A cousin of mine is all praises for the wonderful 5-day vacation she and her whole family enjoyed in Holden Beach, North Carolina before school started. The vacation was "spur of the moment" as her hubby's business trip to Canada was indefinitely postponed. Since her kids are ages 14 and 16, a trip to the beach days before school starts was perfect! What made this impromptu vacay at Holden beach special? For one, Holden Beach is not just a "beach" it's actually an island located off south of North Carolina. Life in the island is relaxed and still has a small-town appeal. My cousin and her hubby are considering purchasing a property in the island. They are pretty serious about it that as of last week, they have talked to several Holden Beach Real Estate agents about possible acquisition.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Thursday, October 4, 2012
I have always been a fan of Nestle products. When I was a kid, delicious PX (post-exchange) chocolates were made by Nestle. My all-time Nestle chocolate is Butterfinger! I just can't seem to get enough of this delicious peanut/chocolate candy bar. I used to frequent the PX store at the corner of C.M. Recto and Ylaya Streets in Divisoria. At 30 centavos each back in the days, I was able to buy 3 bars of Butterfingers with a peso. Nestle, for me, is a trusted brand synonymous to quality, so when I received an invitation to attend a Nestle Wellness Event, I cannot (and will not) say no.
On September 26, 2012, 6:00 pm, "motivated" by the thought of an interactive cooking demonstration using Nestle products and the promise of a "sumptuous" dinner, I dropped by the Julius Maggi Kitchen at the Nestle Center in Rockwell, Makati. The thrust of the cooking demo was to prepare great-tasting, nutritious and healthy meals and snacks for the family. I have always been a low-fat milk drinker and the only way I "do" my Nestle low-fat milk is to pour it in a tall glass and chug it down. Well, not anymore. Here's one way of enjoying Nestle low-fat milk, thanks to the cooking demo.
Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie
Ingredients:
2 pieces ripe banana lacatan
2 T peanut butter
2 T sugar or to taste
1 cup Nestle Low Fat Milk
2 cups shaved ice
Procedure: Combine all ingredients in a blender jar. Blend for 30 seconds or until mixture is fully incorporated. Serve immediately. This is good for 1-2 servings. The recipe is so simple, even Ethan could do it.
The cooking demo was very enlightening. To cap the demo, a cooking book titled Celebrating 100 Years of Cooking with Nestle was given to each attendee. I have yet to sample the recipes but based on the pictures alone, they all look delicious! I am a passionate cook. This cookbook is precious!
Of course there's the usual raffle in the event.
I am not really keen on raffles per se since I never seem to win. However, not
this time as I won big time with this super duper Nescafe Dolce Gusto! We
tried it the other day and wow! Even Ethan loved the mocca coffee but, I had to
modify the cream content so as to lessen the percentage of coffee in the mix.
The Nestle Wellness Event was relevant. In this day and age, consumers must be aware that there are plenty of junk food out there that are detrimental to our health. Processed food with high salt, sugar and fat content could very well contribute (or cause) to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar and even obesity. Note that a lot of processed food are highly acidic which is not good for the body. In essence, Nestle is an advocate of healthy, nutritious, delicious and affordable food. Yey! Go Nestle!
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
In recent years, the quest for "natural" food and ingredients in health and beauty products has been on the rise. Majority of consumers are now well-aware of the harmful effects of synthetic and man-made materials found in food, health, beauty and other household products. The absorption of harmful chemicals in the body is toxic. Over the years, the build-up of toxins could harm the body big time.
Aside from mouthwash and toothpaste, all other personal and household products are not swallowed but there are other means to absorb toxins. The skin, being the biggest organ, accounts for your daily dose of toxin absorption. You pick these toxins from products that you rub or come in contact with your skin!. The toxins may build up in the blood, then the liver and could stay in your body for years causing a myriad of diseases.
There are now special stores that sell all-natural products. I for one, have started to veer towards "green" products. On the rare occasions that I fed Tabby bottled food, I bought them in this special chain store that sells natural products at exorbitant prices. A small jar of baby food cost around 80 Php. If Tabby consumes 2 jars a day, that's 160 Php per day! There are plenty of 100% natural health and bath products for sale too but they cost too much! There are now specialty food stores that sell free-range chickens, beef cuts from grass-fed cows, gluten-free products, organic veggies and more at really prices way above standard market prices. It seems like, to be able to eat and use all-natural products, you have to shell-out a lot of moolah!
Well, I can justify the high prices of all-natural products by saying it's better to spend money on food than on medical bills. Right? Right! In connection, I found 100% all-natural hand sanitizer and dishwashing liquid by Drops of Nature, at really affordable prices. Note of caution. Be wary of supposedly all-natural products that are way too cheap. They are probably "fakes".
Now why the heck should I go for 100% natural hand sanitizer when I could just use 70% ethyl alcohol. Well yes, I still have my "stash" of ethyl alcohol but as I tend to spray my hands with hand sanitizer many times a day, my hands become dry and flaky. Also, I would not want to sanitize Tabby's hands with ethyl alcohol. Droplets of Nature Hand Sanitizer is the product for me, Tabby, Ethan and the rest of the family. This hand sanitizer is from fruit-based alcohol. and plant-based lactic acid as the anti-bacterial ingredient. The essential oils in the formula act as natural moisturizers. This product is safe even for babies. They come in two scents : baby powder and mint. I like them both but I prefer the baby powder scent for Tabby.
The other eco-friendly and 100% all-natural dishwashing product is the Droplets of Nature Dishwashing Liquid. Think carefully now. How many times in a day do you find yourself hunched-over the kitchen sink, washing the seemingly endless line of kitchen utensils daily? Right! Between ethyl alcohol and dishwashing detergents, your hand are bound to be shriveled by the ripe-old-age of 30! Yup! This dishwashing liquid is eco-friendly, cost-efficient and a moisturizer.
* Eco-friendly - as its surfactant (the substance that stabilizes the mixture of oil and water ) is potato/corn-based. It is free from phosphate, paraben, sodium lauryl ether sulfate(SLES) and other synthetic chemicals harmful to humans.
* Cost-efficient - as a drop of Drop of Nature dishwashing liquid is enough to clean 4 to 6 pieces of plates.
* Skin and Ware-Friendly - great moisturizer for the hands and conditions extends the life of kitchenware as it's loaded with essential oils.
I have my stash of these two Droplets of Nature products. You can buy yours online at Drops of Nature at Shopinas. For more information and updated on their products, check them out in Droplets of Nature FaceBook Page.
Tabby donned her cheering skirt and grabbed her home-made pompoms as she watched and cheered for Kuya Ethan at the recently concluded grade school intrams in Ethan's school. She really enjoyed watching the cheer dancers. She moved to the groove making me think of a cheer-dancer-in-the making. Gooo Tabby!
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