Going Healthy For Brekkie

#12 Fruity, tarty, sweet, and yummy

Pancakes and cereal are happy childhood breakfast memories in my case. In fastfood breakfast, pancakes and sausage are a favorite kiddie treat. Thankfully, with a bit of research, I found healthy alternatives made from scratch rather than store bought and fast food or instant mixes.  Hence, my breakfast for today which is leaving me so full and happy to start the day:

Today, I made pancakes and sausage and did this yogurt dessert made from sliced apples, greek yogurt, and granola. The "sausage" patties are vegan by the way, and are the tofu patties from Echostore, which I have used in sandwiches and pasta.  I just fried them in virgin coconut oil so they're toasty and nice but canola oil or olive oil would do. I'm happy to tell you that the pancakes are made from scratch (no pancake mixes). My makeup artist and health buff friend Jinky introduced me to coconut flour, which can be used to make desserts and easy and healthy pancake recipes. There's an awesome pancake recipe that can be found here using ingredients that could be easily found in our own kitchen cupboard. Where to get coconut flour? There are some in Healthy Options or in Echostore. I used coconut oil to fry the pancakes and added cinnamon, coconut sugar, and nutmeg to flavor it and topped it with a little nutella and sugar-free pancake syrup. The pancakes have a somewhat similar texture to macaroons.

 For this one, I sliced up some apples and put a dollop of low fat Greek yogurt on the center of a tiny plate and sprinkled some cinnamon to it. I placed the sliced apples around and topped the yogurt with homemade granola (yep homemade! Will show you how to make granola soon) and then drizzled it with some local honey. The Greek yogurt is kinda too rich in texture so I added some sweet flavor and crunch with apples and granola. It's like cereal and actually more filling. :) I love the nutty, crunchy granola too. This combo is actually great with smoothie, fresh juice, or just a cup of coffee.

Quick Cooking With Mushrooms and Pasta

#11. This kitty needs to keep cooking. QUICK!

Okay, okay, I haven't starved myself since I last cleaned the floor. I just haven't documented my cooking in this blog. Plus the fact that it was our summer show and I have been quite busy with things. Finally, I told myself, I need to keep this blog moving and document some cooking.

And speaking of busy schedules, I thought of doing another quick recipe. I'm trying to avoid fast food as much as possible. Since our work's crew meals often are fast food (chicken and rice or burger meals, non-vego obviously), I have resulted to just bringing my own food so the coordinator or crew wouldn't worry where to hunt my meal. For busy seasons, cooking my own prepacked lunch or meal can be a chore especially when I get home late and tired. So, the solution is trying to look for quick and light meals that are 1. easy to do 2. do not require so much ingredients 3. easy cleanup so I don't end up running late.

I always have a stock of pasta because it's easy to cook and I can just like make an easy shala meal worthy of Instagram posts in a flash, no culinary degree required. It's also quick to make and easy to share. Here's a heartier take to pasta aglio olio (quite simple, but still one of my favorite pasta variations). I added fresh mushrooms to this dish for one.  It's easy, quick, and warning, can be a bit spicy. The best part is that this is no production number to do.

 That's all the chopping and slicing you need. Yay!

Garlic Mushroom Pasta

• half a cup of dried twisty pasta (or ribbon, just enough for one)
• 5 cloves pounded garlic because I like things garlicky
• 2 fresh button mushrooms sliced
• Extra virgin olive oil
• to taste: salt, chili flakes (the ones from the pizza containers), Italian seasoning.

Note on fresh mushrooms: Never wash them like veggies. They tend to soak up water. Just wipe them with a damp paper towel.

1. Cook and drain pasta according to manufacturer's instructions. 
2. Heat a small pan in low heat. Add and heat olive oil.
3. When oil is hot (but not super hot it will burn the garlic), add in the garlic and cook until soft. Add some salt and a teensy bit of chili to bring all the flavors out. 
4. Add mushrooms and continue stirring and cooking until mushrooms are cooked.
5. Season as desired.
6. Toss in pasta. Adjust flavors if you want. 
7. For cheesiness, toss in some nutritional yeast (Nutritional yeast may be purchased at Healthy Options. Its packaging and contents are similar to grated Parmesan cheese) 
8. Serve. For more color and flavor, you may tear up some fresh basil leaves and toss them in as well. 

