My Own Version of Classic Recipes using AJINOMOTO Products

I will be sharing more recipes soon. :-)

Savor the deliciousness of the new Porksavor™

Filipinos love food with strong meaty flavors, which is why saucy, soupy or stir-fried dishes would usually be accentuated with pork meat or broth. It is for this reason that Ajinomoto Philippines Corporation (APC) came up with a new product called Porksavor™ All-in-One Seasoning.

Porksavor™ is made from natural pork meat extract and bone broth, complete with spices and seasonings to bring out the deliciousness of home-cooked dishes. The new Porksavor™ is available in 8-gram packs for only PhP 2.00 Suggested Retail Price (SRP). It is truly an affordable way to draw pork flavor goodness in dishes without the cholesterol.

Here are some appetizing recipes that you can try using Porksavor™ All-in-One Seasoning:

Bihon Guisado

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons cooking oil

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

¼ cup sliced onions

60 grams sliced pork liempo

1½ cups water

2 tablespoons soy sauce

125 grams Super Q Bihon

½ cup carrot strips

½ cup sayote strips

1 pack, 8 grams Porksavor™

1 cup shredded cabbage

Procedure:

1.     In a bowl, soak bihon in water for 15-20 minutes. Strain and set aside.

2.     Heat oil in a pan, sauté garlic, onions and pork for 1 minute over low heat.

3.     Add water and soy sauce. Bring to a boil and add soaked pancit bihon. Mix well.

4.     Add carrots and sayote, stir-fry in medium heat for 2 minutes.

5.     Season with Porksavor™ and mix well.

6.     Add cabbage and mix until cooked.

7.     Serve hot.

Calories 240, Carbohydrates 31g, Protein 5g, Fat 11g

Makes 3-4 servings

Dish Cost: PhP 79.00

Cost per serving: PhP 19.75

Bihon Soup

Ingredients:

Soup

1.5 liters water

3 packs, 8 grams Porksavor™

125 grams Super Q Bihon

Toppings

12 grams toasted chopped garlic

60 grams sliced carrot strips

60 grams thinly sliced cabbage strips

10 grams chopped spring onions

15 grams sliced red onions

30 grams ground pork sautéed in oil

10 grams crushed chicharon to garnish

Procedure:

1.     Prepare the broth by boiling 1.5 liters of water seasoned with 3 packs of Porksavor™.

2.     In a bowl, soak the bihon until it is covered with water for 15-20 minutes. Strain and separate the noodles and set aside.

3.     Combine the hot broth and the bihon noodles in your serving bowl.

4.     Top the soup with the prepared meat and vegetables. You may adjust the quantity of toppings as desired.

5.     Serve hot.

Suggestions: You may replace toasted garlic with 1 tablespoon of ginger cut in strips or add drops of sesame oil.

Calories 150, Carbohydrates 23g, Protein 4g, Fat 5g

Makes 5 servings

Dish Cost: PhP 60.00

Cost per serving: PhP 12.00

Mommy hugs,

Mel

Breastfeeding is a Lifestyle

We did not plan to be this far - tandem and extended nursing.

When I got pregnant in 2010, we decided to give breast milk to our first born. I do not know anything about it - how to latch, how to increase milk supply, how to store and everything about breastfeeding.

My first source of first-hand experience was Mel. She gave birth when I got pregnant - she actually passed the baton to me J I was so lazy to attend seminars about breastfeeding during my first pregnancy. I was also not into reading that much. I only read the different stages of my pregnancy from an internet site and a few chapters from What to Expect When You are Expecting.

When I gave birth and was on maternity leave that was the time I read about breastfeeding. Apart from asking questions from Mel, I researched. Read blogs and other sites about breastfeeding while taking this new and wonderful journey - being a first time mother.

  

Now that we are going on the fourth year of breastfeeding, I must say, it is a lifestyle.

I carry my back pack everytime I leave the house and will be gone for the rest of the day. If I know that I can be back in four to six hours, I do not bring my breastfeeding paraphernalia. I can last long for six hours without expressing milk provided my breasts are empty when I leave the house.

You are a breast pump addict J If you are a breastfeeding mom who works from 8-5, you will always search for the best pump that suits you and will do its job. Currently, I am using Philips Avent’s single electric pump and Avent’s new manual comfort breast pump.  

I consider the kind of clothes I buy and wear if I am going out with my children. Let’s say, if I am going to buy a dress that I need to wear for a wedding. I have to consider buying a dress that is easy access for my breasts to pop out in a snap and give it to my hungry daughter. By the way, my son is not nursing anymore in public. He only nurses at home or drink breast milk from his cup.

Since I have established stash for my children, I do not worry that much if I do have enough breast milk in case of emergency cases. Like when I have to be rushed to the hospital to have my head stitched because I slipped.

You need to have options when there is no power supply like when there is a storm. I am lucky to have relatives that are not usually affected by power shut down during a storm. So we always rush to their place and ask some space from their fridge to keep our precious milk.

As much as possible, I schedule or prevent late night stay with friends. If I am going to be late such as during Christmas parties, I have to be home by 9:00 pm. My children know what time I usually arrive. I do not how they know it but they really know what time I am arriving from work. They slow down their consumption from their bottle around seven in the evening.   

I control my intake of junk foods. I eat anything and do not deprive myself but I make sure that the unhealthy ones are controlled. Let’s say soda. I drink only one 12 oz cup of soda in a week. When I am eating chips, I ensure to share it with others or eat it for three days and not in one seating.  

