It's back to school time and it's one of the most exciting part of the year for the kids because they will see their classmates and friends again, wear their crisp uniforms, bring their new bags and also share what's in their lunch boxes.

It also means, it's time for parents to brace themselves and create a baon plan for their kids that's nutritious, easy to prepare, and of course delicious as well!  When creating a baon plan, I think of the food pyramid or the Go, Grow, and Glow chart which they study in their Science subjects.  You may find this amusing, but yes, I am always reminded that they need Go food for energy (Fats and Carbohydrates), Grow food to help them grow tall and strong (Protein), and Glow food to keep their bodies well (Multivitamins and minerals).  It's easy for me to think of what to give them based on their need.

My growing and energetic boys need a lot of Grow foods because they are into sports.  My eldest is a basketball varsity player and he really needs protein-rich food to help him with his muscle development and keep him growing taller and taller.  He needs to because of the sport he's into.  When you think of protein, you think of milk, cheese, yogurt, seafood, and meats, to name a few.  Now, let me share with you a protein-rich baon idea which they will surely love!

GRILLED CHEESY SAUSAGE SANDWICH (Pinoy Style)
INGREDIENTS:

• 2 pcs monay or pan de sal
• 3 to 4 pcs vienna sausages
• 2 pcs tomatoes, sliced
• California Yanni Grilling Cheese (Jalapeno or Regular)

1. Slice the buns and sausages into halves.
2. Prepare sliced Yanni Grilling Cheese.
3. Pan-fry or grill the ingredients.
4. Put the grilled/pan-fried sausages, tomato slices and Grilling Cheese on top of the bun.  Enjoy!

Here are other Dairy Products with Real California Cheese or Milk Seal which you could consider grabbing on your next grocery trip (they all have THE seal mommies!)
You may purchase dairy products which has the Real California Milk or Cheese seal from these membership shopping outlets and groceries:

S&R Membership Shopping

• California Sunshine Milk (homogenized, reduced-fat, low-fat and chocolate milk)
• A wide selection of California Cheeses
• Yogurt

Landers Superstore

• Coolhaus pints and sammies
• A wide selection of California Cheeses

Robinsons Supermarket

• A wide selection of California Cheeses

SM Hypermarket

• A wide selection of California Cheeses

Merkado Supermarket

• Coolhaus pints and sammies

Unimart Supermarket

• Coolhaus pints and sammies

To know more about great dairy products, check out www.RealCaliforniaMilk.com or Facebook.com/RCMph/. You may also follow their stories by using these hashtags #LookForTheSeal and #RealCaliforniaMilkPhilippines.

It's June alright but still we can all feel the summery heat deep down our skins right?  It's still humid and the best way to beat the heat is to be in an air-conditioned room (but sayang electricity if it's open all day) or go to a mall (but mapapagastos ka rin with all the sales around) or bathe as much as you can in a day or eat and drink something cold.

One good idea is to buy halo-halo, banana con yelo or ice candy or mais con yelo from our seasonal neighbor entrepreneurs.  They, together with the residential sari-sari stores, pop-up tiangges belong to the huge population of Filipino microenterprises.
“Every summer, we see the Filipino entrepreneur spirit thrive to turn the summer heat into an opportunity. With the right mindset, tools, and ingredients, microentrepreneurs can grow their business and take it to another level,” says Marilou Acuña, Fly Ace Corporation Group Product Manager for Jolly.

I remember when I was younger, my mom and my cousins also had a pop-up halo-halo and mais con yelo stand right in front of our driveway facing the street.  I had good memories back then when they allowed me to experience being a tindera for a day or two or more!  We sold a number of glasses back then but looking back, I know that that small business could have been bigger if we did these 5 tips from Jolly Corn.

Location, location, location
We had a small stall in front of our house because of logistical convenience, but foot traffic wasn't that good.  We could have sold in front of schools near our place.  For sure potential income would have doubled or even tripled.

Leverage on influencers
Entrepreneurs should identify who the influencers are within the community. By inviting these key individuals to try the product, entrepreneurs encourage good word of mouth from credible persons within the neighborhood.

