Reviews

Products and services that have been reviewed

Increase your Vitality through Au Natural Healthy Eating

Keeping healthy and providing nutritious meals for the kids has been something that I’ve been focusing on this year.  As the main caregiver for the kids it is very important that they get the the proper nutrition required for their age group.

This year I’ve embarked on revamping the family diet and maintaining everyone in the pink of health.  In bid to carry out this resolution that I made ,I took part in AIA’s Bento Making Challenge in March as part of the AIA Vitality Challenge.

I wanted to prove to myself and the kids that is is possible to create a  Bento which is both tasty and visually appealing and one that meets their required daily calorie intake.

*Note that the calorie range for a moderately active  4-8 yr old  is between 1,400-1,600 as stated in  WebMD.
The kids and me on stage
The kids and me on stage

Taking note of the daily calorie intake, although important, is not the only think to take note of when planning  a child’s  daily diet. It is also important to ensure that the child gets a well balanced diet with appropriate portions of food from the various food groups.

I have been reading up a lot about different types of foods, portion sizing  and it’s effect on kids.  What a child eat will certainly affect their growth and nutrient. To ensure that they grow up healthy I have radically changed the amount of each type of food group that we eat from.

As you can see from the chart above in our family we focus on giving lots of fresh/ half-cooked vegetables to the kids with a wide array of fruits as snacks or as part of the salad which we serve.  I did not add rice, wheat /grain products in the chart as I feel that they are optional  at meal times.  For each portion of meat that we eat it is balanced out with two portions of vegetables and we only eat until we feel full and not more.

The bento I made for the AIA Bento Making Challenge

The bento I made for the AIA Bento Making Challenge

Based on our eating habits I created a bento based on what  Doggie boy would fancy eating. I bore in  mind  what he loves eating and chose the fruits and vegetables that he would like.

I packed the bento with – cheese, ham, rice, carrot, carrot, egg, beetroot, lettuce, golden kiwi, dragonfruit and strawberries.  I designed a  “Secret Garden” with the  fruits and vegetables and added a mushroom house to give it  a house with the garden look.

The side view of the bento

The side view of the bento

Even though I only got a consolation prize in the AIA Bento Challenge  it was a fun learning experience for me as  I got to experiment with  different types of food and learned more about the varieties of foods  available.

 

Tiger girl out supermarket shopping with me

Tiger girl out supermarket shopping with me

While preparing for the Bento Challenge Tiger girl and I popped by Cold storage to pick up the groceries that we needed.  I believe in using the freshest produce and minimal processed foods as  I do not want the kids to consume items laced with MSG, artificial colorings or additives as these would be harmful to their health and well being in the long run.

Buying blueberries at the Supermarket

Buying blueberries at the Supermarket  You can see the V on the digital price tag above.

Since joining the   AIA Vitality program I learned a lot about keeping healthy and get rewarded by doing so.

As part of the AIA Vitality Program there are  HealthyFood™ Benefit which you can activity before you start your grocery shopping.

You could

– Complete the AIA Vitality Health Review online via their website  and get 5% cashback on HealthyFood™

-Complete the  AIA Vitality Health Check  at selected Guardian Pharmacies and get up to  15% cashback on HealthyFood™

These cashbacks are in the form of Cold Storage  Vouchers which can be printed out and used during the next time you go grocery shopping.

Besides getting up to 15% cash back, you also get to accumulate  up to 400 AIA Vitality Points on your  HealthyFood purchases each month.

*10 AIA Vitality Points is given  for every $4 spent on
HealthyFood™

Another healthy  food option with the AIA Vitality tag

Another healthy food option with the AIA Vitality tag

It is possible to make healthier choice while shopping. You just have to look out for the  “V” in the  HealthyFood™ tag on the shelf price tags. There are hundred over items to choose from  at Cold Storage.

Some of the items are even  clearly labelled with the AIA vitality white tag as shown above.

