In a blink of an eye, we are now in our last week of online/home based learning. This is it. Bella will officially be done with 5th grade and Jamie with 1st grade. Time really flew by. We have been living this new normal for the past 8 weeks now. And even though I know it has been difficult for my kids, more so Bella than Jamie, they have been superb! They do what they are supposed to do when it comes to homeschooling, they help around a lot with house chores and I think we definitely appreciate each other more. I know I do.

We are spending so much of our waking hours together since they haven't been going to school. And that means cooking 3 meals a day, everyday! And I haven't even included the crazy amount of snacks these kids need! While I do stock the pantry with store bought cookies, chips and other snacks, Kian is always trying to encourage us to not consume so much snacks that has added sugar. But this mama here sometimes have sweet cravings too.

So, these Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies are a great substitute. It is low in carbs because it is flourless. Almond flour aka almond meal is not type of flour actually. It is basically ground blanched almonds. I used Monk Fruit Blend as a sugar substitute and because everyone is baking at home during this pandemic, sugar free chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips were out of stock. So, I had to used semi-sweet chocolate chips instead. But you can absolutely make this a flourless and sugar free recipe if the ingredients are available to you.

Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
by Miss Crumbs A Lot, adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie

Recipe
Ingredients
1 cup Almond Flour or Almond Meal (finely ground)
2 tbsp Monk Fruit Blend
1/4 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Xantham Gum
2 tbsp Coconut Oil
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1  tbsp Almond Milk
4 tbsp Chocolate Chips (of your choice)

Cooking Method
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Mix the almond flour, monk fruit blend, salt, baking soda and xantham gum very well together.
3. Dissolve the coconut oil in the microwave in short cooking times (20-30 seconds) until it is in a liquid form.
4. Add the coconut oil, vanilla extract and almond milk to the dry ingredients. Mix until a soft dough is formed. If it is too dry, you may add another 1/2-1 tbsp of almond milk.
5. Shape the dough into round cookies and place on a parchment paper lined baking tray.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 10-15 minute as they will be very soft and delicate when first taken out of the oven. The cookies will firm up once cooled.

Makes 10 small cookies.

We recently had some beautiful weather over the last weekend and since we still preferred to stay home and social distance, we just spent the afternoon swimming and chilling in our backyard. Dinner was already in the grill and the table was set for us to dine out in our patio. But knowing my kids, whenever they swim or are just playing in the pool, they seem to get extremely hungry the moment they step out of the water. Since dinner won't be ready for another 20 minutes or so, I quickly whipped up these super delicious Chinese Scallion Pancakes for them to have as an appetizer and to tide them over until dinner was ready.

These Chinese Scallion Pancakes are so easy and simple, you can make it in no time with just some pantry staples. Served hot straight off the skillet, my family literally devoured it in 60 seconds!

Chinese Scallion Pancakes
by Miss Crumbs A lot, adapted from food52

Recipe
Pancakes Ingredients
1 cup All Purpose Flour (unbleached) with extra for dusting
1/2 tsp Sea salt
1 tbsp Ghee or Clarified Butter
1/4 cup Water
2 tbsp Milk (I used 2%)
1/2 cup Scallion (thinly sliced)
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil

Dipping Sauce Ingredients
2 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
1 tsp Sesame oil
Dash of White Pepper Powder

Cooking Method
1. Please refer to the pictures above throughout the recipe. Make dipping sauce by whisking all the ingredients together and set aside. You may also use store bought dumpling sauce. In a mixing bowl, combine flour and salt.
2. Combine 1/4 cup of water and 2 tbsp of milk in a microwavable bowl or measuring cup. Warm it up in the microwave for 1 minute. Pour the mixture into the flour and mix with a spatula until a soft dough is formed. You may add more warm water or flour but do not rush to do so yet. Use your hands to mix the dough until it is soft and does not stick to your hands. You may find that with some patience and kneading, no additional water or flour may be needed at all.
3. Lightly dust clean counter top or clean surface with some flour, knead the dough for about a minute or two. Divide the dough into 2 pieces and allow it to rest, covered with a slightly damp paper towel for about 5 minutes.
4. Keeping counter top light dusted with flour, roll out one dough into a 8"round circle with a flour dusted rolling pin, to about 1/8" thick. Repeat with second ball of dough.
5. Using your finger tips, smear the ghee or clarified butter over rolled out dough. From the edge of the circle, roll up the dough into a tight log. Then, roll up the log into a tight spiral ball. Repeat with the second rolled out dough. Allow it to rest, covered with a slightly damp paper towel for about 5 minutes.
6. Keeping counter top light dusted with flour, roll out one spiral dough ball into a 8"round circle with a flour dusted rolling pin, to about 1/8" thick. Repeat with second spiral ball of dough.
7. Sprinkle the thinly sliced scallions on top of the rolled out dough. From the edge of the circle, roll up the dough into a tight log again. Then, roll up the log into a tight spiral ball again. Repeat with the second rolled out spiral ball of dough. Allow it to rest, covered with a slightly damp paper towel for about 5 minutes.
8. Keeping counter top light dusted with flour, gently roll out one spiral dough ball with scallions into a 8"round circle with a flour dusted rolling pin, to about 1/8" thick. Repeat with second spiral ball of dough with scallions. Set aside covered with slightly damp paper towel until ready to fry.
9. In a non-stick frying pan or skillet, heat up 2 tbsp of vegetable oil over medium to medium high heat. Carefully lay one pancake into frying pan. Fry until the underside is golden brown, gently flip and cook the other side until it is golden brown as well.
10. Remove from heat and onto a chopping board. Cut into 8 triangle slices and serve hot with dipping sauce.

