Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Quick and Easy Ulam Idea: Tuna Nuggets

Hi, there momma! Surely, your search for the easiest and quickest ulam ideas possible got you here. I feel you, momma, I guess meal planning is every moms' trouble, right? I can cook but I am no expert and the number of ulam recipes I know is very limited. With that, we end up having a certain meal for each day of the week and then just repeat the same menu every week. Boo! Hey, that's better than nothing right mommas? A mom's got to do what a moms' gotta do to keep the family alive. Lol!


I was searching the world wide web one day for new ulam ideas that I can add on my list and got overwhelmed with the number of searches that I got. It surely took up a lot of my time and energy. Hah! And, among all the recipes I was able to search this one is the easiest one to whip plus we have all the ingredients readily available in the pantry so Tuna Nuggets it is. 

And of course, sharing is caring so I'd like to share the super easy peasy recipe with all of you mommas.

TUNA NUGGETS


Ingredients:

2 packs of any brand of saltine crackers
2 canned tuna - any brands
minced garlic and onions
2 tbsp of flour
1-2 eggs
cooking oil for frying
salt and pepper (optional)

Instructions:

1. Crush the saltine crackers
2. Mix all ingredients together
3. Add salt and pepper according to your taste
3 Heat the pan and fry 1 tbsp of the mixture until golden brown
4. Placed cooked tuna nuggets on a kitchen towel to drain excess oil
5. Serve with your choice of dip and rice!

That was easy! Then I just paired it up with Knorr's Crab and Corn soup and we already have a decent meal. Most importantly, the husband and the kids liked it. 

Not only is this recipe easy to prepare but it also tastes good and affordable. So the next time that you are time-crunched or just want to try something new, try this Tuna Nuggets recipe. 

I'll try other recipes and will share it with yo again soon mommas. Do you mind sharing you ulam ideas too? I'm desperate! Haha!

Friday, June 15, 2018

The RealReal Combines Luxury With Consignment

Authenticity is one of the prime elements missing from the second-hand clothing industry. Sure there are good authentic products to be found but most people would rather not spend the time to sort through the mess that most stores have on display. The RealReal attempts to redefine this under-appreciated industry by transforming second-hand consignment into a boutique experience.

The authenticity of leather bags can be determined in multiple ways and it mostly comes down to the quality of leather. Even the smell of the leather, in which fakes have a strong chemical smell, can determine a fake item. An article in the New Yorker had detailed their workshops on how to spot fake luxury goods. The RealReal has been conducting free workshops for customers and fashion enthusiasts to get educated about knock-off products.

The idea of fakes being present in everyone's closet is not entirely absurd. It is easier than ever to import fake products from China to resell online and unsuspecting people end up buying them. Many RealReal locations will be swarmed by fake items coming in and many of them are from regular people. If you received a gift from a friend, it still may be questionable.


Julie Wainwright has been behind the RealReal since 2011 and had mostly been an online business. This high-value entrepreneur had luck with other e-commerce ventures in the past and her knowledge took this brand sky high in no-time.

Second-hand shops will typically have to sell mass products to make a profit since most people come in with the expectation of spending very little. This is why you see piles of unkempt clothes and racks without labels for low-budget shoppers to sort through. Boutiques that deal with high-value luxury items certainly is not common.

What Julie's company does is take luxury brands, authenticates them and puts them on display in the best light possible. You can see their passion for quality by browsing through their website. Each item is professionally photographed and a lot of love is put into the description. The quality is so great that most buyers are normal retail shoppers looking for a good deal.

According to Julie, trying to offload luxury goods on eBay, Amazon or local consignment shops is a pure nightmare. There are so many risks and you will be left with underwhelming bids on your product. The RealReal chases high-value customers to get higher profit margins for their clients.

Since the founding of their website, over 8 million users have registered and at least have been active.
It is harder to get online users to cosign their items on the internet, which explains them expanding to brick & mortar locations in New York and California.

The RealReal may not be for everyone but there is certainly a factor of convenience by not having to dig through clothes at regular second-hand stores. Their stores offer a unique experience of boutique displays that match many high-end fashion stores in New York.

It will be likely that more stores will be popping up under this brand since hundreds of millions from venture capital companies have been invested. A recent example is a large venture capital company had pumped an additional $50 million into the company in 2017. The previous year was rather successful with over $500 million in revenue for just a second-hand dealer.

Monday, June 4, 2018

Alalay mo sa Eskwela ko: A Back-to-School Campaign by SOS Children's Village

It's back-to-school season once more. Upon reading this, you might have already enrolled your children in their respective schools or they might have started attending their classes today. I couldn't stress enough how important education is and it's one of the best gifts we can give our children.

Unfortunately, here in our country, not all people are privileged enough to go to school. Philippines, is the 13th most populated country in the world, and according to wordometers, the 2018 population is 106,434,943. It has also been reported that 21.6% of Philippines' population lives below the national poverty line in 2015 and has increased over time. This is a heartbreaking truth. However, I believe that the government is doing its best to address the key issues this country is facing especially regarding education.

There are also private and non-political organizations that provide help and seek to improve the lives of the underprivileged. I have always wanted to do charity works but I don't know how or where to start. I've always thought about going out in the fields to help, do volunteer works or donating money. For a stay at home mom to three little kids without a household helper, that could be an impossible mission. But I thought to myself, help can be done in so many ways. And, right now I am glad to have partnered with SOS Children's Villages in promoting their cause of giving a home to orphaned, abandoned, neglected Filipino children. 

SOS Children's Villages is a private, non-political, non-denominational organization that provides long-term family-based care to children in need. Today, SOS Children's Villages is located in 134 countries and territories around the world. The 571 SOS Children’s Villages are home to most of the approximately 86,000 children and young adults in a family-based care program. They also work in the communities to provide support and intervention to families at risk of breaking down. More than 467,000 people participate in a family strengthening programs.

In the Philippines, the first SOS Children’s Villages was founded on May 1, 1967 in the province of Batangas. Now they have 8 villages spread across the country, and there are almost 1,200 children and young adults who live in their family-based care program. In the communities, they give support and intervention to approximately 2,100 families.


This back-to-school season, SOS Children's Villages has an ongoing campaign which is entitled "Alalay mo sa Eskwela ko". It was launched last May 28, 2018. It aims to provide the educational needs of 5,600 children who are at risk of losing parental care, and 1,100 abandoned, neglected, and orphaned children who now live in their 8 villages spread across the Philippines.

All donations will provide for the children's back-to-school kit such as notebooks, pencils, ballpens, paper, coloring materials, shoes, and bags. 


As a mother, I have a soft spot for children. It breaks my heart seeing children along the streets sleeping, begging for alms and worst they end up being hooligans. I hope we all work hand in hand to make this world a better place. A little help could really go along way.

"Every child deserves to have the best educational opportunities possible, but many lack the tools needed to succeed. 

Will you help give them a brighter future?"
Go to alalaymosaeskwelako.sosphilippines.org to give children who are in need, a better chance in life.