The Amateur Cook in me. Healthy Crispy Zucchini Chips

Zucchini (calabacin in Spanish) is also known as summer squash. It has a lighter and softer texture than a squash though. 😊

Zucchini is known to be a must in low carb diets.  I am here to share my simple, low carb and rich in flavours Crispy Zucchini chips!

Ingredients: 

1-2 Medium sized Zucchini

Olive Oil

Salt

Garlic, Cheese (optional)

Oregano

Parsley

1. Slice the zucchini in medium sized thickness.  Do not make them so thin as they will shrink once in the oven. 
2. Pat dry with a kitchen towel. 
3. Put the zucchini in a bowl.  Drizzle with olive oil, salt, oregano, parsley.  I personally add grated garlic and cheese for extra flavors.
4. Organize the zucchini in a tray and bake them at 180º for 60 minutes. 
5. Ready!! Enjoy!!!

P.S.  In our case, it is best served as a side dish to baked salmon or appetizer with cold 0 alcohol beer. Hahahaha

The Amateur Cook in Me. Simple, Easy, Healthy Recipes for a Busy yet committed working mom like me

Baked Fish (Seacod, Hake)

1. Clean fish and pat dry with a kitchen towel.
2. Season with salt and pepper (optional).  Pour in juice extract of one medium size lemon.  Drizzle with olive and dill.
3. Cook in the oven for 16-20 minutes. 
4. Ready! Enjoy!

Tortilla de Patata/Spanish Tortilla

1. Thinly slice 2 small sized potatoes or 1 medium sized potato. Thinly slice onions (optional)
2. Beat 5 eggs. 
3. Pour olive oil into a pan and slowly cook the potatoes until they are tender, add and cook the onion (if applicable).  Remove the potatoes and the onion from the pan and drain excess olive oil.
4. Incorporate the drained potatoes and onion to the beaten eggs.  Add salt to taste. 
5. Reduce olive oil from the pan.  Pour the egg and potato mixture into the pan.  Cook one side.  When the bottom is already cooked, gently cover the pan with a plate.  The idea is to flip over, turn over the pan and the egg mixture.  As you turn over the pan, make sure that the plate and the omelette are intact.  Gently put the partially cooked part of the omelette to the pan for cooking. 
6. The Spanish tortilla is cooked when both sides are already in solid state. 
7. Ready! Enjoy!

Ovencooked Chicken Breast or Fish Fillet and Mushrooms

1. Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper.  Drizzle with olive oil.
2. Season the fish fillet with salt. Add garlic, juice extract of a medium sized lemon.  Drizzle with olive oil and dill.
3. Season the mushroom with olive oil, salt and parsley.
4. Arrange them in a pan and cook in the oven for 20-25 minutes. 
5. Ready!  Enjoy!

Tomato Salad

1. Slice 2-3 medium sized tomate Iberico in quarters
2. Add Fish flakes (tuna)  and Pepper relish (optional)
3. Drizzle with olive oil

The Amateur Cook In Me: Cake Pops

This is a fun, simple and delicious dessert or snack treat for the children and children at heart. :) 

It may be a bit cumbersome to prepare it as it requires you to prepare a typical sponge cake (or you may buy a cake from your friendly neighborhood bakeshop) and then do the rituals for the cake pops. 

Ingredients: 

Cake batter to have a sponge cake:  This is a chocolate flavored cake: 

1.  3 cups of cake flour 
2.  2 eggs, beaten 
3.  baking powder 
4.  vanilla extract 
5.  melted organic dark chocolate to be mixed in the cake batter to provide the chocolate flavor and color 
6.  1 small brick of non fat yogurt 

Mix all the ingredients and bake in the oven. 

Cake pops: 
1.  Sprinkles:  Chocolate or colored sugar sprinkles 
2.  Melted white and dark chocolate to dip the cake pops
3. organic peanut butter and/or light philadelphia cream cheese as binders 

1. Cool the cake. 
2. When cake is already in cool temperature, mash the cake.  Add the organic peanut butter and cream cheese to act as binder. mix them well until they are all properly incorporated.
3.  Get a spoonful of cake batter in your hands and form a small circle.  Set aside and put them in the fridge to solidify the texture. 
4. Melt the white and dark chocolate.  Prepare the sprinkles. 
5.  Dip the cake pop into the white and dark chocolate dip and sprinkle them with the toppings. 
6. Set aside/cool in the fridge for about 4-5 hours. (the longer the better) 

Enjoy!! 