Makes 2 pancakes

Every Tuesday, it is game night for our family. We'd make an effort to have dinner early and then have a round of one of our favorite board game. We have been enjoying games like "Catan", "Ticket to Ride", "Sushi Go" and "Ramen Fury", just to name a few. And some of these games would take us 1.5 hrs or more to complete. So, to avoid having the kids go to bed too late, I'd usually make a quick and easy dinner bowl for the family.

This Mongolian Ground Beef stir fry is packed with amazing umami flavors and was so delicious, the family gobbled it up so quickly. We had some leftovers for the kids' lunch the next day and it tasted even better. You can serve it with rice and a side of sautéed spinach with red bell pepper (as shown). For a lower carb option, you can serve it with lentils (as shown) or quinoa.

Mongolian Ground Beef Bowl
by Miss Crumbs A Lot, inspired by Dinner Then Dessert

Recipe
Ingredients
2 lbs Ground Beef
2 tbsp Sesame Oil
1/2 Onion (diced)
3 tbsp Minced Ginger
4 tbsp Mirin
4 tbsp Rice Vinegar
1/2 cup Light Soy Sauce
2 tsp Sesame Seeds
1/2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
Chopped Scallions (for garnishing)

Cooking Method
​1. In a wok, heat up 2 tbsp of sesame oil. Brown the ground beef and drain the liquids when cooked.
2. Add in diced onion and 3 tbsp of minced ginger. Stir fry until fragrant.
3. Add in 4 tbsp of mirin, 4 tbsp of rice vinegar, half cup of light soy sauce and 2 tsp of sesame seeds. Continue cooking until the meat has absorbed the liquid seasoning..
4. Garnish with a dash of crushed red pepper, chopped scallions and serve with rice, lentils or quinoa. (I added the crushed red pepper on top of the meat before serving as my kids preferred it non-spicy. You may add in the crushed red pepper while cooking for some heat and spiciness, if preferred).

Makes 4-6 servings

Does this happen to your family a lot too? Whenever I buy bananas for the family, nobody eats them and then they get overly ripe, just hanging around in the kitchen. And when I don't buy any bananas, my family asks me for them. I never seem to be able to catch the wave. :)

So, having a couple of recipes that would use up these overly ripe bananas comes in handy. One of my family's favorite is Cekodok Pisang (Fried Banana Balls). They're lovely as an afternoon snack with a cup of tea or coffee. Some other recipes that I'd make with bananas are "Old School" Banana Cake or for a simple breakfast option, Gula Melaka Banana Pancakes.

This time around, I decided to make a Banana Bread instead. It is a basic recipe that you can build upon and customize to your own liking. I only had 3 bananas left and it still turned out great. However, I am certain you can add up to 5 or 6 bananas if you have that many. Both Bella and Jamie enjoyed the bread for breakfast and sometimes for afternoon tea too.

Banana Bread
by Miss Crumbs A Lot, adapted from All Recipes

Recipe
Ingredients
2 cups All Purpose Flour (sifted)
3/4 cup Pure Cane Sugar
2 Eggs
1/2 cup Butter
3 to 6 Overly Ripe Bananas (mashed)
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt

Cooking Method
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.
2. In a mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add in eggs and mashed bananas, mix until well combined.
4. Gently stir in sifted flour, baking soda and salt until well combined.
5. Pour batter into greased pan and bake for 60 to 65 minutes or when a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the loaf. Cool slightly before removing from pan to slice and serve.

