31 May 2021
Alex is Three!
29 May 2021
Healthy Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies.
Gone are the days when I crave cookies and go look outside and buy - like from Subway and other places - because cookies that are too sweet are just a no-go.
I know of people who particularly want sweet cookies, and yes cookies need to be sweet, if not tak sedap okay. Don't know what has gotten into me also, because I've been trying to eat healthier. Heh. I can almost hear Adrian laughing at me saying that. Hah.
It's true la okay.
The keyword is 'I try'.
I was scrolling through recipes on Instagram and I saw the photo of these healthy cookies and looked at the recipes, and they are so simple!
So simple I decided to try it the next day!
It's flourless and sugarless - so if you have bananas (better if overripe), rolled oats, and peanut butter, then you are set to go! It's so easy, quick,, and healthy!
Also, according to the website where I found this recipe, this recipe is vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, sugar-free, and naturally sweetened! "Nutritious enough to have it for breakfast".
Here are the recipes and there is a video that you can watch too :)
These measurements are meant to make about 60 regular size cookies okay, so if you would like to make lesser than that, then just divide all the number by half.
If not, you can always make more and give them to your friends. I realized kids somehow love the cookies more than adults - because it's really very healthy kind okay.
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 cups rolled oats
- 2 cups of mashed banana (about 5-6 big ones)
- 2/3 cup peanut butter
- 2/3 chocolate chip (optional)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
- 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
- 1 tsp salt
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Preheat the oven to 175 degrees. Line a baking sheet over a baking pan.
- In a large bowl, mix together mashed bananas, peanut butter, vanilla extra, cinnamon, and salt.
- Add rolled oats and chocolate chips (or cranberries - optional) and mix until all is combined.
- Scoop the dough into the baking pan and flatten it.
- Bake for 15-minutes (for cherry texture). Anything more than 17-minutes will make the cookies quite hard.
- Let it cool and enjoy!
25 May 2021
Week One of New Role - SAHM.
My dad went for a bypass surgery a week + ago, and that also means that we (the kids and I) have not been going to their house for that long. Yes, I was already homesick by end of the week. Yep - overly attached I know and I take that as a compliment heh.
So, with that I officially got to embrace my new role as a Stay-at-Home-Mom (not really because I have my Shop.com business), I realized that I cannot only just take care of them day-in and day-out - because, by the mid-second day, I was feeling lazier than usual. I was just chilling with them, have zero motivations whatsoever to do anything. I was literally counting the hours for my husband to come home so we could have dinner together and stuff.
Then, on the third day, I told myself I need to find something to do - that I love, or would potentially love.
So, I started searching for recipes for food items that I want to eat but don't want to order from outside. Soon, I find myself texting Adrian my bakery to-buy-list so he could get them for me when he comes home from work.
The more I bake and the more I cook new food items that I have not tried before, the more motivated I was to do my work and take care of my children.
And this is a true story.
I have a higher tolerance and more patience towards my kids on days when I do bake or cook. I don't ki siau so fast and I actually spend more quality time with them, instead of just letting them watch TV to pass time by.
So, when I say baking is my therapy, it really is.
Now, some of you asked how do I even find the time and energy to bake and wash and handle the kids at the same time. The funny thing is I don't know.
Because logically, it would mean I actually have to come out with extra energy & time to do the extra thing - but the funny part is although I do feel more worn out by the end of the night, I don't actually feel exhausted - as compared to when I do absolutely nothing else but taking care of the kids.
Get what I mean?
Maybe you do, maybe you don't.
But if you do, you should try to find something to do other than being a mom, because you will find that your everyday life becomes more interesting and less stressful. I don't even know if that makes any sense but yeah, please try them. You will at least feel less miserable and lonely. Hah.
It could be knitting, arts and crafts things, gardening, cleaning, re-organizing, or creating Youtube videos. It could be anything you want!
Except for anything that involves using your phone all the time I guess.
Because watching Netflix just makes you feel lazier and you will feel extra exhausted after watching a TV show or a movie - also a true story.
Maybe choose something that your kids can be involved in of some sort. Although honestly sometimes I want to be baking alone - while they are taking their naps.
We foresee many more weeks of us staying in our own homes so there will be more recipes coming up - but after a few tries, I can be good at it - like my twisted cinnamon buns. I am still not happy with how it turned out, so I will trial and error with other recipes and see where I go from there.
To my friends who live nearby, get ready to be my guinea pigs (hah).
So yeah, the first week of full-time mom and I am already baking so much. I hope I don't end up eating all the baked goods if not people may start asking me if I am pregnant. Heh. I am not yet.
Oh, and here's a tip on how to get your children to enjoy every meal - only let them watch TV or let them have screen time after they finish their meals. That way, they either have conversations with you during the meals or enjoy finishing up their food.
I did a comparison and they took so much longer when they have screen time during mealtime. I also lost my sanity more times during that time. So, to make sure everyone is well-fed and happy by the end of mealtime, no watching TVs at all.
