Easy breakfast and brunch ideas for the busy moms.

With a kid coming along the way, I have finally came to my realization that being a mom is not "relaxing". It's a never-ending full time job, even more so when I was home alone with my baby. Cooking with a baby at home is a challenging task, so I have created some of these recipes I hoped to share with other moms out there who are also struggling with juggling between baby and work.

Vegetarian one pot pasta (serves 1)

This has got to be the easiest, no-mess recipe. If you are stuck at home with no one to look after the baby, give this a go.

Slice  2 garlic cloves, a chunk of carrot, 1 potato, 1 onion and 2 tomatoes. Rinse 2 shiitake mushrooms. Break up 1 portion of spaghetti into halves (I used spaghetti because it cooks the slowest, but feel free to use any other pasta). Combine in a pot and pour water over, just enough to cover. Place pot over high heat until liquid boils, season with salt, then cover with a lid and let it simmer for 20 minutes, or until most of the water has evaporated. Add in any green and continue cooking for 2 more minutes or until it has wilted slightly.

P/S: I preferred my dish a little moist so I retained some of the soup.

Rice vermicelli with vegetables in anchovy soup (serves 2)

I like anchovy soup base! Boil the anchovies for no more than 15 minutes and you get the perfect flavour. The best thing about this dish is I don't have to use salt at all.

Clean 200 g anchovies (pick larger sizes for soup) and remove the heads. Rinse twice. Pour 600 ml of water and cook the anchovies over high heat. When it boils, switch to low heat and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes. In the mean time, slice a chunk of carrots, 1 potato, 1 onion and some cabbage. Soften 2 portions of rice vermicelli in water. When the soup is done, remove anchovies from the soup. Place all vegetables into the soup and boil until they are cooked, about 10 minutes. Put in the rice vermicelli and cook for another minute. Serve.

Beef burger (serves 2)

This is a winner.

Mince 1 garlic clove, 1 onion and ground 200 g beef. In a bowl, combine the ingredients with about 3 tbsp barbecue sauce (alternatively, just marinade them with some soy sauce) until they are well mixed. Divide the mixture into two even portions. Place a sheet of cling film on your palm, and put one portion onto the film. Shape the mixture into a patty of even thickness, then wrap. Repeat with the other portion. Let the patties sit for 30 minutes in the fridge. Preheat oven to 170°C. Place a sheet of aluminium foil on a tray and rub it with oil. Remove the cling film and bake the burgers for 20 minutes.

Serve, on toasted bread, with cheese, sliced tomatoes, sauce and cabbage.

Well-balanced breakfast (serves 2)
This dish is sufficient for me to last the morning. You can add in minced meat

Dice 1 large potato. Bring a pot of water to the boil and throw in the potatoes, simmer for about 15 minutes. In the meantime, beat 2 eggs. Scramble them over medium heat (I turned mine to low heat after the pan was hot enough for it to cook slowly), until it is just cooked (turn off the heat before all of it solidifies, and let the residue heat to continue cooking the egg). Remove from pan. Heat up butter in pan, and stir fry shimeji mushroom until most of the liquid has evaporated, then add in some cabbage and stir fry until it has cooked, and season with salt. Remove from heat. Drain the potatoes, then add 1 tbsp butter and a splash of milk (optional), and mash.

Serve the mash potato with the egg and vegetables.