Apples are traditional remedies for diarrhea. But do you know that raw grated apples are used to treat constipation whereas stewed apples for diarrhea? No, not me. I was totally ignorance about this fact until last December when my son was hit by a stomach virus. When I read up on what food to offer for kids with diarrhea, I found out that we should avoid raw apples!! This is because they contain high fiber which may irritate the kid’s digestive tract. It is better if we cook or blend the apples first to take advantage of the pectin and other nutrients in them. In this case, applesauce should be offered as it is high in pectin, which helps to naturally firm very soft or liquid bowel movements. Applesauce is also one of the highly recommended foods for kids with diarrhea besides rice, bananas, toast, tea (herbal) and yogurt. (Source: Wisegeek)

Looking at my son’s loss of appetite for regular food after recovering from stomach flu, I decided to cook for him my own applesauce. Making homemade applesauce is not difficult at all. The applesauce recipe I featured today was adapted and modified from both Cook Like Your Grandmother and Simply Recipes . You can choose any type of apples you like. The amount of sugar should only be used as a guide. Feel free to adjust according to your personal preference. The  lemon juice and lemon strips are to enhance the flavor, and balance off the sweetness of the applesauce. Since sugar and lemon juice compliment each other, if you want to reduce the amount of sugar, you should correspondingly cut down on lemon juice too. Cinnamon stick is an optional ingredient, but it can certainly give the flavor of the applesauce a lift. If you don’t have it, you can substitute by adding a pinch of ground cinnamon at the end of the cooking process. I pureed my applesauce in a food processor to obtain a smooth texture. If you like chunky texture, then just lightly mash it with a potato smasher.

When I served the applesauce to my son as a dip for his toast, I was surprised to see him enjoying eating it, and finishing in no time. He even requested me to make more for his snack in future. Ever since then, applesauce has become a hit in my family. Applesauce can be used in a variety of ways, either as a side dish or dessert. Our favourite way now is to use it as jam spread. What is your favourite way of eating applesauce?

>>> Click on PAGE 2 BELOW for Homemade Applesauce Recipe.……………..

“Didn’t you post a blueberry muffin recipe before?” asked my hubby when he saw me editing the photos for this post.

I replied “They are not the same, my dear. Both use different ingredients and different methods. I know it’s not the blueberry season now but I just can’t wait till the next season to share this recipe with my readers. Isn’t it your favourite? ”.

“Yes, in fact, it’s the best muffin you have baked so far. I love that tangy taste and smell most.” He said with a grin.

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This recipe, which originated from Annabel Karmel’s website, was highly recommended to me by my dearest friend Alice of Bit-Of-Taste. She had already tried and tested it herself, and the result was very satisfying. You can find her lovely blueberry muffins post in her blog.

On my first attempt at baking these muffins, I used lemon according to the original recipe. My hubby didn’t like the lemony taste at all. So I decided to swap lemon with orange on my second attempt. Unexpectedly, the outcome for this blueberry and orange combination turned out to be so delightful! This variation pleased not only my hubby’s palate but even my mother-in-law who was never really a big fan of muffins. Needless to say, my son had the biggest shares as he adored blueberry very much. The orange zest gave these muffins a hint of tangy and fruity smell whereas orange juice was full of natural sweetness.  These muffins got their extra moisture from the blueberries and yogurt. They stayed soft and velvety even left overnight. It was such a joy to savour them.

As this recipe uses the mixing method (which no electrical mixer is required), it’s perfect for any beginners at baking. Recently, I choose this recipe to show a friend of mine on how to bake muffins. Being a working mom of two little gals, two and five respectively, she always thought that baking was very time-consuming. But, after seeing how I made these blueberry orange muffins, she was convinced that she could do it too. She also agreed that homemade muffins are indeed easy-to-bake, healthy, tasty and economical. A week later, she told me that she had bought an oven and was ready to jump on the home baking bandwagon. I was really happy to hear this.

These muffins are great for breakfast and tea break. Filled in a mini cup, they are good to pack for lunch box and easy to handle by your little ones.

You can use either fresh or frozen blueberries to make these muffins.  For variation, you can try to experiment with other type of berries. Another possible option is to use dried fruits such as raisins.  Bake some in advance and keep them in the freezer. Thaw and reheat them when you want to consume.

