No, I’m not about to preach about the benefits of oats and its nutritional facts because:
Most, if not all of us are already aware of how good they are for our bodies
There are plenty of articles out there on that; here, here and here!
I’m not an expert in the “science of oats”
So instead I’ll share about how we can turn these healthful, nutritious, and wholesome oats into amazing, delicious meals. As per usual, my recipes are so easy and under 10 minutes to prep. No excuse for not having your oats guys…😆 To any oat haters out there, I get you because I used to feel the same; that they are bland and tasteless. Little did I know there’s a secret to it and it’s all in its pairing ingredients and cooking methods.
You can cook oats in different methods to achieve different textures. You may not be a fan of one, but may be crazy over another. I’ll share with you 3 methods (and recipes) that’ll give you different versions of oats; I would like to call them the hot, the cold and the crunchy. 😄
Overnight Oats (The “Cold”)
This method involves no cooking, short prep time, but a longer waiting period (overnight or at least 4 hours). This is great for those of you who are always on the go, and in a rush in the morning. Grab the jar from your fridge and off you go!
Pour in milk, and leave overnight in the refrigerator (or at least 4 hours) to soak.
Serve and enjoy.
*Homemade Cashew Mylk Recipe
Ingredients: 100gm Cashews | 500ml Water | Pinch of Salt Directions: Blend, strain and serve.
Note: Can keep for 1 week, refrigerated.
Cooked Oats (The “Hot”)
This method involves cooking over a hot stove, but requires the shortest cooking time. Ready in under 5 minutes! This is perfect for those of you who want a quick fix and you’re just too hungry to wait for longer than 5 minutes…
½ Cup Rolled Oats | 1 Cup Water | ½ Tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa | Pinch of Pink Himalayan Salt | 1 Tbsp Almond Cinnamon Butter | Drizzle of Raw Honey
Directions:
Add oats, water, cocoa, and salt into a saucepan. Cook for 5 mins or till your desired consistency.
Take the saucepan off the heat, stir in almond butter.
Serve in a bowl, with drizzles of honey and your favourite toppings.
Baked Oats (The “Crunchy”)
This method takes the longest time but they can also keep the longest compared to the other recipes. This is great for those of you who like to meal prep beforehand and always have something handy to use. I love them in my smoothie bowls and on my nut butter toast.
Cinnamon Granola Oats Recipe
Ingredients:
1 Cup Rolled Oats | ½ Cup Mixed Nuts and Seeds | 1.5 Tbsp Olive Oil | 1 Tbsp Coconut Sugar | ¼ Cup Coconut Flakes
Directions:
Pre-heat oven at 180C.
Add oats, nuts and seeds, and olive oil into a baking tray. Mix well.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Add coconut sugar and coconut flakes, mix well.
Bake for another 5-10 minutes.
Serve and enjoy!
You can be creative with your ingredients and switch up the ones given in the recipes above, and make your own favourite bowl of oat MEALS 😉 For more meal inspirations, oat recipes or other easy recipes, you can head over to The Pantry by Erina. Hope you’ll find more recipes there that you’d like to try.
I hope this inspires you to try something new or food that you may think you’re not a fan of. And if any of these recipes convert you to a fan of oats, it’ll be so amazing to get to hear from y’all personally 😆
Have an amazing week ahead loves and remember to take a moment to stop, live, breathe, love and share moments with people around you. Be that light to someone who needs it 😘 Life’s too precious for us to live for ourselves.
Some would say, a meal with no refined/processed ingredients, others would say a meal with no carbs, and then there are some who define a healthy meal as one with loads of greens.
What’s your definition?
I used to be obsessively concerned about every little bit of ingredient that goes into my food, as if eating something unrefined in one meal was going to be detrimental to my health. Through all my crazy obsession at different points of my life, I have finally come to a place where I have found my own definition of “healthy eating” that’s balanced and not restrictive. I believe it’s different for everyone because we each have our own likes/dislikes and routines/schedules.
The key is finding the definition that allows you to nourish your body and enjoy food without excessive unsustainable restrictions in your life; socially, mentally, or psychologically.
Here, I’m sharing how I maintain my healthy lifestyle while dining out in ways that are suited to my lifestyle and likings.
