Archives for March 2017

DECLUTTERING THE HOMESCHOOL ROOM

March 21, 2017

This is part 7 of my minimalism series. To read the other parts, click HERE.

I did it! I successfully completed my minimalism series. *Stands up and wriggles waist*. In this final week, I wanted to minimise spending but I’m not much of a spender so there was really nothing to minimise. So I took the plunge and decluttered the homeschool area instead. I’ve been meaning to do this for months but I just couldn’t find the time for it.

The homeschool area in our home is in the basement because we don’t have space for a seperate homeschool room. So we chose a corner of the basement to keep the kids’ toys and books. This area quickly became a junk yard. It always looked like something was about to fall, considering how some of the larger toys were swaying to the side. Here is a before picture. *Bows head in shame*

Books were mixed with toys, toys were mixed with books, it was a complete mess.

The first thing I did was place a carton in the middle of the area. The carton was for everything trash. There was a lot of trash among the toys and books. These included:

Colouring books that had been coloured- no need to keep them
Crafts from the yesteryears – if I keep every craft the kids make, my home would be filled with crafts
Drawing books and papers filled with drawing – I selected a few memorable ones and filed. The rest went to trash land
Puzzles with missing parts – puzzles are my nemesis! The things are everywhere!

My carton filled up very quickly and I had to add a trash bag to carry more trash.

At the end of the day, the area was more breathable and more functional.

We only kept what we need and now I know where every book is. It was such a pain to search through the mess before to find a book.

Did I mention the kids helped me with this? They were so excited to help! At the end of the day, we did the “team work thing” which means we placed our hands on each other’s then raised them up and shouted “teeeeeam work!!!” There’s so much fun around here.

Thanks to each one of you for going on this journey with me. Minimalism is a lifestyle and I’m only just getting started. I’ll continue to blog when I minimise other things but our weekly Tuesday series ends today. Hope the whole thing inspired you somehow.

Here is a recap of what I posted in the past weeks:

Intro Week: Why I want to become a minimalist

Week 1: How I decluttered my kitchen

Week 2: How I decluttered my wardrobe

Week 3: How I decluttered my belongings

Week 4: Overcoming social media addiction

Week 5: 3 ways I am minimising waste

Week 6: On living stress-free

Thank you for letting me share! Are you a minimalist or a wannabe minimalist? How do you stay organised and stress-free? Let’s talk!

3 THINGS TO KILL

March 20, 2017

I stood there trembling, stretching my arm to place a series of knocks on the door. I was livid.

For nothing!

I stood in front of my parents’ door that night, engulfed by fear and I can’t even remember the exact reason I leaped out of my bedroom to go share theirs. But what I remember is this: I was living in fear every single night in that season of my life as a young teen. I dreaded the nights. I dreaded sleeping alone. I feared noises at night. I had nightmares based on movies I watched. Fear was all over me.

Fear imprisoned and controlled me.

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
2 Timothy1:7

Fear is a spirit and it doesn’t come from God. At some point in our lives, we fear: big things, small things, quirky things. But scripture says we should not fear. I eventually overcame my fears and it is such freedom to be fearless.

The first thing you must kill is fear. Fear will stop you from living with the peace that surpasses all human understanding as God wants. Fear will stop you from jumping into your destiny. Kill every little fear in your life. Be fearless.

The second thing you must kill us giving up after the first try. Not every door you knock will open right away. Sometimes you have to knock harder and louder. Sometimes you have to be persistently persistent. Don’t give up yet.

The third thing you must kill is procrastination. This is the time to act. Work while it is still day because the night is coming when no one can work. Seize the moment. Maximise the season.

And friend, let me add a fourth thing; You must kill addiction to social media. Use social media, don’t let it use you. Use it with discipline. Don’t let it take over your life in a very bad way. Don’t let it stop you from living fully. Intentional time away from your phone will do you good.

I wrote this last December to my newsletter subscribers. I just realised how relevant this is still. By the way, if you are not subscribed to my newsletter, you can do so HERE.

Have a blessed week!

FOOD FRIDAY

March 17, 2017

Happy Friday! You guys, I have had one hell of a busy week. I’m a little behind video production this week so no new video today but I’m working on it. I thought I would just pop in here and instead have a little chit-chat with you. How are you doing??

Since I abolished “Here’s What’s Up“, I noticed I have not quite had one of these random anything-goes-kind-of-posts. And I miss that because what is a blog without a little bit of weirdness and a personal touch?