This is also great for dorm-style cooking since it doesn't need like a lot of equipment to use. When you got more time and ingredients, you can toss in sun dried tomatoes, olives, capers, and bell peppers. But this one's for those who need more time in their hands. 

The Wizardry of Cif

#10: Sorcery in a bottle

A break from food posts would be housekeeping tips. I think it's more apt I post here some tidbits on housekeeping and cleaning since it's more tied together with food rather than beauty and fitness. Anyhoo, aside from learning to cook, part of moving to where I live is to learning to clean. Not that I don't know how to clean. Cleaning is actually therapeutic for me. It's either because I have OCD or probably because the sight of squeaky clean and dust- and grime-free areas are a burst of positive energy in my case. When a place is just too murky with dirt and kalat, there's like a negative life force in it. Also, cleaning is a great workout for me, if I miss pole or yoga class. Oh, and when I say how I clean, I don't mean like the very picturesque Cinderella singing "Sing Sweet Nightingale" and all poised and pretty. I'm talking me in a ratty shirt, with my hair bundled up in a hair clamp scrubbing the bejeezus out of things.


Nothing like this. Maybe the evil stepsisters perhaps.

 My friend and pole teacher Kris has taught me so many things in pole. She has made me do death-defying combos like butterfly-hero-superman, butterfly on my wierd side, the scorpio on the back on the knee, and meat hook. It's so cute how she incorporates life lessons in pole classes, like gripping the pole to a healthy loving relationship. Also, with life lessons and pole lessons, she shares awesome household tips. Just like me, she loves a clean house.

Just last week after pole class, she shared with me her favorite all-purpose cleaner, Cif. You buy it at 7-11 or any supermarket and it's practically a time-saving magical bottle in cleaning. "All you have to do is just put cleaner, then wipe it with a damp cloth, then wipe off with a damp cloth and it's like *insert awestruck expression here* ." She told me. Okay, so guess what I got in this week's grocery cart?

Everyone, meet Cif. Cif, meet everyone. Just when you think it costs an arm and a leg for a bottle, let me remind you that it's awesomely cheap (I think if I recall less than 100 pesos or just a little over, if  I'm not mistaken). I got the lemon-scented one, because lemon scents are awesome and fresh. There's also the original scent though, if you don't like lemony things.

First up, judge the dirty floor with your pointed toes. Thankfully, our floor can be washed. I previously swept the floor of dirt already so I just want it cleaner.

Then, apply the drops of  Cif on the floor (or kitchen counter or bathroom tiles). Don't pour the whole bottle in. Apply dots around. you can be as artistic as you like, creating artwork from neon yellow creamy cleaning fluid. Or you can write the name of your frenemy or pet peeve  so you can wipe it out from (literally) the surface of the earth after, at least just the name.

Then, wipe the surface with a damp cloth to get the product around. Rinse or in my case, I wiped with another damp cloth to remove the residue.

Be awed at the wonderfully clean floor. And point your toes once more. This time, do not judge. Admire the floor. There would still be some scrubbly things left though. The good thing I like about this is that the floor dries quickly after and I can just sweep out the scrubbly gritty things and the floor is smooth and clean.

Normally, what I'd do is really wash the floor with soapy solution, which kind of takes forever to dry. Aside from cleaning quickly like magic, it's pretty fast and it took me less than an hour to clean my floor, no drying time needed.

I love clean floors. I can pole and floorwork with ease and love. Oh yes, I do split grip lifts in between chores as a break.

I'm not sure if a Hogwarts wizard invented Cif, but I swear, this has got me sold, and my cleaning mojo going.

Berry Banana Smoothie

#9: Berry Banana Ahhh

I was at the grocery last Wednesday to buy some cheese and then lo and behold I saw the fruit section and I just totally like went like a kitty on Red Bull at the yummy selections and my imagination just went wild. I put the usual suspects in my cart - bananas, apples, and mangoes, and since they're pretty much cheaper and in season, some yummy strawberries. I saw a box of blueberries and thought to myself, why not?  They were kinda expensive at Php330 for a box, but hey, it's good for the body too!

