Korean Meals Ideas

Annyonghaseyo! hi all! that's just how Koreans saying hi or hello. Alright then i'm going to share my family favorite Korean meals that i made. Since i started to be more care about myself lol, i love me but i never showed it off, so now on i want to eat properly, eat more veggies and make my own smoothie. If we are healthy, our body tend more easy to shape, we get beautiful and glowing skin, strong hair, always fit, have more energy. We more tend to be productive everyday. Don't be afraid that K-meals will be difficult to make, I am here working so hard to sum up and get a bit creative to make this meals easy to make and affordable. Because my motto is, healthy is not always expensive. We are so lucky living and growing up in Indonesia with nice weather every year. We have many optional vegetables and fruits. As Korean meals  have uncommon ingredients but not to worries we can substitute that hardly to find or expensive, but still taste good and looks similiar. Alright enough with the opening. 

I made Bulgolgi and Kimchi jiggae(stew) for my family dinner... Kimchi is a spicy fermented cabbage dish, it is well known as one of the healthiest food in the world. Health magazine recommended adding Kimchi to our diet daily can help prevent cancer and yeast infection. It also has high source of vitamin A, B and C. So no wonder that Kimchi mentioned as one of the healthiest food in the world. And for the protein i made Bulgolgi, bulgolgi is Korean marinated beef  BBQ, you can grilled on barbecue or made it simple by stir fried in a pan.

Bulgolgi preparation 

1. Thin Siced beef around 500 grams, you can use chicken too! Here i used chuck beef part that i bought at Lotte mart. You can use any part but please be aware of it.

2. Chopped one small yellow onion ( you can used it as many as you like), 3 garlics and minced add a little bit ginger and crushed asian pear.

3. Add soy sauce 3 table spoon, 2 table spoon oyster sauce, 2 table spoon of thick and sweet soy sauce to give a taste. Add salt, pepper and sugar. Give it a taste! and clean your mouth thorughly.

4. Keep in the fridge one night

5. Then you can stir fried the meat the next day.

Kimchi jiggae ingredients

1. 1 pack kimchi

2. Tofu(tahu putih) this is optional, you can add anything you like, like fish cake/fish ball

3. Half medium onion, sliced it.

4. Green onion cut diagonally

5. Chickem or beef stock powder

6. Gochujang ( Korean Chili paste)
7. Sugar and Salt
8. Soy sauce

How to make Kimchi jiggae 

1. I bought kimchi in supermarket around 24 k Rupiah.

2. Cut the kimchi into small pieces.

3. Heat the pot, put a little bit oil.

4. Put the kimchi, onion and green onion.

5. Add water, and put a full table spoon of gochujang.

6. Cover the pot for 10 minutes in medium heat.

7. After ten minutes mix all the ingredients. Add sugar, soy sauce and stock powder. Taste it!

8. Add tofu on the top by laying the tofu over the stew.

9. Cover the pot and cook one more for next 10 minutes with medium heat.

10. Chop 1 green onion and put it on the top of the stew. Serve right away with rice

                                I hope you like it!! Share what you thought about this recipe

Have you ever felt in your life that you're the most miserable person in this whole wide world? Have you ever felt like why my life like this? Why their life seems so easy? Have you ever wondered that maybe Allah is not fair about your life? Well, it is true. That is just how the world works. And all that we can do is just blaming our self, our life or even other people and the worst, we are blaming God for giving us a life that full of struggles. But we have forgotten how Allah gives us the essence of life itself and forgotten how's our life is so much better and so fortunate for some people. I hate listening to people complain about their life, which I think they are so fortunate to even than me, then I realized, Somehow I did the same way just like they did, ironic, isn't it? Our life every single part of it is a blessing. The struggles will just make us stronger, make us learn so we can be worth enough to be the best version of our self in the future. So we can live our best life in the future, we never know that. Do we know what futures hold? The only thing I know is, doing what you can do at the best point in your life will determine your future. Because what you do know will be your view of your future. No wonder a great people have so many histories and stories to tell, they do not proud of what they have achieved. But because they want to show you that you can do that too. They show us how when they fell they rose so many times, even in their successful life. Somehow Allah never made a mistake for designing our life. His blessing scenario is what the best for us.

