Vegetable and Macaroni Soup with Crispy Bacon Bits

My toddler Samantha is such a joy to feed! She now eats table food and almost everything that I serve to her big sister, Sophia so that means kitchen time is back to easy for me. I no longer make separate food for the tiny one. No more boiling and mashing and storing. My baby foodie now eats freshly-cooked food. Thank God for daughters who love eating as much as I love cooking! It's not always a walk in the park, though. There are days when one of them, or sometimes both, feel like being judgy as if I'd feed them something gross. Well, I've made myself a general rule when it comes to my relationship with food and motherhood—while I enjoy seeing my kids finish their plant-based meals, I still acknowledge the fact that they are humans who deserve to enjoy 'delish dishes'. 

What I mean by delish dishes are food our generation has always loved when we were kids (uhm till now actually). Like spaghetti, burger, fried chicken, pizza, and what-have-yous. Back then, it's every child's dream to eat those on a regular basis. Jollibee was like the god of happiness in the 90s! But not me. As a kid, I was happier to have nilagang baka, pancit and chicken macaroni soup. In fact, I knew my mama, who's a widow, has extra money when she makes us creamy and hearty macaroni soup. She paired it with fried fish or breaded pork chops. It was one of the best memories of my childhood... watching my mother cook for us. Her version of macaroni soup has julienned carrots, shredded cabbage, chicken pieces and sliced hotdogs. I loved my mama's soup but now that I'm a grown-up and have learned the risks of eating hotdogs regularly, I have almost taken that out of our grocery list. Also, pink soups mean there's food color. But guys, this recipe still has processed meat. Why? Duh, bacon!

Filipino Kiddie Spaghetti

I was raised in a home that enjoyed rice and ulam meals every single day. Rice and tinola, rice and sinigang, rice and fried fish, rice and tocino and even rice and macaroni soup. I think I speak for most Filipino families — rice is life. But now that I've been feeding my not-so-little foodie for a decade already, I sometimes question why rice always has to be present in our meals. No, I actually do not question, I rebel against the norms. When Sophia was younger, I created a habit of feeding her healthy dishes that I know she'd like. I didn't force her to eat those that I just started to eat when I was a bit older. Mealtimes should be fun, a fact I stick to up to this day. I guess, that's why she just had a quick time in the picky-eating phase.

One of the delish dishes that I frequently served her — spaghetti! When I had to scrimp on budget, I used canned corned beef. When I was slowly introducing seafood to her, I used tuna. When I wanted it healthier, I used real tomatoes instead of ready-made sauces. Sophia ate and liked them all. She would say after every meal, "I wish this is my baon, Nay!" Haha. But still, nothing beats the classic Pinoy spaghetti. The one with sweet sauce, ground pork, hotdogs and grated cheese. It's her most favorite! So it's safe to say that I have memorized cooking it as much as her ultimate fave,  adobo.

Do you want to know how I make mine? Here's my recipe!

Shrimp Pesto Spaghetti

It was 10 years ago when I first tasted a pesto pasta dish. Tbh, I didn't like it! I wonder why it tasted so minty and leafy and starchy when in reality, a real pesto dish tastes super good that even kids (who, according to a lot of studies, do not like any food that is colored green) would eat. I'm glad my little foodie likes pesto. As for my husband, let's say, it puts him in a real good mood.

So when I was luckily invited to Contadina's Supermarket Raid last month, I was excited when I found out that they have Pesto alla Genovese Sauce in 190-gram jar. You see, they got me at the jar. I have this thing with bote, you know, hehe. Seriously, a pesto sauce in a jar with an affordable price? Only kusineras-who-budget like me would know why it makes me happy! Sure, there are local brands that has pesto sauce / mix, which are actually way cheaper but let's admit it, it doesn't taste like the real deal. Theirs also aren't in a jar. Heehee. This one, though? I'm not just trying to please Nigella (as if she'd care about whatever I'd say) but Contadina is true to its word when they said in the packaging - "using the finest ingredients that deliver rich and authentic flavours worth savouring". 

Angel Hair Pasta with Tuna and Tomato

Perfect for the coming Lent. 

I love food and cooking, sure. It's evident in this blog, my small biz, and my work. You see, I'm one of the community managers of a multinational food and beverage brand. I also do social media management projects for Kim that revolves around salivating food photos. I sell homemade sidekicks and treats over at Bebeng's Kitchen. There's no way I can avoid food. Did I hear you say, "oooooh, that is why she's fat"? It's okay. Round is still a shape, haha. Also, I need to cook because even if my little foodie loves Mc Donald's nuggets and Jollibee Chicken Joy, she still prefers my classic chicken adobo and steaming white rice any day.

However -

There are lazy days. A home-based working mompreneur like me is not an exemption to this unavoidable epidemic. When it attacks, I call McDo delivery to save our dinner. Or when there's tinge of energy left in my system, I open a can of whatever I have in stock and do what I can do with it. My husband's favorite is sardines with misua! Mine's sardines with fresh minced onion and calamansi juice. My girl loves tuna, especially the flavored ones.

Bacon and Broccoli Bowtie Pasta

When I was a kid and my mom was a SAHM like I was (feeling more like a mompreneur/freelancer lately), I always see her in the kitchen making rice and fried chicken, rice and hotdog, rice and fried fish, rice and tinola, rice and anything that her four children liked for lunch or dinner. I didn't see anything wrong with it. In fact, I loved how she made sure that we still ate healthily while she gave in to our juvenile palate. She aimed to please us. Thank God for Mama! However, why rice all the time? Hmm... Perhaps, it's in the culture. Most, if not all, Filipinos can't live without rice. I am not an exception. I can't eat my pork adobo or beef sinigang without it. It's really best paired with rice. You know what I mean. But now that I'm a grown-up and a mom myself, who's a self-proclaimed kitchen goddess by the way, I realized that rice is not just the answer to our hunger.

There is pasta. 

It's a little more expensive than rice but has the same 'filling effect'. It's very versatile, too. It can be paired with any meat... and vegetables! Yes, veggies. Any mom's ultimate challenge to feed to her kids. The preschool popstar has those she can't even look at, what more to eat, but she also has favorites! One of those few faves is broccoli. It's green and not so appealing, I'm happy that she likes it. So I was like in nirvana when I discovered that.