Orange Julius Clone?

651 days ago

Have you guys ever drank Orange Julius before? When I was young, I used to drink Orange Julius right in front of the Capitol Cinema. Their store is usually stacked full...

Have you guys ever drank Orange Julius before? When I was young, I used to drink Orange Julius right in front of the Capitol Cinema. Their store is usually stacked full of fake oranges and the original Orange Julius drink is oh so wonderful. Basically it is a mix of orange juice, milk and some vanilla blended together to become some sort of smoothie. It is just heaven if drank on a hot afternoon. And what they have is the perfect mix. Orange juice is kind of sour, you will need to add sugar to counter the excessive tartness but then it becomes just a bit sickly sweet. So what better way to counter the sweetness than to add some milk? This way, you get a very creamy mix of orange and milk that makes the smoothie taste like heaven. That got me thinking, I do like milk and fruit juice is kind of healthy. So why not create a Orange Julius clone of mine.? And me being a lazy bum, it has to be simple enough for me to do it often. Yes, you know me, I am very lazy.

Well, my recipe is pretty simple. Requires nothing but orange juice and full cream milk. You don’t need to blend them or add ice cubes like the original recipe. All you need is 2 parts of orange juice and 1 part of milk. Put them in a cover-able container and shake the hell out of it. What you get is a semi-creamy Orange Julius clone. Yes, it is not prefect, but it is easy to do. And inexpensive as well. Milk and orange juice don’t cost a lot in Singapore. However, you will need to make sure that they are cold when you serve them. It does really make a difference. The full cream milk is important as well. If you use them low fat milk, you won’t get the creamy texture that makes the drink enjoyable. Fattening? Not really. Unless you are planning to drink like 10 cups per day. And please, full cream milk is healthy, if drank in moderation.

Anyway, I find the taste delightful. I don’t really like those store bought orange juice. This is a good way to add more fruit juice into my diet. And for those who don’t like drinking milk, this actually can help you overcome the “weird” taste of milk. Even my mother says it is quite nice. Old folks don’t like milk. At the very least, now she is drinking some dairy which is good for her bones.

A Few Superfoods Easily Available In Our Supermarkets

652 days ago

One of the best ways to improve your health is to consume healthier foods. I mean not even the most pro-modern medicine health food skeptic will disagree with that right. Superfoods...

One of the best ways to improve your health is to consume healthier foods. I mean not even the most pro-modern medicine health food skeptic will disagree with that right. Superfoods usually contain huge amounts of nutrients, vitamins and minerals than other types of food. In the processed food world we live in, this becomes way more important. We are what we eat. If you eat rubbish, you will get rubbish. Probably why a lot of Singaporeans are having poor health these days – JUNK FOOD. And just a few weeks ago, I went to McDonalds to have a quick breakfast, I was shocked to find that half the patrons in the McDonalds were elderly ladies! I was kind of surprised at first, but I understood that those McDonalds meals are pretty tasty and for the elderly, it is important as the McDonald’s meals usually don’t require much chewing. Understandable that old people are starting to flock to McDonalds.

Anyway, the problem with “superfoods” is that they can cost a lot. Try purchasing Spirulina and you will understand, it costs S$99 for several hundred grams of Spirulina tablets. When I first saw the pricing, I thought I must be dreaming! But alas, the prices for most brands of Spirulina are the approximately the same. But seriously, the prices for Spirulina shouldn’t be that expensive. In fact, it is a stable part of South American diet and I really doubt that people in South America can afford such prices. I then realize it does not have anything to do with how much it cost to produce Spirulina, but how much people are willing to pay for them. So I decided to look for superfoods that is easily and cheaply available in our local supermarket. But of course, in Singapore, most prices in our local supermarkets are already very much inflated.

1. Coconuts – You can easily find them in our local supermarkets and wet markets. Look for those young Thai coconuts. They are especially good when drunk cold in the warm sunny afternoons. Not too sweet and very very refreshing. The coconut water also is full of vitamins, nutrients and minerals for good health. It has one of the highest sources of electrolytes known. From what I read, it is known to help reduce weight, reduce the risk of heart diseases, lower your cholesterol levels and boost your energy. Avoid those canned coconut water. Get them fresh!

2. Apples – Well, it is available everywhere and it is a superfood. Most people don’t realize that. Remember the old saying “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”? It is kind of true, seeing that apples are a great source of nutrients, loaded with tons of antioxidants, vitamins and helps strengthen gums. And what about the fiber in each apple?

