Back in the 2000s (I mean year 2008 onwards) hacks meant hanya aku cinta kau seorang (h.a.c.k.s), that’s what my friends told me so. Idk if you’ve heard about it, but chances are if you’ve heard of it, you’re probably so old now which leads to my next point i.e – you’re most probably in your final year of university or started working or maybe you have a hustle of your own.
Remember those days when life was normal? Going out was essential, staying at home was a luxury but now the tables have turned. Although WFH initially felt like a blessing in disguise (you know how I rant about train commutes), over the past year it has somewhat turned into a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Having massacred a countless number of whole cakes, endless hours of doom scrolling, not forgetting the wide range of unhealthy eating habits & sleeping patterns getting back to work from home this year was a challenge.
Here are some hacks that helped me get kick-started after months of unhealthy lifestyle:
1) Snack who?
I was a fan of unhealthy snacking, anything filled/coated/sprinkled/dunked in chocolate I’m your go-to person! There was one day I solemnly promised myself to pull my mask up to my eyes while walking past the biscuits & snacks aisle in Family Store and life has been good ever since. If you’ve been to my house, you probably know the family favourite / welcome fruit (like a welcome drink) drumroll Bananas. Mrs Home Minister stocks up on bananas and now they’re my current go-to favs! You can make your own chocolate sauce out of Milo and plate your fruit a’la Masterchef.
2) Shred ‘em!
I’m that dream kid every mum would want. I eat whatever cooked under the sun.
Unless its sashimi.
Well, no mum makes sashimi at home so I’m still everybody’s favourite. I’ve eaten all my veggies since I was young coz there’s a “no throwing in the bin coz people in the world don’t have food policy” and a “don’t throw God-given food policy” back at home. If you didn’t like eating something, you had to pray for your dad/mum/some elder person to validate that thing wasn’t nice. There was a 0.0000% Probability for that to happen coz Mrs Home Minister was a decent chef (she’s transitioned into an amazing one over the years).
A few months ago, I decided that I didn’t like the taste of some veggies (after a mind-boggling incident – I’ll keep this for another day) and didn’t need anyone to validate it. LOL. So I took things into my own hands and informed the head chef of Kitchen de Residence (that’s the name of my kitchen) that I’m no longer murdering my tastebuds. Luckily enough, the chef was cooperative and decided to shred all those weird tasting veggies.
Trust me any veggie that is shreddable would go well with shredded coconut tossed with spices. I mean you kind have to almost-goreng-it la, Idk what’s the process called.
(Shred-able = doesn’t end up mushy when shredded/has less or no water content.)
By shredding, you’ll be able to eat twice the serving of veggies it would feel super light & not weird to see forcefully present chunky stuff on your lunch plate.
A Tried & tested list of shred-able veggies – Green radish, white radish, turnip, cabbage, beetroot + carrots. (Obviously can shred carrots la, but don’t go mix it with coconut for God sake! Toss it in yoghurt – Recipe here)
3) Stand up! (for yourself)
I used to get my dose of exercise & movement from rushing for trains and buses daily and staying at home meant being a couch potato. Sorry chair potato. It felt weird and I felt heavy so Mrs Home Minister came up with a suggestion to stand for an hour after mealtimes. Stand as in work while standing, not stand like a Tugu Negara. In that way food digests, you’re not always sitting. The minor problem is that you’ve got get a proper position and place to prop your laptop so that it’s at eye level or you’ll be straining your neck. If you’re left with no choice, do the Tugu Negara sort of standing for 15 minutes and while you’re at it do some Popsugar Fitness exercises.
Toodles for tonight!
The Journey of A Damsel 