassle of roasting it myself. I quickly made some broccoli, mashed potato and mushroom cream sauce. Wilkie had his usual nori roll and chicken ball. Fredi was starving by the time lunch was served and he gobbled the turkey fast. And then we all had a chocolate log cake for dessert. The boys enjoyed blowing the candles and singing Christmas songs.

Carving out a turkey leg

We wish you a Merry Chrsitmas

1, 2 3, blow...!

The opening of presents was stretched towards the evening since Wilkie spent a great deal playing and putting his Transformers toys together. The parts to build the robots were rather difficult to ensemble even Roy had some difficulties.

Thank you Daddy!

Fredi seemed not to be too bothered mostly as he's still too young to understand. He wasn't excited about ripping the wrappers off his gifts, but he liked the Thomas toy set very much.

It was nice that we got presents sent all the way from the UK and America. It was also nice for me to go out and get presents for others. Although we are not religious, we celebrate the festive day in the name of good fun. It's more for the kids to enjoy, and a chance for us to spend quality time with loved ones in a little bit different and special way.

Hope you've had a fun Christmas too!

Simple Chocolate Puffed Rice

2011-12-24T16:46:00.003+09:00

I bought a big bag of puffed rice recently at a stall they put up specially on that day at Ikebukuro station. I couldn't resist buying it as I thought it would be a great snack food for Fredi. It's not that healthy because it's covered in sugar, but at least it's not wheat and gluten-free. Fredi eats snacks only when I take him out, otherwise he eats 3 solid meals a day.

I love puffed rice, not Rice Krispies made by Kellogg. The difference is the former is fat, fluffy and crunchy, while the Kellogg brand is rather flat in taste and texture and not as crunchy. I have been meaning to make use of my dark chocolate selection into something more interesting, so the idea of chocolate puffed rice came to mind.

So here goes the recipe.

I used:

100g 76% Lindt Dark Chocolate
2 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 cups puffed rice

Method:

Melt broken dark chocolate with coconut oil
Once melted, add honey and cocoa powder
Stir well until smooth – I used a manual hand mixer
Add puffed rice to chocolate mixture and mix well
Spoon chocolate puffed rice into paper cases
Chill for at least 1 hour, until set

It's a simple and easy dessert to make. They taste great refrigerated. I give no excuses if I want to eat sweets, and when I do eat them, I use ingredients that I know wouldn't cause me health issues, and low in toxicity as possible.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Parties in December

2011-12-15T00:23:00.003+09:00

I am not cmpletely done yet with posting our Autumn activities, but I feel like posting what we've been up to in December.

It has been a rather busy month, with 3 parties in a week! The first two were Christmas parties organised by the clubs I'm a member of. They were held 2 days in a row, and that included big eating especially on the second party. It was great fun, nonetheless with the usual activities of singing, story time and craft time. Of course, the highlight was "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" where Roy was the man behind that red suit and white beard on the first party. He had done this for two years in a row and the boys have still no idea the real identity of Santa :-)

Stockings to be filled with secret goodies and for decoration

Can you spot our stockings?

Red rouge is to go with the red hat

Wilkie received his gift from Santa (his Dad!)

A fun family portrait for X'mas 2012. The boys might find out who the real Santa is when they are older

Panda Bear Club Christmas group photo

2nd day of X'mas party proved too much for Fredi

OK, at least Fredi didn't cry this time.

No matter what, Fredi is not thrilled to meet Santa and he isn't the only one

Polar Bear Club Christmas group photo

The third party was for a birthday and farewell to our dear friends, The Marknebelung. It was held at the Tokyo America Club. We celebrated Eric's 5th birthday and his family's farewell. Both Eric and Wilkie have been friends before they were even one year old. We used to meet every week for playdates with other mummies and we all became close friends, until one family after another and another left Tokyo for good and now them. This time, they are leaving Tokyo for London, due to work. It has been a great pleasure being friends with them and we will definitely miss them. I'm sure our paths will cross again in future. Good luck in your new country!

Bowling time! Fredi enjoying every moment of it

"See if I can hit that right"

Lunch time: bowl of chips

The mummies: We have known each other before our kids turned 1

The cake is here!

Everybody singing Happy Birthday Dear Eric

Happy 5th Birthday Eric and farewell to The Marknebelung

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

22 Nov: Happy 5th Birthday Wilkie!

2011-12-02T16:14:00.001+09:00

This IS a very late entry, but here are photos of Wilkie's 5th birthday celebration. He requested for first, a chocolate cake, and then a pink cake, so I ended up making a chocolate cake with pink frosting (white chocolate ganache with pink food colouring), dusted with pink sugar powder to give that snowy effect. I made 2 cakes, one without the ganache, just a simple blue whipped cream text.

The day before his birthday, we went to Disney Sea which was a HUGE failure - he was put off by the the view of and the loud volcanic eruption sound effect just as we stepped onto the entrance. He immediately said, NO, NO, NO, I don't like it. I want to go home! It didn't go very well after that, so no more Disney Sea. It could have been more positive if we have been to Disney Land instead as he recognises more of the Pixar characters there. But oh well, no more of Disney Land or Sea!

On the day of he turned 5, we celebrated it first with the Polar Bear Club which was a simple affair of singing a birthday song and cutting the cake. All the mummies AND kids liked the cake and the white chocolate ganache was surprisingly good with the chocolaty cake.

And then another simple celebration at home with dear Daddy. Wilkie, as we expected, asked to blow the candle 10 times, and of course, we let him.

On that day, he ate nothing much else, but just cake for both lunch and dinner! It was his day and whatever he wished for I hoped, came true, made him happy, and made his day! He loved the gifts that we got (after much debate whether Transformers is an appropriate toy-- he's very much into it at this stage).

How time flies and he's now a 5 year old boy.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Fredi Loves Zoo Train, an iPad App

2011-11-07T16:38:00.009+09:00

Wilkie learns how to make rice pancakes

When it comes to learning, my kids do it mostly at playtime. This could be anywhere, in the kitchen making rice pancakes, at the park, on train rides, watching the level crossing, or playing on the computer. They like reading too, but they only like particular books and to be read at particular times.

Both have their own iPad

My boys have no restriction to technology at home, including the iPad. We enourage them the use and access of technology. It's increasingly used in educational setting, even for young children. They love playing games, digital or analog. The same with books and there are many cool stuff that the boys can do on a digital book. We don't have a TV, although we have a TV set, and we watch a lot of children stuff that we download, or install from DVDs.

Recently, Fredi discovered a new game on the iPad and fell in love with it. The game is called Zoo Train, an iPad application developed for children with special needs. There are tons of games on the iPad, but what he loves most is the educational type.

In one of the games in Zoo Train, a user (in this case, a child, since it's an app for children) is required to match the letters, and in the process learn how to spell. Fredi loves it and I am actually quite amazed he could actually do it by himself. Prior to this, we used to sit down together playing this particular game and he would observe what I did. Clearly he understood what is required, learned it, and did it all by himself in a matter of days. When Roy saw he could match the letters on his own, he was surprised and in awe. No, I'm not boasting. Like any parent, you just feel proud when your child shows a new ability, any ability, just like talking, or saying a new word. Fredi's favourite words are bye-bye and "kan kan kan" (Japanese version of "ping ping ping" sound of the signal at the level crossing).

Fredi very focused in matching the letters Watch on Posterous

The Zoo Train application is fantastic, in my opinion. It's so easy to use even a 2 year old can understand, very colourful but clean in design and it's intuitive. Even I enjoy playing it too.

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Gomoku Gohan, An Improved Recipe

2011-11-02T16:34:00.008+09:00

Gomoku Gohan served with root veggies and left over baked salmon

Gomoku Gohan has been a staple at home for the past few weeks. It seems to be the family favourite at the moment, with the exception of Wilkie. Fredi eats it so quickly I struggle to catch up. It's a very satifying meal on it's own as all the veggies and meat are put together in the rice. Of course it woud be even more complete if served with a bowl of miso soup, plus other additional veggies and meat, which I usually do.

On my previous recipe, I didn't follow the traditional method. This time, instead of just water, I used dashi, a commonly used Japanese stock for cooking here, made basically of kelp and bonito fish flakes. I got the recipe from here, and this is how it looks like.

I was surprised at how easy it is to make basic dashi.

On Hallowen party I made Gomoku Gohan for a potluck lunch and it was my first attempt at using dashi. I also used dried shitake mushrooms and gobou (burdock root). The result was surprisingly tastier and the dashi stock gave the dish a darker hue. This may also be partly due to adding some of the soaking mushroom water as well. The gobou gave an earthy and nut like flavour. I liked it much better with dashi and now I understand why dashi is such an intergral part in Japanese cooking.

The recipe itself is very versatile, you can use, in my opnion, whatever veggies in season or meat you like. Here's mine, an improved version.

Ingredients:

2 cups rice (Japanese short grain rice-you can use other types of rice)
2 cups dashi (recipe here)
150g chicken cut into little cubes (I used thigh meat with skin on)
4 dried shitake mushrooms, soaked in water*, cut into strips
1/2 cup of carrot, cut into strips
1/2 cup gobou (burdock root), cut into strips
1/2 cup konyaku, cut into strips
2 tablespoons soyu (Japanese soy sauce)
1 tablespoon unrefined cane sugar (or sweetener of your choice)
1 tablespoon mirin

Method:

Place and mix gently everything into a rice cooker
Push the button and cook as per normal
Leave for 5-10 mins before serving

* I replace 1/2 cup of dashi with the soaking mushroom water. This is optional but I think it enhances the flavour.

Gomoku Gohan for Roy's obento with pickled radish

The day when I made obento for Roy with the improved recipe using dashi, he sent me a text that said "Wow! Gomoku is REALLY good!"

So there, if your husband approved and complemented your cooking with so much gusto, you've craked it! The proof of the pudding (in this case, gomoku) is in the eating indeed.

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Trick or Treat: Sweet Potato Pudding

2011-11-01T00:41:00.005+09:00

Every year, Wilkie's school organises a school trip of sweet potato picking. This year is his second year. That afternoon, I waited excitedly for Wilkie to come home with a bag of freshly picked sweet potatoes. And here they are! They were still covered in dusty earth and the shapes irregular, unlike the ones sold in the supermarket where sweet potatoes look nice and clean.

What to do with so many of sweet potatoes? I have several ideas, and sweet potato pudding came to mind. I know I could just make chips out of them or mash them, but that would be boring. No, I want something sweet and it's Halloween so I want a treat, not a trick!

The recipe has to be as simple as possible, with minimal preparation. Since it was decided there and then in the morning, I used whatever ingredients I have in the kitchen. Hence, a pudding was made on an impromptu.

Ingredients:

400g cooked, peeled sweet potatoes (I nuked them for 7-8 minutes)
300ml full fat milk
3 eggs
4 tablespoon unrefined cane sugar (or rice syrup or maple syrup or your choice of sweetener)
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Vanilla

Method:

Dump everything in a blender and blend until everything is blended well, smooth and has a milkshake consistency.
Pour onto baking dish and bake at 170C for 25-30 minutes. It will crack slightly and centre will be a bit soft but these are OK.
Cool and then chill in the fridge before serving.

To me, this is perfect for breakfast as I usually prefer something sweet. At home, dinner time is 6pm and we usually don't eat after 7 or 8pm, so by the time we get up at 7am the next morning, we are hungry by 8am.

Although the pudding is a dessert, it's fine to eat it for breakfast because the ingredients are pretty healthy. It's not a processed food. Sweet potatoes are rich in minerals and vitamins. It's a good source of healthy carbohydrates and a safe starch. Plus the eggs and milk added some proteins and healthy fats, so it's pretty much nourishing, unlike wheat based products like sweet pastries, muffins or cereal that are devoid of nutritional value.

I feed this to Fredi for breakfast and for tea, served with full fat yoghurt and blueberry sauce. He loves it and so do I. Too bad both Wilkie and Roy are not keen on sweet potatoes. One is a fussy eater, the other thinks sweet potato is a 'foreign food' (unlike white potatoes), whatever that means.

There are some sweet potatoes left, so IF I made another pudding, I'll try and add fresh grated ginger and replace dairy milk with coconut milk.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Halloween Party 2011

2011-10-28T15:51:00.004+09:00

As usual every year, the PolarBear and PandaBear Clubs organised one of the most anticipated party, the Halloween! The Polar Bear Club was originally set up in 2000 for families who speak English predominantly at home and whose hometown is not Japan. Since it received an overwhelming requests in membership, a second club was set up, hence the birth of Panda Bear Club. I have been a member of these clubs since Wilkie was 1 year old in 2007.

On this year's Halloween party, I planned on dressing up Wilkie as a witch and Fredi as Mike Wakowski of Monsters Inc. Wilkie was Mike W when he was 2, and I have been saving the costume for Fredi now that he's 2. But Fredi, going through a stage of terrible 2, refused to put it on, so I just let him be. Instead, I put him on a Postman Pat shirt. Alas, he slept during the first hour of the party since he woke up at 4:30am that morning and kept me awake long the way! Oh well, I might as well wake up and took my time preparing potluck dish for the party. Roy was really kind and sweet as usual as he let me took my time to put my make up on (I had been thinking of red rouge for my lips to go with the red horns as I was the devil for that day) while he kept an eye on the boys especially Fredi who is at the stage of separation anxiety. I wanted to do my eyes more dramatically than I could but I was pressed for time.

Whenever there's a party, it's traditional for club members to bring a dish for potluck lunch. This time, I brought Gomoku Gohan, made according to traditional recipe. Recipe to follow soon. After lunch, we had a massive chocolate cake ordered specially from Costco. Everyone had a slice, including me, shared with Fredi, while Wilkie had one all to himself. He waited patiently to get a particular slice with a pumpkin cream decoration on it. He was so happy when he brought it to the table to sit and eat.

Then it was time for Trick and Treat! As usual, it's a sweet sugary affair, but hey, I'm not going to get uptight about dietary principles here and it's only on special occasions I let my kids have what they want. In the end, they didn't eat much of the sweet treats at all. But the Trick and Treat wasn't all sugary stuff, we also get crisps and senbei (japanese rice crackers). Apart from sweets and , we also get story books, so that was a very nice touch!

The complete set of photos can be viewed on Flickr.

Spell checking

2011-10-26T15:12:00.002+09:00

What the heck, I went through some of my previous posts and noticed that I've got spelling errors! I edit mostly on google mail through Posterous, and even with it's spellcheck capability as I type (or was it a Mac functionality?) , I still could afford some errors. How embarrassing! But come to think of it, it's not a serious blog, I don't have many readers and I don't have the luxury to spell check VERY SINGLE WORD, given the time I've got in my hands. I love blogging, it's a hobby that keeps me a little more sane from all that tumultuous world of parenting. So perhaps a little mistake here and there is OK :-)

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Autumn Activities, Part 1

2011-10-26T00:12:00.002+09:00

Autumn in Japan is one of the nicest season, it started off with the temperature slowly decreasing to below 30 and hovering between 23 and 25 degrees. In some days the summer's humidity still lingers and could be felt in the warm air, which means you can still put a t-shirt on without needing a cardigan or light sweater.

Since I've started a series of activities based on the season, I'll continue to do so here, with early autumn.

The playgroup club that I am a member of organised a graduation-cum-picnic party for member's kids who won't be attending anymore due to school. Once the kids go to kindergarden, they won't be able to attend the club anymore since the playgroup is held Tuesday weekly. When they graduate, new members sign up. The club has been going on for 10 years, originally set up for families in Tokyo who speak English at home, and especially to those whose hometown is not Japan. The party was also a celebration of its 10th anniversary. It was a load of fun, face-painting, games and a huge chocolate cake for everyone. Yeap, I had a slice!

