Cheap But Excellent Getaway at the La Mesa Eco Park!

Are you looking for a nice pre-back-to-school gimmick with your family? Why not try the La Mesa Eco Park at Quezon City. We have been there a few months back and it was really worth a visit or two if you're looking for a getaway in the city. Not only are you amusing yourselves with a piece of nature, but you are also contributing to the welfare of the La Mesa Watershed!


(posing at the Shell Flower Terraces...)

(the entrance path to La Mesa Eco Park...)

(resting under the shade of a tree a good picnic...)

(Ella, enjoying a close encounter at the butterfly sanctuary...)

There are other things to do aside from site seeing like fishing, boating, horse back riding and swimming! Unfortunately, we weren't able to maximize our trip because we were just invited by hubby's parents right after a good night's work. Haha! But Ella had a good time so everything was all worth it!

Visit the website of La Mesa Eco Park for more details and schedule a trip for a cause today!

Love lots,

Yesterday's recipe: Menudo!

Hehe, it isn't recipe of the day now...but I'd still like to share how it's done in my household!

Ingredients:

1 tsp minced garlic
1 small onion chopped
1/4 kg pork
1/4 kg pork liver
1 medium pack Del Monte Tomato Sauce
1 cup water
4 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3 bay leaves
2 big potatoes cut into cubes
1 medium carrot cut into cubes
1 red bell pepper cut into big strips
1/8 kg green peas

1. Saute pork in garlic and onion. Wait until pork is tender, then add pork liver. Stir fry until liver is cooked
2. Add tomato sauce and stir for a while before adding water.
3. Add sugar, soy sauce, salt, pepper and bay leaves and stir before adding potatoes, carrots, bell pepper and green peas
4. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes
5. You may add raisins if you like or add more sugar and/or salt depending on taste. May serve 6

Love lots,

Inferiority Complex at the Expo Mom

Hehehe! I was at the Expo Mom 2009 at Rockwell tent yesterday! My first ever! I didn't get to enjoy it that much though... Why? Because first, I'm not well budgeted for the event. Second I got to see Ms. Darlene Del Mundo of By Nature Handmade Soaps in person! And is she pretty???!!! I was starstruck and didn't have the courage to come up to her because I was sooo shy...What I didn't know was she launched new products during the event...with a lot of promos too! Shucks! I was used to visiting her original website which is www.bynaturehandmadesoaps.com which was under construction before the expo instead of her multiply site www.bynaturehmsoaps.multiply.com thinking I'd just wait 'til the site is updated.
Here's the new look of the site:


So, I didn't know about her announcements! Pity me....Anyway, the new products in Ms. Darlene's line are the following:

Baby Oilotion (120ml)
Made specially for babies’ delicate skin. Apply this instead of lotion after every bath for softer and healthier skin. It is light and easily absorbed. Also use for massage before afternoon naps and bedtime for a more relaxing sleep. Shake vigorously before pouring to get some of the pure aloe vera gel.
Use daily for best results. For external use only.

Ingredients:
Organic Sunflower Oil, Organic Grapeseed Oil, Organic Sesame Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Pure Blue Chamomile Essential Oil, Pure Lavender Essential Oil, Calendula Extract, Pure Aloe Vera Gel, Vitamin E
Baby Salve (20g)
Use this salve for most baby concerns - diaper rash, insect bites, eczema, dry patches, and even small cuts and booboos. Simply apply on affected area. May also use all over your baby's body instead of lotion. It is easy to bring along everywhere your baby goes. Even mommies can use this as an evening moisturizer and wake up in the morning with softer skin.
Use daily for best results. For external use only.

Ingredients:
Organic Sunflower Oil, Organic Avocado Oil, Organic Grapeseed Oil, Organic Sesame Oil, Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Shea Butter, Beeswax, Pure Lavender Essential Oil, Pure Blue Chamomile Essential Oil, Calendula Extract, Aloe Vera Extract, Vitamin E
Balm of Butter (150g)
Prevent stretch marks with this balm. For pregnant women, apply all over your belly anytime of the day, especially before bedtime. This balm may also be used to moisturize your whole face and body. Give special attention to dry areas like your hands, elbows, knees, and heels. Your skin will feel soft and smooth in no time.
Use daily for best results. For external use only.

