How To Store: Mint Leaves

Hi!

Forgive me for the extremely slow updates. My last exam falls this Thursday and I can assure you once I'm done you'll be begging me to stop updating frequently.

But today I'm here to show you guys how to store herbs. I'm sure you've been through this before. You find a recipe online, gawk at the beautifully done masterpiece on your 13" laptop and a surge of inspiration runs through you. You decide to get all the ingredients in this delicious, delicious dish and once you've had your fair share as a masterchef in the kitchen, left with ingredients you have no idea how to store.

And since I've been meaning to make a mint yogurt dressing for my baked fish tonight, I grabbed some mint leaves from Cold Storage after a run this morning.

Herbs (Pronounced erbs) are a beautiful thing. Small bunches of delight, prone to the destruction by our brambly hands. I have to admit I am horrible at storing anything that deserves only the best. I dump my spinach and romaine lettuce in the fridge the minute I get home in the package itself because I'm lazy. But as of late I have been trying to cultivate the habit of preserving these Godsent hues of green because they do deserve more than just being dumped into the vegetables section of the fridge. And also cos I have to fork out $6 friggin dollars for spinach leaves and $12 for kale. 

In case you don't know what mint leaves can be used for, I found a couple of recipes online that call for them.

Easy Mint Chocolate Chip Icecream

Chocolate Covered Mint Leaves by Martha Stewart

Duck Breasts with Pomegranate and Mint, by Nigella Lawson

Spiced Salmon with Lentils & Mint Yogurt

Orange, Carrot & Mint Soup

Or a perk me up, lemon water with fresh mint. (Yea those fancyass water you pay service tax/7% GST for and you force yourself to not think about how much of a ripoff it can be)

-----

How To Store:

Mint Leaves

1. Prepare 2 squares of paper towels.

2. Take the mint leaves out of the package.

3. Wash them lightly over running water.

4. Place the leaves (with/without the stems, to your preference) on the towel.

5. Leave to dry for about 15-20 mins.

6. Using a separate paper towel, pat the top of the mint leaves to absorb any remaining liquids.

7. Place mint leaves on a new paper towel.

8. Fold into a square, ensuring you don't crush them.

9. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for a maximum of 1 week.

-----

Till next time,

xx

Oatmeal Pizza Crust Recipe

The weather today is unforgivable.

I've resorted to plumping myself in my chair and switching the aircon on to full blast while Clara C's cover of Thriftshop fills the room, bouncing off the 4 walls I've confined myself in.

Bliss.

And because I've a little bit of spare time before having to dive back and hit the books to prep for my last 2 presentations + exam of the year before I can finally bid goodbye to 3 years of hell, torment yet wonderful memories, I've decided to talk about dinner I had one night that turned out better than expected.

I love pizza. The best pizza I had was in the UK. A generous amount of mozerella cheese, sundried tomato and meatballs smothered onto a 10" circular piece of heaven toasted to perfection. The cheese oozing with every bite and the crust thick, slightly burnt with oh so sinfully good with the garlic mayo that accompanied it. I've just had lunch but I'm craving pizza again sigh.

Being restless as usual, I decided to hunt for a healthier alternative to my sinful craving and chanced upon this. A flourless pizza crust that only involved the use of (a)oatmeal and (b)an egg. I was skeptical, very skeptical. How could that possibly be any good? But I decided to go ahead with it anyway.

I topped it with some leftover ingredients I had in the fridge whilst scurrying through. Portobello mushrooms, spinach, a pasta base and feta/mozzarella cheese. The end result? A filling yet satisfying meal. It sure did satisfy my craving for a pizza. It wasn't sinful but at the same time, rewarding. The cheese pulled everything together, creating a masterpiece I never though would be possible.

Healthiest Pizza in The World Recipe

Adapted from blogilates

Serves 1

Base:

1/4 cup dry oats

1 TBS ground flax seed

1 egg

Ingredients:

1 portobello mushroom

Handful of cheese of choice

Pasta base

Spinach leaves

Directions:

Preheat oven to 180degrees celsius. 