Then we had a birthday celebration of a friend whose daughter used to go to the same club. The homemade Hello Kitty cheesecake was very pretty, fit for a sweet 4 year old girl.

The next was Roy's birthday! I made a small and simple vanilla sponge cake covered in chocolate ganache. Wilkie helped me along the way and was so looking forward to presenting it to his dad as a surprise. Roy had no idea about the cake, so he was ver touched and of course surprised. Wilkie wanted to blow the candles for him more than anything. He did it 5 times. Roy enjoyed the cake very much.

We then set off to Shinjuku Park for the kids to run around in a big space, and to play some bubbles. We all got rather hungry afterwards since it was getting late for lunch, so we headed off to Takashimaya 10 mins walk from the park. We felt like eating Unagi (eel) this time since we've never had it before in a restaurant. We love unagi and we know Fredi would eat it no sweat, and Wilkie, the fussy eater would eat rice, without the unagi. Unagi set is usually served on a bed of rice with an accompanying soup. It was an enjoyable lunch, but the problem was that it has too much MSG in the soup. Japanese use MSG liberally in their cooking. That is why I am willing to spend all that time grocery shopping and cooking at home, although we like eating out from time to time.

Roy's students had been wanting to do a barbeque since summer but it didn't materialised, so we opted to do lunch at Sizzler in Shinjuku. Wilkie as usual attracted the ladies and they were more than happy to sit and chat with him.

At other times, we had our usual play in the park in the neighbourhood.

Undokai: Sports Day

2011-10-25T21:07:00.002+09:00

October is usually the month for schools around Japan to organise undokai, or sports day. Undokai is usually held on weekends either Saturday or Sunday. They even have a national day for it. Since it is held on a weekend, the school will have a day off in lieu.

Different schools organise undokai in their own special way and both parents and teachers get busy working together in preparation towards the day of the event. The kids also get busy practising their games and performances coached by their sports teachers.

In Wilkie's kindergarten, undokai is more about the spirit of sports and games and the spirit of sportsmanship. Every kid, even those who need special assistance, is a winner, there are no losers. Every kid takes part in a programme or more. Even dads get to participate in a tug of war. The event includes dancing, running round the track in turns and some pretty amazing acrobatic stunts. The whole experience was both fun... and a little boring. It was fun when you see your kid's turn to race and dance, and boring when there was quite a lot of waiting around. But all good fun nonetheless, and the weather, being early autumn, was a perfect 23 degrees.

The sports day reminded me of my time in primary school, where my school provided special snacks for everyone. But not at Wilkie's kindergarten or other schools to my knowledge. Parents had to bring obento or packed lunches to eat at lunch break during the event. You pick a spot, any spot and lay a mat and literally have a picnic on the school ground. We live 5 minutes walk away from the school, so we opted to eat at home, and then return to school an hour later to continue with the event. At the end of the day, each kid was presented with a plastic gold medal, plus a cheap plastic frame with a photo of them and their friends in action (taken when they were practising prior to the event)

**Start of rant** The ONLY bad thing happened on that day, was a bunch of parents and adults smoking right at the school entrance. Smoking IS allowed in the school, although, in a designated area, the spot was ill picked. Smoking in the school premises SHOULD be banned. I was felt so sad and so angry when I saw a baby, being carried on a baby carrier by his/her smoking mother, being surrounded by other smokers and breathing all that unfiltered unhealthy cigarette smoke. I was so shocked that this is even allowed and treated in a casual manner. The principle, surely is the responsible person for setting the rules, obviously, this is not one of them. There is only one entrance and exit to the school, so no one escapes the cigarette smoke if there happens to be smokers. Alas, this is Japan, where smoking is considered healthy and nothing to be worried about. Even if there is a non-smoking sign, there is no penalty if you did smoke. Even the local doctor whom we see regularly is a smoker himself. ** End of rant**

Anyway, here is a bunch of photos of Wilkie in action. His house team is red.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Wilkie's Daily School Obento

2011-10-21T16:41:00.007+09:00

Every morning, this is what I prepare for Wilkie's obento (packed lunch) for school: rice sprinkled with salt, wrapped in nori and sliced into bite size, plus a chicken ball also sliced into bite size. The chicken ball is very easy to make: minced fatty chicken meat (usually thigh meat with fat) and salt. Shape into thick mini sausages and bake at 180 C for 25-27 minutes until nicely brown.

This is as plain as he would happily eat. As I've said before, Wilkie is a very fussy eater, but at least his lunch is pretty healthy. No toxic industrialised processed food involved. Although plain, I don't mind him eating the same thing almost everyday at all since all the essential macronutrients are there: carbohydrates from the rice (rice is a safe starch as oppose to wheat-based products like bread, pasta, or noodles), protein and fat from the chicken. Nori is the only vegetable, albeit from the sea, Wilkie happily eats. It's a rich source of nutrients including iodine, calcium and iron, plus Vitamins A, B and C.

Wilkie eats 3 solid meals a day and rarely asks for snacks. The daily treat he gets is a square of 72% dark chocolate that he eats after school at 2pm, followed by dinner at 6pm.

Sometimes his school would make salad from vegetables grown in the school garden. They would involve the kids to prepare and eat it as well during lunch. It's a really wonderful activity to have in my opinion and I think every school could do this as part of the school educational curriculum. Learning about food, especially, real healthy food should have more emphasis on early education and I think Jamie Oliver's effort in introducing cooking in school is a step in the right direction if authorities are serious about tackling obesity issues that are increasingly visible among young children. No, obesity is not a problem in Japan, but the point is knowing what is real food and what isn't, since more often than not, kids have no idea what real healthy food is. Wilkie doesn't know the toast he eats for breakfast is unhealthy, but it's the only time he eats it and I try to minimise junk food as much as possible, while encouraging him to eat healthier food most of the time.

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Child Behaviour: You Are What You Eat

2011-10-20T14:41:00.012+09:00

From time to time I read Evolutionary Psychiatry because I find it interesting as she has the same line of thought as mine with regards to nutrition and health. Since her subject is mostly about the science of mental health issues, it usually takes me several reads to digest and understand what is written.

Anyway, I see and hear more and more modern children who have some degree of mental health problems, and there seems to be evidence that a bad and nutritionally poor diet can be related to create such conditions.

I always try to feed my boys undustrialised process unhealthy food as little as possible. It's impossible to totally not to. I'm not a perfect mother but I do try my best and feed them what you call "FOOD" most of the time. I wish Wilkie could dislike toast for brekkie and eat fruit and yoghurt instead. He IS a very picky eater and that could either be good or bad.

Between Wilkie and Fredi, the 2nd one is a much healthier eater, very primal and similar to the Perfect Health Diet template. Wilkie isn't that bad but he could do better. But I am grateful my boys are normal, healthy and do not have mental problems or bad behaviour that could be the result of a bad diet.

What's on his plate: rice, meat in tomato sauce and pumpkin salad

Playing Magna Doodle, with a hardly touched plate of rice

See the full gallery on Posterous

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Health Update: I'm Healed

2011-10-20T10:15:00.004+09:00

Since my return from the New Zealand vacation back in September, my health, in particular my knee, has improved significantly.

I saw the doctor for another blood test a week after our return and the test results showed that the inflammation rate was 0.1 If you are not inflammed in any joints in the body, the rate is generally at 0.3, as far as I understand. The doc was very impressed I heal very fast and that I need no medication anymore.

However, I could still feel a slight pain when I try to bend my knees all the way. This is normal. The muscles become weakened due to the inflammation in the joint and with the right kind of exercise, the pain will diminish. The doc showed me some isometric exercises I could do at home to give strength back to those weakened muscles.

It has been 3 weeks now since I last saw him. I haven't been diligent in doing those exercises because I am either too lazy because I am too tired because I walk a lot and play a lot with my boys that by the time I remember I need to do the exercise, I am just not bothered. I am terrible like that, I know. I was diligent only for the first 2 weeks, after that I only did once a day, instead of the required 3 times a day.

Despite my utter laziness, things are progressing really well. The pain is much milder now. It's not as strong as 3 weeks ago and I could bend my knee without wincing. The doc did tell me, when I asked, that it could take as long as 3 or more months for the pain to completely go away. He also said that it's quite rare for the disease of this type to return, if I am careful with my lifestyle. I am still not telling what I have had, but it is a disease nonetheless and I am determined to dodge it as much as I can. I am very grateful that the disease is not serious by any means and far from fatal.

I appreciate more now than ever that health is a serious matter that most, unknowingly, take for granted. You can never tell when something is going to happen. For me, the best tool to guard me against being ill, first and foremost, is to be mindful with what I put in my mouth. I've increased my nutrients intake rather substantially in the form of mineral rich foods such as potassium and magnesium, plus I take multivitamin and mineral supplements to ensure my body has enough raw resources for it to do an effective job in its day to day renewal and maintenance, on top of fighting against infection. I guess it's one of the reasons my knee heal so fast. All these efforts wouldn't be worthwhile if I continue eating toxic industrialised processed food as a staple, and that is why I have given up some of my favourite food, including bread and pasta. Some foods are unhealthy but people still eat them. It's the same with smoking, people know it's unhealthy, but it doesn't stop them from doing it.

I don't have a particular diet that I follow, but I am very much influenced by the Perfect Health Diet by The Jaminets. It's my most favourite and trusted health blog at the moment. They have made me see nutrition and health in a new better light without being so dogmatic and religious about it. Thanks to them I am in much better health, have more respect for my body, and have managed to heal my knee. I look better and am happy to see my face in the mirror in the morning because I also see no zits!

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Gomoku Gohan: Fredi's New Favourite Dish

2011-10-17T21:12:00.007+09:00

It's very easy to feed Fredi. Since he was a baby, he has always shown an interest in food. It makes my job easy whenever we eat out as I don't need to bring special food just for him. At home, whatever I cook, he'll eat it.

Recently, I have been making Gomoku Gohan for the family. This seems to be a new favourite for Fredi. Wilkie is more reluctant but finished it for his school obento. Roy likes it too, despite containing chicken, and asked me to make it again after my 1st attempt. He even packed it for his obento to eat in the office.

Gomoku Gohan is a Japanese style flavoured rice with 5 ingredients, hence the name "Gomoku" in which "Go" means 5. It's like Nasi Goreng (Fried Rice) but instead of frying, you cook it in a rice cooker. If you Google around, you can find several versions of the recipe. Mine is very simple, I just used what I have in the cabinet. I try to avoid buying special ingredients if I know I won't be using them often, so my recipe may not be truly traditional, but it still tastes good. Lets get down to it.

Ingredients:

2 cups rice
2 cups water
150g chopped chicken meat (I prefer to use brown meat with skin on)

1/2 medium sized carrot, cut into thin strips
4 medium size fresh shitake mushrooms cut into thin strips
1/2 cup chopped lotus root (traditionally, burdock root is used)
1/2 cup konyaku cut into strips
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon mirin

Method:

Wash the rice and add the water and all other ingredients in the rice bowl. Stir and make sure the ingredients are distributed evenly, but don't worry about stirring too much.
Cook the rice mixture in a rice cooker as per normal.
Serve hot or at room temperature.

I usually eat Gomoku Gohan with vegetables and some left over meat. It's also good to eat it with an accompanying miso soup. In the photo, I ate it with roasted veggies and baked left over salmon. I have been roasting root veggies a lot nowadays too. They are very nutritious, rich in minerals and are very filling. Fredi of course loves them too and eats them enthusiastically.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Steve Jobs, Thank You!

2011-10-07T15:22:00.006+09:00

Photo courtesy of apple.com

It is one of the saddest news that one of the most accomplished (if not the most) man left this world at a young age of 56. Weather you love Apple or not, there is no doubt that Apple may have touched your life in one way or the other. Steve had done phenomenal things in making people's life more fun, easy and meaningful, all with style. He revolutionised the use of personal computing and even made Apple bigger than Microsoft. The world is indeed a better place with his invention through Apple.

Thank you Steve, for all the wonderful, awesome things that you've done and contributed to the world.

Rest in peace.

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
Steve Jobs
US computer engineer & industrialist (1955 -2011 ) 56 years old

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

I Love Dark Chocolates!

2011-10-04T16:55:00.012+09:00

I eat chocolates everyday without fail, but the only kind of chocolate I eat since Fredi was born in 2009 was dark chocolate of at least 72%. Since discovering healthy eating in that year, I learned to appreciate fine chocolates more and more. I now can never eat those standard milk chocolates anymore, they are too sweet for me now, not to mention the utterly horrible M&M's or Smarties, Hershey's, Snickers, Kit Kat, and even my ex-favourite Cadbury. They are just too sweet and cheap tasting, it hurts my tongue. Even the gourmet type such as Godiva is too sweet for me. I hope I don't sound snobbish.

What's the big deal about dark chocolates? They are healthier because the darker it is, the less sugar it contains. The first ingredient should be cacao mass, not sugar, for it to be dark. The high cacao content (as shown in the percentage) in dark chocolates contains more flavanoids than either green tea or red wine. This means it does good to your body including lowering blood pressure, helps prevents cancer, reduces blood clots, and has antidepressant properties. Yes, it also has higher fat content, including saturated fat, but it's the healthy type fat that you need not worry about.

So what is my favourite brand of dark chocolate? There are lots in the market and although I haven't tried them all, my favourite so far is 1848 by Poulain, followed by Lindt. I would go for at least 72%, any lower than that can be a tad too sweet and if it's higher than 86% can be a bit too strong and bitter for me. So 72% is the baseline for any good dark chocolates for me.

Since dark chocolates are rich, I don't think one can easily eat a whole bar, unless one is greedy and is utterly famish. A 100g of dark chocolate would last me up to 5 days or a week. That means I eat one or two squares a day. There was once in New Zealand when I was suddenly so hungry because I didn't eat breakfast and I reached for a square of dark chocolate, followed by another square, and another and another until I finished a whole bar of 100g. I felt so full for the rest of the day I was not hungry when it comes to dinner time. And I thought, I could easily finish off a standard very sweet chocolate of the same weight (like Snickers' King size) and have no problem getting hungry later.

I bought a selection of Whittaker's dark chocolates while in NZ (it's their national brand, like Cadbury in the UK) including 62% dark mocha just to try it. Surprisingly it wasn't as sweet as I expected, perhaps the coffee beans masked the sweetness to a degree.

Dark chocolates are also a good alternative for desserts. I hardly make any sweets now as I can easily rely on dark chocolates for my sweet tooth. Sometimes, I do want a bit of a variety than just plain dark chocolate, so I sometimes make chocolate bark. I'll melt the dark chocolate and add some chopped nuts and dried fruits. My favourites are macadamia and figs.

Sometimes, I add chopped dark choccies to make gluten free cookies. Or melt them with full fat cream in the microwave oven to make a ganache and use it either as a dipping or spread on my rice pancakes. I've also made dark chocolate balls with mascaporne cheese. There is a lot you can do with dark chocolates, if you find it a bit boring eating them plain and dark.

But boring can be a good thing as it could prevent you from over indulging. I indulge everyday and I often seek indulging foods that are nutritious. I find plain dark chocolates hardly boring at all. Bring them on!

See the full gallery on Posterous

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

New Zealand Vacation - Photos

2011-09-17T17:44:00.003+09:00

I wished I have the luxury to detail our vacation but I just don't.

