Meals Made Easier With Philips Air Fryer

My mum gave me her old Philips air fryer early this year as she got herself a new one.  She previously gave me an Airbot air fryer but it was underutilized as the capacity is very small.  

The Philips air fryer was sitting in our larder for months until recently when the mil went for her cataract surgeries and can't cook for two months.  

Sherilyn pulled the air fryer out and started cooking simple meals in it. And I followed suit as we're all pretty sick of getting takeout food almost every day.  Sherilyn cooks quick meals for her school lunch box.  She's been staying back every day for athletics and volleyball practice for inter-school sports meets.  

Here are a few simple meals whipped up using the Air Fryer.

Air fried shishamo. Fish is lightly oiled and with a pinch of salt.

Our collection of kitchen gadgets. Some gadgets are inside the cupboard as our kitchen is pretty tiny. My wish is to move into a bigger house or apartment with a kitchen so huge that I can display all my kitchen gadgets on the countertop for ease of usage. 

Air fried boneless chicken thigh. Chicken is marinated with cajun, coriander powder, and teriyaki sauce.

Cass made this air fried custard toast.

Air fried boneless chicken thigh from the same batch of chicken thighs that I marinated and this is with  Gula Melaka for caramelizing the skin.

Air fried shimeji mushrooms.  Sherilyn marinated them with black pepper and teriyaki sauce at night. The next morning, she air fried the mushrooms.

Sherilyn's lunch in school - pan-fried wild-caught Pollock fish with herbs, steamed sweet potato, brocolli, and air fried mushrooms.

Air fried chicken drummets marinated with turmeric powder, soy sauce, a dash of oyster sauce, and corn flour.

My Low-Carb Meals

I've been on a low-carb diet since the year 2000 when I was diagnosed with PCOS.  My weight ballooned up from 42kg to 48kg in just a month! I was perplexed, felt something was wrong with me and decided to see a gynae who gave me the diagnosis, which shocked me.  

That was the beginning of my long journey of battling infertility and weight loss.

Going on a low-carb diet (with only 100gm of carbs per day) along with exercising twice a day helped me shed a lot of weight, which was extremely hard.  Women with PCOS usually have unexplained weight gain and difficulties in losing weight. I didn't want to be on Metformin, so I followed a low-carb diet and exercised every single day.  It wasn't easy but I was hell-bent.

23 years on and I'm still on a low-carb diet.  I still eat carbs but minimally and I no longer calculate my daily carbs intake. I have portion-controlled meals and I try to have at least 12 hours of intermittent fasting every day.

My low-carb meals are very simple and sometimes not pocket-friendly. 

Ba Kut Teh with organic broccoli + alfalfa sprouts.

I had Bak Kut Teh again the next time but this time, I had different cuts of meat.  And I added an egg and organic baby spinach.

While everyone else ate 'loh shi fun' noodles, I blanched some veggies and ate only 2 tablespoons of noodles.  This is like a noodle salad.

I air-fried Shishamo and ate 4 pieces for lunch.  The fish is lightly salted with very little cooking oil.

Brekkie with hubs - pork noodles sans the noodles. 

My dessert - mixed sesame bar, limited to only 2 pieces a day.

Taiwan Braised Pork Rice And Dessert @ Taman Danau Desa, KL

Sunday, 26 June 2022 - Hubs was supposed to meet the rest of us at Seoul Korea Restaurant for Korean BBQ.   It was yet another working weekend for him.  We were so disappointed when we saw that it was closed with a notice that some of their workers were down with Covid.  

So we walked to Taiwan Braised Pork Rice And Dessert, just a stone's throw away. This small eatery serves pretty good Lu Ro Fan (braised pork rice). For the longest time, I've wanted to try their taro balls and sweet potato balls ice dessert. Each time I'm there to get a take-away of Lu Ro Fan, the heavenly aroma of the taro and sweet potato balls simmering in brown sugar makes me swoon.  I'm always very tempted to get one of the desserts to try but never got around to doing it.  Today I have several other people sharing the dessert with me... and sharing the calories too. I ordered two bowls to try.