It has been over a month since we've been staying home and social distancing. Being home has definitely inspired me to better hone my baking skills. I must admit I am not a very experienced baker and only have a few recipes under my belt. But I do enjoy the baking process. I find it rather therapeutic. And, with the desire to try and still keep our carb and sugar intake low, I have been exploring with low carb and low sugar dessert recipes.

Last week, I was looking through my pantry and discovered that I do have a handful of ingredients that I can pull together to attempt as low carb and low sugar chocolate brownie recipe. The original recipe is  keto-diet compliant but I did not have any monkfruit sweetener so I substituted with Truvia Baking Blend instead. Y'all, this Low Carb Chocolate Brownie is delicious and delightfully rich! It is not overly sweet and we liked it that way. I had reduced the amount of sugar substitute but you are welcome to add more if you prefer a sweeter version. I also baked the brownie through so it had a rich cake-like texture. I would definitely try reducing the bake time a little to achieve a fudge-like texture next time. 

Give this simple and easy recipe a go to satisfy your sweet tooth craving without having to feel too guilty.

Low Carb Chocolate Brownie
by Miss Crumbs A Lot, adapted from Fit To Serve

Recipe
Ingredients
3/4 cup Almond Flour (sifted)
3/4 cup Dark Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
3/4 cup Truvia Baking Blend
1 oz Unsweetened Baking Chocolate
10 tbsp Butter
3 Large Eggs
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Baking Powder

Cooking Method
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and lightly grease an 8 x 8 baking pan.
2. Using a double boiler, melt the butter, baking chocolate, Truvia Baking Blend and salt.
3. Once melted, mix in the cocoa powder. Stir well until well combined and let it cool slightly.
4. Once cooled, whisk in eggs and vanilla extract.
5. Add in almond flour and baking powder. Gently stir until well combined.
6. Pour batter into greased baking pan and bake for 20 to 25 min. Allow to cool before slicing and serving.

 I am sure by now, everyone is pretty much on the same page in terms of this global pandemic that we are currently going through. Like everyone else, we are attempting to make the best of this situation and living life with new norms and new terms such as "social distancing" & "stay home/work safe".

I had plunged into the year 2020 with such high hopes as my Pineapple Tarts business was taking off to great heights. I decided to take a break after Chinese New Year to regroup and evaluate how to bring my little home baked goods business to the next level. I never thought that this break would be indefinite, as of now.

With schools and most non-essential businesses closed, life has been a little less hectic at home for us. There's no rushing and ferrying kids around for activities. But with the kids home all day now, there really is no kicking back and watching movies all day long for me at all. I am making 3 meals a day for these hungry kids, facilitating online/distance learning and still keeping up with my house chores. Having said that, I am extremely grateful for the school district and teachers who have made so much effort and preparation to help the kids continue learning in a fun way at home. 

Now, being so busy cooking all day long has got me thinking about all the recipes that I had posted. Hence, I decided to start a series by re-sharing my recipes that might come in handy to you during these trying times.

To start, I compiled a list of simple ground beef recipes that you can make with what you may have on hand. I hope you'll find them useful.

 1. Spaghetti Bolognese
Spaghetti Bolognese, a recipe with very simple ingredients that creates a really tasty family meal. For a lower carb version, check out Spaghetti Squash Bolognese.

2. White Beans and Broccoli Meatballs
​A protein rich, super flavorful and satisfying White Bean and Broccoli Meatball recipe that is quick and easy to make.

3. Ginger Soy Minced Beef
Ginger Soy Minced Beef, an immensely flavorful stir fry that can be prepared in less than 15 minutes and is guaranteed to be way better than any take out!

For more Beef Recipes, click here.

If you have been following me on social media, you would have noticed that I recently started my very own cottage food business, Baked Goods by Miss Crumbs A Lot and kicked it off with my favorite Singapore Style Pineapple Tarts in Houston, Katy & Sugarland. Baking these delicious sweet treats every week leaves a gorgeous aroma in my kitchen all the time and my kids are often welcomed home with these fresh out of the oven Pineapple Tarts. If you are in the Houston & its surrounding area and would like to place an order, please feel free to contact me here. I also hope to have available a variety of other baked goods soon.

Adding on a regular baking schedule on top of my busy mom schedule definitely was not an easy task. It took me a couple of weeks to work out a routine as I experimented with several processes to try and make things more efficient while still being able to be 100% present for my family. Needless to say, attempting to get everything done while the kids are in school has become even more challenging now. I have to remind myself to prioritize my to-do items and not take on more than I can handle. 