I was and am still a dreamer. I was born from a middle-class family and still until now. I have been dreaming in my whole life since elementary, to go and live abroad. I always prayed to witness the beauty of the world, how Allah created the world for us, how we have been created in different colour skins, talk different languages, having different seasons and time. Since then I learned English so hard so I can communicate well. The proud feeling of how cool if someone can speak several languages emerged. I want to pursue my education abroad, but it was not an easy thing... many chances I took to get a scholarship or an exchange program, but always failed... I never gave up on my dream. Time passed by I wanted to be a Diplomat. What I knew then was getting to Ivy leagues was my top priority. I have tried many times. I took a gap year to prepare myself for a Uni entrance exam, but I failed again and again... Then I met the lowest point of my life because I did not have another plan. I have never done a B plan for my whole life because everything worked well for me. But then I faced my failure that brought me into dark ages. I was so frustrated with myself and started to blame God. All I did was protesting God. My faith collapsed. I don't know what to do. I was tired, bruised and I got beat up. Yeah, that's what I felt, I just afraid to decide my future, My dad recommended me to go to another school with different major that I have been hating it since first class to 3rd semester. I was arrogant. Because I had gone to very well known High school. Until one day, I stepped my feet into an unknown place where I felt I belonged there. I was so happy beyond my imagination that this is it, The Aha moment came to wake me up. This is what I have been dreaming and asked for so many times... Since then I never questioning or even protesting about how my life continues. I started to dream again, it feels like my wings are started to spread again. I had so many plans in my mind and I determined to pursue my dream. I decided to join a double degree programme. Life is indeed full of surprises. And then here I was in Charles de Gaulle airport waiting for my train to Angers... My beauty life started there, even it was full of struggles. I even couldn't see it...
Here I am now writing my stories to tell you, convince you that everything will be alright. Dreams do truly come true. Everything will be okay, just do your best and let God do the rest.

Healthy Banana Chocolate Milkshake On The Go

How's your diet going through this holy Ramadhan month? Mine, since I just started my diet programme and workouts ... I feel quite exhausted because I need to adapt to do cardio without a drink. So I shift cardio to yoga to minimize the thirst. Don't push yourself too much, because toning, weight loss need an endless journey, full of fights against all your toxic inside, such procrastinating, bad diet etc. A healthy body and clear skin not coming just in a day. Those need to fight! So are you ready?

Alright in this post I am going to share one of my fave milkshakes or you can make smoothie too just by adding oats, it's totally up to you. This is super tasty, healthy and affordable. I think if I like it, you will like it too. Because my standard taste quite the same with picky eater kids. Love sweet, chocolate and other tasty food and beverage only.  

Okay, first of all, you need these ingredients to be prepared:

1. Soy milk 

You can make it by yourself, buy it in the nearest mini-market. Here I'm still using liquid soy milk. Because my soy milk powder still on the way here, I ordered it from NASA SKA 72 so affordable and full of good nutrients inside to help me fulfil the nutrition for my body. The nutrient such as the monounsaturated fats in the soy milk helps you decrease intestinal and blood and agent of cholesterol absorption. The phytosterol in the soy performs by blocking the fat function which means can help you burning fat. Not only help you lose your fat but also helps your body produce more energy and increase metabolism with riboflavin and vitamin B12 and many other benefits

 2. Cocoa powder

So who doesn't love cocoa? with tons of benefits such as antioxidant, improve your mood, lowering your blood pressure, reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke, in summary, Cocoa is one of the richest sources of polyphenols, It's especially abundant in flavanols, that have rich antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. The taste is also good. I used this Cocoa powder it's simple and cheap for sure.