Order side salad or a veggie dish
So, to me, a big part of nourishing myself is having my greens. When I cook at home, I will always include them in most of my meals. With dining out, it gets a bit trickier. Most meals you get in a restaurant include only a few strands of greens. Then there’s the option of ordering a salad dish as a main, but that wouldn’t usually be enough for me especially if they include just greens without protein and carbs. So the win-win to me is ordering a salad or a veggie dish on the side, and have it to share with others.
A cup of hot tea does the work!
I’m never really one with the habit to order a drink with a meal. But I do have days where just water would not suffice and that’s when ordering a cup of hot tea does it for me. If you’re one with the habit of ordering a beverage with your meal, try tea instead! Plus, there’s something about slowly sipping a hot cup of tea that centers you and eases cravings for sweets/snacks. It’s not that it’s “bad” to have dessert after a meal, but I find that sometimes enjoying a cup of tea after a meal will leave you not wanting that dessert anymore.
Stay mindful while ordering and eating
Being mindful is a big part of eating healthy because it allows us to feed our body what it truly needs or desires for.
How many times do we order something only to find we didn’t quite enjoy it or feel satisfied or feel good after..?
So upon ordering, I find myself asking these questions; “How will i feel after having this meal?”, “Is this what I really want right now?”
If I’m hungry at the point of ordering food, being mindful about the amount of food that I’m about to order help. It’s easy to go crazy because our hungry state makes us believe that we can eat a whole lot! Asking myself questions like “Do I need that amount to fill my stomach?” or “Will i feel my best/satisfied after these amount of food?” helps me make better choices most of the time.
While eating out, most people are likely to be distracted by the environment or conversations that are ongoing around them. So it’s easy to have a meal and end up overeating or feeling like wanting more even after having a full meal. I eat mindlessly all the time when I’m not paying attention to what I’m feeding myself. By just being mindful about every mouthful of food that’s being consumed, allowing myself to enjoy the different flavours and textures that the food presents, I always find myself enjoying my meal better and feeling completely satisfied after.
These are just a few tips that have helped me with eating well and feeling my best, whilst dining out. Just thought these might help some of you out there who struggle with it. However, do keep in mind that these are ways that are suited for me and my lifestyle. It’s different for everyone. Hope this inspires you to keep finding methods and ways that will help you eat well and enjoy food and life!
Have a great week ahead and let us all remember to always speak words that build and not destroy, share with/give to someone who is in need (be it love, care, kind actions, words of encouragement or material goods). Enjoy your week!
Petaling Jaya – Bringing back the familiar scent and taste from your past into the kitchen of Sheraton PJ, Hidangan Nostalgia will be the theme to the spread of buka puasa dinner here in both Feast All Day Dining and the Grand Ballroom.
Hidangan Nostalgia directly translates to Nostalgic Spread humbly describes the taste and authentic flavour from the days of your past with that familiarity when you are back to your grandmother’s house. This detailed spread are served in two venues – Feast All Day Dining and our Grand Ballroom that could accommodate more seats for bigger groups. Feast takes the lead on the promotional spread that will start on May 6 until June 4 with the price of RM138nett per person. Meanwhile the Grand Ballroom starts on May 13 until 31, 2019 with the price of RM98nett person and an early bird at RM88nett; both venues will open its doors to the diners from 6:30PM to 10:30PM. Children of age 5 – 11 years old are discounted at 50% off the selling price.
There are over 80 dishes that will leave you reminiscing the old days and among them are the authentic flavours of Ayam Percik, Nasi Biryani dengan Kambing Panggang, Gulai Tempoyak Ikan Patin, Lemang Pulut Hitam, Roti John, Sup Tulang Rawang, Ketam Lemak Cili Api, Gulai Ayam, Mee Kari Salmon, Pengat Durian and Aneka Goreng cekodok pisang, pisang, cempedak, keledek and keladi.
Diners in the grand ballroom will be entertained by live music that plays melodic traditional tunes that eases the mind, body and soul throughout the course of dinner after a long day fasting and at work. For those who would like to perform prayers, the male and female surau is located on the same floor as the grand ballroom and equipped with praying mats and telekung.