So here is how I’m doing: I made homemade croissants last weekend. Oh God, it was so delicious! And I felt pretty proud of myself. You know, the first time I researched on how to make a croissant and watched the 49 steps involved, I resolved that I was never going to make any. By the way, what I watched was this video by one of my favourite persons in the whole world, Laura Vitale.

Whaaaa? I mean how I’m I supposed to work on the same dough for 3 days, rolling, folding, measuring and doing all sorts of things in between? Yes, three days. That’s how much time it takes to go through a batch of croissant dough. The dough sits in the fridge most of the time but then again, 3 days?? I believe when I saw the procedure, I must have circled my hand around my head like Nollywood actors do and said something like, ” Tufiakwa!”

But then, the foodie in me! That thing God put inside of me that makes me want to cook, cook and cook some more. That’s what is to blame for my swift change from “I can’t” to “I must!”. If I could make croissants then I don’t think any recipe is too hard to go through.

In other news, I am catering for an event this weekend. Which means I will be making lots of Accra Banana and drop doughnuts. Which also means I may get fatter due to inevitable tasting. Please pray for me. Ha.

In other news, I bought FIVE COCONUTS from the grocery store two days ago. I have been a very happy person since then! I pass around the coconuts and hold them and shake then hearing the coconut water dance in the coconuts makes my soul merry. Oh coconut, how I love thee! I see homemade coconut milk and coconut flour in my future. I might share the recipes.

In other news, have a good weekend, you lovely internet friend!

HEALTHY EGGLESS PANCAKES

March 15, 2017

So one of you asked if I could share vegetarian-friendly eggless cake recipes. This is not a cake recipe without eggs yet but it is a pan-cake recipe and it is eggless. We start from somewhere, right? These healthy eggless pancakes are a great choice for anyone who still wants to enjoy pancakes but in a healthier way.

I made them two weeks ago to celebrate Pancake Day. Why on earth would I miss celebrating such days?? Ha. The only reason these pancakes are eggless is because after ransacking my fridge, I discovered that I have no eggs left at home. Poor me.

A quick Google search revealed that eggless pancakes are actually a thing and some normal homo sapiens make them. So I hopped right in, armed with whole wheat flour, baking powder, coconut oil, honey, coconut milk, water and salt. I dumped all my ingredients into a bowl and mixed them into a batter.

Then I oiled a skillet, place it on medium heat and spread some batter on it to form my pancake.

I repeated the process with the rest of the pancakes so I ended up with 6 sizeable pancakes. Some of them are clearly without form and void. Ha.

I served these with real maple syrup. They were surprisingly fluffy, sweet and amazing. I’m not a huge fan of whole wheat flour but I totally enjoy using it in pancakes or in waffles. So if you are on a quest to eat healthier or you want eggless breakfast recipes or you just want to try something new, here you are!

Healthy Eggless Pancakes

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

25 mins

Pancakes made without eggs yet so fluffy!

Course: Breakfast

Servings: 6 pancakes

Author: Precious of preciouscore.com

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons honey or sugar to taste
1 cup coconut milk or low fat milk
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons coconut oil or other oil of choice
More oil for frying
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

In a bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt. Add in honey, oil, coconut milk , vanilla extract and water and mix into a batter.
Heat a frying pan on medium heat then scoop some batter and put on the pan to fry. Spread the batter to form a circle. Let one side cook for about 2 minutes then you flip to the other side.
When the other side cooks, remove from the pan. Repeat process with the rest of the batter. This recipe makes about 6 pancakes.
Serve with some fruits and syrup/honey if you like. I served mine with real maple syrup. Healthy pancakes do not have to be boring!

If you make this recipe, please share a photo and tag me on Instagram – @preciouscore. I’ll love to see!

ON LIVING STRESS-FREE

March 14, 2017

This is part 6 of my minimalism/decluttering series. To read other parts of the series, click here.

I am a worrier by nature. I mean, if there were to be a weird award ceremony where the World’s Greatest Worrier would be rewarded, that would be me. I am not proud of this.

I worry when I wake up in the morning. I worry about how my day will turn out. I worry whether I will finish my assigned tasks for the day. I worry if I would homeschool my kids enough. I worry if anyone would bother to read my blog. I worry if I would be able to feed my kiddos sufficiently for that day (Because they are always hungry again shortly after I just fed them and I’m like “you just ate!!”)

And on days when I’m crushing it, grinding like I should and basically scoring a 10/10, I still worry if there’s anything left undone. Then when I sit down to relax in front of the TV, eat popcorn and tell Mr. N all sorts of stories about nothing, it is then that I remember the overflowing basket of laundry that hasn’t been folded. Laundry is my nemesis. But that’s a story for another day.