This recipe is also tried and tested by:
- Anncoo Journal
- Peng’s Kitchen

>>>> Click on PAGE 2 BELOW for BLUEBERRY ORANGE MUFFINS recipe…………………..

Oat is among the most nutritious grain that one can introduce to a child’s diet. As it’s easily digestable, it’s good to get your child to start enjoying oats at an early age. What’s more when this grain is also an excellent source of dietary fiber, B-vitamins (thiamin), vitamin E, calcium, protein, iron, magnesium, manganese, zinc and phosphorus. Having a regular helping of oats can certainly bring substantial health benefits as well to both adults and children, such as

• Lowering cholesterol and helps in preventing heart disease
• Stabilising blood sugar level and lowering the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes
• Reducing the risk of cancer with its phytochemicals (anti-cancer properties)
• Reducing the risk of asthma among children
• Relieving constipation
• Boosting the body’s immune system

Oats can be found in several forms, depending on the degree of processing they are subjected to.

Types of oats:

1. Whole oats – They have a harder outer hull that must be removed before it’s ready for consumption.
2. Oat groats – They are whole oat grains, with only the hard unpalatable outer hull removed, but the kernel outer bran layers are left intact. They need to be soaked, cooked a longer time (about 50 minutes) with more water.
3. Steel-cut oats – They are also known as “pinhead” oats. They are oat groats that have been chopped into small pieces through steel cutters. They are very nutritious. They take about 30 minutes to cook and require less water in preparation.
4. Rolled oats – They are steamed oat groats that have been flattened with a roller. They come in two distinct varieties. The first variety, also known as old fashioned oats (or jumbo), is made by first steaming the whole groat for a few minutes, thus partially cooking it, then passing it between rollers to flatten it out. The second variety, known as quick-cooking rolled oats, is made by putting steel-cut oats through the same process. Old fashioned oats may take approximately 15 minutes to cook whereas quick-cooking oats may take as little as 5.
5. Instant oats – They are made in a similar process to rolled quick-cooking oats, except that they are steamed longer, cut finely and rolled thinner. They are used for making “instant” porridge. They are less nutritious because they usually have sugar, salt or other flavourings added to them.
6. Oat flour – They are ground into a fine powder and available in three grades: coarse, medium and fine.

More reading references:

- The Cook’s Thesaurus
- Eat More Oats
- Homemade Baby Food Recipes

Who should avoid oats:

1. People who suffer from coeliac disease should avoid oats and other gluten grains such as wheat, rye and barley. (Note: Coeliac disease is also known as gluten intolerance or gluten sensitivity.)
2. It is advisable to wait until your baby is at least 6 months of age before introducing oats as it is believed that oats may trigger off the risk of coeliac disease. Also, given that ANY food can potentially cause allergic reaction, it is wise to consult your child’s pediatrician if you want to introduce oats before your baby is 6 months old or your  family has a history of gluten intolerance.

Benefits of soaking oats

• Phytic acid is present in all wholegrains, including oats. While it is good to prevent cancer, it can also reduce mineral absorption like zinc and iron. By soaking, the amount of phytic acid is reduced so as to enable proper digestion and absorption of nutrients by the body.

How to include oats in your kid’s diet?

Althought oats are commonly used for boiling porridge and making muesli, you can also cook it in other interesting ways, like making muffins, granola bars, parfait and crumbles.

I must say I really adore this flapjack recipe very much as it is incredibly easy to make, and not to mention eggless, nut-free and wheat-free. (Note: Flapjack refers to an oat bar in British cuisine whereas it’s a thick pancake in US and Canada. Source: Wikipedia). It’s similar to ordinary granola bar except that it requires lesser ingredients and uses apple puree.

Fresh apples are cooked, pureed and then pressed through a sieve to squeeze out the excess juices. By doing so, the flapjack will not fall apart and is able to hold its shape when cooled. The pureed apple is then mixed with both oats and seeds to give it an overall chewy gooey texture. I use pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds  to provide the flapjack with extra goodness and a nutty flavour. Of course, you are free to substitute seeds with any dried fruits such as raisins, cranberries or blackberries.