During the month of Ramadhan, the hotel is also extending an exclusive rates for rooms and meeting spaces for those events that will kick in during this fasting month. A group booking of minimum 10 rooms and maximum 25 rooms, guests will be privileged to enjoy a rate that is only from RM280+ (room only), RM320+ (with breakfast or sahur). These rates are applicable for Deluxe and Executive Deluxe rooms only and an additional RM130+ should you wish to upgrade to Club rooms with club benefits. Supporting this group bookings, meeting spaces are also offered with special rates that starts from only RM180+ per person that include full day meetings with supporting amenities and buka puasa dinner for those who are fasting.
Rooms with meeting spaces promotion is valid until June 16, 2019 and will follow through with Raya Open House package that starts from RM100+ per person including hall rental and basic raya theme decorations.
For dining reservations, please call 03 7622 8958 or email at [email protected]
For rooms and meeting inquiries, please call 03 7622 8888 or email at [email protected]
Who would have thought, in every delicious dishprepared and served by the celebrity chef and popular singer, Dato’ Fazley Yaakob, 40, stored a magical potion that made each and every menu enriched with delight that makes it memorable in mind.
Without hesitation in sharing the special mixture in his cooking, the father of four uses people most preferred product – VHalia, a multigrain beverage from GoodMorning, which is rich in nutrients that benefits the eatery.
Considering it as a great honour to be part of GoodMorning VHalia campaign, the former champion of MasterChef Celebrity Malaysia 2012 said, he is always being selective in promoting products especially health goods that involve general health status.
“Besides practice consuming GoodMorning VHalia every day in the morning, the great taste of it makes me incorporate this product in my cooking. Moreover, its high in nutrient content and it is a number one multigrain beverage brand in Malaysia since it was founded in 2008.
“Don’t be surprise as I have created quite a number of recipes using GoodMorning products to produce fancy food such as pancakes, pasta, rendang and many did ask me about the secrets of my cooking.
“As an individual that practice healthy lifestyle, I believe in every multigrain beverage from GoodMorning because of its high nutrition, easy to prepare and delicious. Most importantly it is a healthy product that is suitable for the whole family,” he said during the eventannouncing the winners of Deliciously Healthy #DapurVHalia cooking contest that was held at Event Hall RYU @ SukaSucre Bistro in Cheras today.
Also present at the event was Founder and the Chief Executive Officer of GoodMorningGlobal Dato’ Dr. Lim Sin Boon, YB. Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Dr. Ting Chew Peh, the Advisor to GoodMorning Global, and the Senior Corporate Advisor, YB. Datuk Seri Garry K.S. Chua who is also the President of Malaysia Retail Chain Association (MRCA) and owner of Imperial Chakri Palace Thai Restaurant.
He further mentioned that he is ambitious to see housewives or restaurant owners to serve GoodMorning VHalia multigrain beverage and use them in their cuisine as they are able to balance the human health aspect as well as increase the delicacy of the food provided.
Meanwhile, Lim shared about the competition saying that a total of 6 participants were selected to showcase their ability and cooking skills by using GoodMorning VHalia.
“Most people have the perceptions of healthy drink and food does not taste good. But for GoodMorning, it can be delicious to consume. That is why, this contest was held to create awareness that healthy food can be delicious, less hassle and appetizing for consumers.
“Nutrition practice in daily diet proves to be one of the factors that contribute to health & wellbeing. Therefore, it can promote a healthier lifestyle while increasing productivity in our daily routine.
This competition is organised to instil public awareness about healthy lifestyles in the community and to unite everyone regardless of race, religion and background,” said Dato’ Lim.
Participants of this contest used GoodMorning VHalia as the main ingredient in their culinary dish. It is not just a multigrain beverage but it’s the “kehangatan” balances the dishes prepared by the participants.
GoodMorning VHalia is multigrain beverage that contains 18 types of whole grains and 9 unique ingredients.
Bamboo Ginger gives a richer aroma and taste, has rich in antioxidant and fibre that primarily promotes digestion. It also contains Gingerol and Shogaol that helps to warm body, calm nausea and help to reduce cholesterol, lower down high blood pressure.