3. Peanut butter

I use this as a substitute to sugar, it gives more flavour like savoury to the shake. Peanut butter provides a good amount of protein, and other essential vitamin and minerals, such as Magnesium, Potassium and Zinc. As for me, peanut butter is optional. I don't take any protein powder but instead, I take peanut butter.

4. One Banana

Take one banana to complete all the vitamin and minerals that help you fully and energized during the day.

How to make it

1. First of all, pour the soy milk 200 ml then add 400 ml of water.

2. A banana.

3. Add a tablespoon of Cocoa powder.

4. Add a tablespoon of Peanut butter, you can add as you wish, depending on you.

6. Blend it up all into your blender.

Et voila!! your Banana chocolate milkshake ready to go. 

You can keep it in your fridge and have it after breaking your fast or an hour before suhoor😍 Don't forget to subscribe, follow and share my post on your social media. Bye and many thanks to you!

Healthy Cheap Meal Idea

Hi guys! as I shared my healthy routine but still low budget for you. I have mentioned Bibimbap, right? You guys must have seen this before by watching your favourite K-drama, I made this too inspired by K- drama and it looks so good and super healthy and most important it's easy to make. As you all already know all Koreans have very clear skin not to mention the artists. Okay let's talk about the Actors or Idols later, because they're beyond us, why I said that to you? because they're using expensive skincare, expensive treatment on their skin etc. We are just following their healthy habits in a low budget for sure, that also can lead us to get clear and flawless skin.

So most Koreans eat fruits and veggies.. all their ingredients are following nature. So full of colour and rich in nutrients. They applied the YIN and YANG principle, like 5 colours of the earth elements such as plants, fire, metal, soil and water. They are all connected to nature and represent the colours of the food. So do not be startled on how healthy they are by seeing how beautiful and clear their skin.

Bibim itself means mixed and bap is rice, so basically it's a mixed vegetable or any protein you prefer with cooked rice. So based on the name you gotta mix it all up before eating it. So I am going to share the recipe that I already made and pretty succeed. But the taste might be a bit different from the origin ones.. but it looks almost same and taste better in my opinion, not Indonesians people would love the original taste, so I make it fusion.

 Alright, I explain how to make Bibimbap for one person in my fusion style.

1. You can use any veggies that you like, here I'm using spinach, carrot, cabbage. You can make it by any veggies in your fridge.
2. Wash and cut all the veggies . for the spinach I boil it. The rest I just saute them with sesame oil. To make your veggies taste good, add teriyaki or oyster sauce.
3. Make a poach egg. Why I use poach egg instead of the fried ones? I need to reduce oil in my diet. why not make it in a hard-boiled egg? I have to minimize the budget because the hard-boiled egg takes more time to cook.
4. Crushed 1 garlic and minced it, saute with sesame oil, wait until the aroma comes out, then add a tablespoon of soy sauce and a teaspoon of oyster sauce. This would be your sauce and also a substitute for Gochujang (Korean chilli paste).
4. Prepare your bowl and the rice, it's up to you for the amount of the rice. Then put all your veggies on the top of the rice and your egg in the middle. Add slices of green onion and add the sauce, you can add the slices of chillies as well to add more flavour and touch of spiciness. The last mix it all .. and enjoy the food.

Hope you like my recipe, share some of your recipe ideas.. and most of all affordable and tasty!
Enjoy your Bibimbap! Comment down below if you like it. See you on my next post 😋😊😉

Low Budget Healthy Lifestyle During Pandemic

Hello Sunshines!!! How are you doing? I hope you're safe and healthy. It's been 5 weeks I'm staying at home and keep productive. What activities do you do during this pandemic? Me, of course, saving the budget is the top priorities. In my case, as I work in Hospitality and services, quite affect the whole in this industry. Everyone stop travelling and work. And I do not have work to do during this pandemic. Maybe some of you lucky enough you can still work, but during this pandemic, you still don't have many things to do right? Alright, let's create a productive routine. Let's get creative! So I want to share you some of my routines here, enjoy!

