Egg Muffins

My angels have a quirky way of helping me.

I realised for a long time that to eat 'cleaner' & healthier, i needed to cook my own food. BUT i was addicted to the YUMMY sugar, calorie-laden and processed food that is sumptious & abundant in Malaysia.

But for the past month i hv been cooking and eating more self-cooked food and starting to enjoy it. WHY the change? Mom became intolerant to outside food - her delicate tummy was giving her problems, so i hd to cook for her less spicy, less oily & less sugary meals.

At first, i would do that for her and still go out to get my food 'fix'. And on day i was watching Marion's Thailand and she showed how easy to make 'som tum' (green papaya spicy salad) and 'laab het' (assorted mushroom salad) and introduced the 'boat noodle'

That got me excited now i'm back to creating recipes that i will eat inspired by Marion and whatever ingredients i currently hv in my larder & fridge. It's a practical approach since fresh foods dont keep well. So menu of the day is dictated by what veg n ingredients needs to be eaten first!

Here's wonderfully simple recipe shared by Deserve Better Fitness on Facebook that is easy to make, uses fresh ingredients/ leftovers and can be freezed,



Batter is beaten eggs and a little milk only.

EGG MUFFINS
Ingredients
Spring onion as required
Chopped tomatoes as required
Onion as required
Cheese as required
Green chillies
Fresh coriander
You can add chicken or other lean meats, spinach, ricotta cheese, bell peppers, and lots more as per your taste.
Eggs 6 beaten with 2 tbsp milk, black pepper to taste

Instructions
-Preheat oven at 200C
-Grease your muffin tin
-Add vegetables of your choice along with cheese (if you choose), pour beaten egg mixture on it.
-Place muffin pan on the center rack of a preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until muffins are light brown, puffy, and the eggs are set.
-Let muffins cool for a few minutes before removing from the muffin pan or cups. Loosen gently with knife if they seem to be sticking. Eat immediately or let cool completely and store in plastic bag in refrigerator or freezer. The Egg Muffins can be reheated in the microwave.

Chillie sauce - not from the bottle

The main ingredients

I found this out by mistake. Mom was blending a small amount of some ginger, red chillies & garlic together. But as with most blenders, they need some liquid to help stir the ingredients around when blending or else u get uneven sized bits. So mom added some water, a bit too much - so much so that when she poured it out, it looked too diluted to be the 'san yong choi' sauce for Hainanese Chicken rice.

Being the inventive mom that she is, she asked me to add some cornflour and cook it... Then it looked just like the chillie sauce u pour from the bottle!

A week of experimental cooking

I must confess - my creation of a new recipe is usually influenced by what i have in hand / in the fridge. However, for my Green & Clean - Project CrazeeFit, i also want to create flavourful meals that don't require any bottled sauces (chilly, tomato or oyster sauce) or dashes of Ajinomoto (MSG).

GREEN = refers to meals composed mainly of veggies, nuts, herb, tubers, roots, beans but may contain seafood & some meat (but in smaller proportion).

CLEAN = as mentioned above, meals with minimum processed foods, flavours derived from spices, herbs, salt & pepper, using fresh (instead of canned) ingredients, minimum dairy products, less oil used (only Peanut oil & EVOO), cooking methods - raw, steam, blanched and light stir frying and greens from my own garden.

HOPE / VISION / MISSION -  ambitiously trying to re-do traditional Malaysian food (which is rather un-healthy), fusion food - taking the best ideas from different culinary cultures and getting people to accept this as staples or at least get people to think or rather re-think they cooking methods / choices.

Oh..also i dont measure the ingredients, just using commonsense & experimentation. Cooking time also is dependent on observation & sniffing!! LOL..I can imagine those throwing up their hands and saying that's CRAZEE!!  

Besides being short of time (lazy, too) and also wanting people who follow my recipe ideas to OBSERVE and GET INVOLVED in their own cooking process. When there's no measurement, one is forced to look, think and judge for themselves and not follow blindly and thus INSPIRE CREATIVITY!  

Wasnt that how granny used to do it?

Disclaimers aside,..let's GET COOKING !

SATURDAY'S MEAL -  SPAGHETTI  ULAM

More Clean Meal ideas (to come)

SUNDAY'S MEAL

Sup Ikan (Fish head soup)

MONDAY'S MEAL

Soba Telur Asin & Asparagus

TUEDAY'S MEAL

Steamed Chicken Breast & Asparagus with Toast & Lurpak salted butter

WEDNESDAY'S MEAL

Steamed Broccoli, Salsa & leftover mamak's Tandoori & Naan

THURSDAY'S MEAL

Broccoli & Butterhead, whole grain mustard on toast with Maasdammer cheese and more Salsa

WHY THE SUDDEN INTEREST in eating healthier?  http://crazeefit.blogspot.com/2013/10/infiniti-fitness-beyond-to-rescue.html

Spaghetti Ulam

SPAGHETTI ULAM

Shopping list :

• Spaghetti
• Bunga Kantan (edible Ginger flower)
• Serai (lemongrass - use only the bottom fragrant purplish parts)
• Daun Kaduk (Piper sarmentosum similar but not betel/sirih leaf)
• Kerisik (grate coconut, slowly & constantly stir-fried in a pan with no added oil until brown & aromatic. Then pound in a stone mortar. Cool and store in fridge)
• Onions or shallots (small onions) - sliced thinly
• Lime  or Limau kasturi (calimansi)
• Black pepper (ground)
• Salt / Braggs Liquid Amino
• Chilli padi (small yet very spicy version) or spicy sambal / sambal belacan
• Carrots (cut in large chunks)

Boost protein intake (if you are working out at the gym) :  

- Add boiled beans (Green Love Mixed beans) or steamed chicken (breast, keel with no skin)