The point is I do not know how not to worry. I feel a strange sense of guilt when there is nothing left to worry about. Then I start to worry about not having anything to worry about. You know what all this spells? It spells STRESS. It means constantly living in pressure, constantly having a worked-up mind and it is just not good. I mean, since I started worrying it hasn’t yielded me any pleasing fruits.

My life is busy. I have kids to keep alive and educate, a blog to fill with content, a home to take care of, YouTube videos to shoot and a husband to connect with so we do not end up being mere housemates.

On some days, I am so stressed up that I forget what day of the week is, where I am, or who I am. It is serious.

For this reason, I was so excited about this week’s topic in my minimalism series. I NEEDED to eliminate the vicious pattern of worrying and stressing out. I can’t continue living like this. So here is what I am doing:

I begin my day with a deep communion with God.

This goes beyond quickly praying religiously first thing in the morning. I discovered that I had been praying every morning for so long that on some mornings, it seemed I merely uttered vain words. So vain that after praying I didn’t remember what I prayed about. This means I didn’t commune with the Father as I should. My resolution is if I do not touch heaven, I won’t touch the earth. If I do not have a deep deep communion wth the Father, in which I can speak to Him and let Him speak to me, then my prayer is worthless. This kind of communion sets the pace for a stress-free day. I know that He is there guiding me every step of the way. He helps me make the right choices rather than fill my schedule with things that would only further stress me out. I can’t seperate living stress-free from God. I just can’t. Because He is the very person that teaches me to live this life He gifted me.

I say no to a lot of things.

I am a certified yes yes girl aka a girl who does not want to hurt other people’s feelings. But these days I am learning to say no. I can’t be everywhere, pleasing everyone. That kind of thing does not exist.

I work in breaks.

Writing to me is something very spiritual. And sometimes when I find the right words, I could be in front of my computer for hours without end. But I’m learning to work in shifts. So I write for about 20-30 minutes at a time then I stand up and stretch and move around. Each break takes about 5-15 minutes. That way, my body and my eyes rest and I am refueled to continue writing. My productivity is at its premium when I do this. At the end of a working session, I do not feel burnt out like I would normally feel when I sit at the computer for long without moving.

I open up for more human interaction.

This means driving for 30 minutes to visit a friend, making a phone call just to chat and going to the grocery store just so I could see other adults other than my kiddos. It relaxes the brain so much.

I take days off.

This week, I am not homeschooling so yay! Yesterday, during our “calendar time” when we learn the day of the week and month of the year, I saw that a sticker for this week read, “Spring Break”. So I announced to the girls, “We are on Spring Break this week!” Ha. We still did story time, though, but no intense learning like on normal school days. It feels so good and I can guarantee that I will be so charged to continue homeschooling next week.

I declutter my mind.

Look, the mind is where the stress begins. I discovered that the way I think is the way I will live. No wonder, scripture says “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” (Proverbs 4:23, NLT) So I have put a fence around this treasure called my heart. I am not letting in any worry, any unforgiveness, any envy or bitterness or malice or anything that is not healthy. Scripture says in Philippians 4:8 that we should think only about good things.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Apart from the above, I am toying with some ideas:

Having a Sabbath day. I am thinking of having a day when I just do nothing, you know just like God did nothing on the 7th day and He says we should do same. I don’t know how this would work with kids who can’t wipe their own butt but we’ll see.
Hiring someone to handle the Facebook part of the blog. Sharing my posts on various Facebook goups is a ton of work. I am seriously considering hiring someone who can take care of this task for me while I focus on other aspects of the blog.

That said, I would like to hear how you fight stress in your life. Any further tips for me to add to my list? Let’s talk!

Next week is the final week of this minimalism series and I am decluttering… wait for it… the basement aka the children’s playroom aka the junk room aka the (supposed) homeschool room. I can’t wait!

DO ALL ROADS REALLY LEAD TO HEAVEN?

March 13, 2017

One time too many, I have heard people convincingly declare that they are many ways to heaven. You just have to be sincere, they say. You just have to follow whatever you believe in faithfully, they say. And heaven will be yours.

But is this really true? Do all roads really lead to heaven?

Here is what Jesus says:

“Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 (NLT)

There is a reason why the above verse is a part of the Bible. Jesus says He is the way. According to my secondary school English teacher, “the” is very different from “a”. “The” is a definite article which means a specific way. On the other hand, “a” is an indefinite article which means any way. Saying “a man” means any man. But saying “the man” means a specific man.

If Jesus said He is a way, that would have meant there are many other ways. But He says He is the way. He and no other is the only way to the Father.

