No Carbs

There are so many reasons to cook at home and yet, it is alarming to note that urban dwellers are not having much of it. Studies has revealed that having home-cooked meals as a family regularly leads to healthier and happier beings, especially the kids. A close knitted family through daily get together meals would also most likely to have grown up children who are less likely to abuse alcohol, drugs and smoking in their teenage years. Having home-cooked meals on a regular basis also tends to be healthier as we naturally consume less sugar and processed foods as compared to outside food. Preservatives, MSG, sugar, salt are commonly found in most outside foods for various commercial reasons which usually result in lower energy levels and poor mental health. Having home-cooked meals five or more days a week is even associated with a longer lifespan. Communal meals not only can make us feel happier but also brings along better mental health benefits in the long term. The reason bei

1. Save Money! Having homemade foods is usually much cheaper than eating out at a restaurant, buying takeaways from roadside stalls or hawkers and buying processed canned foods from super-marts. To do so, one needs to go into some form of preparation should you be keen to embark on this home-cooked journey; Plan several days of meals to save more by buying in larger quantity Make a grocery list and never purchase extra food when tempted by great offers Some leftovers such as rice and soup can be frozen in the fridge and reheated for future consumption, though advise to be consumed within the next 2-3 days. This is possible as most home-cooked food are without additives and MSG. 2. Save Time! Yes, you never heard it wrongly! Home cooking does save time! It might seem to most that driving to a nearby eatery, packing from hawkers, grabbing a quick meal are the usual solutions especially when you are in a hurry. In reality, it can be much faster to cook something at home, es

Winter time is usually associated with illnesses like colds and flu. We tend to consume vitamins and other dietary supplements which we believe will protect us from these on-off illnesses. However, most of us will still end up with some form of flu and cold symptoms during the winter months. Soup consumption has been known to be a traditional remedy for such illnesses in the olden days from the European continent to the east such as China, Korea & Japan. This practice has been documented from as long back as 4000 years back, as a soothing remedy especially during time of sickness and the winter season. So, why is Soup good for you when you are sick? And its health benefits… Dating back to thousands of years of history, soup has been one of the staple diets in our meals. There’s no doubt that soup is so good for you because of its  nutritional benefits . Research has shown that the ingredients in most soup can help the body boost its immune system and also, a healthy sou

I spend most of my income on food so I tried to save money by cooking meals as often as I can. Every month, I tell myself I will spend only $5 on each meal but the few food choices that fit my budget are so limited that it makes it hard to stick to my budget. $5 for a meal is perfectly feasible if I cook but, who has the time? As each month passed by, I came to realize that more and more factors stood in the way of my financial goals. It’s hard to reject meeting up with friends after work. It’s hard to tell yourself not to go to that one-time Hanabi Festival at SingPost Centre. And it’s hard to say no to colleagues for dinner after work. I end up having to starve myself towards the end of the month to keep to my budget. There will always be social pressures or lifestyle habits that tempt you spend more than you need to. I’ve learnt that being disciplined means knowing the difference between what is necessary, what is not, and how to control yourself. So, I tried an unconventiona

As a working middle income family with kids living in a cosmopolitan city such as Singapore, you are faced with daily challenges such as sending your kids to schools on time, commuting to work in crowded public transport, rushing for a quick bite among the lunch crowd, work challenges faced in workplace, getting knock off on time to pick up the kids, and finally, rushing home to get dinner ready. Yes, this is the lifestyle of the average working class living in Singapore. With this much of activities in a full day, it really kind of drains your energy by the time you are settled down on the bed. Where’s the work-life balance we are talking here? It is no surprise that the younger generations are getting married late, and not to say having kids while they are still fighting for a career. It is however a totally different story altogether for those born in the 70s & 80s like myself. We are faced with the mentioned challenges on a daily basis. Topics will always hover aro

You would have guessed how ‘busy’ is this life mile stone of mine in my early 30s. Busy! Now, besides wedding invites all year round, you would also have house warming and baby shower celebrations ‘invites from those earlier wedding invites! House warmings are those occasions where a newly wed couple had obtained keys to their public flats after a waiting period of maybe 3-5 years, done some splendid renovations at a cost from anywhere between $30K to beyond $100K, and woolah they are ready to invite family members and friends over to grace their home sweet home. One thing I find most irritating about house warmings is the living space for such big group of gatherings as most are done in public flats which is really not catered for big groups of 10 and above. And you would usually have 20-30 pax coming at about the same timing. The joy of going for such occasions is catching up with old friends and the makan. Next, baby showers’ celebrations are for 1 month ‘birthday’ or a

A bowl of piping hot soup is the essence of a good meals for everyone. It is also a nutrition powerhouse, packed with vitamins , proteins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. For the Chinese, double boiled soup is a must have for almost every meal and this is as important as rice in our diet. That is the same for Korean, they love kimchi soup and the ginseng chicken soup. Actually Chinese soup has alot more varieties than any other culture in the world and the method of cooking soup is almost same for anywhere- throwing all the ingredients in the slow cooker or a pressure cooker. Soup is easy to prepare. After putting all the ingredients in the slow cooker in the morning, a steaming pot of soup will be waiting for the entire family in the evening. And the options for soup of the day are limitless! Soup has medicinal value, have you heard of cooling soup ? Yes, ingredients such as old cucumber and winter melon have cooling effect on the body. So having the right soup for the rig