Garlic Mushrooms

IT’S Monday, and it is the start of the week. Most people refer to it as Manic Monday. Why not call it a Meatless Monday by making it the start of, no, not just your week but your new healthy eating habit? Make it meatless and make it healthy by overcoming the temptation of consuming instant and fast food, which is very convenient indeed. Instead, prepare fresh and healthy dishes using only the finest ingredients.

A daunting task, you might say, and you are right. But if you go meatless at least once a week, you are giving yourself bountiful benefits that your body will thank you for—and Jolly, a canned fruits and vegetables brand exclusively distributed by Fly Ace Corporation, will be there to back you up with its own version of the Meatless Monday campaign.

The Meatless Monday campaign is originally a non-profit initiative of The Monday Campaigns, which was developed in association with the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Heath in Maryland, USA. It became a growing global advocacy that made its way to the Philippines in 2011. Jolly happens to be a major proponent of the Meatless Monday campaign. Its version aims to promote healthy eating habits at home by motivating individuals to conveniently add a meat-free dish to their weekly menu.

“Jolly has always been an advocate of healthy eating. We believe that cooking should be a platform to revive the interest and fundamental aspects of eating right and healthy as well as promote the knowledgeable use of choice ingredients and creative ways of cooking,” explains Fly Ace Corporation group product manager for canned fruits and vegetables Marilou Acuna.

She adds: “Monday, being the first day, dictates the flow of the entire week. Symbolically, it connotes a fresh start or a reset. Jolly wants to be at the forefront of promoting a positive mindset and attitude towards healthy eating habits.”

Chopsuey with Corn and Mushrooms

Jolly’s Meatless Monday campaign aims to spread the life-changing rewards of a once-a-week meat-free diet. To kick-start a healthy meat-free diet, it advocates the addition of a healthy ingredient, such as Jolly Mushrooms, in any dish. Touted as one of the world’s superfood, mushrooms are a rich source of L-ergothioneine, a powerful antioxidant, which can protect body cells from within, thus boosting one’s immune system and helping prevent future diseases such as cancers. Jolly mushrooms contain an impressive 14mf of L-ergothioneine per 400-gram can.

Via its official online portal on Facebook, JollyEats, homecooks, moms and those passionate in cooking can easily find a variety of easy-to-do and healthy recipes. “Jollykadas” can also learn straight from professional chefs via The Jolly Show, an interactive Facebook live cooking show that features well-loved classic Pinoy dishes with Jolly twists on a monthly thematic basis.

“Jolly is a brand with products that are suited perfectly for busy people like moms who want to create healthy dishes for their families. We want to begin our campaign for a healthier and jollier family right on the dining table of every Filipino home,” concludes Fly Ace Corporation assistant vice-president for marketing Abigail Ng-Reyes.

(Recipes of Jolly’s Garlic Mushrooms and Chopsuey with Corn and Mushrooms will be shared in the next couple of days.)