Ingredients:
Organic Cocoa Butter, Organic Shea Butter, Organic Mango Butter, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Beeswax,
Vitamin E

Facial Oil In One (30ml) Keeping it LIGHT. For softer and lighter skin.
Shake the bottle before use. Pump a small amount of the oil on your palm or finger tip. Massage all over your face, avoiding the eye area. May use night and day. If applying during the day, use lesser amount. Putting on sunscreen is always best. Use daily for best results. For external use only.
Ingredients: Organic Avocado Oil, Organic Sunflower Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Pure Essential Oil, Whitening Fruit Extracts, Vitamin E Facial Oil In One (30ml) Keeping it SMOOTH. For softer and smoother skin. Shake the bottle before use. Pump a small amount of the oil on your palm or finger tip. Massage all over your face. May use night and day. If applying during the day, use lesser amount. Putting on sunscreen is always best. Use daily for best results. For external use only. Ingredients:
Organic Avocado Oil, Organic Sunflower Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Pure Essential Oil, Tomato Extract, Calendula Extract, Vitamin E Lippy Pot Balm (10g)
Adds moisture on your lips with every application, keeping them soft and supple. Safe to use even on babies, especially when their lips are dry or chapped.
Use daily for best results. For external use only.

Ingredients: Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Avocado Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Castor Oil, Beeswax, Organic Shea Butter, Vitamin E


Soft 'N Supple Oil Over (120ml)
Keeping it LIGHT.
For softer and lighter skin. Apply all over your body after showers, before bedtime or anytime during the day. This thick oilotion will keep your skin hydrated, making it look softer and more supple in time. It is the ultimate "lotion" for those who do not like lotions, and for those who do as well. Packed with all moisturizing ingredients that your skin will simply love!
Use daily for best results. For external use only.
Ingredients:
Organic Grapeseed Oil, Organic Avocado Oil, Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, Organic Sweet Almond Oil, Organic Macadamia Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Beeswax, Organic Cocoa Butter, Organic Shea Butter, Pure Essential Oils, Whitening Extracts, Vitamin E Soft 'N Supple Oil Over (120ml) Keeping it SMOOTH. For softer and smoother skin. Apply all over your body after showers, before bedtime or anytime during the day. This thick oilotion will keep your skin hydrated, making it look softer and more supple in time. It is the ultimate "lotion" for those who do not like lotions, and for those who do as well. Packed with all moisturizing ingredients that your skin will simply love! Use daily for best results. For external use only. Ingredients:
Organic Grapeseed Oil, Organic Avocado Oil, Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, Organic Sweet Almond Oil, Organic Macadamia Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Beeswax, Organic Cocoa Butter, Organic Shea Butter, Pure Essential Oils, Tomato Extract, Carrot Extract, Vitamin E

(information taken from the By Nature Handmade Soaps website)

Awww...the salve is something I've been asking from her several months ago and it's here! For those mommies who are looking into going to the Expo Mom it's open from 10am until 8pm today. Be sure to check out booth # 30 of By Nature Handmade Soaps and haul as much soaps, oilotion and salve as your budget can! Have fun!

Love lots,

AKO MISMO!

If you'd check on my links list, you'll see a few more mommy sites I added just seconds ago. These were the sites I was able to view at my office while I was looking for allowed sites to show my colleagues that said something about the Expo Mom event at Rockwell this coming May 9-10. But those blogs weren't just regular blogs, they were blogs created by mommies like me! Yey! One of them, the creator of aboutmyrecovery.com, with whom I need to be more acquainted with, inspired me to respond to the AKO MISMO challenge...


When I saw the ads on tv, I never really questioned what it was about...the phrase itself can stand alone. I told myself I'd join the group but never really had the time (...and memory space in my head, LOL!) to actually visit the website. Good thing I was able to come across with such an inspiring mom who's blog provided more information on the ako mismo pledge. That was something I appreciate very much compared to finding those needed information out for myself through the website because my daughter asks for Thomas and Friends as soon as daddy leaves his computer game and lends me the keys (keyboard...hehehe).

