Raising Child Raising Self

A Wonderful Weekend

Samantha Sophia — Sun, 19 May 2013 02:12:58 +0000

I hope everyone who is able are taking advantage of the beauty of nature this weekend. In my case, Saturday was packed with charitable events and gardening. A Zumba marathon for charity and supporting Created Tampa, a lovely non-profit organization that rescues women from the sex industry locally. I was able to bring my daughter along and begin to teach the importance of loving kindness and philanthropy. I was also able to do a bit of organic gardening with my son.

Skirt: MNG by Mango for JCPenney

Shirt: MNG by Mango for JCPenney

Shoes: Target gladiators

Hat: Target

Sunglasses: Tory Burch

Touring Disney The Entitled Way

Samantha Sophia — Wed, 15 May 2013 02:51:17 +0000

Reading that there are parents that would go to extreme lengths to avoid the long lines and likelihood of heat stroke at a Disney Park is not surprising. But hiring disabled people in lieu of paying Disney for a service they can obviously afford, is just plain grimy for more reasons than one. I’ll assume that these parents don’t realize that they build their children’s moral compass and value system both through verbal and nonverbal instruction. But the following quote from one of the “specialty concierge” service users makes me wonder about their own world and class views:

“My daughter waited one minute to get on ‘It’s a Small World’ — the other kids had to wait 2 1/2 hours,” one unnamed mom bragged to the Post. “You can’t go to Disney without a tour concierge…This is how the 1 percent does Disney.”

But the case maybe that some people may indeed themselves lack the most basic of ethical principles, therefore they may find teaching them exceedingly difficult. Teaching children the definition of entitlement and to disregard rules because wealth has afforded them such luxuries. If these little ones inherit their parent’s titles, the corporate scandal should be as epic as their parent’s egos.

The sad part is, in the end, these sort of actions negatively impact individuals who are afforded additional services so they may enjoy the awesomeness that a family day at Disney world can be regardless of physical limitations.

Source: http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/disney-world-scheme–entitled-families-hire-disabled-guide-to-bypass-lines-194555620.html

A Touch of Spring

Samantha Sophia — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:48:11 +0000

Good bye winter, even a Florida sunny cold snap or two counts as winter. Good bye boots and layers. Hello spring fashion and fabrics that breathe. Today I wore this soft and airy Charlotte Ronson dress from JCPenney. Not only did I get a ton of compliments, a random hodge podge of men hit on me or slowed down and honked. My assistant thinks it was because this dress made me look like a teenager. My husband thinks it is because I’m gorgeous. Either way, I am feeling great about spring!

Grass Fed Lemongrass Beef and Pho

Samantha Sophia — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 01:08:57 +0000

Bought some incredibly perfect grass fed beef from Whole Foods two weeks ago and froze it. It thawed beautifully. I love Lemongrass beef, my favorite lunch spot near my office downtown is a Vietnamese restaurant and their lemongrass beef lettuce wraps and chicken Pho are my go to when I did not have time to pack a lunch. As a rule of thumb, anything I love to eat I must learn to cook. So I finally got my hands on some lemongrass stalks and made this crazy delicious meal.

1.25 lbs of beef bottom roast thinly sliced.

For marinade

2 stalks fresh lemongrass, outer leaves discarded and root end trimmed
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
4 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

Make marinade:
Thinly slice lower 6 inches of lemongrass stalks, discarding remainder of stalks. In a food processor or blender finely grind together sliced lemongrass and garlic. Add remaining marinade ingredients and blend well.

Mix it up

This how the recipe usually goes:In a large resealable plastic bag combine marinade and steak and seal bag, pressing out excess air. Marinate steak, chilled, turning bag once or twice, at least 4 hours or overnight.

Discard marinade and grill steak on an oiled rack set 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals 3 to 5 minutes on each side for medium-rare. (Alternatively, steak may be broiled on rack of a broiler pan about 3 inches from heat about same amount of time.)

This is what I did: Mix sliced beef and marinade in bowl and cook immediately in a lightly oil wok or pan until golden brown.

While cooking beef bring water to boil for rice noodles.

Quick Pho (Vietnamese soup)

Pho Fac t:

Pho (pronounced ‘fuh ’) is a Vietnamese noodle soup

originating in Northern Vietnam during the mid-1880s. The traditional

broth base develops a deep, complex flavor by slowly simmering for 8-10

hours with aromatic Chinese spices including star anise, cinnamon,

ginger, cardamom and coriander pods

Pho Soup Base
Fresh ingredients to add in (scallions, peppers, spouts, mint, etc)
1/3 a package of rice noodles (cooked per box instructions)
2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce

Prep fresh ingredients. Bring Pho Soup Starter to a boil. In a large bowl soak noodles in hot water to cover 10-15 minutes, or until softened and pliable. Add sweet chili sauce to soup base. Heat pre-cooked rice noodles in hot broth to finish. Top with fresh ingredients

Simple Fashion

Samantha Sophia — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 05:40:37 +0000

I love wearing something the compliments my curves and my personality. I recently bought this dress on clearance from BananaRepublic.com and paired it with my favorite pair of lady oxfords. It made for a splendid outfit that more than one person stopped and complimented me on.

When buying online it is imperative that you read the comments. I personally look for comments that indicate whether an item runs big or small and look for reponders that note “flatters curves” or “slimming“!

