The Kitchen Mom by dhess

  Blueberries, although not native to our country, have captured the hearts and tastebuds of many Filipinos. Who can deny the charisma of this fruit? Aside from its attractive dark purple color, the balanced flavor of tart and sweet makes blueberries delicious for jams, cakes, pastries, and fruit shakes. Apart from their wonderful flavor, blueberries also contain essential nutrients that benefit the body. These are: Dietary Fiber A high-fiber diet helps maintain lower cholesterol levels that may aid in reducing the risk of heart disease and keeping the digestive system clean. Fiber also adds bulk to our diet, which may help us feel full faster. Good Source of Vitamin C Keeping our body’s immune system strong is a must these days. Vitamin C helps support the immune system. It is also necessary for the growth and development of tissues and promotes wound healing. Vitamin K Vitamin K helps the body regulate blood clotting and bone metabolism. Manganese Manganese helps the body

  As a mother, nothing is more important than the safety and well-being of our family. During the time of Enhanced Community Quarantine ( ECQ ) , aside from ensuring the safety of my family and loved ones, the entire duration of lockdown made me realize a lot of things that I should be thankful for. Before the pandemic started, we all wished for days where we can only stay at home, relax, do nothing, or have time to spend with your family. Although not in a way that we are expecting it, Covid -19  turned things 180 degrees. Everyone was advised to stay at home, and jobs were halted for more than two months and adjust to a new normal to prevent the virus from spreading.  For the entire duration of the lockdown, I was thankful enough to be with my husband and daughter, for quite some time that we were not able to have enough time to bond due to work and other errands, the quarantine has been the perfect opportunity for my husband and me to spend quality time with our daughter and for us

  Since the pandemic started, we've learned to be creative and resourceful in different ways, and creating dessert are one of those, because you don't need to go out or spend much to satisfy your dessert cravings. Create your own Bingsu that you can enjoy while watching your favourite Kdrama with this simple recipe.  DIY Ube Cheesecake Bingsu Ingredients :  1 cup evaporated milk 1/4 cup of condensed milk  1 tbsp Ube Flavor  5 lemon Square Cheese Cake 3-5  Cherries Whipped Cream Mint leaves  Procedure 1. In a medium bowl or  measuring cup  mix evaporated milk, condensed milk and Ube Flavor. Pour it in a medium size container or ice tube tray. Freeze it for 1-3 hours until it becomes solid. 2. Take out the ube milk block and put it in a shaved ice machine or you can use food processor, grater, knife or fork to grind the milk  block until smooth. 3. Put the UBE MILK  shaved ice in a chilled serving bowl, add the crumbled Lemon Square Cheesecake on top ( this will add a nice textur

  One of the silver linings of the COVID-19 pandemic and community quarantine is that they gave way to many delicious food home business start-ups. However, while majority of the start-ups continue to thrive today, home-based food businesses take a lot of work and require thorough research and planning to survive the ever-changing market. If you’ve also been thinking of starting your own food business, let Solane, the country’s leading LPG solutions provider, guide you and help you. The trusted LPG gas of many business owners, Solane helps guarantee safety and weighs your LPG with its “Timbang Challenge service” which is essential for food business owners who want to get the best value for their money. Additionally, Solane also offers these practical tips to succeed:  Know your target market. Identify which group your business will target: Is it the health buff or dessert lover? Millennials or moms? By knowing your target market, you will be able to narrow down your food offerings, as

“Break Bread, Make Music Together” The idea of Bayanihan is something that is deeply embedded in our culture. Regardless of how little or how much we have, it is wired in our DNA to always help, share, and support others, especially during times of crisis. This selflessness is what Gardenia Philippines successfully captured on its “Laging Kasama” concert, a free virtual concert that was held to celebrate Happy Bread Day. The event, which happened on October 24, 2020 via Facebook Live, gathered some of the best musical acts in the country who entertained everyone with their catchy tunes. The musical gathering invited renowned and rising stage performers like Kim Molina and Jerald Napoles (Rak of Aegis, Jowable, and Ang Pangarap Kong Holdap), Gloc 9, Ebe Dancel, and Keiko Necesario. In addition to the good music, the free event also raffled off free Gardenia bread packs to lucky winners. The campaign is the household brand’s latest effort to share happiness with everyone. The leading pro