3. Peanuts – Super cheap superfood. Available like everywhere. Good source of protein and antioxidants. And doctors say that peanuts are good for the heart. It is just too bad that most peanuts sold in Singapore are salted and roasted, which destroys some of the health benefits.  I also find that the salted varieties are just way too salty. Nevertheless, if you can, find unsalted peanuts. They do make great tasting snacks when you are watching the TV.

4. Tea – Singapore does have a large Chinese population and with that, comes tea. I normally drink green and white tea but I guess all types of tea gives some sort of health benefit to the drinker. One of the most important benefits is the cancer fighting properties as well as the antioxidants in tea. Tea also stimulate the immune system, helps fight high blood pressure, prevent blood clotting, helps fight against viral and bacterial infections. I highly recommend everyone to drink at least one cup per day.

5. Yogurt – Yes, one of my favourite foods! Although they come in a variety of favours and “fillings”, I would highly recommend you to try to plain kind. Yes, they might be a little tart, but after a while, you will find them rather delightful with some pieces of fruits. I know I am. Anyway, yogurt is high in calcium, protein, B vitamins and many other nutrients and vitamins. However, the most important is the live cultures in the yogurt.  These little beneficial bacteria helps to strengthen your immune system.

6. Sea Weed – We love them don’t we? I mean they probably originated from Japanese cuisine but who cares. From what I read on the Internet, it seems to suggest that sea weed contains all the necessary minerals a body needs to survive. They also contains different types of vitamins, even the rare B12 vitamin which is not commonly found in land vegetables. Of course, most of the sea weed we get in our stores are those meant as snacks. So they come loaded with soya sauce and are usually salted. Not really that good for health if you ask me. So try go for those which are meant for cooking.

Sure, this list is not comprehensive. Not even by half. So if you guys have anything to add, please leave a comment. I would greatly appreciate any constructive comments.

Blooming Tea?

659 days ago

No sure what this is? Well, me neither. I only recently found out that there are like tons and tons of different types of tea. There are even teas that don’t...

No sure what this is? Well, me neither. I only recently found out that there are like tons and tons of different types of tea. There are even teas that don’t come from the Camellia sinensis plant! We have green tea, black tea, oolong tea and white tea. These are all from the Camellia sinensis plant. There are also “red” tea or rooibos tea from the South Africa and the Honeybush tea also from South Africa. In addition, we still have herbal teas which are usually made from flowers, fruits or herbs. There are even infusion teas which are a mix of different types of tea, herbs, flowers and so on. They even have those infusion which includes rice! I mean, it is just amazing to realize the variety and depth of the tea culture. And yes, I am sure that you guys should know by now that I am a big tea fan.

I have been drinking tea regularly for the past year or so. In the beginning, I started with just plain old Lipton tea, which I believe is Black tea. Then I started with the milder green tea and occasionally I go for white teas. And oh, yes I do quite often take rooibos tea as well. In my opinion, they all taste pretty decent to me. I especially like the Rooibos tea. It has this complex flavour which the other teas I often consume cannot match.

Anyway, my friend purchase this blooming tea for me during his trip to China. It is some sort of a mix of flowers and green tea. When the tea is soaked in warm water, it will “bloom” so to speak, creating a beautiful display of  green teal leaves with flowers in the middle. Well, yes, it is all about aesthetics here but you got to be impressed with the results. Of course, you will have to have a glass pot for showing off the little piece of art. Surprisingly, the price of tea in China is not really cheap. Or perhaps it is because my friend went to those tourist areas and he was “carrot-chopped”?

This is the box the tea came in. Fashion. Art Tea. Whatever.

Something. My mandarin sucks. Time for me to go back to school.

Here we have the individually wrapped tea “balls“, which is a good thing. One thing I often worry about tea is the cleanliness and the hygiene. Although during the brewing process, hot water is added but is that enough to kill of any bacteria or germs? Not too sure but at least I haven’t fallen ill from taking tea recently.

So what you do is to put this mushroom like tea thingy into a pot of hot water and in no time, it will develop into a piece of art.

There, this is what it should become. Not bad right?

Mix of flowers and green tea leaves. Actually if you think about it, quite impressive.

There have different types of “art” for you to choose from. Confusing? In the beginning, it was pretty confusing to me as well. But hey, just choose something you like. If I am not wrong, you can purchase this from eBay and they ship to Singapore.

See, you do need a nice glass pot to have the nice effect. Where to go those cool glass tea pot eh?

Some more examples.

Even more examples.

