EAT YOUR VEGGIES: A collab with Kalipayan Farms
If there’s anything I know for sure, it’s that feeding your children nutrient rich food every single day can be such a challenge. I know I’m not the only parent who has forced their children to put some grains, fruits, and vegetables in their mouths! However, I had a feeling my friend, Sekar (also known as @expat_fitfood_mom on IG), had it easy as she started out this way of eating with her children from the get-go. So, when Kalipayan Farms invited us to try their meal kits, I thought of gifting their meal kits to Sekar so she can try some nutritious Filipino dishes and prepare them at home together with her two young boys.
I am grateful that Sekar was so game to try it out and blog about it too.
TINA: Thank you so much for being so game to do this little collab with Buhay Retreats and Kalipayan Farms. What made you say yes?
SEKAR: Because Buhay Retreats has the same vision as mine. It is all about improving our quality of life by learning & practicing what is best for our mind, body and soul. And then when I looked at Kalipayan Farm’s menu & their fresh ingredients, Ok, I am game. It’s basically what I always do. Cooking together is also a way to improve our happiness in the family & cooking with fresh ingredients, is certainly nourish our body. Voila! It’s a yes on the first sight. 😊
TINA: Have you always been comfortable in the kitchen? If yes, who taught you how to cook?
SEKAR: I always feel that kitchen is where the family bond starts so I always feel comfortable to be myself when I am in the kitchen. I am not afraid of making mistake in cooking, baking or making food art in front of my family.
Actually I knew how to cook when I moved to Netherlands in 2013. No one taught me how to cook, I just looked for recipe in internet. I didn’t know how to cook when I was still living in Indonesia, my mother never cooked either. So cooking is still a skill I haven’t mastered it yet.
TINA: Wow, amazing. I wouldn’t have been as brave. What’s even more amazing is that you are able to get your family involved in the kitchen. When did you start getting your sons and husband involved in the kitchen? Did you invite them to get involved or did they show interest on their own?
SEKAR: Cooking is always family affair in our family. If they are around in the house, I make sure they have a share in the cooking part, usually Daniel (7 y.o) does the cutting, Willem (5 y.o) prepare the plates, glass and utensils and my husband will help with boiling the pasta or cooking the rice. We cook together, we eat together.
TINA: How often does the family cook together?
SEKAR: Usually during weekdays we cook together for dinner meal. We don’t have particular meals to cook but we make sure it is a balanced meal that contains good carbs, protein, fiber, fat and other nutrients like iron, zinc, mineral, etc and we usually rotate the carbs, for example: Monday is rice, then Tuesday will be pasta, Wednesday is time for potatoes, Thursday will be tortilla bread, and the cycle continue.
TINA: How do you think preparing home cooked meals plays a part in one's wellness? How does it play a part in a family's wellness?
SEKAR: I remember one time, Willem’s teacher asked him to draw his favorite moment with his family. He drew our evening together in the kitchen cooking and eating together. He told his teacher “I love our moment together in the kitchen”. I think that experience explain very well why cooking plays part in one’s wellness. It contains everything that people love, food, family and time together. It is so enriching even by thinking about it we already feel happy.
TINA: Happy does mean well huh? Can you relate to the saying: "You are what you eat?" Please elaborate your answer
SEKAR: The simpler your dish, the easier your body will digest and the lighter you will feel after, vice versa.
TINA: Describe your experience with the Kalipayan Farms dishes
SEKAR: It describes my answer in the previous questions. Their dishes are made from simple and fresh ingredients with very simple spices. We love simple food. It doesn’t give heavy feeling to our body and it boosts our energy. Kalipayan Farms provides all of the ingredients to make our mind & body lighter. We love their fresh vegetables and fruits.
TINA: Which meals did you decide to cook from Kalipayan Farms and why did you choose these?
SEKAR: We chose Salad Fiesta, Pumpkin Soup & Vegan Burger. Basically, it is simply because we love vegetables. So, everything that has vegetables is very appealing to us. 😊
TINA: How did the finished products taste? Would you cook these meals again?
SEKAR: It is tasty but it has different taste than Indonesian & Dutch food. Filipino food has deeper and intense taste than Indonesian & Dutch cuisine.
TINA: Would you try them again?
SEKAR: Surely.
TINA: Do you cook Filipino dishes?
SEKAR: Once a while we cook Sinigang, Tinola and Adobo.
TINA: How did you train your kids to eat veggies and healthy / clean meals?
SEKAR: In the contrary of many advices in motherhood blogs, I never hide vegetables in my kids meal. I serve the vegetables as it is. Most of the time I just steam it, that’s it. It is a rule in our family that we have to eat 1 bowl of vegetables per day. Even when we are about to dine out, we bring our veggies in the car and eat the veggies first before going in the restaurant. It seems very strict but every vegetables is delicious and most nutritious when we eat it raw or steam. When we cook it like stir fry or even stew it too long, the nutrition will become so much less.
TINA: How does what you eat affect your mood and energy for the day? What about your family's mood and energy?
SEKAR: Balanced diet and meal planning are very important to our overall mood and energy. We have weekly meal planning and we don’t dine out often. We eat real food meal, we almost never cook or eat from can meal.
Our food taste simple but it is very nutritious. Having enough whole-grains carbs, lean protein, good fats, lots of fiber and nutrients and drink a lot of waters, followed by an active lifestyle are significantly give us light feeling and mood. By feeling light, we move faster, we think clearer and sharper.
TINA: What can you tell parents about Kalipayan Farms and their meal sets?
SEKAR: We love their fresh vegetables & fruits and the recipe is very easy to do. My kids love all of the cooking process.
TINA: Any tips you’d like to share to parents about how to jump start healthy eating habits at home?
SEKAR: There is a saying, “You don’t eat what you don’t see” and vice versa “you eat what you see”. I think we have to open our pantry cupboards & keep what is healthy & remove all that are not healthy. Kids will follow what their parents do, so it has to start from the parents. And… vegetables have many colors, so let’s start eating at least 3 colors of vegetables every day without hiding it in the meal. 😊 and eat various kind of fruits.