Microentrepreneurs can then support this good word of mouth through easy-to-do promotional activities such as community bulletin board, flyering, and social media.

Sell during community events, cater to groups
Microentrepreneurs can hold pop-up stalls during community events such as the annual basketball game and Santacruzan. Another opportunity is catering private groups, such as prayer meetings or the birthday of a neighbor. If all goes well, these events will provide a great platform for referrals and exposure for the business.

Avoid too much credit
Cash is the lifeblood of the business. Microentrepreneurs should avoid allowing too much credit since they still need cash to buy supplies and sustain operations. If offering credit cannot be avoided, microentrepreneurs should find the right balance and understand its limitation.

Find the right partner to perfect the product
Product quality is integral to the success of microenterprises. If the product is excellent, people will follow. Quality also includes the health benefits of the product. These days, even microentrepreneurs venture into the healthy food segment as more people become conscious of what they eat.

In the case of mais con yelo, Jolly Corn provides microentrepreneurs with cream corn packed with the same wholesome sweet goodness of freshly harvested corn.

What if I just want a Mais Con Yelo Now?
Now, if you don't plan to have a small business selling mais con yelo or halo halo or banana con yelo, then you can simply make it at home!
Sharing with you how to make MAIS CON YELO:
Ingredients:
1        425g             Jolly Cream Corn, partitioned
1        can               Jolly Cow Condensada, partitioned
6        cups             shaved ice, partitioned
1        cup               corn flakes, partitioned or waffle strips

Procedure:

1.    Scoop 3 tablespoons Jolly Cream Corn in a tall glass.
2.    Add 1 ½ cups shaved ice. Leave an empty space on top for the toppings, about half an inch.
3.    Top shaved ice with 3 tablespoons of Jolly Cream Corn, 2-3 tablespoons condensada, and corn flakes or waffle strips. Serve immediately.
Easy peasy right?

But again, since it's already June and it also rains sometimes, we can't have Mais Con Yelo right?  Well, that's what's so versatile about Jolly Sweet Corn!  It can be with Team Sunny or Team Rainy!  What comfort food could you think of during rainy season?  Hot soup or any hot food right?

Jolly Corn could also be your partner in bringing you this comfort food with this easy recipe:

CORN SOUP RECIPE:
Ingredients:
1        425g            Jolly Cream Corn
1        can              water
6        pc                egg
1        dash             salt and pepper
Procedure:
1.   In a pot, put together 1 can of Jolly Cream Corn and water.  Bring it to boil.
2.   Add egg when boiling and stir soup.
3.  Add dash of salt and pepper to season.  Serve hot in a bowl on a rainy day!

So whether it's summer or rainy season, Jolly Cream Corn is our partner in bringing us quality food ingredients which we could use at home.  For more recipes visit their website http://jolly.com.ph or follow them on Facebook: @JollyFoods

Since the day I became a mom, all I want is to raise children well by taking careful measures to ensure they grow up healthy, strong, smart, kind-hearted and have a personal relationship with God.  Fast forward to 14 years since I brought my first child into this world, I still have the same prayer in raising my children.

Being a working mom for more than a decade and now a more hands-on mom than ever, let me share that motherhood for me is beautiful but challenging.  One of the challenges is to continually look for healthy alternatives in this world of all instant!  You get what I mean?  With the existence of instant meals, canned goods, packed noodles, and even fast foods, finding a healthy breakfast or snack for them could be a struggle.