Photo supplied by AIA

Photo supplied by AIA- “V” marked out on an eletronic tag

If you can’t spot the white tags you just need to look out for the “V” on the electronic tag as highlighted in the picture above.

Picture supplied by AIA The

Picture supplied by AIA The “V” tag on a non-electronic tag

Here is the “V” tag again on a normal tag for milk in the Diary section.

Just remember to present your AIA Vitality card to the cashier upon check out when you pay for your groceries!!

 

For Local/Singapore based Dominique’s Desk Readers

We are giving away 5 X $20 Choice Vouchers

Fill in the rafflecopter below for a chance to win a voucher.

Good luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I’m participating in a campaign by  AIA . All opinions are 100% my own. Existing Terms and Conditions as set by the respective company and / or supporting partners apply.  Do visit AIAVitality.com.sg for  the comprehensive  details of this product . All information is correct at time of post. AIA reserves all rights to discontinue or amend existing clauses without prior notice, and its sole discretion. Please do your own research if you are considering to purchase  the product as your opinions may differ from mine.

In no event shall Dominique’s Desk  be held liable or responsible for disputes arising between AIA and any parties. Neither shall I be liable for any indirect, consequential, incidental, special or punitive damages or losses of any kind.

This post has a Compensation Level of 13. Please visit Dominique’s Disclosure page for more information.

Exotic Turkey at Changi Airport Terminal 3

The Exotic Turkey Exhibition

The Exotic Turkey Exhibition

During the school holidays the kids and I went to view the latest exhibition , Exotic Turkey, over at Changi Airport Terminal 3.

The kids and I haven’t been to Turkey but as their dad does travel to the country on business I felt that it was a good idea that they learned more about this middle eastern country and it’s unique heritage.

 

The Trojan Horse

The Trojan Horse

The Trojan Horse based on the story about the city of Troy was the exhibit that caught the boys and my attention. We recently watched the show  Mr Peabody and Sherman  and there was a short clip on the Trojan war in the show.  They could identify with the horse and couldn’t wait to climb onto it.

The boys did give the event’s personal a big scare when they ran up the staircase from the back of the horse and attempted to climb down /jump down from the front. There weren’t any clear signage to let the kids know which side to go up the horse and if you have watched the show you would know that they enter the horse from the rear.

On a horse ride

On a horse ride

Besides “horse climbing” the boys had the chance to ride on a mechanical  around a track and also “fishing” for sweets in the foam pits in the centre of the set up.

Doggie boy fishing up a magnet (fish)

Doggie boy fishing up a magnet (fish)

The boys were initially thinking of keeping the magnets instead of swapping them for sweets as it is always more handy to have magnets around to carry out various science experiments as compared to sweets. Luckily I managed to dissuade them by explaining that those magnets were props and not to be taken away from the set.

The boys fishing from the same pond.

The boys fishing from the same pond.

Being the only kids participating in the venue the boys took their time to fish up all the tokens from both ponds.

Turkish supplies

Turkish supplies

Besides the fun activities there was an educational corner whereby various products and  foods that were unique to Turkey were highlighted.

Pottery found in most households.

Pottery found in most households.

Doggie boy taking a picture with his camera

Doggie boy taking a picture with his camera

They have very interesting handicrafts on display from carpets to ceramics.

Monkey boy checking out the spice corner

Monkey boy checking out the spice corner

I liked the display at the spice corner. the kids not only got to view but also had the chance to smell the spices too.

The hot air balloon display and facts board.

The hot air balloon display and facts board.

Besides spices and artifacts there was a corner featuring Hot air balloons and key places around Turkey.

Visiting the exhibition was certainly an eye opener to the boys about the Turkish Culture and all of us had an informative and fun time there.

Exotic Turkey

Date: 14th March (Friday) to 13th April 2014 (Sunday)
Time: 12pm to 10pm, Daily
Venue: Terminal 3 Departure Check-In Hall Row 11 (Public area)
Disclaimer: We were given a media invite to check out the exhibition. All opinions are 100% my own.