Pot Roast

I saw a reduced pot roast at the store yesterday so I  bought one since it's been a while since I made a pot roast at home.  I started  cooking it when I woke up this morning  using the slow cooker.

I just let it cook  for  almost 6 hours and when we came back from church today, it was ready.  We love carrots, celery, and  potatoes in it.  Other ingredients are onion and salt and pepper.

I also made  some shells and cheese for the kids and rice for me.  We had a yummy dinner.  

Buckwheat Pancake with Cream Cheese

I seldom  make  pancake because I am not fond of it.  The kids  eats it but they have to crave it  for us to make it.  My husband  bought this Buckwheat pancake mix, which I find very expensive as it cost almost 6 dollars for a box.  Anyhow, my kids love cheese and my husband love this buck wheat pancake so I thought of trying  the Cream Cheese Pancake that I saw at Marie's blog.  Instead of just making the cream cheese, I  decided to combine  the buckwheat pancake mix with it.

I used:

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup buckwheat pancake mix
• 1 tsp. vegetable oil.
• 1 cream cheese 
• 2 tabs of NuStevia sweetener
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp. NuStevia Cherry Vanilla

Procedure:

• Put all the ingredients in the blender. Blend until everything is mixed well altogether.
• Heat the  pancake griddle into a high-medium heat.  
• Pour a small amount of the pancake batter in the  heated pan/pancake griddle.
• Cook each side 2 minutes.

These makes 20 pancakes.  I actually loved the mixture of the two.  The kids were not fond of  buckwheat pancake but with the addition of  cream cheese, they loved it!  We ate it with  maple syrup and fruits.

Fuzzy Peach Treat

The kids wanted some yogurt yesterday so we  brought them at Fuzzy Peach after they swam.  I am glad that there is a healthy place for the kids to go to  this summer.  I like it also that they have a variety of fruits for toppings and not just  candy sprinkles and other sweets.  I did not get any because I was having some  cramps that I did not feel like eating  anything cold.  

Fruits for Snack

Fruits is the usual snack at home.  We seldom buy chips or cookies  because we want to stay healthy.  During summer time, we make sure to buy as much fruits as we can because it really  gives us healthy  snack to munch on.  Each of us have favorite fruits  but we can eat pretty much everything.  EJ love strawberries and oranges, Rylie  love apples and  cantaloupe, I like pretty much everything but my favorite is mango, and my husband love kiwi, grapes, and pears.

Sesame Teriyaki Salmon

I am  glad that my kids  eat fish.  My husband is very picky when it comes to fish menus.  Daughter is like me, she would pick  fish over meat.  Son on the other hand says "Ewww" for everything except  sweets but I make him try  anyways lol.

Here's the recipe for you to try.

• 1 lb salmon fillets, thawed
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
• 2 cloves minced fresh garlic
• 118 tsp. cayenne
• 1/3 cup rice wine or chicken broth
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds (white of black)

Directions.

• Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger,  garlic, cayenne, and rice wine/broth in a small sauce pan.  Bring to  boil and simmer until reduced and thickened.
  

• Spread glaze on the flesh side of the salmon and allow to marinate for about 15 minutes.

• Place Sesame seeds in a bowl or plate and coat the fillets, pressing lightly to ensure they stick.

• Heat a small amount of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Beginning with the skin side up, cook the salmon until firm to touch, about 3-4 minutes on each side depending on thickness of fillet.

The photos doesn't really  do the justice but I can assure you, it was delicious.  

My husband even said "I don't even have to use ketchup  to eat it".  He uses ketchup when eating fish to  counter  balance the fish taste hehehe.  Thanks goodness, my  experiment was a success!  

Omelet with Tomatoes and Asparagus Filling

Making healthy breakfast for my Burritos during school break is one of those things I enjoyed doing in the morning.  I want  them to start the day with a full belly, not just full but full with healthy food.  Most of the times, I  make something out of the left over from the previous night.  Just like this omelet that I made with asparagus and tomatoes.  My kids love  eggs and sausages so to incorporate the  veggies, I put them in the filling of the omelet.

Fruit is also   a regular  thing in their plate.  How about you, what breakfast do you   usually make for your children at home?