Having my fruit raw means it's all rich in all the nutrients and enzymes you need but if you're like me who isn't a fan of eating them as it is, I just blended them up in a smoothie, over here. I love blueberries but I like them in pie and muffins, which are cooked, so here's an awesome way to incorporate these lovelies raw - I made a smoothie! Its yummy, tarty-sweet, a bit creamy, and purple pretty!

Photo looks familiar? You must be following me on Instagram. Not yet following me? I'm  bambikitty.

Berry Banana Smoothie for One

Ingredients

• a ripe and sweet banana - a pole dancer's staple. it's not too heavy and it gives you energy. plus it's rich in potassium to avoid those cramps
• a few blueberries, 10 pcs would do. Get the really mushy ones at the bottom. 
• a couple of ripe strawberries.
• half a cup of really cold soy milk, to get things goingto taste: honey, cinnamon, and speculoos cookie butter (the cookie butter is optional. If you're still on the waitlist, your smoothie would live).

Procedure.

• Dunk all the fruits and milk in your blender. Blend.
• Taste. if it's fine, then pour in your glass and serve. if not, there's honey, cinnamon, and cookie butter to adjust your smoothie to your desired taste. Blend to get it all nice and pretty. Your smoothie's gonna look purple.

I might have to tell you though, my smoothie recipes are quite thick. For me personally, I really wanna enjoy the fruit all its pure goodness. The liquid, in this case, which is my soymilk is added just to get things better moving. I once made a smoothie without liquid and the result was just like fruity muck. The milk helps it move better. I use half a cup, but if you want your smoothie thinner, you may use more. It's up to you. Again, I'm not using ice here, as I don't want to dilute the awesome flavor. I just use chilly berries and milk to get it all cold and refreshing.

These smoothies are really fresh and best consumed right up after they're made. I like smoothies for breakfast or lunch or some lunch in place of ice cream.

Going Rich For Brekkie

#8 Never Say Sorry to Sinful Breakfast.

Breakfast indeed is the most important part of the day, and I see no reason to scrimp on it. No diet, light, or anything except meat-free for this kitty. I mean, I need all the energy I need - so bring on the carbs and protein. Today, it was carbs and a bit of protein because I had eggs and some (nut-based) milk.

My grandma was the first person who taught me how to make French toast. It's a great way to recycle day-old bread to turn it into something really pretty and yummy. It was all phail for me though before in creating my version of French toast compared to those served in hotels or whenever I eat out. I dunno why she made it so perfectly though, maybe it's skill. It was then in a trip to Bohol where I chatted with the chef at the buffet table who made pancakes and French toast. He told me to cook the toast steadily in low flame and butter (in my case, margarine, although I am allowed butter. I'm just too cheap to purchase butter, so I used margarine, or what I call 'fake butter').

A bit of tweaking too was to include fruits but I fried them a bit first in butter before setting them aside and putting the French toast in. I used strawberries for today but you can use mangoes, bananas, peaches, or pineapple. I might try blueberries sometime and a bit of mango, since mangoes are gonna be in season soon as it's summer!!!!!

I think my breakfast today is a pretty little picture of awesomeness. there's four slices of toast (technically, that's two slices of bread, crusts removed, sliced diagonally) with some fried strawberry slices. Those who find strawberries too tart might like its new flavor fried. The heat brings out the natural sweetness and the butter's nutty saltiness mellows it down. Oh, and what I used to smother the toasties with? no powdered sugar here though. I used Trader Joe's Cookie Butter. I finally got myself a jar after hearing all the reviews about it. I found it, actually quite good. Not really like the one that gives multiple orgasms upon first bite but it   had a nice cinnamony taste that went well with sweet-tarty strawberries and rich buttery toast coated in milk and eggs. For a refreshing drink that says hello world, I had my Hazelnut Banana Smoothie but instead of honey, I added a heaping spoonful of Nutella to sweeten it. Weeeeee!!!!!!! I don't add ice to my smoothie, if you noticed. I think ice just dilutes the awesomeness, which defeats the purpose of me taking in smoothies in the first place.

