Tuesday, December 18, 2018

Shopwise Now on honestbee

Grocery shopping is enjoyable for me when I have the time to leisurely go around each of the aisle, perusing each new item on the shelves.

But let's be honest, I seldom have the luxury of time to do that. Most often, it's a quick dash to grab all the pantry essentials so I can move along to the next errand. If you count driving to the grocery, looking for a parking spot, and then queueing for the cashier, grocery shopping is one chore that takes up a lot of time especially with the traffic situation lately.

I'm just so happy to know that Shopwise is one of the newest merchants to join honestbee, my fave online grocery concierge service.  Busy moms everywhere are now given more choices for their online grocery shopping, especially if they are looking for more affordable options for their daily essentials
Shopwise is one of my fave groceries because their shelves offer a lot of options that are essential to my everyday. Aside from that, prices are also reasonable.

Monday, December 10, 2018

{Weekend Footnotes} RACKS Honey Dijon Ribs

It's December already! There are certain things that are "constants" for me everytime December comes around: shopping and dining out.


Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Curves Magnolia + IG Giveaway

Whenever I see women my age with toned arms, I wish that mine would look like that, too. I miss the arms I had when I was in my 20s. Now that I'm in my 40s, I just stopped wearing sleeveless tops because I just want to hide my arms. It's not that I have big arms, it's just that they are devoid of muscles. It would look more attractive to wear sleeveless tops pag my definition sa arms kahit papaano, di ba?
My most recent photo. I'm happy to see that I've lost a few inches off my thighs and hips which are so stubborn and most difficult to take out. Do you have that problem, too?

Friday, November 23, 2018

Christmas Offerings by honestbee

The holiday season calls for a lot of get-togethers with friends and reunions with family members. I'm so looking forward to all the eating that I'm going to be doing this season. After all the holidays is a good excuse to indulge ourselves and enjoy all the food!

But, i'm also dreading the holiday rush AND the holiday traffic AND the long queues. It's a good thing honestbee just added several more merchants to its carefully curated list of vendors. Now I can spend more time celebrating rather than wasting my time in never ending lines and in traffic jams that takes forever. I simply just place my order online and honestbee comes to my rescue. Whether its food for potluck dinner reunions, sweets for the dessert table or food gift baskets, honestbee has got us covered!
With the honestbee mascot and Rowena of Animetric's World 

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

#GotYouGirl

I've just gotten one kid in college! Yes!!!

I can't exactly describe what I'm feeling, it's a mixture of relief, happiness and excitement.

She's in the university of her choice, taking up the course she wants. She's enjoying meeting new friends, busy joining orgs that she's interested in, exploring her vast new world

I toured her campus one Saturday while waiting for her to attend a one-hour seminar. 
This new building just opened.

Friday, September 14, 2018

Weekend Footnotes: Manam + Papa Kim + The Grid + Gringo

It's been quite a while since I shared where we ate for the weekend, so expect a photo heavy post as I play catch up. We've tried quite a few new restos and I want to share them all with you


Manam
This has been around for quite some time na, but it has a newly opened branch in our side of Manila, so we gave it a try a few weeks back. Expect a long queue during peak hours so it's best to arrive early to get a table as we are talking about waiting hours to get a table during lunch.


Saturday, September 8, 2018

Amara Lab EO Workshop at Aruga Cafe by Mesclun

I love essential oils and I use them frequently either in my homemade natural cleansers or add them to moisturizing butters. There are also times when I simply want to use them as aromatics. They are often also used for immune support, relaxation and sleep, stress relief, emotional balance, respiratory health and even muscle tension and pain.

For most moms, we'd like to try natural remedies first to cure an ailment before we resort to giving traditional medicine from the drugstore. Our first course of action is to reach for our natural medicine cabinet or even our kitchen, di ba?