We stayed mostly in a town called Whitianga, situated in the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island. We rented and stayed at a lovely farm cottage called Dragonfly Cottage. We loved everything that we experienced, saw and did. The people were just so friendly and relaxed. It was a beautiful, unspoilt place, the beaches clean and pristine (better than Hawaii in my opinion) and the food was excellent. What striked me as significant was that there wasn't a single McDonald's or Starbucks or any imported coffeehouse/fastfood restaurants there. I hope it stays that way. Of course you could find them easily in Auckland or other bigger cities or towns in NZ.

More photos can be viewed on Flickr. If you can't be bothered to click the link, here are some of my favourites.

Hot Water Beach

Wilkie's favourite toy at the farm: the quad bike.

Part of the farm owned by the couple who runs the cottage we stayed at. The cows are bred to be butchered. They feed on grass as most of NZ ruminant animals do. Excellent!

That's the accomodation. Wilkie making fun of himself and getting comfy by the fireplace.

Park at Whitianga town. The weather was always glorious, bright and clear.

So carefree, no rules, just let your hair down, Wilkie at Hot Water Beach

Feeding Misty, the orphaned baby sheep at the cottage. Wilkie was a little nervous at first and then just adored her.

In Coromandel Town, throwing pebbles--Fredi loved doing it and could go on for ages.

Attempted to walk down to the famous Cathedaral Cove (where they filmed Narnia)-- and failed. Not convenient at all with small children. So we walked back after halfway through. I carried Fredi for 45mins all the while!

One of my favourite beaches, Hahei Beach.

View from I can't remember where or what it was.

Cathederal Cove-the most photographed cave in NZ. It was where they filmed Narnia.

Saw this and other natural stone structures on a speed boat we took on my birthday.

A cave I forgot what the name was--there were many caves apparently and they were all beautiful. Wilkie wasn't too keen of the dark when we went inside.

There was no cake, so a minced and cheese pie with salad will do just fine as a replacement, complete with candles to celebrate my 38th birthday. And that was my dinner, sans the candles.

I was so excited when the owner of the cottage let us have their fresh free range eggs--for free! How generous and kind they were. The eggs were still quite warm in my hands.

Stopping by at a playground for the kids to have a breather after a long drive. The playgrounds there were excellent and higher quality then the ones in Tokyo.

In Tairua.

Opito Beach. Just so peaceful, tranquil and beautiful.

So much fun building sandcastles at Opito Beach. The sand is lovely to play with.

Well done boys! That's a fantastic castle at Opito Beach.

Mercury Bay District Museum

Another family portrait on our last day at Dragonfly Cottage.

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Back from New Zealand- A Fantastic Vacation!

2011-09-14T11:22:00.001+09:00

Will write more after this!

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

One more sleep and off we go

2011-08-15T16:28:00.001+09:00

I am grateful that I am healing very well. Though still slightly limping, I walk much better without feeling uncomfortable. I still can't bend my knee all the way, which means that I have an awkward way of going up and down the steps. But it doesn't matter as the most important thing for me is I am much more mobile and fit.

So, in one more sleep and we are all set to go for the much awaited holiday. Wilkie could't wait to fly on the plane. He has been saying it since my hospitalisation.

Wish me luck!

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Bad Luck, But...

2011-08-11T17:37:00.003+09:00

Yes, I've jinxed it. In my last entry I said I wouldn't say where we're heading to for our holiday in case of bad luck. Alas it happened.

It all happened when I accidentally twisted my right knee without realising it in the midst of playing with the kids. After a couple of days the swelling got bigger and the pain was just to much to bear. I was limping like an invalid, literally. I couldn't walk up the stairs and couldn't sleep comfortably at all. The nagging pain kept me twisting and turning here and there. Fever followed the next morning and it was a sign something else was going on.

So, the doctor at the local clinic had me admitted to the ER immediately. They decided to puncture my swelling knee and what came out was a yellowish liquidy goo, that, as Roy described it, looked like snort coming out from your nose. Eeewww. All the while I got my eyes tightly shut and was in tears at the same time :-(

Long story short, I had to be admitted because they decided that I needed to be on drips with antibiotics and they also needed to do some tests. The test results, after waiting for 3 days due to the closure of the lab on the weekend, showed that I have a certain medical condition. It's too personal for me to announce what exactly the condition is on the blog, but luckily it isn't something serious or life threatening. But I was shocked just the same as I am not an elderly. I asked the doc what could cause such a thing, and that could a bad diet contributed it. He couldn't give the right and definitive answer, which I expected and understand at the same time. I was merely interested to hear what he would say. He (he's English is not that great but good enough to comprehend) said something along the lines of "it could be due to anything such as imbalance metabolism, but still it's difficult to say why it happens. It could be due to genetics or it could be due to something else. It's never really understood..." Of course, he isn't trained as a nutritionist, so he won't and can't say that dietary lifestyle could play a role. So genetics is more likely the explanation. I need to start investigating my family's health history.

So after 5 days in the hospital I was finally home. While in the hospital I requested that no pork and no wheat for me at meal times. One morning they mistakenly brought me breakfast that consist of ham and bread. Then they came and brought me a bowl of rice porridge and canned tuna (that was sad I think they didn't have anything else at that point, so tuna will do) plus some salad and fruit, normal tea and green tea. Well at least it's healthier than their standard breakfast. The horror at the sight of bread rolls served to sick patients most of whom were elderly!

While it's nice to have your own private room with a separate shower, I cannot help but feel sad because it means that I couldn't fly and go on a holiday when the time comes. And sure enough, we had to cancel the flight, farm cottage, rental car, etc.

Bad luck! Is it not meant to be?

Maybe not, for now that I am home blogging, my knee is actually healing rather well. They gave steroids as medication and it's been working well so far. The swelling is still there but not much and I can walk much better, limping only very little. The only downside is I still can't bent my knee all the way. I still need to take it easy and hope that it will heal completely when we fly next week.

In the meantime, I'll continue to eat healthily and perhaps increase my mineral intake to speed up the healing process and keep future problems from recurring. It still disturbs me that I've got the condition. Sometimes you can never be too safe.

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Summer Activities, 2011

2011-07-30T16:47:00.002+09:00

We have been busy during the summer now that Wilkie is enjoying his school summer holiday. Almost everyday I take the boys out doing stuff that can be as simple as watching trains go by at a level crossing and taking train rides back and forth. It sounds so boring but it makes their day. They both get excited and love trains very much, it's rather normal if you are boy and happen to grow up in Japan.

A picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll the photos here do the talking. Till then, I have done most of the packing, except for Roy who hasn't even started, for we are about to go for a month-long holiday to somewhere cool. The weather has been not too hot today at 24 C, but it feels like 34 C. It's just so humid, and the holiday is partly to escape that. I am nervous about saying where exactly we are going in case of bad luck (since the earthquake). But fret not and just be patient for I, of course will blog about it when we return in September.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

First Ice Cream Making for Summer 2011

2011-07-18T09:38:00.006+09:00

This Summer for some reason I don't have a strong urge in making ice cream as I did last year. Nor do I have a strong craving for something dessert-ish, save for the occasional super dark chocolates.

But I thought it would be a waste not to make use the ice cream maker that has been sitting on the shelf untouched since end of summer last year.

I have a batch of vanilla pods that need using, and Roy asked me one day "when are you going to make ice-cream?"

So, vanilla Ice cream came to mind and it was what I did last week. It's a very simple recipe and easy make. The only thing is my ice cream maker only makes 600ml max. That's aint enough. Luckily I have some popsicle moulds that I could use to make ice-cream too. I just pour the ice-cream custard base into them and freeze.

The ingredients I used are basically full fat whipping cream, full fat milk, rice syrup, raw manuka honey, vanilla beans, egg yolks, and gelatine (as a stabiliser--this is optional, so that it's not too runny when it melts and to minimise crystallisation). I googled around and I decided that French style custard ice cream is the tastiest. It's the same as making custard for cakes and pies and you can eat it with a spoon once it's done but I turned it into ice cream instead. The Perfect Health Diet happens to have a recipe for ice-cream too, hence my use of rice syrup.

The custard base ice-cream with the vanilla pod sitting in it to infuse the flavour. I chilled it overnight before pouring into ice cream maker and popsicle moulds.

Two scoops of ice cream for me, one topped with chocolate ganache. It's basically melted dark chocolate and cream.

Popsicle moulds I got from Daiso, a 100 yen shop.

A vanilla popsicle for him. Roy enthusiastically biting into it after waiting patiently for it to be ready!

I've also made chocolate vanilla popsicles as they are less of a hassle to make. You don't need an ice cream maker to make popsicles.

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Today's Lunch

2011-06-30T13:37:00.002+09:00

I always post something sweet when it comes to food, so for a change, this is what I just had for lunch today.

Noril rolls with ikura (salmon roe), served with roast veggies (green pepper, eggplant, zucchini and crushed garlic, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper), washed down with a nice cold rooibos tea. In a hot and humid weather such as the summer in Tokyo, it's nice to eat a cold meal (not stone cold, mind). Yes, I did spend some 20 minutes roasting the veggies prior to this, but that was it.

Happy Summer. everyone!

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

In Place of Wheat

2011-06-20T01:24:00.006+09:00

Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day? I think it all depends on your lifestyle including your overall dietary habit.

Breakfast is a meal I sometimes skip simply because I am not hungry. If I do eat breakfast, I usually feel like eating something sweet. Eating a healthy breakfast, or any meal, is of course important, but how many of us know what is a healthy breakfast to begin with? Not cereal. Not toast.

I love pancakes and since I've stopped eating wheat, I've discovered that I can make pancakes using rice flour. Rice is a safe starch, at least for people who are not metabolically ill. I've been putting back rice into my diet after reading one of my favourite health blogs, The Perfect Health Diet.

After the quake, my buckwheat starter had died sitting in the fridge while I was away for a month. So I've stopped making sourdough buckwheat pancakes as I don't have the time to create another starter nor the patience anymore.

Enter rice pancakes.

Rice flour is an ingredient quite common in Malay traditional desserts, and in Japan, they use it to make rice crackers or desserts such as mochi.

I've made different kinds of pancakes with rice flour, such as coconut pancakes, dark chocolate chips pancakes, and cheese pancakes. I even made plain pancakes for Wilkie and he can't tell the difference. He likes them just as much as the wheat based, which I don't use anymore. Wilkie is used to eating toast with Nutella, so he'll ask for Nutella to be spread of the pancakes too. I spread it thinly.

I usually make a batch of coconut pancakes to be frozen and re-heat 4 pancakes in a toaster for breakfast. I love to eat them with full fat yoghurt, full fat cream, macadamia nuts and cooked frozen berries. Good healthy fats are a very important ingredient in a healthy diet that most people don't eat them enough due to mainstream low-fat diet advise. I have a sweet tooth, so I drizzle just a tablespoon of maple syrup, and wash it down with Starbucks coffee with cream and no sugar. Yes, I've learned to drink my hot tea and coffee without sugar before I discovered low carb diet, and I love them this way that I find drinking sweet hot beverages disgusting! Except for the occasional Starbucks Cafe Mocha.

Apart from pancakes, I also use rice flour to make sweet potato muffins. Sweet potatoes are another safe starch, as well as regular potatoes and other tubers.This is a new recipe I created myself, using olive oil. It's still a work in progress as there is room for improvement. I'll blog about it when I get the chance.

Recipe for basic rice pancakes:

1 cup rice flour (not glutinous or sweet rice flour although you can try and use it)

3/4 cup full fat milk
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
vanilla
1 tbsp rice syrup or sweetener of your choice (optional)

Method:

Mix everything together. If batter is too thin, add more rice flour. If too thick, add more milk. Let it stand for 10 minutes. I find that it gives the pancakes a good rise.
Pour about a tablespoon of pancake batter onto non-stick pan and cook for about 1 minute, or until bubbles appear on surface. Use a bigger spoon or whatever size you like.
Flip pancakes and cook for another minute.

For variation, add desiccated coconut (or coconut flakes), dark chocolate chips or grated parmesan cheese. For cheese pancakes, I usually add some green onions, a touch of garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. The recipe is versatile to allow as much creativity as possible. I've even tried using coconut milk (in place of cow's milk) and palm sugar and they are yummy!

It is not difficult to eat a healthy meal when wheat is eliminated. This means I don't eat pasta either, so in place of pasta (which is wheat), I eat rice noodles. Who says you can only have bolognese with spaghetti?

Coconut pancakes with yoghurt, cream, macadamia nuts, mixed berry sauce

Dark chocolate chips pancakes

Cheese pancakes

Wilkie likes his rice pancakes with Nutella!

Sweet potato muffins using rice flour

See the full gallery on Posterous

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Happy 2nd Birthday, Fredi!

2011-06-16T00:00:00.002+09:00

The day was enjoyed with good friends and a home made chocolate cake covered in chocolate ganache. I followed the recipes from here.

I requested for the guests not to bring a gift, but instead bring a dish and to have a potluck. It was great to see the food your friends brought being laid on the table; nori rolls, salmon with salad, anti pasti of various kinds and a banana cake made with brown rice flour. I made the birthday cake and did the decoration, so to ease the load of cooking, I ordered a Dominos pizza. And I made some roast veggies too to be on the healthier side! They all went down very well.

I served the cake with some Haagen Dasz vanilla ice-cream, the brown rice banana cake and strawberry slices for dessert. We were all thoroughly stuffed by the end of it.

Fredi enjoyed his special day, but he still doesn't understand yet that it was his birthday. He wasn't too excited with the cake or even with the lit candles. But, the key for me was that he enjoyed himself, stuffed himself happy and was thoroughly tired that he napped 5 minutes after the guests had gone.

The only negative thing is that Wilkie was asleep during the party and woke up only at the end of it. The poor boy has been ill for a couple of days, despite having seen a doctor and taking some horrible medication. If he doesn't get well by tomorrow morning, Roy will cancel his lecture and take him to the doc again. Fingers crossed.

And a very happy 2nd birthday to Fredi!

See the full gallery on Posterous

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

The Joy of Tech

2011-06-12T23:40:00.002+09:00

Roy, bless his cotton socks, left his iPad in England back in April. Guess what? We now have a white iPad 2. Him being so kind as always, got my family a white iPad 2 as well as a thank you gift for looking after us while we were evacuated in Singapore. My family finds it so easy and so seamless using the iPad 2. They were speechless when they received it. So now, I Skype more regularly with Singapore using it's video functionality. It's much more fun to be able to see a person's face, it's like talking face to face. It is, in fact.

Wilkie is a computer addict, literally. He is growing up being surrounded by technology at home and is enjoying it very much. We let him use the computer at home freely, either the iMac, MacBook Pro or the iPad , he just knows what to do. He always ask first before playing. Since the Mac user experience is so intuitive, he learns very quickly and knows how to play games more than I do. He loves all sorts of games and as you can see in the photo, he's so focused on playing a train building game on the iPad 2, while his Dad works on preparing for his lectures. Wilkie routinely plays on the iPod Touch too, after story time, before he goes to bed.

And Fredi is not far behind. Just look at him. Not even a 2 year old, and he knows how to play games on the iPad. And that is my iPad, by the way. He is playing an educational game, called Super Why, in which he traces the alphabets. Instead of learning to write on paper, he actually learns to write on a screen first. It's his favourite, and it's just amazing. And due to the touch screen technology, he thought a signpost is also a touch screen. We were in a park when he went to a signpost and used his finger to touch a logo, thinking it would "change screen". Amazing!

It is really funny to see how the two boys sometimes fight over the iPad. In a sense, they are lucky there are 2 iPads at home. They need to understand one day how lucky they are and to be grateful with what they have.

