Mommy Plannerista

Planning. Passions. Parenthood.

Starting ‘Em Strong with Cheez Whiz

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We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I actually believe that a great day starts with a great breakfast.

A great breakfast is especially important for our kids because they need the right vitamins and minerals in order for them to be productive at home, do their best in school and have fun at playtime. So at our house a great breakfast is a must!

We were so happy then that we received a package full of Cheez Whiz last week. We all love Cheez Whiz because it’s packets with strength building nutriets such as Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Calcium, and Phosphorus that our kids need. Plus, all the flavors are delicious too!

I also love that Cheez Whiz is super spreadable. We usually spread it on to bread or crackers for a fast and easy breakfast or snack. It’s definitely a staple at our house and in a lot of other households too for sure because it has been around for over 50 years already.

It’s a shame though that we missed the first ever Cheez Whiz Strength Builders Camp that took place last June 5. Attended by their newest brand ambassador, Chesca Garcia and here kids Scarlett and Gavin Kramer, the camp featured four (4) interactive zones and five (5) active zones where kids got to complete exciting physical activities. It was definitely a fun event where kids got to showcase their strength powered by Cheez Whiz.

You can get Cheez Whiz in 3 variants now – Original, Pimiento, and Mild – and in several sizes too. For more information, like Cheez Whiz on Facebook and Instagram at @CheezWhizPH.

M2 Ready-to-Drink Iced Tea: Drink Your Way to a Healthier You

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At home, I almost always cook something with vegetables. Hubby and I encourage our kids to love eating them and we do that, of course, by showing them that we love eating them too. And why not? Vegetables are a great source of vitamins and minerals. Plus, they are a nutritious way to help our body get rid of toxins, keep it firm and toned (see this post for fat burner for women), and boost resistance.

However, I know that we don’t always get to consume the recommended daily intake of veggies in our diet. So, what are we to do?

Prepared a healthy dinner of chicken adobo with string beans paired with our favorite M2 Ready-to-Drink Iced Tea

Well, I discovered an easier way to get our daily dose of vegetables and that is to drink it! Drinking a top-quality drink is the easiest, quickest and most convenient way to get your daily dose of vegetable goodness.

NatureEarth Corp. has come up with a ready-to-drink vegetable drink in a delicious tea format, called M2 Ready-to-Drink Iced Tea, which primarily contains the 3 nutritional ingredients–malunggay, okra and luya, all packed with vitamins and counts as one portion of your daily vegetable requirement.

This ready-to-drink M2 iced tea not only promises a wealth of health benefits but it also comes handy in a very compact 300 ml bottle. You can bring it anywhere, anytime, and saves you the inconvenience of preparing your own vegetable drink.

I actually blogged about our review of M2 Tea Drink a few months ago, which you can read here in case you missed it. But suffice it to say that we love it! It doesn’t taste like icky vegetables at all. Plus, it’s also not too sweet.

Oh, and in case you’re a milk tea lover, I also recently discovered that you can make your own using M2 Ready-to-Drink Iced tea. Just pour some M2 in a glass, add milk and ice and voila!!! You have your own milk tea at home. It’s super yummy, I promise. Some of my friends have tried it after I posted it on Instagram and Facebook and they ended up loving it too!

M2 Ready-to-Drink Iced Tea is sold at Php 55.00 in all Robinsons Supermarkets, Andoks Lechon Manok stalls and all authorized distributors nationwide.

Try it now and drink your way to a healthier you!

Review: Nature Earth’s M2 Tea Drink, Shing-a-Ling and Kamote Chips

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Several weeks ago, I was presented with an opportunity to try some Nature Earth products so that I can review them on this blog. When I learned that one of their products is the M2 Tea Drink I got really excited because I have read good reviews about it as a breast milk booster.

So, the first time Nature Earth sent me a package they sent me a few 300 ml bottles of M2 as well as a pack each of their Kamote chips in Plain and in BBQ flavor.

The second time they sent me a package, I got a 1 Liter bottle of the M2 Tea Drink Concentrate as well as a pack each of their Shing-a-ling in Cheese, Sour cream, and BBQ flavors.

Let me tell you about each of these products.

M2 Tea Drink

M2 is actually a Malunggay, Okra, and Luya tea drink that’s available either as ready-to-drink or as a concentrate. The ready-to-drink bottles are 300 ml while the concentrate is available in 1L bottles.

It’s interesting to note that while malunggay, okra, and luya are the main ingredients, there is a difference between the ready-to-drink and the concentrate in terms of the sugar used. The ready-to-drink is composed of water, moringa, okra, ginger, citric acid, sodium benzoate (used as a preservative) and brown sugar. The concentrate is composed of the same ingredients except that it uses muscovado sugar. I’m not really sure why this is so though.

Below you can see the Nutrition Facts printed on the label. I like how healthy this drink is. It’s like eating veggies but made easier because all you have to do is drink it.

One of the things I really like about both types though is that they are really properly sealed, which means contamination will be avoided and I guess this also keeps the product fresh. As you can see below, aside from the outer cap, there’s a seal that you have to remove before you can drink or pour the tea.

Taste-wise, I was expecting it to taste like vegetables which I wasn’t really looking forward to. Surprisingly though, it has a light tea taste that does not taste like vegetables at all. I could taste a slight tinge of ginger but I was not at all put off by it. I also like that it’s not too sweet unlike the commercial iced tea drinks that you can find in the supermarkets, which are not even healthy either.

Another plus is that, with the concentrate at least, you can choose to prepare it hot or cold. I prefer to take it cold though especially during these hot summer months.