When my kids feel the onset of a cold coming, I get one of my immunity rollers and rub at the soles of their feet, then a roller to help them breathe at the pulse points behind their ears and at the back of their necks. Basta, I use them for a lot of things!

So when I got an invite from Mish of ModMomsPH to attend an essential oils workshop hosted by Amara Oils, I knew I had to be there. It's a good thing our family out-of-town trip was canceled leaving me free to attend this.


Friday, August 31, 2018

ChinaTown Food Crawl

C took the opportunity to take us all to Chinatown for a food crawl during one of the long weekends of August.

The kids and I haven't been there for a long time, years na. As a kid, my parents would take us there when they need to run errands, but I could never navigate the narrow streets and alleys by my lonesome. I've never been an expert on spatial orientation kaya I do not venture to Binondo alone even if I sometimes have to stock up on my chinese pantry. Maliligaw ako for sure!

C, on the other hand, knows the area like the back of his hand. When he was younger, maybe around high school, he would help his dad and take the payment collection route on weekends for their business. He considered it one of the perks of the job that he can stop by and have a snack at one of his fave restos in the area.
 When B mentioned that she wanted to go to Ongpin, my husband couldn't be happier to indulge her. 


Wai Ying

First stop was husband's fave, Wai Ying. We all just let C order for us. We just said to order everything that's good. That's what he did!

If you've noticed the worldwide trend, most of the Chinese eateries that serve genuinely good food are tiny hole-in-the-walls. Wai Ying is one of them. Super affordable and yet so good.
Siomai. Wanton Noodle Soup 


Hakaw. Radish Cake. Shrimp Chong Fan


 Bean Curd Roll


 Lava Pao. My first time to taste it, and can I just say that this is the best custard filled pao that I've ever tried


Milk Tea is a winner, in terms of taste and price points


Masuki
This is the hubby's fave place for noodles. He admits the noddles smells stinky, but he swears that it ranks up there in terms of taste. Sobrang sarap daw talaga. He has taken the two younger ones with him on a previous visit, and both kids agree with him. He says he always orders the same thing: a big bowl of asado noodles. 

The place looks really old, but for my husband, it was a nostalgic trip down memory lane as he remembers eating here with his Angkong as a little boy. I am sure the fond memories with his angkong adds up to his enjoyment of the place.
Achi and I couldn't be swayed to try. Sorry na! #KJ



Chopped green onions and the asado sauce in separate containers




 Chinese Groceries
I went in three Chinese groceries to refill my Chinese pantry. Even if there are quite a few in the San Juan area, nothing beats the vastness of the options in Chinatown. I bought a lot of dried herbs, nuts, etc for my tonic soups preparations.

The biggest one is xxxxx. 




There's an air conditioned grocery store across the street from Wai Ying. I can't remember the name, but it reminded me of a Japanese neighborhood convenience store. But I couldn't take more photos, because the owner quickly told me no photos allowed.



Fresh Fruits
We saw a lot of fruit stalls selling mangoes, mangosteens, cherries, dragonfruits, pears, apples, persimmons, oranges, grapes and other fruits.


Sincerity
C took us here because he says that the friend chicken and oyster cake are both so good. To be honest, it wasn't all that great on the day of our visit. We were underwhelmed that we had leftovers for both dishes na pinabalot na lang namin. Could be because the kitchen was extremely busy that day. A lot of groups went on a food crawl like us and the restaurant was packed solid with diners waiting to get a table.

Chinatown is full of narrow one-way streets. We just asked the driver to drop us off  and to find parking nearby. The area is best explored by foot.



Marland
The chiffon cake of Marland Bakery is my absolute fave. My thoughtful FIL used to always buy a box for me whenever he took a trip to Chinatown. Since he passed two years ago, the Marland boxes stopped coming in na din. During our visit, my husband asked our driver to buy a box for me to take home. 