I love how my pastor explained this yesterday. He said, we all know that not all roads lead to Chicago. You can’t just hop on any plane or drive on any highway and expect to land in Chicago. No, it doesn’t work that way. To get to Chicago, there is a specific road/plane you must take. So to get to heaven, there is a specific road you must take: Christ.

And here is one thing about this road: it is no narrow and unpopular.

“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way.” Matthew 7:13 (NLT)

Yes, you read that right, friend. This way, the Jesus way is so narrow. It entails sacrificing. It entails losing your life to follow Christ. Sometimes it attracts mockery from friends and family. Sometimes it leads to death. But it is the right way. It is the only way.

So let me ask you: do you have a deep-seated conviction that if you were to close your eyes in death today, you will be with your Maker in heaven? Have you found peace with God?

For “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.” Romans 10:13

If your answer to the above questions is “no”, I’ll invite you to call on the name of the Lord. Ask God to save you because Jesus is really the only way. He is the only road that leads to heaven. This road is narrow but it is better than any other road you will ever take in this journey of life.

CAMEROONIAN FISH PIE (VIDEO RECIPE)

March 10, 2017

Cameroonian fish pie video recipe on the blog today! Drum roll and hand claps, please. I’ve been meaning to make this video for a very long time. First, because fish pie recipe is one of the most popular recipes here. It has changed lives – literally.

Secondly, because this version comes with some modifications. Like the quantity of butter. I made the crust in this one with a lot of butter. It is soft and crumbly and just perfect. Hear me again: it is PERFECT. Oh the powah of buttah!

Instead of creating circles to make my pies like I did in this recipe, I used a pie maker. It makes shaping the pies super easy!

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You guys, there is nothing like delicious homemade pies. The fish filling is filled with flavour. You can add in as many or as few vegetables as you like. The awesome fish filling and the perfect pie crust are a match made in heaven. When you taste this, you are going to go like, “ummmm! YES!”

Make some soon!

Watch the video:

4.67 from 3 votes

Cameroonian Fish Pie (Video Recipe)

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

50 mins

This pie consists of a flaky crust and it is filled with the most flavourful fish filling.

Course: Snack

Cuisine: Cameroonian

Servings: 8 pies

Author: Precious of preciouscore.com

Ingredients

For the dough

3 cups all purpose flour (360 g) plus 2 tablespoons for dusting
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter - the butter should be softened
1/4 cup cold water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

For the filling

2 tins of sardines in oil (125 g each)
1 medium carrot - shredded
2 stems green onions - chopped
1/2 a small onion - chopped
2 garlic cloves - minced

Instructions

To make the filling, pour half of the oil from one can of sardines into a skillet. Let it heat up on medium heat then saute the onions until fragrant. Add in garlic and stir then add in the green onions and carrots. Mix until well combined then you push the vegetables to one side of the pan. Put in all the sardines without the oil into the pan. Then mash them, being careful not to make it too mushy. Mix the mashed fish together with the sauteed veggies and turn off the heat.
To make the dough, combine flour, butter, salt and baking powder in a bowl. Mix using your fingers until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Add the cold water and mix to form a dough.
To make the pie, roll out about 1/8th of the dough and place on an open large hand pie maker. Put in two tablespoons of the filling. Then press the hand pie maker together to seal the edges. Repeat process wth the rest of the dough. If you do not have a hand pie-maker, simply roll out the dough into a large rectangle then use something with a round edge like the lid of a small pot to form circles on the dough. Place your filling in the middle of each circle then cover to form a half moon. Press the edges with a fork so they seal.
Place pies on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Beat an egg then use a pastry brush (or your hands) to rub the egg all over the pies.
Bake in an oven at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) for 20 minutes.

*This post contains affiliate links.

BREAKFAST EGG MUFFINS

March 8, 2017

While my mates are ‘keto-ing’, I am busy eating every carb under the sun. Ha. But once in a while, I like to go the low carb way. And these breakfast egg muffins are perfectly low carb, filled with veggies and so tasty.

To make them, all you need are some eggs and chopped veggies of choice. I use tomatoes, onions, green onions, bell peppers, and parsley. You can even throw in some sausage or cheese if you like. This is one of those cooking situations where you can unleash your creativity. Throw in what you like.

Then you mix all your ingredients and pour evenly into greased muffin pans. Bake to perfection.

And enjoy your life.

There is nothing better in the morning than these muffins. They require simple ingredients, they are healthy and they are insanely delicious. They are also a great make-ahead breakfast which means you could make them and store in the fridge for a quick grab-and-go on busy mornings.