GoodMorning VHalia is available at a retail price of RM47.00 for a can of 1kg and RM10.20 for the convenient pack of 8 sachets at all Guardian, Caring, Aeon Wellness, Tesco nationwide and other selected pharmacy chains.
For more information on GoodMorning VHalia and other GoodMorning Global products offered in Malaysia, please visit GoodMorning website at https://goodmorning.com.my or GoodMorning 18 Grains Facebook page.
Since the goods and services tax (GST) was abolished, I started hunting for restaurants which offer good value for money.
Imagine paying only RM49.90 for weekday lunch or an additional RM10 for their weekday dinner offers, and you get free flow of Haagen-Dazs ice cream. Although there is an additional RM5 surcharge on the weekend, the idea of having free flow of the American ice cream is simply crazy.
This is what an ice cream lover like me particularly likes. Even if you are a small eater, the ice cream alone is worth the money especially when you are entertaining some clients. For their buffet packages, they supply Australian beef and lamb. All the food and meat are refillable.
For their value set lunch priced at RM29.90, customers are only allowed one scoop of Haagen Dazs ice cream.
I asked the restaurant manager Bosco Lum how they could sustain the business by offering a free flow of Haagen-Dazs ice cream, and here is his reply:
“The two joint-owners, Alvin and Daniel Han, were, in fact, involved in an e-Commerce B2B online business platform which connected food and beverages (F&B) suppliers with their potential business clients. Because of their network, they were able to get good prices for the raw materials that they buy in bulk.”
The idea was first conceived by Alvin, a former banker, whose passion has always been spending time in the kitchen whipping up a good meal for the family.
After working a few years with a local bank, he decided he wanted a change in his career. So, together with his brother, Daniel, the duo ventured into a Japanese steamboat restaurant together. Both were with the banking and corporate finance industry in the past.
Being food enthusiasts themselves, they experimented with different tastes and came out with their own version of steamboat.
“Too often, the steamboats have almost the same tastes,” Daniel added. “Here, we improvised and came up with something new. While the broth recipe is largely inspired by the Japanese culture, we also try to customise it to local tastes. To ensure that our customers enjoy the best quality of pork, we specially hand-pick the meat ourselves.”
That was how the duo established Kuro Japanese Steamboat at Plaza Arcadia in Desa City Park. “The name ‘Kuro’ comes from the pork meat known as Kurobuta, which translated, means ‘black hog’,” explained Alvin.
There are four recipes of broth: the Kuro broth (Pork broth), Japanese curry, Sukiyaki and Shabu-shabu. “The recipes are created by Alvin himself,” Daniel added.
I particularly like their Kuro broth and the Japanese curry because they taste unique, especially when you cook their signature dish, the Kurobuta pork. According to Bosco, the Kurobuta pork is known as one of the highest-quality types of pork in the world.
Kuro has a value set lunch priced at RM29.90, which is only applicable from Monday to Friday to cater more to office staff who want an outing together. For the set lunch, each person is entitled to one meat plate serving, unlimited refill at the Kuro buffet bar, and a single scoop of Haagen Dazs ice cream.
Kuro Japanese Steamboat restaurant is located at Block F-G-3 Plaza Arkadia, No 3 Jalan Intisari Perdana, Desa Parkcity. Tel: 03-27784370 Opening Hours: 11.30am – 3.30pm (breakfast or lunch), 6.00pm – 11.00pm (dinner). Seven days a week.
A MALAYSIA SOCIAL ENTERPRISE THAT ALLOWS YOU TO BUY GROCERY PRODUCTS AT BELOW MARKET PRICE
By Seely
Redza Shahid (29) Co-founded Grub Cycle in June 2016. At first, Grub Cycle had 4 cofounders Asyraf, Hawanisa, Chacha and himself. The idea of starting up a social enterprise was first conceived when he was still doing his University studies. He realised that he needed to do more than what he was learning in the University so together with his friend they joined and volunteered in several charity organisations to help out orphanages and to paint houses. At that moment he was working at an investment company and the boss gave him an idea of how to start a social enterprise and fully encouraged him by submitting his name to a social enterprise programme then, organised by MaGIC in early 2015.