Halfway through lunch, hubs called to say that he was unable to join us as he had a last-minute meeting with an event organizer on some upcoming events. Oh ok, work comes first. He transferred some money to Alycia's Grab account, who then paid for our lunch. 

Sherilyn who has been extremely busy with athletics and volleyball practice in school the past two weeks as there's an ongoing inter-school sports meet, only joined us later as she just wanted to laze in her bed 😑. She took a bus to the cafe to meet us as public transportation is free throughout the month of June.  

Yeah, this girl always makes things in life complicated. Never one who takes the easy way out, she just likes challenges. She could have followed me to the cafe in a car but she preferred to take the bus.  I can never get a simple classic orange cake from her because she would add icing, homemade marmalade, and a whole bunch of fancy-schmancy add-ons to the cake which I DON'T LIKE 😂

Braised pork knuckle rice for the mil.

Noodles with fried pork cutlet for Alycia.  Before I could snap a photo of Cass' pork croquette rice, she had already attacked the rice.

Sweet potato fries, which were delish - crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. 

Taro and sweet potato balls dessert with Aiyu jelly.

Taro and sweet potato dessert with red bean and grass jelly.  

The food is pretty good with reasonable prices. We liked the desserts more than the main meals.  The desserts are a fraction of the price of similar ones sold at Mid Valley and Gardens Mall.  I'll be back again soon to enjoy the desserts.  It might be as early as this Sunday with the girls.  Hubs will be working again this Sunday and the mil will be stuck at home as she'll be going for cataract surgery for her other eye tomorrow.

Friday, 24 June 2022

She woke up half an hour earlier today to have a good breakfast as there's a cross-country event at her school. But that extra half-hour was in vain as she accidentally dropped a bottle of instant coffee onto the floor. 

Can you imagine the absolute mess? Early in the morning when everyone was in a rush and this 'tragedy' had to happen.

Fine coffee powder and nano fine glass shrapnel were scattered everywhere - from the dry kitchen to the wet kitchen and dining area. She was doomed to be late for the cross-country.  She spent more than half an hour cleaning up the kitchen, with me helping her. I didn't wish to help her as this ain't going to help her to be more careful in the future. But I had to clean the path from the dry kitchen to the wet kitchen to get the wet laundry from the washing machine.

The fine coffee powder and glass shrapnel even went under the fridge and piano. It was a nightmare. When it rains, it pours.  It was pouring outside too -- which was a blessing in disguise as the event won't be able to start until it stopped raining. 

Long story short and with glass cuts on her hands, she managed to reach school in the nick of time. The cross-country event started later in the morning after the rain stopped.

She came out 7th in her category (Form 4 and Form 5) 😂💪

Scaredy Cat

Haru is an extremely timid cat.  She's afraid of strangers, and other cats, and is terrified of thunder, firecrackers, and any loud, thunderous sounds.  Even the sound of my sneezing and cough would make her sprint away from me.

Once she managed to squeeze her way out of her locked cage in the wee hours of the morning when there was a loud thunderstorm.  There's a small gap between the door and the cage as we did not secure the bottom ledge onto the cage. We only secured the top ledge, thus, she managed to squeeze her body out of the cage through the gap.  She then hit under the couch.

Last week there was an episode of thunderstorm and our scaredy-cat who was having her supper stopped short of eating and went into hiding.  Sherilyn managed to pull her out from under the cupboard to give her cuddles until the thunderstorm passed.  

This is how frightened Haru was. 

Haru's entire body was trembling with fear and she was crawling lowly on the ground, trying to find a safe haven under some cupboard, bed or couch to seek refuge. When Sherilyn put Haru on her lap, the scaredy-cat buried her face under her sister's armpit 😺

There was another thunderstorm the next day and Haru hid in my room. I put her on my lap and she buried her face on my lap.  Later she crawled lowly on the ground and crouched under a clothes rack for an hour until the thunderstorm stopped completely.

Even her body was stiff and tense from fear 😹

Poor baby. I hope she'll be able to overcome her fear of thunder and firecrackers one day.

 

What Is A Capsule Wardrobe?

The concept of a capsule wardrobe has been trending on social media in recent years even though the concept isn’t novel as it emerged several decades ago.  

