A New Addition to My Morning Routine & $100 Visa Gift Card Giveaway!

Before I became a full time Mom and blogger, I had a job in the H.R. department of a major telecom company. My schedule was routine, pretty much Monday-Friday, 9 to 5. Each day, I got up, worked, had lunch, worked some more, got off work, headed home to cook dinner, rest, chat with friends, sleep, and repeat.

After getting married and having kids, everything changed. My schedule evolved around them, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! No one had ever warned me that a full-time Mom doesn't get any days-off! What a big surprise!

My typical week as a full-time Mom would involve taking the kids to play dates, birthday parties, recreational classes, parks, and library. While at home, I also need to take care of the laundry, cleaning up their messes, and to prepare meals throughout the day! For whatever time I have left, I also need to work on my recipes and blog posts. Most of these activities are without a set schedule.

Out of all the fun and craziness being a full time Mom, I came to realize one important lesson! Which is, I need to take better care of myself before I can take good care of my family. While it is challenging to keep a balanced lifestyle and diet under such irregular schedules, there’s one habit that I have always kept for many years… which is to put my vitamins and supplements containers right next to my coffee beans! Since I must grind and brew my coffee every morning, this strategic storage location allows me to always remember to take my dietary supplements while preparing for my coffee.

 

 
 
Recently, I have added another supplement to my morning routine. It is the vitafusion™ Extra Strength Biotin. Biotin is an essential water-soluble vitamin that is necessary for the metabolism of carbohydrates, fatty acids, and amino acids. Biotin also plays a key role in the health of skin, hair and nails.* I decided to give this a try!

For those who knows me, you probably know that I can’t swallow pills, no matter how tiny they are. Luckily, vitafusion™ makes their great-tasting vitamins in gummy. This also allows me to pop two gummy into my mouth, while grinding the coffee beans, without the need to pour myself another glass of water!

 

 
For those who always read the Supplement Facts label, vitafusion™ products are gluten-free, and made with natural fruit flavors and colors derived from fruits, vegetables and plants. They contain no high fructose corn syrup, and no synthetic (FD&C) dyes.

I feel great adding the vitafusion™ Extra Strength Biotin to my morning routine and I cannot wait to see how things go in a few months. The vitafusion™ gummy vitamins are available at club, drug and grocery stores nationwide including: Costco, Walmart, Target and Walgreens. More information can be found at www.gummyvites.com.

To enter the giveaway for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card, simply leave a comment below and tell me your tricks on how to remind yourself to take your supplements every day.
 
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

I received free product and payment for this sponsored post. All opinions are 100% mine.
Entry Instructions:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
1. Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
2. Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
3. Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
4. For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older (or nineteen (19) years of age or older in Alabama and Nebraska). Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from BlogHer via the sweeps@blogher email address. You will have 2 business days to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 4/30/2015 – 6/30/2015
Be sure to visit vitafusion’s brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ posts!

How to Make Zucchini “Pasta”—Naturally Gluten-Free and Low Carb Recipe

The zucchini season is coming right up.  If you had planted them in your garden in the past, you know they can grow out of control in terms of size!  Even if you don’t have them in the garden, you can tell that they are one abundant squash to grow, when you can get 10 of them with just a buck!  It sounds more like the farmers are just trying to get rid of them, fast! 



Besides adding zucchini in salads, or making zucchini bread, this Zucchini “Pasta” is a great way to use up the zucchinis that you have in stock.  Plus, this dish is very figure friendly, too.  So, you can prepare this more often and be ready for your summer/bikini look!   If you’re looking for a quick, low carb and healthy meal, this dish is going to be your friend during this Spring and Summer.  Check out the video tutorial to see how I made it!







I hope you enjoyed watching my video tutorial.  If you haven’t done so, please subscribe to my Youtube channel here.  You’ll be the first to know when I have new video tutorials published.




I hope you’re inspire to make some zucchini pasta soon!  I know you’re going to love this dish.   So, tell me, what are your favorite ways to use up the zucchini?  I can always use a few more ideas!  Leave me a message below,  I can’t wait to hear from you.



Tools and Props used in this post:
Veggie-Slicer (click here for product information)
Core Bamboo 3-Piece Cutlery Set (Click here to see product information)
Wood Print Photography Backdrop (Click here to see similar product)
Libbey County Fair Drinking Jars (Click here to see product information)
Aqus Striped Paper Straws (Click here to see product information)
Salad Plate (Click here to see similar product)

Prosecco-Blueberry-Lemon Pops and a Giveaway!