Due to this, Redza was given a KPI (Key Performance Index) to learn more about social enterprises such as the business
model, leaders of social enterprise, and other topics that are related to social enterprise. After one year, he was told to upgrade his position by deciding whether to join a social enterprise or to start on his own. In December 2016, Redza and the other 3 cofounders successfully raised up to RM 1 million grant and at that time there were a few investors that wanted to invest in their social enterprise.
Grub Cycle has 3 stakeholders that play crucial roles, the Co-founders, Investors and Consumers. The main purposes of Grub Cycle are, firstly, to reduce food waste in Malaysia while the other companies are focusing more on food composting. Redza believed that rather sending the food for composting, the edible food should be sold at a lower price. Secondly is to reduce daily expenses for their consumers, in fact, the grocery price had increased by 25% since 2010 but, the average salary in Malaysia has only increased by 20% within the same period. Lastly, Redza’s personal reason was a hope of attraction and encouragement towards other potential social entrepreneurs by involving himself in the social entrepreneurial industry.
How Grub Cycle Works
Since Grub Cycle launched back in 2016, it has emphasized its focus on reducing food wastage and ensuring that the low-income community can spend less money on food. So the question is what has been done in order to bring this idea to life. Below are some of the Grub Cycle offers to the public and how they can reach out directly to their customers and community.
Grub Groceries
A survey was conducted and it was discovered that there is an increased amount of food waste from local supermarkets and about 15,000 tonnes daily wastes from these supermarkets. 3,000 tonnes out of the 15,000 tonnes will still be edible and 10% is from groceries and supermarkets. This is because 30% – 50% of the products that are shown on the shelves in the supermarket are being thrown away. Grub Cycle obtains surplus food products from their partner supermarkets at an affordable price. These products are either 1 – 3 months from the expiring date. However, these products will be fully ensured and validated for their edibility. Grub Cycle will then sell these items from the website, mobile app or any other means convenient to their customers and delivered to them at no delivery cost.
Grub Mobile
This is like a mobile kiosk but in form of a food truck. It will be visiting low-income community areas 3 hours a day selling surplus food directly to the low-income community. However, If the customers are technology literate, they are able to order and buy online.
Grub Homemade
With this Grub Homemade, Grub Cycle improvises by turning surplus fruits or vegetables that might have been deemed rejected by the supermarket or that is not into a farm-to-table product. Examples include cabbage kimchi, pineapple jam, apple cinnamon and chili chutney. Grub Cycle in-house Chef-In Residence meticulously develops recipes based on high-quality food commodities that would otherwise go to the bin. Don’t worry: they are not recycling expired goods.
Grub Bag
Grub bag is one of the ways the Grub Cycle gives back to the community by subsidizing low-income families’ food essentials. It comprises of rice, cooking oil, sugar, salt and eggs. Grub Cycle delivers Grub Bag to the families on a monthly basis with the hope to lessen the burden of the families in need & empower their economy! But this model is rarely.
THE GRUB CYCLE EFFECTS
On launching the social enterprise, there are three main objectives that have been driving Grub Cycle daily to maximum productivity. Measuring their social impact performance could be done easily by comparing the KPI (Key Performance Index) of these main objectives. These objectives can be considered in a way that Grub Cycle has been contributing heavily to the socioeconomic needs of the society.
Reduce Food Waste
Edible surplus food from grocery stores and cafes are being prevented from wastage daily, considering that 30% – 50% of the products that are shown on the shelves in supermarkets are being thrown away based on the survey. Grub Cycle buys these surplus edible products from the grocery stores at a lower price which encourages the grocery store to still make money out of what was meant to be wasted. Lastly, Grub Cycle will sell these products to their customers below market price.
Another way Grub Cycle has been preventing wastage of food is by collecting the fruits or vegetables that had been deemed unsellable due to their shape for instance. They are then turned into a farm-to-table product. This is through Grub Homemade model.
So, as individuals, how can we personally prevent food wastage or what can we do about food wastage?
As a food producer, you can reduce wastage by investing in better harvest and storage-technology to avoid food loss
As a retailer, you can reduce the price of those imperfectly shaped or shapeless vegetables or donate the unsellable yet edible surplus grocery food to those in need rather than disposing of them.
Revising those sell-by expiration dates so that the perfect and safe food products are not discarded.