Last week, I delivered a couple of boxes of the Pineapple Tarts to a fellow Singaporean living in Houston. I had lunch with her, we talked about our families and about how we managed our roles as stay at home mothers. She asked me, like many others have before, how do I manage my home baked goods business, have time to work out or as of now, train for a half marathon, write my blog, complete my house chores, make my school runs, after-school activity runs and still make dinner in time for my family? I laughed and said that I am the Queen of "Timers". I  have found great success with preparing dinners in advance and setting it on a timer to cook in my oven or my slow cooker. 

Just like this Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf recipe. Such an intensely flavorful basic meatloaf, wrapped with savory bacon, served with some marinara sauce and vegetables. Not to mention, it was extremely easy to make. I can prepare this dish before the kids come home from school and have it ready on a baking tray in the refrigerator. When ready to cook, simply pop it in the oven or like me, set it on a timer while you head out for after school activities with the kids. I have made this recipe a couple of times now and my family absolutely love it. And with it being so easy to prepare, t is definitely going to make a frequent appearance on our dinner table.

Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf
by Miss Crumbs A Lot, adapted from Delish

Recipe
Ingredients
2 lbs Ground Beef
1 medium Onion (chopped)
3 cloves Garlic (chopped)
1 tsp Dried Oregano
1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/4 cup Grated Parmesan
1/2 cup Almond Flour
2 Eggs
1 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
12 to 16 strips of Bacon
Salt & Pepper

Cooking Method
1. Preheat oven to 400 deg F. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil and grease it with some cooking spray or olive oil.
2. In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, chopped onions, chopped garlic, dried oregano, shredded cheddar cheese, grated parmesan, almond flour, 2 eggs and light soy sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Shape into a large loaf and place it on the greased baking tray. Wrap the meatloaf with bacon strips.
4. Bake in 400 deg F for about 1 hour or until the bacon is crispy and the beef is cooked through. If the bacon is cooking too quickly and is getting burnt, cover the meatloaf with a piece of foil.
5. Serve with warm marinara sauce, if desired.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

We are 3 days away from Mid-Autumn Festival which is on September 13 2019. Fortunately, it falls on a Friday this year. And since Bella and Jamie get to stay up a little later on Fridays, we will have more time for a traditional Chinese meal at home. Kian also returns home from his work trip in time for the festivities. So, it is perfecting timing as the family reunite over a Mid-Autumn Festival dinner. It is also our family tradition to light lanterns and enjoy mooncakes in our backyard after dinner.

Apart from buying my favorite Hong Kong brand baked mooncakes, I have also been making Snow Skin Mooncakes with Mung Bean Paste and Snow Skin Mooncakes with Red Bean Paste every year for the last couple of years now. However, this year, it is most unfortunate that my local Asian supermarket did not have any peeled split mung beans available. They were out of stock for 2 weeks! But when a door closes, another one opens. I actually found ready made red bean paste and lotus seed paste at the store. So I decided to make my snow skin mooncakes with ready made red bean paste instead. They worked out well and tasted pretty good.

I also bought the lotus seed paste and decided to try out another snow skin mooncake recipe - Pandan Snow Skin Mooncakes with Lotus Seed Paste. This recipe does not require any steam cooking and hence, is a lot easier and less time consuming to make. They also seem to refrigerate better too. I also receive extremely positive reviews from Bella and Jamie. They have been enjoying the Pandan Snow Skin Mooncakes with Lotus Seed Paste as an after school snack.

As with my other snow skin mooncake recipes, I recommend measuring the ingredients with a digital scale for food. All of the ingredients can be found at your local Asian supermarket.

Pandan Snow Skin Mooncakes
by Miss Crumbs A Lot, inspired by Singapore Hawker Food

Recipe
Ingredients
200g (7oz) Glutinous Rice Flour (divided)
200g (7oz) Powdered Sugar
30g (1.8oz) Shortening
A few drops of Pandan Essence
A few drops of Green Food Coloring (optional)
180ml (6 fl oz) Water
A few pieces of Pandan Leaves
1 500g (17.6oz) pkt Lotus Seed Paste

