Monday, November 11, 2019

Homemade recipe: Sinigang na Salmon

I'm going to share with you my favorite food discovery this month: SeaKing Wild Alaskan Keta Salmon! I love salmon. But strangely enough, I never buy it when I'm doing the grocery mostly because I like my fish super fresh and I don't trust a lot of fish sold in the supermarket.

My friend Rowena Lei of Animetric told me about SeaKing Wild Alaskan Keta Salmon. She said it's real wild salmon. Yung tipong tumatalon upriver kind of salmon. This fish isn't farmed at all. Why does that matter? Wild salmon has better good fats so it’s healthier. It's that simple.

So imagine my extreme happiness when SeaKing Wild Alaskan Keta Salmon sent me enough salmon to stuff my freezer full! The first thing I cooked was the salmon chunks. I just lightly salted them then fried them. I like it simple like that so I can judge the freshness, taste, and quality of my meat, fish, and vegetables. When I'm convinced na fresh at masarap talaga siya, that's when I trust the product enough to play with it.  

SeaKing Wild Alaskan Keta Salmon was firm, smelled like the sea, and tasted clean and fresh. Really delicious! I love it! So my next dish was a Pinoy classic and one of my absolute favorites: sinigang! Here's my recipe for sinigang na salmon.


Sinigang na Salmon

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2 medium onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 native tomatoes, chopped
1 small sachet sinigang na sampaloc mix
500 grams SeaKing salmon steaks
1 medium labanos, sliced
2 bunches kangkong leaves 

Procedure:
1. Heat oil in a saucepan.
2. Sauté onions and garlic until onions are translucent.
3. Add tomatoes and sauté until soft.
4. Add 5 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer.
5. Add SeaKing salmon steaks, labanos, and sinigang mix.
6. Simmer over low heat until fish is cooked, or about 10 to 15 minutes. Fish cooks fast!
7. Season with salt and pepper.
8. Once fish is almost cooked, add kangkong leaves, and cook uncovered for 2 minutes.

Serve steaming hot with rice!

Super easy. When I'm really lazy, I just put all the ingredients (except the kangkong) in a pot, bring to a boil, then down to a simmer for 15 minutes. May sinigang na salmon na ako! The salmon I used pa is really good and ganda ng quality so hindi siya nadudurog. Sarap!


SeaKing Wild Alaskan Keta Salmon comes in four (4) different cuts: Chunks (500g), Belly (500g), Steak (200g), and Slab (200g). Each pack is around P200+ to P300+. Sulit na considering galing pang ibang bansa sila, diba?   

You can get SeaKing Wild Alaskan Keta Salmon at leading supermarkets nationwide. For more information, log on to https://www.seaking.com.ph/.

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Monday, November 04, 2019

My grape sorbet recipe


What is a sorbet? It's a frozen dessert made from fruit juice or wine. You can add sugar to it. If you add milk or cream to it, however, it's now called sherbet. It's an excellent way to refresh yourself on a hot day. And if you use Welch's 100% Grape Juice, it's a great way to get your vitamins, too! Let me share with you my grape sorbet recipe!


Ingredients:
Welch's 100% Grape Juice
Simple syrup, to taste

Procedure:
1. Pour grape juice into a shallow container with a flat base.
2. Mix in simple syrup to desired sweetness. Welch's 100% Grape Juice is already naturally sweet so if you're avoiding sugar, don't add the syrup anymore. But do note that frozen stuff will taste not as sweet so you might want to add a bit of sugary stuff.
3. Put in the freezer.
4. After an hour, take it out and fluff it up with a fork. Put it back in the freezer. Note: If you fork the sorbet, you get grainy crystals. If you have an ice cream maker, the sorbet will be smoother.
5. Repeat every 30 minutes until there is no more liquid left.

Serve this in a nice glass with grape slices and you've got a tangy-sweet refreshing treat!


Sorbet is great for vegetarians and vegans, or for anyone avoiding dairy but would still like a sweet frozen treat. It's so simple, with just fruit or fruit juice as the ingredients. You just blitz the fruit/s with juice or water and syrup, then put in the freezer. Simple and healthy!

