The Real Life Cooking Strategy Guide Blog: Japan; Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Breakfast
Green Tea
Steamed Rice with Wakame and any kind of Leftover Meat or Meat
A Boiled Egg
Preparation Time 15 – 30 minutes.
A recipe traditionally served at a Japanese breakfast
No marinating needed.

Boiled or Steamed Rice Without Anything Added

Ingredients and Shopping List:

1 cup Microwavable Rice or Regular Rice
2 cups Water
1 sheet of Wakame (sea vegetable or sea weed aka YamaMotoYama Sushi Party sushi wrappers available in the Asian food section at Wal-mart)
1 Boiled Egg
1/4 cup of Leftover Pre-cooked Meat or any kind of Pre-cooked Meat
Green Tea or Decaffeinated Green Tea

Equipment:
Microwave for pre-cooked microwave rice and meat
2 quart microwavable bowl
Cereal bowl full of warm water
or Sauce pan and stove top for regular rice
A sauce pan, two cups of water, and stove top for boiled egg
1 Coffee cup for tea

Peel on already boiled egg. Set it aside. If you can't find them at the grocery store, they are usually at the deli or a convenience stores like 7-11. Or you can try boiling the egg yourself. See the notes for hints.

Prepare microwave rice:
Microwave according to instructions.

For regular rice:
Put in one cup of rice and two cups of water. Boil for about 20-30 minutes until you can't see the water anymore, but don't let it burn.

While the rice is cooking cut with kitchen scissors or tear wakame along perforations.
Soak wakame in warm water for about 5 minutes.
When rice is ready put it in a bowl, add the wakame and meat, stir.
Set boiled egg on top of rice in bowl.
Prepare a cup of green tea.

Eat.

Note: The brain foods in this meal are green tea, egg, wakame, and lean meat.

Note: To boil and egg, fill a 2 quart sauce pan half full of water. Bring water to a boil. Put egg in a spoon and put it carefully into the boiling water. When you boiled eggs yourself you can decide how you would like them cooked, soft-boiled, medium-boiled, or hard-boiled. When you buy them already boiled they are always hard-boiled. So, boil 3-5 minutes for a soft-boiled egg. 5-7 minutes for a medium egg. 10 minutes for a hard boiled egg. Cool boiled egg by spooning it out of the boiling water and putting it into a bowl of cold ice water.
Let it set for about 5 minutes.
Peel boiled egg. Be careful, it may still be hot.

Note: The healthiest meat are lean meats like turkey, or buffalo, and beef heart. Beef heart is only occasionally available at Wal-mart.

Note: if you know how to cook meat you can choose raw meat instead of cooked meat. Prepare the meat after you have put the egg in the sauce pan to boil.

Note: Once you know how to boil one egg, you can try boiling a 1/2 dozen of eggs. Then you can put the eggs in the refrigerator and instead of having to take the time to boil an egg for each meal, 5 egg will already be ready to eat. They will last for about a week in the fridge. Freezing is not advisable.

Note: For a less traditional, but healthier version use brown rice.

Lunch

Green Tea
Miso Soup with Wakami and Tofu
Preparation time 15 minutes
No marinating needed.
A recipe traditionally served at a Japanese breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner

JAPAN

Not eating miso simply because it is not sold at your Wal-mart is not a particularly wise healthy food choice. Miso is inexpensive, easy to make, and high in Vitamin K. The typical American diet is deficient in Vitamin K. Vitamin K, especially Vitamin K2, helps keep the blood vessels, brain, heart, and bones healthy; preventing slow thinking, heart attacks, and strokes, and saving thousands of dollars in medical care. People who shouldn't eat miso are people who are eating low salt or low Vitamin K diets for medical reasons, and people who are allergic to soy or miso. Also, people who can afford more expensive food sources of Vitamin K, like fresh or frozen kale and fresh or frozen spinach, won't suffer health-wise if they never eat miso. The average container of miso paste for about $3.75 - $4.75 makes about 20 bowls of miso (like the Shiro Miso Paste, a product of Japan, or Cold Mountain Miso Paste, a product of the USA, sold at health food stores). The average package of instant miso and tofu for $2.15 only makes one bowl of miso. Instant miso and tofu is sold at some Wal-mart, but miso paste is not.

