#20: Home-cooked Dinner for 冬至!~

冬至 aka 'Winter Festival' falls on the Lunar Nov 15 (full moon) or around December 22

This year it happened to be on a friday, 21st Dec 2012!

DOOMSDAY. phew thank god we pulled through.

Depending on your roots, 

tradition would to be eat chinese dumplings (northern china) 

or tang yuan (southern china)

Being from a very traditional family, 

we make our own fillings & wrap our own dumplings ^^

My family uses very lean pork and lots of vegetables for the filling

whereas restaurants tend to use fattier cuts for "juicier" purposes

 This year, we had a wonder spread for dinner!

Much thanks to my talented and creative Jackie <3

Dumplings done 3 ways:

Original - flour wrapping

Cabbage-rolled Dumplings

Oven Roasted Bell Peppers stuffed with Dumpling Fillings 

Other Dishes:

Sauteed Ti Wang Miao, Eggplant, Tomatoes

Steamed fish with mom-made pickled vegetables

I'm so blessed to have such talented chefs around me 

which is probably why I never fail to have dinner at home Mon-Fri

the event that I look forward to at the end of every day..

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Just came up with a menu for New Year's dinner with my dad

Teehee hope it goes well!~

p.s. the cyst under my tongue which i went under the knife TWICE to cut off seems to have regrown..so may have to go back to the hospital again...sigh feel really guilty for taking so many MC leave on internship :(

#19: Superfood - Black Coffee

Happened to pop by The Star @ Buona Vista today

since I was in the area... 

[went to NUH for a post-surgery follow up]

and look what I found~

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A cafe opened by OWL!

Yeap, it's the same brand popular for its coffee and tea products sold in all the supermarkets

a large cup for $1.90 only

I always start my mornings with a nice big cup of black coffee

or Kopi-o-kosong, i.e. coffee without milk & sugar

it helps to kick start my sluggish digestive system after entire night of sleep

helpful for people suffering from constipation

and also most importantly, to boost metabolism ^^

here's a compilation of the benefits of drinking coffee that I found:

• Rich in anti-oxidants that aid in weight loss

• The caffeine content affects the metabolic rate of the body aiding in energy production with the burning of body fats

• Provides minimal no. of calories to the body. Black coffee is basically a calorie-free beverage, so you can enjoy it anytime even while dieting

• Makes you more alert and gives you extra energy to workout for long. Increase in workout burns more calories, thus reduces weight

• Temporarily decreases your desire to eat by suppressing your appetite. It has caffeine which stimulates the release of CCK, an appetite suppressant hormone. CCK delays the onset of hunger and promotes a feeling of fullness.

• Coffee has a diuretic effect, which causes a short-term weight loss because it lowers the overall body weight, but not fat  by decreasing the amount of fluid you are holding. This is beneficial for women who retain more water during menstruation.

• Caffeine also promotes lipolysis, a process of fonversion of fat into fatty acids.

• Black coffee helps to flush out your stool. Coffee is a coarse fiber food and acts as a mild cathartic agent which has a rapid effect. Only 4 minutes after drinking coffee, gastric peristalsis begins and this causes weight loss.

• It promotes the decomposition of hidden fat. The fatty acids and the muscle will be absorbed into the body releasing energy, and aid in losing weight.

• Black coffee can also promote cardiovascular circulation.

• The smell of coffee can provide emotional stability too as it improves the sensitivity of your organs. A cup of black coffee can improve work efficiency and this can lead to  weight loss, as you in a better mood to have more physical exercise.

Other than weight loss, black coffee also helps to prevent a number of other illnesses,

such as Parkinson's, Colon Cancer, Stroke etc.

So next time when you're out and about, grab a cup of black coffee instead of the normal sugary drinks

when at....

coffeeshop/foodcourt - kopi-o-kosong

cafe - americano/long black/espresso

it may taste extremely bitter at first, but you'll grow to love it 

this way, you can truly enjoy the delicate coffee aroma of diff coffee varieties

& become a true coffee lover ;)

this girl loves her big cups of joe

p.s. havent been blogging regularly lately. will do update soon on what i'd been munching on this past xmas weekend and the friday before that!! 

