Hello everyone! Happy Monday, and as we have been doing week after week, I will be giving you a fresh list of low-cost yet highly delicious ulam recipe ideas for your family. If you are new to our website or to this series, you may want to check out the past lists here, after you’ve read today’s seven mura yet masarap na ulam ideas.

As usual, the main dishes in this blog post cost between P150.00 to Php200.00 for four to five adult servings. To save on time, you may wish to double some (not all) of the suggested recipes for freezing, so that instead of ordering take out you can quickly thaw an ulam when you quickly need one.

Anyway, without further ado, here’s the fresh list of low-budget ulam or main dish ideas:

Low budget ulam or main dish recipe ideas for the week:

1. Crispy Eggplant paired with Ginisang Pechay with Giniling na Baboy. While ginisang pechay and Giniling na Baboy are constant in most homes cooking repertoire, Crispy Eggplant is not. Just slice the eggplant about half an inch thick, season with salt and pepper, and dredge in flour – beaten egg – and then panko or Japanese breading. Deep or shallow fry until crispy. Serve with tonkatsu sauce or if you do not have that at home, then just mix banana and tomato ketchup with a bit of soy sauce.

2. Tuna Penne Pasta with Garlic Bread. A small pack of penne will go a long way in terms of doing this yummy pasta dish. Just saute your favorite canned tuna and add cooked penne pasta. Season with salt, pepper and herbs such as Basil and parsley and whatever Italian herb you have at home. If you have left over olives in the ref, then go ahead and slice some to top the pasta. Meanwhile, you can make Garlic Bread using any type of bread. In a pan, melt butter or margarine, saute finely minced or grated garlic, sugar, and a bit of parsley. Brush the sauce over the bread then toast till desired crispness.

3. Chicken Sotanghon Soup. I know this is a soup recipe, but I know some Filipino families eating this with rice too. Check out this easy to follow happy recipe here. P.S. make sure to put a lot of garlic to make it extra flavorful.

4. Bagis. This dish tastes like sisig but instead of pork jowl, this uses ground beef. So 1/4 or even 1/3 kilograms will go a long way (and will still make it to our budget goals!). Here is my recipe.

5. Tortang ampalaya and crispy tawilis. Have a healthy mid week lunch by cooking easy tortang ampalaya or Ampalaya with egg, and thinly battered crispy tawilis. Super easy yet super yummy!

6. Binagoongang Talong. This is one super yummy yet a bit sinful main dish that will keep you reaching for more rice servings. I suggest that you crispy fry the pork pieces to give the dish added yummy texture, but if you are pressed for time then I am sure, the original recipe dish here will still work great!

7. Okoy na Hipon at Kalabasa. I know shrimp is expensive, but you do not need much for this recipe. A quarter of a kilogram will do. So follow this recipe, and make sure to prepare sweet and spicy vinegar, and of course steaming hot rice!

So that’s it, hope you could use some (if not all) of the tipid ulam ideas in this week’s post. See you again next week.

Food for the soul

At this point, I hope you could allow me to share with you one of my favorite bible passages:

"For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7

Thank you for stopping by and till next post!

A happy homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy!

The post Easy and tipid ulam recipes and main dishes for one week appeared first on Happy Pinay Mommy.

Hello everyone! It is the start of another week, and it is again time for me to suggest, seven new low budget Pinoy ulam recipe ideas. Our fresh list has some entries that depart from the usual Filipino Meal just so we can get out of the routine meals even just for one day a week

As usual, it is still within the P150.00 to Php200.00 per meal budget good for 4-5 adult sized portions. Again, we try our best to make it nutritious, but buying some fruit for dessert either from surplus ulam budget or wherever will of course benefit the kids and the rest of the familia! (If you are new here, here’s a link to our past weekly lists)

So without further ado, here’s our list for the week:

Low Budget Pinoy Ulam and Meal Ideas for this week

1. Arroz A la Cubana – It is a breakfast fare, but hey we can eat it any time of day! It is a complete meal in itself with protein from ground pork or ground beef plus eggs and then carbs from the rice, and carbs plus sweet something from the fried Saba bananas! Truly healthy and easy. Check out this quick recipe.

2. Ginataang Puso ng Saging – Banana heart resembles the texture meat and so this gulay dish is yummy and lovable even for kids. Try it, and for sure you will like it! Here is a recipe that I have tried.

3. Chicken Sotanghon Guisado and Garlic Bread — This may be a noodle dish but it is a complete meal in itself, and it is very filling! The pairing with Garlic Bread makes the recipe all the more yummy to the tummy. Here is a Chicken Sotanghon Recipe you need to try!

4. Steamed Tilapia with Tomato-Onion Salsa — This is a nutritious and tangy fish dish that is so easy to cook! Try it and you will be surprised how easy it is to cook, and how quick it will disappear on your dining tables because YUM! Here’s the recipe.

5. Sweet and sour chicken bola-bola. Since chicken is deemed healthier than pork, then this recipe is the healthy version of the Sweet and Sour meatballs. Wither you buy ground chicken, grind the chicken breast yourself in your food processor, or just ask the butcher to grind it for you. Try this recipe. 

6. Chicken Inasal. Super easy, usual subject of cravings! Easy to follow, everyone could just have a leg quarter and garlic atsuete rice! You don’t need to grill it if it is too hot outside, you can just grill it in your pan, or use the air fryer or oven! Still yummy just the same. You do not need to buy a marinade, you can make your own. Check this recipe here.

7. Cheap and Cheerful Clubhouse Sandwich and chips. Here’s the “joker” card for this week’s low budget meal ideas — we Filipinos do not usually eat sandwiches for either lunch or dinner but this sandwich recipe is within the budget and will yummily feed a family of four or five! Use chicken ham, make an omelet, and buy half a loaf of your favorite sliced bread. Each member could have a three-tier sandwich each, with the first layer being chicken, and the second being egg. If you do not have mayonnaise on your pantry then a small sachet of mayo will do for this whole meal because you do not need a lot. If you have cucumber and tomatoes in your ref then throw them in in your sandwich, same with left over lettuce! If the budget still permits then go ahead and buy your family’s favorite chips so you could have it in the side. 

So that’s it, those are the suggested ulam recipe ideas for the week! Please come back again next week for another fresh list of budget ulam ideas!

Food for the soul

At this point, please allow me to share with you one of my favorite bible passages, this time from the Book of Psalms:

“But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.”

PSALM 5:11

Thank you for stopping by and till next post!

A happy homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy!

The post Low budget Pinoy ulam recipe ideas for the week appeared first on Happy Pinay Mommy.