Tag Archives: Lifestyle Blogger

Getting The COVID-19 Vaccine

I debated with whether or not to post about getting the COVID-19 vaccine on my blog, but I am because I want to share my experience for anyone who may need more information or who want to know what to possibly expect. I am not affiliated with any group or network that promotes the COVID-19 vaccine. This is strictly from my experience, and why I am choosing to share it here on my blog.

COVID-19 vaccines teach our immune systems how to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19. Sometimes this process can cause symptoms, such as fever. These symptoms are normal and are signs that the body is building protection against the virus that causes COVID-19. 

– From the CDC Website

I developed adult onset asthma in my mid-20’s, and my family has a history of asthma (my sister has childhood asthma and it runs in my extended family). This is why I have never smoked in my life, and part of the reason I chose to get the COVID-19 vaccine. According to the CDC, people with moderate to severe asthma are at the highest risk to be hospitalized due to COVID-19. Because of this, I have been taking all of the precautions early on in the pandemic to safeguard myself against the virus (wearing masks at all times outside of my immediate family, safely distancing myself & avoiding large gatherings). Fortunately, I have not contracted the virus, and my family have all tested negative for it, in addition to receiving flu shots.

Another reason I chose to be vaccinated is because my mom is over 75 years old and those in that age group are also at higher risk of hospitalization due to COVID-19. She also has several of the underlying conditions that put her at risk, so she actually received both of her doses in January and February of this year, at the moment appointments were first available here in Arizona. Additionally, my sister is also at risk because in addition to asthma, she has chronic kidney disease, and is on dialysis, which makes makes her very vulnerable. She and her husband received their vaccines about a month before we did.

Side Effects We Experienced

I share my redacted COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card simply to show which vaccine I received and when. I received the Moderna vaccine as soon as it was available to my age group in Arizona.

General information about the Moderna vaccine:

Name: mRNA-1273

Manufacturer: ModernaTX, Inc.

Type of Vaccine: mRNA

Number of Shots: 2 shots, one month (28 days) apart

How Given: Shot in the muscle of the upper arm

Does NOT Contain: Eggs, preservatives, latex

– From the CDC Website

Of the common possible side effects listed on the CDC website, I experienced soreness and redness in the arm where I received the injection, which is intramuscular (in the muscle). After my first shot, my arm was very sore that night, and I felt very warm, as if my body was trying to fight something in my system. I did struggle to sleep that night, so I was glad that we received our shots on a Saturday afternoon, to allow the rest of the weekend to recover.

Prior to our second shot, my husband and I drank plenty of water, as we have read that the symptoms are more pronounced after the second one. We received our injections earlier in the morning, and for the most part of the day, I had no real reaction. Later that night, I did feel a more pronounced soreness in the injection site, along with redness and irritation. It was very difficult to sleep, and I only felt very mild fever-like symptoms. In fact, I was able to run errands the following day with my son without incident (both of us still wearing masks and following CDC guidelines).

Although all the adults in our household are vaccinated, we are aware that the full effects will not take place until 2 weeks after the second shot. Even then, my husband and I are choosing to wear masks when we are out in public, especially when indoors. Once the vaccine tests have been completed for children 12 and older, our son has decided that he wants to receive it.

Please keep in mind that this is our decision as a family to be fully vaccinated. My opinions in my blog post is to share my experience and I hope this is helpful to those who are still deciding what to do. For additional information and guidance, please speak to your doctor or other medical professional.

Creating a Low Sodium Recipe with Spud Buds Potatoes!

My husband has been getting really creative with eating healthier, without sacrificing the types of food we can have or flavor. He found a great recipe book called 500 Low Sodium Recipes: Lose the Salt, Not the Flavor, In Meals the Whole Family Will Love and found one called “Sautéed Garlic Potatoes” that would be perfect for the Idaho Golden Potatoes I received from Spud Buds!

We had our sautéed potatoes with grilled marinated pork chops, and I’ve included the recipe below. If you try it, let me know in the comments, cheers!

Close up of the finished product, so delicious!

FTC Disclosure: I received produce for free, but not exclusively for a review. Although I did receive produce, the opinions in this post are strictly my own.

Supporting Local & Regional Farms: Blue Sky Organic Farms & Spud Buds

Last month, a few influencers traveled to Litchfield, Arizona to support a beautiful local farm called Blue Sky Organic Farms. Leased farmland is quickly being sold for housing and retail development, so farms like Blue Sky Organic Farms needs support through their CSA (Community Supported Agriculture subscription) or through their amazing Farm Store.

