Inside This "Good Box" is Good Food

Lately, I have become more conscious of what I put inside my mouth; I wanted to make sure that what I'm eating is something that does not just satisfy my palate but benefits my body as well. However, in this fast-paced era of our existence, fast foods have all sprouted like mushrooms, which means, food available for consumption is more that of "instant" or "quick" than "slow" cooked and well-prepared.

So, imagine my delight when I got an email from Mommy Bloggers Philippines Head Admin, Lanie informing me (and other mommy bloggers as well) that I was one of the recipients of a healthy sample meal from The Goodbox PH. Yay! (Note: All mommy bloggers were invited to sign up to try a day's set of The Goodbox Ph meals.) Also in that email, we were given careful instructions as to what to do with the package as soon as we receive it.

The Goodbox PH Sample Meals

My package arrived on a Sunday (which was as scheduled) but my family and I were not home at that time. I informed the building's security guard that I was expecting a meal package and told him to put it inside a fridge as soon as it arrived. Fortunately, my good box was delivered 10 minutes before we came home. After taking a picture, I immediately put it inside our fridge.

So, here's my take on it.

Packaging
I was thinking the package would come in a box but it did not. However, this didn't, in anyway affect the quality of the good meal inside. :) Each meal was neatly packed and sealed in microwaveable plastic container; each had a "heat/chill" label. A check mark was placed to indicate whether I have to heat or chill the food.

As good as the packaging was, I believe a lot could be done to present the good box more creatively and appealingly. After all, when it comes to food, the "looks" always matters. :)

Breakfast - Apple Cinnamon Rolls and Coffee (350 kcal)
I would say that this is one of the best breakfast meals I have had! It's so filling I wasn't able to eat the morning snacks on time, haha! I felt full even when lunch time rolled in.

Breakfast

Because I am not a too "sweets" person, I really liked how this cinnamon tasted; not too sweet but just right. At first, I was like, "What? This is for breakfast? How will I survive?" So I was really surprised when after an hour or so, I was not yet hungry, nor there was any craving. Another plus point was, it came with coffee. For someone as coffeeholic as me, this was really great! This breakfast of 350 kcal really worked for me!

Morning Snack - Grilled Ratatouille Salad (100 kcal)
As I have mentioned above because I was still full to eat the morning snack, I ate it a little bit early for lunch, maybe 15 minutes before lunch time? It was already a meal in itself.

Morning Snack

This salad was so delish! It had tomato, zucchini, eggplant, onion and bell pepper, all grilled. Now, how healthy is that! I don't know though what the green leafy thing is but it surely added flavor to the salad. The dressing used was vinaigrette. If you are a vegetarian or simply a veggie lover, you'll find this a treat!

Lunch - Persian-Spiced Fish with Couscous and Mixed Vegetables (330 kcal)
Honestly, I wasn't able to taste the fish though it looked so good. The reason? I am still breastfeeding my daughter and since she has allergic reactions to fish (and seafoods for that matter), I can't (and won't) eat anything that might trigger the allergy. I gave it to my husband instead.

Lunch

My husband liked this Persian-spiced fish so much that he got to finish it in no time. He said it's a little bit spicy but he enjoyed it nevertheless. To hear that from someone who is not a fan of spicy foods, that is really something! :)

While my husband took care of the fish, I ate the couscous and the mixed vegetables. If you're used to eating salty foods, you'd find the vegetables "bland". However, for someone like me who is getting used to taking in food with less salt, I find this perfect for my palate!

The couscous was a tad tangy. I think two or three drops of lemon were added to it. It was not my first time to eat couscous but to taste a hint of lemon in it was. I must admit though, I didn't find it quite pleasing to the taste (well, that's just me). I'd rather have a plain couscous and I'd be happy with it. The mixed vegetables on the other hand delighted my tongue.

I got hungry after a while; I was thinking it's because I didn't eat the fish. So, if you would like to feel full until snack time comes, make sure you don't skip some good food in your lunch. :)

Afternoon Snack - Baked Apple Slices (90 kcal)
The baked apple slices was superb. It satisfied my already growling tummy at that time; what's more, it was toothsome! With the cinnamon syrup slathered to the apple slices, each bite was a delight!

Afternoon Snack

Because I was so hungry and it was so yummy, I finished this snack in no time. If given another round of this snack at that time, I would gladly accept it, heehee! :)

Dinner - Spaghetti with Olive and Mint Pesto and Vegetables in Vinaigrette (280 kcal)
When dinner time came, we were out of the house. It was raining cats and dogs so the traffic was so heavy, cars seemed not to move even an inch. We came from the doctor and then had to meet someone after that. Everywhere we turned, vehicles were bumper to bumper. I got so hungry that I ate my daughter's biscuits and crackers; we shared actually. :)

Finally, after what seemed like forever, we were able to get to the meeting place. Because I was not expecting the delays, I didn't bring with us my dinner. Nevertheless, I was still able to eat it when we got home.