Whatever variations you may come up with, the most important thing of all is that this slow energy releasing, high fiber oat bar keeps your children going on busy days. Hence, they are ideal to be packed into school lunch boxes or as snack. They taste really delish, moist, buttery and yet not overly sweet.  Kids will definitely love them. This includes my little boy. I just made some the other day and was amazed to see how fast they vanished from his lunch box.

For those who are concerned of choking hazards, serve the flapjack in a smaller bite size for younger kids.

>>>> Click on PAGE 2 BELOW for Apple Flapjack Recipe……………………

If you had been blog-hopping, you would have discovered many posts on popsicles during this summer season. Everyone has his/ her most favourite method of making popsicles to share. I can’t tell you how much I love looking at those individualistic creations. None of them are 100% identical. I’m truly amazed by how a simple recipe can be tweaked in so many interesting ways. So I told myself that I must join the fun too. Without much ado, I bought 2 sets of Ikea popsicle moulds and got ready for action. But deciding on which one to follow based on the recipes I had bookmarked earlier can be a real headache. They all look so GOOD!! In the end, I decided to pick a bit from here and there to come out with my own version which combined fresh fruit, yogurt and honey.

What’s so special with my so-called “healthy” version? First, I used creamy and tangy Greek-style yogurt. Of course, you can always substitute it with any plain yogurt or vanilla yogurt. Second, I used fresh fruit. (This is another fun way to include fruit into your toddler’s diet).  The cherries I used to make these popsicles were bought from a fruit wholesaler near my hubby’s workplace. They were so sweet and juicy! But this shouldn’t limit your choice of other seasonal fruits. You can choose to use concentrated fruit juice too. Lastly, you will find lemon juice in my recipe. It is because blending yogurt with lemon juice results in an airy mixture that is more delicious when frozen. This marvellous tip is adapted from Martha Stewart’s site. 

So, what is the result? The popsicles tasted so fruity, creamy and delicious. The perfect summer treat for kids! Needless to say, my son enjoyed it very much. Let the photos speak for themselves.

This recipe is very versatile as you can make the pops in layers, swirl the ingredients to give it an artistic look, or even combine everything together. Get adventurous and be creative in your experiment. No matter how terrible you are as a cook, you should be able to handle these homemade popsicles with ease. Not much effort is involved. Althought it only takes a few minutes to make, it can bring your kids an abundance of joy. Better still if you and your kids make them together. Have fun and enjoy!!!

>>>> Click on PAGE 2 BELOW for cherry yogurt popsicles recipe……

Other gorgeous popsicle recipes:
- Tropical ice lollies by Annabel Karmel
- Berry and yogurt popsicles by Bread & Honey
- Cherry yogurt popsicles by Naturally Ella
- Gummy pops by Cooking With My Kid
- Patriotic fruit pops by The Magic Onions
- Strawberry watermelon yogurt ice pops by And Then I Do The Dishes (without popsicle moulds)
- Strawberry yogurt popsicles by Zoom Yummy
- Pomegranate yogurt pops by The Kitchn
- Popsicles for breakfast by How Does She
- Tie Dye Pops by Martha Stewart

If you have been following my blog, you will notice that I have not used nuts in all my previous baking and cooking posts, with the exception of “how to roast cashew nuts”. The reason is that my son was not ready to consume nuts. In one instance one and a half year ago, he developed asthmatic cough after eating a small slice of pancake with grounded peanuts filling. His conditions worsened after being exposed to loosened synthetic fibre falling off from his lion dance costume.  Even after his full recovery, I still avoided giving him any nuts or nuts related food in his daily diet. Only when he reached five that I started to slowly re-introduce nuts into his diet. Luckily, so far he tolerated them without any signs of allergy. That was such great joy to us as it opened up the range of food I can cook/ bake for my family! This gave me the opportunity to try out this banana walnut cake recipe that I had bookmarked for a long time. It is the kind of cake that I get to use all my favourite ingredients: bananas, walnuts and yogurt!!

Actually, this cake didn’t turn out well in my first 2 attempts. I will explain the reasons for the “failures” in the next paragraph.  It was only on my 3rd attempt after making some fine tuning that I baked the most satisfying cake. My tiny kitchen was enveloped with this wonderful smell of this freshly baked cake for hours (yeah..a bit exagerated, he..he!!! ). Even though I used frozen bananas, it tasted awesome. The fragrant smell of bananas, together with the crunchy bits of walnuts will surely make you ask for more helpings! The use of yogurt helps to keep the cake soft and moist even after a day.  I must say that it’s the best banana walnut cake I had tried so far (well… only 3 attempts 
)!!

