what’s for lunch?

Tweet

This is RJ’s packed lunch for school today, fried chicken. Fried food. Again.

As much as I want him to eat something more nutritious for lunch, the most that I can do is fry something early in the morning. I’m not a morning person so I’m still half-asleep at 5:30 am. And his lunch time is at 11:30 am. I’m worried that some other food like vegetables, or any other food with sauce, might be spoiled already when he eats it at lunch.

Whatever nutrients he missed for lunch, I always make sure that I cook something more nutritious for dinner.

Linking to:

chubby ain’t cute

Tweet

There’s quite a number of chubby kids in my son’s school. No, he’s not one of them because he’s as thin as a stick. He’s not malnourished, says the school doctor so I’m not concerned.

Back to the overweight boys in his school. A chubby baby is cute, yes. But once a chubby baby grows into a chubby 6 year old, not cute at all. When I wait for my son in the school canteen, I’m really shocked how some parents buy lots of food for their kids after dismissal. A pizza is enough to feed a hungry child, but pizza, tacos, burger and pasta! The school even has a program that helps these big boys lose weight but if the parents are not cooperating...

I wonder what these parents would do when they see these (advertisements) online: click here for weight loss pills for your child and click here for restaurant deals for kids? What do you think would they click?

I feel sorry for the kids actually. Some can’t even run or walk fast. I sure hope that their parents realize that they are not babies anymore and that being overweight isn’t cute and isn’t healthy.

What's your favorite brown food?

Tweet

My son RJ has lots of favorite brown food. Fried chicken tops the list followed by bacon. I'm thankful and proud of him that he doesn't like eating chicken skin. I only buy lean bacon because he doesn't like eating anything that has fat on it. Healthy eating at 10 years old, hopefully he'll also start liking the taste of vegetables. 

And he loves eating chips and cheese sticks also. I've just realized that most of the food that he requested for his birthday party are all brown. 

So what's your favorite brown food?

Pichi Pichi: My Favorite White Food

Tweet

Pichi Pichi is always present during family gatherings. In my family anyway. This Filipino dessert is made of cassava and topped with grated coconut. My son loves the version that has cheese toppings.

We usually buy at Amber's Restaurant but here's a recipe from my Mom's recipe box.

Pichi Pichi Recipe

2 cups grated cassava

1 cup sugar
2 cups water
1 bundle of pandan leaves or 1/2 tsp buko-pandan essence
1/2 tsp lye water
grated coconut or cheese for topping

1. If using fresh pandan leaves, boil in 2 cups water until reduced to one cup. Set to cool.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine the sugar and the pandan flavored water until sugar is dissolved.

3. Add the cassava and then add lye water while continuously stirring the mixture.

4. Pour in individual cup molds and place in a steamer for 45 minutes to an hour or until mixture becomes transluscent.

5. Allow to cool down then roll into grated coconut or cheese.

can't eat without this

Tweet

My son loves pizza and pasta. But he won't dare eat these yummy food without sprinkling dried oregano. Even his most favorite mac and cheese gets a dose of this herb. Oregano is beneficial to one's health so I let him have as much as he wants. This bottle of oregano never leaves our dining table.

Oregano is a very good source of fiber. Fiber works in the body to bind to bile salts and cancer-causing toxins in the colon and remove them from the body. This forces the body to break down cholesterol to make more bile salts. These are just some of the reasons that diets high in fiber have been shown to lower high cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of colon cancer. ~whfoods.com 

rolled into one

Tweet

For the past few weeks, RJ has been eating nothing but bacon for lunch. Although I buy lean bacon, it's still processed meat. So I decided to make bacon rolls for his lunch meal.

My sister usually puts asparagus when making bacon roll. But I'm pretty sure RJ won't eat it once he sees the green asparagus inside the roll. Carrots and cheese doesn't make him say "yuck!", so that's what I decided to put in the bacon roll.

Look at the rolls. Don't they look yum? Any suggestions on what healthy veggie should I put in the roll next time?

am i too thin?

Tweet

My son is on the thin side unlike me who surely needs to lose some unwanted pounds especially on the tummy area.

"My classmate said I'm so thin. Am I too thin, Mama?"

He has long limbs and one of the tallest in his class. He does look thin but I don't think he's malnourished. I prepare, and make sure he eats healthy food so I'm not worried that he's thin. He does eat the not-too-healthy ones sometimes like bacon. Although, come to think of it, I buy lean bacon instead of those loaded with fat.

I have to be diligent in reminding him that he doesn't have to be fat, like the classmate who told him he's too thin, because fat isn't healthy. I have to explain as well that eating the right kinds of food is what's important.

picky eater's special request

Tweet

My son is a very picky eater. It might have something to do with what I prepare for him to eat. I try not to cook hotdog, corned beef, spam and other canned goods that kids his age loves to eat. Vegetables and fruits are a must in our daily meal. He does eat fruits, but vegetable is synonymous to yucky for him. Ask him how to suppress appetite and he'll surely say "vegetable on the table".

