Healthy Breakfast Update: Lentil Soups & Suprise Visit!

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

salam,

This was actually my yesterday's breakfast, but i was busy clearing up the house to make way for 2 of my good friends from KL who is MISS dearly. You see, i was brought up and raised in KL (Malaysia's capital city), most of my circle of friend especially good friends still lives there. Moving to another state for me, means leaving all my friends behind and getting to see them whenever i go to the city for work, run errands or see my family (my mum lives there, but since she's in the UK, i haven't been been going there much). Although i love being alone most of the time and take my time reading, i still do miss having a friend who i can just go out and hang out with and have a cup of coffee together. Moving 45 minutes away from the city almost into the forest, doesn't make my friends hopping up and down everytime i suggest them come and see me once awhile. It takes a long holiday for me to convince them to visit me at times. The place where i'm staying is famous for its river and village life (its situated on top of a hill, on a feet of a mountain), coming for dinner and driving back to the city through the narrow and windy road down the hill after is just absurd. So i understand that to see my friends, I really have to make an effort to come and see them in the city (which is not often)

me & my good friend, fa on my wedding day;
she was my bridesmaid, make up artist &
loyal friend throughout the reception.
Thanx for the visit fa! Love YOU!

Now, me being pregnant does not make it easier for me to meet any of my friends. Especially my good friend who i always keep in touch with. I have a best friend, who comes to my mum's house, whenever is convenient for her just to hang out with me, she had become family (she even call my mum, mama..), but now being away, its been tough on both of us. So, when i told her i can't drive to the city for a few months for pregnancy safety measures, i was ecstatic when she agreed to pack her bags and stay a night here! Even my husband was excited to give way for the girls to have quality times with me (which he understands, since i always say i miss having friends so close that i can meet them whenever i want to). They drove here, right after work and just in time for dinner. Immediately i feel so blessed to have friends who didn't ask so many question, and just come and visit me for no particular reason. Visit me just because we're friends. Alhamdulillah, i'm truly blessed because i don't have many friends who would just drop everything to just come see me just for me. 

That being said, i hope its fine for me to share what i had for breakfast yesterday...since i have a legitimate and good reason why i had to postpone the post a day late. It's not that i'm bored already with my muesli mix, the fact that my husband wouldn't touch it (HE thinks IT WILL taste like cardboard), made me consider to make us breakfast which he can have before he goes to work and i could enjoy the muesli mix for snacks later between lunch. (pregnant women is hungry all the time, so snap that jaw back up...) And yesterday, we had wheat chapati with lentil soup (which was my first time cooking it). My doctor, Dr Kader, insist that eat more lentils and nuts for the nutrients I need, so after going through recipe's after recipe's (becky's included), i decided to trust my own instinct and try to whip out my own version of a lentil soup which suit my own (and husband's) taste bud. Which i'm pretty sure can't be all that hard.

here's the recipe for my version of the lentil soup:

I'm sorry the picture is not doing any justice with the colour. I use my camera phone which is good than nothing at all. But please do believe me the lentil soup golden yellow is behind there somewhere...LOL
Ingredients:

1 Onion (chopped)

2 Cloves of Garlic (chopped)

1/2 inch of Ginger (chopped)

1 heap full of Red Lentil (Pre soaked the night before)

2 dry red chillies (sliced thinly)

1 tbsp of Tumeric Powder

1 tsp of Chili Powder

1/4 pumpkin (diced)

1 carrot (diced)

1 tsp flaxseed seed (pounded)-optional

1 tsp of black pepper (pounded)

salt to taste

2-3 tbsp of olive oil

Methods:

1. Heat olive oil, and sautee chopped items untill fragrant add in dried chilli for heat and continue to stir them all together

2. pour in lentils and stir around before adding water right about covering the surface of the lentil 

3. Bring to boil (add water if necessary) and lower the heat once boiled

4. add in tumeric, chilli powder and stir 

5. as the lentils start to soak the water, add in the carrot and pumpkin and continue to stir around

6. Depending on what you prefer (texture vary with the amount of water you add, if you like more soupy, add more water. I like more lentil texture-so i settled once the lentils are all soften but not mooshed) 

7. Add finally pepper and salt to taste, and in my case flaxseed (excellent source of omega-3, brain food)

Have it, with chappati, paratha or bread of your choice

YUM!

Benefit of Lentils:

Lentils does not significantly differ in nutritional content from common beans. They are a good source of protein, folic acid, and dietary fiber. They also contain many traces of minerals-Healing Food by Michael Murray N.D author of The Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine.

My friends are still in bed, so i take the time to share with that yesterday i had something good for my health and for my soul. Good food and good company...Alhamdulillah...

This is one happy pregnant lady~

Love+Peace,

H