A capsule wardrobe consists of a limited selection of interchangeable clothing pieces, often in neutral colors, that complement each other. These are often classic pieces that don’t go out of style and can be easily mixed and matched together to be dressed up, down, and anywhere in between.  

A capsule wardrobe often consists of a set of tops, bottoms, outerwear, dresses, headwear, shoes, and accessories that can be easily mixed and matched together.  The concept of a capsule wardrobe allows you to create a variety of different outfits with a small selection of clothing items.

What you’ll find in a women’s capsule wardrobe are often a black skirt, a pair of black pants, neutral-colored t-shirts for women, a couple of camisoles, one or two pairs of jeans, a cardigan, a sweater, and a black dress that can be easily dressed up or dressed down.

A capsule wardrobe for a lady typically consists of a plain colored t-shirt and denim jeans, and these two pieces can be mixed and matched with other pieces.

A capsule wardrobe allows you to create a variety of different outfits with a small selection of clothes. Your closet will have fewer in-vogue pieces that will only be worn for one season but more high-quality ones that stand the test of time and can be worn for many years.

Once you get the hang of a starter capsule wardrobe, you can curate and swap from season to season.  Packing up and taking out clothes for the current appropriate season will be easy and every time you pull them out, your clothing items will still be in style as they were at the time you purchased them.

The ultimate goal of a capsule wardrobe is to avoid having a section of clothes in your closet that you hardly touch because they no longer spark joy, they’re ill-fitting, uncomfortable or they’re out of style. A gown that you’re going to wear to your best friend’s wedding and then never wear again doesn’t have a place in a capsule wardrobe.  Instead, you want a high-quality classic black spaghetti strap slip dress that you know you’ll going to wear again at another wedding dinner a few months from now or to your company's annual dinner. 

Building a capsule wardrobe will allow you to get dressed easier and quicker, spend less money and make smarter shopping decisions.  Are you game for that?  You can start by shopping for affordable classic pieces at Shelivo.

Fresh Donburi In A Cute Can

While browsing Facebook, I saw an advertisement on Aokioki's donburi. What's unique about Aokioki's donburi is all their donburi sets come in a sealed canned. It's like eating canned food but the food inside is freshly prepped.   

Then I saw my friends' posts on Facebook about their canned donburi ordered from Aokioki.  And I jumped into the canned donburi bandwagon too and placed an order immediately!

Aokioki donburi is fresh Japanese rice bowls in a can delivered to you still warm. The donburi is best eaten within 2 hours of receiving it or it can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.  The food can be reheated in the microwave oven for 2 minutes after the top lid is removed.

While canned donburi is very common in Japan, it is still quite a novel concept in Malaysia. 

Our verdict - the food is OK but the portion of the dish is super small. I think the portion is just right for a kid or for an adult who's a small eater.  

Price is RM13 per can or a bundle deal of 5 don sets at RM57 with 30% off the delivery fee.  I ordered the bundle deal.

I may re-order this again in the future since everyone at home is a small eater but I'll have to prep an extra veggie dish to go with the canned don.

We didn't check the plastic bag for the teriyaki sauce and dug into the food immediately upon receiving it.  And we all commented that the food was very dry with not enough teriyaki sauce. 
After everyone was done eating and when I was about to throw the plastic bag, I saw the teriyaki sauce in little sauce containers along with chili powder at the bottom of the plastic bag.  But it was too late as we had all eaten the food 😬.  I kept all the sauces in the fridge for our future donburi dinner.  

Why Every Girl Needs A Pair of Platform Sandals

Platform sandals are godsent, especially for girls who aren’t gifted in the height department, without the pain of wearing real heels.  With the creation of platform sandals, gone are the days where extra height means stiletto heels, where you can’t walk further than your driveway before the discomfort creeps out. How you dread strutting in that stiletto heels the entire night only to come home with blisters on your feet and an achy heel!

Now you can add instant inches to your height with a big, sturdy sole instead, which is why the comfortable platform sandals have prevailed summer after summer.

You can style your chic platform sandals with just about anything, from a floaty maxi to a denim mini skirt with a crop top.  When the blazing hot sun appears in the warmer months, fans of boots can switch to chic or cute platform sandals.