Breakfast with Fresh Veggies from the Garden

This is our breakfast today.  I got some fresh  lettuce, spring onions, and radish at my garden and made a salad.  I made a  small amount of vinaigrette after I  fried the bacon using the bacon grease.  I added  balsamic vinegar, the spring onion, and sugar and pour it on the salad, my daughter just love it.

They ate their breakfast with bread but I ate mine with  rice, the culprit of my belly fats lol.  Oh well, I can't live without rice.  The radish was surprisingly good with the vinaigrette that I made.  I will do this every time.

Lima Beans With Shrimp

Homesickness... the hardest part of being thousands of miles away from your family.  Sometimes, when I am homesick, I  make some food that  reminds me of home.  One of those many that I miss about my Mom is her  Lima Beans menu.  We call it percoles in bicol term.  Here's a simple and easy recipe.

You will need.

• 1 bag of baby lima beans (frozen) - the best alternative to fresh ones
• 1 can of coconut milk (13.5 fl.oz)
• a pack of frozen shrimp
• 1 medium size sliced onions
• a piece of ginger about thumb size, crushed
• hot peppers (optional) I love mine soooo hot
• a teaspoon of shrimp paste (bagoong), optional
• fish sauce, optional, you can use salt.

Procedure:

• Put the  coconut milk in a pan then add the onion, ginger, shrimp paste, fish sauce, and peppers. 
• Wait till it boils while stirring occasionally, then add the lima beans.  
• Add the shrimp last as it cooks  fast.  I usually add  the shrimp when I am about to  turn off the heat of the stove.  

Hubby knows when I am homesick because I cook these "odd food".  Odd just because I seldom make them in our kitchen lol.  A bag of Lima beans  serves me for a long time as I divide them in a small container, each container  is good for one serving, and then I put them in a freezer.  When I crave for it, I just take one out from the freezer,  nuked it and  I have an instant ulam with rice!

Snacks after the Spring Play

The homeroom Moms set up some snacks outside the  gymnasium where the  play was held, for the guests and students to snack on after the play.

These colorful cookies are always  a maganet to the children.

The same effect on children for these very colorful cupcakes too

The homeroom Moms  always do a great job in setting  up these kind of events.  It's what makes the school very special because parents are always involve with  every activities that the kids are participating in school.

Hat's off to Mrs. Buterbaugh and Mrs. Mascio and other Moms  for this beautiful presentation!

Rice Noodles (Pancit Bihon)

Aside from the warm weather, I also love summer because I can plant veggies from my garden.  Summer time is the most inspiring time for me to cook because most of the  ingredients I used in cooking is  harvested from my  garden.  I made some  rice noodles (pancit bihon) for breakfast this morning.

When I cook, I like to arrange my ingredients neatly in a plate.  I know it doesn't matter if it's arrange but for me it makes me  cook better that way (weird huh?) lol.

I always boil the chicken first  and then I used the broth to cook the noodles. I then sauteed the  pre-cooked chicken with the other  ingredients (onion, garlic, carrots, celery, green and red bell peppers), soy sauce, and salt and pepper to taste.  When the veggies and chicken are cooked, mixed them  together with the noodles.

You can garnish it with scallion  and boiled eggs.

My Burritos are becoming picky eaters so presentation always do the trick to ignite their appetite.  

Radish

Our radish in the garden  are getting  bigger so I  pulled out some today and tried to incorporate it in a dish.  I have never cooked with radish before  nor fond of eating it.  I remember the first time I tried radish, it was bitter so  after that I  never tried it again.

After I sliced them up, I tried it to make sure that it isn't bitter and it wasn't. I gave the leaves to our bunny coz he loves it

I was craving for some   fish today so I  got out two cans of sardines and cooked it with the radish since I did not have available vegetable to go with it.

I was very surprised that the radish was rather good!

From now on, I will be eating the radishes that I grew in my garden especially that I found great health benefits of it online.  Below is the article I found  for  info.

1. Naturally cooling

Radishes are a naturally cooling food and their pungent flavor is highly regarded in eastern medicine for the ability to decrease excess heat in the body that can build up during the warmer months.

2. Sooth sore throats

Their pungent flavor and natural spice can help eliminate excess mucus in the body and can be especially helpful when fighting a cold. Radishes can help clear the sinuses and soothe soar throats too.

