Pumpkin Pecan Bundt Cake and Being #CartonSmart

I'm pretty sure that just like me, you've noticed that more and more products in Tetra Pak® cartons (from beverages to broths, soups, sauces and even dog food) are filling the supermarket shelves. Well, that is the result of manufacturers embracing Tetra Pak® containers  because of their environmental friendliness and portability. And with more and more consumers realizing that this form of packaging is highly functional because it provides easy handling, easy storage and easy consumption, we can all expect to see more products in Tetra Pak® cartons.

So what exactly are Tetra Pak® cartons and what are they made of? Well, Tetra Pak® cartons are containers which are intended to keep products fresh and delicious for a long period of time without the need for preservatives. They were first launched in 1952 by the Swedish food packaging and processing company, Tetra Pak. They are widely used around the world and was introduced in the US in the early 1980's. 

Tetra Pak® cartons give products long shelf life through their special layers which include the following:

1) Internal polyethylene layer which seals in the liquid

2) Polyethylene layer which is needed for lamination process

3) Aluminium foil which provides a barrier to oxygen, flavours and light
4) Polyethylene adhesion layer which is needed for lamination process
5) Paperboard which gives stability and strength
6) Polyethylene layer which protects food from external moisture

Tetra Pak® cartons are made of 70% paper, a renewable resource, from selectively harvested, re-grown trees that are FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified. They are recyclable and in fact result in 60% less landfill waste than cans. The goodness of this type of packaging doesn't end here. They are also light and compact and offers greater packaging efficiency, holding 96% contents in just 4% packaging. So products in Tetra Pak® cartons ship more efficiently, requiring fewer trucks which means less fuel and energy, resulting in reduced CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. A lot of consumers prefer them because they are very easy to handle and they are easy to stack and store in the pantry. And the best thing is that they keep the food in its original flavor and free from metal taste that canned foods have. Considering all these, it's clear that choosing products in Tetra Pak® cartons is a way to live smart. Not only are you helping the environment in your small way, you are also making sure that you are eating fresh tasting and BPA-free food.

Miracle Noodle Review

I was on my usual trip to my fave natural food store to buy fruits and veggies and while walking around the store, I noticed some Miracle Noodles in the refrigerated section. Having heard so much about these "Guilt Free, Zero Calorie, Soy Free, Gluten Free, Cholesterol Free Noodles", I got curious and decided to buy some. At $2.39 per 7-oz. pack (which is the same price I pay for a 16-oz egg or rice noodles at the Asian Store), I honestly thought they're expensive but nevertheless I bought 1 pack each of the two available varieties, the Angel Hair Pasta, and Fettuccini Pasta. There was also Miracle Rice so I got 1 pack of that too.

Yesterday, I tried them with the hubs and my daughters. I followed the cooking instructions in the label which is actually very simple. You just drain the water out of the package and rinse the noodles in a strainer for 30 seconds (for the rice it's 10-15 seconds). After that, you have to boil the noodles in a lightly salted water for 2-4 minutes (for the rice, blanch in boiling water for 1 minute) then you add any sauce you prefer or mix it with your favorite dish. In our case, we used sauteed shrimps & veggies as the accompanying dish for the Miracle Noodles and for the Miracle Rice as well. I simply sauteed minced garlic and onions with some shrimps, carrots, green beans and green onions in sesame oil, and then seasoned the mixture with salt, pepper and low sodium soy sauce. This simple concoction made the Miracle Noodles and Miracle Rice tasty enough to eat. So did we like it? Well, here's what I have to say about our experience with these "Miracle" products:

Puro Fairtrade Coffee Review

I know I've mentioned here on the blog a number of times that I am not a coffee person. Well, it hasn't change. I still very seldom drink coffee...especially hot coffee. But there's something I do love about it --- it's aroma! The smell of coffee never fails to lift my spirits. And since I realized that coffee adds depth to chocolate cakes and other desserts, I've been using it more. That's why when I was once again offered to do a coffee review, I accepted with no second thoughts. Besides, it's not just a regular coffee brand...it's PURO Fairtrade Coffee, a brand from Miko who has been roasting coffee in Belgium for over 200 years, and has proudly taken espresso marketing two steps further with a product that combines Fairtrade certified sourcing with saving the rainforest through World Land Trust. 