Light, Simple and Yummy Banana “Ice Cream”

Samantha Sophia — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 02:47:43 +0000

This quick and simple ice cream recipe is for those dieting, sensitive to dairy, avoiding a majority of processed foods or just want something yummy to eat.

Banana “Ice-Cream”

4 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced thin
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Freeze bananas on a single layer of parchment paper at least three hours. I keep peeled bananas frozen for smoothies so I used four of those and though they were not pre-cut, the results were awesome. In a food processor, pulse all the ingredients until the texture of soft serve ice cream and enjoy.

For a more gourmet presentation, mix finely chopped almonds with a little maple syrup and sea salt in a bowl and sprinkle over the banana ice cream. Recipe from the April 2013 Issue of Self Magazine.

FYI, down a total of 19 pounds since January 1, 2013.

Happy Easter!

Samantha Sophia — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 18:36:34 +0000

Happy Resurrection Sunday! In lieu of religious ritual, allow yourself to experience the true depth of love and what was done for our chance at salvation!

Turning a Business Trip into a Miniature Family Vacation

Samantha Sophia — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 03:20:35 +0000

This working Mom had this monster business trip scheduled to Georgia for a few days. As soon as my husband caught wind of it, he had to come. Just minutes away from his favorite nieces, whose parents dared move them away from Florida recently! Well, I was soon working out the logistics, turning a flight and two day trip to Georgia into a drive and four day mini vacation with the whole family.

Who knew that driving with two toddlers, one potty training, would be so laborious? Many hours and gas stations later, we arrived in the Atlanta area and were swarmed by the most gorgeous and wonderful nieces any aunt could ask for. Most of our time was spent talking amongst adults, getting caught up on every minute detail of their new life in Georgia. We had to make a trip to the biggest and best Asian market ever, where I bought snacks I had not had since my trip to Beijing. We played until the kids passed out from a mix of euphoria and exhaustion. When we said our tearful goodbyes so that we could check into our hotel and I could prepare for hours of meetings, we left with hearts swelling with joy and certainty that we would have to make the trip more often.

Somehow we made it work? We got a fix of family fun and I made it to my meeting on time both days, even though the first was a long drive from the suburbs so the family could get an extra day together. Sometimes business trips are dreadful and I spend most of the time missing my family. This time I was able to get work done and balance family.

Check out a few snap shots from our mini family vacations / business trip on Tripographer.com, a fun and easy way to stylishly and dynamically share trips.

Tripographer is crazy awesome because you can make photos more interesting, build a street view tour or slide show and share on all your favorite social networks.

This free site is perfect for anyone who loves sharing those special moments with friends across networking sites or even just one. The picture editor alone is worth signing up! But don’t take my word for it, try it yourself at http://tripographer.marriott.com/

Disclaimer: This post was done in partnership with The Niche Mommy Network and Conference. I’m totally not lying to you and tripographer.com is pretty awesome. Especially for a share crazy person like me that wants to brag about my Florida beach sunset on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram and Blogger. This is my opinion and though I was compensated for this, please know that I work for a living and the money was no where near substantial enough to buy my street cred!

Brown Buttered Brussel Sprouts and Mushrooms

Samantha Sophia — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 03:48:04 +0000

Trying to incorporate new veggies into our diet for nutritional variety. Believe it or not this made brussel sprouts and mushrooms delish!

1 lb brussel sprouts
half a cup chopped mushrooms
chopped onions
6 tbsp butter, divided
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and add butter and monitor carefully while browning (otherwise the butter burns and the whole house fills with smoke, like what happened to me the first time). When butter starts to brown it develops a toasty aroma.

Slice the sprouts in half lengthwise, removing any loose, outer leaves and trimming the bottom stems.

Chop mushrooms and toss with sprouts, chopped onion, salt and pepper.

Coat in browned butter

Bake 400F for 10-15 minutes (depending on size), or until browned.

And enjoy!

Paleo Blueberry Banana Bread (No Sugar Added)

Samantha Sophia — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 02:39:19 +0000

Nothing better than warm banana bread on a cold night. I love pastries and baked goods but I try to avoid processed sugar and flour. I want my food to be nutritional AND indulgent. You can imagine how happy I was to discover almond flour, which is high in protein with iron and a great alternative for those avoiding carbs.

Tonight I made my favorite paleo banana bread with a twist by adding more bananas and blueberries, here is the recipe:

Paleo Banana Bread

3 ripe bananas (about 1 ½ cups) mashed
1/2 cup blueberries
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon honey
¼ cup coconut oil
2 cups blanched almond flour
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Place bananas, eggs, vanilla, honey and shortening in a food processor
Pulse ingredients together
Pulse in almond flour, blueberries, salt and baking soda
Scoop batter into a greased (7.5 x 3.5 magic line loaf pan works great with nut breads)
Bake at 350° for 55-65 minutes (325° for 55 minutes for efficient gas stoves)
Remove from oven and allow to cool

Raising Child Raising Self

A Wonderful Weekend

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Touring Disney The Entitled Way

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A Touch of Spring

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Grass Fed Lemongrass Beef and Pho

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Simple Fashion

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Light, Simple and Yummy Banana “Ice Cream”

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Happy Easter!

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Turning a Business Trip into a Miniature Family Vacation

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Brown Buttered Brussel Sprouts and Mushrooms

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Paleo Blueberry Banana Bread (No Sugar Added)

Paleo Banana Bread

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