Mix base together in a bowl and slowly mould into a circular shape with your hands. Place it on aluminum foil on a baking tray and bake for about 10-12 mins depending on your oven.

Once crust has been baked, take it out (texture should be firmer by now) and lay pasta base, mushrooms, spinach leaves and sprinkle cheese on top. Feel free to use whatever toppings you like! Put into oven again to bake for another 10-15 mins.

Once the timer buzzes, check to see if ingredients aren't burnt and have melted to your desire. Cool and serve!

If you're wondering how many calories this is, it adds to about 300-400 calories depending on your toppings. But hey, I wouldn't really fret at all. The base is made of oats and egg so how wrong could you go?

Now it's back to reality to finish those unending pile of assignments.

Product Review: Carried Away Body Lotion by Bath & Body Works

Hi guys!

I'm back with yet another post. However this post pertains to a beauty product I've recently purchased so if you're not keen on beauty products, scroll down for my food reviews.

My cousin's girlfriend travels to USA frequently as her work requires her to do so. I managed to ask her to grab a few items for me & one of them was a brand I've once tried and have since been wanting to lay my hands on again.

Bath & Body Works is a US brand that sells a variety of bath, body, spa and home products. I remember my aunt bringing home a bottle of Cherry Blossom about 3 years ago. One whiff and I was transported to Japan. The floral, cherry blossom scent made me feel as though I was walking through a field of blooming cherry blossoms. In all honesty, I think this is how the colour pink would smell like!

Carried Away makes me want to sit in a bed full of soft pillows, delve into a good book with a hot cup of jasmine tea and fairy lights lit up with the voice of Norah Jones serenading me to bliss. It contains several notes like lush raspberries, white jasmine and whipped vanilla.

Pros: If you love floral, vanilla scents you'd LOVE this. I've been using it daily & it never fails to fill my room with hints of vanilla and scented flowers. It's not overpowering, not at all sticky & gets absorbed into the skin easily. I use this every night after my bath and it moisturizes my skin and makes it so daaaaamn smooth. The texture is somewhat thick but doesn't leave a sticky residue, which is a plus point. In it contains shea butter, fast absorbing jojoba oil and protective vitamin E, which hydrates skin with moisture that lasts all day.

Cons: I can't think of any cons at the moment, but I would think this would only be suitable for people who do not have sensitive skin as the scent might be a tad overpowering for sensitive skin types. I wouldn't recommend this for when you travel to colder countries as it isn't strong enough to hydrate the skin.

My verdict?: B&B has definitely gotten themselves a new customer. Although you are unable to find them in Singapore without being ripped off, you are able to purchase them from sprees from online stores like drugstore.com

#30daysmoothiechallenge

I have since hopped on the #30daysmoothie challenge which makes you have your daily intake of greens without you having to chew them and taste the bitterness with each painful bite. How awesome is that? 

I readily admit, I am a person who rarely eats her greens. And even if I do, they would either have to be so soft all the nutrients would have disappeared all I'm left with is are broccoli and carrots once filled with a chockfull of vitamins, or a few measly pieces of spinach leaves sandwiched between my crusted bread. Asparagus? Sure, just make sure they're soft and not crunchy. Yes, I don't like my veggies.

But ever since I chanced upon the 30 day smoothie challenge, I've told myself to embark on a new journey once more. To secretly incorporate more leafy greens into my diet without my tastebuds screaming for help and for on-the-go days when I simply do not have the time to measure the amount of ingredients I would need for a proper meal.

--

Berry Protein Bash

Serves 1

1 cup spinach, fresh

1 cups almond milk, unsweetened

1/2 cup strawberries

1/2 cup blueberries, frozen

1 banana

1/2 tablespoon flaxseed (Optional)*

*Make sure you grind your flaxseed before blending it as our body is unable to digest the flaxseed

Directions
Easy peasy. Put all the ingredients in a blender and... Blend! Serve with a side of berries if you'd like.

Nutritional Info

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Hello fellow hungry goers,

Some snacks for you fitspo girls to take note of in case you guys feel a lil hungry!

Have a great Sunday! :)