Alex knows this very well by now. Sofia cannot really be bothered because every time she has food in front of her, she is 100% focused. No problem with that.
Okay, enough of the end of week one thing.
Till next time, bye now.
18 May 2021
10-Ingredients Chocolate Brownies (One Half With Peanut Butter)!
Brownies are one of those dessert things that my family would crave randomly - quite often actually. And since we love to eat them so much, it is better if we learn to make them and be good at them.
That way, we can use good ingredients that we can afford heh. and make it less sweet.
I was very keen to learn to make brownies because I saw online a few recipes and they seemed so doable. I also know and read online that not all recipes will ngam you so try a few times baru tau.
Then, one day I saw Pat K's IG and she mentioned that she has tried a few recipes and this is the one that she likes the most - so I decided to give it a try. Ingredients are simple enough so the trip to a bakery to get those supplies was easy.
This is my third attempt (first time with peanut butter) and I am loving it! It turned out to be better than the first time I did it - the differences were I used a better cocoa powder and chocolate chips and I pre-heated the baking pan this time.
So, this round of brownies was way better - crispy on top and gooey in the middle. In the recipe below, I minus the sugar content already so it is a little different than Pat K's. We prefer less sweet brownies because when brownies become too sweet, it's not nice (to us anyway). Actually, even after I lessen the sugar content, it is still sweet. I don't dare to lessen more because scared later the recipe will lari sikit. Heh.
So here goes.
10-INGREDIENTS CHOCOLATE BROWNIES (HALF WITH PEANUT BUTTER)
Ingredients:-
- 225g salted butter (melted and cooled)
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 150g brown sugar
- 100g white sugar
- 4 eggs (room temperature)
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 140g all-purpose flour
- 120g unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 200g chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate)
STEPS:-
- Preheat the oven (and baking pan with baking sheet lined) to 175 degrees Celcius.
- Combine butter, oil, and sugar (brown and white) in a large bowl.
- Add eggs, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Whisk till everything is well combined.
- In the same bowl, sift in flour and cocoa powder.
- Add in chocolate chips (or chocolate chunks).
- Gently fold the batter with a spatula till well combined. DO NOT OVER-MIX - that is why I add in the chocolate chips then only mix together to avoid over mixing.
- Pour the batter into the preheated baking pan.
- This is where you add the peanut butter (if you want).
- Put a few dollops of peanut butter on top and straighten them out with a butter knife.
- Or you can pour half the brownies batter then add the peanut butter and then 'close' it with the other half of the brownies batter.
- You can add more chocolate chips on top (totally optional).
- Bake the brownies for 35-40-minutes (my best is 35 minutes).
- Once the time is up, turn off the oven and leave the brownies inside for a good 2-minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let it rest/cool down before you cut with a plastic knife (brownie hack: your brownies won't stick to your plastic knife).
- Or even better if you can get those brownies cutter and then you will get even cut brownies - unlike mine. Every piece is unique hah.
14 May 2021
Getting the Right Laptop!
Why is it such a difficult decision to make when it comes to getting the 'right' laptop?
We have talked about getting a new one after I officially resigned from HTT and until now, we are not ready to cross that bridge. We don't know which one to get!
We wanted to get a tablet - I love (so love) the Microsoft Surface Go 2 (with red everything) but a friend shared that it is not worth the money. So, I am now back to square one.
My mind was pretty fixed with Microsoft but after that review, I need to not go there anymore. Adrian tried to convince me to get Huawei (like his) - but the way they placed their webcam, umm I cannot.
Huawei is definitely out.
Apple laptops are out too - because they are ridiculously expensive and I don't need such a fancy laptop. I love how nice they look though. A for that.
I am either for Dell or HP - because I have used both and loved using both.
I was leaning towards Dell Inspiron 14 (2-in1) where they have touch screens and adjustable screens but Adrian said touch screens laptops are not very good. So, now I am back to the box - of no decisions made.
So, if you are reading this, and have similar criteria like mine, and have made a very 'worth your money' purchase on a laptop, please share with this girl. I do not want to buy the 'wrong' laptop.
Must-have criteria:
- Lightweight (have to be able to carry out when with kids)
- Preferably 14-inch screen size or smaller (don't want too big)
- Budget not more than RM2,500 (below RM2,000 even better)
- Backlit keyboard (because sometimes I have to work in the dark, so I need the keyboard lights)
I am currently using Adrian's old laptop and to be honest, it can still be used but there are 2 things that made us sort of want to replace it with a new one. First, its' sound system is a gone case so no watching movies or listening to Spotify, or trying to edit more videos (boo), and second, its battery is also a gone case so that means I have to always connect it with the power supply.
And that is an issue because, with 2 kids at home, I have to be able to work anywhere (anytime), and not having to connect my laptop 24/7 is crucial.
So, please help a friend out. Which laptop have you used before that is not super fancy? I just need a laptop for normal everyday use, and I don't want laptops that lag too please thank you. Or are there any laptops that I should avoid buying - also very important.
Thank you in advance! :)
Till next time, bye now.