My everyday life: week 7

Last week was cold and rainy. Look our raining gear!

I remembered to take pics of my lunch twice last week. YEY~

Indian roasted root vegetables, fried okra and raisin bread.

6 vegetable tart with buckwheat crust at Le Pain Quotidien. Although the tart was delicious, it was too little food, I was starving an hour later and had to run to the cafeteria for a gigantic bagel. 😦

Chocolate protein cake with sunflower seed butter paired with green juice.

grilled cheese with avocado and egg sammie with a new-to-me bread (see below)

This week’s groceries hall from WF and Tj’s

some new products that I’m excited to try:

We went to the outlet on Saturday. Sofia had great time walking around

she knows how to entertain herself

look how cute she is: looking at the price tag in kids section

we found something for all of us. A very productive 3 hrs spent! 🙂

On Sunday: I made pumpkin gnocchi using chickpea flour.

the harvest salad was so amazing that after I finished the leftovers, I made some more 😯

Last but not least, I finally made black bean brownies! Let me tell you, this thing is MUCH better than brownies!!! It’s like eating a decadent chocolate fudge cake! When I was eating, I kept saying: I can’t believe this, this is surreal, why I waited so long to make it!!!!! 

Of course you want the recipe, right? yes, you MUST make this!!!

Decadent vegan black bean brownies (I didn’t follow any recipe but looked severals and came up with my own)

• 2 cups black bean cooked
• 2 large flax eggs (3 T flaxseed meal + 6 T water)
• 1/4 C coconut oil (melted)
• 1/2 C pumpkin puree
• 1 C cocoa powder
• 1/4 C oats
• 1/4 t salt
• 1.5 t baking powder
• 1/3 sugar or stevia baking blend

1. prepared the flax egg
2. blend all the ingredients in the food processor
3. grease 8*8 baking pan
4. bake at 350F for an hour (the stick will not come out totally dry but it is fine, all the ingredients are cooked)
5. cook before cutting

Serve it with greek yogurt or ice cream. ENJOY~

Food: groceries & a new salad obsession

SAturday’s breakfast: the usual banana-egg pancake. This time instead of coconut flour I used almond flour. It’s nice too but I prefer the texture of the one with coconut. It’s more cake-like.

from Tj’s and WF

• My new beloved soy yogurt
• mushrooms
• nut butter
• organic pear (for Sofia)
• Suzie’s thin corn cake (obsessed with it)
• Theo chocolates
• 2 bunches of organic kale (for my new salad obsession)

• organic romaine 
• banana
• cherry tomato
• avocado (a weekly must!)
• cocoa powder
• golean cereal
• organic thousands island dressing (mom’s favorite!)
• english cucumber
• Tj’s vainilla almond milk

New products: Baby organic Whole grain oatmeal cereal, for Sofia

oatmeal is better than rice because rice could be constipating.

Raw sunflower seeds (for a baking project)

Justin’s honey almond butter. I’ve read so many good things about it that I need to try it.

Theo chocolates: dark chocolates with toasted coconut (thumb down!), with mint (thumb up!)

And here’s my new salad obsession: massaged kale salad with tahini-avocado

Ingredients:

• 3-4 cups of kale
• 1 cup chopped cherry tomato
• 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
• 1/2 avocado
• 1 serv. firm tofu, scrambled
• 2 Tbsp tahini
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup
• salt
• pinch of cayenne pepper

Method:

1. Prepare the dressing: tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup, salt and cayenne pepper well mixed.

2. Pour the dressing over kale, add chopped avocado, tofu and mix well with hands (or massage it).

3. Add cherry tomato and mushrooms.

4. Let it sit for 30-60 min before serving.

5. Prepare to enjoy a tasty, filling and delicious salad!! 🙂

Q: Do you like kale? What’s your favorite way to eat it? I didn’t like kale first unless it’s in chips form. But lately I’m obsessed with it, it has became my favorite green veggie. The key to eat it raw is to massage it with the dressing and let it sit for a while before serving. It’s soooo delicious and full of nutrients.

Life: last few days of maternity leave

I’m heading back to office next Tuesday. 😦 SAD SAD SAD to leave this little person.

So what I did over the last few days?

• Soaking up with her ALL the time!!!

I say this over and over again, but I’m loving her more each day!!! She’s been the nicest baby girl ever!!! Sooo adorable to be with!

She still loves bath time. The other night when I was holding her, my mom said. You know what she looks like?

the koala I hold in Australia! 😆

of course, Sofia is so much more fun!!! She smiles at the camera! 😉

• I set up the curtain for the nursery, ALL by myself, with the drill and all! So proud of myself! 🙂

We have blinds but during the day the it’s still very bright. After four months, babies begin to behave more like adults and need dark room to sleep better during the day. So I got the block light curtains from overstock.com. I got in the lightest shade (beige) but it stills blocks most of the light.

• Watching her several times at time because she could turn all the way to the other side of the crib!!! I’m terrified that one day she’ll roll over or get stuck at the side. Swaddle days are limited. 

We do tummy time everyday to catch her first roll, and after she does that, we won’t swaddle her anymore at night.

We’re trying to let her sleep in the crib for naps as well now that we have the curtain. She has no problem falling sleep, but her naps are shorter this way. So she’s not ready to wean the swing. We’ll try later.

• I’ve been cooking and baking a bit preparing for the return-to-work. Made Mama pea’s chocolate cookies  without the chocolate chips

Healthy nut butter cookies with raisin (12 cookies)

• 1/3 c. almond butter
• 1 T. ground flax + 3 T. water, whisked and allowed to sit until thickened
• 1/4 c. almond milk
• 1/3 c. stevia baking blend
• 1 t. vanilla
• 2/3 c. oat flour
• 1/3 c. vanilla protein powder
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1/4 t. sea salt
• 1/4 c. raisin

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Using an electric mixer, cream together nut butter, egg, milk and sweetener and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, combine oat flour, protein powder, baking soda and salt.
4. Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat until well combined.
5. Fold in raisins.
6. Scoop dough out by heaping spoonful and place on a lightly greased cooking sheet.
7. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until cookies are set and lightly browned. Allow to cool for one minute before transferring to a cooling rack.

I find it a bit too sweet, so next time I’ll decrease the sweetener. Otherwise it’s really good. I’ve been having 2 in the afternoon as snack and loving it! 🙂

I also found a new breakfast combo that I’m absolutely in love and portable to work! 🙂

It’s STUFT Mama’s protein pumpkin cookie dough

Protein Pumpkin Cookie Dough

• 1/2 cup pumpkin
• 15 g protein powder
• 2 tablespoons PB2 (12 grams)
• pinch of stevia extract
• 1/3 cup oats
• cinnamon, splash of vanilla
• 1/2 cup Tj’s rice crisp

Combine all ingredients except for rice cereal. Carefully stir in rice cereal. Cover and refrigerate.

The first time I made it, I refrigerate for 30 min with the rice cereal mixed in. When I ate it, it was not crunchy so the next day I mixed it before eating and I like it more. 🙂

With added cocoa powder.

YUM YUM~~~ Love it!

I also tried making a new chinese dish: soy glazed duck!

My parents loved it!

Still enjoying black chicken with black fungus and bok choy.

a new tofu which is called vegetarian chicken in China. Used it for stir-fry and it gives a great flavor.

Got to enjoy the last weekend with my loves! 🙂 See ya later~~~