Image borrowed from here (via Google Images)Ever since Hubby and I decided that we wanted to start a family, I made a conscious effort of making sure we eat very healthy. I decided to make all of our meals from scratch and forgo all the convenience foods and food with additives and artificial ingredients and preservatives. We eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies from our garden and avoid processed food when possible. The Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food, and a few other books have helped me in making my decision to eat wholesome food. What began as a tiny little change in our eating habits has now become part of our lifestyle. Mind you, I’m not a saint. I try to live by my word, but I’m not always successful!
Now that I’m pregnant, I’ve been diligently following the pregnancy diet that I have been given by my health care providers. I have to admit, though I have been doing really well, I do sometimes crave ‘not so good for you’ food. The other day, when we were in Espanola, I told Hubby I NEEDED TO HAVE reeeeeeeally wanted was craving wouldn’t mind having a Crispy Chicken Flame Thrower at Dairy Queen!
When we eat at other people’s homes, we’ve pretty much adopted the saying “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”. Hubby loves it when we eat at my parents’ house. Why? Well, what happens when a Trinidadian-Chinese person marries a Spanish-Filipina person? You get wild, crazy, lively, fun parties, interesting cultural history and traditions, and…
AMAZING FOOD!!!
We don’t usually eat fried food, so Dad’s wontons are always a treat!
Mom always claims that she is a horrible cook, but we all beg to differ! We know the truth. She is an AMAZING cook!!!
Here’s a quick intro to some typical Filipino dishes.
Mom’s lumpia (spring rolls) are deeeelish! You know it’s a special event or an important dinner party if Mom cooks Filipino food. The reason for this is that it’s quite time consuming and labour intensive to prepare Filipino food. All the cutting and chopping and marinating takes a while!
Fried rice
Pancit (noodles, veggies and a little meat and/or seafood)
Filipino fruit salad. Very rich, creamy, sweet, and probably a zillion calories…but it tastes soooooooooo good!
C,I already gained 5 lbs from Niagara on the Lake… now thanks to these scrumptious photos, another 5!!!
Gotta get to the gym again pronto. Sheesh!
Oh C! Yum yum yum! Have tired inihaw and sinigang and kare kare? Pinoy food they say, is really very tasty.
oh goodness…now i’m hungry. again. seems to happen 95% of the time when i visit your page. but, no complaints from me!
You’re making me feel sorry for myself, with my puritan ancestors. Not known for the cooking. 😉
I used to have a Filipino coworker, and once his mom came to visit, and she made the most AWESOME chicken empinadas. I mean, wow, so glad I’m not a vegetarian, so I got to eat one. I’ve never had another that was as good. Sigh. (OK, that was 15 years ago, and I still remember…)
Mrs. Mogul:
I actually prefer it when my Dad makes wonton soup (because I don’t really like fried food). Hubby prefers fried wontons though.
Starshine:
That’s exactly how I feel every time we go to my parents’ house! LOL!
Dina:
Oh, my Mom loves cooking for you! Next time you’re up visiting (or next time she’s in TO visiting my aunt who lives near Dani and Karen), she may be able to cook something for you 🙂
I’ll tell her you miss her food. She may be tempted to send you a care package! 😉 LOL!
T:
Yes! You DO need to come up and visit again soon! 😉
Autumn’s Mom:
Tee hee! 🙂 For sure! Whenever you’re in my neck of the woods, I’ll gladly take you to my parents’ for a meal!
Hot Mommy:
For some reason, you saying that fried food rocks doesn’t surprise me! 🙂 You’re the only person I know who can eat poutine every day and never get fat (or sick)!!! Amazing!
Yum…I think I need to go work out now. 🙂
Oh man, I am drooling at the photos!!! I love wontons! YUMMM!
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You are too funny! I miss your mom’s cooking! I need to get up there to visit soon!
oh boy now i’m jealous…to have a taste of your mom’s food again would be devine!! I started salvating when i looked at those pics…that fruit salad, those spring rolls…yummo!!!
tell your mom i miss her and have her send me a care package (j/j)
chris-i only have one thig to say; fried food rocks!
and your mom and dad’s cooking is the best. when am i coming over for dinner again?
You are killing me!!! Please take me to your parents for dinner, k? haha You are a pretty disciplined person when it comes to food..I wish I could be more like you.
Canine:
🙂 When my mom and her sisters cook together, there’s enough food to feed an army! The food in the photos was from a tiny dinner party (for only 6 people), but there was A LOT of food. My mom’s motto is to always have more food than you need, because you never know who will be knocking at your door.
I agree with you about the fried food. Hubby and I hardly ever have it unless we’re at a party or something. I refuse to fry anything (I’m a freak when it comes to cholesterol, saturated fats, etc).
When Hubby was still a bachelor, he had a deep fryer and loved it. He said it was fast and convenient. When we got married, I made him throw it out! LOL!
P.S. My brothers and I used to fight over the cherries too! There were always so few of them!
hi c! oh my gosh, your mom’s food looks just like my mom’s!!! and your dad’s won tons look yummy too!
although i’m not a fan of Filipino style fruit salad (the fruit is canned then you add cream or something like that, plus macapuno/coconut strings), we used to fight over the cherries as kids.
fried food = delicious, but kind of bad for you! : )