Little Thumbs Up March 2016: Honey

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It's HONEY!

Hello, everyone! Welcome to the "Little Thumbs Up" event for March 2016! A big THANK YOU to Zoe and Doreen for the opportunity to host this month's event with the theme HONEY. :)

When we talk about honey, these come to mind: raw honey, processed honey, organic honey, etc. Raw honey has many nutritional benefits: antibacterial and antiseptic, doesn't cause blood sugar to spike, high in antioxidants (dark honey), improves digestion, good for skin, etc. I learn that raw honey should be eaten raw and not in cooking and baking because heat causes honey to lose its nutritional properties.

So, when it comes to cooking and baking, I personally think that it's good enough to use processed honey, but that's just my opinion. Feel free to use any kind of honey that you like. :)

Why Honey?

Honey is chosen as the theme because it's a very versatile ingredient. I believe most of us stock at least one bottle of honey in our pantry. I have used honey in some recipes on my blog:

• Lemon & Honey Roasted Chicken
• Fruit Salad with Honey-Yogurt Dressing
• Cheddar Corn Bread
• Greek Yogurt Honey Muffins
• Apple, Honey & Yogurt Muffins
• No-Bake Yogurt Cheesecake Pot
• Honey Buttermilk Chia Bread
• Black Sesame, Chia & Flaxmeal Bread
• Cheddar Cheese Pancakes with Honey Butter
• One-cup Pancakes with Blueberries & Cacao Nibs
• Cooked Grapes with Cream
• Passion Fruit & Honey Jelly with Buttermilk Cream Pudding
• Baked Peach with Honey & Star Anise
• Fresh Dragon Fruit & Cranberries Chia Jam
• Smoothies
• Muesli Parfaits
• Berry Granola Yogurt Bowls

How to Join?

Here's how you can join us from 1 March 2016 until 31 March 2016:

1. Cook or bake any recipe using honey. Your recipes should include at least one tablespoon of honey (whether raw or processed). You can also use honeycomb in your recipes. Feel free to be creative! :)

2. Recipes that you post can be your own, from cookbooks, magazines or websites. Do credit your sources accordingly, if you're using any.

3. Submit as many "Honey" posts as you wish as long as they fit the theme by linking to the widget provided at the bottom of this post. Your submission(s) must be of current, new posts uploaded in the month of March 2016; older posts will not be accepted.

4. Please mention the following note (including the links) in your submitted blog post(s).

This post is linked to the event Little Thumbs Up (March 2015 Event: Honey) organized by Zoe (Bake for Happy Kids) and Doreen (My Little Favourite DIY) and hosted by Joyce (joycescapade.com).

5. Feel free to display the "Little Thumbs Up" badge (as shown below) in your blog post.

6. We encourage you to visit other blogs from the linky tool and leave your comments for mutual support and encouragement. :)

 
Note: This linky tool will be open from 1 March 2016 until 31 March 2016. Let's eat honey like Pooh! :D

Source

 

An InLinkz Link-up

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Lentil and Barley Stew

Lentil and Barley Stew

It's potluck week at IHCC! I have made this bowl of Ellie-inspired Fruit Salad with Honey-Yogurt Dressing. Then, I saw a packet of mixed organic dried lentils on my kitchen table. So, I decided to make Chef Pepin's Lentil and Barley Soup (I make mine into a thick stew).

Just to note, United Nations has declared 2016 to be the "International Year of the Pulse". Pulses, also known as grain legumes, are a group of 12 crops that includes dry beans, dry peas, chickpeas, and lentils. They are high in protein, fiber, various vitamins, and amino acids.

I love lentils, especially the mixed ones - red, yellow, and green. They make perfect stew, e.g. this bowl of chili con veggie.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
(Serves 1)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 small young leek, cut into slices
1 medium carrot, cut into small cubes
1 cup mixed dried lentils (red, yellow, green), washed and drained
1/2 cup barley, washed and drained
4 cups homemade chicken stock, preferably low sodium
1 teaspoon salt


How to:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.