He's been requesting for a Kimbap for two weeks already. So tonight, I am going to prepare that for dinner. I'll make some california maki as well. I'll just put a thin layer of rice because I don't want carbo-overload on my already unwanted love handles!

waking up early during school days

Tweet

This is how RJ looks like, while eating breakfast, during school days. He can hardly open his eyes. It doesn't matter if he had 8 hours of sleep. If it's still dark outside, his eyes will still remain closed.





My role, while he's eating breakfast, is to remind him every single second to open his eyes and chew his food well. He spends a good deal of time eating breakfast so I end up feeding him most of the time.

I'm hoping he'll be "more awake", while eating breakfast, next school year. If that indeed happens, I'll surely miss feeding my 9 year old baby in the morning.

just like crop rotation

Tweet

"Can I have porkchops for lunch next week?", my son asked me last night.

"So we're through with fried chicken?"

My picky eater son has a suggestion. "Why not prepare something different every week for my lunch. Do it like crop rotation, new dish every week."



lunch baon: chicken balls with homemade gravy

 "Well, it's hard to do that with you because most of the time you don't like new dishes. So I just stick with those that you'll surely eat. So starting this week, tell me what you want for your weekly lunch so I can include it on my weekly grocery list."

I hope this will solve our problem of too much left over food in his lunchbox.*fingers crossed*

tips from a picky eater's mom

Tweet

When will he like food and really like it forever? My son is a very picky eater. I spend hours planning our weekly menu before heading to the grocery store. I don't mind eating nothing but white meat, fruits and vegetables. But that's not possible, I can't have just that because there's a picky eater in the house -my son RJ. A few weeks ago, he's so into chicken nuggets (again!). So I stuffed the fridge with chicken nuggets. After a few meals of "I like chicken nuggets very much", it's now on his list of "I hate this food".

                                                                                 about-recipes

When will I ever learn. I feel like I've won in a lottery everytime I hear him say, "This is yummy, Mama!" A few days after, I have to look for weight loss supplements because I end up eating the "yummy food" that I-thought-he-will-like-forever-so-I-bought-a-months-supply.

From now on, I'm putting my foot down. I will only prepare healthy food whether it's yummy for him or not. It's better for us to eat fresh, healthy food than stuff our body with yummy but dangerous-to-our-health food.

picky eater's pick of the month

Tweet

...or maybe just for this week (?).

There are days when I am so frustrated that I just want to pull all my hair out. RJ is a very picky eater and it's very difficult to plan our meals because of that. If I can only have my way, I will cook vegetables for breakfast, lunch, dinner and everything in-between. RJ's favorite line these days, "I hate vegetables! Yuck!"

Thank God that he doesn't hate fruits. And at the moment Taho.

Tahô is a Philippine snack food made of fresh soft/silken tofu, arnibal (brown sugar and vanilla syrup), and pearl sago (similar to pearl tapioca). This staple comfort food is a signature sweet and can be found all over the country. The Indonesian and Malaysian equivalent of this dish is Tahu.

I found this video tutorial on how to make homemade taho. It's so easy.

Ingredients:

22 ounces extra soft tofu
1 ¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup uncooked tapioca pearls
4 ½ cups water

Procedure:

1. Pour 4 cups of water in a cooking pot and bring to a boil.
2. Put-in the tapioca pearls and cook for 40 minutes in medium heat.
3. Add ¼ cup brown sugar and mix well.
4. Turn off the heat and let the tapioca pearls sit on the cooking pot until room temperature is achieved. Set aside.
5. Heat a saucepan then pour-in ½ cup of water.
6. Put-in 1 cup of brown sugar once the water starts to boil. Mix well and simmer for 1 minute. Set aside.
7. Transfer the extra soft tofu in a glass or mug then heat in a microwave oven for a minute.
8. Top the extra soft tofu with the cooked tapioca pearls and sweet syrup.
9. Serve warm. Share and Enjoy!

Thank you to Panlasang Pinoy for the recipe. I am now a big fan!

kid-friendly tortillas?

Tweet

Yes, there is a kid-friendly tortilla. It goes by the name Mission Flour Tortillas. Why is it kid-friendly? We all know that kids nowadays are very picky eaters. Your picky eater will never be a picky eater again with Mission Flour Tortillas. Because there are different varieties of tortilla to choose from, different delectable dishes appropriate for your picky eater's taste buds can be created. And they can help in preparing the dishes because Mission Flour Tortillas are available in small (6"), medium (8") and large (10”) sizes. Even your toddler's hand can handle a small round tortilla.

Mission Flour Tortillas contain 0 grams Trans fat per serving and are cholesterol free. So eating this everyday will not make your kid a rolly-polly.