More than a week ago, I received this lovely package from PURO, carefully packed in a hessian sack. Inside were three packs of ground coffee – Puro Organic, Puro Noble and Puro Fuerte with handwritten labels describing each coffee, some sachets of hot chocolate and sugar, an expresso cup and as I requested, a box of green tea.

Base from this assortment, you can see that PURO offers other products aside from coffee. They have tea, hot chocolate, and ancillaries like sugar sticks and creamer as well as biscuits and cookies. Their coffee is available in beans, ground and pouch pack across 4 blends and comes packed in 250g and 1kg bags. I received three blends, all ground and each in 250g pack, and the hubs and I tried each one of them using our Keurig brewer. You may be asking how do these 3 blends of coffee differ. Well, the Puro Organic is grown in Peru and Honduras, and is made up of 100% of the finest Arabica. It combines soft notes of sweet chocolate with tangy citrus. Both the Puro Noble and Puro Fuerte, on the other hand are grown in Guatemala, Peru, Honduras and Congo. The Puro Noble is made up of 80% of the finest Arabica and 20% Premium Robusta. It is rich and lively, medium roasted with hints of fruit and hazelnuts, while the Puro Fuerte is made up of 50% of the finest Arabica and 50% Premium Robusta, and is a fragrant full body dark roast with a touch of spice. For those of you who aren't familiar with the terms "Arabica" and "Robusta"...they are the two primary varieties of coffee which differ a lot in taste, growing condition and price. Arabica beans tend to have a sweeter, softer taste, and has higher acidity while Robusta has a stronger, harsher taste, with peanutty aftertaste. They contain twice as much caffeine as Arabica beans, and they are generally considered to be of inferior quality. The good thing about Robusta is that they are easier to grow. They are less vulnerable to pests and weather conditions and they produce fruit much more quickly than the Arabicas, which need several years to come to maturity, and they yield more crop per tree.  Because of this, Robusta is a lot cheaper than Arabica.

Lo Mein in 10 Minutes!

Look at what I received in the mail last week...

1 free Birds Eye® Voila!® coupon for me and 100 BOGO coupons to share with my family, friends and readers. They were sent to me as part of Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program! After the wonderful experience I had with BIRDS EYE Steamfresh Chef’s Favorites, I was so excited to try Voila!® products! Would you believe that there are 17 varieties of Birds Eye® Voila!®??! It's good that there were just 6 flavors available at the nearby Super Walmart so it was a lot easier for me to choose what I want to try. I got one each of Beef Lo Mein, Garlic Shrimp and Three Cheese Chicken...and of course, my Asian taste buds told me to try the Beef Lo Mein first...

...and that's what I did! I followed the skillet cooking instructions which according to the package is the preferred method. I just placed the contents of the bag and sauce pouch in a large skillet...

...cooked it covered on high for 6 minutes with occasional stirring, then reduced heat to medium-high and cooked for 4 minutes more.

I wanted more green veggies, so I cooked it with some snow peas and green beans. It was really so easy to prepare, and a 21 oz. package can feed two...so Ryan and I had a tasty meal in 10 minutes! We ate it with extra long Filipino Egg Rolls! :)

The package says "Made with Kikkoman Soy Sauce"...and it wasn't lying! Birds Eye® Voila!® Beef Lo Mein smells and tastes like Kikkoman Soy Sauce! I know because Kikkoman is my favorite brand. The package description "Traditonal Lo Mein with Tender Beef, Bok Choy, Onion Strips and Shoe String Carrots" is also true. As you can see from the picture, the Lo Mein is filled with all those ingredients...and the good thing is that the natural flavor of beef, bok choy, onions and carrots are still there, and the vegetables still have the crisp I am looking for! The quality of the beef used is also good.