Platform sandals are comfortable and easy to wear. You can even brisk walk on a pair of flatform sandals that aren’t too high. Choose a fool-proof color like black or white to pair most of your outfits.  

An amped-up super sole will be great for a party or café-hopping. Pair the sandals with something short to flaunt those elongated legs while giving you a completely even lift and adding a retro twist to your outfit.  Shelivo carries some pretty chic platform and flatform wedges for all occasions. 

For those who aren’t into the platform sandals trend just yet, ease your way with platform espadrille sandals featuring straps that wrap around the ankles to get a bit of Roman flair. You can definitely rock them like a goddess.  

Platform sandals are a mix of comfort and sensuality, and the height elongates the wearer’s silhouette while providing significantly more support than stilettos. What’s not to love about platform sandals?

Kiiro's Shirataki Konjac Noodles

 

I've always wanted to try konjac noodles as part of my low-carb diet. I was told that konjac noodles are not as palatable as regular noodles. After all, konjac noodles are made from the same substance as konnyaku jelly. Some people call it konnyaku noodles, Shirataki or jelly noodles.  

When Cass saw konjac noodles with curry seasoning at our neighborhood supermarket, she wanted to try a pack. Priced at RM9.90 a pack, I thought that there were a few servings inside the pack but it turned out that there's only a single serving and it's only enough for Cass alone. She's not one who would gladly share her food but she reluctantly shared some with me anyway coz I paid for it!

Cass has accidentally or rather too excitedly added a tad more water than the instructions and the soup turned out watered down and bland. So I added a teaspoon of S&B curry powder to spice things up.  She also added half a head of broccoli, some 'fu pei', tofu fishballs and an egg to her pot of lunch.

Just a forkful - this was how much Cass was willing to share the Konjac noodles with me 😐

And the verdict:

Cass liked it and doesn't mind me buying it again. 

I find that the noodles have a raw and green tang, as if I'm eating jellyfish or seaweed-flavored jelly.  However, I wouldn't mind buying it again simply because the noodles are keto-friendly. 

Taste-wise, konjac noodles vs. regular instant noodles > instant noodles win hands down. But the downside is instant noodles are super high in carbs and have little to zero nutritional value.

What Is Konjac Noodles

Konjac, Shirataki or Miracle Noodles are a unique food that’s very filling yet low in calories. These noodles are high in glucomannan, a type of fiber that has impressive health benefits. In fact, glucomannan has been shown to cause weight loss in numerous studies.

Konjac grows in Japan, China, and Southeast Asia. It contains very few digestible carbs — but most of its carbs come from glucomannan fiber.

Konjac noodles are composed mainly of water. In fact, they are about 97% water and 3% glucomannan fiber. They’re also very low in calories and contain no digestible carbs.

For the sake of a flatter tummy and better blood sugar, what's not to love about Konjac noodles?  Cooking konjac noodles in a flavorful broth like curry or miso makes slurping these waterfall noodles more enjoyable. 

Throw in some meat of your choice, eggs, veggies, kimchi, or whatever your fancy and you'll get a complete meal that's nutritious.

Konjac root. These are used to make Konjac noodles.

When's The Best Time To Shop For Winter Boots

Plan ahead for the cold season to save yourself from getting caught off guard from freezing temps.  If your winter boots are looking a little dull and boring, it might be time to hit the stores for a new pair. You might wonder when’s the best time to buy winter boots to save some bucks as this niche market tends to fluctuate in pricing.

As with any seasonal fashion, it pays to purchase ahead of time.  Your winter apparel and footwear pricing is going to be significantly higher if you wait until mid to late autumn. But this is what many people tend to do. You can skip the anguish of overpriced winter boots this year and plan your shopping spree ahead of time.

One of the best times to shop for winter apparel and footwear is immediately after the Christmas season and score a pair of affordable and comfy warm boots for women or men.

The other great time to shop for winter apparel and footwear is on the cusp of spring when the market tends to offer the best deals.  Many shoe and clothing stores, both physical and online put their winter gear on sale as the warmer weather rolls in to make room for the new spring fashion.

