Random Pix
Blog Archives
15
Jan, 2010
Holiday Lattes, Episencial, Fresh & Easy - I'm Fat & My Baby Is SmoothSmooth!
Here are the rest of the holiday events I got to take part in over, duh, the holidays. So much fun and so much to write about…which is why I’m so far behind. I hope you see something here that you like! Well, who doesn’t like milk, cookies, wine and lotion?! Sounds like a night of fun to me. Go on people… CONSUME!
2) GOT MILK Holiday Latte Event
OK, so I’m Asian and I’m in my 30s – the lactose intolerance has definitely kicked in over the last couple years, but I was adopted by white people in the Midwest and I grew up drinking 2% milk as a beverage at every meal. I love me some dairy and the GOT MILK people really know how to get their moo on.
Their Holiday Latte event was held at Le Pain Quotidien (HELLO YUM!) in L.A. and it was so much fun! We had delicious pastries and cookies and of course the lattes. My favorite was the eggnog latte – spiked, of course. Really delicious. I also had a pumpkin latte and an amazing hand/arm massage. There were fun wintery themed crafts for the kids and a raffle drawing and goodie bags. The venue was a little crowded so I’m glad Aubrey wasn’t with me, but a fun time was had by all!
A giant thanks to Anglina Valencia, our gracious host, for putting together such a great event for all of us. She is one of those people who always makes you smile and remembers your name and face. It was a great way to kick off the holiday treat consumption (like I need an excuse) and it was totally worth the gas (both in my car and in my… well, you know what I mean).
3) Episencial / SproutBaby.com’s Sensational Mom Spa Event
When I’m not bribing my child with popsicles to do her poo-poo in the potty or telling jokes in Pennsylvania, I’m hanging out with fancy people at swanky house parties in the Hollywood Hills. Well, maybe not all THAT often, but on December 8, I actually was. Episencial and SproutBaby.com threw a wonderful party to show off Episencial’s new babies and children line of skin care products.
The party was really cool – complimentary massages, infant massage demo, delicious vegetarian nosh, fun crafts for the little ones and my favorite part (since I missed the massages) – a sit down with Dr Alan Greene, an amazing “green” pediatrician and author of the terrific book, Raising Baby Green and Feeding Baby Green. He talked about EVERYTHING moms of little ones want to know. Food allergies, organic foods, soy milk, air cleaning plants, picky eaters and food imprinting… he was absolutely fascinating and full of useful knowledge. We also received an autographed copy of Raising Baby Green. Woo-hoo!
Before I go any further, let me tell you that my daughter has had persistent and fairly serious eczema for over a year. I received a tube of Episencial’s “Soothing Cream” in my goodie bag and I’m hooked! It has been the best thing I’ve used on her eczema and she loves the Eric Carle illustration on the tube. We call it “caterpillar lotion”! Cute, huh? Yes, the smart Episencial folks made a sweet deal with Eric Carle and all of their products are designed with his famous, beloved illustrations.
I can’t say enough good things about these products. A couple of the highlights:
– VERY reasonably priced
– no synthetic chemicals
– scented with real fruit juice extracts – not fragrances
– all natural ingredients and lots of organics
– packaged in recycled and sustainable materials, phthalate & BpA free
– manufactured under solar power!
Please check out their products and their Facebook Fan Page today!
4) Fresh & Easy – HELL YEAH!
I have been singing the praises of Fresh & Easy since I learned about them last summer. As much as I’d like to keep their store in Van Nuys my own little secret, I can’t stop blabbing on and on about them. They have a nice big parking lot (unlike Trader Joe’s) and I haven’t set foot in a TJ’s in ages.
Last month, I was treated to a special holiday sampling of Fresh & Easy’s sweets and wines! In order from left to right:
Cranberry & Nut Popcorn Clusters ($4.99): YUM! My daughter begged to eat these from the second she saw them. She LOVES popcorn and, being only two and a half, had never sampled popcorn drenched in a sticky, crunchy, sugary sauce before. Definitely a hit. My boyfriend polished off most of the container and he gives it two thumbs up!
