Inspired

Watching food network shows late at night is probably a bad thing. It either makes me hungry or it literally makes the wheels in my head turn. I badly want to make something gourmet or at least something close to it but of course it has to be easy plus I gotta have the ingredients in my fridge. So after watching, I browsed recipes after recipes and found a few that looked promising. I fell asleep inspired.

Morning came and I went on to prepare parmesan crusted pork loin for lunch (easy peasy!) This is a keeper and even the kids loved it. I knew I had to serve it with some vegetables and soup. I was torn between asparagus and zucchini but chose asparagus instead. I used canned mushroom soup (nothing gourmet about it I know) but added bacon bits on top (haha!)

panko, parmesan, oregano, rosemary, garlic salt, pepper

used mayo instead of greek yogurt

ready to throw in the oven

grilled asparagus

I was so excited to plate it even though I had no idea how. I couldn't wait to taste it and it felt like a post Valentine celebration.

tadaaa!

post Valentine's lunch date

I knew the kids would love it as well but theirs didn't include the asparagus and I used the soup as gravy.

kiddie version

He loved it!

Lunch was a success! While the pork loin was in the oven I marinated beef chunks which I was planning for dinner. I found this awesome cumin lime beef kabobs recipe and decided to give it a try. We love beef and I was definitely intrigued about the cumin, I just knew this would be a very flavorful dish. I didn`t have any wooden skewers though but still decided to go through with it and serve lemony grilled zucchini ribbons with it. I also made soup out of canned tomatoes, celery and mixed veggies.

I forgot to take a picture while the beef was grilling but I grilled it on the same pan.

This recipe is another keeper. It was so good I made another batch the next day because we had friends over. And the marinade for the veggies? I`ll surely use it all the time, the veggies were sooo good!

Dessert is probably my most favorite part of a meal but I rarely make them. I did try this fruit salad with pudding recipe but I only used a can of fruit cocktail and a pack of vanilla pudding mix. I served it over graham crackers and cool whip. Again, easy peasy! I never knew a can of fruit cocktail would taste like this when you add vanilla pudding mix. Would definitely do this again with more fruits next time.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S! ALWAYS BE INSPIRED :D

Valentine's Day Gifts 2014

Valentine's Day fell on a Friday and this time around I waited until the day before to prepare the teachers' gifts. I also bought (cringe) valentine cookies for the kids' class party instead of trying to make something at home. Considering my limited baking abilities or lack of talent in that area, buying has got to be the best option.

I did have ideas on what to give to the kids' teachers days or probably weeks before. It just took me awhile to sit down and start putting them together. Thankfully, the kids only have two teachers this year meaning, less gifts to prepare. Don't get me wrong, I love giving gifts and thank goodness for Pinterest, so much ideas in there.

jar candle

nail polish

chocolates

I could make these cute little gifts all day long plus they cost next to nothing because I already have these in my stock pile. The candles I got for free, nail polish .05 each and chocolates .50 each. The tags I printed awhile back, valentine bags I scored at 50% off last year.

Leila's teacher was surprised to get all three gifts and as she read the gift tags, her reaction was priceless. It was indeed an (awww) moment :D

My Perfect Valentine's Meal

memorable Valentine's Day meal :)

Another busy week has passed. I cannot be more thankful it is the weekend though I still have tons of chores to do but to be honest, I am loving our hectic schedule these days, Friday as the busiest.

The weather was awesome this week. Leila and I had fun walking to school, we also frequented the bakery, did some last minute valentine gifts and of course, Mommy had fun in the kitchen. Attribute my eagerness in the kitchen to Pinterest. I thought I'd never say it, but yes, it is quite addicting.

I will start off with the kids' food. Lance went home from school one day with a bag of snack mix. I told him he can pretty much make his own when we get home. Conversations like this make our walk from school pretty fast. So when we got home, he made his snack mix out of Cinnamon Pops and Frosted Flakes cereal, Bugles, Crispers and chocolate chips. Such a perfect sweet and salty snack mix plus he can't believe the fact that he did his own snack.

snack mix made by Lance

Since we had boxes and boxes of Rice Krispies cereals, I made them into rice krispie treats, heart shaped of course!

heart shaped rice krispie treats

Leila is a pain to wake up in the morning so I surprised her with Ice cream waffle cone waffles for breakfast.

my baby girl's breakfast

I got some free Kellogg's crackers this week and was surprised on how good they taste, even the kids ate them. I will definitely buy this product again!

BBQ crackers with tuna salad

perfect snack!

I may love cooking but some days I just wanna lie down. Pork belly is what we always have in our freezer these days. Season with salt and pepper and they're ready to go the grill pan. No boiling needed and just straight into the pan. Delicious grilled pork belly!

grilled pork belly

one of my favorites!

Another Pinterest inspired recipe is Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Bell Peppers. We had some left over roast beef in the fridge which was perfect for this one. Instead of provolone cheese, I used some cheese slices we already have. One of these days, I'll throw a left over themed party and this is gonna be the star!

roast beef and mushrooms sauteed in butter, garlic and onions

bell peppers stuffed with mushrooms and roast beef, cheese on top

garnished with bacon bits

Today, I experimented on some mackerel. I seasoned the fish with salt, lemon juice and olive oil. Broiled them for 20 minutes, transferred into a pyrex dish where I added, carrots, whole peppercorns, bay leaves, bell peppers, pickles, pickle juice, soy sauce, more olive oil then baked for 30 minutes. Such a pretty sight and so yummy too!

broiled then baked mackerel

Lastly but not the least, hubby cooked this dish for Valentine's dinner. OMG! Best home cooked meal ever. We literally couldn't stop eating it and we felt sad when we finished it. Definitely doing this again soon. It is a combination of two dishes, grilled pork belly marinated in banana ketchup, soy sauce and brown sugar and raw fish (yes, raw!) soaked in vinegar.

fresh tilapia, chopped ginger and onion, serrano peppers, cucumber, coconut milk, lemon juice

pork belly bbq

combination of the two dishes = Sinuglaw

Hands down! Loved this dish. So much flavor from both dishes that complimented each other and made it perfect. It is like two people from different worlds that clicked :D

No More Naps!

I like that the week that passed had been productive. The kids made their Valentine gifts in advance, we have collected quite a bit of money for their school fundraiser, kids went ice skating until they could no longer walk, bought them roller blades and tennis rackets for a very good price, and my free shopping.

FREE!

cracker chips and turkey bacon all for FREE!

.47 each

Hubby's days off from work, we literally spent in the car driving from point A to B, C, D, E. Our house is a mess right now BUT it's nice to be out and bring the kids to their activities rather than stay cooped up inside. I can't wait for hubby's next day off again! :D

Valentine Treats

Flowers from hubby

Valentine's Day is just another ordinary day for me, no romantic date at all but it was a day of treats for me and the kids. Hubby surprised me with flowers while the kids had cupcakes and ice cream all day. Last stop was making their own teddy bears and choosing respective outfits for their bears.

What made this day extra special was the presence of my loved ones and of course those sweet, little things. Come to think of it, I've always had those making every single day Valentine's Day for me.

Even without a date, my Valentine's day was still as romantic, a day full of love and with the kids included in the fun, it was indeed a family affair!