While experimenting with baking this cake, I also discovered the advantage of using a small rectangular baking tin. It helped to create lovely crusts on all four sides, which is perfect for those (like my hubby) who enjoyed eating crust. But, one very important thing I learnt is that you must choose the right size of baking tin if you want your cake to rise properly. My first attempt flopped because I used the wrong size. I also made a mistake of chopping the walnuts finely instead of coarsely in my 2nd attempt. It was so fine till my hubby asked “where’s the walnuts?” Wahahaha! What a joke! All these mistakes aside, it is a very simple recipe which is worth giving it a go so you can saviour the goodness of this cake.

>>>> Click on PAGE 2 BELOW for banana walnut cake recipe with step-by-step photos…………………..

Have you heard of Konnyaku?

Konnyaku (蒟蒻) is also known as “konjac, konjaku, devil’s tongue, voodoo lily, snake palm, or elephant yam”. (Can anyone tell why so many eerie nicknames? ). It is a natural food made from a type of mountain potato mixed with calcium hydroxide or calcium oxide extracted from eggshells.

It is a traditional Japanese health food and has been consumed for over 2000 years. It appears in many dishes in Japanese cuisine such as oden, sukiyaki and sashimi. Besides that, it is also widely used as a substitute for gelatin in making jelly dessert.

Konnyaku has no fat, low in calories and rich in dietary fiber. Hence, it can bring us many excellent health benefits as below:
a)      normalize cholesterol level.
b)      control sugar level in blood for diabetes.
c)      prevent high blood pressure.
d)      clean toxin in the intestines and prevent intestinal cancer
e)      ideal for weight control as it expands in the digestive system and gives the feeling that the stomach is full.

Apart from its nutritional value, Konnyaku jelly yields a firmer and springier texture compared to normal jelly. Because of these two signature qualities, it caught on fast to become a popular household choice for healthy snack after it was first introduced to Singapore and Malaysia about one decade ago.

You can find Konnyaku jelly moulds of different types and shapes as shown in the photo below. As for preparing Konnyaku deserts, it’s idiot proof. You only need to follow the simple manufacturer’s instruction on the packaging of the Konnyaku powder, and adding on fresh or canned fruits of your own liking.  Properly supervised, even a kid can do it!

However, parents and caretakers should be aware that jelly products containing Konnyaku may pose choking hazards as it is extremely difficult to remove if it gets stuck down the throat. Thus, it is not suitable to serve children below 4 years old and the elderly. Even for older kids and adults alike, to prevent getting choked unnecessarily, it is recommended that the jelly be first cut or bite into smaller pieces and chewed properly before swallowing.

I like to share this jelly desert recipe with you because it uses Konnyaku, a not-to-be missed super food. This recipe is also made mostly of fruits juice and fresh fruits. I only used a little bit of sugar for this recipe to suit my personal palate. You can adjust the amount according to your preference. It is also not necessarily to use any special Konnyaku jelly moulds to make these jellies. However, they are great for presenting attractive and cute looking jellies to your kids.

This homemade jelly may not be one of the healthiest snacks, but it is definitely a healthier version compared to those bought off the shelf in the store that comes with preservative and colouring additives. I bet this delicious jelly, when served chilled, would be a cool treat that can surely cheer your little ones up during this hot weather.

Suggested reading references for Konnyaku:
- http://www.shakespeare-w.com/english/konnyaku/whatis.html
- http://www.konnyaku.com/e_data/konnyaku.html

Konnyaku jelly cooking video clip by Phoon Huat:
- http://www.phoonhuat.com/special.htm

>>> Click on PAGE 2 BELOW for Konnyaku jelly recipe………………………

Beside apples, oranges are the most common imported fruit that my mom usually used to buy for the family when I was a child. But, I disliked oranges then, as more often than not they weren’t sweet but rather sour. I thought I was the only one who had this bias against oranges until I discovered that my hubby also disliked oranges. Maybe, we might also have influenced our son who also didn’t show much interest eating this fruit. So much for parental influence! But, we knew that it’s a good source of vitamin C and need to change our mindset on oranges.

