Lunch from Papa's Kitchen

I love my parents. We didn't order HelloFresh this week and I don't want to cook or plan for meals. My parents to the rescue! I mentioned to my mom in passing last Wednesday that we don't have ulam (viand).

On Friday, she sent me a message saying that my dad got lucky and one of his most recent dishes was delicious. 😂 He cooked pinakbet (a Filipino dish with vegetable, meat, stewed in fish sauce and fermented fish (bagoong).

Our conversation went something like this.

Mom: Gusto mo pinakbet? Nagluto si Papa mo, naka-chamba. Masarap. (Do you want pinkabet? Your dad cooked some, he got lucky that it's delicious).
Me: Sure. What else do you have?
Mom: What else do you want?
Me: Whatever you already have.

😂 I don't have any specific food requests, but we need food.

Then, today my mom called saying they'll bring us food and she'll call once they are downstairs.

Feast from my parents
From left to right starting on the upper left: Macaroni salad, biko (sweet rice cake), pork sisig, grilled tilapia, pinakbet, and chicken tinola (ginger soup).

It's a feast! I know my dad loves cooking for us (me and my younger sister who lives in Downtown), and we're more than happy to enjoy the food he prepares. That's why it's so hard to lose weight. 🤣

We finished the grilled tilapia for lunch and it was delicious. The meat is so delicate and soft. I am happy that they are using the indoor grill we gave them last Christmas.

The macaroni salad and biko is something my mom prepared. She knows I am not a fan of both so she gave us some specifically for my husband to enjoy. You should see the smile on hubby's face devouring the macaroni salad. I took a spoonfool and it was delicious, no wonder he's grinning from ear to ear.

I am actually working today (Saturday) because we're expecting lots of people to call about our Black Friday / Cyber Monday deals, but the food and love from my parents just melted all the stress away.

Happy Saturday!

Week 10 of HelloFresh: Six Meals

You can (finally!) order six different meals in HelloFresh, which means dinner (and lunch) for twelve out of the 21 meals in a week.

Cal Smart Caper-Dill Dressed Salmon with Couscous, Tomatoes, and Spinach
HelloFresh Description: Capers add a briny flavour pop to salmon draped in a creamy Dijon-dill sauce. Underneath, theres a bed of lemony couscous to catch all those lovely flavours. Calorie Smart is based on a per-serving calculation of the recipe's kilocalorie amount.

Kale and Black Bean Quesadillas with Fresh Tomato Salsa and Crema
HelloFresh Description: Forget all meaty Tex-Mex quesadillas of the past! This veggie beauty is jam-packed with hearty kale and filling beans. The secret to this memorable Tex-Mex feast is the refreshing salsa made with tomatoes, cilantro and lime. Simple, yet so satisfying! 

Sweet 'n' Sour Chicken with Veggie Fried Rice
HelloFresh Description: Riffing on classic Chinese-Canadian dishes, for tonight's dinner we've simplified familiar favourites like fried rice and sweet and tangy chicken so you don't have to wait for takeout anymore!

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Bowls with Green Onion Rice
These bowls are bursting with flavour! Chicken is seasoned and pan-fried, then tossed with veggies in an utterly irresistible sweet chili-teriyaki sauce, all on a bed of fluffy basmati rice. Happy eating!

Spiced Lamb Noodles with Honey-Chili Drizzle
These spiced lamb noodles will have you dreaming 'Take me to Queens, NY!' Inspired by the iconic Xi’an Famous Foods' lamb and hand-pulled noodle dish, full of aromatic spice and fresh herbs. In place of handmade noodles, we've added easy-to-cook linguine. To add a final flourish, drizzle the spicy honey sauce over top!

Butternut Squash Ravioli Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Toasted Pine Nuts and Baby Tomatoes
HelloFresh Description: We love tomatoes all year long here at HelloFresh and this dish combines some of our favourite pairings. Creamy Parmesan, sweet baby tomatoes and bright basil pesto make it feel like summer. A little squeeze of lemon at the end brings the whole dish together!