2. Heat up olive oil over medium heat in a deep oven-safe pot. Cook chopped onions, stirring, until soft. Add leek and carrot and cook for about 3 minutes. 

3. Add lentils, barley, chicken stock, and salt. Cover the pot and bring the mixture to a vigorous boil. Then, transfer the pot into the preheated oven and cook for 1 to 1 & 1/2 hours.

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC) for this week's theme, IHCC February Potluck!

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Urban Stove kickstarted Eat Away!

First week's menu from Eat Away! by Urban Stove

Introducing Eat Away!

Urban Stove has kickstarted their meal delivery, Eat Away! with their first delivery on 23 February 2016. You can now enjoy Urban Stove's meals, all cooked, packed, and delivered right to your very doorstep!

You can choose any meal (RM14/meal: pre-launch price) from their weekly menu for both lunch and dinner. You will need to place your order by 5pm a day before each delivery.

What's in the meal delivery?

Each Eat Away! meal delivery comes with:

One menu packed in a microwave-safe paper box
One set of fork and spoon
An instruction slip 
One thick paper napkin

How to order?

WhatsApp: +6011 3628 8180
Email: info@urbanstove.com
FB Direct Message: http://www.facebook.com/urbanstove/

 

Last week's menu

Shangri-la Beef Rice
Bulgogi Meatball and Kimchi Penne
Lemongrass Chicken with Vietnamese Inspired Couscous
Oriental Chicken with Soba

This coming week's menu (1-4 March 2016)

Thai Chilli Chicken with Jasmine Rice
Posted by Urban Stove on Thursday, February 25, 2016

Seared Chicken Salad with Oriental Dressing
Posted by Urban Stove on Thursday, February 25, 2016

Taiwanese Minced Chicken Noodles
Posted by Urban Stove on Thursday, February 25, 2016

Ayam Peri-Peri with Roasted Veggies and Potato Wedges
Posted by Urban Stove on Thursday, February 25, 2016

You really don't wanna miss out on this!

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First Coffee Session with Babydash.com.my and Fellow Moms

I brought my 2.5-year old kiddo to attend the first Coffee Session with Babydash.com.my and fellow moms at Aether Cafe, TTDI. It was a great two-hour mingling session whereby we moms got to know the founders, Lavi and Shan, up close and personal. They shared with us their journey of founding and growing Babydash as mommypreneurs. We discussed about customer experience, possible projects for mothers who are looking to work from home, and more engaging coffee sessions like this in the future.

The ambiance and food at Aether Cafe were excellent. We had a great time chit-chatting among ourselves and having our cuppas while keeping an eye from our kiddos. You know, kids being kids, and at such tender age of under three, the context of sharing doesn't exist in their world. That explained the tantrums as one kid snatched toys from another kid. But they were all in good hands. :)

Being an online store, this coffee session served as an avenue for Babydash to showcase some of the products they are carrying for us to look, touch, smell (why not? :P), and of course, buy! :)

So here's the list of what I have bought as shown on the photo above.

• Charlie Banana: Reusable 2-in-1 Swim Diapers and Training Pants
• Meadow Kids: Train Wooden Threading Beads
• Skip Hop: Zoo Straw Bottle - Monkey
• Meadow Kids: Tell Me About Today Magnetic Chart

My kiddo and his new training pants.

Note: This is not a sponsored post.

More photos of the Coffee Session

Babydash - Diapers, milk & more, delivered to your door! They aim to make your life simpler! Note: This is not a sponsored post.
Posted by joycescapade.com on Thursday, February 25, 2016

“We don’t want to just be a faceless e-commerce site where you can get your baby’s products online. We ourselves are...
Posted by Babydash on Wednesday, March 2, 2016

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Fruit Salad with Honey-Yogurt Dressing - #breakfastseries

Fruit Salad with Honey-Yogurt Dressing

It's potluck week at IHCC! So, another month is ending soon. Gasp! This round, I make a bowl of nutritious fruit salad because I just bought some fruits. I don't usually stock up fruits in my fridge because my family is not a big fan of fruits, unfortunately.