 As parents, nothing makes you happier than wonderful and magical bonding moments with your child. That quality time you spend with them and seeing them have the time of their lives with you, go a long way in bringing you closer together—especially when their favorite treat is around, too.  Mom and son duo Regine and Nate Alcasid-Velasquez show what it’s like to have a great time together by simply spending time with each other at home—no need to go somewhere or do something fancy—in their latest Jollibee commercial. The new ad shines a spotlight on how sweet memories are simply made over delicious food; in Regine and Nate’s case, their bonding moments are made more special by the food they absolutely love, which is their favorite pinakamasarap and pinakasulit Jolly Spaghetti.  That’s because the meatiest, cheesiest, and pinakasweet-sarap Jolly Spaghetti can easily make your day, making it the most sulit treat you can share when you’re bonding with your child.  “As a parent, you tend t

  It has been a tough year for all of us after all we've been through during this pandemic, but despite all of these we Filipinos are known for our resiliency and courage to face all the trials that we encounter, these are the traits and more has been proven by the candidates of Century Tuna Superbods 2020, where the toughest of the toughest emerged victorious.  In a landmark event hailed as a strong and successful finish amid the pandemic, Century Tuna Superbods 2020 named nursing student and ESL instructor Samantha Ashley Lo and fitness coach and professional model Sam Ajdani as the Century Tuna Everybod Superbod title holders. The most anticipated health and fitness event of the year was also a momentous occasion as it set the standards for future online events in the new normal.   Held at the Blue Leaf Cosmopolitan in Quezon City, the finals event followed strict adherence to the FDCP-DOH-DOLE safety protocols for film and audio-visual shoots.  “We needed to rise up to the chal

 There are a number of reasons why people love eggs – it’s easy to cook, versatile, and one of the cheapest and convenient protein sources. Filipinos have especially stocked up on this pantry staple amid the height of lockdowns due to COVID-19 pandemic.  Based on the consumption survey conducted in 2015 by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (FNRI-DOST), chicken eggs ranked seventh on the “Top 30 Commonly Consumed Food Items” in the Philippines, proving that it is an indispensable ingredient in a household. While eggs are often seen as an accompaniment to our breakfast silog meals, it has many other uses from making quick meals, a thickener and binding agent, to adding flavor.  Eggs are packed with nutrients that children need for healthy growth and development. It contains vitamins and minerals and all nine essential amino acids that the human body cannot produce on its own, making it an ingredient that can be easily added to other foo

If there’s one thing that’s true about the new normal, it’s that everyone needs to stick together to get through this. Standing as one and our  malasakit  needs to shine the most through these trying times. It’s great to see that we encounter stories of our  kababayans  uplifting each other up with supporting local and buying local nowadays. It is from the same value of malasakit and bayanihan that Locally Blended Juice Drink—the first local brand of uniquely concocted drinks that come from indigenous fruits sourced from the rich and colorful Filipino soil—sought to find the most talented local artists who could also show their support and honor for our local farmers through art. Last July, the brand put out a call for all kinds of artwork—digital, traditional, or even unconventional— through the #LivinLovinLocal Art Contest, which shows not only the drink, but also their love for the Philippines, all the beautiful things one can find in the country, and most importantly, honouring

Want to get your favorite NutriAsia products, but don’t want to risk going out to the store? Don’t worry—they’re now available to purchase online and have delivered right to your doorstep! That’s right—your trusted and beloved Silver Swan, Datu Puti, UFC, Mang Tomas, Papa, Golden Fiesta, Jufran, and Locally products are available to buy quickly and conveniently through the brand’s online stores on Lazada and Shopee. Here’s how you can buy NutriAsia products online. Lazada 1. Go to the NutriAsia online shop on Lazada at https://www.lazada.com.ph/shop/nutriasia/. 2. Click “Shop by Brand” or “Shop by Category” to browse the products. 3. Click on the products you want to buy and click “Add to Cart.” 4. Once you’re ready, go to your cart and click “Check Out” to pay. Shopee 1. Go to the NutriAsia online shop on Shopee at https://shopee.ph/nutriasiaofficialstore. 2. Click on the products you want to buy and click “Add to Cart.” 3. Once you’re ready, go to your cart a