The Farms Store sells lots of fantastic local and regional brands. I purchased a bag of Noble Bread and garlic seasoning by Molly’s Mills, along with a Blue Sky Organic Farms hemp tote and coffee mug. After seeing the goodies I brought home, my husband wants to return to purchase some other produce and spices!

To further support local farmland, we were treated to a bag of Spud Buds potatoes. Spud Buds is a three-generation family potato farm from Idaho, and they deliver to Maricopa and Pinal counties, right here in Arizona! I will cover a few recipes we made with Spud Buds golden potatoes in a future post, and they were absolutely delicious!

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Spud Buds created Spud Funds to assist organizations with reaching their fund raising goals by having access to restaurant quality potatoes. Check out their site for more information on how you can help!

Thank you to Swell Video for bringing together a few influencers to raise awareness in helping to support local & regional farms!

What’s Good In AZ: Toduken BBQ

As a part of my blog renaissance, I’ve decided to do a series called “What’s Good In AZ”, to showcase my favorite places in my new home state. And what better way to kick it off than with a place that I visit pretty regularly at least once a month: Toduken BBQ!

My first time trying the OG Baboy skewer and Ube Mochi. Many thanks to Winchell (@winchsight) for holding my tray that night!

I first met met John Cornelio briefly when I went to the Asian District Night Market last year (pre-pandemic). He had a set up there as a vendor, and I had his OG Baboy (skewer) with a square of Ube Mochi for the first time (pictured above), and I swear I became hooked! I heard he had a booth at Uptown Market in Phoenix, and had planned to make it out there for more freshly grilled BBQ dishes, when the pandemic really started to get hold. John then moved his menu to a pre-order only set up, which meant he had to take orders that would need to be prepared ahead of time, so that they could be heated at home. I made the trip to Phoenix from Mesa twice a month, trying anything and everything he had to offer. Pictured here in this blog post are a few of my favorites!

Now, John is able to actually grill, and the dishes he makes just get better and better! Not only are his dishes delicious and creative, but I can taste our Filipino roots in every bite. If you like what you see here, follow him on Instagram (@toduken_bbq) to see what he’s got cooking and to pre-order, because he usually sells out quickly! Cheers to John and his family for some of the best Filipino inspired goodness in Arizona! If you want to get to know John and Toduken better, check out this article in the Phoenix New Times!

Ube Mochi by Rina. If and when it’s available at Toduken, it’s worth every bite!
Bao Bun Kit, which is an amazing take on siopao!
Grilling in action!
My new favorite: The Choriburger, which is made with ground longganisa
With John & Anthony at Uptown Market back in May 2020. Anthony is a fellow influencer, check him out on Instagram @az_cookiemonster

Je t’aime Macarons!

Can you believe I made these? I don’t know exactly when I fell in love with macarons, but it has been quite the love affair, and I finally decided that it’s time to make them at home! I’ve been baking some tasty treats lately, but I’m particularly proud of these macarons, especially considering these were my first ever attempt!

I looked at many recipes to find one that would be the simplest, but I quickly found that making macarons would not be an easy endeavor. I finally found this recipe from Tasty: How To Make Macarons, because it not only included the written recipe, but a step-by-step video along with tips to ensure you make the best possible ones. And although I followed the recipe exactly as written, I discovered a few things about the process that I will be sure to improve:

  • Follow the directions in the recipe absolutely to the letter. Do not skip any steps, including tapping the cookie sheet to release the air bubbles and allowing the cookies to rest prior to baking. I let the macarons sit for only 30 minutes after piping them and tapping them. In the future, I will let them sit for an hour before baking them.
  • Make all the macarons all at once. I made them in two separate sessions, which allowed the batter to sit for more than 30 minutes for the second batch. I will purchase an additional cookie sheet so that I can pipe them all at once, bake and cool them at the same time. I think this will allow them to rise better to create better “feet”. My second batch was not as well risen as the first batch.
  • Decrease the sugar in the buttercream filling. I followed the recipe and used 3 cups of sugar. I will confess that I ran out of powdered sugar, and only used 2 cups, but then I added another cup of granulated sugar to make up for it. I think I will only use 2 cups as the filling was too sweet.
  • Really let the macarons “bloom” for 24 hours…seriously! I had eaten a macaron not long after assembling them and it had a chewiness to it that I know is not a part of the macaron experience. I then tried the ones that I kept in an airtight container the following day, and they were absolutely amazing!

