What You Should Have in Your Pantry

I came across a news feature saying that the average single woman living along has one surprising feature in her pantry: instant noodles! How did this happen when women should be able to cook for herself? The answer is the modern career woman you see today, who might even be your boss. They spend so much time at work that when she gets home, the least thing she wants to do is cook for herself and clean up the mess afterwards. Eating would be the farthest thing off her mind when she thinks of chores. So instant-everything food it is! I should know this, because I was like this when I was a student and working full-time. To this day, I really cannot boast of good cooking skills too, but I can sure give you the mechanics of a payday advance loan, show you to do amazing things in Photoshop and give you a very graphic detail on how surgeries are done.

But you should always these in stock, because you never know who will come over (like your Mom!):

1. PASTA
Whether for a family dinner or when you need to serve friends a quick and hearty meal, you can’t go wrong with a pasta dish. It simply is the complete one meal deal! Simply cook the noodles in boiling water for 8 minutes. While waiting for the pasta to cook, chop some celery, onions and carrots. Saute the vegetables in olive oil, pour in a can of diced tomatoes, add a dollop of tomato paste, season well with salt and pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes and there you have a good basic marinara sauce you can use to top your pasta with.

2. CANNED TOMATOES
Canned tomatoes come in different varieties these days: stewed, diced, petite cut. But all these come in handy not just for pasta dishes but for pochero, afritada, and even for rice dishes like arroz con pollo or paella. This saves you time and money, especially when good, ripe fresh tomatoes cannot be found in the market.

3. TUNA

Tuna isn’t just catfood anymore. It certainly has come a long way and now we even have tuna na “lasang corned beef!" Not to mention tuna afritada, tuna paksiw, tuna adobo and the whole line of tuna variants in the supermarket. But really, flaked tuna is one of the most versatile proteins – it can be used in omelets, pasta, or as a healthier substitute to ground chicken and pork in dishes like eggplant relleno and even burgers.

4. OLIVE OIL

While olive oil is more expensive than the regular cooking oil, it is being used more and more by Filipinos in their dishes. It’s known to be healthier than the cooking oil we grew up with. And as we relish doing pasta dishes and salad dressings, a bottle of olive oil is a reliable kitchen mainstay.

5. OYSTER SAUCE
Oyster sauce can elevate the taste of your ordinary guisadong gulay into new gustatory heights. When mixed with sauteed onions and garlic, as little as two tablespoonfuls of oyster sauce and some water, a bit of sugar, and cornstarch slurry can be combined for a delicious sauce to last night’s battered fried chicken or a few strips of beef.

6. BROTH CUBES

At home, we prefer to do our own chicken broth with fresh ingredients, stored in the freezer and simply microwaved or heated up for use in our soups and dishes. We find it easy to make and totally without MSG. However, for those who don’t have the luxury of time to make fresh broths, some cubes or chicken powder are a convenient way to create a variety of comforting soups. As for our very own native dishes, a lot of us can’t find time to boil sampalok in our houses for our favorite sinigang. So a pack or two of sinigang mix is useful in every woman’s kitchen.

7. COFFEE or TEA
For most Filipinos, even if we drink them or not, keeping coffee and tea in our kitchen cabinets has become a habit. Having tea at home is good for a lot of things, not just for calming a rumbling stomach. A lot of our guests now prefer tea instead of coffee so we always have different types of tea in our pantry. Chilled teabags can keep eyebags at bay. But then, most of us are all still coffee lovers at heart, so we never run out of our favorite brand of ground coffee for brewing as pick-me-up for ourselves and our guests.

8. BISCUITS, CRACKERS and BREAD
Surprisingly, none of those who responded to my little survey listed chips as a pantry must-have. I would like to take that as a good sign of healthy eating. But still, a few biscuits, crackers and bread are good to keep in your pantry as they quell hunger pangs in an instant. Just remember to choose crackers and biscuits that have less sugar and salt. For breads, whole grain is better than white.