So, you breastfeeding mamas might ask if it actually helps with breastmilk production. Well, I drank M2 for several days and I feel like it really did help boost my milk supply. I direct feed my toddler so I wasn’t able to measure how much of an increase there was. But I say it helped because I felt my breast become fuller. Also, I experienced milk letdown on the unused boob whenever my toddler is nursing. I normally don’t experience letdown anymore since my toddler started eating solid food regularly. I don’t even wear breast pads anymore but since drinking M2, I had to wear them again. I can definitely say that this is a must-try product for nursing moms.

Nature Earth Kamote Chips

We were able to try the Kamote Chips in both plain and BBQ flavors. They’re made with just sweet potato. They only added BBQ flavor to the other one.

The plain one tasted a bit bland while the BBQ flavor only had a hint of spice on it, which is exactly what I like. Even my toddler liked it!

I definitely love this as a healthy snack that I wouldn’t feel guilty about giving to my kids.

Nature Earth Shing-a-ling

We were able to try the three Shing-a-ling flavors – cheese, sour cream, and BBQ. They’re made with wheat flour, salt, pepper, lye, food color and flavoring. Compared to the Kamote Chips though, the Shing-a-ling is fortified with moringa.

Prior to this, I’ve only ever tasted the plain Shing-a-ling. The flavors definitely make them more interesting to eat. I like all three flavors. But I gotta say that my favorite is definitely the cheese one. The Shing-a-ling is really crunchy. My toddler loves it too. I find it so hard to stop munching on them.

Overall, we are really pleased with all these Nature Earth products. They are products that we’d always love to have at home, especially the M2 Tea Drink. I don’t really have vices but I do like drinking iced tea. At least with M2, I’ll be drinking a healthier version that will also help with my breast milk production.

If there’s something I would suggest for improvement, it would be the packaging of the Kamote Chips and the Shing-a-ling. It would be nice to have a packaging that is resealable. That would be it.

For more information on Nature Earth products, visit www.naturearthphilippines.com or follow them on Facebook.

 

CRAVE HEALTHY: Healthy Snack for Pregnant Women

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When I was pregnant with each of my kids, I was always very concerned about what I was eating and drinking. Of course, I was careful because I didn’t want to do anything potentially harmful to my baby.

It was frustrating though when I had to sacrifice eating my favorite chips. A lot of the chips we find in the groceries these days are, as we all know, not healthy. Fortunately, when I got pregnant with Zander two years ago, I learned about Crave Healthy.

Crave Healthy is the first snack product in the Philippines that is specifically designed for the pregnant woman by doctors and nutritionists. It’s NUTRITIOUS because it contains essential nutrients – Folic Acid, Iron, and Calcium that are critical for both the mom and her growing baby. It also has reduced salt and just the right amount of calories that give pregnant moms that extra energy they need daily.

It’s DELICIOUS because it tastes just like regular snacks. Crave Healthy is currently available in Sweet Corn flavor and does not have any aftertaste of nutrient fortifications. It helps support the nutritional needs of pregnant moms and their developing fetus.

It is definitely a healthy way to satisfy hunger and food cravings of pregnant moms! I actually still love eating it now that my baby is already 15 months old. I’m still breastfeeding him so I’m still extra careful about what I eat. So, Crave Healthy is just perfect for me!

Try it! A pack of Crave is only Php 25.00 at 30 grams each. It’s available online at www.cravehealthysnacks.com, select Med Express branches, and select Robinsons Supermarket outlets.

UNI-PAK Mackerel Pâté (and a Giveaway!)

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I’m already thinking of what to prepare for our New Year’s Eve dinner. I thought of trying to make my own DIY cheese board for the first time. So I researched about what normally goes on a cheese board aside from just cheese. I discovered that I can include a pâté. Thankfully, I got several cans of UNI-PAK Mackerel that would be very good for that.

UNI-PAK Mackerel

I know that some of you might be more familiar with other mackerel brands in the market. But, hindi basta nakasanayan the best na yan.

UNI-PAK Mackerel is a brand owned by the SLORD DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, a manufacturer of canned goods that has been in the business of import, export, retail, distribution, and manufacturing since April 15, 1985. UNI-PAK Mackerel products adhere to strict quality control standards, and are manufactured using only the freshest ingredients and up-to-date processing and packing facilities. Yan ang #TatakUnipak!

I love UNI-PAK Mackarel because aside from its great taste, mackerel is packed with omega-3 fatty acids and contain high amounts of proteins, making it healthy for the whole family. Kaya basta mackerel, dapat tatak UNI-PAK!

So, let me share with you how I used UNI-PAK Mackerel to create my pâté.

UNI-PAK Mackerel Pâté

Ingredients:

1 small can UNI-PAK Mackerel
1 Tablespoon pickle relish
2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
Salt and pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper for spiciness

Directions:

Drain mackerel, remove bones and mash. Add pickle relish, mayonnaise and spices and mix.

It’s so fast and easy to make. Best of all, it’s so yummy too! Do try it out with crackers for a nice yummy snack. It will surely be a great addition to the cheese board I’m going to prepare for New Year’s eve. Siguradong #PaknaPak!

For more information about UNI-PAK Mackerel, do like the UNI-PAK Facebook page.

Giveaway!

Now, because I want to share the love this Christmas season, I’ve partnered with UNI-PAK Mackarel to give away one (1) gift pack from UNI-PAK. Yay!

This giveaway will be open from December 21 – 27, 2017. The winner will be announced before the end of the month. This giveaway is open to everyone with a valid Philippine address. UNI-PAK will be responsible for delivering the prize to the winner.

To join, simply follow the Rafflecopter instructions below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck guys!

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