If you prefer fashion over saving some bucks, your best bet for winter boots and apparel might be during early fall as most retailers roll out the latest winter trends around this time. But bear in mind that the latest fashions will almost definitely come at full price with almost no room for good deals.

Find out first where exactly to look for some great winter boots for the next season.  Many major department stores have annual winter sales to clear their gear stock.  Alternatively, you can shop for affordable winter boots from online stores like Shelivo that ship to customers internationally.

Now that you know the best time to shop for winter boots, you can start planning ahead for all that wintery fun with friends and loved ones. Win the season with the best stylish winter boots, at the best cost to you.

Missing Haru

I missed my fur baby so much throughout my 3 days in Ipoh! Fortunately Sherilyn and Alycia were in KL to cat-sit this baby.  When Cass and I got back from Ipoh today, we noticed that Haru has lost some weight, felt lighter and even has a slightly sunken tummy.  This got me a tad worried. But she's still as active as before. In fact, I think she misses me. She kept tapping my ankle with her paw each time I walked past her, as if to say 'hello' to me 😻

This goblin has been very daring lately. She would jump on my bed and sit on the side where her hooman dad sleeps. I think she misses her dad, who's her most 'favoritest' person.  She would also jump on Alycia's desk to look out of the window or take her siesta on the table.

Awesome Rawsome

While the girls had Japanese curry with Japanese rice, I paired the curry with raw baby spinach and a poached egg. It's a complete meal too with protein, fiber, nutrients, and some carbs from a few cubes of potato.  

I always have a packet of baby spinach, arugula, salad greens, cucumbers, bell peppers, and microgreens in my fridge.  The girls love to toss some raw greens into their meals. It's training since young and they'd feel like they missed out on something important if there was a day that they didn't eat any green leafy veggies or fruits.

Pandan Leaves

Grandma asked her to go down to the garden at our condo to cut some pandan leaves coz grandma wanted them for boiling sweet potato tong sui.  Reluctantly, she sauntered downstairs with a pair of scissors.  It was sizzling hot at 3 p.m. with an outdoor temperature of about 36-38 degrees Celsius.  Minutes later, she video called me and bemoaned that she didn't see any pandan plant in the garden and that there were a lot of mozzies feasting on her limbs.  She asked grandma and me where the pandan plants were located as there are a few small gardens at our condo compound.  On the phone video, there's another plant with long leaves that resembled pandan leaves too.  She kept telling grandma that there were no pandan plants and asked grandma to quickly tell her where the pandan plants were.

She got an earful from grandma who got pissed that she still didn't know what a pandan plant looked like and had no idea where the location of the plants was after living here almost all her life.  But she kept insisting that there were none.  Grandma was pissed, whereas she was huffing and puffing away under the scorching hot sun hunting for the elusive pandan leaves with mozzies feasting on her limbs.

To placate grandma she cut a bunch of long green leaves that resembled pandan leaves 99% and brought them up while lamenting that those leaves don't smell like pandan leaves. 

Of course, she got lasered by grandma.

She stormed into the living room and plonked herself on the cold floor right under the ceiling fan as she was drenched in sweat after 10 minutes of being grilled in the killer heat outside, and bewailed non-stop that she got swarmed and attacked by mozzies.  It's Dengue fever season now.  

The next day, I checked out the garden at our condo and she was right.  The pandan plants were no longer there. All the pandan plants must have been cut by residents during the lockdown.

😂😂😆😆

These look like pandan leaves but they're not.

Uncaged Finally

Haru is finally left uncaged at night and when no one is at home.  She finally weaned herself from the cage.

She found a tactic to get herself out of 'prison' by creating havoc inside the cage and litter box whenever we caged her for too long - usually during nighttime or when no one is at home and she's too bored cooped up inside the cage.  Imagine havoc to her overnight litter box with poo and all! 

When we ignored her meows, she created havoc instead. And she got her way out of the cage forever.  

Very smart kitty! 

According to researchers at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, the physical structure of the brains of humans and cats is very similar.  The human brain and the cat brain both have cerebral cortices with similar lobes. That is why cats are so intelligent. I always feel Haru is like a human trapped in a cat's body.

The weather has been so sweltering lately that Haru sleeps on the floor, which is cooler.