9. CREAM
Rich, thick, heavy cream has always been a delight to have at home for creamy soups and dishes as well as for making desserts and of course, the walang-kamatayang Christmas fruit salad. A pack of cream is, therefore, one of the things you need to have in your pantry. But the really good news is, the cream we’ve always known now comes in a reduced fat variety.

10. FLOUR
Flour isn’t just for baking cookies and cakes. The flour in our kitchen counter goes into soups, to act as thickeners instead of milk or cream. It also goes into making fresh lumpia wrappers, light pancakes and crepes. Flour is also a must-have for breaded porkchops and battered chicken and fish. So make sure you always keep a fresh box at home.

Food Custom Printed Labels

Do you read food labels? I recommend you start reading them, even if you are not really conscious of what you eat or not counting calories. You NEED to know what you eat.

 

The Food and Drug Administration requires that all processed foods be labeled according to a set of guidelines. A label must list values for a 2000-calorie diet as well as limits for both a 2000 and a 2500-calorie diet. Serving sizes have been standardized based on how much of a food people eat. If manufacturers list an ingredient, they must also list the amount of that ingredient and what proportion of the recommended intake it represents.

 

 

Food manufacturers should also note when their products expire, and when it was manufactured. There are some who use stamps (heat stamped by machine) on their boxes but Custom Printed Labels last longer and are noticed more. And that’s what consumers need – they need to notice the label so that they will read it.

 

That is why Custom Labels are so in demand. Most companies start with needing a logo custom-made and then when it is approved, they are now made into different labels for attaching to their packaging to brand their products even more. Data Graphics Inc. has been in the industry for 25 years and have been making all kinds of labels, specifically Custom Label, for manufacturers and consumers.

Saving Money on Groceries

It’s the first week of the month and most of us are busy planning out our monthly household budgets. If there is one thing families almost always overspend on, that would be food. While my father taught me that good food has no price tag, we all should learn to be smart and learn to budget our groceries.

Take a look at these basic tips about saving money on groceries.

1. Shop for basics first. The bulk of your grocery budget should go for basic foods that form the staple of your diet. Milk, bread, eggs, produce and a basic protein source such as beans or meat. These items can usually be found around the perimeter of the store.

2. Next, you want to stock up on filling foods, such as pasta and rice. You can purchase whole grain pasta and brown rice for a healthy diet.

3. For the bulk of the remainder of your grocery list, buy generic foods whenever you can. Today’s generic foods are tasty and of high quality.

4. Avoid the sweets and processed foods as much as possible. Not only are they not as healthy, but they are also very expensive. Make your own sweets to control the cost.

5. Use coupons only on items that you would purchase anyway, and for the least processed foods. Coupons can make you overspend if you aren’t careful.

6. Reduce the number of times you go shopping. This can help you avoid extra purchases and find creative ways to use what you already have.

7. Create a grocery budget and stick to it. Better yet, challenge yourself to beat it by a little bit each trip.

Here are some ideas and ways to cut items from your grocery bill that will lower your costs without drastically changing your lifestyle.

Paper towels

Purchase reusable handiwipes, absorbent dishtowels or thin washclothes (check the dollar stores) to use in place of paper towels for everything from drying hands and wiping little faces, to cleaning spills from the counter and scrubbing the floor. To clean windows and mirrors use newspaper or the thin washcloths. Running one extra load of laundry (for the towels and cloths) every two or three weeks is worth the savings in my book.

Expensive cleaners

Baking soda, vinegar and bleach are inexpensive and clean very well. They each go a long way to keeping your home clean. In fact, as soon as I started to spray a solution of vinegar and water in my shower I noticed that I didn’t have to scrub it as often. The vinegar kept the mold away.

Convenience foods

Did you know that there are only two extra ingredients to add to flour to get a baking mix? Flour is much cheaper than those boxed mixes, and there isn’t much of a convenience to be gained. Plus you can avoid all of the extra preservatives that come with the mixes.

Likewise, anything that is in a kit or frozen can be recreated at home with fresh ingredients. Have you noticed the serving size of some of these foods lately? I could feed a family of five with double helpings on what it would cost to purchase just two or three of those frozen meals.