Luckily, I came to know an honest fruit seller at the nearby wet market. He would tell me if the oranges he was selling are sweet or otherwise. Not surprising, freshly cut orange has since become our number one choice as a thirst quencher. Our son, with parental influence and encouragement, has also learned to accept oranges as well. He can eat a few thinly sliced oranges without fuss, which is really a great improvement for him.

Now, getting back to this Middle Eastern inspired pilaf which I bookmarked from my son’s bi-monthly school magazine, I was intrigued by the use of orange zest and orange juice that give the dish a taste of “sunshine”. Infused with the scent of orange, the rice itself is so aromatic and flavourful. The black and golden raisins, as well as almond flakes used in the dish greatly compliment the basmathi rice. We love basmathi rice because of its fluffy and not starchy texture. All said, the combination of ingredients made the rice dish look so eye-pleasing and appetizing! Every time I cooked this orange pilaf, my husband and son would ask for an encore. In fact, I cooked it a couple of times during the recent June school holidays. My son enjoyed this rice dish so much that he didn’t mind to have it for lunch and dinner.

The recipe that you find in page 2 was modified to cater to my family’s taste buds. I substituted ground cinnamon with cinnamon stick, as well as reduced the quantity of cloves and cardamom pods used. I also didn’t crack the cardamom pods. By doing so, the smell and taste of these spices were not too overpowering and more kid-friendly. The addition of chicken meat and green peas made it a perfect one-dish meal for the family too. It can also be packed well into lunch boxes so your kids can have a delicious and healthy meal at school.

>>> Click on PAGE 2 BELOW for orange pilaf recipe ……………

My son loves a variety of fruits, be it sweet or slightly sour. Does that mean he is not picky about fruits? Not really. In fact, he can be outright picky. He clearly likes some (a lot) and dislikes many as well. One particular fruit that is near to the bottom of his preferred list is Chinese pear, especially when served as freshly cuts. He would only take one small bite and give me the standard “Mummy, I’m full” excuse. “Sweet talking” him to try a few more cuts didn’t work, and I have been scratching my head on how to entice him to like Chinese pear until I almost give up and hope for miracle.

Sometimes a better answer lies in approaching a problem indirectly, which brings me to try out this Chinese “osmanthus poached pear” sweet dessert soup. When I made it for the first time, to my surprise, my son finished an entire bowl of the soup including the poached Chinese pear!  He loved the soft and smooth texture of the poached pear just like the softened apple in his favourite apple soup. Don’t you think that kids’ taste bud is so unpredictable? Hmm! So, by thinking laterally, you don’t really need to wait for a miracle to happen. And, I was persistent enough to be answered.

According to traditional Chinese medicine, pear is capable to remove excess body heat, moisten throat and lungs, and help relieves cough and clear phlegm. Hence, you will find poaching or boiling pear soup quite common among Chinese households. But I find it interesting and unique to use dried osmanthus flowers (桂花) in poaching pears as these yellow tiny dried flowers are more commonly used to infuse tea and in making Chinese desserts (such as osmanthus jelly).

I find the overall taste of this sweet dessert soup incredibly fragrant with the infused scent of osmanthus in the poached pears and not overly sweet as well. I was totally enchanted by its sweet floral and apricot scent of osmanthus when sipping the soup. It’s very nutritious and healthy too.  You can serve it warm or chilled. Definitely a perfect choice of “cooling” dessert for this hot weather!

Apart from pear, the use of white fungus and Chinese almonds (both sweet and bitter almonds also known as apricot kernels or seeds) can bring substantial benefits to our body too. White fungus can treat insomnia while Chinese almonds are good in treating cough and phlegm. If you want to know more about Chinese almonds (also known as apricot kernels or seeds) and candied dates, please refer to this post and this post.

I had tried making it using both pot method and slow cooker method (yeah, that’s my cheater method!) as mentioned in my recipe. Both methods worked well for me. Taste-wise, the end result is the same. But I prefer the latter as it is easier and straight forward. So just let your reliable slow cooker do the job while you watch your World Cup worry-free!