Raising awareness on food wastage education such as what Grub Cycle is doing should be highly encouraged.
Food that is not fit for human consumption should be fed to the animals.
As an individual consumer, you should be more careful when shopping and only pick the necessary things.
We can also use better methods to store and recycle leftovers and request smaller portions in restaurants.
Food wastage pyramid is based on garbage, so as policy-makers, they can enhance the ability of producers, retailers and consumers to turn that pyramid around.
With all that Grub Cycle has done and measuring their social impact performance to prevent food wastage, Grub Cycle has also managed to save 2201 kg of food from being wasted and this number is still increasing.
Save Money
Foodies will get the satisfaction of their money’s worth with every inexpensive purchase. To reduce daily expenses for customers, as a matter of fact, the grocery price has been increased by 25% since 2010 but the average salary in Malaysia has only increased by 20% within the same period based on a survey by Grub Cycle through an interview. With this issue at hand, the low-income community is unable to make ends meet when it comes to buying food or grocery products. But with the Grub Grocery and Grub Mobile, all those low-income community areas are able to have direct access to a below market price surplus food.
Help Others
Grub Cycle Co-founder has taken pride in himself to be someone who really cares about the less privileged community and he constantly encourages other entrepreneurs to also contribute to the community positively. So Grub Cycle encourages everyone to become an agent of change in their respective community. This can be done by buying from Grub Cycle because with each item sold, a percentage of Grub Cycle’s profit will benefit the underprivileged. Till date according to the Grub Cycle website as at the writing of this article, 250 Grub Bags had been delivered.
GRUB CYCLE ACHIEVEMENTS
Food waste is one of the biggest concern of the world. In fact, by 2050, the world needs to produce at least 50% extra food to feed 9 billion people. While 25% of crop yield may be decreased because of climate change. Moreover, most of the food
manufacturing companies, municipalities, supermarkets, restaurants, and the federal government start applying practices and critical strategies for decreasing food waste[1].
Take Malaysia, for instance, food waste is a huge problem. Based on the SWCorp Malaysia, a government agency which deals with solid waste stated that they generate 38,000 tonnes of waste per day and around 50% of the solid waste is food waste. Moreover, out of 50% of solid waste, 60% of waste that going to landfill is still edible which in fact, that could have fed 2,000,000 people. SWCorp has also stated that food waste can increase up to 50% during the festival season. There have been many movements to combat the food wastage in Malaysia. There are groups trying to recycle the food that is unsaleable at supermarkets. One of them is the Grub Cycle[2].
Grub Cycle is a part of the global movement to combat and decrease food waste and to save the environment. There is a creative way that was used by people from all over the world to combat food waste such as creative marketing incentive that celebrates “ugly” fruits and vegetables. Grub Cycle itself has launched a Grub Mobile which is the first mobile kiosk and it is located in Bukit Lanchong.
According to Grub Cycle website, they have contributed towards saving approximately 2,201 kg of food, saving the consumer expenses of around RM 20,958 with 250 Grub Bags delivered. This proves us that the Grub Cycle model is really working and the effects have also made impacts on people such as, firstly reducing waste by saving edible surplus food from cafes and grocery stores from being thrown away. Secondly, is saving money which foodies will get their satisfaction with their money’s worth with every inexpensive purchase.
In the future, Redza hopes that there are other social enterprises with the same passion and mission as similar to Grub Cycle to combat food waste. This will enable us to work side by side and cut down on the food waste in Malaysia. Redza believes that there are not enough social entrepreneurs to bring about positive changes to the community and environment. If there are enough social enterprises contributing to the same mission similar to Grub Cycle, food waste in Malaysia will cut down to the maximum level.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE FUTURE FROM GRUB CYCLE?
Grub Cycle is planning on having their own physical grocery supermarket here in Malaysia as a start before the end of this year 2018. With this kind of push, it can change perspectives on food wastage and bring positivity towards the idea of preventing food wastage. It will also be easier for the low-income community to purchase their grocery products at a lower price. Grub Cycle is also looking forward to expanding within the South East Asian Countries like Singapore for a start.
For more information on Grub Cycle feel free to visit our website and view our various products www.grubcycle.my