Dinner

What I liked about this pasta was that it used pesto, had olives and good for more than one person (in my case). I think I had eaten half of it and I felt already full. That's why I shared the rest to my better half. :) I don't know if it's just me, but I didn't taste the "mint"; I was expecting for a hint of mint because it said it's Spaghetti with Olive and "Mint" Pesto. Am I right? I would say a dash of salt and pepper or even chili flakes would bring out more of its flavor.

Dinner

And because I am a veggie lover, this was a sure winner for me. The amount of vinaigrette was just right, not too sour and the veggies still looked and tasted fresh; indeed a perfect partner to the pasta.

Overall, my good food sample was really good! I love it and can't wait to have another one, haha! I used to think that good food means your body benefits but your tongue suffers. I am so glad and grateful that The Goodbox PH doesn't believe in that for they have made meals that are both healthy and savory. Indeed, inside The Goodbox (PH) is good food ready to be served to us. If you would like to know more about the good food inside this good box, please visit The Goodbox PH. If you're craving to book your good box now, please go to their site.

Special Palabok and Pritong Lumpia: Lopez Canteen's "Birthday Treat"

I celebrated my birthday last June 9th. It was a simple day, really. My husband and I didn't cook for the usual "handa". But before that day ended, something unexpected happened. I will be writing another post about it. :)

This one is also an unexpected blessing. My blessed and blissful day was not yet nearly over when a Facebook (fb) message suddenly popped up on my phone (It was around 10pm, if I'm not mistaken). It was from JLo. She was looking for someone to do a food review for Lopez Canteen's Special Palabok and Pritong Lumpia. And because it was my birthday, I was chosen. Yay! Isn't that a treat? :)

So, after a number of fb message exchanges, Jlo and I came up to a decision to deliver it on the 12th. Then I realized it was a holiday. I was hoping to share this blessing with my husband's office mates. But since it was not possible, I shared it with other people who I believe also deserved to taste this delicious treat.

Lopez Canteen's Pritong Lumpia and Special Palabok

Lopez Canteen's Special Palabok

Palabok and lumpia to share

Our apartment's day guard and one of the tenants' saleslady

Our "Lola Belen"

Of course, I tried these scrumptious "birthday treats" from Lopez Canteen. I called them "birthday treats" since they were given for my birthday without me even asking for them. I really felt so blessed!

Before

After :)

So, what's my take on Lopez Canteen's Special Palabok and Pritong Lumpia?

The palabok tastes so good. I was not the only one who said it. Every one who got to eat it said the same thing. There was even someone who was not really fond of palabok until that day and his comment was like, "Wow! This is really good!"

It was her son who said, "Wow! This is really good!"

One of the things I'm being intentionally aware of in foods is of course the ingredients. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that food to be tasteful should have extravagant ingredients. On the contrary, I like simple food, which means, food that will not trigger my daughter's skin asthma. I have been breastfeeding her for 2 years and 9 months now. Everything (that is edible, heehee) I put inside my mouth will definitely affect her. That is why I give extra effort to look at my food first before I take a bite. I was so feeling blessed that day because I found out that Lopez Canteen's Special Palabok doesn't have the usual ingredients like squid and shrimp. Yay! Instead it only has pork, eggs and a very crunchy chicharon which even after several hours had passed, still remained crunchy.

How about the Lopez Canteen's Pritong Lumpia? Can I just say this in Filipino? It's "panalo"! Haha! It's big so you won't feel "lugi". It's so "yummy", that's according to my daughter (we know that children don't lie, di ba?). And it really is! Again it's not just me and my daughter, the others said it too, they didn't use the word "yummy" though. ;)

My daughter, making funny faces but too excited to eat the lumpia

The lumpia comes with a dip (sawsawan) which is a concoction of soy sauce and vinegar. It really is "swak" to "panlasang Pinoy". May I also say that as good as the dip was, the lumpia could stand on its own. Even without the "sawsawan", it's still very tasty.

A dozen of "yummy"

If you noticed, I was able to share the palabok with lots of people, 8 actually and there's still some left for me and my husband. Since the lumpia was a dozen pieces, I gave one to each one including my daughter. My husband had 2 and he still felt "bitin". Haha! That's how good the lumpia was!

Sad to say, my husband was not able to taste the palabok although I saved some for him. Because I was not really familiar with how to take care of some food like palabok, I left it on the table thinking that I would still eat it for dinner. After dinner time, I transferred the palabok to another container then put it inside the fridge. Apparently, this kind of food spoils easily so if you would order palabok, please make sure that you keep it inside the fridge after everyone has eaten within hours or so, that is, if there will still be some left. :)

If you want to know and experience what I'm talking about here (heehee), please feel free to contact Lopez Canteen. They would be more than willing to accommodate you and give you too a delectable experience.

Oh by the way, don't just take my word for it... just do it! ;)