1. Drink plenty of water

Every morning I started the day by drinking water or you can add slices of lemons into your warm water.. it tastes refreshing, it contains vitamin C that has massive benefits for your skin and as an agent detoxifier. Not only that, but lemon also contains polyphenol that helps you to lose weight. Who doesn't want to get a dozen benefits with the taste that good?

2. Have Breakfast

Never skip your breakfast! For me, breakfast is very essential. You can be energized during the day, and be more productive because you have a lot of energy. For breakfast, you can have high protein or high fibre and vitamins. Me making a simple smoothie or just a toast with scrambled egg, tomatoes and spinach is enough. Simple smoothies that I usually make is Banana, soy milk(i prefer soy milk because almond milk is pricey), add chocolate powder, dates, honey or peanut butter if you feel less sweet and don't forget to add some oats. The banana itself contains natural sugar and natural energy boost, for chocolate powder, is rich with antioxidant and improve your mood, a good thing to start your bright day, don't you think? if you're having a good mood everything will be smooth, right?

3. Snacks
if you're feeling hungry when it's not the lunchtime yet, you can snack. Wait, hold on... In diet, we are not supposed to snack? but wait for, what kind of snack, do you consume? If you want to lose some weight, you can eat fruits instead. Any fruit that you like. I prefer apple tho😉

4. Lunch
Just keep it simple and balance. Enough protein, vitamins, and a lot of fibre. I love to eat bibimbap, you can search it through the internet. A whole bunch of vegetables that I like, such as mushroom, bell peppers, carrots, spinach, sprout beans, poached egg, chicken teriyaki and add some gochujang.. voila you just mix it all up .. look messy but sure it tastes so good. Why I recommend you to make this because I'm a super picky eater. I don't like the taste of veggies and fruits, that's why I need to be more creative to cover up the taste that I don't like. So this Bibimbap is a champion!! yess.

5. Snacks
Yea why not having second snacks? you can have yoghurt, make smoothies, eat apple.... drink your afternoon teas with a low amount of sweet snacks. What a good life.. you will be a half-full before dinner.

6. Workout
For workouts, you totally can do anytime.. well for me I do a workout at 3 or 4 pm and finish an hour later, after that I cleaning up my house. For my workout I do cardio sometimes yoga.. and I do the dance too😋just in case you wanna create a fun ambience and you don't wanna
feel the pressure of workout like I did, dance may help you... It's fun, sweating and burning but you're doing it in swag.

7. Dinner
well dinner for me, is just the same as lunch.. you go eat anything but in less portion than lunch .. because the activity during the night is less than in noon. So keep it in fewer carbs.

So how about your healthy routine?? share some of your tips here by comment below, don't forget to share my post through your social media guys! Hope you like it, see you in my next post! bye 😘

A Note To Myself #3

#3 Fake Friends

Welcome to the real world, or I would say this world is not only for good people. But there are some spaces are made for the jerks. I do not want to blame you my "FAKE FRIEND" but I am so thankful for what you did to me because you made me even stronger. I learned a lesson, that there's not such a thing as precious as I am.

I was naive back then, you truly helped me a lot through everything in my life. You are my mentor in life, you teach me everything.

I do not have many friends, yes I am an introvert. I do not talk too much, I get hurt easily. 
I do not wanna be alone. I have been suffering enough with my problem, my self-esteem was too damn low, I mean it's still happening tho.

For me, there is no such thing as competitiveness in Friendship. What I want is that we win together, chasing the sun together, conquer the world together.. But that doesn't exist. I will always remember my friend. Everything I know I'll share to you. But then I realized you never think about me...  

You brought sunshine to me until I forgot that I have been on rainy days. Running late to class because I was losing my bike key, but you did not leave me alone, insisted to stay. You were so nice. I believed that we would be a good friend and still talk right now, but sadly you blocked me. We shared so many stories about our different culture because you're from Russia and I'm from Indonesia. I felt warm in the coldest days in winter. You understand me, unlike other people who stay out of me because I am a little bit different. I remember you helped me out with my presentation speech.
but why were you so nice? When all you did just to forget me while I don't.