Education is the greatest gift you can give your child. As parents, we prioritize the safety of our children above all, but at the same time, we also want to make sure that they are prepared for their future by providing them with proper education despite this pandemic. While ensuring the safety of our kids and preparing them for the new normal for learning, a lot of parents and kids are caught up in the whirlwind by trying to cope up with the distance learning and setting up all the needed apps or software to be prepared for an online class, which all of us parents can relate since we have been used to dropping our kids at school and picking them up once school ends. It somehow brought up the inner tech support within us as parents. Admit it or not we are all caught off-guard but we are trying to do our best to make it happen for our kids, and though the preparation for some parents is extended until October with some schools following the government’s recent announcement yo

  When hard times strike and traditional resources are out of reach, the most creative of us can find ingenious ways to make one-of-a-kind works of art. This is especially true for Filipinos—and no one proves our resourcefulness and creativity more than this amazing Grade 12 artist, who didn’t need paint or pencils to create artwork. No, Vincent Dwight Paulo from Nueva Ecija uses banana catsup to draw portraits of famous personalities while staying at home during the community quarantine. While he first started with a catsup portrait back in 2018, it was during the quarantine when he really started honing this unique art skill. “I really engaged myself in doing catsup art since school and art supplies shops were closed,” said Vincent. “I was running out of materials, so I used catsup instead.” With creating catsup art being only a hobby for him, Vincent never thought it would become as popular as it did. Working with catsup Catsup was not the first medium he had used to create art, but

  Potatoes play an essential role in our favorite Filipino dishes. We use them for our Picadillo, Caldereta, Mechado, Menudo, and even our all-time favorite Adobo! Then there is our go-to snack… Fries! And of course our favorite side dish, the Mashed Potato.  It is such a vital part of our daily meals, don’t you agree? Did you know that you can also use potatoes to make bread and pastries? Aside from having a much richer flavor than using regular flour, the bread made from potato is much softer and fluffier.  Potatoes can be used in a lot more ways than what we are accustomed to. They come in so many forms aside from fresh. Here in the Philippines, Potatoes USA also markets U.S. frozen and U.S. dehydrated potatoes. Potatoes can accommodate a host of flavor profiles, thus are useful in so many dishes and cuisines. Boiled, fried, baked, steamed, there is no limit to your cooking creativity when it comes to potatoes! Tater Tips and Tricks  I have learned that putting your peeled potatoes

Whether you’re working from home or doing a weekend movie marathon with the family, you can make your day extra sweeter by enjoying home activities with a cup of hot chocolate. Stay cozy and level up your hot cocoa game with these easy-to-make Swiss Miss chocolate drink recipes. Peanut Butter Hot Cocoa Who says peanut butter only goes well on bread? Pour a sachet of Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate into a mug. Add 180 ml hot water to dissolve the cocoa mix. Add a tablespoon of creamy peanut butter, and gradually stir until well-mixed. Top off with whipped cream. Caramel Hot Cocoa Simply adding caramel to your drink can give it a different burst of sweetness. Make your caramel hot cocoa by pouring milk into a mug and heating it in the microwave until it’s hot. Add in half a teaspoon of caramel syrup and stir until fully dissolved. Pour in a sachet of Swiss Miss Dark Chocolate. Top with whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel. Mocha Hot Cocoa Savor the perfect blend of chocolate

The COVID-19 Pandemic intensifies the Philippine’s battle against Double Burden of Malnutrition. Double Burden of Malnutrition is defined by World Health Organization (WHO) as “the coexistence of undernutrition along with overweight and obesity, or diet-related non communicable diseases, within individuals, households and populations, and across the life course.” The limited distribution and access to food supplies aggravate the plight of poor and low income Filipino households to sustain each person’s required nutrients through healthy meals. On the other hand, home confinement due to the mandated community quarantine may cause more people to not only restrict their physical activities but also to overeat and/or consume more food with empty calories as part of coping with stress and/or boredom. Given the importance of maintaining healthy diets to sustain our health and immunity against viruses and bacteria, we should turn to the practice of Pinggang Pinoy® as a viable saf