>>> Click on PAGE 2 BELOW for osmanthus poached pears recipe…………

How many of you would think that good nutrition starts with a good nutritious breakfast? Definitely not me when I was staying on my own. I didn’t really put much effort to make sure I have a good breakfast. It was either getting a hefty breakfast or skipping one altogether. Back then, breakfast to me is the least important meal of the day. That was then. Ever since I became a mother and done a bit of research on child’s nutrition, I started appreciating the benefit of getting into the habit of eating a healthy and nutritious breakfast. It’s not just any breakfast it has to be a healthy and nutritious one. Nowadays I make sure my family gets a nutritious breakfast to start the day.

Like many of you, I have problem getting up early to prepare an elaborate breakfast, especially when I am still semi-conscious and my “engine” hasn’t warmed up yet. Thus, I only choose those healthy breakfast recipes that are quick and easy to prepare and still allow me ample time to enjoy the breakfast with my family. One of them is this strawberry crunch /strawberry yogurt parfait, which I will now share with you.

Photo taken by my hubby. Do you like it?

This strawberry crunch is not only super-healthy but also super-easy to make. It has the combination of nutritious ingredients such as yoghurt, fresh fruit, honey, oats and nuts, all of which are perfect selections for breakfast. Here are some healthy facts about this recipe:

• Yoghurt is a low-fat source of protein and calcium. It contains good bacteria that is good for your digestive system;
• Strawberries and orange juice are rich in vitamin C. Both are antioxidant rich fruit;
• Besides adding natural sweetness, honey is a healthy alternative to super-refined sugar.
• As for the toasted oats and seeds, it boosts the nutrient contents as well as provides a crunchy layer for this breakfast treat.

If you want to speed up your preparation in the morning, you can toast the oats and nuts over-night and store them in the fridge. Then you only need to assembly all the required ingredients during breakfast. Tada! The eye-pleasing strawberry crunch will be ready in seconds! Does this parfait look impressive enough to “wake you up”?

For a tasty twist, try swapping strawberries with any choice of your favourite fresh fruit such as kiwi fruit, bananas, mangoes, blueberries and peaches, or even a mixed combination of them. Do you know that you can also make some healthy snack bars by tweaking this recipe as what I did in my earlier post?

Strawberries from Korea. Aren’t they pretty?

On a separate note here, on 1st May 2010, Foodbuzz had launched a new section called Healthbuzz which features and promotes various health and nutrition-related content from across the community of Featured Publishers. This Health section has been sub-divided into 4 categories: diet and nutrition, fitness, recipes and specialty diet. I feel so excited that my application to become a Healthbuzz Contributing Editor has been accepted. For parents and caretakers, don’t miss out this May feature highlighting children’s health and nutrition. Hop over and check it out now!

>>> Click on PAGE 2 BELOW for strawberry crunch recipe and step-by-step photos………………

My hubby and I share one common interest. We both love food, especially dessert. Both of us get very excited when it comes to chatting about dessert. We used to be die-hard fans for desserts before our son came into the picture. Thereafter, our eating habits changed to a more health-conscious regime, as well as eating everything in moderation. That’s why I prefer to bake bread over cakes or making sweet desserts for my family. It’s only occaionally that I made desserts to satisfy our craving. Even then, it’s only in a small batch so as to refrain my family from over-eating. 





As one of the great British puddings, crumble originated in Britain during World War II. When my hubby first requested that I try making  fruit crumble, I dismissed it as another sweet dessert. It was only later that I changed my mind after seeing an oaty fruit crumble recipe in my favourite cookbook (Children’s healthy and fun cookbook – one of the cookbooks I used frequently because of its interesting yet healthy recipes). Apart from using fresh fruits, the recipe gives this traditional dish a healthy twist by adding oats and seeds to the topping. It is really a dessert that you should not miss. Not only is it easy to make, it also tastes so good that it’s very hard to stop once you start eating. My son who loves apple and blueberry very much gave this dessert TWO thumbs-up!!




You can try to mix and match other different varieties of seasonal fruits such as strawberries, nectarines, peaches, plums, blackberries or pears. It is an ideal recipe for those who need a quick dessert to serve their visiting guests or a large group during party time. Just adjust the amount accordingly to suit your requirement. If you don’t mind the extra “sinfulness”, top it with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream. It’s heavenly!! Bet you will come back for more!

>>> Click on PAGE 2 BELOW for recipe and more photos………………………….