Enjoy!

5 from 1 vote

Breakfast Egg Muffins

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

25 mins

You only need a few ingredients and breakfast will be ready.

Course: Breakfast

Author: Precious of preciouscore.com

Ingredients

6 large eggs
1-2 cups chopped vegetables I used tomatoes, onions, green onions, bell peppers and parsley
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 small seasoning cube Maggi

Instructions

To make some delicious egg muffins, crack the eggs into a large bowl. Add in salt, Maggi and vegetables. Mix everything together until well incorporated.
Spray a 6 cup muffin pan with cooking spray. If you do not have cooking spray, simply rub vegetable oil or butter all around the pan.
Pour your mixture evenly into the ban and bake in a 350 degrees F(175 degrees C) oven for 10-15 minutes. To check if it is ready, insert a toothpick into the middle of a muffin. If it comes out clean then it is ready.
Enjoy warm!

Recipe Notes

Note that you could customise your egg muffins as you wish. You could add in some corned beef, boiled and diced Irish potatoes or even some cheese. The more ingredients you add, the more muffins you will make so if you add a lot of veggies, 6 eggs will give you 8-10 muffins.

Also, this is a great make-ahead breakfast. You could save it in the fridge and simply reheat for a quick breakfast on busy mornings.

If you make this, please share a photo on Instagram and tag me @preciouscore. I’ll love to see!

3 WAYS I AM MINIMISING WASTE

March 7, 2017

Hello lovelies! First off, let me apologise for not putting up a “pen-speaking” post yesterday. I should have but.. life! Thank God, here I am once again armed to continue with our minimalism series. This week is kind of a tricky one because I am minimising something I almost consider unimportant – waste.

Let me explain: I wouldn’t consider myself much of a waster because I’m that person who tries to use up everything I have. I would eat up food I don’t like in a restaurant because I don’t want to waste the money used in purchasing that food. I would desist from cooking a new meal so we can finish up leftovers. I would desist from buying more food to add to a full freezer and pantry. I believe there should be space in them before more food comes in. So I try to use up whatever I have.

But still… I waste some things. Like empty cans and bottles that should be recycled. I dump them with regular trash. My daughter has been haunting me, asking me that we put them in a seperate bag for recycling. My excuse is always: “But we don’t have a trash can for recycling.” That is changing.

I want to be able to take care of the planet right because it matters. I am not an environmental scientist but after hearing many ‘sermons’ about the importance of taking care of your environment, I am finally indulging. Finally!

So here are three ways I am minimising waste:

1. Recycling all the recylables.

You already read that above but let me just say it again. I am taking that plunge to put recyclables in a seperate bag and dump them in the trash made for recycling. If not for anything, this will make me rest from the guilt-trips my daughters have put me through.

2. Planting a garden.

If you have read this blog for a while, well we all know how my flower garden turned out last year. I still bury my head in shame when I walk past my micro miserable flower pots with with few brown leaves hanging above them. Then I imagine my neighbours gossiping about me and saying things like; “she can’t even keep a garden.” My thoughts could be dramatic like that.

But still, my garden story has to change. I must plant and see flowers bloom and harvest this year. My seeds will not go to waste like that. No way! Also, I will make a compost bin with my perishable waste from food. This will go on my little cute garden in my backyard where tomatoes and green onions will blossom. Dreams, oh dreams!

3. Shop at Second-Hand Stores

Oh man, this is already my thing! I love thrift shopping. It saves TONS of money and there are lots of treasures at thrift stores. Here are things I get at thrift stores:

-Kid’s clothing – Kids outgrow their clothes so fast so it is totally pointless buying new all the time when I could do thrift shopping and still get good looking clothes. Note that I only pick clothes that are absolutely in good shape.

-My clothing. I save tons of money by shopping at thrift stores for myself. I buy brand new once in a while but thrift-shopping is my go-to.

-Kitchen stuff, especially food photography props. Since I decluttered my kitchen, I am careful not to buy anything I do not need. But when I really need something, I will ransack the kitchen section of a grocery store first. If I do not find it there then I could buy new.

That’s it, friends. Less-waste equals a more responsible life. I am so looking forward to my garden growing in the summer so I can take pics and show off here. Ha.

Next Tuesday will be all about stress – how I am letting go of stress. Hope to see you there.

Archives for March 2017

DECLUTTERING THE HOMESCHOOL ROOM

3 THINGS TO KILL

FOOD FRIDAY

HEALTHY EGGLESS PANCAKES

ON LIVING STRESS-FREE