Yung super yung budget na ginagawa nating mga nanay ngayon dahil marami sa atin an No Work, No Pay. Kaya ang ginagawa ko kung ano ablng available na pwede iluto sa kusina yun nalang muna ang ginagawa ko. Kailan patin kase naten pakainin ng masustansyang pagakain ang ating pamilya lalo na sa  panahon ng pandemic. Nakakatuwa na meron mga tao, na lagi handang tumulong sayo kahit hindi ka magsabi. Meron pa ako nakita na isang hiwa ng kalabasa , na bigay ng kapitbahay, at meron din 1 pa na natitira na canned tuna in flakes in oil na galing naman sa relief pack na bigay ng barangay. . Pwede na ito lutuin para sa hapunan namin ngayon. Sayang wala na ang malunggay sa  kapitbahay namin, nakalbo na hahaha. Healthy Pumpkin Rice with Tuna Flakes Ingredients :  1 /2 cup of rice 1 canned tuna flakes in oil 1 cup/ slice of kalabasa/ pumpkin 1 onion ( minced ) 1 small ginger ( minced ) 2 1/2 cups of water 1 tsp of turmeric salt and  pepper 2 tbsp oil Procedure :

With Hallyu (Korean Wave) being at its peak in our country, a lot of us are getting hooked on learning the Korean culture especially their food and cuisine. No wonder why Korean restaurants offering authentic Korean cuisines started to show up all over the Metro. For the past few years, I have tried a lot of these restaurants offering Korean food, and there is only a handful of them have given me the satisfaction for the authentic Korean taste that I was looking for. Just recently I found a hidden gem for authentic Korean dishes in the Metro. "Busan Kitchen", the name itself speaks of their humble beginning, using only the authentic Korean ingredients, the freshest meats, and vegetables. Their menu is savory, fresh, and one-of-a-kind. Their mouth-watering and savory dishes were delivered on our doorstep, and We were able to try the following: Samgyeopsal Set A meal set packed with flavor and color, with the meat perfectly grilled which you can heartily enjo

Health experts reveal that it is not enough that the water you drink looks clean to the naked eye. Your water should also be proven clean through lab tests, to avoid common water bourne diseases, such as cholera, dysentery, and gastroenteritis. Unfiltered water also has many potential contaminants, such as chlorine, heavy metals and allergens, as well as parasites. Despite this, keep in mind that water is also important in everyday hydration. A document released by the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition cites hydration as a key to supporting the body’s ability to fight the COVID-19 virus and support the immune system, recommending 2-4 ounces of clear liquid beverages every 15 minutes. “Keeping properly hydrated at a time like this refreshes our bodies and keeps the virus away,” said Dr. Sybil R. Bravo, a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital and a member of the Blood-Bourne Infectious Diseases Core Te

It doesn’t come as a surprise that many people rely on the strength of their fathers as the heads of the family.  Some fathers may be goofy, and some may be quiet, but one thing is for sure – dads have that natural ability to bring out the warmest smiles and unyielding courage in everybody within the family. And as we navigate through this trying time, we see our dads carrying on and exhibiting incomparable strength. While their guidance has allowed everyone to remain safe, their sweetness and lighthearted humor have kept the family hopeful and optimistic. This situation is no different for our Red Ribbon dad ambassadors, Doug Kramer, Paul Soriano and Drew Arellano, who by their time spent indoors allowed them to cement their position as the steadfast pillars of their families, all while keeping a cheerful and cared-for household. Doug Kramer has been spending much of his time as a parent recently, with him retiring from PBA November 2019, and his kids home-schooling for th

Every once in a while, we’ll be pushed to do things we don’t normally do. For some of us, going to do the groceries is something that’s way outside our comfort zones. It’s true—the reality is there will be people, who are totally clueless when it comes to buying groceries. But that’s okay, it’s nothing to be ashamed about, as everyone can always learn something new and get better at it. What’s most important when it comes to buying groceries, especially during this pandemic, is making the most out of your grocery trips. You’ll want to be in and out of the store as fast as you can like a real supermarket pro in order to avoid risks to yourself and your family. Here are some tips to help you be a better grocery shopper in the new normal: 1. Write down a carefully planned grocery list To make the most out of each grocery trip, you’ll have to step up your planning. That means estimating what you’ll need to buy and how much of it you’ll need to buy (within your budget, of co