Mission Foods is kicking off the summer with the Mission Menus Challenge.
Beginning June 28, 2010, Chef Sara Moulton will encourage consumers to submit their budget-friendly recipes to Mission at www.MissionMenusChallenge.com for a chance to compete in a cook-off in Los Angeles and win a $10,000 dream kitchen makeover as well as a host of weekly prizes. The grand prize winner will win round-trip airfare and hotel accommodations for two to the Mission Menus Challenge Cook-off on September 10, 2010 at the Hard Rock Café in Los Angeles.

All recipes must include Mission Flour Tortillas. Originality is a must. And it must be able to feed a family of five for $10 or less. This challenge will run until August 9th. So hurry, you still have the chance to submit your recipe online.

pizza for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

Tweet

My son can definitely live on pizza alone. He will say "Yay!" if I feed him pizza for breakfast, lunch, dinner and in-between meals. He has yet to try Freschetta FlatBread though. Zesty Italian, Roasted Garlic and Spinach, Pepperoni or 5-Cheese ... it doesn't matter, he'll gobble it all up in a heartbeat!

Who in his right mind will refuse Zesty Italian? Zesty and delicious come together on one thin crispy crust. Topped with pepperoni, sausage, Genoa salami, mozzarella and asiago cheeses, with a zesty red sauce just right for a great Italian taste.

You will never have second thoughts of getting another slice of Roasted Garlic and Spinach. Break away from the ordinary with this delicious fusion of roasted garlic, spinach, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses with a delightfully creamy garlic sauce on a thin and crispy crust.

And yes, Pepperoni is one of my son's favorite pizza topping. Generous pieces of pepperoni over mozzarella and fontina cheese is sure to please. The classic pizza and the taste everyone craves.

Cheese is good for the bones, who can refuse a 5-Cheese pizza? The perfect blend of mozzarella, asiago, romano, parmesan and provolone compliment each other culminating in a 5-cheese masterpiece.

 
Are you getting hungry now? Check out Freschetta FlatBread for yourself and get a coupon for $1 off!

who doesn't love oreo?

Tweet

Oreo is my son's all time favorite snack. For his mid-afternoon and midnight snack, he only need oreo cookies. Eating oreos alone will never be complete without milk right?

He's a thin boy but he likes low-fat milk. He doesn't lick and dunk the oreo. What he does is soak the oreo in milk.

Who doesn't love oreo and milk? How do you eat your oreo?

caught with my own eyes!

Tweet

Now I know why it's half full already!

Right from my hand even!

Me and my son, we both love almonds! We can definitely finish a whole pack in one sitting. But I don't do that, I use it for dieting. I eat 5 almond nuts (plus 5 and another 5...) when I am hungry in the middle of the day. Hope it last until the end of the week. Have to buy more next time I visit the grocery store.

canteen food, clean or not clean?

Tweet

I have been preparing my son's recess food since he started going to school. I seldom, actually once-in-a-blue-moon, let him bring to school biscuits. Junk food, not at all. I usually prepare sandwiches, fruits and milk. He started bringing lunch food last school year. Lately though I am getting tired (not to say very annoyed) of throwing his left-overs in the garbage. I keep lecturing him that it's a waste of money to throw nutritious food. In the house he eats it but in school he'd rather play than eat during lunchtime.

I was thinking of just letting him buy lunch food in the school canteen. To save me precious time (I don't have to wake up very early) and energy and to save my feelings from getting hurt (he says the food tastes yucky).

I'm having second thoughts though. I don't have any idea if the food is clean. Should I ask permission to visit the kitchen and check how they prepare the food? What if they purposely make my son's food dirty because I don't trust that they serve clean food. I've seen on television once, a pizza delivery boy spit on a customer's pizza because he thinks the customer asks a lot of questions.

What do you think? Should I let my son buy canteen food?

Lasagna, anyone?

Tweet

As I have said on my earlier post, my son is a very picky eater. I can count on my two hands the dishes that he likes to eat. Topping the list of his favorite food is pasta. He can eat macaroni and cheese on any given day for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Today, I decided to cook another pasta dish that my son likes to eat. Lasagna. It has more ingredients and takes much longer to cook than the I-can-cook-with-eyes-closed mac & cheese.

Try cooking this Lasagna recipe for your family also. I’m sure they will love it.

