Certified Foodies

This Healthy Chicken Broccoli Pasta Recipe Is Easy and Cheesy

For some reason, the prevailing notion is that healthy foods cannot be flavorful, and flavorful foods cannot be healthy. Fortunately, this is simply not the case with this cheesy pasta with chicken and broccoli recipe. While many dietary fads are advising people to shirk foods that contain carbohydrates, these diets are simply not sustainable. In fact, most dietitians recommend a meal that has protein, carbohydrates, and fats in a ratio of 3:1:1 or even 4:1:1 within two hours of exercising to maximize the effects of the workout. Achieving this ratio is not a difficult or painstaking task, and this particular recipe just happens to fall into this ratio. By making this chicken broccoli pasta recipe, it is easy to find that perfect balance of health and flavor.

Continue reading This Healthy Chicken Broccoli Pasta Recipe Is Easy and Cheesy

Eat Like a Viking at Vikings SM Megamall

If it’s not obvious yet, Ken and I love eat-all-you-can buffets. We’ve had our fair share of both good and mediocre buffet restaurants. As we eat our way through all of the buffet places here in the metro, our standards continue to heighten. But, really, it was all because of Vikings Luxury Buffet.

We first had dinner at their SM North Edsa branch a year ago on a weekday. We were amazed by the variety of dishes they were offering, and the best part is you can enjoy everything for only Php 688 during lunch time andÂ Php 888 for dinner and weekend/holiday lunch. There are other buffet restaurants that offer less quality selections for a higher price, so we were happy to see we’re getting much more than justÂ our money’s worth at Vikings.

Fast forward to last month, we were invited to dine in at Vikings new branch in SM Megamall, at the Mega Fashion Hall. We already loved their buffet in SM North Edsa, but this new location is pretty special. 🙂

With an abundant selection of dishes – from Filipino, Japanese and Chinese dishes, to generous servings of flavorful meats, and custom pizza and pasta – Vikings Luxury Buffet in SM Megamall will definitely satisfy your every craving. Let me start by telling you about the highlights of our lunches at their new branch at the Mega Fashion Hall – first was with family, and next was a generous invite extended to The Burp Society (post about our meet-up there soon on TBS’ blog!).

Continue reading Eat Like a Viking at Vikings SM Megamall

A Luxurious Lunch at Spiral in Sofitel Manila

Our family loves eating at buffets. It all began when our Nanay finally decided that she’s too old to throw grand parties at home. We can’t blame her though. She painstakingly handles everything from planning, shopping, cooking, and even cleaning up. Since then, buffets have become our go-to place when we’re celebrating something special. We’ve tried a number of buffet places like Yakimix, CafÃ© Jeepney, Seoul Garden, 7 Corners of Crowne Plaza, F Restaurant at F1 Hotel and our recent favorite, Viking’s. But one place we’re dying to try is Spiral at Sofitel Manila. We were supposed to celebrate our nanay’s birthday at their restaurant earlier this year, but she had something else in mind.

The New Spiral

After the devastation Typhoon Pedring had caused, Spiral had to close for 13 months as it went under an $11-million renovation. They took inspiration from the Filipinos’ resilience and viewed all that has happened as a blessing in disguise. They were given a clean slate and a chance to start all over again. And as the saying goes â€” “When you’re down, there’s no way to go but up.” Boy, did Spiral soar high! The old Spiral was already great, but the new one definitely blew all competition out of the water!

Continue reading A Luxurious Lunch at Spiral in Sofitel Manila

We’re Torn Over SPAM Tocino

There is no doubt we love SPAM. We’ve tried almost all of their variants available at the grocery, with the original and the one with bacon topping our list. So when we saw a post on Facebook about SPAM Tocino, we thought it was some kind of April Fools’ day joke. 😀

I didn’t take it seriously UNTIL I decided to check out SPAM’s official Facebook page and saw the post above. I did mention it to Ken and he said he saw some people saying it was based on Mexican Tocino. Still, I was curious. He LOVES tocino, and I do too. And we love SPAM, so we just had to find out how this new variant tastes like.

We learned it was available at Robinsons Supermarket. We first checked the one at Victory Mall in Monumento – nada. We finally found it after a few days at the new Robinsons Supermarket here in Malabon. Though we wanted to know if we’ll like this, it took us a few more days before we decided to give it a taste.

The SPAM itself was a li’l wet compared to the original variant, so it slid smoothly out of the can. You can also smell that the sauce that surrounds it is sweet. When I started slicing the meat, I saw that the color was slightly yellowish (as you can see in the photo below). By this time, I was already excited to fry them up to get the crisp we wanted.

Continue reading We’re Torn Over SPAM Tocino

Tokyo Tokyo’s Maki and Shrimp Katsu Donburi + GIVEAWAY!

We’ve talked about Tokyo Tokyo before, but it was mainly because of their Chicken Karaage, which we LOVE! It’s one of our guilty pleasures. We have other favorite dishes on their menu, but we’re here to talk about the new Maki and Shrimp Katsu Donburi that we’re sure many already tried and enjoyed.

We’ve also mentioned about how much we’re into Japanese food. It even tops Ken’s favorite cuisines. What we like about Tokyo Tokyo is that we can have our tasty Japanese food fix at affordable prices. So if you’re craving for Donburi, you might want to try these 2 new delicious options.

The Maki Donburi bowl is Tokyo Tokyoâ€™s play on their popular California Maki, which includes a combination of crunchy Kani and crisp onion rings drizzled with zesty Japanese Mayo and a savory sauce.