And only recently, Roy got an iPhone 4 to replace his iPhone 3. I personally don't own an iPhone, yet. Maybe, as Roy said, I could get an iPhone 5.

Ah, the joy of tech. The joy of Mac!

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Fun in May

2011-05-23T15:36:00.001+09:00

The weather is getting a lot warmer since my last entry and I am enjoying it. We have been taking advantage of the fine weather to see some friends, invite friends over, and going outdoors as often as possible. Here are just some photos showing what kind of fun we've had so far.

June is approaching soon and that means it's rainy season. So we better make the most of warm May while it's still here!

See the full gallery on Posterous

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

After the Quake

2011-05-01T14:39:00.004+09:00

The earthquake happened and we left Tokyo three days after. I'll save the effort of detailing it for the world already knew what happened. Short of the long story is we were all at home when it happened and thankfully we were all fine.

We evacuated to Singapore and stayed with my family for 3 weeks after which on to the UK for a week. Why? We wanted to have a peace of mind and to put our boys' safety first and foremost, especially following the explosion of the nuclear power plant. This was Roy's second earthquake so he was very on the ball, making decisions, executing plans and taking necessary actions. His first experience was in Kobe back in '95.

Roy's Mum was supposed to come and visit us in Tokyo after the quake, obviously she had to cancel it. Instead, we decided why not go and see the grandparents while Roy renew his passport in the UK, which took a day there to process, instead of 6 weeks if done in Tokyo or Singapore.

So while in Singapore, Roy wanted to treat the kids with something different and exciting. Enter Singapore Universal Studios. We booked a hotel at the Resort World for a couple of nights for easy access to the theme park as well as to take it easy and let the kiddos let their hair down. It was fun on the whole, although Wilkie for some reason was a little subdued. I guess it was the heat that took a toll on him. At least they had a blast at the hotel's pool.

Now we are back in Tokyo. The earth still shakes, everyday in fact but mostly mild with a reading of 4 the most. They still put a fear in our hearts, so we at home are prepared if another major earthquake happens. Hopefully that won't happen for a long, long time.

Here are the photos I managed to upload showing the activities we did in Singapore and the UK.

Enjoy!

Lastly.... back in Japan!

Egg Custard with Palm Sugar

2011-02-28T14:52:00.007+09:00

This is a very simple, wholesome and nutritious recipe for making egg custard jelly using real ingredients. It's a cross between custard, pudding and jelly. I added gelatin to give the custard a firm but soft texture and jelly like. I used Gula Melaka (palm sugar) I got from Singapore to give it an interesting sweetness. This recipe was concocted out on a whim when I felt like eating something sweet but packed with nutrition. Aha! I have plenty of eggs, full of protein and healthy fats and minerals, thus the idea of an egg custard. Note that you can use only cream instead of milk. I had only some cream left that was why I used part milk and part cream.

Recipe
500ml whole milk
100ml full fat whipping cream
50g Gula Melaka (or other sweetener of your choice)
4 egg yolks (beaten)
vanilla
3 gelatin leaves

Method:
1. Pour milk, cream, gula melaka and vanilla into a saucepan.
2. Heat the milk and stir until sugar is dissolved and tiny bubbles appear on edge of the surface.
3. Turn off heat.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolk.
5. Pour 1/2 cup of hot milk into the yolk to temper it. Stir to incorporate.
6. Pour the tempered egg yolk into the hot milk in the saucepan. Mix and stir.
7. Turn the heat back on, but on low setting. You don't want to scramble the egg.
8. Add the gelatin leaves and keep stirring until they dissolve. It's very important not to boil the custard, so keep the heat low and keep stirring
9. After about 5 mins, the custard should thicken.
10. Pour the hot custard onto remekins, or small bowls, or paper cups (whatever you have in the cabinet, really).11. Chill until set.

Serving suggestion: You can pour some cream and add some strawberries on the custard just before eating. I find that if I added a teaspoon of maple syrup it tastes just like creme brulee! Yummy!

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

11th Anniversary

2011-02-21T13:51:00.003+09:00

Wow, we've passed a decade of a truly happy marriage! 11 years strong and going stronger. Looking forward to the next 11 years and beyond.

I love you Roy. Thank you for this wonderful life you've given to me. Thank you for everything!

All my love,
Wati

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

What I Eat for Breakfast: Sourdough Buckwheat Pancakes

2011-02-08T09:31:00.008+09:00

** Addendum **
I made a small mistake of typing 2 cups of warm milk in the recipe below. It should be 1 and 1/2 cups milk. The ratio of dry flour to liquid should be 1:1. And also you can add vanilla to the batter to make the taste more interesting. I like it with vanilla. **

Not so long ago I have touted that carbohydrates are basically bad to eat due to it's effect on insulin. Insulin is the hormone responsible for turning sugar that comes from carb into fat. But not all carbs are created equal, so I've learned. There are bad and good carbs, you just need to know which and how best to prepare them to maximise their nutritional contents.

I am choosy about the carbs I eat and I like to eat carbs that are loaded with nutrients. If I must eat bread, it has to be sourdough. Sourdough bread goes through a process of fermentation first, in which bacteria breaks down the sugar and neutralise phytic acid. When the sugar is predigested, your blood glucose doesn't rise sharply and quickly like regular bread does, while the breakdown of phytic acid unlocks the bioavailability of minerals and nutrients of wholegrains, which makes it much easier for the body to absorb and digest.

First trial: Successful Sourdough Buckwheat Pancakes

Recently I have a craving for pancakes, but I don't want to eat wheat. After googling around, I learned that you can make sourdough pancakes. Enter sourdough buckwheat pancakes. I was inspired by Stephan's recipe for sourdough buckwheat crepes. I can do buckwheat because they sell buckwheat flour at the supermarket for people who want to make soba noodles. But I want to make pancakes.

So firstly, I made a starter. I named it, Yannick. Real traditional sourdough, artisan style doesn't use yeast. It took me a week to get my stater working and once it's ready, it's time to get busy. Since I'm the only one who appreciates sourdough pancakes, I usually make a batch to be frozen, and toast 3 or 4 pancakes when I'm ready to eat them for breakfast. Roy said the taste is too "medicinal" for his liking. So be warned, these pancakes are unconventional in taste and may not be for the light-hearted. I like them much better than the conventional ones. They are also much more nutritious, very filling and keep me going till lunchtime without itching for a snack. That's the beauty of whole food.

A batch of sourdough buckwheat pancakes to be frozen

So here goes the ingredients for sourdough buckwheat pancakes:

1/2 cup sourdough starter (I used buckwheat, and followed this method)
1 and 1/2 cups buckwheat flour
**1 and 1/2 cups warm whole milk
2 tablespoon melted butter
2 tablespoon unrefined cane sugar (or other equivalent)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
** vanilla

** Refer to addendum at the top

Method:

1. Mix the starter, buckwheat flour, sugar, salt and milk in a clean glass bowl.

2. Cover with a large plate or cling film and leave to ferment up to 24 hours. The longer you ferment, the tarter it would be.

3. Add baking powder, beaten egg and melted butter onto the fermented batter and mix well. I used a hand mixer.

4. Mix a tablespoon of water with the baking soda and mix it into the batter.

5. Let it rest for 10-15mins.

6. Heat up your frying pan or girdle if you have one. I don't so I use my Tefal non-stick pan.

7. When pan is hot enough, use a tablespoon to drop the pancake batter onto pan, or use whatever size of spoon or ladle you like. I like my pancakes silver dollar size, so a tablespoon is perfect.

8. Makes about 20-25 pancakes.

My current breakfast favourite

I love mine to be served with full fat whipping cream, full fat yoghurt, homemade berry sauce, chopped nuts and a touch of maple syrup. Fredi loves them and pinched mine at breakfast every morning.

January 2011 Activities

2011-02-06T17:18:00.005+09:00

The new year started rather quietly for The Larkes, albeit it being the major holiday in Japan. Japanese usually go to temples to pray and have a big family gathering eating special new year food.

January came and gone as fast as lightning. It was a long month. But we managed to squeeze some down time to let the kids have fun. January was also a beautiful month weather-wise. It was mostly bright and brilliant, so being out and about in the sun sure makes everyone happy.

Wilkie taking a boat ride at Lalaport Toyosu. He was so excited!

After the return on the boat, Wilkie jumped with joy.

Fredi and I basking in the sun while Wilkie and his dad rode the boat.

Ah... a kiss from my little boy. Sweet!

We had friends over at our house for some lunch. I was too busy in the kitchen I didn't snap any food photos. But here are a couple of photos of my friend, Ai, and her French husband, Lionel, whom I invited before they leave for Paris for good. I have known Ai since Wilkie attended Gymboree when he was under 1 year old. Ai speaks French fluently, love the French culture and is looking forward to live there. We were so glad that we could get together properly as a family after postponing it for months! We had great fun.

My good friend Ai, and her husband, Lionel. She's wearing the crown just for laughs. It was actually a decoration from the French King cake she brought for dessert. In France, apparently people eat the cake in celebration of the Epiphamy, held during Christmas and new year.

A family portrait, including our friends' son, Luis.

Fredi mucking about at Toy's Kingdom.

Lastly I took the boys to Toy's Kingdom because they were getting bored at home. The 3rd time within a course of 4 years I 've been there I was getting more and more unimpressed with the place because no effort has been put for any improvements. You pay quite a lot to get in, but the facilities are just so sad and old-fashioned... I just can't be bothered to elaborate. Alas, it is now closed. It only shows that they are either not making enough money (due to decreased number of visitors, unsurprisingly) to improve, or they don't have any interest anymore running the place.

That's it for now!

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Too Busy to Blog

2011-02-05T16:15:00.004+09:00

Except for this very moment! Just letting you know if you are still following me, I am still around, being an extra busy mum and wife. I would love to blog as much as i would love to, like the good old days, unfortunately that has become an almost impossible hobby.

However, I do read blogs every now and then, mostly on the health and nutrition front. My new favourites are rowfoodsos.com, Gnolls.org, The Daily Lipid. I'll add these to my favourite blogs when I have the chance. These blogs write about what IS NOT the conventional wisdom (CW) of health. I'm no longer a follower of the CW since 2009 anyway and doing just great. The biggest improvement and maintenance is my skin. My energy levels are much better than when I ate a predominantly vegetarian diet, including margarine (yuk!).

Cheerios for now!

Roy, The Father Christmas

2010-12-23T15:26:00.003+09:00

We had a joint Christmas party with the Polar Bear and Panda Bear playgroups last Monday and it was loaded with fun.

Roy was asked if he could be the Father Christmas for this year and he happily and willingly said yes.

The boys had no idea it was their dad who played Santa, thanks to those dark shades. He had to appear when we sang "Santa Claus is coming to town." And gave presents to the kids.

December is such a fast month, so many things have been going on, both in and out of the house I could hardly remember what we actually did so far.

The kids are not doing that well as Fredi is having bad coughs and runny nose while Wilkie's nose runs like a tap water. Sigh... the joy of the cold in December!

I don't want to sound downbeat during the festive season, things are actually going fine on the whole.

So, have a Merry Christmas to everyone!

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Roy Does Jamie's Tarte Tartin

2010-12-15T14:14:00.004+09:00

Inspired by Jamie Oliver Does series, in which he travelled to the French Pyrenees, Roy was attracted to one of Jamie's recipes that is traditional in France: the world famous Tarte Tartin.

Roy did the apple tarte, after hunting down Calvados, one of the key ingredients that makes it kick.

The result was rustic, yet absolutely gorgeous. Beautiful with cream since it was what we had when Roy made it. Definitely a keeper.

Granted, it's carby, but just a small slice with loads of cream are enough to satisfy me.

The recipe can be found here, or you can watch the video (highly recommend).

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Random Activities: Saturday Family Fun

2010-12-11T17:51:00.002+09:00

Had brunch New York style at Suji's.

Waiting for the order to arrive. If you have kids, you get to colour the poster laid on the table for them.

Hot pastrami sandwich with cheese on rye bread. I didn't finish this, just too much for me. I ate the filling mostly.

Pancakes for Wilkie. He ate them with maple syrup and then dip them in ketchup. Urgh! But that's my boy.

Playing hard at Robot Park at Roppongi after the big brunch.

The weather was bright and sunny even when it's in the middle of December. It's not like this if we are in England!

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Singapore Visit 2010

2010-12-08T13:57:00.002+09:00

A little late but we did make a short visit to Singapore in late October early November this year. The highlight of the visit was the fantastic Singapore Zoo.

We had a really enjoyable time there, especially the kids getting all wet and wild at its Water Splash park.

More photos on Flickr.

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Ladies' Night Out, TGIF Ikebukuro

2010-12-08T12:51:00.002+09:00

Mummies from the Polar Bear group got together for some rowdy, good fun and silly antics at TGI Friday down in Ikebukuro.

The food was typical all American style, nothing special really. The atmosphere in the restaurant itself was pretty calm and the great thing about it is non-smoking!

When I returned home, my boys were fast asleep, thank you so much to my always so sweet Roy who did a wonderful job in looking after them while mummy was having fun with her girlfriends.

Happy 4th Birthday To Wilkie!

2010-11-25T09:31:00.001+09:00

Our fist born is 4 years old! More photos on Flickr.

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Roy's Birthday, A Belated Post

2010-11-14T19:18:00.003+09:00

I'm still around. Just not very up to date with blogging.

Here's a short entry on Roy's birthday which we celebrated as a family last September. More photos on Flickr, it's better to go there as you can see snippets of what we've been up to.

Home made cupcakes. Wilkie helped to decorate.

A birthday portrait.

Birthday Dad happy with his cake.

That's it for now!

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Summer's Over, Enter Cheesecake

2010-09-21T00:32:00.006+09:00

Today we had an enjoyable barbeque with friends at the Hikarigaoka Park. The weather was nice and warm but not overly humid. It's a sign that the end of summer in Tokyo is here.

It's also the end of home made ice cream. After 3 solid months of ice cream making, I just didn't feel like making ice cream anymore. So my trusted ice cream maker is being put to rest until the next summer.

I have been telling myself that I need to take a break in making desserts. But I love them too much to stop, even if it means temporary. I eat whole food 90% of the time, mostly primal based, so a little treat should be OK.

I eat dessert every night, always home made using whole ingredients as much as possible, and with just a hint of sweetness.

I like desserts that are dairy based. As of late I've been making cheesecake every week since the beginning of September. I like my cheesecake simple, such as lemon or lime, with nut based crust.

Meyer Lemon Cheesecake with Pecan Crust, after it's cooled

A slice of Meyer Lemon Cheesecake

I found some orange coloured lemons at the supermarket last week and thought it unusual. Lemon is usually yellow, but the ones on the shelves came from New Zealand and they weren't yellow. They look more like oranges with the shape a lemon. The taste is like a mixture of orange and lemon. Interesting. The taste is equally interesting in a cheesecake.

So here is a Meyer Lemon cheesecake I baked in under 30 minutes. It didn't take long because the ingredients or portions I used were for myself. Even then it took me a week to finish the entire cake because I only had a small slice for dessert. Roy isn't keen on cheesecakes, he's more into lemon cake drizzled with lemon syrup.

Cheesecakes are dead simple, at least mine.

I used:

200g cream cheese - softened

100g sour cream - softened

1 teaspoon regular wheat flour (optional-I used it for texture)

1 egg

3 tablespoon brown beet sugar (or use your preferred sweetener)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon rind

vanilla

Crust:

1 cup pecans (or your favourite nut). I like a thick crust.

