Great vegetables and more at the Thursday Organic Market

We've already posted about the Thursday Organic Market at ATC, but here are some photos to show you the great things you can purchase there. The tomatoes and peppers in the photo below are just gorgeous and taste as good as they look.



I don't purchase vegetables at the supermarket anymore because the selection at the market is pretty complete. Also, considering the veggies you get here are safer for your family (organic means no chemicals or pesticides), and that they're better looking and tasting, you only pay a fraction of the amount that you normally would at the supermarket. Their salad greens and cabbage heads, for example range from P10 (!) to P40 (as opposed to more than double that at the supermarket).

This booth (above) sells various organic, Philippine-made products like coffee, varieties of brown rice, organic eggs, muscovado and coconut sugar, bottles of natural vanilla, and fresh dairy milk and yogurt. The selection changes weekly so make sure to place orders of the products you like.

There is a French baker (a real one, not to be confused with the French Baker chain ; ) who makes delicious buttery croissants, danishes, olive bread, baguettes and my favorite brown "squirelly" bread (has nuts and grains) and my kids' favorite, chocolate twists.

Beautiful and delicious produce from an organic farm in Tagaytay:

So please visit the market every Thursday from 7am til about noon, at the ATC parking lot. Their website is at www.organic.ph. You may just become a convert like we are.

Green Cleaning Recipes

It's time to go back to basics and stock up on simple pantry items like baking soda, white vinegar, kosher (coarse) salt and lemon juice. These basic ingredients can make up a variety of safe and biodegradable household cleaning products that clean your home just as well as the highly toxic commercial cleaning brands. Here are some easy recipes from thedailygreen.com:

Glass Cleaner (for windows and mirrors)
Mix 2 tablespoons of white vinegar with a gallon of water, and dispense into a used spray bottle. Squirt on, then scrub with newspaper, not paper towels, which cause streaking. If you don't like the smell of vinegar, you can replace it with undiluted lemon juice or club soda.

For Wood Floors (how to restore natural glow)
Whip up a solution of 1/4 cup white vinegar and 30 ounces of warm water. Put in a spray bottle, then spray on a cotton rag or towel until lightly damp. Then mop your floors, scrubbing away any grime.

Silver Cleaner

• Aluminum Foil, Boiling Water, Baking Soda and Salt: Line your sink or a bucket with aluminum foil, and drop in tarnished silver. Pour in boiling water, a cup of baking soda and a dash of salt. Let sit for a few minutes. The tarnish will transfer from the silver to the foil.
• Toothpaste: If you can't immerse your items or are otherwise inclined to polish by hand, rub tarnished silver with toothpaste and a soft cloth. Rinse with warm water and dry. Instead of toothpaste you can substitute a concoction made of 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water.

Bathroom Cleaner

• Baking Soda and Water (with kosher salt): Dust surfaces with baking soda, then scrub with a moist sponge or cloth. If you have tougher grime, sprinkle on some kosher salt, and work up some elbow grease.
• Lemon Juice or Vinegar: Got stains, mildew or grease streaks? Spray or douse with lemon juice or vinegar. Let sit a few minutes, then scrub with a stiff brush.

Safe Disinfectant (great alternative to bleach)

Mix 2 cups of water, 3 tablespoons of liquid soap and 20 to 30 drops of tea tree oil.

Read more: http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/green-cleaning-spring-cleaning-460303#ixzz0MioFVnGS

Visit the Taj Indian Grocery !

If you love Indian food or appreciate exotic cooking, then you must pay the Taj Indian grocery a visit.

At the Taj, you'll find bags and bags of authentic Indian spices, boxes of masala mixes, stacks of ready to cook papadums, tins of ghee butter, bottles of rosewater, henna powder, milk tea mixes, and a LOT more...



They also have a freezer section with vegetarian fare like veg-e-meat and frozen paneer. There are also ready-to-eat (heat in the bag) mixes of curries and instant versions of classics like the absolutely delicious dessert, Gulab Jamun - pound-cake like balls soaked in sweet syrup (this is a hit at our house).