Ingredients and Shopping List:

1 cup of Meat Broth or Vegetable Broth -- canned, boxed, or homemade left-over from boiling meat.
2 teaspoons of Miso Paste; looks like peanut butter, not dried sheets (not available at Wal-mart; try Asian grocers, or health food store, or ordering online).
¼ box of Firm Tofu
1 sheet of Wakame (sea vegetable or sea weed aka YakaMotoYaka Sushi Party sushi wrappers available in the Asian food section at Wal-mart)
Orange or Grape, regular or sugar-free soda pop or Green Tea

Equipment:
Microwave
Paper towels or wax paper to cover microwaving food.
1 Microwavable soup or cereal bowl
Cereal bowl full of warm water
1 Coffee cup for tea

While the rice is cooking cut with kitchen scissors or tear wakame along perforations.
Soak wakame in warm water for about 5 minutes.
Pour broth in a bowl.
Cover broth with paper towel or wax paper.
Heat in the microwave for about 2 minutes.
Stir in miso paste until it dissolves.
Add tofu and wakame
Cover with paper towel or wax paper.
Microwave for about two minutes.

Prepare a cup of green tea.

Eat.

Note: The brain foods in this meal are wakame, miso, and tofu.

Dinner
Imitation Karupisu
Ramen with any kind of Meat
A Boiled Egg
Corn on the Cob with Miso
Any Kind of Fruit for Dessert
Preparation Time: About 20 minutes.
No marinating needed.

1 Package of Top Ramen
1 Bowl of Water
Any Kind of Cooked Meat
1 Corn on the Cob (sometimes available at Wal-mart according to season)
¼ teaspoon of Miso
1 boiled egg
Any Kind of Fruit for Dessert
Real Karupisu or 1 small container of yogurt of any kind (Real Karupisu not sold at Walmart, try Japanese grocer)

Equipment:
Microwave
Paper towel or wax paper to cover microwaving food.
2 quart microwavable bowl
a sauce pan, two cups of water, and stove top for boiled egg
1 16 ounce glass for karupisu
Fork for mixing karupisu if not already made
Blender if karupisu is not already made (optional)

Peel on already boiled egg. Set it aside. If you can't find them at the grocery store, they are usually at the deli or a convenience stores like 7-11. Or you can try boiling the egg yourself. See the notes for hints.

Prepare ramen in the microwave according to the instructions on the package
Add meat to ramen.

Don't pull the husk off of the corn.
Inspect the top of the husk for freshness, pull off any rotten parts etc...
Rinse the top of the husk with water.
Put the entire corn on the cob in the microwave, with husk on.
Cover corn on the cob with paper towel or wax paper.
Cook for about 1 ½ to 2 minutes.
Take the corn out of the microwave. Let it cool for about 5 minutes. Its hot, so carefully pull off the husk.
Use a table knife to smooth miso all over the corn kernels.

Set boiled egg on top of ramen in bowl.
Put corn, bowl of ramen, and fruit on a plate.

Open Karupisu or mix the small container of yogurt into a 16 ounce glass of water and stir very well. You may blend it in a blender if you like.

Eat.

Note: The brain foods in this meal are egg, miso, lean meat.

Note: To boil and egg, fill a 2 quart sauce pan half full of water. Bring water to a boil. Put egg in a spoon and put it carefully into the boiling water. When you boiled eggs yourself you can decide how you would like them cooked, soft-boiled, medium-boiled, or hard-boiled. When you buy them already boiled they are always hard-boiled. So, boil 3-5 minutes for a soft-boiled egg. 5-7 minutes for a medium egg. 10 minutes for a hard boiled egg. Cool boiled egg by spooning it out of the boiling water and putting it into a bowl of cold ice water.
Let it set for about 5 minutes.
Peel boiled egg. Be careful, it may still be hot.

Note: Once you know how to boil one egg, you can try boiling a 1/2 dozen of eggs. Then you can put the eggs in the refrigerator and instead of having to take the time to boil an egg for each meal, 5 egg will already be ready to eat. They will last for about a week in the fridge. Freezing is not advisable.

Note: For a less traditional, but healthier version use brown rice.