 

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Saving Money on Groceries

It’s the first week of the month and most of us are busy planning out our monthly household budgets. If there is one thing families almost always overspend on, that would be food. While my father taught me that good food has no price tag, we all should learn to be smart and learn to budget our groceries.

Take a look at these basic tips about saving money on groceries.

1. Shop for basics first. The bulk of your grocery budget should go for basic foods that form the staple of your diet. Milk, bread, eggs, produce and a basic protein source such as beans or meat. These items can usually be found around the perimeter of the store.

2. Next, you want to stock up on filling foods, such as pasta and rice. You can purchase whole grain pasta and brown rice for a healthy diet.

3. For the bulk of the remainder of your grocery list, buy generic foods whenever you can. Today’s generic foods are tasty and of high quality.

4. Avoid the sweets and processed foods as much as possible. Not only are they not as healthy, but they are also very expensive. Make your own sweets to control the cost.

5. Use coupons only on items that you would purchase anyway, and for the least processed foods. Coupons can make you overspend if you aren’t careful.

6. Reduce the number of times you go shopping. This can help you avoid extra purchases and find creative ways to use what you already have.

7. Create a grocery budget and stick to it. Better yet, challenge yourself to beat it by a little bit each trip.

Here are some ideas and ways to cut items from your grocery bill that will lower your costs without drastically changing your lifestyle.

Paper towels

Purchase reusable handiwipes, absorbent dishtowels or thin washclothes (check the dollar stores) to use in place of paper towels for everything from drying hands and wiping little faces, to cleaning spills from the counter and scrubbing the floor. To clean windows and mirrors use newspaper or the thin washcloths. Running one extra load of laundry (for the towels and cloths) every two or three weeks is worth the savings in my book.

Expensive cleaners

Baking soda, vinegar and bleach are inexpensive and clean very well. They each go a long way to keeping your home clean. In fact, as soon as I started to spray a solution of vinegar and water in my shower I noticed that I didn’t have to scrub it as often. The vinegar kept the mold away.

Convenience foods

Did you know that there are only two extra ingredients to add to flour to get a baking mix? Flour is much cheaper than those boxed mixes, and there isn’t much of a convenience to be gained. Plus you can avoid all of the extra preservatives that come with the mixes.

Likewise, anything that is in a kit or frozen can be recreated at home with fresh ingredients. Have you noticed the serving size of some of these foods lately? I could feed a family of five with double helpings on what it would cost to purchase just two or three of those frozen meals.

SOURCE

Grocery Budgeting and Meal Planning

I am taking the budgeting seriously this month. I want to come up with a concrete budget monthly plan. And to get that, I need numbers as proof. So what I have been doing since the first of the month was log all expenses. I also have been refraining from spending anything else from what I receive (and withdraw) from my bank. When I do grocery shopping I keep the receipts and log the prices of commonly-used items in an Excel file. I have been playing with brand names and sizes so I can compare which is more economical. Our budget this month will balloon I’m sure but at least we can start right next month. I am so tired of getting a payday advance every month. While it is easy and very helpful for families who need cash, it certainly is better to have cash on hand all the time so you can budget easily and save the rest.

Here are things I did:
1. Play with menus for the week. I incorporated fish and more veggies for us from two to three times a week.
2. Monthly commodities like rice, mineral water, gas and my daughter’s milk are budgeted at the beginning of the month. (Rice and gas are replaced every 2-3 months).
3. I realized I’m spending a lot on my son’s snacks and lunch meal at school. I need tips and creative ideas to have variety on a budget.
4. We haven’t eaten out since the month started. But we do grab a bit after a mass on a food stand. I need to incorporate that in our budget.
5. Fresh fruits need to be in our food too – I want my kids to be healthy. But since I don’t want to have much petty cash with me all the time, it needs to be bought when the helper goes to market.
6. It is cheaper to buy menu items from the market. Grocery shopping is better for items in the fridge and snacks.