If you visit the Taj on Sundays, you can buy freshly made (and really really delicious) Indian desserts like Gulab Jamun, Kulfi and Burfi (pressed milk curds with pistachios - mmmm).




A personal care section carries henna, soaps, witch hazel, shampoo and dettol (!) all straight from India...


They even have saris and scarves...

The home section has tiffins, serving dishes and copper serving spoons, and they even carry bags of those beautiful bright jewel-colored dyes like the ones you see in Jaipur photos...

The Taj is located in Cupang at One Legacy Place (where there is a Kumon on the 2nd floor), on Don Jesus Blvd. Call them at 809-3417.

Store Hours:

• Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays: 9am to 8pm
• Mondays & Thursdays: CLOSED

Yoga at Allegre Studio, Alabang Hills

For some great all-over body stretching and ashtanga/power yoga, visit Allegre Studio at Ozamis St., Alabang Hills Village. Young and old, men and women (and even children!) are welcome to attend.

Class schedules are:

Mondays at 630 pm

Wednesdays at630 pm

Satursdays at 10 am

Just call or text 0918.918.1083 for their complete address and for more information.

New item - Hillshire Farm Kielbasa - now available from Meatpointe!

You can now order Hillshire Farm's delicious 16oz. Polska Kielbasa from Meatpointe, the people who are bringing in delicious meats and meat products from all over the world. It's so affordable at only Php 370 per 16oz. Kielbasa.

Remember to also try Oscar Meyer's Turkey Bacon at only Php 375 per 12oz. pack. It's so worth it!

To order, call Meatpointe at 807-3197 or 0917-5050308. Remember, they deliver in the Alabang and Muntinlupa areas (and of course Cupang is a premiere destination ; )

What's new at ECHOstore

I love ECHOstore. I gave a lot of their organic/free-trade/environmentally-friendly products out to friends last Christmas. We should support more initiatives like this -- if only they had a store in the Alabang / HCC area!

I regularly get their e-newsletter and here's a great new line of products now available at ECHOstore:




ECHOstore recently launched a new line of products called Second Life. Focused on supporting the environment, these products are made from old, discarded, or unused items. The items are recycled, redesigned, and recreated into new functional products, and literally given a “second life.” Second Life supports home livelihood to assist in poverty alleviation, women empowerment, and dignity of life.

The product line started with the donation of used tarpaulins from Rupert Salas (of Rupert’s Signs & Display Services), one of the country’s biggest billboard suppliers. He sent over tons and tons of misprinted tarpaulins and banners to ECHOstore, and wanted us to find good use for it.

Here are some of the items developed from the used tarpaulins:

Alphabet series

Abstract series

Nature series

Visit ECHOstore:

ECHOstore shares space with Kape Isla, Home of Philippine Coffee

G/F Serendra PiazzaMcKinley Parkway

Fort Bonifacio Global City, Taguig

Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily

Tel: 901-3485

http://www.echostore.ph/

Free Pizza Slice Promo at S&R!

The other day, as I was at S&R for my weekly food shopping run, the cashier looked at my Mastercard and nicely asked if I had a BPI Express Credit Card instead. Then she told me about this great promo:

Use your BPI Credit Card to pay for a minimum purchase of P3,000 at
S&R and get a FREE slice of pizza (any flavor) at S&R's snack
counter.

Not bad! The giant slice is much appreciated by my son, who usually brings it to school the next day. The promo lasts until September 15, 2009, so go, go take advantage of it, Cupang moms! ; )

Muntinlupa City Zip Codes

I've been living in this area for more than a year and I still remember my Makati and Pasig zip codes over Muntinlupa's. So, for the others who may also not know, here's a list of Muntinlupa City Zip Codes...

Muntinlupa City Zip Codes

* 1770: Muntinlupa CPO

* 1771: Bule/Cupang (woo hoo!)

* 1772: Bayanan/Putatan

* 1772: Soldiers’ Hills

* 1773: Tunasan

* 1774: Susana Heights

* 1775: Pearl Heights

* 1776: Poblacion

* 1777: Pleasant Village

* 1780: Ayala Alabang Subdivision

* 1799: Ayala Alabang P.O. Boxes