My pledge? Well, as it has always been:

AKO MISMO ang gagawa ng pagbabago sa aking pamilya at magsusulong sa lahat ng magulang na gawing maayos ang pagpapalaki sa ating mga kabataan.

This was inspired by the line I got from a spiritual leader, author and parenting advocate, Marianne Williamson:

"There is no single effort more radical in its potential for saving the world than a transformation of the way we raise our children."


...which struck me as one of the most basic as well as most powerful truth I can ever think of when it comes to changing the world. As individuals, change should start from ourselves. As parents, change should start from the way we raise our children...

How about you? What's your pledge? Dare to post them on the AKO MISMO wall of commitments? AKOMISMO.org!

Love lots,

Rainy Day Recipe: Tinolang Manok

Hubby requested for something warm for the rainy day. Good thing I actually had tinola in my budget! And although he didn't really appreciate tinola before, he likes it now that we added a twist to it....

Ingredients:

1 whole garlic, minced
1 cup cooking oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 whole onion, chopped
2 tbsp cooking oil
1/4 cup ginger sliced into big pieces (or again, if you don't appreciate ginger bits, go for 1 tbsp ginger powder)
1 whole chicken cut into serving pieces
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp salt
1 whole papaya cut into serving pieces
2 bunches of chili leaves
1 whole garlic, minced
soy sauce and calamansi mix


1. Fry minced garlic in cooking oil until golden brown. Drain and set aside.
2. Saute chicken pieces in onion, garlic and ginger. Add enough water to cover chicken, soy sauce, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Add chili leaves and papaya. Cook for another 10 minutes or until papaya is cooked.
4. Serve with fried garlic and or toyomansi.

Filipino style chicken soup for the soul indeed!

Love lots,

Child Immunization Schedule 2008

It's not like the schedule changes every year! It's just that there could be certain illnesses that just got a vaccine for a certain year that medical professionals arrange data annually. Here's a compiled guide on what, when and how vaccines should be taken:

1. HEPA B VACCINE
-hepatitis B vaccine, developed for the prevention of hepatitis B infection which contains one of the viral envelope proteins, hepatitis B surface antigen
-1st dose given at birth or within 6 months after birth
-2nd dose given at around 1-2 months old, or at least 4 weeks after the first dose
-3rd dose given 6 to 18 months old
-intramuscular use

2. BCG
-Bacille Calmette-Guérin vaccine, a vaccine against tuberculosis that is prepared from a strain of the attenuated (weakened) live bovine uberculosis bacillus, Mycobacterium bovis, that has lost its virulence in humans by being specially cultured in an artificial medium for years.
-given at birth or within the 1st 2 months
-intradermal use

3. PCV-7
-pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, vaccine used to protect infants and young children against disease caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus)
-1st dose given around 6 weeks to 2 months old
-2nd dose given at 4 months old
-3rd dose given at 6 months old
-4th dose given at 12-15 months old
-booster shot given at around 15-18 months old
-intramuscular use

4. DTWP/DTaP/DPT
-vaccine to protects child from diphtheria, tetanus, and whole-cell/acellular pertussis (whooping cough)
-1st dose given at 2 months old
-2nd dose given at 4 months old
-3rd dose given at 6 months old
-booster shot given at 15-18 months old
-another booster given at 4-6 years if age
-intramuscular use

5. OPV/IPV
-oral polio vaccine, consists of an injected dose of inactivated (dead) poliovirus used to combat poliomyelitis (or polio)
-1st dose given at 2 months old
-2nd dose given at 4 months old
-3rd dose given at 6 months old
-booster shot given at 15-18 months old
-another booster given at 4-6 years if age
-oral use

6. ROTAVIRUS VACCINE
-protects children from rotaviruses, which are the leading cause of severe diarrhoea among infants and young children
-live attenuated rotavirus vaccine containing a rotavirus strain
-monovalent human rotavirus vaccine: 2 dose series, 1st dose given at around 6 weeks and next dose should be given at least 4 weeks, but not later than 24 weeks
-pentavalent human-bovine reassortant rotavirus vaccine: 3 dose series, 1st dose given between 6-12 weeks, subsequent doses should be administered at 4-10 week intervals, final dose should not be administered later than 32 weeks of age
-oral use

