#CheapEats: Fresh Slice (pizza by the slice)

Ever since I got diagnosed with diabetes last year, ito na lang yatang Fresh Slice ang kinakainan ko sa mga foodcourt. Kasi dito per slice ang bili ng pizza at tantyado ko na that my sugar level wouldn't rise kung isang slice lang naman ang kakainin ko. In fact, I noticed na kapag ito lang ang kinakain ko for dinner, nababawasan ako ng weight haha. Sabi ko friend ko, meron daw isang food talaga na no matter how "unhealthy" or "fattening" ay makakapagpapayat sayo. Hmm, totoo kaya yun?

Anyway, if you're on a budget din at ayaw mong mag-splurge ng $10-13 sa foodcourt, mag-Fresh Slice ka na nga lang.

Maraming flavors to choose from (minsan nga lang you have to wait kung naubos yung gusto mo at nagbe-bake pa sila):

A slice only costs $1.99 (classic flavor) or $2.59 (feast flavor). Pwede ng ipambayad yung mga barya-barya mo sa bulsa. Additional $1.00 if you want to add a cup of pop (or softdrinks).

Ayan for $3.77 (tax included), may dinner na ako. Around Php150.00 na yan pero syempre dito sa Canada mura na yan hehe.

I always order the "all meat" flavor kasi feeling ko sobrang nabubusog ako talaga sa protein. Very filling siya. At ang sarap din ng Diet Pepsi nila ha.

Solb na ako talaga dito! No guilt-feeling pa. =)

#CheapEats: KFC's Tuesday Special

I've only known about KFC's Tuesday Special recently. Hindi na rin kasi ako kumakain sa KFC dito. Mas masarap pa kasi ang fried chicken na niluluto ko lol. But since my son only eats fried chicken, minsan napapabili ako ng $5 Fill Ups kapag nasa labas kami para may mapakain ako sa kanya.

But one Tuesday night, ayun nga napansin ko na may special promo sila.

For $3.29 (plus 5% tax, of course), you'll get a 2-piece chicken plus fries.

Hmmm, so ito ang ginawa nilang pamalit sa Toonie Tuesday na matagal nang naglaho. Obviously, di na nila pwedeng tawaging toonie ang tuesday special nila kasi nga 3 dollars plus na siya. I am not sure though kung sa British Columbia lang ito available o meron din sa ibang provinces. Pero hindi ako ito napansin sa Edmonton dati.

So ito ang value ng $3.45 (tax included) mo:

Super liit ng chicken, sa totoo lang. Yung leg part, makakain mo un two bites. Seriously. Bitin tuloy ang anak ko.

Syempre wala rin siyang gravy at drinks. I read from somewhere that you can add a drink for just a dollar (di ko pa lang nasubukan). It makes sense kasi ang mahal na papatak kapag nag-softdrinks ka pa.

Oh well ganun talaga. Mura pa rin yan dito kung tutuusin. Pantawid-gutom.

Random Chika # 5

1.  Falling Prices of Oil. This pretty much illustrates Alberta's economy.

Picture taken from the net (credits to the owner)

It's so ironic. When I was in the Philippines, I kept on praying for the price of oil to drop. Our family operates a transportation business so the price of fuel impacts our operation the most. Now that I am living in Alberta, syempre gusto ko mataas ang presyo ng langis para "mayaman" ang lugar namin.

Oh well, again we are having a scary economy here. When will this end?

2.  New Buddy -- Handheld Vacuum.  At long last, may sariling vacuum na ako! Pod has a lot of "big" vacuums (addict siya dun) at ang tagal ko ng sinasabing bilhan niya ako nito. It took a while kasi wala siyang bilib sa akin. Dati kasi nagpabili ako ng walis tambo sa isang Pinoy store dito, hindi ko ginamit. Nakakatamad kasi. Ayun winarningan ako na kapag hindi ko raw ginamit ito eh never na raw niya akong papakinggan sa mga pinabibili ko.

But I've proven him wrong. Sulit na sulit ito sa akin. Nathan loves eating biscuits kaya yung mga kalat niya ang palagi kong vina-vacuum haha! I love it talaga! This is very cheap though. Less than $30 lang yata. When it breaks down, saka na daw ako bibilhan ni Pod ng mamahalin.