3. Aids digestion

Radishes are a natural cleansing agent for the digestive system, helping to break down and eliminate stagnant food and toxins built up over time.

4. Prevents viral infections

Because of their high vitamin C content and natural cleansing effects, regular consumption of radishes can help prevent viral infections.


5. Eliminates toxins

In Eastern and Ayurvedic healing practices radishes are said to have effective toxin-purging effects, helping break down and eliminate toxins and cancer-causing free radicals in the body.

6. Protects against cancer

As a member of the cruciferous vegetable family (same family as broccoli and cabbage) radishes contain phytonutrients, fiber, vitamins and minerals that are cancer protecting.

7. Relieves indigestion

Radishes have a calming effect on the digestive system and can help relieve bloating and indigestion.

8. Low in calories, high in nutrients

With a very low calorie count, less than 20 calories in an entire cup, radishes are a great way to add nutrients, fiber and tons of flavor to your meals without compromising your health.

9. Keeps you hydrated

With a high water content and lots of vitamin C as well as phosphorus and zinc, radishes are a nourishing food for the tissues and can help keep your body hydrated and your skin looking fresh and healthy all summer long!

Source: http://www.fullcircle.com/goodfoodlife/2012/05/14/9-reasons-to-eat-your-radishes/

Deviled Eggs, Fried Pork, and Fried Rice

I made some deviled yesterday.  M husband love this as a side dish or as a snack.

I asked my husband what he want for dinner yesterday and he  said he wants mongo with fried pork or pork BBQ.  I asked my kids what they wanted and they just want  fried pork.

I had leftover rice from the other day so I made a little serving of fried rice.

When I was single, I hated  cooking.  I usually  picked other house chores to do  rather than cooking.  When I got married, I started to like cooking especially when I became a Mom.

Breakfast Burrito

During summer, my husband  goes to work an hour earlier than normal since he doesn't have to  wait for the kids.  So what I do is pre-cooked his breakfast so I don't have to wake up early especially if I  go to bed  late.  One of the menu he wanted me to prepare is breakfast burrito. 

You can buy breakfast burrito in store but I prefer to make  my own.  This is basically a rice, scrambled eggs, and sausage cooked as fried rice, and then topped with cheese before wrapping it in  tortilla wrapper.  All he need to do is pop this in the microwave and nuke it and he have instant breakfast.  Hope you enjoy it Hon!

Here's the simple recipe for those who wants to try it.  Tip:  If you can find a Burrito mix, it is much better.  I prefer to just use my own seasoning.

Ingredients:

• Left-over rice or newly cooked.
• Soft tortillas
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed and  sliced in small pieces
• Some scallions, chopped
• Cooked sausages (chopped) or you can use bacon
• scrambled eggs
• soy sauce (to taste) or you can use salt
• a dash of  steak seasoning

Preparations:

• Cooked the sausage or bacon. Slice or chop it into small pieces.  Set Aside.
• Scramble an egg or two
• Using the grease in the pan from the sausage,  put the  garlic in and let cook till golden brown. 
•  Add the rice and mix it with the garlic.  Add the sausage or bacon bits.  Add some seasoning (soy sauce or salt and  steak seasoning)
• Add the  scallions  when it is almost done.  Turn off the heat.
• Using the tortilla, put some of the  fried rice mix in the middle  and  top it with cheese.  Wrap it.  Serve it while it's hot or you can  refrigerate  or freeze it and   just warm it up in the microwave  when you crave for it.  

Chicken Fajita, Hubby's Favorite Work Lunch #Recipe

Ever since  my husband joined the Biggest Loser contest at his work, he has been working out and watches what he eats.  He pays close attention to the portion of the food that he consumes.  I also prepares the food that he brings for lunch at work so he doesn't have to  buy food with large amount of fats and calories.  One of his favorite that he always request for me to make is the chicken fajita.

 I always pre-cooked it  on Sundays so that when he feels like  bring  fajita for lunch, he can just get it and nuke it at work.  He used to eat four of these fajita but since he is on a diet, he only packs two plus fruit.  

 Some  are asking for  recipe of chicken fajita.  This is very easy to make especially if you have the  fajita mix but if not, here is a simple recipe:

Ingredients:

4 chicken breast, sliced  according to size you desire

4 chicken breast

1 bell pepper, sliced

1 big onion, chopped

1 tbsp coconut oil

cumin, chili pepper, oregano, onion, salt, garlic, and lime juice.  No measurement for me, just make it the way you like it.