HelloFresh forgot the squash ravioli for the Butternut Squash Ravioli dish. I had to use the whole wheat spaghetti we already have at home.

I am skipping HelloFresh next week, because most of the meals that doesn't require an oven has a calorie count of more than 900 per serving.

Game Day Snacks from Cineplex

Our family loves sports. One of my early memories of professional sports is when my dad watched a PBA (Philippine Basketball Association) game on our black and white television.

I watched all local basketball games in my early teens - PBA, collegiate, and even amateur. I remember wanting to be a courtside sports reporter (but my English grades weren't excellent). I also had four thick notebooks filled with basketball articles I clipped from the newspaper. I read the sports section every day. I even wrote about exciting games in my notebook. Then, of course, I watched games in person as well.

Now that we moved to Vancouver, Canada, it makes sense that we would learn the sports they watch in North America. Our only brother is our guide. He studied* the rules of American football so we could enjoy NFL games, he watched Major League Soccer on our TV, and I did too.

Anyway, all these backstories are my way of saying that today was a big day. Our Vancouver Whitecaps FC (football club) is in the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

Game Day snacks from Cineplex

Hotdogs, Nachos, and Popcorn from Cineplex

We watched their 2017 playoff run on TV when they won against San Jose at home and lost to Seattle as well. Today, we were gathered around the TV to support the team. We also watched their last two home games in BC Place against Minnesota and Seattle.

The team lost today, but the rollercoaster ride of supporting a sports team is satisfying.

* One of the best ways to learn about sports is watching an anime because the good ones break down each play and position. Personally, what got me to love basketball is Slam Dunk.

Brunch at Eggspectation

I'll start this post with a disclaimer that I will be biased. Our youngest sister started working at Eggspectation a couple months ago. It's her first job, and this is after graduating high school in the middle of the pandemic and suffering from anxiety, depression, and just that general feeling of loss and not knowing what to do next. Our family is so grateful to Eggspectation for hiring our youngest sister and giving her some sense of hope, purpose, and joy. Thank you!

Brunch at Eggspectation

Now, let's talk about today. The Vancouver Whitecaps FC will have their first playoff game since 2017, and my younger sister, my husband, and I will go to my parent's place to watch. Of course, we're ordering popcorn and all other random food you eat at the stadium to try and recreate the experience.

Before doing all that this afternoon, we grabbed breakfast at Eggspectation.

First up, we ordered drinks. I had Banana Java while hubby went Nutella Hot Chocolate.

Nutella Hot Chocolate and Banana Java (Espresso, chocolate milk, honey, and banana - the ideal combination to kick-start your day. Wake up!)

For sharing, we ordered a Breakfast Poutine. The only other place I tried some rendition of breakfast poutine is at Denny's, and their poutine was covered in hollandaise sauce instead of gravy.

The poutine arrived hot on our table, and I decided to eat one of the potatoes right away smothered by gravy and cheese curd. I burnt my tongue. I was so hungry, I didn't even think that it'd be hot.

The gravy was surprisingly delicious and worked perfectly with the cheese curd. It even tastes better after having the yolk from the egg cover everything.

Breakfast Poutine
Lyonnaise-style potatoes with chunks of bacon, sausage, ham, and cheese curds, all smothered with homemade breakfast gravy and topped with a sunny side egg.

For our individual meals, I chose Bagel and Lox while hubby ordered Yolk Around The Clock.

Bagel and Lox
A toasted Montreal bagel stuffed with cream cheese, smoked wild sockeye salmon, tomatoes, red onions, and capers. Served with Lyonnaise-style potatoes.

I have tried two Bagel and Lox so far - one from Siegel's (which has the best bagels in Vancouver) and another from Mon Pitou. I can't recommend the Eggspectation's Bagel and Lox. I wish the bagel was more toasted and had more cream cheese.

Thankfully, what hubby ordered was better, and I told him that I could totally make it at home.