The Shrimp Katsu Donburi, on the other hand, is a variation of Tokyo Tokyoâ€™s Katsudon. Crunchy shrimp patty smothered in rich sauce on top of hot rice. I think this will be Ken’s pick, and I’ll go with their Maki Donburi.

You can order these Donburi bowls for Php 85 a la carte, and Php 99 if you want the meal with your choice of soft drink.

Continue reading Tokyo Tokyo’s Maki and Shrimp Katsu Donburi + GIVEAWAY!

Reward Yourself with Jollibee’s Kit Kat Mix-ins

Do you love Kit Kat? How would you like to enjoy it with a serving of Jollibee’s soft serve sundae? Now you can enjoy it with the new Jollibee Kit Kat Mix-ins.

I remember back when I was still working the night shift at one of ePLDT’s call centers in Taguig, I frequently rely on coffee or chocolate bars to keep me awake while I listen to agents’ calls and evaluate them throughout my 8-hour shift. One of my favorites was Kit Kat. I love the sweetness of the chocolate that wraps the chunky, crunchy wafer inside.

I think this is my favorite Jollibee Mix-ins variant because of the crunchy chocolate goodness of Kit Kat that’s mixed in with Jollibeeâ€™s creamy vanilla soft serve. Best eaten right away, especially in this warm weather we’re experiencing now. I suggest you order it after you’re done with your main meal at Jollibee.

Continue reading Reward Yourself with Jollibee’s Kit Kat Mix-ins

What to Look For in Great Ribs

Ribs are unfortunately overlooked in a lot of foodie circles. They can be a very diverse dish, but most tend to associate them with less-refined or lower-quality food. There’s absolutely no reason this has to be true, however, if you know where to look. Rib City, located on the web at ribcityutah.com and in person in Salt Lake City, is a great example of a rib place that takes things to the next level. If you’d like to give great ribs a shot, the following is what you need to look for to find the best.

BBQ Ribs

First, always go with barbecued ribs. Barbecuing ribs has a very different result as compared to baking them. Baking ribs is great at home; it can soften up the meat and lead it to nearly fall off the bone. However, this isn’t what you want to look for in restaurant ribs. You want to look for barbecued ribs specifically because these create a very different consistency. This will produce firmer meat that shreds when bitten into, as well as a crispy skin. This is great for actually experiencing the flavor of the sauces, rubs and other things offered on them.

Ken's BBQ Ribs

Ken’s BBQ Ribs – recipe soon here! 🙂

Continue reading What to Look For in Great Ribs

It’s All About Sharing + WeChat’s New Features

We’ve had Certified Foodies since 2010. Let me tell you, maintaining a food blog is not an easy task. That is why whenever someone asks us for tips on how to start a food blog, the first thing we always, always say is you have to have a passion for food blogging. Not just love for food, but a passion for sharing because that’s what blogging is all about: sharing a part of you and your life to others in the hopes that they’d be inspired, in our case, to try out other restaurants, food products and ingredients, to start cooking and to enjoy food with people you love. 🙂

Our blog’s old layout from 2010. 😀

If you’re already following us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, you know that we love to share there too. Some of the food or dishes we post to our social media accounts don’t make it to our blog, but we still want to share it with you. To be able to do that efficiently without spoiling the enjoyment of the food we ordered, Ken and I have to share tasks when we’re eating out. I usually take the photos using our DSLR and Ken shoots through our smartphones, which we then share mostly real-time on our social media accounts. I’m glad to be sharing this food blog with him, and thankfully, there are many apps that provide us with features that make sharing easy and fast so we can spend more time enjoying food and the experiences. 🙂

WeChat is one of those apps that make sharing more fun with the smooth navigation and unique features they offer. Check out below the 6 new features they recently introduced.

Continue reading It’s All About Sharing + WeChat’s New Features

Magnum Gold : Grab The Gold at SM Supermarkets – 2 for Php 100!

The sexiest ice cream bar is at it again, with a new luscious flavor to tickle our senses: Magnum Gold. Have you tried it yet? 😉

As you rip the wrapper open, the brightly colored Magnum Gold ice cream bar inside is revealed. It’s coated with thick Belgian chocolate – 2 layers to be exact. The outer layer is in this luxurious color of yellowish gold.

A nice crunch welcomes you as you take your first bite off the ice cream bar, the Belgian chocolate coating gently crumbling in your mouth. The lusciously creamy vanilla ice cream inside, with swirls of salted caramel to boot, will melt your heart. Mmmmmm so good. It’s definitely one indulgence you need to take time to enjoy. 🙂

If you haven’t tasted the delectable goodness of the all-new Magnum Gold, you are in luck! SM Supermarket, SM Hypermarket and SaveMore Markets nationwide are offering an exclusive promo – you get TWO (2) Magnum Gold ice cream bars for Php 100!

Continue reading Magnum Gold : Grab The Gold at SM Supermarkets – 2 for Php 100!

WeChat : A New Way to Connect

There is no doubt that the emergence of technology in the past 5 years has been instrumental in uniting people all around the world. Ken and I can attest to how the existence of social media networks and smartphone chat apps like WeChat have improved our lives, serving as vital tools in reconnecting us with relatives and long-lost friends (including my dearest college friends I haven’t seen since 1998!).

WeChat - new way to connect

Contrary to what many say, technology has given us more ways to improve and even initiate real life connections. I can say that I’ve met new friends through social media and online chat, and these tools have helped me keep in touch with people I value.

Continue reading WeChat : A New Way to Connect