All The Food From My Kitchen

Late last year, the mister decided to join me in my plant-based journey. Fortunately, the boy came with us too. He said, he had no choice. Hehehe. He is the only one at home who occasionally still eats a hotdog or ham. But still I am really proud of these two. They are probably about 80% plant based while I am at 95%.

I am always asked what we eat at home. They really thought we only eat salad, and we don't eat rice. We eat brown and white rice, and quinoa. We also love brown rice pasta, potatoes and sweet potatoes. It's only me who loves a bowl of oatmeal with fruits, nuts. and chia seeds.

They thought that the plant-based diet is not filling, and that traditional Filipino dishes couldn't be delicious without the meat. By the way, we don't deprive ourselves from having healthy in-between meals a.k.a. snacks. Aren't that great?

I was at a gathering last year, and an older lady said that there are vegetarian dishes on the table but all have meat either pork and chicken in it for flavor.

When I heard that, I chuckled. A dish can never be called vegetarian if there is meat in it. And what flavor?

These are the food that I prepare for my boys and I, and what is really best with preparing vegetables is it is so quick and easy to cook. I have not used our slow cooker and pressure cooker for years.

Remember the Beri Gud blog post? This was what I cooked with the bok choy we bought at the Asian grocery store. No oil, seasoned with a little salt, pepper, and Unagi Sushi sauce plus a little cornstarch diluted in water. The mister loved this so much. In fact, we are having this again tomorrow.


This is my no oil, no pork,  no shrimp, and no fish sauce version of Pinakbet. Bitter melon, eggplant, calabaza, tomato, onion, garlic, okra seasoned with a little Tamari, pepper and salt.


Not-ginisang (not sauteed in oil) monggo. Bok choy, boiled mung beans, tomatoes, garlic, ginger, and onion seasoned with a little Tamari, salt, and pepper.


This has cheese and olive oil, and considered a vegetarian dish.  Pesto Pasta with sun dried tomatoes.


Vegetable red curry. Broccoli, calabaza, bell pepper, carrots, onion, and garlic in red curry and coconut milk seasoned with coconut sugar, salt and pepper.


No oil, and all vegetable paksiw. Bitter melon, eggplant, ginger, onion, bay leaf, garlic in vinegar and water seasoned with salt and pepper.


No-oil eggplant in Unagi sushi sauce.


I loved a beef chili bowl before. In fact, the boys love it too topped with spring onion, fresh tomatoes, and freshly grated Cheddar cheese. Now, this is my no meat, no beans version. Baked sweet potato on the side seasoned with salt and pepper.


On days that I feel heavy or I'm just too busy, this is what I prepare. Potatoes, bok choy or any greens of choice, onion and ginger on clear broth seasoned with salt and pepper. If I do not have potatoes in my kitchen, I just cook it with all green leaves. The boy would tease me, and would call it a Salad Soup.


This isn't Filipino but Korean's Japchae. Sweet Potato noodles, all the vegetables in my kitchen like broccoli, carrots, Bok choy (only the leaves), onion, sesame seeds, and tofu seasoned with pepper, salt, brown sugar, and a little Tamari. This has sesame oil but considered vegetarian too. And another thing, I realized that this dish is just perfect sans the tofu.


Pansit Bihon with bok choy leaves, carrots (hidden), cabbage (I only have the purple kind), garlic and onion. Served with banana and orange slices.


As I said, the boys aren't close to a hundred percent plant based, and their choice of meat are wild caught salmon and chicken breast. This is my Adobong Seared Salmon. I really wish you can smell this from your computer screen. It really smells good, and according to everyone who've tasted it that it tastes so good too.


Giniling na baboy (ground or minced pork) with potatoes, carrots, and green peas was a bi-monthly menu back in the day. This is the kind I prepare for everyone now. By the way, these are the only vegetables left in my kitchen. I really need to go grocery shopping again.


Eating healthy and the plant-based diet isn't expensive at all. In fact, getting sick and maintaining a cocktail of prescription drugs are a hundredfold more expensive. I have realized that I have one life and one body, and loving me is taking care of me. I didn't love the guilt I felt in every bite in an unhealthy diet. I also thought that my family and I are undeserving of the endless anguish every time I visit my doctor, go through lab works, countless X-rays and breast exam screenings, wait for results, and even go under the knife due to complications of my diseases.

I chose edible plants as my medicine. I am getting better, and I am really close to the achievable goals I've set when I started this journey. My doctor has lowered the dosages of my medicines, and some are discontinued already. On top of the new lifestyle, I lost weight.

Weight loss was not a goal at all. I just wanted to stop my doctor to prescribing me with more medicine. How wonderful was the bonus of my plant-based journey!

I am not pushing our lifestyle down your throat. This post is particularly to those readers and followers who are planning to jump into the pond with me, or those who have started it already like my little sister down under.

Eat like there's no tomorrow, or eat like there is tomorrow. Always choose the latter.