Still remember this gorgeous Nutella Melt Winter Cocktail that I shared (<—click on the name for the recipe) a while ago?  Great news!  The author of Winter Cocktails, María del Mar Sacasa,  just published her new book, Summer Cocktails!   With L.A.’s crazily hot temperature over the past few months, I’ve been longing for refreshing summer cocktails, way before summer arrives!  If you love to host summer parties, this book is a must have and I’ll tell you why.




As I read through the book (yes, I am a nerd and I read cookbooks like they’re novels), this Prosecco-Blueberry-Lemon Pops really caught my attention.  I love prosecco and always have a bottle or 2 chilled in the fridge, in case of emergency!  So, I gave this recipe a try and it was amazing.  You can serve these boozy pops as is, or as Sacasa suggested, add them to your glass of Prosecco to keep your drink chilled and add some wonderful flavors at the same time.  What a great idea!



Summer Cocktails is one of the most gorgeous books that I’ve came across as it’s filled with gorgeous photography and design that will give you lots of inspiration on things to serve for a cool summer party.  Of course, you’ve got to have cocktails and small bits at the party while your guests mingle.  Summer Cocktails includes many familiar classics, throwbacks, and modern updates.  It also covers punches and pitchers that are perfect for entertaining.  The frosty drinks, infused liquors, gourmet snacks sections all include tutorials to guide you through the preparation process!  Best of all, the recipes are clear and very easy to follow.  You’re going to fall in love with this book, just like I did!  




You can purchase your copy by clicking here.  Or, try your luck in winning a copy of “Summer Cocktails”, courtesy of Quirk Books!

Here are the details on how to enter this giveaway.

One lucky uTry.it reader (with an U.S., Canada or U.K. mailing address) will win a copy of “Summer Cocktails”.

To enter, simply leave a comment on this post and tell me what’s your all time favorite cocktail (mine is apple martini). Deadline to enter is May 4th, 2015 by mid-night PST.  Winner will be selected through Random.org and announce shortly after the giveaway is closed.

For extra entries, do any or all of the following (leave a separate comment for each extra entry):
1)  Add me to your Google+ circle here
2) "Like" uTry.it's Facebook Page, click here.
3) Pin a picture from this post onto your Pinterest board.
4) Share this giveaway on Facebook (with a link back to this post please)
5) Share this giveaway on Twitter (with a link back to this post please)
6) Subscribe to my Youtube channel here and never miss a video
7) Subscribe to my email updates and never miss a post (see the right hand side bar right below my profile picture)

That’s all and Good Luck everyone!  Please stay cool this summer and cheers!





Disclaimer:  I received a copy of “Summer Cocktails” for the purpose of this review and I was not compensated in any way to write this post.  Quirk Books is providing a copy of the book for the giveaway.  As always, all comments and opinions are 100% my own.
Please drink responsibly.  Health and General Disclaimers.

Angry Birds Piggy French Macarons

My Little Boy is a big fan of Angry Birds.  He loves the game, the stories, and anything that relates to it.  I guess his admiration level on Angry Birds can compare to my Baby Girl’s love for Hello Kitty.  And you can imagine, my whole house is filled with birds and kitties…well, and pigs, specifically the pigs from Angry Birds.  If you know the “story” of the Angry Birds, you know these piggies are actually the “bag guys”!    hahaha….so I think it’s okay to eat them up?



Why Angry Bird Piggy Macarons?  Well, it happened in an ordinary afternoon….my Little Boy was enjoying his Chocolate Mint French Macarons. Then, he simply asked me if I can make them into Angry Bird Piggy macarons!  Maybe the green colors of the mints macarons reminds him of these piggies?  Of course I had to say yes.  So, here we go!  Angry Bird Piggy Chocolate Mint French Macarons were born!  It’s so nice that my kids always give me recipe inspiration and what to create next.  It’s actually quite fun to play with and decorate the macarons and turn them into something unexpected!  So, I have many more requests from the kids on what to make after these!



To decorate these little piggies, I simply piped some melted white chocolate to create the eyes, and attached some black sprinkles as the eyeballs.  Then, I tinted the white chocolate with a little green food coloring for the snouts and ears.  I used these candy decorating pen to draw the eyebrows and crown (for the King Pig), and that was quick and easy.  I hope that you’re inspire to create some fun characters for your next baking project, too.