The first time we left her out of the cage when we went to the shopping mall, it was for around 4 hours. We closed all our bedroom doors and the kitchen door.  She was a good cat. When we came home, she was waiting for us in the living room, stone-faced. 

She was also quite good when we left her in the living room throughout the night.  However, this naughty goblin has been very mischievous the past two nights. While we were asleep, she did everything that she was forbidden - she climbed on my chair and played with my neck support pillow, walked on my keyboard, jumped and walked on Cass' laptop and desk and I don't know what else she did. I'm pretty sure she climbed up the dining table too to check if there was any chicken or bread for her!

This morning, she jumped onto one of our cabinets where we placed Japanese lucky cat figurines (maneki-neko). She swiped down one of the figurines and broke it into a million pieces!  She must have been fascinated with those cat figurines and wondered why those figurines look like her 😸

Alycia's Stay In Ipoh

During the Hari Raya holidays, Alycia tagged along in a friend's car to make a trip back to Ipoh along with her grandma.   After a 7-hour long crawl on the trunk road on Sunday, they reached Ipoh at almost 8 p.m. 

The 6 days Alycia spent in Ipoh have been the best bonding time for her and my parents after not being able to travel back for 2 years during the pandemic.  The last time she had such a long time bonding with my parents (just her and my parents) was 18 years ago when she was only a two-month-old baby.  The mil (who was taking care of Alycia) had to be in Hong Kong and I had to work, so hubs and I sent Alycia back to my parents in Ipoh for several weeks.  We missed her so much when she was away from us.  That was when I had to truncate my breastfeeding journey with Alycia because of the inevitable separation.

Hubs and I would travel back to Ipoh every weekend to visit her.  My parents enjoyed taking care of their first grandchild tremendously.  They were both in their early 60s then and still full of vitality.  Fast forward 18 years on and their first grandchild is back in Ipoh to spend some of the most magical moments with them again, just the three of them 💓

Mum updated us with photos throughout the day.

Dinner at my parents' favorite restaurant, Poh San.  Papa is 79 and mum is 76 this year.

Koong koong gives Alycia refresher driving lessons on his old Nissan Cefiro. 

Alycia's college mates who are from Ipoh came to my parents to fetch Alycia to their housing estate for cycling. They carted my parents' foldable bikes along. They all drive from Ipoh - Sunway - Ipoh regularly. They're all 19, the same age as Alycia. I don't think I can allow Alycia to do this!

Mum made puff pastry pinwheels for Alycia's brekkie.

And 'apam balik' with sweet corn, chocolate hazelnut butter, and crushed walnuts. 

And homemade 'chee cheong fun'.  Mum is a talented baker and cook.  I grew up helping her whenever she baked cakes, bread pudding, pau, puffs, bread, mooncake, and many more.

Condo Unit On Fire - Life Watch

Several days ago, we witnessed a condo unit being razed by fire. We watched the incident life on our Nikon camera, on video mode.  The affected condo is located about 5km away from our condo.

It was about 6.30 p.m. on a Friday and we were all tasting Sherilyn's madeleines, fresh out of the oven.  Suddenly, Sherilyn commented that she saw black smoke billowing in the sky. We ran to the window and lo and behold, we saw something in bright orange flickering inside the penthouse of a condo from a distance. Initially, we thought that it was lights or reflections of the sun.  Sherilyn quickly whipped out our Nikon camera, turned it on video mode, and zoomed into the condo unit. 

What we saw was absolutely horrific! We saw the entire penthouse unit engulfed in fire. Moments later we saw the ferocious fire shooting out of the window and spreading to the rooftop and unit below.  We could also see firefighters in their orange suits putting off the fire inside the unit, albeit vaguely.  What crossed out minds was - was anyone injured?

On video mode - a surreal feeling watching life a condo unit being engulfed in fire.  The fire was put off pretty quickly.
We're very amazed at how powerful the zoom function of our old Nikon camera is - it's almost like binoculars!

This incident was however not reported in the newspapers. So I surmise that no one was injured or died in the fire. 

Note to self: no more walking around in birthday suit when no one is at home coz someone a few kilometers away could be using a camera to zoom in on us! Horror! 😨 😂