3.  Plastic Cover for Dining Table. Haha, this looks so cheap I know! Pero bakit ba kasi hindi uso ang glass na pang-protect sa table? People here use table cloths all the time. Kaso nadudumihan at namamantsahan naman. Even if you use placemats, di pa rin maiwasan na hindi matuluan o malaglagan ng ulam.

The only solution is to put a plastic cover. I bought one at Dollarama, saktong sakto ang size sa dining table namin.

Ford and I have not been using our dining table for a while. Sa counter lang kami kumakain para madaling linisin. But we have house guests now, at may parating pa next week, kaya mapapasabak ang table namin sa napakaraming kainan.

4.  Nando's to Open Soon. We were driving in the south area last Sunday when Ford made a wrong turn. And I couldn't believe what I saw, Nando's! I asked my driver to stop a bit so that I can see for sure. Pucha, Nando's nga! The restaurant is still under construction but by the looks of it, I knew that it is opening soon.

I love Nando's. I would always eat there whenever I visit my BFF Raxie in Kuala Lumpur. Mahilig ako sa grilled chicken eh.

Pero hindi lang dahil sa peri-peri chicken kaya ako happy. Again, whenever a new familiar franchise restaurant opens here in Edmonton, nadadagdagan ang hope ko na mas dadami pa ang makakainan namin in the future. Mas maraming options, mas masaya. Sana someday hindi ko na tawaging "Deadmonton" ang Edmonton hahaha!


5.  Dairy Queen's $7 Meal.  It was my first time to eat  DQ's "fan food." Puro vanilla ice cream cone lang kasi palagi ang binibili ko. But since McDonald's WEM Foodcourt is closed for renovation and I was craving for fries, sa DQ ako bumagsak.

Hmm, for $7, sulit na rin. The sundae in the picture is medium-sized. Dapat small lang talaga pero dahil kilala ko yung server, inupgrade nya haha.


Kaso gusto ko pa rin ng french fries ng McDo.

Hello Kitty Happy Meal

I was at West Edmonton Mall for almost the whole day last Friday (November 7). I went on my 10th weekly ultrasound at 10am and I asked the husband not to pick me up anymore during his lunch time. I wanted to walk and walk (my cervix is still closed) and do a bit of shopping hihi.

I had my lunch at T&T (as usual), shopped a little, and read a book while resting. At around 3:45pm, while lounging on the mall's couch, I saw a little girl carrying a McDonald's Happy Meal box. The box has a hello kitty print on it.

Sabi ko na nga ba, hello kitty ang toy ng happy meal ngayon eh! Parang may nakita kasi ako sa Facebook na ganito, I just wasn't sure kung available ba dito sa Canada.

My heart palpitated, I am always like this whenever there's a hello kitty happy meal on the market. You see, I was (still am) a hello kitty addict. I have one room in our Philippine home that's filled with kitty (no kidding!).  There's really something about this sweet feline that makes me giddy.

And so I went to the foodcourt where there's a McDonald's to verify if they indeed have a hello kitty happy meal.

Upon confirming that they do, I had a three-minute self-deliberation:

     Bibili ba ako? Haler, bawal sa akin ang fast food kasi may gestational diabetes ako.
     Eh sayang naman, yan lang ang hello kitty souvenir mo para sa 40th birthday ni hello kitty.

I haven't eaten fast food since I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes so I was really hesitant. In the end, my love for hello kitty prevailed.

     Sige na nga, minsan lang naman. Hindi ko na lang uubusin ang fries, saka maliit lang naman ang cup ng orange juice. 

After paying $4.50 (tax included), or approximately Php180.00, I was one big happy girl carrying this!

The big cup was just water.

It was my first time to buy a happy meal here and I didn't know "how." Basically, you have to choose an entree pala (and that would determine the price), then the side, then the drink. Unlike in the Philippines, ginawa nilang "healthier" ang options dito, ni hindi nga rin pwede ang softdrinks (or pop as what they call it here).

I was also happy that they put everything on this box. Namimiss ko ito eh. Sa Pilipinas kasi madalas wala ng box, naka-paper bag na lang.

The complete meal -- 4 pieces chicken nuggets, small fries (I only ate a few), small orange juice, strawberry yogurt (na hindi ko din kinain kasi ayaw ko nun)...

And the toy!