What is your favorite cartoon or video game characters?  Leave me a comment below if you’re interested to see if I can turn your favorite characters into a yummy treat!  I guess I’m addicted to make character French Macarons now!   I can’t wait to hear your requests!

If you’re interested, click here, here, here, here, here, here and here to see some of my precious specially shaped macaron creations! 

How to Make Iced Boba Milk Tea 冰鎮波霸奶茶

If you’ve been to Asia or any Asian community in the States, you might have seen or tried an Iced Boba Milk Tea in the past.  Boba Milk Tea is a Taiwanese tea-based drink.  It is usually a tea-base mixed with milk and chewy tapioca balls.  Unlike the regular tiny tapioca (such as these), those used in Boba Milk tea are way bigger in size, it’s dark brown in color and quite chewy.  They are called Boba (波霸), hence the name Boba Milk Tea.



Nowadays, this Boba Milk Tea comes in many flavors in some cafes; such as matcha green tea, mango, coconut, strawberries, coffee, even taro, etc.  I’m a big fan of Boba Milk Tea and probably tried most of the exotic flavors out there. But I found myself always going back to the original flavor, time after time.  Simply because in the traditional milk tea, you can taste the slightly sweetened, earthy aroma of the black tea, and the silky smooth cream/milk that rounds out the drink and gives this drink the perfect flavor and texture.  Since I moved away from the Asian community for many years, I’ve been making this Iced Boba Milk Tea at home for quite some time!  Today, I’m sharing my recipe with you on how to make this authentic Taiwanese drink.  It’s so simple and way cheaper to make your own than getting one at the cafe.  Best of all, you can adjust the sweetness in your drink.   



Here is the video tutorial on how to make Iced Boba Milk Tea.







As I said, super easy, isn't it?  I hope you’re inspired to make your own Iced Boba Milk Tea at home.  hm…since I haven’t been to a Boba Tea shop for a while, I wonder if there’s any new and exotic flavors out there?  Feel free to share with me in the comment section below.  I can’t wait to hear from you. 





Ingredients and Tools used in this post:


Instant Boba (Click here for more information)
Boba Straws (Click here for more information)
Tetley Premium Black Tea Bags (Click here for more information)
Organic Blue Agave (Click here for more information)

How to Decorate Easter Eggs in 1 Minute

Are you ready for Easter?  I certainly am and can’t wait to go Easter Egg Hunts with my Kids!  If you’re having a party or gathering, you've got to check out my video tutorial on "How to Decorate Easter Eggs in 1 minute!" video clip.  Aren't these decorated eggs gorgeous?  Let me tell you a secret (or 2)!  These beautiful decorated eggs are super easy to make and there’s no real eggs involved!  Shhhhh….no one has to know that they are so easy to make.  Hey, I always say I’m not a crafty person!  But if I can make these gorgeous eggs, so can you!



So, here are a few things that you will need for this project.  First of all, the Dyeable Craft Eggs, of course (see picture below).  I got them from a local craft store and they are super realistic!  The shells’ texture really feel like the texture from the real eggs!  Honestly, I thought of making these decorated eggs with the real eggs by emptying the egg whites and yolks from the shells, clean up, dry out, etc.  But, the real eggs shell are so fragile and probably won’t last as long as these craft eggs.  So, craft eggs win!  Also, you’ll need a few floral printed paper napkins, a pair of scissors and some decoupage glue.  The decoupage glue that I used already comes with a brush attached inside the cap, so convenient!  You can also get a nest from the craft store to put the eggs in, but that is totally optional.  These eggs will look just as beautiful in your Easter baskets, or anywhere, really!



One more tip, when you choose your floral paper napkins, try to get one that has the white background.  They will come out seamlessly when you put them on the egg shells.  Here we go, check out my video tutorial below on how to make these gorgeous eggs!





Super easy, isn't it?  My Kids also helped me to decorate some of the eggs.  We had so much fun.  I can’t wait to make more with them over the weekend.  I hope you enjoyed watching my video tutorial.  If you haven’t done so, please subscribe to my Youtube channel here.  You’ll be the first to know when I have new video tutorials published.



I want to wish you and your family a fun and blessed Easter Holiday!  Stay tuned for more fun recipe, crafts, video tutorials and giveaways!


Tools used in this post:
Decoupage Glue (click here for more information)
Floral Paper Napkins (Click here for similar product)
Natural Twig Bird Nest (Click here for similar product)