All in all, it was an amazing experience, and after I make one more basic batch following this Tasty recipe, I will get more creative and make more flavor combinations! If anyone tries this recipe, let me know. Happy baking, cheers!

Be a Foodie & Fashionista with Food 4 Shirts!

I am a self-proclaimed foodie and fashionista, so how perfect for me is this sweatshirt from Food 4 Shirts? It’s their “Gnocchi Crew” from their “Main Course” collection. It’s so soft and comfy, and I love the homage to Gucci!

Mia, the creator and founder of Food 4 Shirts, started her business in Denver, Colorado as a homage to her passion for food, having worked in the food industry. In addition to creating fantastically adorable sustainable shirts & sweatshirts, Mia also gives back: so far in 2021, they have donated about 5,000 meals to not-for-profit organizations!

If you like this sweatshirt or anything on the Food 4 Shirts website, use code “any2ndnow” at check out for an additional 30% off!

(If you’re wondering what I’m eating, I actually made gnocchi the night before I took this picture, and I’m having it during my lunch break in our beautiful backyard. I’ll be sure put up the super easy recipe on a different post.)

FTC Disclosure:  I received a discount on this product as a courtesy, but not as compensation for this post.  Although I did receive a discount, the opinions in this post are strictly my own.

Plant Milk Goodness with Hope & Sesame

During the pandemic, I can safely say I’ve been trying out new and wonderful recipes, which I will share more of in the blog posts to come. I recently had the pleasure of trying out something new for me: a couple of cartons from Hope & Sesame, a protein rich Plant Milk made from sesame.

Of the five flavors, I got the chance to try Chocolate and Original. I tried the Original flavor one morning and I was surprised as how great it tasted with my favorite cereal! But what I loved even more was making my version of their “Mocha Truffle Latte”!

I love espresso, especially with just stevia as I love to savor the bold and strong flavor of the coffee. So rather than two packets of instant coffee, I made two shots of my favorite espresso and warmed eight ounces of the Chocolate SesameMilk and added a packet of stevia rather than sugar. The result was so rich and flavorful, great for mornings before work, and even better on cold nights with a warm blanket!

Thank you again Hope & Sesame for sending me your delicious SesameMilk, cheers!

Some great information from Hope & Sesame:

All our products are gluten-free, lactose-free and completely vegan, made with zero animal byproducts.

Hope & Sesame is free of the top 8 most-common allergens (milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat).

Each 8-ounce serving of Hope & Sesame sesamemilk contains:

All 9 essential amino acids

8g of complete plant-based protein (you’d have to drink 8 glasses of almond milk to get that much protein)

Twice the Vitamin D of dairy milk

30% less sugar than chocolate dairy milk

FTC Disclosure: I received the product for free, but not exclusively for a product review. Although I did receive product, the opinions in this post are strictly my own.

Arizona Food & Beverage Employee Relief Fund

As an influencer, I have been so lucky to have met and interacted with amazing local brands and businesses, both in San Diego and now that we live in Arizona. In addition to fashion, I’ve become a part of an incredible network of foodies who care about patronizing and promoting local eateries.

I posted this on my Instagram today, because there are those who are unable to have the regular income that some of us are able to have during this uncertain time. Many are in the food & beverage industry, so a group of foodie friends and I are banding together to help raise funds to provide to some of our favorite eateries in The Valley area of Arizona.

Please see the information below, which includes a link to a site where you can donate, which is powered by Avontage.

Local Phoenix influencers are uniting to make a difference! 

Due to the current financial climate of the world and the impact that the COVID-19 quarantine has had on small businesses and their staff. We are rallying our resources to support these workers struggling to provide for their families.

We would love your support as well!

Whether a:

⁃ donation through the @avontage link (see below); or
⁃ support of your resources; or
⁃ a share of our efforts;

We ask that you join us in easing this financial strain for thousands of Arizonans out of work. We have chosen 35 local small businesses to support!

Join us in our mission to support the Phoenix food & beverage industry in these uncertain times!

Thank you for supporting this local mission,

#FoodiesFUNDINGphx & Avontage

Donate now: https://www.avontage.com/blog/campaigns/foodiesfundingphx/

These are the places we will be supporting in this campaign!
I’ve personally had the pleasure of eating at:
Hot Bamboo
Tempura Takeover
Toduken BBQ
Chimney Cakes
Flippin’ Rice

Tips For Working From Home

My home office

During this uncertain time, I know more and more people are in a situation where they must work from home. When we still lived in San Diego, I was commuting to work, like most people do, but quit when we moved. After we moved to Arizona, we decided that I needed to rejoin the workforce, but I needed to work from home. I have been very fortunate that my employer in San Diego afforded me that opportunity, and I have been doing so for the last two years.