30g melted butter

My Methods:

For crust:

1. Process nuts in food processor and pulse till fine.

2. Add melted butter and process again until everything resembles a nut paste.

3. Press nut paste with fingers and knuckles onto pie dish and up the side.

4. Refrigerate

For filling:

Preheat oven at 180C.

1. Place cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, lemon juice, lemon peel, flour, vanilla and sugar in food procesor.

2. Process until well mixed and creamy.

3. Add the egg and pulse, until just mixed. Try not to over do it, otherwise the cheesecake will crack (may not be an important point).

4. Pour filling onto chilled nut crust.

5. Bake at 150C for 20 minutes.

6. Leave it in oven for 1 hour. (I left it for 2 hrs because I was busy with the kids and it turned out perfect, no cracks)

7. Cover loosely with cling film.

8. Chill.

I usually serve my cheesecake with full-fat whipped cream drizzled with cooked frozen berries, and a hot cup of Rooibus tea.

Mmmm. Just a small slice will do me! The baby sitter loves it too!

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Hari Raya 2010

2010-09-15T14:44:00.002+09:00

I called my family in Singapore and we had a video conversation through skpye. Too bad I couldn't hear a word they were saying as there was no audio coming out from the speakers. I suspect it was a hardware problem on their side as they could hear me loud and clear.

Anyway, Mum as usual was emotional but I think she was quite happy to be able to see me and my family in Tokyo. I could also see them busy helping themselves with the food laid on the table. It's a very normal thing on Hari Raya to feast, and maybe over-feast on food that seems to be quite in abundance, considering not eating during the day in the whole of Ramadhan. It was tough doing it in the very hot and humid Tokyo summer though, but it was done and gone, and it's time to eat something different, at least for me.

I was suddenly in the mood in making traditional Hari Raya dishes. After doing some research on the Internet, and taking stock of what I've got in the pantry, I decided to make Rendang. And so I did on Hari Raya itself.

Simplified Chicken Rendang

Despite the missing ingredients, I successfully cooked a delicious Chicken Rendang. The key is the kerisik, a desiccated coconut that been toasted till golden and pounded till the oil surfaces. I didn't have a pestle and mortar so I used my good old millser to process the dried coconut powder I got from the supermarket. I toasted the coconut powder first till nicely golden but not burnt. The smell was wonderful! I always thought cooking rendang was very tricky and a tedious process, but my first attempt proved me otherwise. In just under an hour, my rending was reduced into a thick rich gravy and it was ready! Now I understand what the fuss is all about. It may not look authentic but the taste was as good as the original. I was so proud of myself. Too bad Roy doesn't eat meat, so to be fair, I cooked him a prawn and mushroom curry. But Fredi enjoyed the Rendang.

Prawn and Mushroom Curry

Ayam Masak Merah

And then my taste bud was itching for Ayam Masak Merah, or chicken cooked in red sauce. Again, I thought it's going to be tedious, but after my successful Rendang attempt, surely Ayam Masak Merah is a doddle. And yes it was! Thank goodness I have the right kind of spices in the pantry and here it was, my very first Ayam Masak Merah. It was so good, I was so pleased with myself!

Wilkie loves the new Kivik sofa

So that was how my Raya went. Quiet and low key as usual, but exciting nonetheless because we also get to assemble a new Ikea sofa and other furniture at home. The old sofa was quite beaten up it was time to get a nice new one. We also need a better shelving system for storage so we have been busy sorting out things that are either needed to be thrown away, sold or give away.

Oh, it's lunch time now! I'm going to have some of that Ayam Masak Merah with veggies!

Selamat Hari Raya, Eid Mubarak!

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

37th Birthday, 2010

2010-08-27T00:11:00.006+09:00

The day is here again and I turned 37 years young ;-)

On 24th August, I celebrated my birthday with my most beloved family. Roy being the sweetest husband treated me to my favourite restaurant, Cicada. We went there last year too. Since we rarely go there, Cicada has become of a special place for us to celebrate a special occasion, such as my birthday. It's one of those restaurants that serves unpretentious food, where you never feel dissatisfied. The quality and taste are just so amazing and the ingredients authentic.

Prior to this I have been taken ill. I had a sudden attack of high fever that went on for about 5 days. It turned out that I had a case of mild hand-foot-mouth disease. Because the evening when we got home after my birthday celebration, I noticed a zit-like rash on my leg. This is a typical sympton of HFM disease, where the rash appears after the fever subsides. A month ago, all three of them got the HFM disease and I thought how lucky I was to escape it. Not really. Thankfully on my birthday, although I wasn't 100% as the cough still lingered, Roy and the two boys kept my spirits high. When I was ill, Roy tried to be there for me although busy with work himself. He's always so caring and thoughtful like that, even in the midst of being busy.

Anyway, I told Roy I'm going to stuff myself crazy and I wasn't joking. It was my special day, so no holds barred. Thank you Roy, for everything including the presents. You made me very happy on my birthday, I truly had a wonderful time.

Oh, he also treated me to Lindt Chocolate Cafe! I am a chocoholic, but only super dark chocolate of at least 72% dark. The darker the better! I got myself some three big scoops of Lindt ice cream, after a rather huge lunch at Cicada including dessert! It was really good, BUT, the vanilla was way too sweet for my 'primal' tongue. I prefer the double chocolate chips. Why ice cream when I have home made ice cream siting in the freezer at home? I LOVE ice cream over cakes. Yes, they have gorgeous looking chocolate cakes but ice cream always wins me every time. At least now I know I make better vanilla ice cream!

Enough of talking. Here are the photos. More on Flickr!

Waiting to dig in: Moroccan Lamb Tangine

>
High Carb(!!) Dessert and Cake: Warm Dark Chocolate Cake

Happy Birthday to Me!

Cicada Restaurant

Enjoying Ice Cream at Lindt Chocolate Restaurant. Wow!

More on Flickr!

Serious Artwork at Play

2010-08-10T20:37:00.001+09:00

See and download the full gallery on posterous

After a serious paddling and splashing session, it's time for some serious work, boys!

Sent from my iPad

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Pistachio Ice Cream

2010-08-09T13:05:00.004+09:00

Pistachio and Vanilla Bean ice cream served with peach slices

Apart from almonds, I also bought a big bag of dry roasted pistachio nuts from Costco. I love pistachios for their flavour. High on good fats, they also contain one of the highest nut protein so eating them would make you feel satisfied without spiking your blood sugar and insulin, while also nourishing your body with its pretty good antioxidant properties.

I was getting a bit tired of vanilla ice cream, so why not make some pistachio ice cream. It's one of my favourites. I got the recipe idea from the internet, with a little twist. I use full fat fresh cream, egg yolks and just enough honey as a sweetener.

The result is just as delicious as premium brand ice cream, only healthier and much more nuttier.

Alas, Roy is not a fan of pistachios, for he likes vanilla above all else. So I've also made some vanilla bean ice cream. Using real vanilla beans makes so much difference than the fake essence type. The flavour is so rich and decadent and the aroma permeates nicely in my kitchen as you heat the custard to make ice cream. No wonder they are so expensive. We bought a set at Costco that comes in 2 glass tubes with 5 vanilla pods each for a really good price. Because they are special, I'll be using them only to make ice cream, and nothing else.

Since Roy doesn't like pistachios, it only means more pistachio ice cream for me!

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Almond Honey Cake The Lazy Way

2010-08-05T11:30:00.002+09:00

I've bought bags of raw almonds at Costco the other week so it's time to make use of them.

Buying almond powder/flour on it's own is very expensive here it's not worth the money.

Keeping in line with eating low carb primal style, I made a flourless Almond Honey Cake topped with chopped dried figs. This recipe is totally mine, made simpler and in a lazy kind of way due to the time constraint in having to keep an eye on two attention seeking boys. The ingredients are roughly measured and you are free to adjust the flavouring, liquid, or the sweetness according to what you like better. As always my desserts are
not super sweet, just enough to satisfy my sweet tooth, so add more sweetener if you must.

So, the ingredients:

1 cup blanched almonds
5 eggs
*3 or more tablespoons of honey
*50g melted butter
50ml full fat cream
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Vanilla (optional)
Handful of chopped dried figs

*mix honey with the melted butter while it's still warm, it will make the mixing in the cake batter more even. Method:

Dump everything, except the honey, butter and figs in a blender and blend until smooth.

Pour the warm honey-butter mixture into the batter and blend again until all ingredients are mixed evenly.

Pour the batter onto a greased muffin moulds, muffin cups or a greased baking tin, whichever you like. My lazy method is to just line the baking tin with cooking paper.

Top the batter with chopped dried figs, or you can fold them in. You can also use your own favorite dried fruit.

Bake at 170C for 25 - 30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm or cold either with whipped cream or a dollop of mascaporne cheese, dusted with cinnamon or unsweetened cocoa powder.

I had the cake served with home made vanilla ice cream and oh..., life is a bliss!

Sent from my iPad

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Summer Splashing

2010-08-04T14:51:00.002+09:00

See and download the full gallery on posterous

As long as some parts of your body are in the water, it keeps you quite cool in the sweltering heat. I didn't bother with a sunscreen as want I to reap the benefits of Vitamin D from the sun. It's vital for human health. More splashing to come! Sent from my iPad

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Summer Fun with The Boys

2010-07-30T22:55:00.001+09:00

You must be tired of seeing my ice cream posts. So for a change, here are some photos of what The Larke Brothers have been up to in the Summer.

Riding the Plasma Car...

Almost nap time but Fredi enjoys the rented car ride to Ikea and Costco...

How he loves those Swedish meatballs at Ikea restaurant...

A photo with mummy before we start shopping...

Having a splash in a slightly cooler summer day...

What fun we had!

Sent from my iPad

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

See how obsessed I am?

2010-07-30T14:06:00.003+09:00

See and download the full gallery on posterous

I've been eating cartons and cartons of cream in the form of ice cream. Nothing beats home made ice cream, even when it comes to simple flavours such as vanilla and chocolate. Put them together and they become best friends!

Next up is dairy free and egg free almond ice cream. It's chilling in the fridge as I write and will post it when it's done.

Sent from my iPad

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Students Visit The Larkes

2010-07-19T12:45:00.002+09:00

Wilkie and Fredi especially had a blast with the students playing bubbles. We all had a good laugh while catching up with their lives.

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Ice cream obsession again!

2010-07-17T17:07:00.004+09:00

Black and white sesame ice cream

I have been eating ice cream every single day since summer began in June. It's July now so it has been a month. I haven't gotten tired of it, in fact I want more, thinking of a different flavour when making a new batch.

The photo above is black and white sesame ice cream. Most of the ice cream recipes I posted here are from Closet Cooking. He is truly a maverick. The only difference to my ice cream recipes is I use honey, just enough for a little sweetness, instead of sugar. And I use full fat fresh cream all the way. Part of eating low carb means eating high fat, that is basically what primal nutrition is all about. So the result is a really creamy, soft ice cream that melts nicely in your mouth, it makes you forget about the unpleasant heat for a wee while. I love sesame both black and white, so why not put them both together?

Now let me put my feet up and enjoy this sweet treat without guilt!

Sent from my iPad

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

I'm Obsessed with Ice Cream!

2010-07-10T20:37:00.002+09:00

My newest creation: matcha (green tea) ice cream with chopped dried figs.

I can't get enough of ice cream since summer began!

Sent from my iPad

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Ice- Cream Again

2010-06-29T15:00:00.005+09:00

Coconut ice cream with chopped dried figs

Ugh, the sweltering heat here is really unpleasant! It's so, so humid and sticky all at the same time you just sweat even when standing doing nothing.

I really need something coolish again to eat and nothing beats ice-cream.

I quickly fixed a coconut ice-cream and had it with some chopped dried mission figs.

Mmm... so yummy and full of nutritious goodness.

Coconut milk has plenty of benefits. I don't really care so much for it's calorific and saturated fat content. Not all calories are created equal. The body loves me more for eating clean healthy fats rather than eating floury cakes made with flour and sugar, because that cake will spike my blood sugar, which in turn produces insulin and that insulin will turn that carb from flour and sugar into fat. So no matter how much or how hard exercise I do, if carb is the major content in my diet, I can never shift the fat. But I've gone beyond eating carbs. I have been eating wholesome food, devoid of bread, pasta, rice or anything made of flour and sugar and my body will take care of the rest.

So hurray for eating like this. I don't feel guilty eating ice-cream like some people do.

Sent from my iPad

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

It's Ice - Cream Time!

2010-06-24T11:54:00.005+09:00

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Roy, my fantastic hubby as always, got me an ice cream maker last winter when I asked him to. He got it for a great discount from Amazon because it was winter and no one makes ice cream in the winter.

Now that it's summer my taste buds are yearning for something coolish and creamish to beat the searing Tokyo heat. Something that would also satisfy my sweet tooth but that doesn't create too much havoc to my blood sugar. Got to be careful with insulin since it is the chief hormone that stores fat in the body, as a result of high carb and sugar consumption.

Enter ice cream!

Keeping in line with eating the primal way, I don't eat rice, bread or pasta as the main ingredient in my diet so a little treat like this is ok to me. I could make all sorts of flavor but vanilla is as always a winner. Roy's favorite happens to be vanilla too. It's basic and you could add all kinds of topping that your heart desires.

This ice cream is my own creation. Full fat fresh cream, egg yolks, a bit of honey, vanilla and that was it. The full fat cream makes it so soft and creamy.

I had the ice cream with either chopped dark chocolate or with home-made blueberry sauce. I love them both, they are so yummy without the additional unhealthy ingredients typical of a store bought ice cream. If I had to choose one topping, I'll go for the dark chocolate.

Next, I'm going to make coconut ice cream. Another favourite flavor of mine.

Sent from my iPad

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

Fredi's 1st Birthday, 15th June

2010-06-16T00:35:00.006+09:00

A year came and gone and Fredi is one year old today!

On the eve of his birthday we took him to the Tokyo Railway Museum. On his birthday itself, I took him to the Toys Kingdom.

I also made him a birthday cake. It's a basic vanilla sponge cake (yes, I know, it's not low carb), with full-fat whipped cream topped with blueberry sauce. He loves blueberries and the sauce goes down really well with the cream.

Fredi had a ball of a time.

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY FREDI KIFLI LARKE!!!

More photos on Flickr.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

In the Spirit of World Cup 2010

2010-06-15T16:52:00.003+09:00

I'm not a big supporter of England, but Roy got an England key chain for me and I decided to put it on my loop earrings in the spirit of World Cup 2010. The other key chain flag is Singapore. I know, I know, they are not even in the WC 2010. Oh well, England lost to the USA. Useless as always. Bah!

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from worldofwati's posterous

I Don't Do This Everyday

2010-06-03T22:39:00.006+09:00

I am BAD indeed

Playing with spirits is not exactly my character, but when I do I'm not good. My shirt says it all!

I was just having fun with Godiva's Chocolate Liquor at a friend's place.

I Now Own an iPad

2010-06-02T13:44:00.003+09:00

Another Apple addition in the house, the iPad

Thank you very, very much, Roy! I love the iPad very much, it' so easy to use, in fact I'm writing this very entry using the iPad, typing using both hands. It's so intuitive, smooth and most importantly it's easy peasy!

The machine, just like any Apple products requires minimal start up process. Just plug it, turn it on, tap tap tap, and it's good to go.

I love you. I love you too, Roy ;-)

It's not Fat, but Carbs That Makes You Fat and Sick

2010-05-05T13:34:00.009+09:00

For people who love their carbs such as pasta, bread and rice, or anything made of flour, this wouldn't be such a good news.