As you guys can see, I didn’t try it out myself. The main reason is because I do not have a nice glass pot to brew the tea. And I am not really into floral teas myself. Maybe in time, I will learn to appreciate such teas, but currently, I am still enjoying my rooibos and green tea. Ciao, see you guys later.

Nature’s Wonders Cashew Nuts

666 days ago

It is time to review cashew nuts! Hoooray! Of course, cashew nuts are not some exotic snack in Singapore but they are not the cheapest either. That distinction would be our...

It is time to review cashew nuts! Hoooray! Of course, cashew nuts are not some exotic snack in Singapore but they are not the cheapest either. That distinction would be our very favourite peanuts. In Singapore, it seems that peanuts are the main choice of snacks for quite a number of people. No, I am not saying that peanuts taste bad, but it is not surprising that Singaporeans are not adventurous when it comes to food. We tend to stick to the old ones. Well, what can I say? Anyway, I bought this Nature’s Wonders Cashew Nuts from NTUC.  Not really that cheap compared to the other brands, but hey, nothing is cheap in Singapore. Even soya bean drinks nowadays cost about one dollar per cup. Yes, artificial inflation is the key word here.

One thing I really like about cashew nuts is the taste. If baked, they do taste pretty natural but with hint of “woodiness”. At the very least, they taste and feel different from the rest of the nuts we have in our local stores. I like macadamia nuts as well but seriously, not many people can afford to buy macadamia nuts on a regular basis.

Cool, this is Nature’s Wonders Cashew Nuts. Nice packaging but the cashew nuts don’t really look that tempting. Looks like of unappealing if you ask me. But of course, this is merely baked, so the colour would not be that deep.

Yes, the healthier snack! No added salt, no cholestrol and the cashew nuts are trans-fat free! So it should be great for health conscious people.

See – baked! It comes with the Healthier Choice logo from the Health Promotion Board. But beware, if I am not wrong, if you dump money, you can easily get this logo. Always read up on the Internet before believing all these “logos”.

The back of the pack.

Baked Cashew nuts! I believed baked cashew nuts are more healthy than fried ones.  The ingredients are just natural cashew kernels. This pack contains about 70g of nuts. Oh, they also state how to enjoy the snack – toppings for salads, topping for ice-creams, cakes and pastries and good to eat with yogurt and breakfast oats. Lol, I just eat them straight from the pack.

Made in Malaysia, like most of our snacks. I guess it is just too expensive to have any manufacturing done in Singapore anymore.

Here we have the nutrition information. Nothing too spectacular but from what I read, nuts are indeed healthy. But avoid those that comes with tons of salt or preservatives. Those are not healthy!

Wong Coco Young Coconut Juice With Pulp

670 days ago

Yup, it is about time we review something else other than yogurts and what-not. It is time to review coconut juice! No, I am not talking about the coconut milk which...

Yup, it is about time we review something else other than yogurts and what-not. It is time to review coconut juice! No, I am not talking about the coconut milk which you get from squeezing the coconut meat (the milky white stuff used for making curries) but from the water that is in the coconut. Yes, the clear refreshing liquid! You know, when you break open a coconut, the liquid that flows from itself the coconut itself? I remember when I was much younger, we used to get the coconut fresh from the stall and the lady would break open for us and give us a cup of ice……it was extremely refreshing on a warm afternoon. And even till now, nothing beats the cold cooling coconut juice, right? However, nowadays it is rather difficult to find stalls selling coconut anymore.

Anyway, the next best option is to get canned coconut juice. Yes, they don’t taste like the real thing, but then which canned stuff tastes like the real thing? And you don’t have waste time breaking them open, you just flip the lid and you get something which resembles the real thing. I guess life is all about trade-offs. Anyway, I bought this Wong Coco Young Coconut Juice with Pulp from Sheng Siong. Quite cheap, about 70 cents per can.

Wong Coco Young Coconut Juice With Pulp. It means that they add some bits and pieces of coconut pulp to the drink.

There you have it, a clearer picture.

The ingredients are young Coconut juice, pulp and sugar. I guess the canning process does destroy some of the sweetness and flavour of the coconut juice – they have to add some sugar into the mix. Yes, the actual coconut juice is already quite sweet.

Hmmm….good iron content. Oh, the juice has no cholesterol, no colouring and no preservatives. Too bad for the sugar, but other than that, it should be a better option than those sugary soda drinks which we are so used to. But to tell you the truth, I find the taste of the canned drinks incomparable to the real thing. I think I would rather spend a dollar more to get a young coconut and break it open myself.