 

I like using Welch's 100% Grape Juice because it's made of whole Concord grapes—skin, flesh, seeds. The farmers just ground it up really fine and put it in the bottle! So the blitzing's been done for me already. All I need to do is sweeten it a bit for the kids then freeze it.

The 100% grape juice made from the entire Concord grape also contributes greatly to heart health. It promotes strong blood vessels for improved blood circulation.

Thanks also to Welch's for my birthday gift of grape juice and cranberry juice! I'm starting my 43rd year with my heart healthy!
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Wednesday, October 30, 2019

On our wish list: a tabletop dishwasher!

In our home, I cook and my husband does the dishes. This year, because I was juggling 3 jobs on top of motherhood, I've relied on a meal delivery service so I won't have to cook anymore. So I don't cook but my husband Vince still does the dishes hehe. So he's decreed that he wants to outsource dishwashing, too. He wants a dishwasher and I found him two!


I was at the opening of the BGC branch of MY MC Home last month and I literally stumbled onto the dishwasher. I was trying to get a photo of a beautiful dining table and backed up into the dishwasher. And it was like a scene from a movie. I turn to say, "Oops!" And then I saw the words TABLETOP DISHWASHER. And I breathed, "I've been looking for you!"

The little one and the full-sized one.

Since I was at an event, I didn't get to investigate so I went back this week to really learn more about it. Here's what I found:

1. Dishwashers wash at very hot temperatures killing bacteria. So it's more hygienic.

2. Because the dishes aren't held by soapy hands, they don't slip and break. So less breakage!

3. Dishwashers actually use less water than when you handwash plates. I had a hard time believing this but the designers said they made sure to use as little water as possible.

4. Best thing about dishwashers? They save you time and energy. We are a big family and my kids eat a LOT. And often. The sink is always full. Because Vince and I have work during the day, the dishes pile up and only after work can he wash up. He spends up to an hour or so washing dishes, pots, pans, utensils, glasses, cups, bowls, everything!

I should get this instead since our kitchen appliances are all stainless steel.

I also found out that MY MC Home is the only store in the Philippines that carries Maximus tabletop dishwashers. There are the big dishwashers available in other stores but we don't want to install those big machines. We don't want the hassle of destroying part of our kitchen, you know. A tabletop dishwasher just sits on the counter. You just plug in one tube to the faucet and let the other tube run down the sink and it's done.

The tabletop dishwasher can fit enough dishes used for one meal.
The big one can fit a lot more. Hmmm.
Maybe we should get the big one instead...

I LOVE IT!

It's a bit over my Christmas gift budget, though. So maybe if I buy this for Vince, I'll have to tell him it covers Christmas, Valentine's, birthday, anniversary, and Father's Day haha.


How about you? Would you like a tabletop dishwasher, too? Go check it out at MY MC Home!

MY MC Home has 3 branches: Level 3 MET LIVE Mall, Diosdado Macapagal Blvd, 1302 Pasay City, at MC Home Depot San Fernando Interchange, Jose Abad Santos Avenue, 2000 San Fernando, Pampanga, and at MC Home Depot BGC, Taguig. You may also find more furniture and promos on their Facebook page www.facebook.com/mymchome and Instagram www.instagram.com/mymchome.

Join the MC Home Depot Build & Drive Raffle where you can get a chance to win a Toyota HIACE GL Grandia. Just a P2000 single-receipt purchase earns you a raffle coupon. You have until December 31, 2019, to shop and join!

*This post is brought to you by My MC Home.

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Sunday, October 13, 2019

A wise mama shops at Shopwise 21-Tastic Treats Anniversary Sale!

And that wise mama is me! I just couldn't resist the Shopwise 21-Tastic Anniversary Sale that started this weekend because of the sobrang grabeng okay na okay na deals and discounts. I'm a working mommy so, yes, may pera ako pero pinaghirapan ko ang pera na yan. Hindi naman sa nagtitipid; I just want my hard-earned money to work just as hard as I do. Gets yan ng lahat ng wise mamas! So when I found out I can get massive discounts and even freebies sa Shopwise 21st Anniversary sale, I was so there!