7. HiB
-Haemophilus influenzae type B vaccine, a conjugate vaccine developed for the prevention of invasive disease caused by Haemophilus influenzae type b bacteria
-1st dose given at 2 months old
-2nd dose given at 4 months old
-3rd dose given at 6 months old
-booster shot given at 15-18 months old
-intramuscular use

8. INFLUENZA
-injection of killed virus developed to prevent flu
-For those receiving it for the first time, two doses at four weeks apart are required. Since the flu virus changes from year to year, an annual vaccination is recommended
-intramuscular use

9. MMR
-a mixture of three live attenuated viruses, administered via injection for immunization against measles, mumps and rubella (also called German measles)
-1st dose given at around 9-12 months old
-2nd dose given at around 4-6 years old
-sub-cutaneous use

10. HEP A
-vaccine that contains inactivated Hepatitis A virus providing active immunity against a future infection
-1st dose given at around 12 months old
-2nd dose given at around 18-24 months old
-intramuscular use

11. VARICELLA VACCINE
-protects against the disease commonly known as chickenpox
-1st dose around 12-15 months old
-2nd dose around 4-6 years of age
-subcutaneous use

12. TYPHOID VACCINE
-vaccine used against typhoid
-1 dose given at 2 years of age
-oral use

13. MENINGOCOCCAL VACCINE
-vaccine used against meningococcal disease
-1 dose given at 2 years of age
-meningococcal polysaccharidde vaccine: subcutaneous or intramuscular use
-meningococcal conjugate vaccine: intramuscular use

Sources:
http://www.philvaccine.org
http://www.babycenter.com.ph
http://www.wikipedia.com

The reason I included whether it's for oral, intradermal, intramuscular or sub-cutaneous is for you to know how each of the vaccines is actually administered. I decided to become frugal and ordered all of Ella's vaccines from the health center nurse at a very low price. It's a good thing my hubby, who is a Nursing student by the way, asked how they should be administered. The nurse answered that it was intramuscular (injected 90 degrees on skin) wherein after reading the label again, he found out it is sub-cutaneous (injected 45 degrees on skin). Please check my sources or your favorite Pediatrician for more information, pros and cons, etc and schedule to complete your child's immunization today.

P.S. Vaccines that are included in the EPI (extended program on immunization) are given free at your local health centers. Other vaccines are very costly so you might want to speak with your local health center nurse to find out if they can arrange to order vaccines for you at around 50% off the regular price of Pediatricians.

Love lots,

How to Keep Your Meats Fresh

Hi! If you've noticed, I have some recipe's here didn't include marinade in them. That's because I have a different way of shopping for food. Since I am a career woman aside from being a mom and wife, I budget and buy all the meat, fish and poultry I'm gonna need for all my recipes for 2 weeks! So how do I keep them fresh? Here's something I am very thankful to my grandma for showing me when I was young...

1. Have the sales assistants cut your meat, fish and poultry to suit all your recipes for a given period of time.

2. When you get home after your market trip, prepare all ingredients you need to marinate and seal the flavor of your recipe and add them to your meat, fish and poultry before storing in the fridge.

3. Some marinades I use for my cooking:

DAING NA BANGUS
-minced garlic, salt, pepper and vinegar

LIVER STEAK
-soy sauce and calamansi

BAKED/ROAST CHICKEN, CHICKEN OR PORK BARBECUE, CHILI WINGS
-minced garlic, salt, sugar, pepper, tomato paste, orange/calamansi juice/sprite/7-up

FRIED FISH
-minced garlic, salt, pepper

FRIED CHICKEN
-salt, pepper, calamansi

For every recipe, the staple marinading ingredients would be salt and pepper. It's up to you to decide which flavor you'd like to lock in and add them into your marinade. Preparing your meat, fish and poultry this way saves you the time of marinading on the spot.

Happy cooking!

Love lots,

Recipe of the Day: Home Made Beef Burritos

Hubby just loves this homemade burrito I prepare for him. We formulated this recipe in the attempt to imitate the taste of shawarma and it sort of tasted like one with it's own authentic flavor.