Direction:

• Warm the   pan ans add the coconut oil.
• Add the  chicken, let it cook for  10 minutes then add the spices. Stir it until the chicken absorb all the spices.
• Add the onion and bell peppers, cook for  another 3 minutes . 
• When you are done cooking, just wrap it in the tortilla  or you can  eat it with rice.  
• You can top it with  with cheese or sour cream.

Making my husband's favorite lunch  is easier with the Green Earth Pan that Ozeri have sent me for review.  This is the third pan that I have from them and I love all of them in my kitchen.  This one is  claimed by Ms. Burrito to be hers so I only used it once to make this review.  This 8" frying pan  features the texured series  that Ozeri makes.  The  ultra safe 100% PTFE and PFOA free ceramic non stick coating from Germany.

The elevated texture  creates air pockets which distributes heat underneath  food to enhance cooking.  I love this pan just the same as I love the other two pans  I got from Ozeri.  They do make great pans for frying and I highly recommend it for those who love to cook!  You can buy this via Amazon  $23.35.  Thanks again Ozeri for another  great product!

Disclaimer: The author of this blog was NOT financially compensated to write this review. Opinions expressed is not in anyway influenced by other factors. The product/s mentioned above was provided for FREE for evaluation purposes.

Award Winning Food Cutter from Funbites

Last year, this blog teamed up with Funbites and tried one of their their award winning food cutters.  My kids   lunch which they bring to school  whenever they don't like the menu at school is always complimented because of their fun shapes.  The teachers would sometime  joke that I should prepare their lunches as well lol.  This is the one I got from Funbites last year.

I am grateful that Funbites wants to team up with this blog again for their back to school promo.  Below are their giftable Funbites packaging.  Thepackaging really makes it more appealing to consumer as they can identify each shapes with the characters associated with each packages. 

Eddie the Explorer, Jackie the Dreamer, Harry the Hungry, Dylan the Chef, Peter the Picky and Lola the Princess.

I chose the Harry the Hungry which has triangle shapes.  I only have a cantaloupe  when this package arrived today so that's what I used it for.

My cantaloupe was too ripe so it made its juice comes out when I  cut them with the Funbites cutter. 

I finished  cutting the cantaloupe with the other cutter that I have in the kitchen. 

As soon as I got done  cutting the cantaloupe, my testers a..a happy eaters  tried it right away.  

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My son was very happy that I got a color blue  this time because the last time I got the pick cutter which he think is  for her sister.  My kids are funny, they compare each single thing we get for each of them so I am so glad and grateful that Funbites partnered with this blog once again.

You can buy any of their patented and award winning food cutters by visiting www.funbites.com. You can use the coupon code BTSFun (back to school fun) to save 20% of your purchase.

Disclaimer: The author of this blog was NOT financially compensated to write this review. Opinions expressed is not in anyway influenced by other factors. The product/s mentioned above was provided for FREE for evaluation purposes.

Thai Cuisine

Google provided us $100 visa card for food during our California trip but since most of the food were provided at the venue at the hotel and Googleplex, we decided to use it during our last night in Palo Alto.  The driver of the shuttle bus that  takes  guests from the hotel to downtown was a Asian so we asked  if he knows  an Asian  place  in downtown.  He wasn't from  Palo Alto but he knew a Thai restaurant  so that's where we ate dinner.

My husband love Thai food.  I am not fond of curry but I  can eat it.  It was our  children's first time eating Thai food and I was very surprised that they loved it!  The restaurant is called ThaiPhoohn, it was rated the best Thai restaurant from 2006-2010.  My husband got sweet tea and he  let us tasted it, it was so sweet but good tasting.

My daughter ordered shrimp cooked in coconut milk and Thai basil.

Our son had beef  with Thai Basil.

Ny husband ordered beef with  curry.

I had fish with veggies  cooked in coconut milk and curry.  It was delicious actually.

Hubby toojk a photo of me and  Ms. B  when we were walking to the bus stop.

The photos were taken  by my phone.  I did not bring my camera  so the  quality  wasn't great.  I think I like Thai food minus the curry lol.  Too bad, there is none here in the area.