For people who love fat, (and those who do the low carb lifestyle such as Primal or Paleo) especially saturated fat that is in butter, cheese, meat and fish, this isn't news for they already know this.

Just found an article from Scientific American about what really cause obesity, heart disease and diabetes. No, it's not cholesterol either!

Healthy and fatty chocolate pudding

Now, for medicinal purposes, I've just finished this Chocolate Pudding layered with Mascarpone Cheese. This Mascarpone cheese is a triple soft cream cheese that contains a minimum 83% fat. I used the Parmalat brand. The chocolate pudding contains eggs, cocoa powder, a little bit of coffee, almond, butter and sweetener. My desserts are not very sweet, just enough to satisfy my sweet tooth.

Posterous

2010-05-02T21:42:00.002+09:00

I'm on Posterous now. It's a new, much simpler way to post everything. Very, very cool and loads of features you can use. Go and check it out!

Visit worldofwati.posterous.com.

Chicken Liver, Fat and Cholesterol

2010-04-29T14:28:00.002+09:00

My typical Primal inspired lunch

My typical lunch always include chicken liver, usually fried in butter along with onion and mushroom. It is good, satisfying and totally guilt free because of (not despite of) the high fat and cholesterol content. I noticed that if I eat a high fat and high cholesterol meal, I feel good, satiated and bloat free. It also has a positive effect on my general health and it is especially significant in my bowel habits and my skin condition. I hardly have headaches or migraine, indigestion and other little ailment that used to bug me prior to eating a Primal diet. The absence of headaches means I don't need drugs. And I don't buy expensive face cleanser and all those fancy looking cream anymore because I don't have big, angry zits appearing on my skin anymore. It's so wonderful and liberating. A simple change in diet could actually do wonders to your health, at least to me. Nutritious food, indeed is a medicine in itself.

I believe fat and cholesterol rich food, such as chicken liver, has been keeping these little health issues at bay. But what about the bigger, more serious issues such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer, because fat and cholesterol are bad and they cause those diseases if you eat so much of them. Right? Just google away, and you'll have all the usual info telling you about the two devils.

You'll also find that, if you look hard enough, fat and cholesterol are good. There is absolutely nothing bad at all about them.

So who is right and who is wrong? I took a step back and paused for a thought. I have come to the conclusion (some months back) that what I think is right, is not.

Among the midst of information of how bad cholesterol is, I found the article below about what cholesterol really is, by Dr. Uffe Ravnskof (if anything, I'd regard him as the authority in the study of cholesterol):

Cholesterol is not a deadly poison, but a substance vital to the cells of all mammals. There are no such things as good or bad cholesterol, but mental stress, physical activity and change of body weight may influence the level of blood cholesterol. A high cholesterol is not dangerous by itself, but may reflect an unhealthy condition, or it may be totally innocent. Read more...

A high blood cholesterol is said to promote atherosclerosis and thus also coronary heart disease. But many studies have shown that people whose blood cholesterol is low become just as atherosclerotic as people whose cholesterol is high. Read more...

Your body produces three to four times more cholesterol than you eat. The production of cholesterol increases when you eat little cholesterol and decreases when you eat much. This explains why the ”prudent” diet cannot lower cholesterol more than on average a few per cent. Read more...

There is no evidence that too much animal fat and cholesterol in the diet promotes atherosclerosis or heart attacks. For instance, more than twenty studies have shown that people who have had a heart attack haven't eaten more fat of any kind than other people, and degree of atherosclerosis at autopsy is unrelated with the diet. Read more...

The only effective way to lower cholesterol is with drugs, but neither heart mortality or total mortality have been improved with drugs the effect of which is cholesterol-lowering only. On the contrary, these drugs are dangerous to your health and may shorten your life. Read more...

The new cholesterol-lowering drugs, the statins, do prevent cardio-vascular disease, but this is due to other mechanisms than cholesterol-lowering. Unfortunately, they also stimulate cancer in rodents, disturb the functions of the muscles, the heart and the brain and pregnant women taking statins may give birth to children with malformations more severe than those seen after thalidomide. Read more...

Many of these facts have been presented in scientific journals and books for decades but are rarely told to the public by the proponents of the diet-heart idea. Read more...

The reason why laymen, doctors and most scientists have been misled is because opposing and disagreeing results are systematically ignored or misquoted in the scientific press. Read more...

The Benefits Of High Cholesterol. Read more...

Going back to the chicken liver, it contains very high vitamin A (source). Could this be the result of my good skin? I remember looking up on the internet not long ago looking for a solution to combat my zitty skin. Most dermatologists would recommend the brand Retin A. Retin A, according to Wikipedia, is a Tretinion, an acid form of Vitamin A. Now I don't want to go into details, but since I've learned that food can be medicinal, why not eat vitamin A in it's natural wholesome state, instead applying it in processed cream that comes in a bottle? Not only chicken liver is rich in vitamin A, it is also rich in other essential vitamins (B, C) and nutrients (folic acid, iron, zinc) so I guess all these natural combination works much more effectively in synergy. Therefore, my skin is nourished and I wake up in the morning feeling happy that my skin is clear.

Plus other benefits which I may not be aware of.

So next time, if I see a food product that says No Cholesterol, or Lowers Cholesterol, I won't buy the message. It has no medicinal value.

The Boys so Far

2010-04-18T21:22:00.010+09:00

Wilkie goes to kindergarten

School term in Japan begins in April. Wilkie has graduated from his day care (Hoikien in Japanese) at the local school and now he starts kindergarten (youchien). It is traditional to attend the entrance ceremony days before the actual term begins.

Getting ready to go to school

So here we are. Wilkie, at 3 years 5 months, in his full uniform including the yellow bag. He wears normal clothes under that brown smock. We actually need to buy a lot of stuff for his school and he's only in kindergarten. This include a lunch bag, a lunch mat, a sports bag, towels, more towels, indoor white shoes, etc, etc. The lunch bag is not just any lunch bag. It has to be made from a particular material and of particular size. The mothers were given a guidebook on how to sew such bags and mats. Some mothers I know, have gone as far as renting a sewing machine just to sew their child's lunch bag. For goodness sake, it's much cheaper if you buy at the shop and that was what we did exactly. So did some others.

So far school went well. We were lucky parents for Wilkie didn't cry a single bit. There was only a day when he wasn't interested in entering the classroom for some reason. But once he was inside, he was fine and went straight for the toys, and bid his dad goodbye. There were other kids who just cried their eyes out. Poor little things. So little and yet so many things they have to learn and go though.

Wilkie goes to school for 2 hours only for now until May, afterwhich it'll be 6 hours and I need to make his lunch. This will be a challenging task for me since Wilkie's diet is pretty bad on the whole, despite my personal philosophy on optimum health and nutrition. Not that we aren't doing anything about it. We are taking things step by step as there are many hurdles for Wilkie to overcome in the first place. Such as he still have accidents when it comes to the potty.

Fredi at 9 months old

And what about Fredi? He's now 10 months old. He's thriving well. I mean really, really well and totally aware of his surroundings. He's fast too. When it comes to food, he's like a vacuum cleaner. He'll eat anything. Literally. It's so easy to feed him. He's standing almost independently. He's sharp and observant. He knows what the remote control is for. He'll point it to the TV and press a button.

He hasn't had any health issues until a week ago. For 7 days in a row he's got diarrhoea , including as of blogging. We went to the doc and he told us that for some babies, it's not uncommon they go through bouts of diarrhoea when they are growing up.

Prior to the seeing the doc, I called my mum and she said something like "... oh well, it's normal for babies who are about to start standing and walking to go through a diarrhoea stage... the body somehow goes through some weight adjustment... to make the baby lighter ... since he needs to carry the weight of himself upright on two feet ..." . Somehow it made sense. My mum has 7 children so she must know what she's talking about, although I would be interested if there is any scientific explanation to back it up. I suppose some things don't have to be scientific such as, if you've become fat, your clothes either won't fit anymore or they've become tighter. And now he's not so keen on eating as much as he used to.

Despite the minor issue, Fredi is still a happy chap. He hasn't had a fever during the week he's got diarrhoea and that is something we are happy about. He's certainly lost some weight as I could feel it when I carry him. His face has slimmed down a little, as well as his cute little big hands that used to be chubby.

And oh, those eye lashes. They just keep getting longer!

9 month old Fredi. Check out those lashes!

Please don't grow up too quickly, boys

And how times flies. Both my boys are growing up so fast, so quickly, going through the stages of life that is ever changing.

Technorati: Japan, Singapore, Tokyo, Maternity, Family.

New Reading Discovery

2010-04-15T22:10:00.005+09:00

I'm not sure why I'm so passionate all of a sudden on health and nutrition. I think it's mainly because I'm serious about my health (it's not nice when you're ill, really). My mum is diabetic, one of sisters has had breast cancer, so the research on those illnesses (among other things like losing weight after my pregnancy) has led me to discover that what we've been told, heard or read by the mainstream is not entirely true. For example fat and cholesterol are bad. No, they are essential to your health. Another reason, I think is because I want to look good! And also I want to protect my children with the knowledge that I keep learning and searching.

Anyway, I've just discovered some interesting (or rather an entertaining read) health essays by Malcolm Kendrick, MD. I think he's a funny guy.

In Need of Change

2010-04-15T21:42:00.001+09:00

This blog needs some changing. I haven't got the time to do it!

Fat, My New Best friend

2010-04-02T11:15:00.001+09:00

The universally 'dreaded' fat as in butter is what I meant.

During my ignorant years, which was about almost my entire life, I've shunned butter and treated it as the most evil thing out there to consume, causing havoc to human health and plaguing society with painful and deadly diseases.

All these ignorance is due to what I read in glossy fashion and health magazines, the news that you watch on TV and almost everywhere you go, hear or see, you are bombarded repeatedly with the message that fat is bad, it makes you fat, gives you heart disease, blah, blah, blah. When out shopping in the supermarket I used to get anything that says low fat, light, healthier or zero calories.

Not anymore.

It was when I stumbled upon Gary Taubes' Good Calories, Bad Calories that I completely changed my opinion about fats. I made a paradigm shift of embracing fats, eating it everyday without fail, without any fear whatsoever. I have yet to read his book.

Now I shun carbohydrates as much as possible and treat it as the most evil thing out there to consume, causing havoc to human health and plaguing society with painful and deadly diseases.

Weston A. Price's book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration amplified my support towards fats. Although his book, written in 1923, was about his study in search of fine teeth among isolated primitive people around the world, he also discovered, apart from having perfect dental arches, these primitive people, untouched by modern food (he used the term displacement of commercial food), were also very healthy overall, free of modern diseases, and have intact immune systems. What he discovered was that, although all the primitive groups ate a very different diet from each other, they ate what nature intends human to eat and that includes fats, especially fats that come from animals (naturally, it's also high in cholesterol). He also found that they consumed (if I remember correctly) about 10 times more fats in their traditional diets than the modern diets or that recommended by the US daily allowance. His findings also showed that there were no primitive group in his study whose diet was exclusively vegetarian. It's a compelling and fascinating read on the whole and one that truly hits home. I also felt somewhat sad because of the state we're in all due to inadequate nutrition. The scope of his study went beyond dentistry and was years ahead of his time. I really regret it for not having discovered his book before I was pregnant. I want to read it again, to refresh my memory and to re-learn. His book has got to be read in order to be fully understood and appreciated. Although his book doesn't exactly spell out low carb or high carb diet, it is very clear that the healthy primitive groups ate no refined carbohydrates such as flour or sugar. If there was a role model, Weston A. Price is it.

What is so good about fats, in particular, butter? From the Weston A Price Foundation:

Vitamins: Butter is a rich source of easily absorbed vitamin A, needed for a wide range of functions, from maintaining good vision to keeping the endocrine system in top shape. Butter also contains all the other fat-soluble vitamins (D, E E and K2), which are often lacking in the modern industrial diet.

Minerals: Butter is rich in important trace minerals, including manganese, chromium, zinc, copper and selenium (a powerful antioxidant). Butter provides more selenium per gram than wheat germ or herring. Butter is also an excellent source of iodine.

Fatty Acids: Butter provides appreciable amounts of short- and medium-chain fatty acids, which support immune function, boost metabolism and have anti-microbial properties; that is, they fight against pathogenic microorganisms in the intestinal tract. Butter also provides the perfect balance of omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids. Arachidonic acid in butter is important for brain function and prostaglandin balance.

CLA: When butter comes from cows eating green grass, it contains high levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a compound that gives excellent protection against cancer and also helps the body build muscle rather than store fat.

Glyclycospingolipids: These are a special category of fatty acids that protect against gastro-intestinal infections, especially in the very young and the elderly. Children given reduced fat milks have higher rates of diarrhea than those who drink whole milk.

Cholesterol: Despite all of the misinformation you may have heard, cholesterol is needed to maintain intestinal health and for brain and nervous system development in the young.

WULZEN FACTOR: A hormone-like substance that prevents arthritis and joint stiffness, ensuring that calcium in the body is put into the bones rather than the joints and other tissues. The Wulzen factor is present only in raw butter and cream; it is destroyed by pasteurisation.

It's amazing that butter is actually a health food and contains all these nutrients that most of us are not aware of. We are so used to the 'knowledge" and only think butter as fat, and therefore fattening. If there is one food that could make me fat, that would be carbohydrates, especially in the form processed food such bread, pasta and sugar. Sugar triggers the production of insulin and insulin creates fats in the body. The more carbs or sugar you eat, the more insulin there is and the fatter you'll become.

However, you still need to know the difference between the good and bad fats. While I can't get grass fed butter in Tokyo, it's still better to eat regular butter than margarine or other vegetable fats that are highly processed, including the process of hydrogenation.

For the past months I have been eating blocks and blocks of butter. I'm not the only one. The Swedes have been eating more butter too. The trend towards eating a Low Carb High Fat Diet is also on the rise there. I wonder if it's only in Sweden?

Ever heard of the French Paradox? While the focus is on "... they drink lots of red wine..." to explain their low incidents of heart disease, despite eating a much higher percentage of fats compared to the US, why not focus on the benefits of their high fat diet? Sometimes people can be so blinkered.

And then there's the Inuit Paradox. They eat lots and lots of food AND fat that comes from the sea, with very, very little fruit and vegetables. And yet their health profile is much better than the westernised folks. Once they adopt the westernised diet, alas, they also adopt the disease of civilisation, obesity, diabetes, acne, and others.

The primitive groups that were studied by Price also suffered from modern diseases once they adopt the modern diets.

So far, I've managed to maintain my weight without actually dieting in the sense that I count calories or restrict my intake of food. I eat when I feel hungry, I snack when I feel hungry. Yes, I do have cravings for sweet things but I eat very little of them, plus I make my own sweets anyway which are devoid of flour and sugar. Yes, I still have colds and coughs but these are very minor and I still manage to do the house chores, cooking and things that need to be done. My immune system is not perfect because I believe, my nutrition hasn't been adequate all these years.

This kind of lifestyle may not be agreeable with everybody because the conventional wisdom is so set in stone, there is no question to be asked what if we've been told is factually wrong? It's easier and safer to listen to the mainstream. Not everyone choose to think out of the box, and if they did, they are ridiculed, being called a quackery, and even hated. They are accused of being vindictive and seek to make a profit and, amazingly that is only as far as they are being held, even if their research is evidently true. In the midst of big brother telling you what is right and what is wrong persistently, how are people going to listen to the alternative if you're not being vindictive? It made think of the film 1984. You're a criminal if you don't listen to big brother. It's like a religion, don't ask questions, just do as you're told.