Ingredients:

1 box of Nestle all purpose cream
1 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 cup cold water
1/2 cup vinegar
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 kg beef cut into very small strips
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 cucumbers cut into small pieces
5 tomatoes cut into small pieces
1/2 cabbage cut into strips
3 large white onions chopped
1 packs soft tortillas (pack of 12)

1. Mix all purpose cream, cornstarch solution, vinegar, salt, pepper and garlic in a saucepan. Cook mixture for 5 minutes. Set aside. You can also use plain yoghurt to replace the cream and vinegar but it's a bit pricey.

2. Place beef in pressure cooker with enough water to cover all meat. Add soy sauce, salt and pepper and cook for around 20 minutes. (I don't have pressure cooker here so I had to boil my beef and cooked it on low fire for 2 hours! tsk, tsk, tsk...) Drain beef and keep broth for future purposes.

3. Saute beef in garlic. Add soy sauce.

4. Place about 1/2 cup of beef in the middle of a tortilla chip. Add a helping of each kind of vegetable then pour cream sauce over the mixture. Roll tortilla and serve.

5. May be served with cheese and/or hot sauce. Makes 24 servings.

Love it! Try this one out soon!

Love lots,

Some Parenting Hand Me Downs...Busted!

Sure we learned a LOT from the people who raised us. We're just so fortunate that we have the more advanced studies now than what they had before. Here are some beliefs I heard from my folks when I was a kid:

1.SWEAT THE FEVER OUT. While sweating is our bodies way of releasing heat from fever, our body will do it on it's own especially if we already drank fever meds. So there's no need to be wrapped in blankies unless child is feeling cold. However, take care not to soak child in sweat inside those cloth layers or you might run the risk for pneumonia!

2.LET WOUNDS AIR DRY FOR FASTER HEALING. Dry wounds might look like it's healed, but only on the outside. And even though it's okay, it's not advisable if you want to grow a little miss Philippines out of your daughter.Recent studies prove that scar tissue is more likely to develop under the scab of dry wounds. So if it's a big wound, you might want to smother it with balm or ointment after cleansing and dress it with bandage to prevent scab from forming.

3.WE'LL TAKE CARE OF TEETH WHEN IT'S PERMANENT. Right? Wrong! It's crucial to keep milk teeth in place for as long as they need to because they'd serve as framework for when the permanent teeth comes out. This will prevent uneccessary (...and not to mention, expensive!) orthodontic procedures in the future. Always clean baby's teeth with a soft toothbrush or clean cloth with a pea-sized amount of age appropriate toothpaste at least twice a day.

4.LET BABIES BURN THEMSELVES OUT SO THEY'D SLEEP LONGER AND BETTER. Ha! I am also a victim of this one! It seemed to make so much sense because it applies to us adults right? However, I researched that regarding baby sleep, being well rested in the morning equates to quality sleep at night! Tired babies only get cranky and restless which makes it more difficult to calm them down. By the time they've slept because of fatigue, they're system have not adjusted to the calm state yet resulting to a shallow sleep experience. My daughter has 2 naps squeezed on her daily routine which may stretch from 1-3 hours and she sleeps a whole 10-12 hours at night!

5.TRIMMING THE ENDS OF BABY's EYELASHES WOULD RESULT TO LONGER THICKER LASHES. I don't have an accurate say about this because even though researchers scientifically reject the idea, I encounter more real-life testimonies to it's accuracy. I even did it on Ella and my brother did it on his daughter and they get compliments everywhere for their lashes (...as obviously compared to mine!). I can't imagine not doing it just to find out if Ella had them naturally. But according to dermatologists, lashes grow based on one's genetic make-up. So if you cut it, it will just grow back to how long and thick it should've originally been. Well, come to think of it...I could use that study to defend the nature of my daughter's gorgeous eyelashes!

6.MANSANILLA A DAY KEEPS THE GAS PAINS AWAY. The only truth about this age-old remedy is that, like any other oil or liniment, the chamomile-citronella (more commonly known as mansanilla) oil's effect on gas pains is caused by it's ability to retain heat. Added by the nature of chamomile extract that calms the mind, this should still give relief to some extent. We have to be careful in applying them on sensitive skin though. Still, taking the effort to burp baby after meals really does the trick.