But if you're like me who likes researching and experimenting on foods that could both be healthy yet fun and delicious to eat to ensure kids will like them, then you'd agree when I say that there are many available in the market.  I've recently discovered a healthy and yummy recipe using yogurt.
And this isn't just any yogurt, it has the Real California Milk Seal!  Why is this seal so important to me?  It's because with this seal, I am assured that I am getting a top quality brand compared to the many dairy products that are available in stores right now.  It also means the product is certified as having been made with 100% Real California Milk from Real California Dairy families.  I feel that I cannot short change my children's nutrition so I look for this seal.
Sharing with you my Choco Pineapple Breakfast Yogurt Recipe:
Ingredients:

• One (1) cup of Blue Isle Greek Yogurt (Honey or Honey Blueberry)
• Pineapple slices (bite size)
• One (1) cup of chocolate corn flakes
• Dash of chocolate powder
• 1 - 2 tbsp of honey

Procedure:
Put the Blue Isle Greek Yogurt in a bowl
Add pineapple slices on one side
Add choco corn flakes on the other side
Top with chocolate powder
Drizzle the whole bowl with honey
Enjoy!
Nutritional Benefits of Yogurt:
What makes yogurt healthy for you and your kids?  It's a mixture of milk fermented by bacterial cultures that produce lactic acid.  It contains the same nutrients as milk but it still depends on the type and even brand of yogurt (kaya look for the seal!).  A cup has many essential nutrients like protein, calcium and phosphorous to help build and maintain strong bones and teeth.  It also has Zinc which boosts the immune system. Riboflavin and panthothenic acid also help the body with metabolism. Yogurt also has vitamin B12 to keep the nervous system healthy and blood functions normal.
For us adults, did you know that yogurt is recommended for weight loss and weight management? So for moms who like to go to #BalikAlindogProgram, yogurt is one of your healthy but yummy alternative.

The U.S. National Dairy Council reports that dairy foods such as milk, cheese and yogurt are foundational foods in healthy eating patterns that contribute important shortfall nutrients, including calcium, vitamin D and potassium. Healthy eating patterns are associated with reduced risk of several chronic diseases including cardio vascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

Here's more, the potassium in yogurt also helps regulate the balance of water and other nutrients, lowering your chances of having high blood pressure.  A recent study in the American Journal of Hypertension found that eating two cups of yogurt a week lowered the risk associated with cardiovascular disease.

Yogurt is also a good option for the lactose intolerant to get the same health boosts of
milk. Its active cultures help the body digest lactose, which is a naturally occurring sugar in milk that not everyone can digest.

There are so many ways to enjoy yogurt than just having it plain and like my yogurt breakfast bowl, kids could enjoy it anytime as well.  Yogurt can also be a base of a veggie or even chips dip or as a substitute for oil and mayonnaise as well.

Other Dairy Product with Real California Milk of Cheese Seal (And where to purchase):
We all know how healthy drinking milk and other dairy products such as cheese, butter, yogurt and ice cream are right? I cannot stress how this will really help us and especially our kids to have stronger bones and teeth and even help prevent common illnesses!  So the next time you buy any dairy products from the grocery, make sure that you look for the Real California Milk seal!  This assures you that you’re getting dairy products made exclusively from nutrient-rich, high quality 100% California milk. California is US' leading producer of milk, ice cream, butter, nonfat dry milk and whey protein concentrate and is the second largest producer of cheese and yogurt.  The Golden State is America’s leading milk producer with 1,300 dairy farms, 99% of which are family-owned. These California dairy farm families take precious care of their cows and their products.

Look for the seal momshies okay?  You may purchase dairy products which has the Real California Milk or Cheese seal from groceries like Unimart, Robinsons Supermarket, Merkado and SM Hypermarket plus membership shopping giants S & R and Landers.  They give you a wide range of dairy choices carrying the seal.

To know more about great dairy products, check out www.RealCaliforniaMilk.com or Facebook.com/RCMph/. You may also follow their stories by using these hashtags #LookForTheSeal and #RealCaliforniaMilkPhilippines.

*This post is sponsored by Real California Milk, but the recipe, photos and opinions are mine.

Now that I am a work at home mom, I get to manage the household very closely. By that I mean I take care of my children personally, I clean the house/dishes/clothes and whatever needs to be cleaned, and lastly, I get to plan, market, choose the food and cook at least twice every single day.

I feel fulfilled whenever I get to cook for my family.  Cooking is like an expression of my love through service to my husband and kids.  Though not a great cook, at least I can whip up a meal worth remembering and when I can't or don't have enough time but still want a delicious and healthy meal for my family, I get a convenient help from frozen food products I could get from the grocery and cook almost instantly - such as Fisher Farms PH.

