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. 

Establish a routine to balance your life

It has been said many times that we should break the routine and be more spontaneous when dealing with life.  

I am not the most spontaneous person you will meet in this lifetime.  I guess this is part of me being introvert and timid and at the same time, I am a fan of having a routine.  This is not to to say though that I am void of any spontaneity in my life. No! No! No!  I strongly believe that my basic routine paves the way for me to understand what I still have and ergo, make room for unprogrammed or unplanned events or happenings.  

Having a routine is like a discipline, method that allows me to understand what are the essentials in my life. After knowing the essentials, the rest is subject to agility, flexibility and spontaneity. :) 

As an IT project management practitioner, the "routine" is tantamount to the backlog in an Agile Delivery, where I focus on my "musts" and then the rest are nice to have.  It is important to prioritize because in the order of priority comes the non-negotiables and what we can compromise.  

As a busy full time mom and working professional, the musts which comprise my routine are (in order of priority): 
1.  Everything about my son - spending time with him - cuddling him, reading him to sleep, tucking him to bed, playing with him, his happiness, his growth, his schooling, his medical appointments, his crowd and his social events. 
2.  My core and extended family, including friends this includes attending to our household, ensuring that we have our home supplies, food on our table, bills are paid and being in touch with my family and friends across the globe. Attending to my husband and my son and our home which includes grocery shopping, home maintenance, etc. 
3.  Mental,physical and emotional Health which includes all of my medical appointments, good food/diet, me time - yoga and meditation, walking, reading a book, cooking time, occasional shopping and spa/massage time. After all, if I do not have good health, how can I function 100% for my family and for my personal mission. It is important to be sane, to be happy and to be confident in one´s life.  I have previously said this and will repeat - Charity begins at home.  You cannot give what you do not have.  If I am mentally drained and physically exhausted, how can I give happiness and positivism to my love ones?  
4.  Work - work is a must.  I am grateful and indebted to my work.  But it is not my life. During the time that I am in my office, I am 100% dedicated to my work.  But I have a life after my work.  I rarely sacrifice my medical appointments to be in a meeting.  During Fridays, I rush out early to fix my son from school. 

As the above mentioned is my priority list, I build my weekdays and weekends based on those.  And from time to time, if there is a get together with friends and other circles, a new exhibit in a museum, a new restaurant to try, I certainly can make time for them knowing that my non negotiables have been met. 

This "routine" also applies in my financials.  I make sure that I pay my dues, spend for the essentials such as my son´s extra curricular activities, son´s school needs, groceries/food/medicine, home bills, and save some before I splurge on the nice to have such as bags, clothes, shoes or any other whims.  

It is okay to so no. It is healthy.  What is important in our life is to understand our essentials and strike a balance. 

Have a blessed Sunday to you all! 

*** photos are not mine.  downloaded from the internet.  credits to the owners. thank you.

Floral May

May is a spring month and is often characterized by prolonged daytime, better weather and of course, the blooming flowers. 

I have always been and continue to be a big fan of flowers.  During the peak of my anxiety, I regularly bought flowers as they add colors to my home sweet home and basically they add a positive vibe.  In as much as I would like to grow my own plants, flowers, I do not have the luxury of space.  I do not have a garden.  I do own though some plants and as mentioned, I regularly buy a supply of fresh flowers.  I have already included in my regular expense/budget the cost of the flowers.  The investment is worthwhile as the purchase of the flowers has been a bonding, quality moment with my family.  It is also a warm feeling everytime I would go to the florist and we would exchange some conversations.  

Here are some of my favorite flowers:  Daisies, Lily, Carnation, Peonies and Tulips.  

I will continue to buy flowers as long as I can afford them.  And many, many thanks to these lovely flowers for all the positivism and joy that they add up in my home sweet home. 

Have a blessed Sunday to all! 

The Amateur Cook in me.. Easy home made, healthy recipes.. Fit for a busy mom just like me. :)

Sometimes, with our busy schedule, we take the easy way out by buying take away, prepared meals.  It is not a bad option as long as we know the place where we buy our to go food and it is done rarely.  

For this post, I would like to share easy yet healthy recipes fit for a busy mom just like me.  These are recipes which you can whip and cook from 15 minutes to half an hour.  It requires little preparation and in most cases, use the ingredients available in our fridge.  They are also healthy, light and can be kept in out fridge for our next meal.  

I hope you will find this useful.  So, take the apron out and channel the inner Jamie Oliver/chef in us! Take care always! 

1.  Cauliflower Rice - This is a low carb meal and is a good alternative to rice.  We usually serve it with salmon or chicken on the side.  
Ingredients:  Medium sized cauliflower, green peas, carrots, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, 2 eggs (beaten).  Optional: mushrooms and shrimps. 

Slice into portions the cauliflower.  Grate until they have small, coarse texture.  Preheat pan and saute garlic and onion.  Add the carrots.  Add the cauliflower and let them toast/roast for a good 15 minutes (medium heat fire). Continue stirring to avoid the cauliflower getting burnt. If you have shrimps and mushroom, add them to the mixture and continue cooking and stirring.  Put the cauliflower mixture in the side of the pan and make a hole in the middle.  Put the beaten egg and slowly incorporate the cauliflower rice. Mix well until all the ingredients are properly incorporated.  Season with salt and with pepper.  

2.  Ovencooked Potato Fries and Beef Fillet 

Ingredients:  2-3 medium sized potatoes, salt, olive oil, beef 

Slice the potatoes thinly or julienne type.  Season with salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Put in the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes until crispy.  
Preheat a grill and put a drizzle of olive oil.  When the grill is hot, put the beef and sear it for 3 minutes each side.  Season with salt and pepper. 

Related links: 
Garlic noodles, turkey bread and pancakes
Vietnamese Spring Rolls