#1 is 5 and a half and #2 is almost 21 months old. They seem to have exchanged appetites. Ultra Super Duper Fussy #1 is now able to accept a wider range of food cooked in different ways. #2 Food Rader is now anti food, rejecting almost anything anyone makes. Brought it up to the pediatrician 2 weeks back and was given appetite simulators, calorie energy powder and MCT oil. Initially I was against it but she was firm about it. "#2 needs nutrition. It is VERY important for her". When I raised the concern that she will become fat, doc's reply was "She is very tiny, unlikely this will make her fat". And it is true. Even during #2's food rader-eat everything-eat more than her brother stage, she was still tiny - weight under 5th percentile, height 10th percentile. I'm not giving up and hope little #2 will bounce back soon (and #1 not to regress!).
Today's menu is like a reflection of my frustration. The more frustrated I am, the more I cook. (As a FTWM who works from home for 2 time zones, there are tons of frustrations.)
Woke up exceptionally early and decided to cook Corn Onion Pork soup. I bought this at a stall last week when #1 was sick and said "Mummy I want soup". It was very nice and I thought to try making it for both kids.
Corn Onion Pork Soup
Portion size: Family of 4
Pork - size of a 27g froot loops box (I use meat from the Long(2) Gu(4) )
Corn - 1
Yellow Onion - 1
Water 1.2 liters and more to top up
Salt if you like.
Pot used: Thermos Shuttle Chef 3L
Bleach pork and set aside. Remove husk and fiber from corn and chop into 1 inch thick. Cut onion into quarters, removing the dry outer layers. Place pork, corn, onion and water into pot and bring to a rolling boil for 15mins. Lower to a simmer for another 30mins. Place into thermal pot. Ready to be 3hours later. Add salt if you like.
As we are having this for dinner, I took the pot out for another 30mins on the stove after lunch hour. The soup would taste awesome when it's dinner time.
Since dinner is settled, I proceed to make breakfast and lunch for my kids who are still blissfully asleep. As the soup is coming to a boil, I started to prepare ingredients for pancakes, scrambled eggs, "chicken plain" and short grain rice for tuna maki (canned tuna + mayo rolled in nori, #1 new found fav).
Pancakes are out of the box. We love bisquick. Flipped the box over and followed the ultimate pancake recipe plus what we have in the fridge. We had chocolate chip, blueberry and plain. Anti-Food #2 had a few bites before having fun poking and squishing the blueberries. Suddenly-Hungry #1 had 3 whole pancakes on his own. Breakfast done and I'm smiling from ear to ear!
Using the pan from the pancakes, I made chicken plain. Chicken Plain is what my boy calls it. It's really simple, the taste is .... plain. But he likes it so here it is, #1's Chicken Plain.
#1's Chicken Plain
Portion size: 1 kid, 1 toddler
Chicken Breast or Chicken Tenderloin - palm size
Onion Powder - half teaspoon
Paprika - half teaspoon
Garlic Butter or oil
Cut chicken breast into strips. If using tenderloin, it is not necessary to cut.
Season chicken with onion powder, paprika and half a teaspoon of either garlic butter or oil.
Add some garlic butter or oil into pan, pan fry til it is cooked.
At this point, I decided to throw in some sliced white button mushroom that are sitting in the fridge. It would taste wonderful with the scramble eggs that is coming right up..
here...
Scrambled Eggs. This is a recipe I read off my cousin's home econs book 28 years ago. I could no longer remember the portions or the method but what I remembered is wonderfully tasty eggs that stuck to the pot so much my aunt probably grumbled lots when she washed it. After watching way too much FoodAsiaNetwork shows, I've decided to try it cooking it again, this time using a "proper" method. Well, now it is an all time-any time favorite with my family. So here it is, Scrambled Eggs that my family loves.
Scrambled Eggs
Portion size: 1 kid, 1 toddler and some for mummy
2 eggs
some butter - I use half a dessert spoon.
some milk - around a quarter cup
non-stick sauce pan
Google for Jamie Oliver or Gordon Ramsay or any decent chef. Watch their video on how to make basic scrambled eggs and follow the method.
Break eggs into sauce pan, add butter and milk. Turn on the heat, set to low. Whisk the egg, butter and milk together. Follow the scrambled egg method that you've seen. If not, the general idea is this - slow. When the egg starts to cook, remove from heat and use a spatula or a wooden/silicon spoon to fold in the eggs. Put it back on the fire and once you see the egg forming a curd at the bottom, remove from heat and fold in. Back on the heat. Repeat this process til you see the eggs are not liquid and is like a big curd. At this point you can serve it to an adult. For my kids, I prefer to have it a little more cooked so I have it on the stove for a min more.
You can add whatever you like with scrambled eggs. My kids love ham, I love mushrooms and they all went into the pot. Yummy!
Now at this point I am feeling "de-stressed" and ready for another challenging work day. I practice "clean as you go" so wash up is minimal and that can wait.