Make sure you get the 21Tastic Catalog so you know what the exclusive deals are!

But I had merienda first at Hungry Place because this was last Friday and I went straight to Shopwise from work and I truly was hungry. There's a lot of food options, too. There's cooked food, there's a deli, there's a whole roast chicken to bring home for the family if you're too tired na to cook. Lots of food. I fueled up for my shopping!


First stop: the fresh food section. I couldn't resist the "Buy 1 kg, Get 500g free" deal. My husband Vince cooked a big batch of spaghetti sauce this weekend and busog na busog kami, but there's still a lot of ground beef in the freezer! Hamburgers and mushroom-burger steak next!


My Loyal Readers know I have an Oreo Monster living in my house so I just had to grab this deal. By the way, the deal also applies to other Oreo flavors, hindi lang vanilla. My little Pi-Oreo was so thrilled when he saw my pasalubong. "Mama, look! It has chocolate MOO-lk!" Happiness is seeing your kids eat!


Syempre, dahil may schoolboys ako, I had to grab snacks for their baon, too. They now have Lotte Pepero for recess and a Lotte Koala for snacks sa school bus. Para hindi sila masyadong magutom sa traffic pauwi. My mommy heart is glad.


My sons and I love Fita crackers. Vito eats it with Nutella. He says he likes the sweet-salty combo. Iñigo and I eat it with everything, lalo na kung walang rice available at gutom na kami. And this deal is genius—Fita with sardinas! Omigas, that's my favorite snack. But I prefer spicy sardines with my Fita. Soooo good!


Speaking of snacks, these are Vito's favorite chips. The rest of the family, Lays, Pringles, Oishi. Si Vito Nova and Roller Coaster lang kinakain niyan! I really thought when I saw this deal, "Wow, this is for Vito exactly!" It's such a happy feeling when you get to buy your kid's favorite things to eat, diba?


Okay, enough crunchy stuff. Let's have some cake! I got the Black Forest Cake because of the P160 discount. Laki rin nun, diba. And it's a popular cake! I got the last one! Swerte talaga.


It's not all food on sale at Shopwise. There's a ton of deals on beauty products, appliances, and household goods. For example, that Spin Mop at the bottom of my cart? Buy 1 Get 1 FREE! I had 2 carts, if you're wondering where the other box is. Yes, mapapa-2 carts ka talaga when you shop at the Shopwise 21-Tastic Anniversary Sale!


Meron ding mga freebies! Like an extra roll of tissue sa Sanicare and hangers sa Surf. Daming deals! Check out the Facebook page of Shopwise for all the deals!


Happy mama me! Ang dami ko pang ibang binili actually. Just going down this aisle of deals and discounts at mapupuno talaga agad ang cart! So shop now at the Shopwise 21-tastic Anniversary Sale! It's ongoing till October 21, 2019. Masaya siya! I loved all the exclusive brands (like our favorite Sun Harvest cereals!), the freebies, and the sobrang panalo na Buy 1 Get 1 FREE! See you at Shopwise, mamas!

*This post is brought to you by Shopwise.

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Monday, October 07, 2019

Top tips to raise readers! (Plus, a literacy workshop we must attend!)


Look at Vito's first modeling gig!!! I'm so proud to say his first modeling job was about books. His most recent modeling job was about shopping for school supplies, so it's still connected to learning. Yes, piling-pili ang mga projects na lalabas ang mukha ng mga anak ko because I really wanted that even the work they do reflects what we hold dear. And books are definitely a big deal to me and my husband, Vince.

Ironically, my kids—the kids of writers, editors and book lovers!—didn't take to books right away. That broke our hearts. We did everything right: we had a library, the kids were surrounded by books since they were in my tummy, and we read to them at bedtime. Vince and I couldn't understand why our boys weren't bookworms like us!