The Amateur Cook in Me: Caccio e Pepe

This is an indulging yet so easy prepare recipe.  Just perfect to cap your busy yet beautiful day. 

Ingredients: 
Wholewheat spaghetti noodles 
Grana Padano cheese 
Parmesan cheese 
Fresh ground black pepper 
Low salt butter.

1. Cook the spaghetti noodles.  Reserve some of the pasta water. 
2.  In a pan, put butter and cook portion of the fresh ground pepper.  
3.  Add pasta water. 
4.  Add the grated grana padano cheese and parmesan cheese. 
5.  Incorporate the spaghetti noodles. 
6.  Stir all the ingredients and slowly add more butter while stirring. 

Ready to serve!! Enjoy!! Delicious!! Masarap ng bonggang bongga!! Riquisimo!! Deliziosa!! Deliciosa!! 

Why money matters in a good way. :)

My son´s nanny and I were engaged in a casual conversation when she made a comment that we live simply and that we are not drowning in debts compared to other couples/families that she knows.  I took that as a compliment.  Some of the lifestyle approaches that I take seriously are simplicity and minimalism.  However, these are 2 concepts which are oftentimes misconstrued and misjudged especially now that we are living in a quite materialistic world.  Although it is understandable, sometimes it is also disheartening that we are judged according to our looks, the clothes or brands that we wear, the car that we are driving (and worse, if we are taking the public transpo! hahaha). 

Really in our life, there is more to it than meets the eye.  There is no point in earning a lot of money if we are spending a lot as well and saving almost nothing.  I have read it several times that the wealthy ones become wealthier by continuing to live within their means while the poor ones become poorer because they try to live like rich people, a lifestyle that they cannot afford. 

The cue is really spending within your means and spending after you save.  I do not deny the fact that from time to time I indulge. I consider it as a reward for my hard work and sometimes, it is also a way to relax me. I indulge in my favorite things - Food, Bags/Clothes/Watches, Travels, Massage/Spa/Acupuncture and other non-traditional forms of healing. But I am happy, grateful and humble to say that I do not overspend.  I do not go on loans just to get these whims.  

When I was younger, learning the rudiments of saving and at the same time, fighting and resisting in vain the temptation to over-indulge in material things, I overused my credit card.  And though I am not proud of that phase of my life, I learned my lesson the hard way.  And I can say that I am blessed to take the lessons seriously, engrave them into my heart and now, I am in a better position.  I am not rich.  But I can say that slowly but surely, my financial freedom and capability is much better than it was 15 years and 10 years ago. I am somewhat financially independent, able to enjoy the fruits of my hard labor and able to share my blessings.  

Money is important not to feel important but to give the security that we need.  The earlier we save and understand the value of saving, the better.  Save pennies for the rainy days.  :) 

Here are my practical tips, as a working mom to slowly but surely save money: 

1. Spend for and buy the essentials first before splurging on the whims.  Food on the table, medical insurance, my child´s necessities i.e, extracurricular activities, cream, etc are my 1st and foremost concerns.  

2. Save, save, save at least 30% of your income.  The higher the savings, the better. 

3. Diversify both in income and in savings.  It has been said that it is better to not just rely on our jobs as our sole source of income.  However, in cases that diversifying sources of income is a challenge, we can diversify our savings but combining low/medium/high risks savings.  

4. Save up for your major/big expenses.  A major house area renovation?  A designer bag? A dream holiday/travel? It will be good to keep them as your vision and make them a reality by saving hard for them, having a timeline instead of getting a loan and then paying interest. 

5.  Buy only the essentials.  People are shocked everytime they find out that I don´t drive and that I don´t own a car.  Aside from not having a driver´s licence, I live in the city center.  I move around in public transport (eco friendly and cheaper). It is not a perfect world but I have embraced its limitations.  The same may not apply to people who live in the suburbs, outskirts of the city where a car is a necessity to be mobile. The sane applies for my monthly groceries, I only buy the essentials.  

6. Have a checklist of your expenses, savings so you will continue to optimize your expenses and maximize your savings.  

7. Be ambitious and go bigtime with your dreams!! 

8. Be sincerely generous (but not to a fault). No one ever becomes poor by giving.  Give and it will come back to you! 

Take care! Hugs!! Thank you.