Phenomenal Tips:

1. Just pick a reasonable number of restaurants to visit for maximum enjoyment. Save the rest for another visit.
2. Wear comfortable shoes and clothing.
3. In case you are going during the rainy season, best to pack a foldable umbrella in your bag so you don't get trapped in case it rains.
4. Leave your valuables at home. Just carry a small body bag with the essentials.


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Saturday, August 11, 2018

My Honestbee Experience | Online Concierge & Delivery Service

A few weeks ago, Honestbee invited me to an intimate lunch to share the good news of its newest partnership with S&R Membership Shopping.
Honestbee, Asia’s leading online concierge and delivery service, helps you shop for groceries and basic household needs in the comfort of your own home, with its all-in-one, easy-to-use platform. 
Launched in the Philippines in 2017, honestbee gathers all the best products around in one marketplace, and gets it to you on time, all the time.


Wednesday, August 1, 2018

Our Tali Beach Family Vacation

I come from a family of 5 siblings. When we plan for a getaway, we plan it way in advance because there are so many calendars to consult. Our lives take off in all different directions, making it harder for us to take big trips together. There's work for the adults, and for the kids naman their summer vacation schedule is also not the same.

This trip towards the end of our summer break was planned months ahead. We reserved the Independence Day long-weekend for a short out of town trip to Tali Beach in Batangas.
My brother and his wife are not included in this photo as they had to return home to Manila 
ahead for work commitments.

Tuesday, July 24, 2018

TPM kitchen: Easy Hummus Recipes {Basic + Avocado}

One of the reasons that prompted me to make my own hummus is because of my daughters' gluten intolerance. I was looking for gluten free options for snacks. I wanted to serve whole foods like vegetable sticks or fruits. Something healthy and easy to prep. But it's hard to just serve them carrot sticks or cucumber slices without any dip, di ba? So hummus to the rescue! Because it just takes less than 15 minutes to make one with no cooking required.
basic hummus on the left and avocado hummus on the right


I know there are a lot of moms like me who don't want to feel like they have to turn the entire family's life 360 degrees because of dietary restrictions. It's a challenge. Because even if only two persons eat gluten free, they find it so much more difficult to follow the diet when there is baguette or ciabatta or cake in the house. So nakikisama din kami sa kanila most of the time.


What’s Hummus? 

Hummus is a Middle Eastern spread traditionally made from garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice and garlic. All ingredients are gluten free.

If you search online, you will find a lot of recipes for making homemade hummus, which all claim to taste better than store-bought ones. 

The hummus recipe I am using is all about convenience so it makes us of use canned garbanzos/ chickpeas, which are readily available in the grocery, and easily stored in the pantry for spur-of-the-moment hummus cravings.

I don't use tahini because it's not one of the ingredients I usually have on hand. I like hummus that has tahini in it; but for me, the flavor it adds to the dip is not something that I would not miss if it's not there. So if I don’t have it, which I often don’t, I make it minus.

I know purists will say that hummus is not hummus without tahini. But for this busy mama, a homemade kitchen hack version is still better than commercial ones that are laden with preservatives. Besides, hummus needs only a small amount of tahini. I'm sure if I buy one, my jar of tahini will just sit around in my fridge until it goes rancid. Instead, I substitute with UNSWEETENED nut butter that's readily available in my pantry like peanut butter or almond butter. I've also tried using Kewpie sesame dressing. Please do not judge me! Hahaha!

Get the kids involved by asking them to take out the skin from each garbanzo bean. My daughter loves doing this. You don't really have to do this, but if you decide to, it will result in a super smooth, silky hummus. Again, it's a matter of preference and convenience. If you want silky hummus and you have the pleasure of time, then take the skin out. If you are short on time, then keep the peel on, and just let it run on the blender/food processor longer.




Easiest Hummus Recipes


Basic Hummus
This basic hummus recipe is like a blank canvas. Feel free to mix in additional herbs, vegetables, and seasoning to flavor the hummus.

