Because Pinoys are foodies – and we hope our kids will be, too! 😉
Our Discoveries of the Week:
1) Bacon grease – I’ve been cooking bacon in the microwave for convenience – quicker and didn’t leave a panful of grease to dispose of. But cooking in the pan precisely left us quite a bit of yummy bacon grease for Paleo cooking of eggs, etc. Yum!
2) Almond milk – Our kids don’t like almond milk – yet – but drank it up in their favorite berry shake. Yey!
3) No-mix pork sinigang – Using lemon for the first time instead of the usual sinigang mix resulted in the same yummy comfort food – our kids didn’t even notice!
4) The perfect Pavlova – finally! 🙂
WEEK TWO
(I listed items marked with an asterisk* in the “Where to Buy” page for anyone interested.)
Dessert first! 🙂 (Himagas)
-
Pavlova Pavlova – Gluten-free. (Haven’t tried substituting ingredients yet for Paleo.) Some friends had invited us over for dinner, and since our previous Pavlova literally flopped – cracked and fell in – we used Alton’s recipe this time. It came out perfect, only caving in when berries were added.
I used this mat to line my baking sheet – Chef Mik’s High Quality Professional Non-stick Silicone Baking Mat – 42cm X 30cm- 15.7 Inches X 11.8 Inches
– it didn’t stick AT ALL and was a cinch to peel off of the fragile Pavlova. Awesome! Topped with fresh berries tossed in Emeril’s raspberry coulis. Delicious – even without the whipped cream, which I forgot. I would reduce the sugar in the Pavlova next time to 5.5 oz or even 5 oz – a bit too sweet for us. (We also finally bought a kitchen scale and love it – measures with or without containers and takes up little space –Ozeri Pro Digital Kitchen Food Scale, 1g to 12 lbs Capacity, in Stylish Black
)
- Fresh fruit* – strawberries, apples, bananas, watermelon, grapes.
- Mixed nuts* – boys love to load up on this even after meals, doubles as a counting tool for little one, too.
- Mozzarella sticks – not Paleo
Almusal / Breakfast
Gluten-free and Paleo:
- Leftovers – Quintessential Pinoy breakfast (we eat rice three times a day!). Our panganay (firstborn) finds only (presoaked) rice and leftovers for breakfast filling nowadays.
Gluten-free, not Paleo:
- Cheese omelet – Kids not too keen on omelets, even with the ever-popular cheese.
- Oatmeal with diced banana and drizzled organic honey*
- Pumpkin flax granola* and milk – Yummy. Very filling, not overly sweet.
- Scrambled or fried organic eggs* (Paleo if using coconut oil or bacon grease) with or without bacon, with buttered multi-grain toast* or rice. Not too popular when cooked in Nutiva Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, 15 Ounce – definitely were more popular with bacon grease. 😉
Not Paleo or gluten-free:
- Waffles* or chocolate chip pancakes as in previous post – at least berries are now a regular with this meal.
- Bagels* – with cream cheese or boysenberry jam* or turkey slices*+fresh mozzarella* or even cream cheese+onion powder (one of our kids loves onions and discovered this combo makes plain bagels taste just like onion bagels!)
Snacks (Merienda)
Gluten-free and Paleo:
Fresh fruit* (as above)- Banana berry smoothies with chia seeds* – Our default snack this week, thanks to the weather. Finally tried it with almond milk (Paleo) and some honey – kids loved it as before!
- Smoothie pops (frozen leftover smoothie) – Paleo if almond milk used
- Raisins* – Resumed this yummy snack.
Gluten-free, not Paleo:
- Packaged yogurt smoothie drink* – Finished off the last ones this week. Kids prefer homemade smoothies anyway! 😉
- Roasted seaweed snack* – Paleo if without canola oil
- Greek yogurt*, fruit flavored or plain with honey
- Ice cream celebration
Neither Paleo nor gluten free – Crackers*
Lunch & Dinner (Tanghalian at Hapunan)
Pinoy meals – all Paleo:
- Rotisserie Arroz Caldo and frozen peas – used leftover rotisserie chicken.
-
No-mix Pork Sinigang with broccoli and spinach No-mix Pork Sinigang (Pork in Sour Soup) with broccoli and spinach, served with (presoaked) rice, and strawberries for dessert – My favorite dish growing up, and now our kids’ too! First time using lemon instead of sinigang mix and kids didn’t notice – success! 😉 I used the recipe in this cookbook – Philippine Recipes Made Easy
– except added more lemon juice and no chili peppers. No green beans on hand so broccoli and spinach were the veggies included. Yum!
- Turkey picadillo, (presoaked rice), red pepper sticks for starters – red pepper sticks not too popular yet, but at least kids eat the cooked ones in picadillo. 🙂
Meatless Meal:
- Broccoli and Shrimp Pasta, with watermelon for dessert. Not gluten-free or Paleo because of pasta, but delicious! Might try with just rice next time.
Grilled meal:
- Sauteed onion cheeseburgers served with lettuce, pickles, tomato – cheese and bread not Paleo. Reminds me of Tropical Hut burgers back home. I also made a lettuce wrap with the burgers sans bread (transitional Paleo – sort of!) – messy but delicious!
Picnic bento meal:
Chicken nuggets*, lettuce tomatoes, cucumber sticks, strawberries – Paleo except for nuggets. We went to a park and this was a quick lunch to throw together with kids’ help. LOVE these containers – EasyLunchboxes 3-Compartment Bento Lunch Box Containers, Set of 4, Classic. They are divided, so no need for multiple containers to clean, are lower-rack-dishwasher-safe (unlike other plastic containers), and best of all, are stackable and nest-able (if there’s such a word!) – after lunch, I nested them together and went home with less bulk.
Since we were at a playground with dirty hands, we used these cool and functional sporks for the nuggets –
Quick meals – not gluten-free or Paleo:
- Mac and cheese (as in previous post).
- Packaged four cheese tortellini tossed in butter, watermelon for dessert.
- BLT (bacon lettuce and tomato) sandwich with grapes for dessert – Paleo without the bread.
Meal at friends’ house:
- Chicken tacos* and mushroom pockets* for starters, Caprese salad, Fig chicken, green beans, pasta, Pavlova, assorted desserts – All delicious, but starters, pasta, Pavlova, and desserts definitely not Paleo.
Kain na! Let’s eat! 😉
Emy
Disclaimers: I, Emy Damian, have not been paid to review any of the resources listed above. All comments are mine, and any resource listed without comment has not yet been reviewed. I, Emy Damian, am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
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