A photo posted by Joyce Lee-Bates | Mom Blogger (@joycescapade)

Hmmm, that doesn't sound like a good excuse. Well, it's kinda like retail therapy and I need colors to brighten up my somewhat sombre mood. On top of that, there are still a lot of Mandarin oranges from Chinese New Year in my fridge. Haha.

 

Recipe inspired by Ellie's 'Fruit Salad with Honey-Lime Dressing' from her book 'So Easy' or here.

Ingredients:
(Serves 1)

1 cup purple dragon fruit (pitaya) cubes
1 fresh Mandarin orange, peeled, separated into segments
1/2 cup fresh strawberry, halved
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup Greek yogurt + 1 tablespoon raw honey
A handful butter-caramel popcorn (optional)


How to:

Make sure all fruits are chilled in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before tossing them together in a bowl. Drizzle with yogurt-honey dressing. Garnish with popcorn for extra crunch and texture.

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC) for this week's theme, IHCC February Potluck!

I'm also linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #2 hosted by Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray.

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Tricolor Pepper Pork Ramen

Tricolor Pepper Pork Ramen

Since buying Ellie Krieger's So Easy: Luscious Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Week, I try my best to plan my family's meals with her recipes. This week, I'm submitting her tricolor pepper recipe to IHCC: Bowled Over and Kitchen Flavours: Cookbook Countdown #2. :)

Recipe adapted from Ellie's 'Tricolor Pepper Steak' or here.

Ingredients:
(Serves 2) 

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
200g pork loin, thinly sliced
1 small red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 small yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
1 small green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 medium yellow onion, sliced into half moons
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
2 cups cooked organic multigrain ramen (photo of uncooked noodles below)

How to:

1. Heat up oil over medium-high heat in a frying pan. Add sliced pork and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes until the meat slices are no longer pink.

2. Add assorted bell pepper strips and onions and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes until the pepper strips are softened and the onions are translucent.

3. Add water, soy sauce, and oyster sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low-medium and let everything simmer for about 5 minutes.

4. Stir in the dissolved cornstarch and cook until the mixture thickens, about 2 minutes. Add in cooked ramen and toss until well coated. Serve.

Traffic light bell pepper strips brighten up my ramen bowl.

A delicious bowl of ramen for dinner.

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC) for this week's theme, Bowled Over!

I'm also linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #2 hosted by Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray.

15

What to do with Mandarin Oranges before they rot...

Other than eating and juicing, here are 13 more fun ways to use 'em Mandarin Oranges up before they rot!

1. Make Mandarin Orange Jam. Get the recipe on Guai Shu Shu.

2. Bake Mandarin Orange Steamed Sponge Cake. Get the recipe on Guai Shu Shu.

3. Bake Citrus Olive Oil Cake. Get the recipe on Cookie and Kate.

4. Make Mandarin Orange Smoothie. Get the recipe on Taste Love and Nourish.

5. Decorate your smoothie bowl. Get examples on Tesco here and here.

6. Make Citrus Fruits Infused Water. Get the recipe on Joyful Healthy Eats.

7. Make a pitch of Sangria. Get the recipe on Sally's Baking Addiction.

8. Make Candied Mandarin Peel. Get the recipe on My Mind Patch.

9. Cook Chinese Orange Chicken. Get the recipe on Damn Delicious.

10. Cook Orange-Ginger Pork Chops. Get the recipe on FoodNetwork.com.

11. Make Grilled Honey-Orange Chicken Salad. Get the recipe on Eat Yourself Skinny.

12. Make Dried Orange Garland. Get the tutorial on Woman in Real Life.

13. Make Dried Orange & Cinnamon Ornaments. Get the tutorial on Daily Squeeze.

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