Ingredients
1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 medium sweet white onion, diced
1/2 large green bell pepper, seeds and veins removed, diced
1/2 lb dry lasagna noodles (requires 9 lasagna noodles - unbroken)
1/4 cup sugar
1 28 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 28 oz can (16 oz) stewed tomatoes
1/2 6 oz can (3 oz) tomato paste
1 lb Ricotta cheese
1 1/2 lb Mozzarella cheese (large flat square slices)
3/4 lb freshly grated parmesan cheese
Garlic Powder
Oregano
Italian Spice
Salt
Garlic Salt
Parsley diced (fresh flat leaf preferred)
1 Garlic Cloves, minced
White wine vinegar

Method
1 Brown lean ground beef in skillet until lightly browned and cooked through. Put a few layers of paper towels in large bowl. With slotted spoon, remove browned beef from skillet draining off excess beef fat and put on top of blotting towels. After all the browned beef has been removed from the skillet, drain off and dispose of excess beef fat. Wipe skillet clean with paper towel. (If your ground beef is sufficiently lean, there won't be any excess fat to drain.)

Add diced green pepper and onion to skillet. Brown for a few minutes on medium high heat, add browned beef back to the skillet, lower the heat to low and continue to cook for 5 more minutes stirring frequently.

2 Transfer browned beef, green pepper and onions to 3 Qt. pot. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste. Open stewed tomatoes and dice, then add to 3 Qt. pot. Add oregano, parsley, Italian Spice Mix to taste, probably 2 teaspoons of each. Add a pinch of garlic powder and a pinch of garlic salt, to taste. Add a dash of white wine vinegar. Add sugar a couple tablespoons at a time, until desired level of sweetness, no more than 1/4 cup of sugar. Note that it is hard to follow a pure recipe when it comes to pasta sauce. One Italian spice mix is not like the other, nor is one can of tomato sauce not like the other. So you really do need to taste the sauce as you are adding the spices, sugar and vinegar.

Stir and allow sauce to simmer 15-45 minutes to thicken (do not scorch bottom, stir frequently). Remove from heat.

3 Cook 1 lb lasagna noodles in 6 Qt. Pot per cooking directions (al dente). (Note noodles may be cooked in advance.) Stir often to prevent from sticking and be sure that water remains at a low boil during the entire cooking to prevent noodles from sticking. I usually add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil to the cooking water to help prevent sticking and I add 1/2 teaspoon of salt so the noodles are more flavorful. Drain in colander and place in cool water filled pan to keep from drying out and sticking together.

4 In dry lasagna pan, ladle one cup of sauce and spread along the bottom of the pan. Apply a layer noodles 3 length wise (edges overlapping). Ladle in sauce sparingly into center trough of 3 noodles. Apply a layer of mozzarella cheese slices on top of lasagna sauce. Place ricotta cheese dollops (about a Tablespoon) every 2 inches in center of noodles on top of mozzarella cheese slices, sprinkle grated parmesan cheese in thin even layer on top of ricotta cheese. Apply second layer of noodles, repeat three time topping with noodles. If you have extra sauce and cheese you can spread that over the top. Tent lasagna pan with aluminum foil (not touching noodles or sauce). Bake at 375°F for 45 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.

Note - Flavor improves for second service and may be reheated in convention or microwave. Leave aluminum tent on for storage (Do not allow aluminum to touch the sauce.)

You might want to try one of my son's fave dessert - the Mango Float.

recipe source: Elise.com

mango float

Tweet

My son's all time fave fruit is mango. Whenever I can, I prepare his all time fave dessert -- Mango Float.

Here is the recipe for a very creamy, delish mango float.

Ingredients:
Mangoes
Graham crackers
nestle cream
Condensed milk or sweetened creamer

Steps:

Prepare the bowl. Mix the cream and condensed milk. Slice the mangoes into thin and small slices. Put a layer of graham crackers at the bottom. Spread a layer of the cream. Put a layer of mango slices. Repeat the last three steps up to the desired thickness. Add a final layer of cream.
Crush graham crackers and put them on the top. Put it in the freezer or refrigerator. Make sure it is cold when served.

picky eater

Tweet

When my son was still a baby, he doesn't complain what i feed him. He just gobble everything up, no wonder his face was way bigger than mine at that time. He developed carotenemia (yellowing of the skin) though because I always include squash to his everyday meal. Good thing he didn't turn green when I added more green leafy veggies to his diet.

But my son at 7.11 years old is a very picky eater. One day he likes a particular meal and requests it for a week or so, then he'll just surprise me by saying that what i cooked is not yummy. Whattt?? You requested it for a week and I followed the recipe instruction up to the last detail... and oh yes, it does taste the same everytime I cook it (I always taste it before serving it to you) -- now its not yummy anymore? Whatever happened to "this tastes good mama" or "you're a good cook mama".

Good thing that there are a lot of cooking shows (they have websites also) where mommies like me can get ideas to add to our already huge collection of picky-eater-friendly recipes. One such cooking show is quickfire, shown in Qtv. Its like 30-minutes by rachel ray but Chef Rosebud promises recipes that are "done in less than 10 minutes". Tried some of her recipes already and liked it because its not hard to follow. I do not use ajinomoto though, sorry. Hopefully she will add more recipes that will help moms prepare different kinds of meals to their family.