Treasure Jar

“I love to feel the rain in the summertime!” sings The Alarm.

Is the rainy season officially here?

This summer season is quite unusual because instead hot weather being experienced the whole day through, the country is experiencing thunderstorms and rain showers during the early afternoons till evenings. Sure its nice to have a cooler weather at night though it is still humid despite the cool air.

People are now wondering if they can still spend sunny days at the beach or do fun summer activities.

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Tags: rains, rainy summer, summer, summer heat, summer time

Summer is supposed to be the time when one should look good enough to fit into a swimsuit 😀

But with ice cream temptations and other cold, yummy and sweet concoctions, one would surely need the best appetite suppressants to be able to resist the urge to grab one of these or maybe two 🙁

So, how do you stay clear of these sugar-laden sweet and cold treats?

• Drinks lots of water
• Have fresh fruits instead
• Have drinks as natural as can be like smoothies but be sure to cut down on the sugar since the fruits are naturally sweet already
• Don’t go to the malls where you are most like tempted to buy yourself a cone or a special

Tags: summer, sweet

One of the most anticipated events in a child’s life is going back to school. Though it is time to say goodbye to summer fun, play dates and relaxed days, there is no need to say adios to clean and lice-free hair. It could be challenging but moms can maintain their children’s good hair hygiene even if they spend the whole day in school.

Here’s how:  Lamoiyan Corporation’s Licealiz Head Lice Treatment Shampoo. Licealiz is an affordable, non-toxic formula that is clinically-proven to kill lice and nits.

One of the reasons why some children have a hard time in school or has few friends who will play with them is because these children have head lice. It also makes the child conscious. With Licealiz, these children can be lice-free and would be able to use their full potential in learning in school as well as making the most of their time with their socialization with their friends.

Recently, moms and their daughters, through the Kick-starting the Learning Experience workshop were given a chance to bond while learning tips on how to keep their daughters’ hair well-maintained.

Lectures on basic hair care, ways to prevent hair lice infestation and preparation for the current school year to ensure the child’s health remain uncompromised by threats such as pediculosis or head lice were discussed.

Fashionable hairstyles were also taught through a hairstyle tutorial for easy-to-do and preppy look for the school were also done. My daughter’s hairstyle, which I braided and used colored rubber bands wrapped on hairpins and inserted in various areas of the hair to make it look colorful and unique. We were one of the winner, by the way, yey!

Tags: Lamoiyan Corporation's Licealiz Head Lice Treatment Shampoo, Licealiz, Licealiz Head Lice Shampoo, shampoo for head lice

#TreasureJarFinds
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I brought some reusable containers with me when we went to the supermarket last week. These were ice cream tub, cream cheese tub and two microwaveable containers from takeout food. I first went to a Magnolia Chicken station but they refused to use my containers saying they will still put the chicken in plastic and it would be up to me to transfer in my containers. What’s the point, I wanted to use my containers to avoid using plastic that I will be throwing anyway. Staff said in their meeting, they will only use their branded plastic because their sales are based on the usage of plastic but how? Some like me, I used to ask for big extra ones when I buy more than 2 bags of chicken. Is that counted? That is even extra expenses on the company, on me, with the added burden of adding more plastic to the trash pile.
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I then went to another meat shop, Tender Lean, when I noticed that they were using unbranded plastic bags for the meats. The staff was accommodating. He weighed my containers first before putting in the meats. Good job, Tender Lean meatshop. The staff said he knew what to do because they have clients who bring their own containers when they buy meats.

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I will try this next to a meat shop near us because I know the staff there. I hope they will be more open to the idea.
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We are not really big consumers of meat especially during the summer months. This batch will probably last us two weeks because I mostly use a small amount of meat for sautéing as can be seen in my #platefuloffun food photos.

Tags: reusable containers for buying meats, Tender Lean meat at Landmark Trinoma, using less plastic

The Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards 2015 in Manila happened as a Screening Party at the Resorts World Manila last March 30.

Here is another one of my Instagram posts as I waited for the Screening Party to start.

The Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards 2015 Screening Party in Manila was awesome! Resorts World Manila was filled with excited, happy and energized kids (and parents too!).

There were photo booths, toy stores set up on the cinema lobby, loot bags, Nick character mascots and fun games with great prizes before the screening which further made the children all the more excited and happy. In between awards or during commercial breaks, there were also games played.

SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star as well as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and other characters came out to entertain the audience and allow the children to have their photos taken with them.

The Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards show aired on the Nickelodeon channel and highlighted the best names in TV, movie, music, sports and other categories. The children who were at the Screening Party watched the awards on a simultaneous broadcast on the big screen. They also received a VIN treatment: Very Important Nickster 😀

The Nickelodoen Kids’ Choice Awards 2015 was hosted by Nick Jonas who serenaded the crowd at the beginning of the show. The KCAs 2015 was star-studded, featuring remarkable performances from Iggy Azalea and Jennifer Hudson and teen sensation 5 Seconds of Summer. Celebrities also made a special appearance, much to the delight of the audience. Some of this year’s winners, as voted by Nickelodeon viewers, included “Hunger Games” star Liam Hemsworth, Emma Stone for “The Amazing Spiderman” and Angelina Jolie who claimed Favourite Villain for “Maleficent.”

Our very own Teen King Daniel Padilla was nominated as Favourite Asian Act, and although he didn’t quite swipe the orange blimp, he did win the Slime-A-Star award, beating nominees from Brazil, the United Kingdom, Latin America, and New Zealand.

The Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards 2015 Screening Party, presented by Toy Kingdom and co-sponsored by Kinder Joy, Shopkins, and Swift Mighty Meaty Hotdog, Nickelodeon’s cable partner CignalTV and venue partner Resorts World Manila, was nothing less than epic.

I’m sure the kids couldn’t wait for next year’s slime season, coz if 2015 was any indication, they’re in for an even bigger treat in the years to come!

Tags: KCAs 2015, Nickelodeon, Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards 2015

For a main dish (we had this for dinner just last night) My Great Food 15 Second Cooking Challenge is Slow Cooked Monterey Country Style Pork (or Liempo) and Purefoods Classic Honeycured Bacon with mango salsa. Mangoes are best when eaten during summer 🙂

Mangoes are a sign that summer is definitely here and our family just love these fruits especially if coming from our home province, Zambales.

Here is the detailed recipe of my Slow Cooked Monterey Country Style Pork with Mango and Bacon Salsa.

Ingredients:

1. 1 kilo of Monterey Country Style Pork or liempo. For every strip, cut in 3 or four pieces.
2. Dry Rub: 2T salt and pepper, 2Tpaprika and 1/4 cup muscovado sugar. For the sauce: 1 cup Oyster Sauce and 1/2 cup Hickory Sauce.
3. Purefoods Honeycured Bacon. You can use as many bacon strips as you like.
4. 2 pieces ripe but still firm mangoes, cubed in small pieces. Ours came from Zambales.
5. 2 pieces tomatoes, cubed in small pieces. Ours are homegrown.
6. 1 piece cucumber, cubed in small pieces
7. 1 or 2 pieces of calamansi (which I got from our tree)
8. Balsamic Vinegar for drizzling on the salsa

Here is the YouTube Video

And here is the Instagram video link.

Cooking Procedure in details:

1. Wash and cut the Monterey Country Style Pork. Pat dry.

2. Put together the dry rub for the meat.

3. Massage the meat with the dry rub. Refrigerate, covered, for an hour or two.

4. Mix the sauces for the Monterey Country Style Pork for the slow cooking step. See NOTES below for some cooking style tips.

5. Arrange the Monterey Country Style Pork with dry rub and half of the sauce in the crock pot.

6. Cook for two hours high and two hours low. OR cook for six hours on low.

7. Prepare the mango salsa by cutting the mangoes, tomatoes and cucumbers in small cubes. Put the juice of one or two calamansi on it.

8. Refrigerate the salsa until you need it. You can also add onions and cilantro before serving. Fry or bake the Purefoods Honeycured Bacon before serving the Slow Cooked Monterey Country Style Pork.

9. Serve the Slow Cooked Monterey Country Style Pork with the Mango and Bacon Salsa drizzled with balsamic Vinegar.

NOTES:

1. If you don’t have a slow cooker, I suggest you get one, haha. Kidding aside, you can grill the Monterey Country Style Pork or bake in the oven. Use the remaining sauce to baste the grilled or baked pork. If you are going to grill, better not cut the pork in three or four pieces.

2. You can opt to not add calamansi in the salsa but the balsamic vinegar should be included because it adds a different twist to the ripe mangoes. It may just be me but no harm in trying, right?

3. For the salsa, you can also add onions,cilantro,and avocado before serving.

4. You can cut the crispy Purefoods Honeycured Bacon in bits and add in the salsa. My kids said they preferred it whole so I didn’t do the bacon bits.

I hope you enjoy doing this recipe as much as I did.

By the way, if you do not have time to go out and buy meats, Monterey will deliver to your home. My go-to Monterey branch is the one along Mindanao Avenue.

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Tags: Monterey Country Style Pork (or Liempo), My Great Food 15 Second Cooking Challenge, Purefoods Classic Honeycured Bacon, Slow Cooked Monterey Country Style Pork with Mango and Bacon Salsa, Slow Cooked Monterey Country Style Pork with the Mango and Bacon Salsa, slow cooked recipe, slow cooker recipe