Vine Yard Cabernet Franc ($7.99) & Ogio Prosecco Spumante ($8.99): The man and I drank the cab Franc and really enjoyed it. I’m not a wine connoisseur, but Mr Boyfriend is. While he wouldn’t say it was an AWESOME bottle of Cab Franc, it was easy to drink and nice for a casual dinner at home. Bottom line – and I’m a bottom line kind of gal – it costs $8!! WHAAA?!! Even if you hate wine, what the heck? We haven’t popped the Prosecco yet, but soon. Soon!
Sweet Boutique Gourmet Swiss Chocolate Assortment ($7.99): I brought this box of yum (and the next biscuits) out at a holiday party and they went over well. There were milk & dark chocolate pieces and while some were a little too sweet or “gourmet” tasting for my personal tastes, overall, very delicious and beautifully packaged. Don’t ask me though because I dig a Twix bar like none other… and would eat one off the ground if I were lucky enough to find one.
Sweet Boutique Belgian Biscuit Collection ($7.99): I really loved this one and so did my party guests… and my daughter when she snuck one behind my back at our annual holiday party. Cookies covered in chocolate in a pretty gold tin for only eight bucks… Enough said.
Fresh & Easy is awesome and this isn’t the last you’ll hear about them on my blog. The employees at my local store are always kind, polite and helpful. The food is great and most of all affordable. I especially love the way they are taking simple steps to conserve energy, help the environment and ultimately, save you $$!! Simple. Great! Thanks F&E!
Tags: Amy Anderson • Episencial • Fresh and Easy • Got Milk • SproutBaby.com
21
Nov, 2009
FRESH & SUPER EASY! And Awesome!
Fresh & Easy: Bring your boyfriend. Wear matching shirts. Have a great time!
OK, first off my sincere apologies for posting this blog SO embarrassingly late, but I’m just now getting my personal blog, FunnyYellowMom, in order after a whirlwind of traveling and whatnot earlier in the year. Telling you of my true love for Fresh and Easy is something I couldn’t just let fall by the wayside, even if it is five months too late, so… here goes…
Waaaaay back in July 2009 (yes, 5 months ago… time flys when you have a toddler), I was lucky enough to attend a Fresh and Easy cooking demo with their Head Chef, Mike Ainslie at Sur La Table in the Los Angeles Farmer’s Market. I can not begin to tell you how much fun I had at this event, but let me begin anyway…
First off, if you’re not in CA, NV or AZ, then you probably have never heard of Fresh and Easy… I think it’s best described as Trader Joe’s meets Whole Foods but simpler and more affordable. The employees are friendly and helpful, the stores are basic and food is natural with lots of organic, they have yummy free samples every day, recycle bins on the way out the door, two sizes of shopping carts… I could go on and on. SIMPLE and AFFORDABLE! LOVE IT!
Back to our cooking demo night: upon arrival there were appetizers and drinks and then we broke up into four groups and prepared four simple and affordable dishes with ingredients entirely from Fresh and Easy. My group made mini pizzas and I think mine were quite spectacular! They look like amoebas, don’t they?!
The other dishes were baked honey dijon chicken fingers, salmon with soba noodles and beef fajitas. All of the dishes were prepared and cooked and then, the best part, we all got to eat together. Everything was delicious and at the risk of sounding like a complete cheeseball, I was really impressed by the affordability of the complete meals. One of the things I loved about this event is that we each received printed copies of all of the recipes with itemized prices of all of the ingredients.
Since this event, I’ve made the beef fajitas, pizzas and chicken fingers several times. I even had my friend, Marsha (aka Sweatpantsmom) and her family of four, over for Fresh and Easy pizzas last night! I’m not kidding, I’m really in love with this store.
And I’m lucky that I have a Fresh and Easy about 3 miles from my front door and since discovering it, I haven’t set foot in a Trader Joe’s. Their parking lots make me want to shoot myself in the eyeball. So good on ya, Fresh and Easy. Once again, I’m sorry this is so late, but I’ll keep throwing pizza parties in your honor!
Tags: Amy Anderson • comedian • Fresh and Easy • grocery stores • Mike Ainslie