I may sound like a quack, but at least I know what the truth is.

To be continued....

Nuts about Nuts

2010-03-20T21:37:00.006+09:00

I've been making quite a lot of cookies nowadays with my new found recipe ideas through low carb eating.

When in Singapore back in February, one of my sisters had kindly bought me some big bags of cashews and almonds at my request. Raw nuts are way, way cheaper in Singapore and I thought why not get a whole lot back to Tokyo so that I could use them for baking purposes. Nuts can be blended into powder and they are a great replacement to regular carb densed wheat flour. Just place nuts in a food processor, coffee grinder or millser (which I use) and you are away. Nuts do contain some carbs, but they can also be high in protein, vitamins and minerals, plus some good fats that are good for the heart. Depending on the kinds of nuts, they contain a high number of Omega 6, so whichever nuts to use, be aware of the contents. Moderation is key. Mark Sisson has written a breakdown of O6 of several types of nuts. I don't do the exercise, but I like to read the site's info on nutrition and the recipes.

I found that cashews are surprisingly good in cookies. The natural sweetness in cashews means that I don't need to use a sweetener. Even if I did, it's just a tablespoon of either honey or pure maple syrup.

So, with ground nuts I've made some One-Eyed Monsters. You can see why they are called by that name :-)

The One-Eyed what?

The One-Eyed Monster, with ground cashews

I used:

2 cups ground cashews
50g melted butter
1 egg white
Vanilla
Dark chocolate chips to decorate (totally optional)
Sweetener (optional. I used none)

Method:

1. Mix everything together
2. Wet palms of hands with water (so that it won't stick) and roll the mixture into small balls
3. Arrange balls on baking tray
4. Flatten balls either with spoon or fingers to desired thickness or thinness
5. Place a chocolate chip in the middle
6. Bake at 160-170C for about 15 minutes.
7. Cool on wire rack.

This recipe is very flexible and is open to all sorts of creativity. I've made the One-Eyed Monsters using ground almonds, flavoured with unsweetened cocoa powder, cinnamon and sweetened with 2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup. The maple syrup gives a crunchier bite and they are yummy just the same! I made these for dessert at a friend's' house, putting each cookie in little packets and added some extra dark chocolate chips for fun. They were a hit, even with the kids (but sadly not Wilkie).

One Eyed Monster, fresh from oven

All dressed up 'n' ready to go

Next is Almond Chocolate Chips with Walnuts.

Almond chocolate chips with Walnuts

I used:
2 cups ground almonds,
1 egg white
50g melted butter
Vanilla
Sweetener (optional)
chopped dark chocolate chips (I use minimal amount as they are not so low carb)
Chopped walnuts (I didn't measure, maybe about a handful. I used them for the crunch effect)

Method:
1. Mix everything together
2. Wet palms of hands with water and shape mixture into balls
3. Arrange balls on baking tray
4. Flatten balls to desired thickness or thinness
5. Bake at 160-170C about 15 minutes
6. Cool on wire rack.

Now let me think of a next cookie to make!

Technorati: Japan, Singapore, Tokyo, Nuts, Cookies, Diet, Low Carb

Another Playdate

2010-03-20T14:22:00.006+09:00

Group photo at Michelle's

A mummy friend had graciously offered her house for a playdate before finally departing Tokyo in April. How wonderful Michelle is.

Not all mummies were there. But I was fortunate that Roy and Wilkie could join in this time. It's always more fn to have the whole family together in a playgroup. They couldn't make it to Michelle's farewell party last week.

Despite being busy Michelle managed to whip up some pizzas and salad. I made some almond cookies as a little and contribution.

Wilkie enjoyed playing, although he preferred to be independent. We had a great time, as always.

Farewell to a Friend, Again

2010-03-14T21:49:00.003+09:00

The current mummy group

So, Michelle and family are leaving Tokyo, going back home to Seattle in America. Chantal hosted a farewell party for them at her house and it was as always lovely to see our usual mummy friends again. Sadly, Roy and Wilkie couldn't join in because they were taken ill.

Within a span of a year, already 2 mummy friends have left. Who's next? It's quite sad to see friends leaving, especially the ones that you are good friends with, including the kids.

Anyway, in this day and age, we have the internet and the web to keep in touch with long and short distance friends.

With Michelle Ameen and family

All the best to The Ameens! More photos on Flickr.

Low Carb Eating, Part 2

2010-03-02T22:17:00.011+09:00

Low Carb eating is not difficult. You don't need to buy special food to eat low carb. Everyday food such fish, meat, eggs, vegetables, cheese, butter and nuts are what you could easily buy at your local supermarket. There is in fact nothing special about eating low carb, despite the diet's label. You get to eat normal, healthy food, wholesome and full of protein, vitamins and minerals. Normal food goes through none or very little processing as possible. What's good about eating low carb for me is I don't have to worry about putting on weight, I don't feel hungry and I don't have to be too concerned about whether it's low fat, low cholesterol, high fiber and all that rubbish stuff.

Low carb eating also means I can enjoy the usually 'bad' food such as cakes, biscuits and ice cream. I love desserts and I don't have to feel guilty about eating these 'bad foods' because there is simply nothing bad about them. Processed starchy carbs such as flour, bread, pasta, cereal, rice are ones that are bad. They cause insulin production and insulin makes you fat. Eeek! No, thank you.

So, since eating low carb means eating normal food that includes dessert, I've been making some since returning from Singapore. Inspired by Dr. A's recipes, you just need a little bit of creativity and the possibilities are actually quite endless. It is not difficult.

Chocolate Gataeu, fresh from the oven. Dark chocolate chips optional

Chocolate Gateau layered with lime cream cheese

My all time favourite is the Chocolate Gataeu. This cake can be made into a muffin too. I've done Tiramisu with it, and this time I baked it in a tin, cut it in half and layered it with lime cream cheese. You can dress it up to your own liking and you only need the cake as the base to begin with. The added chocolate chips in the photo above is entirely optional as they are not so low carb, but I used them very sparingly. You can count how many I used!

The basic chocolate cake recipe is here.

The lime cream cheese icing is made up of cream cheese, grated lime zest and lime juice. A little sweetener was added, as well as vanilla. Mix them all up, spread and refrigerate. If you can't wait, eat it immediately. There's no restriction to the measurement. Use as much or as little as you like.

Banana Cake layered with lime cream cheese

Then I made a banana cake, layered with lime cream cheese (I'm obsessed with limes at the moment). The ingredients are:

100g grounded almonds
6 eggs, seperated,
*Bananas, mashed,
Sweetener (optional)
Vanilla

Method:
Mix ground almonds, egg yolks, bananas, sweetener and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until very stiff.
Fold in egg whites into banana batter.
Bake at 180C for about 20-30 minutes, or when toothpick comes out clean.
* Bananas are quite carb dense, so I used 2 medium sized. The cake lasted 6 days, so in the end it's still low carb.

The next recipe is not a dessert, but you can eat it as a dessert, there's no rule here. It's Cheesie Almond Biscuits. I'm not very experienced in making savoury biscuits and these turned out really good and very more-ish!

Cheesie Almond Biscuits

Ingredients:

200g ground almonds
1 egg white
50g butter, melted
Cheese, as much as you like, grated (I used Cheddar)
Salt, to taste (I used quite a lot)

Method:

Mix everything together.
Roll out dough on baking paper.
Score the dough into squares with a knife.
Bake at 170C, about 10-12 minutes (or until slightly browned)
Cool on rack so that they are crispy.

I packed them in a container and secretly put it in Roy's bag to take to work, with the message:

"Enjoy these Cheesie Almond Biscuits. Eat them if u feel like snacking or when u feel hungry. They are made with lots of love!
Wati xxxooo"

Orginal recipes can be found on Dr. A's Liveable Low Carb

Technorati: Japan, Singapore, Tokyo, Chocolate Cake, Banana Cake, Low Carb, Dessert

Less Defiant Child

2010-03-01T14:13:00.008+09:00

Photo courtesy of drjeffonline.com

I am reading a book by Jeffrey Bernstein, PhD entitled 10 days to a Less Defiant Child. I'm almost finished chapter 2 of the book as of blogging.

Roy has finished reading and have been applying the techniques as suggested by the author.

While it can be a challenge to raise a child by the book, it helps that you have the knowledge and tools on how to handle situations when your child just wouldn't listen to you or is simply being defiant.

This book is generally for older kids up to their teenage years but I think it could be useful in using the programme from earlier on.

Wilkie is not a chronically defiant child. He is a really good boy on the whole, even the baby sitter enjoys looking after him. He, like any normal chid of his age have his moments of being defiant. It's easy for a parent to yell and I'm not proud to say that I've had my fair share of yelling. Yelling, as the book says, is one thing you should never do. It will only make the child, for example, more defiant, angry and resentful. It's also demeaning.

While I do try to see things from Wilkie's point of view, as a parent, it's necessary to UNDERSTAND why he is being defiant in the first place. This book says that loving your child alone is not enough, you must ALSO UNDERSTAND YOUR CHILD'S EMOTION. Perhaps I'm not doing enough understanding and this is the issue of the parent herself. So this book tells you how to do it, take stock of your own behaviour first before disciplining your child. It's also important to maintain eye contact with your child when talking to him, otherwise he'll just think that you are not his priority and so not interested in him. Although I'm busy at times doing the dishes or cooking, I try to make an eye contact when Wilkie says this or that.

There many roots that contributes to a child being defiant and they are, among the more common ones are, he is being misunderstood, not getting proper attention, being yelled at, to name a few.

I'd like to believe that I am being a good mother on the whole. Prior to reading the book, I've been saying "I love you" as often as I can, giving big hugs and kisses, praising Wilkie when he does something good, and also try not to criticise him when he does something wrong. Wilkie and I have a very close and loving relationship, despite me yelling at him at times. I'd also like to believe that my new low carb diet helps me in keeping my mood in check when I'm tired and under stress. Eating low carb also provides the positive energy needed in looking after 2 young boys. So far it has. Lately I found myself yelling less and less, and just drop whatever I'm doing and give my attention to Wilkie. It's important that I look after myself properly first, and diet and nutrition, in my opinion, is the first line of defence in many areas, otherwise it could effect the way I handle my children that is not so nice, including how I handle day to day life in general.

Now, back to reading.

Technorati: Japan, Singapore, Tokyo, Parenting, Low Carb.

Low Carb Eating

2010-02-27T11:26:00.006+09:00

After giving birth to Fredi and doing loads of investigation on how to lose (post-pregnancy) weight, and specifically how to lose fat, I've made a paradigm shift in my diet of going low carb. What does low carb eating mean generally and specifically to me? It means to eat none or very low of these:

Rice
Bread
Pasta
Noodles
Cereal
Cakes
Pastries
Cookies
Biscuits
Crisps or chips
Potatoes or other starchy vegetables
Desserts
Anything made of flour
Fruit including dried fruit
Cereal
Chocolates
Sugar of all types
Honey
Maple syrup
Margarine
Vegetable oil
Tofu
Ice Cream
Soft drinks

What is there left for me to eat?

Eggs
Fish eggs
Fish
Other seafood
Beef
Chicken
Lamb
Animal organs like liver, heart
Cheese of all kind
Full fat cream
Full fat yoghurt
Full fat milk
Coconut milk
Full fat mayonnaise
Butter
Olive Oil
Nuts
Green leafy vegetables
Mushrooms of all kinds
Coffee
Tea
Note: I still eat cakes, ice cream and biscuits, but they are all home-made and low-carb.

On special occasions I let my hair down and eat sweets or noodles or rice. When in Singapore, I had one laksa, one chocolate cake, half a slice of cheesecake, 3 chocolate muffins and 2 pancakes. That was quite a lot of carbs. But I try to be consistent 90% of the time.

Why is eating low carb important to me? First, I want to maintain a healthy weight and be as trim as I can. I also want to be healthy and have the energy to look after 2 kids. The investigation I've made so far and the science behind it convinced me that this is THE right way of eating, as far as human species are concerned.

All carbs are broken down into glucose, or simple sugars in the body before they enter the bloodstream. When sugar is present in the blood, the pancreas produces a hormone called insulin to bring down the sugar. How does insulin does it? It first converts sugar into starch and the excess into fat. So the more sugar there is in your blood, the more insulin your body produces and the more fat you'll get. The important thing to note here is all carbs, whether it's rice, cereal, fruit, sugar and the things on the list above end up as glucose. Here's a quoate from Barry Groves of Second Opinions (excuse the website design, his blog here):

Carbohydrates — it doesn't matter whether these are in sugar, jam, bread, pasta, breakfast cereals, fruit or vegetables — are all exactly the same as far as your body is concerned: they are all ultimately converted to the blood sugar, glucose

You could be eating bread or cereal for breakfast, rice or noodles for lunch, sandwich or pasta for dinner, or maybe a cake or biscuits as snacks, plus sweetened drinks and you could end up eating sugar all day long, pushing the insulin levels so high, while creating fats. You do these everyday, every month, every year until one day your body gets resistant to insulin. What's going to happen next? You may get diabetes. You may also get fat, plus other illnesses related to eating too many carbohydrates.

High blood glucose levels are dangerous and, as levels of glucose rise rapidly in the bloodstream, your pancreas rapidly produces a large amount of insulin to take the excess glucose out...

This is an important point as insulin is the hormone ultimately responsible for body fat storage.

Insulin takes the glucose out of the bloodstream. It is converted first into a form of starch called glycogen which is stored in the liver and in muscles. But as the body can store only a limited amount of glycogen in this way, all other excess glucose is stored as body fat. This is the process of putting on weight.

The next problem is that insulin resistance caused by the continual high insulin levels in your bloodstream impairs its ability to satisfy a satiety centre in the brain. This contributes even more to overeating, obesity, and diabetes

I've seen many new and funky looking cafes in Singapore recently with their very pretty and tempting looking cakes and desserts on display. 10 years ago they weren't as ubiquitous. As diabetes is one of the top 6 killer diseases in Singapore, I could only imagine what the health situation is going to be in 10 or 20 years' time.

It is impossible to eat zero carbs, so the key for me is to eat as few carbs as possible, keeping insulin levels low and not getting fat. Plus I also eat a high amount of fat (this I will write more about later). This way of eating makes me sane, it keeps unhealthy issues at bay and it keeps my spirit positively constant. I feel more energized. I need it especially in looking after 2 active young boys. And no it's not a placebo effect.

Technorati: Japan, Singapore, Tokyo, Low Carb, Low Carb, Diet

Singapore Visit and 10th Anniversary

2010-02-25T14:23:00.004+09:00

Last week we made a surprise visit to Singapore. How it all began?

We have been putting on hold of going to Singapore simply because of the hassle travelling with 2 small kids, plus it's rather expensive to fly us all four. We haven't been for at least 2 years and I know Mum is dying to see Fredi, whom she's never met before until now.

When it comes to our 10th wedding anniversary, we were wondering what to do. Ideally we'd like to have a date, just Roy and I without the kids in tow. We could of course ask our baby sitter to look after the kids, but I don't trust her looking after 2 of my sons simultaneously. She IS a very good baby sitter, I just don't feel comfortable leaving Wilkie and Fredi with her while we go out on a date celebrating our anniversary.

Then Roy secretly booked a flight to Singapore a week prior to our anniversary. I only got to know it when it comes to booking a hotel as he needed my thoughts on the matter. So there, I was rather surprised and very pleased that we were actually going away for a real holiday.

