Ginger Tea

I've been overexerting my body once more and when I got caught in a bit of rain last week, I developed an itchy throat which worsened to a sore throat. And eventually led to a cough.

My usual remedy for this is salabat (or ginger tea). I prefer it over medicine like lozenges and it does the trick. After 1 day of drinking it after my meals, my throat was itch free.

I prefer to make my own tea from scratch instead of buying the powder version found in the groceries. I just slice some ginger and heat it up with a cup of water. After a few minutes, I pour the brew into my cup and add a teaspoon of honey. Honey, after all, does wonders for the voice, as well.

Not many like to drink salabat. When I was a kid, I drank it like medicine, but now, I just take it like regular tea. It's cheaper and best of all, it's natural.

Fresh Lavender

To go to Provence, France to see the lavender fields is a big dream of mine. I even had a calendar of Provence and it just fueled my dream even more.

Recently, I met this couple who has an organic store and they showed me their lavender plants. It made me so ecstatic! Lavender growing in Manila?!?! Of course, it's not exactly like the ones in France, but it's still lavender. I was told to smell the leaves and it filled my hands with its scent. Oh, wow!! Can you just imagine what it would smell like if you were standing right in the middle of a lavender field?

Oprah Says

I went to an organic store recently and saw these vegetables. I keep on forgetting what it's called. But the owner said that this was featured in Oprah's show and Oprah says that these are a very healthy kind of spinach and found only in tropical countries. I'm always on the hunt for new veggies to give to my little girl so I bought one bunch. But they were so cheap at only P10 so I bought more.

The owner of the store said they eat it as a salad and she even made me try one of the leaves. Hmmm... I didn't like it raw. It can also be cooked in butter and garlic. That sounds much better and that's exactly what we did with the vegetables.

Pineapple Porkchop

I've tried making pineapple chicken and in the three times I made it, I was never satisfied with it. So finally, I asked my mom's help since I didn't want to waste perfectly good porkchops.

Well, whatdya know? My pineapple porkchop turned out really well. But I have to work on my plating and presentation. One thing at a time. hee hee

Refreshing Snack

I rarely find this fruit in the groceries or in the markets. It could be also that I don't go out of my way to look for this fruit. Anyway, one time while I was doing my regular grocery shopping, I saw some balimbing fruit for sale and they were huge. I decided to buy one (since no one at home is fond of this fruit), after all, it's been years since I last tried this.

After washing the fruit thoroughly, I had it sliced thinly and placed in the refrigerator. Then I snacked on this. I love the crunchiness and the juiciness of the fruit. It's the perfect summer time snack. And a healthy one at that.