Yolk Around The Clock
A sliced bagel grilled with a sunny-side-up egg in each hole topped with bacon and cheddar on one half and Swiss cheese on the other, with perfectly seasoned Lyonnaise-style potatoes.

When we were about to finish our meal, I received a message from my youngest sister that she had just noticed us, and apparently, she was keeping an eye out most of the day. 😂 She was so focused at work that she didn't notice.

She also mentioned to our server that I'm her sister, and they gave us a discount. I tipped higher than I usually would because even though the staff are paid above minimum wage, some of their earnings are from the tip.

Will I come back? Absolutely! Here are the last two posts I have about Eggspectation: Birthday Lunch Delivery and Breakfast.

Week 9 of HelloFresh: Mostly Rice Bowls

It's the 9th week this year that we ordered our meals from HelloFresh instead of going to the grocery. This week I picked mostly rice bowls.

Chorizo Taco Bowls with Lentil Red Rice and Lime Crema
HelloFresh Description: This hearty bowl is filled to the brim with the help of lentils! Topped with chorizo and peppers, fresh tomatoes, cheese and a lime crema this bowl hits all the spots!

Vietnamese-Inspired Basil Beef with Peppers and Garlic-Lime Rice
HelloFresh Description: Spicy, bold, fresh and herbal, this stir-fry bowl hits the spot! Lime zest and garlic add a bold boost to fluffy white rice.

Golden Thai-Style Chicken Curry with Chow Mein
HelloFresh Description: Pure comfort in Thai curry form! Based off the famed Thai 'Khao Soi' curry, this warming dish is sure to be a hit. With a delicious coconut-based broth covering unctuous chow mein noodles, every bite will be better than the last.

Veggie Bulgogi Bowls with Meatless Farm and Gochujang Fried Rice
HelloFresh Description: Salty, spicy and sweet; it's easy to understand why this Korean staple is so well loved, which is why we've created a veggie version. The quick gochujang fried rice will take this to the next level of divine!

Tomato Garlic Beef Spaghetti with Sweet Peppers
We've figured out the secret to adding oomph to a simple meat sauce – a splash of soy sauce! The saltiness is a subtle but tasty addition to succulent ground beef, aromatic Italian seasoning and juicy tomatoes. It's a colourful and flavourful dish that's perfect for a night in!

Have you tried HelloFresh? How's your experience?

Magkasama Christmas Market Shopping

I am so excited about Magkasama Christmas Market. In the past three years, I always find out about the market AFTER the shopping period, and it's so frustrating to see all the happy people with their Christmas Filipino goodies haul.

SHOP HERE

That's why this year, I'm shopping early and shopping hard. 🤣 I am only buying things that hubby and I will enjoy. I can't wait to stuff my face with all this food.

• Bibingka (Rice Cakes) from Belliebake
• Chocolate Crinkles (10 pcs) from Craving Crave (as requested by hubby)
• Sari-Sari Mini Pies from Hapag Restaurant
• All-Cheese Ensaimada Sampler and Sweet & Savory Sampler Ensaimada from Ensaimada Moment
• Assorted Mamon Pack from KayeBakes.Ca (WOOT! We love Ate Kaye's cakes and ensaymada, but she's all the way in Surrey. Thank God for Magkasama, and I get to enjoy her baked goodies again!)
• Assorted Pandesal Box from La Meryenda 
• Taho from Sago Togo
• Shameless Filipino Spaghetti from Shameless Buns (When I tried the Spaghetti Lumpia last summer, I mentioned that I'd be happy to order just the spaghetti)

I spent more than I probably should, but my heart is filled with joy and excitement. I am looking forward to all the delicious food, and I am happy to support Filipino entrepreneurs and businesses in Vancouver.

Support Filipino-owned small businesses in Metro Vancouver and get Filipino food at Magkasama Christmas Market.

December 4, 2021 Update

I picked up our order today and am excited to munch on all this soon.

Magkasama Christmas Market Haul

Magkasama Christmas Market haul in one corner of our table