Overall, Birds Eye® Voila!® Beef Lo Mein is a good product. It looks so fresh and appetizing after cooking! It has true Lo Mein flavor and for the price of $3.98 (at our Walmart), it can bring delight especially to Asian palates. If it's just for the taste and the ease it brings in serving dinner at a very affordable cost, I would highly recommend it just like BIRDS EYE Steamfresh Chef’s Favorites. 

But I cook Asian noodles a lot, and I can cook a very tasty Lo Mein in less than 10 ingredients. After seeing all these ingredients (Pasta: Cooked Linguini Pasta (Water, Semolina, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid). Vegetables: Onions, Carrots, Bok Choy. Seasoned Cooked Roasted Beef Steak Strips And Binder Product: Beef, Beef Stock, Modified Food Starch, Salt, Seared Steak Flavor (Maltodextrin, Natural Flavor, Beef Extract, Chicken Fat, Salt, Modified Food Starch, Beef Tallow, Yeast Extract), Sodium Phosphates, Natural Butter Flavor (Maltodextrin, Butter Flavor), Caramel Color, Spices Extractives. Sauce: Kikkoman Soy Sauce (Water, Wheat, Soybeans, Salt), Water, Sugar, Garlic, Soybean Oil, Wok Flavor (Ginger Root, Garlic Puree, Potato Maltodextrin, Sunflower Oil, Rice Flour, Toasted Sesame Oil, Salt, Guar Gum, Ascorbic Acid, Tocopherol, Extractives Of Rosemary), Modified Food Starch, Sesame Oil, Caramel Color, Ginger Flavor (Maltodextrin, Modified Food Starch, Sugar, Medium Chain Triglycerides, Natural Flavor, Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Mono- And Diglycerides, Soy Lecithin, Soybean Oil), Garlic Flavor (Corn Syrup Solids, Modified Food Starch, Soybean Oil, Soy Lecithin, Natural Flavor), Xanthan Gum, Chive Flavor (Modified Food Starch, Sugar, Maltodextrin, Triacetin, Natural Flavor) listed in the package, I kinda ask myself what were all those ingredients for, and it made me uncomfortable! But yeah, that's how frozen foods are..they need additives to keep them fresh or enhance its color, flavor or texture. Knowing that Birds Eye makes good quality frozen food was a great relief! 

If I have time to cook, I still prefer to do it from scratch...but if I don't, Birds Eye Voila! products are my top choice as substitute to made-from-scratch dinner! I would again emphasize that homemade is still the best for me...but I must say that Birds Eye® Voila!® is a quick and delicious home cooked meal alternative!

I have given out 50 of the BOGO coupons to our friends, and I have used 1 so I still have 49 of them! For those who are interested in trying Birds Eye® Voila!®, just leave a comment here and let me know. I'll contact you to get your mailing address. :)

Disclosure: I was offered a complimentary Birds Eye® Voila!® coupon through the Foodbuzz Tastemakers Program. I was not required to provide a positive nor negative product review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Special Treats in the Mail: Birds Eye Steamfresh Chef's Favorites

In this present age of text messages and emails, there is something exciting in receiving letters, greeting cards or packages in the mail. It's like a special treat that rarely happens anymore and it always puts a smile on my face! I always look forward to seeing plain letters or greeting cards from relatives and friends in the mailbox, and packages waiting by our front door. Sad because it only happens once in a blue moon. But since I joined Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I've found a reason to get excited with every delivery and doorbell ring from the USPS, UPS or FedEx guy. 

It's always nice to receive a letter with product coupons or a box of goodies as part of Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program. Though I am not sure if the product is good or not, I find it exciting! Just like last Wednesday when I was on the phone and the doorbell rang. I wasn't actually expecting anything, so seeing a box by the door surprised me. I was so curious to open it...and here's what I found:

Though I am not a big fan of frozen food, I've always loved frozen BIRDS EYE Classic Mixed Vegetables for it's good quality, and while I was checking these 4 new BIRDS EYE Steamfresh Chef’s Favorites that aren't in stores yet until September, I was thinking that I'm so lucky to be enjoying an exclusive free trial of these new products. I received Lightly Sauced Creamed Spinach, Primavera Vegetable Risotto, Roasted Red Potatoes & Green Beans, and Mushroom & Green Bean Risotto!