Healthy eating should be for everybody, not just for celebrities or those “who can afford”. Even before the fitness trend, mothers have been cooking nutritious food for their family. “Lutong Bahay” and “Lutong Nanay” were commonly heard when we were younger. But what about now?
The increasing demands of life limits our time in the kitchen. I personally would love to cook more but cooking at home is easily pushed to the sides when we’re trying to earn a living. There is a notion that nowadays, the time & financial cost of cooking at home is equal to or even more than ordering out.
Mommy Lace tip: Rediscover the joy, experience and health benefits of cooking for your family. The more you do it, the more strategies & techniques you can gain that will save you both time & money. See: Do more with less in the Kitchen
Kalabasa Soup with Malunggay
Here’s a quick recipe that can save our family from malnutrition, obesity, and health disease. My son Ashton helps me cook this recipe which we learned from Knorr.
Who says eating healthy is expensive? This kalabasa/squash is only P15
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp cooking oil – I use coconut oil
- 1 pc onions, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2 pc squash, small, cut into small cubes
- 1/2 L water, 1 pc Knorr Beef Cubes
- 1 tsp oregano, chopped
- 1 cup cream
- 1 stalk moringga (malunggay) leaves
Get your child involved so they are used to the idea of cooking at home. To prevent making a mess and to save time, prep ingredients and tools ahead.
Procedure:
- Saute onions, and garlic in oil. Add squash and sweat for a minute.
- Add water and bring to boil then add Knorr Beef Cubes and reduce, heat to simmer until squash is cooked.
- Add oregano, simmer for a minute then puree in a blender until smooth.
- Transfer to a pot then add cream and moringga. Mix well, simmer, and adjust consistency and taste if needed.
The malunggay we used is just picked from our backyard. We added more than 1 stalk. Did you know malunggay can help you achieve a flat tummy? And for kids, malunggay is loaded with calcium, iron, and magnesium among many others.
Now it’s time to enjoy our #LutongNanay Quick Moringga Squash Cream Soup. This soup is very nutritious as is but you can enjoy it for dinner with the addition of toasted wholewheat bread for you to dip into this creamy soup.
Mommy Lace tip: To level up the appearance of your soup, slice your wholewheat pandesal and arrange on a serving plate. This plate I used is the free plate when you buy Knorr cubes.
Please try this recipe and let me know what you think. My son Ashton says it’s so yummy & creamy, he enjoyed dipping his toasted bread into the bowl of soup. As for me, I am surprised at how tasty the natural sweetness of squash is and, unlike pumpkin soups that I order outside the house – ours isn’t salty and taste really fresh out of the pot 🙂