Fisher Farms PH has a lot of frozen fish products and we're glad to receive some to try, but actually, we've already purchased a few of their products before and we really liked the taste.  So I got really excited to try their other frozen products.

My family is a heavy breakfast and fish or seafood eaters.  So having fish anytime of the day is a welcome treat!  And if you would be interested to ask if my kids like fish, YES, super!  And vegetables too.  So, how's the taste?  It is definitely crispy on the outside because of its  breading, and it's fully cooked and tender inside.  The taste reminds me of my mom who used to marinate Dinaing na Bangus herself.  This is 100% made of Bangus, breaded, deboned, and Garlic and Vinegar marinated.  The pack is good for 4-5 servings.  Serve it with garlic fried rice and slices of tomato, hot brewed coffee, and mag-kamay for the best Pinoy breakfast experience.  Of course don't forget to wash your hands! :)
Personally, more than dried fish and dinaing na Bangus, I like Tinapa so much ever since I was a child.  When I first tasted Fisher Farms PH's Smoked Deboned Milkfish, I instantly liked it.  The bangus meat is tender and fresh.  The serving size per pack is generous, could even feed 4-5 hungry persons.  Pair it with again, garlic fried rice, tomato/onion/cucumber side dish and voila, you're in for a delicious and inexpensive experience with your family.  Plus, it's no hassle to cook it.  I recommend this in your cart on your next grocery day.
Honestly like the Hungarian Sausage, I was expecting this to taste seafoody-sisig, because after all it's a frozen seafood product.  Other bangus sisig I've tried tastes like that, fish.  But THIS, oh my, it's Bangus but it didn't taste fishy or malansa.  It says microwaveable on its packaging, but in my case, since I ditched the microwave, cooking it in a pan did the trick.  Usually a Sisig would need toyo-mansi (soy sauce + kalamansi) to season it. Fisher Farms PH's Bangus Sisig do not need seasoning anymore because it's tasty and in fact, for a frozen product it passed my and husband's Sisig taste standards, this is in comparison to the Sisig in famous grill restos in Metro Manila. :)

FISHER FARMS PH's POGI POINTS
1.  TASTE - If you love food because you love the fusion of different tastes in your mouth as you savor a dish, then you would also like Fisher Farms PH's frozen products.  You could never go wrong buying Fisher Farms Ph's package, any of their product line actually, because it tastes good!  No need for seasoning, it stands out.  Extra rice please?

2.  DISTRIBUTION - Fisher Farms Ph's frozen products are available in select branches of the following supermarkets: Savemore, SM Hypermarket, SM Supermarket, Allday Supermarket, Metro Gaisano, Rustans Supermarket, Shopwise, South Supermarket, Waltermart, Puregold, Daily Supermarket, Fishermall, LCC, Ayagold, Pioneer Centre, Robinsons, The Landmark, and Ng Chain.

3.  PRICE - Price points of their frozen products ranges from Php 120 - Php299.  Sometimes, they also have limited time promos where you could Buy 1 Take 1, such as the one I bought from All Day Supermarket last month.  It's Mommy Practicality approved because it's a value for money purchase.

4.  HEALTHY - Fisher Farms PH milkfish is a healthier choice! Bangus has lower fat content than pork belly.  Plus it's also a good source of heart-healthy Omega-3!

I recommend moms who are on the go who sometimes have little time to prepare healthy meals for their family, try Fisher Farms PH frozen products and make sure you include them in your next grocery list.  Above four are my favorites, but you may find your own favorite from the variety of their other milk fish products such categorized into:
- Gourmet Selections
- Microwaveable Meals
- All Natural Fish Sausages
- Regular Fish Deli
- Kiddie Fish Delis
- Deboned Milk Fish
- Frozen Whole Fish

Happy Healthy Eating! :)

Happy Holidays everyone!  Time flies by so fast that I have been pretty caught up with all my late November to December happenings.  Apart from Christmas, the most unforgettable this month is when our yaya of almost 4 years left us without any warning, just a farewell letter we found on the corner of our catch all desk.  Grabe siya, di man lang nagpaalam, papayagan naman.  Magpapasko pa namaaaan.