Equipment
1 50g size mooncake mold

Cooking Method
1. Divide the lotus seed paste into 30g (1oz) portions and roll them into balls. Set aside.
2. Bring water and Pandan leaves to a boil and then allow it to cool. Discard the Pandan leaves and add in Pandan essence. Mix well.
3. In a non stick pan, toast the glutinous rice flour until it turns light yellow. Divide them into 150g 5.3oz) and 50g (1.7oz) portions and set aside to cool.
4. Once glutinous rice flour is cooled, mix together 150g (5.3oz) flour, sugar and shortening. Add in Pandan water slowly and knead until a soft dough (snow skin wrap) is formed. You may use an electric mixer with a dough hook and add a few drops of green food coloring if you prefer a more intense color.
5. Divide the dough into 25g (0.88oz) portions.
6. Dust your hands, counter top and mooncake mold with the remaining 50g (1.7oz) toasted glutinous rice flour.
7. Wrap each lotus seed paste ball with snow skin wrap and seal completely. Shape it into a ball first then gently mold it into an oval.
8. Place the oval into the mooncake mold, place it on the counter top and gently push the shaping tool to shape the mooncake into the mold. Remove from mold gently.

​Makes 16 pieces

My kids have been back to school for a couple of weeks now and and I'm pretty certain a lot of you are in the same situation as me. Are you juggling between packing school lunches and shuttling the kids to and from sports practices? And for all the stay-at-home-mamas, are you trying to complete as many chores as you can before the kids get home? What about the working mamas who are trying to get it all together and still have a job?

Regardless of what type of mother we are, we are all trying our very best! And having a quick and easy dinner recipe that is delicious is definitely a win for all! This Simple Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry can be whipped in a matter of 15 minutes. I served it with rice, some steamed broccoli and Spinach Egg Drop Soup. Voila! Dinner is ready, family is happy and satisfied and I did not stress about it.

Here are some more of my quick and easy weeknight recipes that could be useful to you:

1. Asian Spiced Roast Chicken
2. Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
3. Broiled Pineapple Salmon
4. Honey Ginger Lime Pork
5. Spaghetti Bolognese

Simple Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry
by Miss Crumbs A Lot, inspired by Cooking Classy

Recipe
Ingredients
2 pieces of Chicken Breast (Boneless & skinless, cut into 1 inch cubes)
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Light Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Water
2 tbsp Honey
2 tbsp Mirin
1 inch piece of Ginger (minced)
2 cloves of Garlic (minced)
2 tsp Cornstarch
Sesame Seeds & Chopped Green Onions (for garnishing)

Cooking Method
1. In a measuring cup, mix together the light soy sauce, water, honey, mirin and cornstarch.
2. Heat olive oil up in wok or frying pan, stir fry minced ginger and garlic until fragrant.
3. Add in chicken pieces and continue str frying until chicken is cooked and browned.
4. Add in sauce mixture and continue to cook, allowing the sauce to thicken.
5. Serve with white rice and garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.

Makes 4 servings

Japanese cuisine has always been very popular in Singapore and is also one of my family's favorite. The Japanese cuisine offers such a great variety of dishes and regional specialties. Needless to say, Japan is one of our favorite countries to visit.

Kian and I have visited multiples times but Bella and Jamie have yet to do so. Although, we have stopped over at Narita Airport a few times and the both of them always enjoy what ever little time they have immersing in the language, culture and of course the food. With their love for Japanese food, we think they are absolutely ready to tour the country.

I've mentioned before in my other Japanese inspired recipes, Chicken Donburi and Pork Katsu Curry, that the cuisine is more than just raw seafood and sushi. And one of my children's favorite is Chicken Karaage. This simple recipe calls for chicken thigh meat that is cut into small bite size, marinated and then coating them with corn starch prior to deep frying. An easy recipe that is so versatile, it can be served as an appetizer, side dish or as a main meal with rice or noodles.

Chicken Karaage
by Miss Crumbs A Lot, adapted from No Recipes

Recipe
Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs Chicken Thighs (skinless and boneless)
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
2 tbsp Sake or Japanese Cooking Rice Wine
2 tbsp Minced Ginger
1 cup Corn Starch
Vegetable Oil for Frying
Lemon Wedges

Cooking Method
1. Cut chicken thighs into small bite sizes. Marinate it with soy sauce, sake or Japanese cooking rice wine and minced ginger for 1 to 2 hours in the refrigerator.
2. Heat vegetable oil in wok until the oil reaches approximately 350 degrees F.
3. Dredge the chicken pieces in corn starch and coat each piece evenly.
4. Deep fry the coated chicken pieces in batches. Once the chicken is golden brown and crispy, remove from oil and allow the chicken to rest on tempura paper or paper towels for a few minutes before serving.
5. Serve with lemon wedges.

Makes 4 servings