Everytime I am sick, I always go for the natural treatment like eating lots of fruits or drink healthy juices or simply taking a break and give myself some rest. If I consult a doctor, I always tell him/her to give me meds that do not have negative side effects on my daughter. Breastfeeding moms cannot simply take any medications without doctor’s advice.

When I was able to buy Malunggay or Moringa powder, I always bring it wherever I go. If there is an opportunity to mix it with my drink or food, I add it.

When I was pregnant with my daughter, I asked my OB if I have a hair treatment such as rebond after months of giving birth. She does not want me to do it. So, I need to postpone my hair treatment. All I can do now is a haircut.

When you are breastfeeding, you have to consider a lot of things. There are things that you need to sacrifice for some time or totally scrap it from your list of activities.

We are going to continue with tandem and extended breastfeeding until supplies last!

Breastfeeding is a choice. It is a lifestyle.

Mommy kisses,

May

Mommies, what will make you happy today?

Simple things make us happy, right mommies? Milestones of our children such as first step, first word, first smile – those are priceless moments.

One of the things that made my day today – my daughter pooped! Whew! Her last poop was Friday. Since we are into exclusive breastfeeding, our pedia gave up to five days lead time to have her poop. If on the fifth day we are not yet successful, I have to give her suppository. We usually give her half of the glycerine as a last resort. I also add more water intake and eat foods that will help her poop.

Being a mother who spends her day for 10-12 hours away from her children, I rely on the answers of our nannies. The usual questions I ask are how much they eat; what activities kept them busy; if they slept; and if they pooped.

My son is potty trained since he was two years old. We encourage him to go to the potty after eating a meal though most of the time there is no need because in less than five minutes after a sumptuous meal, he will tell us that he needs to go.

Photo taken when he was 2.5 years old.

What will make me happy each day is when my children regularly poop especially my daughter who is not yet potty trained.

What about you mommy? What makes you happy each day? What made your day today?

Mommy kisses,

May

Day Tour: Ark Avilon Zoo

My kids and I had a trip to the Ark of the Avilon zoo with my parents last February 2014.

If you are looking for a new experience for your kids, this is perfect. The great part of the tour is my kids get a chance to mingle, feed and see closely some of the animals.

My son and his lolo even named the cute and entertaining kid. The kid keeps on following my son.

My daughter who was 10 months at the time of your visit touched the hands of this friendly orangutan. As far as I could remember her name is Jenny.

I suggest you pay in advance through bank deposit to save on your entrance cost. Here is the link of their FB account for more details.

Ark Avilon

Address: Frontera Verde Ortigas Avenue Corner C-5, Pasig

Contact Number: (02) 706 2992

Hope you can visit the place soon with your kids and family! Enjoy!

Happy weekend!

Mommy kisses,

May

Me and My Dad – Book Review

Inspired by my son’s recent play date with his dad, we read this book that is about a wonderful day at the beach spent by Goofy and his son Max.

Aside from having relatively known characters, this book from Disney has a sensitive and warm storyline about give and take between parent and child.

Lessons emphasized:

·       There are so many things you can learn from each other (parent and child).

·       It is always best to have each other (parent and child).

·       Any given time or day is a wonderful time to spend with each other (parent and child).

Happy Reading! J

Mommy hugs,

Mel

Product Review: Orange & Peach Milk Storage Bag

Thank you CUDSLY for sending us two boxes of Orange and Peach milk storage bags. This really cute but not overly decorated box made my day. :-)

After a few weeks of using it, I have finally came up with a review...

Positive points:

It gives plenty of room for storage, you can actually store up to 12 oz in one bag, which is good for almost three feedings - giving you a lot of savings and less plastic to dispose. Yey!

It can be stored on lying or standing position, allowing you to maximize your freezer space.

It is spill proof, the double zipper lock will prevent the contents from spilling. I dont know about you... but I experienced crying over a spilled breasmilk. ;-)

It gives accurate measurement. You will know exactly how much is in the bag and there's really no need to take note of it - it's right there, accurate and exact. 

Negative point:

The bag has no clearance from the base, so it touches the surface of the freezer or table which can be a little disturbing with OC mom's like me.

Overall, I am satisfied with the Orange and Peach milk storage bag. Thank you again CUDSLY. :-)

P.S.
We're giving away the other box of Orange and Peach Milk Storage Bag for you to try and use, just leave us a comment. :-)

Mommy hugs,

Mel

Why do I Tandem Nurse my Kids?

It’s simple – I am blessed with breast milk. So why not use it until supplies last.

Part of my advocacy on breastfeeding is to normalize breastfeeding beyond two years old and to encourage tandem nursing.

I nursed my eldest son while pregnant with my daughter. It was challenging to nurse while pregnant since my breasts are engorged while pregnant. The sucking motion was painful. It was a sacrifice. I stopped expressing milk in the office while pregnant.

When I reported back to work, wow! My supply is doubled. I did not have the same experience on my first son – which is to establish my supply. My body recognizes that I’m feeding two growing kids.

At this time, I encourage my eldest to drink from his cup the breast milk I express. He only nurses for about a couple of minutes every nursing session.

I do not have plans to stop nursing my two kids. We will stop nursing whenever they are ready to wean and most definitely until supplies last.

I always thank God for this wonderful blessing and gift from Him because I am one of the mommies who have breast milk production like this.

Mommy kisses,

May