Yea, I kinda missed writing here. I'll be cooking more vego stuff quite more often now as summer's coming and it's too humid to go outside. I'm also doing more barbecue research for vego barbecues and guess what? I've finally mastered how to perfectly cook shrimp for pasta.

Just came home from the Pinkbox event earlier at Aria in BHS Central where I had such an awesome, awesome time. The food was great (lots of vego choices, I tell you. Thank you Aria, for being vego-friendly. I went for seconds for that arugula salad!). When I stepped out of the restaurant, it was quite pouring and there were no cabs in sight, so I decided to walk it. Unfortunately, it was closing time as well so every block in BHS had no cab in sight. Then I remembered! Why not pass by Echostore since I'm there already?

Echostore sells organic and locally-grown toiletries that are environmentally-friendly and animal friendly too. Instead of using plastic bags, they reuse magazine pages and newspapers for their packaging. Not only is it a source for organic bath, body, and baby products, they also have a cafe and a mini-grocery that sells organic fruits and vegetables plus meats.

In my case though, I purchased a no-meat.

I finally found them tofu burgers after eating them from a photoshoot. Thankfully, they told me where to purchase the patties and I found them. I almost resulted to making my own veggie patties despite my lack of patience since ready made ones were expensive, around Php800+ when I canvased. Thankfully, I found a pack of 18 that sells for just Php 325. These burgers are nutty, spicy, and super flavorful, it's hard to believe there's not an ounce of meat in it.

The texture even looks like meat! The patties are a bit small though, so depending on the size of the burger bun, you might need to use two.

In my case, I made an open-faced sandwich using these patties. I ate quite a lot of food at the event earlier but I can't skip meals so I thought I'd keep my dinner light, just to have something in my tummy.

I also didn't want to go full production too, as it was dinnertime, so I thought I'd go light and make this one. Just one piece and I'm good. I first pan-grilled the pattie then chopped it up and spread it on a slice of bread spread with my fake butter. I topped it with mozarella cheese (the real thing, since I still eat cheese). I can either put this back in the griller until the cheese melts and gets all goey or pop it for a couple of minutes in the toaster oven. I chose the latter. It's cheesy and filling but not to the point of bursting!

When I have some time, I'll probably throw in mushrooms, a salsa, and probably a salad on the side. For now, the sweet treat here would be the peach juice on that glass.

Hazelnut Banana Smoothie

#6: Quick Recipe for A Banana Smoothie

As promised, I'm sharing my recipe for the hazelnut banana smoothie I made earlier for lunch. It's pretty good, it's yummy, and creamy! It can be vegan too, if you skip the honey or use coconut sugar instead.

HAZELNUT BANANA SMOOTHIE

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe bananas, sliced (slice them, and your blender will not be put to stress)
• 1/2 cup cold hazelnut milk, chocolate flavor  (I used Pacific brand, purchased at Healthy Options. You can use plain if you wish, or almond. I've taken a photo of my nut milks below, so you know how they look like the next time you go shopping

• honey or coco sugar, if you're strict vegan
• dash of cinnamon
• dash of cayenne pepper (optional)

Procedure:
Blend everything in a blender and serve. Serves 1-2.

The measurements really vary, I didn't use measuring cups here and just dunked the blended and pressed puree then whip. The cinnamon is an added flavor, I just want a bit of warmth and spice to it. The cayenne pepper I got from an idea from another smoothie recipe I got. It gives a nice kick to the smoothie so there's a bit of spice. I've heard it's also got health benefits aside from that zing to things and life. Anyway, the spice in cayenne pepper kinda sneaks up to you, so use this sparingly, especially if you're making the smoothie. It's optional anyway, so those who are traditional and want the sweet, mellow taste of the smoothie without the kick, then go ahead and stop at cinnamon. Ice can be added if you want it really cold, but it kinda dilutes the milk and the flavor so I prefer having my smoothies pure or with just water/fruit juice/vego-milks just served cold.

Tomorrow, I'll be dealing with mangoes. :)