Korean strawberries have become very popular in Singapore recently. They are widely available in supermarkets too. They are smaller in size and pointier in shape, as compared to the strawberries from Australia and US.

Although they may not have the deep red colour, they are in fact very sweet, juicy and fragrant. One punnett (about 10-14pcs depending on the size) costs about $4 – $6. They are quite pricey as compared to other fruits but I feel that they are worth its price tag as every piece of strawberry is so sweet and delicious.

Little Edison loves Korean strawberries. He says that they are very sweet but his expression shows otherwise. Haha! They’re really sweet and juicy!

These panda picks look so cute on the red strawberries too.

Do you like Korean strawberries too?

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On a rummage through my fridge this morning, I found a packet of pearl barley and winter melon strip. So, I decided to use these simple ingredients to make a refreshing barley drink for everyone at home.

The weather has been so hot lately; we desperately need some ‘cooling tea’. Barley has mild cooling properties (even young toddler can drink) and excellent detoxification effects. I used to boil barley drink every weekend last year, but somehow the routine stopped because of my own laziness. I wrote about the goodness of barley drink HERE.

Typically, there are two types of barley here – the smaller pearl barley and the larger kernel China barley. I prefer pearl barley as it is easier to boil, with just a quick wash and an hour of simmering. China barley is best when soaked for a few hours to puff up the dried grains prior boiling.

It is very easy to make. Just add one or two cup of pearl barley into 2 litres of water and simmer for an hour or so until the barley are swelled. In the last ten minutes before I turn off the fire, I add winter melon strip or rock sugar to sweeten it. It is even more delicious if I can add in pandan leaves and a tablespoonful of Manuka honey.

If you prefer lemon barley, you can add a few drops of lemon juice and garnish with a slice of lemon. Personally, I prefer the non-lemon version.

Little Edison loves barley drink. He will drink one full bottle later.

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I dislike cooking. If you ask me, I would say that it’s too much effort for too little reward. You see – from buying the ingredients to cleaning, cutting and cooking them, we need at least two hours. After the meal, there is another hour spent on the clean-up. So, the total time spent is three hours!

All we need is only half an hour to eat or I should say, enjoy the meal that we cooked in two hours’ time. The subsequent clean-up is far more complicated when there are too many pots and pans to wash.

Marveling at the fact that it is so convenient to dine-out in Singapore, I think we should just enjoy this simple luxury of dining out instead of cooking up a storm at home.

Today, during my web surfing, I stumbled upon the most beautiful food blog I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Delectable recipes. Beautiful food photography. Great presentation. From Chinese food to festive cooking, baking, stir-fries, Thai food, Japanese food and even desserts, this food blog is so complete. I’m absolutely in love with this blog!

I’m particularly attracted to its Chinese soup recipes. The author of this blog is very knowledgeable in explaining the different types of herbs used in the soup. She has pictures of the herbs too, and they are all properly labeled. I’m so delighted when I found out that the author of this blog is actually from Singapore!

Let’s meet NoobCook.com.

This awesome blog really motivates me to cook a special meal for my family. And it completely changes the way I think about cooking at home. Oh no, I really want to cook something this weekend!

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I recently made the biggest purchase in my life on bird’s nest. Here they are – my 6-months supply of bird’s nest. Awww!

I was contemplating to stop my Meiji Amino Collagen supplement and switch to bird’s nest. I’ve been taking the collagen supplement for a month now, but I’m not seeing or ‘feeling’ any improvements. I felt that I should just go ahead and switch to bird’s nest.

Traditionally, well-to-do Chinese ladies consume the bird’s nest to obtain their translucent complexion. And now, modern young ladies are taking bird’s nest to gain fair complexion and maintain youthfulness. Expecting mothers are also consuming bird’s nest for a healthy baby with perfect complexion. As for the elderly, it is taken as an elixir tonic to promote longevity and wellness of health.

The unique combination of its nutrients and proteins makes it easily absorbed into the body and beneficial to anyone and everyone who consume it. It is especially good to woman because it helps to prevent internal dryness and help them look younger, free of wrinkles and smooth radiant complexion.

I googled for more information on bird’s nest and I found this: The best time to consume bird’s nest is night time between 11pm to 1am because this is the best time for our body to absorb nutrients. Alternatively, we can also consume it in the morning between 5am to 7pm. When consuming bird’s nest, we should avoid fried food, dairy products, white radish, motherwort herb and danshen root extract.

I don’t have time to cook bird’s nest everyday. Luckily, we have bottled bird’s nest in the market now. Thanks to technology, we can enjoy the goodness of this rejuvenating health supplement in great convenience.

I choose Eu Yan Sang Premium Concentrated Bird’s Nest Series because it does not contain any preservatives, artificial colouring, stabilizer and flavouring. It comes with three variations – with Rock Sugar (purple packaging), with reduced sugar (blue packaging) and sugar-free (green packaging). I like it sweet, so I bought the Rock Sugar version.

Unlike the normal bottled bird’s nest, the Eu Yan Sang Premium Concentrated Bird’s Nest Series is rich and thick in its texture. It needs to be refrigerated once opened and to be consumed within two weeks. I’m going to take one spoonful every night from now on.

Given two bottles a month, I bought a total of twelve bottles and they will last me for the next 6 months. It’s my biggest purchase of bird’s nest ever, but there is a 20% storewide discount at Eu Yan Sang. Usual price is $75/bottle. With the 20% discount and no-GST (Changi Airport branch only), the price is only $56 ($19 savings per bottle). I thought I should just stock them up. 

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Last month, I wrote about the constipation problem with Little Edison. The issue was escalated to his teacher and even the school principal. It wasn’t intentional though. That morning, he was constipated. His teacher had to bring him to the toilet for three times before he managed to pass motion. She was concerned about his painful bowel movement and thus, she highlighted the problem to me.

I tried various natural remedies to resolve his constipation problem. A month later, he is back to normal with regular bowel movements. I want to thank everyone for your valuable advice and recommendations. Thank you so much!

Here are some of the remedies that I’ve tried and they really work! He has bowel movements every two days now and he doesn’t complain about pain anymore.

1. Increase the intake of fruits in his diet – Fruit is a wonderful natural laxative, and thankfully, he enjoys eating fruits. Apples, oranges, grapes and strawberries are his favorites. We give him fruits twice a day.

2. Encourage him to drink plenty of water – Not juice, not milk but pure water. If he refuses to drink, I’ll add some Ribena. This helps to keep him well hydrated.

3. Feed him with probiotic food and drinks such as yogurt and Yakult – They contain specific bacteria that the digestive system needs. 

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