Working from home is a definite lifestyle change, and I can admit that it wasn’t that easy at first! There are many distractions at home, and it could be so easy to give into them because, let’s face it, your home is your comfort zone! But there are things you can do to ensure you are productive and successful working from home. I’ve learned a few things in these last two years, and I hope they will help!

1) Really try to create a space where you know it’s a work space. If you have a room where you can make it your “office” do it! Purchase an actual desk and office chair if you can, and create a space that you know is your home office, and don’t do anything else there. I would really try to avoid making your bedroom an office. To quote John Mayer in a recent post on his Instagram, make a distinction between work and your “Gentle Hours”, between daytime and night time. Your office space should be where you are in the day, and your bedroom is where you retreat to at night. If that isn’t possible, do your best to remove or turn off any TV’s in that room, to minimize distractions.

I have an actual home office (pictured above). My desk and office chair were less than $200, and I only use it for work. When we bought our home, the additional room that we turned into my office came with windowed French doors. I can see out, yet have privacy when needed. This means that when I’m done, I literally leave the office, turn out the lights and shut the doors behind me. I only have listening devices in my office, so that I can enjoy music, but I do not have a TV in my office. Sorry Dr. Phil!

2) Be sure to wake up at the same time you did when you were going to work remotely. Do not change your routine. Shower, brush your teeth, make your coffee and/or breakfast and change clothes (well, if you want to), so you feel like you’re going to work, because you are!

3) Inform your household when you have meetings, to minimize noise and distractions. Go into a room and close the door and have others close their doors.

Also, I really suggest not multi-tasking while in a meeting. My supervisor once told me that she could tell that I was giving meetings my undivided attention, and that’s because I made a conscious decision to not do other work while in a meeting, which can easily be done when doing phone conferences. I feel that I need to be extra focused because I’m not physically in a board room or meeting room, and I can do my part by eliminating as many distractions as possible.

One more thing about meetings: TAKE NOTES! I’m better at remember things when I write things down in a notebook or on Post-Its. Whether you physically write them down or type it up in your computer, always take notes when in meetings. With everything going on at your home office, it’s easier to recall information when you have it written down or typed somewhere.

4) Make time for scheduled breaks and lunches. Set alarms or email alerts as needed and take them! Do your best to not work through your breaks, because we all need them, especially at home. Make time for your lunch and physically step away from your work space, even if that means that you only go to your kitchen, eat lunch outside, or go for a walk.

5) If you have young kids, give them homework, reading, or a schedule that emulates school. Make sure they get up and have breakfast & lunch, just like if they were in school. Make the distinction between vacation and school hours, like you do for your work space. Our son finishes his Spring Break this week, and he will be home indefinitely. He knows that while he won’t be in school for an extended unknown amount of time, this is no longer a break or vacation. We informed him that when he wakes up in the morning, he will have breakfast, then I have math and reading for him to do, in addition to practicing his trumpet.

6) If you work under a manager or supervisor, inform them of the work you accomplish daily. If you are your own boss, make a schedule and a to do list, and make sure you check things off! I send my supervisor a daily “Tomorrow’s Tasks” email, explaining what I accomplished during the day, and what I will be working on the following day. She let me know that she likes those emails, because she never has to wonder what I’m doing each day.

And there you have it, my tips on how I work successfully from home! I hope they helped in some small way, and please, let me know if you have any other tips and tricks as well. Cheers!

Hot Cacao!

I’m all about having a great cuppa, but a cup of chocolate tea? I recently had the pleasure of trying this flavorful tea from the Cacao Tea Co and not only does it have an amazing chocolate taste, but it’s rich in antioxidants and flavonoids.  This tea is 100% organic, as well as gluten-free, caffeine-free and sugar free!

The delicious chocolate taste is so robust because this tea is actually made from cacao husks, so it’s not infused.  I added a bit of stevia to mine and I swear, it tastes just like hot coco!

If you would like a bag, they can be purchased directly from the Cacao Tea Co website for $17.50, and they ship worldwide!  If you live in the US, they can ship your tea with in one business day!

Check out my slow pour video below, and let me know in the comments if you love it as much as I do!

FTC Disclosure: I received the product in exchange for a product review. Although I did receive product, the opinions in this post are strictly my own.