Ingredients
1 (15-ounce) can garbanzos/chickpeas
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2-3 tablespoons of drained liquid from garbanzos (or plain water will do)
3 tablespoons almond butter or peanut butter
1 1/2 tablespoons calamansi juice (original recipe calls for lemon)
1 small clove garlic, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp paprika, for topping


Instructions
1. Drain the chickpeas into a strainer, reserving the liquid from the can. If time and patience allows, pinch the skins from each of the chickpeas; this will make your hummus smoother.

2. Combine the chickpeas, olive oil, nut butter, calamansi or lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin and paprika in the blender or food processor.
3. Blend hummus until smooth, at least 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to integrate any large pieces.

4. Taste and adjust seasonings. If your hummus is stiffer than you'd like, blend the 2 to 3 tablespoons of the reserved garbanzo liquid (or just plain water) to thin it out and make the hummus creamier.

5. Transfer to a bowl and serve with pita chips or raw vegetables. Alternatively, you can also transfer to a sealed container and it will keep inside the refrigerator for one week, inside the freezer for a month.



Avocado Hummus
Avocados are in season right now, so I've been buying a lot. There are so many ways to enjoy avocado, which I've shared here.

Ingredients:
Basic hummus recipe
1 large avocado, pit removed 

chili flakes, for topping


Instructions
1. Drain the chickpeas into a strainer, reserving the liquid from the can. If time and patience allows, pinch the skins from each of the chickpeas; this will make your hummus smoother.

2. Combine the chickpeas, avocado, olive oil, nut butter, calamansi or lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin and paprika in the blender or food processor.

3. Blend hummus until smooth, at least 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to integrate any large pieces.

4. Taste and adjust seasonings. If your hummus is stiffer than you'd like, blend the 2 to 3 tablespoons of the reserved garbanzo liquid (or just plain water) to thin it out and make the hummus creamier.

5. Transfer to a bowl and serve with pita chips or raw vegetables. Alternatively, you can also transfer to a sealed container and it will keep inside the refrigerator for one week, inside the freezer for a month.


How To Serve Hummus?



Hummus is great as a dip with raw crispy vegetables such as carrots and cucumbers. My kids would not eat carrots and cucumbers as is, but hummus makes everything tolerable.


For those of us without gluten sensitivity, we eat it with toasted pita bread or ciabatta. We love the crustiness of the bread against the smoothness of the hummus.


Traditionally, I've seen hummus topped with EVOO and a few whole Chickpeas. But, since we are making our own, then anything goes! With mine, I added Smiked Paprika and Chili flakes.


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Thursday, July 19, 2018

#TPMkitchen: Ways to Enjoy Avocado

It's avocado season! Is anyone here celebrating with me?

Fellow avocado lovers, you have to agree with me that bringing home a beautiful looking one is a good fortune that should be celebrated. When I get my hands on one, I slice them, fan them out to a long line, then turn them into avocado roses. 
 I like to play with them using my sharpest knife and make them into works of art, and show them off.

Monday, June 25, 2018

Weekend Footnotes: Zara Sale + A Wedding + L'Oreal's Micellar Water

Zara sale this weekend, and for my oldest daughter this is one of the things that she has been looking forward to year after year. Kaya naman first day pa lang ng sale we went to Zara Shangri-la na to get dibs on the merchandise.

Thursday, June 14, 2018

Manila Bay Sunset Cruise

40th are milestone birthdays for most people. It's like a coming of age party for people having a middle life crisis. You all know that I've stopped counting my age when I reached 28, so I never really celebrated my 40th. Hahaha! But I have always enjoyed helping other people celebrate their 40th, though.

A month ago, a friend celebrated her 40th birthday. I first met her a decade ago as our kids (my youngest son, and her eldest daughter) were pre-school classmates. We were kidding each other that pretty soon, we can both be the parents chaperoning as our kids' class host their first soiree together.. Eeeep! Let's not go into that yet.