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| Creamy carbonara with lotsa bacon and chicken burgers! |
I was supposed to publish this post earlier because I have gotten a LOT of questions about Harvest Meals. Because I wanted to style the food first to make them nice and IG-worthy, I've been postponing it. But kebs na sa styling! I'm never going to be a food stylist! What I am is a working mama who needs all the help she can get and when I found Harvest Meals last April, I was hooked and now can't imagine life without these delicious, healthy and affordable meals!
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| Best chicken lumpiang shanghai ever! |
Okay, so first question I need to get out of the way is, "Why are you promoting Harvest Meals so much? Business mo ba yan?" Mommies, I WISH! Hindi ko siya business at all. Ang nangyari niyan is I took photos of the first deliveries to share on my Instagram and then when I stopped doing that, people would ask me, "Walang Harvest delivery ngayon? Ano ulam niyo ngayon? Post niyo the Harvest meal today please." It was weird haha but ayan tuloy, I now post our Harvest Meals as much as I can. If I don't, it's usually because the kids got to it first so hindi ko na nakuhaan ng picture.
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| Tinolang manok and chicken meatballs. A hit with the boys! |
Okay, I really really really love Harvest Family Comfort Meals for these reasons:
1. I have more time for other things. I'm a working mama and to have someone else think of the week's menu for me is a BIG DEAL. That's brain power and physical energy I save and devote to work instead. Also the time I save not cooking is now spent with my kids or on me napping. It has totally changed our life!
2. We eat healthier now. There's more vegetables in our diet. Again, because of my busy schedule, there are times I just fry chicken nuggets or Spam or order McDo. Quick, fast, kids are happy. But now, we always have gulay! Every meal! Healthy na kaming kumain! Every meal!
3. Our diet has variety now. When I do meal planning, I rely on the trusted food that my kids eat and what's quick for me to cook. After a while, paulit-ulit na yan. Adobo, spaghetti, tinola, beef steak. Repeat. After a while, nagsasawa rin yung pamilya ko. But ever since we got Harvest Family Comfort Meals, sari-sari ang ulam! Minsan, when the kids think, "It's weird, Mama," it's kinda hard to make them eat. But they try it anyway, and they eat naman. And I feel good because they get exposed to many kinds of food and tastes.
4. It's so affordable. It's just P250 a delivery and dalawang ulam na yan! Madalas kasya na sa aming lima yung ulam and we have leftovers pa. So minsan umaabot ng two to three meals yung isang delivery!
Okay, now I just want to say that hindi kami malakas kumain. The Harvest Family Comfort Meal is good for 2-3 people, but someone who ordered told me her husband ate the whole thing up at hindi nagtira sa kanila so pang-isang tao lang daw. Grabe naman yun. Look at all the photos here. I seriously don't think pang-isang tao lang ang servings! Another person told me on my IG that she ordered for her officemates so, mommies, very generous servings talaga. Hindi siya fiesta levels, sure, but there's enough for a family. Promise!
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| Look at those kids eat! |
I got to talk to Judy Cruz-Malabanan, the woman behind this food delivery business, because I was getting lots of questions about Harvest Meals and I think she's the best one to answer them. Here's our FAQ:
Where do you deliver?
We deliver in Pasig, Mandaluyong, Ortigas, Quezon City, San Juan, Makati, Taguig, and in the south up until Alabang. There's a minimal delivery fee :)
Can I order meals for tomorrow na? Or is there a deadline for orders?
We have a weekly menu. Ideally, we need you to place the order the week prior. We try to place in the orders for our ingredients beforehand to save on cost :) The shortest notice is 24 hrs advanced order.
Can I just order one day's meal or kailangan buong week?
You don't need to order all 5 days, just a minimum of 3x a week.
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| Pansit and siomai! Kulang na lang Coke!!! |
When is the food cooked?
The food is cooked the day prior. For example, your Monday meals are cooked at around 4pm of Sunday. It is then cooled down and refrigerate to be delivered in the morning.
How do I pay for my meals? Pwede COD?
Payment is by BDO deposit :) Pwede COD pero Check-On-Delivery hehe, not cash. We try to lessen instances where our riders handle cash for their own safety na rin.
The Family Comfort Food meals are so affordable! How is that possible?
Thank you! We try our best to give as much value as possible. Since we've been in the food business a while, we have good relationships with suppliers so we get a good price if we pre-order the ingredients. They don't get delivered all at once (para fresh), but we have our list beforehand. That's why we need to know the orders in advance :)
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| Porkchops with mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes and steamed beans. Sosyal pero P250 lang yan! |
What made you decide to put up Harvest Meals, especially the Family Comfort Food type of offering?
Well, I'm a solo parent now and no helper. So I needed a way to feed my son without calling McDonalds every other night hehe.
How do you plan the meals? Please give tips to the poor working mamas like me who don't know how to plan menus!
The comfort food meals are planned with lots of love! We have senior cooks that we sit down with weekly and we plan the menu. Usually, it's dry viand matched with something saucy or soupy. We try to add in vegetables whenever possible. We also add variety to the protein, mixing up chicken, pork and beef in the week.
I found that most of our clients order the comfort food for their kids. So I think of varieties that kids would be curious to eat. Mostly, I show the menu to my son, mom, and siblings :)
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| Ooooh, this chicken pot pie with garlic bread was sooo good! Siksik sa manok and veggies! And TWO pans! |
What are your plans for Harvest Meals?
It's really by God's grace that Harvest Meals came to be. I pray daily for the business, asking God to lead decisions, bless the clients, and bless the food. For Harvest Meals, I hope and pray we get bigger and serve more areas, and possibly develop more menu options.
How do you juggle business and motherhood?
It's sooo hard! By God's grace we get by. And mommy duties always come first. I am thankful that Harvest allows me to work flexible hours and that I have trusted staff!
Things are not perfect. Just today he told me that I work too much. I guess, it's a constant reminder that to him, LOVE is spelled as T-I-M-E.
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| Meatball muffins and nilagang baka for my bunso. |
Thanks, Judy! And thanks soooo much for feeding my family since April!!! I've been able to be more productive while also now having more time for my family. It seems such a little thing—a lovingly cooked meal—but it has changed our life. Thank you!
Dear working mamas, especially yung masyadong busy, pagod, di magaling magluto, walang katulong, alam niyo na kung sino kayo, order the Family Comfort Meals from Harvest Meals na! Only P250 a day para sa dalawang ulam na! Sulit forever!
Like their Facebook page (/harvestphilippines), follow them on Instagram (@harvest.ph), and order via text: (0932) 878-5258.
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| The kids' favorite: pansit canton and chicken and pork adobo |