7.SEXY LADY WORE BIGKIS DURING INFANCY. Did this idea come from the same people who created the waist trimmer? Hehehe! Anyway, I'm sure we all can see why this is not true. Another myth about this is that it should also prevent gas pains. Our pedia actually rejected this idea because this might do more harm than good. If the cloth is too tight, it might impede baby's internal organs to function properly.

8.MOIST COTTON ON FOREHEAD STOPS THE HICCUPS. I wanted to give this the benefit of the doubt by thinking that it might be the sudden change baby feels when this is applied. But then again looking at how hiccups come about:

"Hiccups are bursts of inspiratory (breathing in) activity. The muscles we use when we take in a breath are the intercostal muscles situated between the ribs, and the diaphragm - a sheet of muscle below the lungs. " -www.medicalnewstoday.com

...nah! I might give in to the "surprise myth" over this one.

How about you...have you ever found out something from your parents you didn't think was useful? Share them here!

(note: this is a repost from my sunmom blog)

Love lots,

How to Protect Yourself and Loved Ones from Swine Flu

As I was exhausting the links in my blog roll, I came across a very useful post from one of my favorite bloggers Renee from Beauty Fool. Here goes:

Sanitize.

• Wash your hands regularly with soap. It is the best thing you can do, as experts say that 80% of all infections are spread by hands.
• Wash your hands especially before eating; and this seems logical, but I’ve spied some of my friends skip this - wash your hands after using the bathroom - you should be doing this already!
• Carry anti-bacterial hand sanitizes in your purse and apply it after touching money, shopping carts, escalators, door handles, and pens - anything that is shared by lots of people outdoors.
• Sanitize areas in your home where germs will persist. Your kitchen is one of the best places for germs to grow.
• Cover your mouth with a tissue when you cough and sneeze.

This morning on Good Morning America, Dr. Mamet Oz offered some advice to protect yourself and your loves ones.

He basically says the same things as what I’ve written above, but also gave this very easy visual - memorize it while you’re at it!

Avoidance.

• Yes, it’s very anti-social, but avoid places where the crowds will be in close contact with each other. Packed buses, trains, and events like concerts are like a breeding ground for germs to spread.
• If you do need to go somewhere crowded, try to spend as little time as possible there, and you could use a face mask and gloves to protect yourself.
• Avoid people who seem to be ill.
• Try not to rub or touch your eyes, nose of mouth. Germs spread quickly that way.

Awareness.

Symptoms of swine flu are same as a regular flu:

• fever
• body aches
• runny nose
• sore throat
• vomiting
• nauseau
• diarrhea
• chills
• fatigue

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) gives us emergency warnings that need urgent medical care:

In children:

• Fast breathing or trouble breathing
• Bluish skin color
• Not drinking enough fluids
• Not waking up or not interacting
• Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
• Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
• Fever with a rash

In adults:

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
• Sudden dizziness
• Confusion
• Severe or persistent vomiting

Their website is updated regularly with more information.

If you feel you may have any of these symptoms, or someone you know, tell them to stop playing around and go to the doctor. Note that while there are a lot of tragic deaths over this flu, it is treatable and survivable.

The CDC says, “If you get sick, antiviral drugs can make your illness milder and make you feel better faster. They may also prevent serious flu complications. For treatment, antiviral drugs work best if started soon after getting sick (within 2 days of symptoms).”

Take care (Garnier??? hehehe)!

Love lots,

Recipe of the Day: Mung Bean Sprouts and Tofu

In Filipino, Toge and Tofu. I don't know if you share the same palate with me, but I really love the tangy taste toge leaves every dish. And for a measly additional to your meat, this adds about 2-3 servings more to your viand! Try this one out...

Ingredients:

4 blocks of tofu
1 cup cooking oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 whole onion, chopped
1 whole tomato, chopped
1/4 kg pork
1 pack mung bean sprouts or toge
4 cups water
4 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp sugar
salt (amount depends on taste)

1.Cut the tofu blocks into small squares. Fry in cooking oil until golden brown. Set aside.
2.Saute pork in garlic, onion and tomato until cooked. Add sprouts/toge and stir for 3 minutes.
3.Add water, soy sauce, white pepper, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil.
4.Add fried tofu and simmer for 5 minutes.

...a good protein source for everyone in the family!

Love lots,