Too bad I wasn't able to choose the toy. Maliit lang kasi ang McDonald's sa foodcourt at maraming tao, nagmamadali ang mga crew. They just asked me kung for boy or girl ang toy and that's it. Wala rin silang display o poster man lang ng happy meal toys.

Buti na lang I got the one with a cake. Here's the complete set pala:

Picture taken from the internet (credits to the owner)

There are eight designs. Tsk, if only I can buy them all, just like what I always do in Pinas. Kaso ang mahal din kasi, saka hindi ko na siya priority.

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I remember, whenever I learn that hello kitty is featured on the happy meal, my Mamoosh and I would rush to McDonald's Bocaue or SM Marilao and we would buy all the designs at once! Haha, those were the days!

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Happy meals do doubt will become part of my life here in Edmonton as I will soon have a child. Kaya lang boy kasi sya, magkaiba kami ng preference sa toys haha!

KFC's Toonie Tuesday

I kept on saying that even fast food here in Edmonton is very pricey. So pricey (in my Standards) that I don't eat them at all, except for occasional burgers at Wendy's.

I am happy though that once a week, I can eat fried chicken (we Pinoys love fried chicken!) guilt-free!

Thank goodness for KFC's Toonie Tuesday!

For only $2.99 (hindi na nga lang exactly toonie talaga) plus 5% tax (or $3.14 to be precise), you can get a 2-piece fried chicken and a regular fries.

Yan na siguro ang cheapest food court meal na maooder mo dito sa Edmonton.

The drawback?

• The meal doesn't come with drinks. If you're buying pop (i.e. soda) from them, then tataas ang total meal cost mo. I suggest bringing your own drinks or buying at Dollarama.
• We Filipinos are gravy-loving people loving as well. Kaso wag ng mag-attempt bumili pa ng gravy kasi around $1.89 siya. Not worth it. Here in Canada, we should just be contented in pairing our fried chicken with ketchup.
• The chicken pieces are small (one thigh and one leg) so if you are really hungry, you won't be satisfied. 

I am amazed though that despite its 'cheapness,' di pa rin masyadong mahaba ang pila sa mga KFC kapag Tuesday. Siguro kasi sawa na ang mga tao? This promotion has been running for so many years now. Or baka naman hindi lang kasi talaga mahilg sa fried chicken ang ibang lahi.

KFC's chicken here tastes so differently from what we have in the Philippines. For one, wala nga silang regular or hot options. Iisa lang talaga ang timpla ng manok -- take it or leave it. If I am to be asked, parang similar sa KFC Malaysia / Singapore ang chicken dito. Oh well, kahit ano pa man, we Filipinos are still grateful for KFC because it's the only fast food chain (similar to what we have at home) that serves fried chicken.

Second Month

And I thought time slows down when you are doing nothing... who would have thought it's been two months since I landed here in Canada...

I was feeling extraordinarily low (again) the whole day. For the past 60 days, all I ever did was cook, eat, shop, sleep, watch Netflix, read, surf the net, chat/videocall. It's becoming tiring and frustrating. Inasmuch as I love to be with my husband all the time, I also want to become productive again. I wonder when will that be.

Anyway, since I was feeling sad tonight, Ford asked me out for a little ride. We passed by our townhouse to look for some latest developments. We are excited for Wednesday (January 8) because we are scheduled to inspect it (prior to turnover). For the first time, makakatapak na rin kami sa bahay namin.

We had dinner for the nth time at Wendy's. Really, it has become my "comfort" fast food restaurant here in Edmonton.

My reasons?

• I love their meat-only burger Son of Baconator (I hate tomatoes, onions, cabbage, etc. on my burger).
• I love the taste of their fries, frosty, and diet coke.
• I believe their meals are cheaper than McDonald's, A&W, etc.
• I grew up eating in Wendy's so it's "familiar.

Cheers to my second month here in Edmonton!

It's just sad that Wendy's is not accessible to "carless" people like me. There are no Wendy's in malls eh.

Anyway, I felt a little better after eating. I kinda burst my sentiments to Ford, too. I told him that at this point in my life, I feel like I am at the crossroads, very much unsure of what direction to take. Am I going to study? Work? Both work and study? But what if we get pregnant? Ahh, so many things are running in my head right now.

FOCUS. I guess ito talaga ang kailangan ko sa puntong ito ng buhay ko.

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NOTE: Sabog-sabog din ang blog post na ito. Reflection ng magulong utak ko.