After researching and talking with other more experienced parents (a.k.a. parents of adults), I found a few reasons why kids don't read:

1. There are too many distractions.
Toys, TV, gadgets, video games—yes, we vilify those as the top distractions taking our kids away from books. But in my house, these are also the culprits: their brothers to play with, friends who visit, arts and crafts projects, school, homework, piano, dancing, singing, rough and tumble play, cooking with Mama, movie-and-popcorn time with Papa, basically a ton of good things that are monumentally more fun to three wriggly little boys than sitting quietly with a book.

2. They think it's a chore.
If we force our kids to read books they're not interested in, then they're going to resent anything book-related.

3. They think it's boring.
For active little kids, what can be more dull than being asked to sit still, be quiet, and read?

Of course, your child may also have a learning disability and parents constantly breathing down their neck to "READ A BOOK!" may make them dislike books even more. I mention that because it's a legitimate reason but I can't recommend any expert course of action since I'm not a literacy expert. That's why I'm going to a literacy workshop by ReadPro Philippines on Oct. 19, Saturday, at Fully Booked. Come attend with me, mamas!


Can't wait to attend this ReadPro workshop! I really want my boys to grow up loving reading and learning. Why do some people love reading? A recent article in The Atlantic, "Why Some People Become Lifelong Readers,"  explored it and gave this list of what predetermines the creation of bookworms:

1. The more educated you are, the more you'll love reading.
2. People who live in the city are more likely to love books than those raised in rural places.
3. The more money you have means you can afford to buy books, and have the time to read.
4. Gender factors in, too. Girls read earlier, more, and way longer into adulthood than boys do.
5. Introverts are more likely to love books.

That list gives me hope because we are blessed enough to give our kids a good education, we can buy books often, and we live in the heart of the city (I think this factor just means people in the city have more access to books, various educational experiences, and the internet). My kids are neither girls nor introverts so how do I tackle those issues?


Well, the article featured Daniel Willingham, author of the book, Raising Kids Who Read, and here are his interesting insights:

1. You read first. 
It's not enough to surround a child with books. It's not even enough to read to them every night. What really matters is your children need to see YOU reading! Kids follow their parents' example so if they see us excited to read a book, they're going to want to read books, too!

2. Kids need to know about life before they will open a book. 
Kids think books are boring. So they need to be interested in the topic first before they'll read anything about it. If your kid loves robots, buy books about robots. If you just came from a vacation in Hong Kong, let him read about Chinese culture. If you just visited a dinosaur museum, grab books on prehistoric animals!

3. Parents need to treat books as a part of everyday life. 
You and your husband can talk about your favorite books or the book you're currently reading with the kids around to listen. Visit bookstores often and browse. Don't lock away books in the study, high up in the shelf. Don't treat books as precious at all! Let the kids look at the pictures, write on the margins! If you get mad at them for desecrating and vandalizing books, they won't want to touch books anymore.


My kids are now finally reading. Maybe not as much as we want but we're taking it one book at a time. They love visiting book stores because we buy them at least one book each as a treat. They have a reading schedule—I know it seems like a chore but I needed to set aside a time that's just for books, and that's usually mornings for Vito and bedtime for Iñigo and Piero. I also decreed that their time on gadgets must be 1:1 ratio with their books. So 30 long agonizing minutes reading a book means just 30 short minutes on the iPad.

At first, the kids did treat reading as a chore. But slowly, they became interested in their books. Thirty minutes became one hour, there was less whining and more quiet times spent with their nose in a book. And more often than not, instead of asking for the iPad or the TV remote after they read, they now draw or write stories. Hooray!

It's a start! I need to know more ways to get my boys to dive into reading! That's why I can't wait for October 19 and attend the "Parents, How to Encourage Your Kids to Love Reading" forum at Fully Booked High Street! Come with me, mamas!

Visit the ReadPro website and like their Facebook page for more information on the workshop and the literacy programs. I'm thinking of enrolling my kids!

See you on Oct. 19, mamas!

*This post is brought to you by ReadPro Philippines.

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