That said, a lot of planned family lunches and dinners I offered to host were canceled, because, no help!  I finished all my work leaves and even had no-pay leaves, brought baby to work too, nagulo lahat.  Even my planned menu for Noche Buena and Christmas lunch were changed.  I can't cook in all my momm-chef glory because of two reasons: 1) I have NO HELP around to watch my baby while I do the cooking; 2) Even if I can cook, I have NOT ENOUGH TIME.  No Help. No Time.  Gusto ko pa naman ng Kare-Kare, Crispy Pata, Lechon Kawali, Leche Flan, Macaroni Salad and Spaghetti.

Buti na lang, as if the heavens heard my inner cry for help and panic in my heart, I discovered Purefoods Heat And Eat line: Crispy Pata and Lechon Kawali.
Heaven sent!  When I was doing our last minute meat and veggies buying I passed by a Monterey meatshop and got curious when I saw these new products from Purefoods.  Nanlaki mga mata ko, I said.. WHOA.. Crispy Pata for sure?  Eh kakawish ko lang nyan.  So I bought a few for our Noche Buena, for Christmas Lunch, and for NYE na rin. :)

I'm sure excited ka na rin to know how it tastes kasi I think it's the first Crispy Pata na Heat and Eat lang perfect for busy moms like us who wish to give the best and spend time in the kitchen to prepare the yummiest food for the family, yet lack the required hours to do so.  So the solution to this is to seek for convenience yet not sacrificing the quality or taste diba?  Parang yung sa mga favorite restaurants na dating lang ang peg.

Momshies.. ACHIEVE na achieve ang Crispy Pata and Lechon Kawali!  All it took me was 10 to 20 minutes to cook it in Turbo or Pan Fry.
Photos of the Purefoods Heat And Eat Crispy Pata pa lang, you can sense na malutong siya right?  I highly recommend it momshies especially now that New Year's Eve handa naman is coming up, here are some of the reasons why:

1. Saves you Effort and Time.  Imagine, you don't have to go and dress up to go to malls and eat in restaurants for a Crispy Pata, you can have it almost instantly at the convenience of your home.  Sa ating mga Pinoy families, Crispy Pata is like the highlight of our handaan right?  In movies or theater, main cast siya.  You save effort and time in preparing it to achieve the crispiness of its balat, my favorite!  It saves you time from pressure cooking the pata, seasoning and freezing it for hours, then cooking it.  Just buy Purefoods Heat and Eat, turbo or pan fry it then voila!
2. Super Lutong - Anything malutong to me is simply irresistible.  Sarap lutong anytime, all the time.  You know the feeling of attacking a crispy pata in restaurants the moment your waiter serves it on the table?  You attack the balat first so you're assured you devour it while it's crispy?  Ganyang ganyan kalutong ang Purefoods Heat and Eat Crispy Pata and Lechon Kawali.
3. Tender And Tasty - And kapag ubos na ang balat, since the meat is tasty and also tender.  Both variants are already fully cooked and ready to eat after heating them.  The taste didn't disappoint me and the rest of the family at all.  It has the assurance and consistency of restaurant quality favorites.
4. Easy To Cook, Easier To Eat- Just reheat these frozen meats via Turbo or Pan Fry for 10 to 20 minutes then serve.  
5. Inexpensive And Practical - This is what surprised me the most.  The Purefoods Heat And Eat variants are affordably priced at Php 230.00 (for Lechon Kawali at 425g per bag) and Php 325.00 (for Crispy Pata at 900g per bag).  If you eat at restaurants, it would definitely cost you more than these price points.  Buying meat from the wet market, may save you some pesos, but will take so much effort and time to prepare and cook them.  So mas practical if you buy Purefoods Heat And Eat na lang right?

Second Potato Meal: Breakfast Potatoes (Hash Corned Beef and Hash Browns)