PBfit Low-Fat-Low-Cal Muffins

Wake up to a healthy start in the morning and power up with this breakfast oatmeal (a combination of homemade muesli and milk, boosted by antioxidants-rich fresh fruits and BetterBody Foods Superfood Blend) and peanut butter on whole-wheat bread.

In our family, we have peanut butter on toast almost every day. Since it is a breakfast staple, a healthier peanut butter like PBfit Powdered Nut Butter - with 87% less fat than traditional peanut butter and 1/3 the calories - makes a great alternative.

Powdered peanut butter also means more versatility in usage; as peanut butter can now be easily added (no more sticky spoons or scoops!) to smoothies and your favorite bakes - cakes, cookies, and muffins.


Imagine...no more waiting (and waiting...) for the creamy peanut butter to drip down slowly the tablespoon, and no more trying to get the last bit wiped off completely from the spoon or scoop!

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Turkey Pasta with Rao's Marinara Sauce

Grain bowls and salad bowls - coupled with plant-based proteins such as beans/legumes, tofu, tempeh, or meat options like chicken, or even seafood - are still part of the family meal plan. However, soups and stews, porridge and congee start to have a presence at the dinner table more often during the winter season as these hot and warm dishes says nothing but comfort, just like this Mushroom Turkey Pasta with Marinara Sauce.


Store-bought jarred pasta sauce is convenient and saves a lot of cooking time in the kitchen. However, I hardly use jarred pasta sauce because it is usually too high in sodium and lacks fresh tomato flavor; until I came across several good reviews on Rao's Homemade Marinara Sauce.

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Bean Pasta with Vegetarian Tofu Curry

Explore Cuisine bean-powered pasta is not only great in taste and texture; it also provides a good amount of protein and fiber per serving. Their Organic Edamame Spaghetti and Organic Black Bean Spaghetti contain 24 g of protein per 2 oz serving - almost three times more than regular pasta and twice that of chickpea or lentil.


To enjoy the best of both worlds, I used two different spaghetti - Edamame Spaghetti and Black Bean Spaghetti, to create this dish - Edamame and Black Bean Spaghetti with Steamed Vegetables in Vegetarian Tofu Green Curry

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Gluten-Free Bean Pasta with Veggies Kale, Zucchini, Green Beans

Beans on beans, pulses or more pulses. What do you say? Plant-protein power! Made from organic edamame and mung bean, Explore Cuisine's gluten-free fettuccine* carries the leftover bean "sauce" very well and makes a nice warm veggie pasta lunch on a cool breezy day. Alternatively, make a quick chickpea salad, toss it with pasta and save this pasta salad or Edamame and Mung Bean Fettuccine Veggie Salad Bowl for the hot summer days.


This bean fettuccine* on its own tastes very flavorful, warm or at room temperature (cooked and allowed to cool a few minutes). Personally, I enjoy the natural bean flavor of this pasta as it shines through without any sauce, just like this Edamame and Mung Bean Fettuccine Veggie Salad Bowl.

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Jackfruit Tofu Green Curry 菠萝蜜绿咖喱

The lazy-cook's idea simply popped when I saw Thai Green Curry Simmer Sauce, placed beside canned Green Jackfruit at my local Trader Joes store. Good thinking, Trader Joes!

One-pot vegetarian jackfruit green curry, why not? How about adding quick, easy and delicious to it?

That will sit alongside my other one-pot dishes such as One-Pot Tomato Rice, One-Pot Pasta and One-Pot Beans and Lentils.


Before I conceived this one-pot idea, I have not even browsed Trader Joes Fearless Flyer! But coincidentally, while I was flipping the flyer book one breakfast morning, that ambitious goal to make a quick, easy and delicious one-pot vegetarian green curry seems not that far off. The Fearless Flyer actually had a write-up for Thai Green Curry Simmer Sauce and Green Jackfruit on the same page, and as recommended combo for cooking.

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Explore Cuisine Organic Bean Pasta

Made with two gluten-free ingredients - organic edamame and organic mung beans, this vegetarian-friendly protein-rich (24g protein per serving size) pasta alternative boasts high nutritional value. Explore Cuisine bean pastas* are all certified gluten-free, vegan and kosher.


There are some other brands of gluten-free chickpea and lentil pasta in the market that cooks soft and mushy, but this bean pasta from Explore Cuisine* does not.  In fact, within 4-5 minutes, this pasta cooks to al-dente which was what I wanted for my noodle salad. The "beany" taste is also a pleasant surprise - in a beany good way!  If you have tried fresh yuba (tofu skins) before, this bean pasta tastes similar.

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Better Body Foods Organic Superfood Blend with Protein

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It makes perfect sense to have a wholesome, nutritious and healthy meal in the morning. However, many of us actually do not spend enough time on breakfast - whether it is preparing or eating.

Personally, I (try to) make sure the family gets a wholesome and healthy breakfast before we start our day, and meal preparation got it done for us better and faster. Within a typical precious 30-minute time-frame in the busy morning, this batch-prepared (once per week or once every two weeks) Homemade Oat Grains, Nuts and Seeds Muesli has given me the luxury to eat and enjoy breakfast at the table without the need to scuffle in the kitchen to put something decent together.

With homemade muesli, all I need is organic milk, fresh fruits, and Better Body Foods’ Organic LIVfit Superfood Blend with Protein.

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Avocado Sardines Omega-3 Sandwich

I got this sandwich idea from Alton Brown's episode on.....Sardines!

A good sustainable Omega-3 friendly sandwich, baby!


I adapted his dressing for sardines: use cilantro instead of parsley, and added a little diced tomatoes.


Then everything fall in place as what he "taught". Spread the avocado on a toast, then lay the dressed sardines on top of the avocado. Very tasty! I love it! ...speaking from me who is not really a big fan of avocado. But when it's done this way, I embrace it graciously.

I enjoy my bread lightly toasted. You can use a sandwich toaster or this George Foreman GR10B 36 Square Inch Nonstick Countertop Grill, Black, just like what I have done.

Brisling Sardines Olive Oil, Lemon, Tomato Dressing

After trying Brunswick Sardines In Spring Water, 3.75 Ounce Tins (Pack of 25) - ($1.29/tin at Trader Joes), I decided to fall back to Crown Prince Sardines in Water, 4.25-Ounce Tins (Pack of 24) ($3.49/tin at Whole Foods Market).


The price difference speaks the difference for quality and taste!Especially when the sardines are consumed straight from the tin or can, tossed in a light dressing - something non-fishy with great natural smoky flavor is definitely preferred.

How the term "packed like sardines" came about, to describe over-crowding!!!

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Baked Sardines Minimalist Recipe (garlic, cilantro, tomatoes)

Can you see I am sardine-crazy? ;p

bottom to top: Brunswick Sardines, Wild Planet Wild Sardines (in BPA-free can), Crown Prince Brisling Sardines


Lots of garlic, fresh tomatoes, sardines* (comes in a tin), bake in the oven, drizzles of extra-virgin olive oil, garnish generously with finely chopped cilantro...

then "everything" on the bread toast. Wait wait wait! You have heard and seen this before?!?!? The toast thingy?

*Rewind*

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