(because it was 冬至, and tradition is to eat chinese dumplings or tang yuan depending on where your ancestors are from) ^^

but seriously, been feasting far too much as of late. it is time to control my never-ending appetite. 

#18: Birthday Sunday: Jane Thai + Gardens by the Bay

Had dinner at Jane Thai @ Simpang Bedok on the Sunday of my Birthday Week

I recommend this eatery as a healthy alternative for eat-outs

it serves Thai food and is pretty affordable with no GST & service charge

I especially love spicy food because they increases metabolism and fat oxidation

"Studies have shown that a spicy meal, such as a bowl of chili, can provide a temporary rise in metabolism of about 8% greater than a person’s typical metabolic rate"

in addition, they also work as mild appetite suppressants

"eating spicy foods makes one feel fuller and therefore consume less actual food"

Papaya Salad

Sambal Belachan Kang Kong! - healthier alternative to normal sambal loaded with oil

Claypot Mussels

Tom Yam Kway Tiao

Clear Tom Yam Soup - healthier compared to the other (redder soup) as no coconut milk is added for this

Lemongrass Flavored Plain Water - A nice surprise
Great to put out the fire

Meal for 2! - $40

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Visited Gardens by the Bay after dinner for a walk to aid digestion...

A rather happening birthday week for me this year (:

hehe pretty good for someone like me who don't usually like to fuss over such occassions

But the month is not ending yet...

CHRISTMAS IS COMING!!!

Already made plans to Buffet-Movie on Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday

Can't wait! x)

Have a jolly holiday everyone!

Merry Christmas! 

<3, Kylie

#17: Birthday Saturday: Kuishin Bo with my Family!

Introducing.... KUISHIN BO

my favourite japanese restaurant :D

I frequent the Suntec Branch most 

and they have 2 other branches at Great World City and Jurong Point

Prices vary for each branch so check out their website for the exact rates!

www.kuishinbo.com.sg

Came for lunch on Saturday to celebrate my dad's birthday and mine ^^

My family and friends which I intro-ed to this place 

now love this restaurant as much as I do

teehee <3

Sashimi, Seafood & Sushi

Their sashimi and seafood are always so fresh!!

which is why Kuishin Bo is totally my favourite buffet hang out <3

try their scallop, mussels and crab legs as well! 

Healthier Corner: Salads & Fruits

specially prepared salads :D

Japanese Sweet Potato!

fruits veggies fruits *-*

Japanese Delicacies

Paper Steamboats! - love love

Hot Dishes - vary to changes

Ratatouille - I LOVED THIS

Japanese-style fried noodle

Oven-baked Dory - delicious!!

xmas special - german sausages

 Tempura

Teppanyaki

mixed veg, cream dory, teriyaki chicken, angus beef

xmas special

the angus beef is GOOD

guess what, apart from japanese...

Kuishin Bo is also popular for their desserts! 

especially their in-house made Hokkaido Ice Cream!!

a dessert lover's heaven~

Desserts

they also serve matcha tea, large variety of herbal infused tea bags and a coffee machine!

I totally appreciate these healthy drink choices

differentiates them from the other buffets in Singapore

value-add value add!

Here are some of the photos I took during my previous visits to Kuishin Bo: 

Lunch buffets are definitely my thing because at least I'll have the rest of the day to digest it off

and I don't have to go to sleep feeling uncomfortably stuffed to my brim

although Kuishin Bo do serve Snow Crab Legs as the main attraction for their dinner! :S

they also have a 1 hour lunch promotion going on!

and it's definitely worth every buck.

One of the healthier, consistently good quality buffets you can find around Singapore!

ahhhh can't wait to go back again!

-self-discipline please girl please-