Just landed in Singapore, after 7 hours from Tokyo

I didn't tell my family at all either.We just appeared at their apartment a day after we arrived. They were UTTERLY surprised and elated to see us I could see some tears. Mum was teary with happiness that finally her daughter and Fredi were right there for her to see and touch.

We stayed for a week at the Swissotel Stamford. We always chose to stay there for its fantastic pool, location and service. And also because I used to work there under the old brand Westin Stamford and Westin Plaza. Some of my colleagues are still working faithfully there. It was a really nice hotel and our room had fantastic views overlooking the Singapore skyline, the Boat Quay and the rather majestic casino which is still being built. It was one of those remarkable feat of engineering to build a building as such with a ship on the rooftop. I was told it's a new casino that's going to be bigger than the Intergrated Resort. I felt a bit nervous about Singapore becoming more and more of a commercial state it reminds me so much of Sim City with almost every corner being occupied and built with yet another new commercial building.

The new casino at Marina Bay

Singapore Skyline and Boat Quay

So what did we do?

We went visiting my family in Woodlands. Everyday there was a different meal cooked for us. Fredi, for the first time had a big slice of watermelon. He looked really cute taking a big bite out of it.

The Larkes with my Mum

Mmmm... watermelon!

We went to the Singapore Science Centre. We also bought tickets to the Omni Planetarium since Wilkie and Roy had not experienced watching a movie with a huge wide screen on top of you. Alas, Wilkie didn't enjoy it and they left the theatre after 15 minutes. Roy thought the omnimax was pretty cool.

At the Singapore Science Centre

We went shopping, mainly to look for the Wilkie's shoes. Quality kids shoes are difficult to get in Tokyo, and even if there were, they are expensive for what they are. Singapore has a much wider variety of kids' products that are of good quality and they are easy to get. For example, we couldn't get a replacement for the MacLaren rain cover at TRU in Tokyo or even at the MacLaren retailer (read this post), but in Singapore, it's a no brainer. The staff actually went all the way and got it for us and there it was. The choices here are just incredible. We got Wilkie 2 pairs of shoes, plus some other items we bought for the little ones.

We also went shopping for clothes. Within 2 years I was away, so many new retailers have been rolled out. Roy got me some clothes from Forever 21 and Berschka and some underwear from Marks and Spencer. I saw a Coach store that displayed a really glamorous shoulder bag in bright pink covered in sequins from their Poppy collection. I also love their other tote bag with a deep red hearts logo. It looked so pretty and somewhat cheery. They were both of course expensive and I could only admire and dream about them. Yes, I'm a bit of a material girl.

Wilkie for the first few days kept saying "home" because he missed his toys and favourite videos. He soon forgot when we went swimming at the hotel pool every morning after breakfast. It was as always the highlight of the day. Wilkie and Roy would swim while I let Fredi paddle and he would look by at his brother and dad.

Breakfast by the pool

Morning swim

8 months old Fredi didn't wanna miss swimming

Among other things we had coffee at Starbucks. Although the service here was good, I'd rather much prefer the service in Tokyo. Why don't they place milk or cream at the counter for us to mix our coffee with? I had to ask for milk from the staff.

Coffee break at Starbucks ION

Fredi very amused by his dad

We also went to a fun fair at Marina Bay. We did the Bumper car, twice, and then Wilkie went for a cartoon train. He was over the moon on that one as he loves train.

We only stayed for a week, and naturally, time passed by so quickly. We didn't see any friends as it was an entirely family affair. Roy had to work on the day we returned to Tokyo so he actually worked in the hotel room while I spent the time with the 2 boys at Woodlands. It wasn't so bad as I have extra pair of hands to help me out. Fredi turned out to be more and more of a mummy boy. At 8 months old he's becoming more and more attached to me. He would only let others hold him for so long before he lets out a cry for mummy.

The Larkes before leaving to Tokyo

Saying goodbye

One last photo before we leave

At the ariport we had, as usual, a big send off by my family. We took photos, had our last catching up, and then gave everyone a big hug and saying goodbye. Mum was sad to see us leave but I know she was really happy to have met Fredi. Both the boys were totally knackered by the time we took off. I had iced cafe latte so was awake for the first few hours. Both Fredi and Wilkie were asleep pretty much during the flight and they were both really good. It was much easier this time than flying to the UK back in September 2009.

Oh, Roy loves me so much he actually got me the Coach bag at the duty free shop! Thank you, Thank you, thank you!

It's mine! Poppy Signature Heart Logo Glam Tote

More photos of our Singapore trip on Flickr.

Technorati: Japan, Singapore, Tokyo, Travel

Another Low Carb Lunch and Why it All Began

2010-02-09T16:00:00.004+09:00

Chocolate Tiramisu

A friend and her daughter were over at my house today for some simple lunch. Being on a low carb diet, I whipped up a crustless quiche with salmon and spinach (sorry I forgot to shoot), followed by Tiramisu with Chocolate Gataeu. Thanks to Dr. A again for sharing the gorgeous recipe.

My friend had the most enjoyable time eating the rich food. One thing I like about eating a low carb meal is you could enjoy all these really wonderful real food without feeling guilty, because it is actually good for you. Plus, a low carb meal is very satisfying and keeps you going for a long time without the need to snack very much, or none at all.

Before I started low carbing, the original plan was to lose post pregnancy weight. I don't only want to lose weight, I want to lose fat. Now that's the real deal. At the same time I want to be healthy and look good. OK, I want to look great and I love clothes. So I went on to Google away on how to lose weight quickly without having to spend a lot of time exercising. The majority of the info says in order to lose weight you've got to go the usual route, ie, eat less, eat low fat and do more, plus exercise so many minutes a day for so many weeks. I don't have the time to huff and puff very much, not when I have 2 young boys. Even if I did exercise, I can only do so much in a given week.

And then I came across a sports nutrition site that says no matter how hard you exercise, you can never shift the fat as long as carb consumption is high. That got me thinking what and why. Prior to this I always believed that a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. No, it's not that simple.

And then I searched some more and Googgled away which brought me to Gary Taubes. Though I haven't read his book called Bad Calories, Good Calories, the video was a revelation. Carbohydrates are so bad to your health on many levels I had no idea.

And then I stumbled upon Dr. Mike and Barry Groves who also said the same bad things about carbohydrates. I have yet to read his Trick and Treat. I also like Dr. A's blog.

The one that really made me see the bigger picture, who made me connect the dots was when I read Weston A. Price's Nutrition and Physical Degenaration. I discovered the online version and it was enough in making me understand how and why we are in the state we are now, health and nutrition wise. Through him, I realise what may have caused my crooked tooth (by the way it's quite common to see crowded teeth and bowed legs in Japan and I wonder if it's a coincidence), among other health issues I've had experienced, such as bad skin, or dizzy spells. I also wished I had read it before I was pregnant with Wilkie and Fredi. Ignorance may be a bliss but not when it comes to your health and the health of your loved ones.

As a laywoman, I used to have little understanding about macro nutrients and how they play their roles in keeping a healthy weight but also in keeping a body healthy, and carbohydrates are not one of them. Looking at the food pyramid, carbohydrates make up a major percentage of your daily diet. If carbs are not recommended if you want to stay trim and be healthy, the food pyramid is not ideal then. No wonder that the health state we are in now has gone pear-shaped. I don't buy the food pyramid model anymore.

From then on I started to find and discover other sites that advocates Low Carb (LC).

I learned through the process that there are several versions of LC. There's Atkins, Primal and Paleo to name a few. The one I'm doing is not of a particular kind. I try to keep carbs as low as possible, with medium protein and fairly high fat intake. I don't count nor do I measure. Who has the time to do all the counting when you have a toddler and a baby asking for your attention most of the time? I just keep my eyes opened and be conscious of what I put in my mouth. When I check nutrition labels, I look for the carb count. It's an interesting feeling when I caught myself not so concerned about the calories or fat contents anymore. And it feels great.

I've gone back to my pre-pregnancy weight without trying very hard at all, with very little exercise or none at all. Some mummy friends thought I lost more than I gained when looking at me. I haven't lost more than I gained. Perhaps the protein and fat are making my bones more dense and muscles more firm? I'm not sure. I'm down from UK size 8 (US 4) to UK 6 (US 2). My skin is in good condition, without the occasional breakouts and my head feels clearer. Although I am tired at times, I find myself bouncing back in a positive way and quite quickly. Everyone has their moments but my mood is better levelled. The best thing is I don't need to starve myself anymore and eat full fat food without feeling bad. That is why I like eating low carb. But I'm still learning.

Anyway, time for bed. I'll post more on my low carb lifestyle, among other things when I have the chance.

Technorati: Japan, Singapore, Tokyo, Chocolate, Dessert, Diet

Low Carb Chocolate Gataeu

2010-02-08T11:30:00.004+09:00

Low Carb Chocolate Gataeu topped with whipped cream sprinkled with pomegranate

Since starting on a low carb lifestyle, I've been experimenting on a number of low carb desserts and the Chocolate Gataeu is by far my favourite.

Thanks to Dr. A (her blog) of Liveable Low Carb for sharing the great recipe!

I could eat the whole cake without feeling guilty, but of course I haven't tried eating the gorgeous thing at one go. Yet.

Technorati: Japan, Singapore, Tokyo, Chocolate, Dessert

A little Late but Welcome 2010!

2010-01-03T21:44:00.002+09:00

A Happy Larke Family of 2009

So, 2009 came and gone in a blink of an eye. This is how fast I feel the year went. It feels only like yesterday.

So many events have happened I could only remember a few. The birth of Fredi, Wilkie's first day of school, flying to the UK when Fredi was only 2 months old (cor, that WAS tough), the joint birthday party of Wilkie and his friends, and the daily broken night sleep which is still ongoing.

It wasn't an unhappy year for sure but full of challenges and new experiences. It certainly made the better mother and woman out of me. It was a year focused entirely on the boys and I suspect 2010 will be the same.

We'll have to wait and see.

And today, after weeks of crawling backwards, Fredi crawled forward. He's 28 weeks old. Another milestone. Another problem. Time to start baby-proofing the house!

Technorati: Japan, Singapore, Tokyo, Baby

Random Activities, Part 4

2009-12-27T21:46:00.003+09:00

This blog is getting more and more scant entry-wise there isn't just time for me to update all the things I want to write about.

But another quickie entry here of some of the more fun and random activities we did in the last two months or so.

Wilkie on helicopter

Went to the airplane museum in Tokorozawa as a treat for Wilkie prior to his 3rd birthday. He's into helicopters and aeroplanes at the moment (apart from trains and cars) and the trip there made his day.

Group photo at Christmas party

With Father Christmas

At PolarBear and PandaBear Christmas party this year, I only took Wilkie with me. I didn't go last year because I was just too ill from the early pregnancy. It was really, really fun. The highlight of the party was a game we played called Dirty Santa. I got myself a bunch of photo frames and towels. As usual everyone brought a dish for a potluck lunch. I made ginger cookies.

At Wilkie's school X'mas gathering

Wilkie and his teachers; Gift from Santa

Wilkie's school organised a Christmas gathering which to me was a little tame (shall I say lame?). There were singing and playing of music and that was it. Of course there was a Father Christmas and all he did was giving out little gifts quietly.

Family portrait on Christmas Day 2009

Finally on Christmas Day, we spent a quiet time at home as a family. Like every year we had chicken plus mash and cauliflower cheese. Good quality turkey is hard to get in Japan and if there was a turkey, it cost a bomb. I wanted to make a Christmas log cake but ended up making Apple Crumble instead since it was a doddle to make. It went down very well as a dessert nonetheless. And of course, the highlight of the day was when Wilkie ripped open his array of prezzies. He is such a lucky boy.

At the end of it, his mummy and daddy got to clean up the big heap of rubbish from the wrappers and packaging, while Wilkie happily playing away with his bright new toys and Fredi asleep quietly away in a corner.

Time for bed.

Technorati: Japan, Singapore, Tokyo, Christmas, Museum

Fredi at 6 months old

2009-12-17T22:24:00.002+09:00

Fredi has started solids already. Apples as a start and my this boy is a good eater.

I've also stopped being a purist and have been giving him formula, on top of breastfeeding since he turned 4 or 5 months old. So far so good. He's thriving and progressing really well there's nothing to be concerned about. On top of that, he sleeps way much better at night that I wake up feeling okay in the morning. I could do with longer sleep hours but I'm not complaining.

Fredi at 6 months old

Also, his eye lashes grow so long and curvy even I'm jealous and wonder if they are growing even longer. Here I am wishing I could do without curling my lashes and putting mascara on when dolling myself up.

I wonder where or who he got them from? I know for sure that Roy's eye lashes are MUCH longer than mine, so it must come from his genes. It's not a bad thing. I love Fredi's eyes, they are so expressive.

Technorati: Japan, Singapore, Tokyo, Baby

Happy 3rd Birthday to Wilkins Hichael

2009-11-23T12:24:00.005+09:00

Wilkie and his Elmo cake, made by his mummy

22nd November was Wilkie's birthday. We had a quiet but fun-filled family affair to celebrate his special day.

A day before hand, I made a cake and decorated it myself, all to complete secrecy from Wilkie. Thanks to Roy who is, as always, kind enough to take Wilkie out of the way.

We went to Toys R Us and let Wilkie choose a toy as his gift, the on to a restaurant for a lunch treat of tempura, his favourite food, followed by a small celebration at home, complete with a video conference with my family in Singapore.

When we all sang Happy Birthday, Roy came out quietly from the kitchen with the Elmo cake with 3 lit candles. Wilkie was surprised and I think he was also gobsmacked. The look on his face showed nothing but total happiness and a big, big smile. He then asked to blow the candles 4 times over, before he finally cut the cake. The best part for him was opening of gifts. He was so excited and loved of them all. He's one lucky boy to get pretty cool gifts this year.

How time really flies. Wilkie is already 3 years old.

Happy 3rd Birthday Wilkie sayang! Photos on Flickr.

Technorati: Japan, Singapore, Tokyo, Birthday, Cake,Elmo

Video: Happy 3rd Birthday to Wilkie and Friends, Part2

2009-11-11T22:56:00.002+09:00

The Fab Five 3rd birthday celebration
Click image to play. (Pop-up, 15.1mb, 2m 16s)

The party was a huge success. Everyone, especially the kids, had a blast as can be seen on the video.

Technorati: Video, Quicktime, Japan, Singapore, Tokyo, Birthday, Cake

Video: Happy 3rd Birthday to Wilkie and Friends

2009-11-11T10:55:00.005+09:00

The Fab Five 3rd birthday celebration
Click image to play. (Pop-up, 14.5mb, 2m 10s)

A quick video of a joint birthday celebration of Wilkie and his 4 friends, namely Alex, Aiden, Chiaki, Eric. Amazingly, they knew each other since 6 months old and now they all turned 3.

More updates coming up. Photos on Flickr.

Technorati: Video, Quicktime, Japan, Singapore, Tokyo, Birthday, Cake

Now, Now!

2009-10-31T21:11:00.002+09:00

The "finger" from Wilkie

On a fine Friday afternoon, Wilkie, for unknown reasons, gave Fredi the finger, with a complete menacing "evil" look on his face.

Here, take this! Says Fredi

"Here's one for you, Bro!" and a punch in the face from Fredi.

Now, now boys! Behave.

Oh well, my two lovely boys were just fooling around. I somehow managed to capture these two hilarious shots that kept me laughing looking at them.

Ain't it funny?

Technorati: Japan, Singapore, Tokyo, Baby