Those days when we're struggling to learn the french language because our dream was going to France together. You gave insight about public transportation in Jakarta, accompany me and be patient about my weakness even it took your time. This because I didn't know about Jakarta area .. I didn't go anywhere because I was afraid to travel alone. I was envy and admired you, although you're younger than me, you're so brave and smart. But I didn't get it until one day you stop talking to me, stop smile or laugh with me. I just, I don't get it until now. I tried everything to talk to you back and smile..... being nice, after all, what you did was just ignoring me. And what so funny about you, at the end of the internship days, when we need to collect our Essay report, you still need me to print out your doc and sent it to our University, because you said that the printer was broken at the place where you did your internship. You texted me for the first time... called me "babe" what?? are you just being nice when you need something? I couldn't ignore her just like she did to me, instead, I helped her because I know if she missed collecting the report she would have failed her Uni. But when we met once again, she ignored me back and not even a single word of thanks out of her mouth or chit chat about how well I was. Well.... bye then .. I can not look your face from my stories or my feed anymore... But at least, I still being me, a good girl and your good friend.
Bye, my dear fake friends.
Thanks for the lessons.
When I'll meet people like you, it'll be easy for me
not hurt that much again.
BYE

Restaurant Review Of The Month

Hola! 
What a beautiful day to start your journey actually, but you have to work at home right? No worries after all this pass.. you can do all you want to do .. like going outside see the beautiful blue sky. It is very important these days, you have to maintain your health condition by eating healthy foods and drink plenty of water. Don't forget to take some vitamin C and please stay inside. I prefer you to read my blog instead. Remain calm, make yourself so comfy at your home... do what you love.. as for me I choose to write and share a little bit my experience.

Usually, before I decide to go somewhere else I will always check the review first. Or if I found a cafe or place that accidentally interested enough for me, I will share it on my blog about how I feel and it is an honest review.

I guess my review about food is rated as hotel standard because of my past experienced study and working at a hotel. I would not say that I'm a kitchen expert, but I have sort of experiences that I am quite confident about it. Or you just call me a food lover, that's it.

Okay, I have passed this restaurant by chance, and it looks cute, greenery and the fact that I love plants so much, so I decide to stop by. I did not take any photo from the front of the restaurant. I only took a photo from the inside.

It was on Saturday night but luckily it was not crowded, quite comfy for me or I guess not so many people have known about this place yet.

Here the look from the inside

and it's the look behind me ... I thought it is a real plant but it is a fake one.. there is also some giant neon lamp thing with Love at first sight inscription. The ambience got me so, I would spend more hours just to chit chat with my love ones. Although the plants aren't real, they do look real, so well done for the fancy not so expensive design idea for this restaurant. Okay for the summary of the whole restaurant looks is so instagramable, I give 7 out of 10 for feeding your Instagram post. Believe me, you will not disappointed for taking so many photos in every angle in this restaurant.

Okay let's talk about the foods and beverages

I ordered Italian sandwich it was quite fancy just how it looks from the photos but as for me, the taste is just so-so nothing special, very standard for 35 k Rupiah. All the menu variation is seemed adaptable to the young gen, mostly are western menu like kinds of pasta, sandwiches/ burgers, steaks... Surprisingly, they also have some Asian menu like noodles, curry to Indonesian fried rice. Quite impressed by how they present the menu.

And for desserts and beverages are creative, very into what's in now like variation of coffees and teas, shakes and nitro gas thing beverages that I ordered was Blue Sunshine and not that I was expected as a nitro beverage but when you look the price for 25 k you won't be surprised, it tastes unique but the taste just like the mix of several syrups, not worthy for me for that price I suggest you order shakes or coffees, but if you want to try it that's okay the nitro beverages still look fancy enough. For the desserts, they keep up with the boba which is very popular now on. 

