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An occasionally belligerent mother of five and an autism parent / advocate who believes that traveling, good food and good company are vital to keep one sane. I've worked as a news writer/newscaster, a quality systems auditor, a ISO9001 consultant, an FM radio DJ, a Filipino tutor, TOEFL reviewer and have gone into the food industry both as an entrepreneur and as a mommy chef, giving a sponsored demo on healthy cooking in a mall and on local TV. My favorite job however, is being a mom and a wife.

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Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Great Ideas for The Greatest Parent Ever...YOU!

fun filled educational event for the family
Last October 29, I was fortunate enough to be a part of the Lactacyd Baby Bath Baby Care Village.


Brought to us by Maam Janice and the folks of Mommy Mundo, the whole day event at The Atrium of SM Baguio showcased an interactive village filled with parenting information, games and prizes.



A magic show and a ventriloquist act was there to provide added entertainment as well as dance numbers and even a mini fashion show.

MAX enjoying the play place of the
 Lactacyd Baby Bath Baby Care Village
Also featured were talks on child care, as discussed by the experts, as well as a cooking demo on nutritious snacks for the kiddies. This is where I come in as I was the mommy chef featured for that segment.
the village
Being a mommy, serving healthy, affordable and easy to prepare meals are simply a must. With the challenge of having to make it tasty and enjoyable for the kids on top of the previous requirements mentioned earlier, a mom has got to be imaginative.
one of the many hats that this mama wears
For this post of The Mediocre Wanderer, I would like to share the snacks we featured at the event:

Yummy Sea Cups:
Have kids who hate fish? This one's for you:
Ingredients:
1/2 c Tuna chunks in vegetable oil (or any flaked fish/shrimp)
1/4 c canned button mushrooms, chopped
1 c    spaghetti sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp onions, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

6 pieces sliced bread (cut crust off)
melted margarine / butter for greasing
Velveeta / Quickmelt / mozarella cheese, grated
Procedure:
The bread cup: grease a muffin pan with the margarine/butter as well as the front and back of the bread. If you have mini muffin pans, you could cut the sliced bread into 4 instead.
Mold the bread individually into the muffin pan and pop it into a preheated oven for 10 - 15 minutes at 375 F or until the bread has lightly browned.
Set aside

the seafood filling: saute the tuna chunks (or leftover fish, deboned and flaked/boiled shrimps, shelled and chopped) with the garlic and onions.
Add the mushrooms. Saute a for about 3 minutes, then add the spaghetti sauce.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Remove from heat after it starts to simmer.

how to assemble:
Put your desired amount of seafood filling while the bread cups are still in the muffin pan.
Top with cheese and put back in oven until the cheese melts.
When done and slightly cooled, take out cups from the muffin pan and serve.

Tip: top on your fave pasta and sprinkle with cheese as another creative way of serving seafood

kids sampling our meat and veggie burgers..
and enjoying them!

Vegetable and Meat Burger Patties:
Have kids who don't like veggies? Try this one:
Ingredients:
1/4 c ground beef
1/8 c ground pork
1/4 c broccoli, finely chopped
1/4 c carrots, finely chopped or grated
1/4 c uncooked oats / bread crumbs
1/8 c onions, chopped
1       egg
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp table mustard
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
cooking oil for frying

Procedure:
Mix all the ingredients above except for the cooking oil. Form about 2 tablespoons of the mixture into patties. Lightly dust with bread crumbs and fry in hot oil. Serve.

Tip: You could prepare this ahead of time and store in the freezer in separate small containers so you only unfreeze the portions that you'll need. Use it as meatballs on your spaghetti, throw it in some vermicelli or misua in soup stock (after frying them as meatballs) or put them in your fave sauce (kung pao or sweet and sour) for another healthy viand option. You could also try a variety of veggies that don't have a strong aromatic flavor.

Last but not least, how bout a healthy dessert? Here's:
Pineapple - Carrot Gelatin:
Ingredients:
1 envelope Strawberry gelatin (not the ones that won't settle if you put fruits in it while cooking)
2 tbsp finely chopped or grated carrots
2 tbsp crushed pineapple

Procedure:
Cook gelatin according to package instructions, but this time around, stir in the carrots to soften them up a bit.
Pour into molds and add the pineapple(or any fruit) according to package instructions. The strawberry flavor, for my kids, work best in masking the veggies I throw into the gelatin.
best part of the demo? we've got samples! yum!!
Hope you get to enjoy these recipes. Remember, just use your imagination and good cooking sense and you'll never go wrong.
Mom Venus telling us she's a ok with
healthy dishes for her Princess
For more baby care tips check out the official Lactacyd Baby Wash website Mums and Tubs Club and for updates on the latest events, "mommy" resources, products and tips as well for all you moms out there, sign up to Mommy Mundo.

looking forward to the next one :)
From TMW, may all your wanderings be better than ours :)

**photos courtesy of Phil Bautista and Russ de Guzman

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