Le's take a look for the price, I think it's quite pricey when you see the food proportion but the way they selling up by packed up elegantly makes the food looks stand out on the photo. Range food about 20 k up to 45 k, for beverages 7k up to 35k very standard. The ambience mostly selling more. Well not bad to revisit the restaurant, but honestly the foods are not the reason you want to come back.

So hi... Thanks for reading my blog, I hope you stay healthy! please revisit and subscribe to my blog. 

Thank you.

A Note To My Self #2

#2Friendship 

/ˈfrendʃɪp/ A relationship between friends.

Friends are passing by like cloud every time, they have some kinda era in your life. But that does not mean you have forgotten the time that you have spent together, through the sunny, snowy and rainy days. 

Sometimes we hurt their feelings or vice versa, well that's alright we are just human. That is how friendship teaches us forgiveness without being an egoist.

They remind us when we forget about who we truly are, they are always there when you need a little push to conquer your mountains.

There is no such a thing as " I " instead there will always " WE ", it's all about us, not me.

I have been reading a book called The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down by Haemin Sunim, and there's part explained relationship including friendship. It says, " The art of maintaining a good relationship can be compared to sitting by a fireplace, if we sit too close for a long time, we may feel hot or even get burned, if we sit too far we can not feel the warmth". 

As for me in friendship is all about always be the one who wants to be treated kindly. But you gotta follow the formula first, how? By treat people the way you wanna be treated.

Be kind when they're not...

Hope you're surrounded by people who only have a true feeling about you.. if you do have please cherish them.

If it does not work well just be kind even more.

From your true friend of yours

Indira Dayanara Kusmala

A Note To Myself

Dear future me,                                             

Please do not be so hard on yourself, because life is already hard enough. Please be gentle on yourself ! Don't you ever forget that you are you, still a dreamer with passionate heart, mind and soul, without even knowing what future holds. The only thing you know is just to fight by setting your goals until the end.

Have you seen enough my future me? You have grown now, see yourself on the mirror. Indeed, dreams do truly come true. Remember that! you still have the young soul that you had when you were a high schooler. You were like .. talking loudly about your dream and never thought of what people might think of yourself. Even maybe you are now, would think how silly were you or how bulshit that words. But they did. Those words... they happened in your life. Those beautiful words were your prayers and you kept repeating in your mind and mentioned in your prays, moreover mentioned in your family prays. So now, why are you doubting too much about yourself ? Go see yourself! See your old pictures! 

Remember those lovely days you have spent, seen beautiful sunset and crystal clear water while you were singing your favourite song castle on the hill by Ed Sheeran, walking bare feet along the exquisite beach while carried your favourite tote bag that you bought in the night market with your favourite quotes from paper town movie, saying " I'm in love with cities I have never been to and people I have never met".

Life is indeed a roller coaster said Zayn malik, you just gotta enjoy it until the rest of your life. And as for me, life is truly full of surprises, sometimes it gives you a shock therapy that you need when you're not on the right track, but sometimes a whole world is on your side. Just like one of your fave songs came into reality, it says 'I'm on my way. Driving at ninety down those country lanes singing to tiny dancer and I miss the way you make me feel, it's real and we watched the sunset over the castle on the hill" you witnessed a castle, watched the sunset nearby a river, drove through the beautiful countryside in Pierrefitte. 

what else I can prove to you dear future me?  What do I've missed?

You deserve so much love for yourself... You're too back then were doubting about how far you go but it didn't matter, right? you never think you would fail, do you? Even tho it's hard but you have been through it. But now why are you thinking too much the possibilities of you getting fail? Although all dreams do come true, they take time and efforts my dear me! Don't be distracted by anything! Age? It's just the number, it doesn't define who you truly are. Time? everyone has their own time to have their success. Money? your success doesn't count on how much money do you have, but what you have on the inside, that's your value and your core. Education? education can not guarantee your success but it helps you find who you are by learning every day. Just be focus on yourself growth! and be braver like even more!

p.s you're 10 out of 10 even when you forget!

with loves to my future me that have been so wonderful with your fights, you're stronger than you think.
Indira Dayanara kusmala