Okay so it’s not actually Earth’s birthday today but I’ll say happy birthday Earth every day because, Animal Planet! And I love that today especially, we can be extra vocal about showing our support for environmental protection. Corrine is always challenging Joe and I to be more eco friendly, more environmentally conscious, and to use as many sustainable products as we can. One of the perks of having a smart and very self aware daughter is how she’ll educate you and make you just as aware, I love it <3
Some things we do around our home to ensure we’re contributing as much as we can to keeping our planet inhabitable are:
sustainable reusable rounds – to remove makeup, to apply toner and other skin care products, a cute lil wash cloth for my face that takes place of disposable cotton rounds
reusable diapers for lil Ace face – instead of disposable diapers we use reusable ones for him and even though they’re a pain in the ass to clean, it’s so worth it
metal straws for home and collapsible straws for travel – these take the place of disposable straws at home and the collapsible straw is so convenient when you’re out and about and it’s compact and clean
Silicone storage bags – takes the place of plastic sandwich and storage bags and I LOVE them!
Swell reusable water bottle – by far the EASIEST thing we can all do is bring our own water bottle around and our own bags to the grocery store
Bee’s wax reusable food wrap – takes the place of plastic wrap and I love that the warmth of your hands to shape the wax is what turns it into the ‘wrap’ that covers containers, seals leftovers, and keeps air out of your baked goods. My brother in law gifted me this for Christmas last year and it’s been a game changer
That’s the thing, one little thing you do, one small habit you change, contributes to the BIG picture. I swear watching Planet Earth and Animal Planet on Netflix has changed me, I’m really intrigued by our oceans too. So today and everyday I would love for us all to do our part to protect our home <3 It’ll help ensure that it flourishes for generations to come, for my baby’s babies and your baby’s babies!
What are some things you do to lower your carbon footprint, be more environmentally conscious, and eco friendly?
Happy Friday!!! Today I’m back with another installment of our holiday cocktail series featuring my favorite smokey beverage, Banhez Mezcal! This is Santa’s Helper Pt 2, the follow up to Episode 1 and in this recipe we sweeten with agave instead of our homemade cranberry syrup and I love the addition of cranberry bitters! So if you’re pressed for time and need to whip together something fancy and fast, this is for you!
Don’t forget I’m hosting an exciting GIVEAWAY with Banhez which includes the entire cocktail creating kit you see in this video! PLUS a 1L bottle of Banhez Mezcal so now you can make these cocktails at home! All you have to do to enter is comment on this post and the other two episodes by Monday and I’ll pick the winner next week! To purchase a bottle of Banhez for yourself and a friend (ahem this makes the perfect gift) I’ll link you HERE!
Santa’s Helper #2
2 oz Banhez Ensemble
1/4 oz agave
2 dashes Fee Brother’s Old Fashioned Bitters
2-4 dashes Fee Brother’s Cranberry Bitters (modify for how much of that cranberry flavor you want)
Stir in Japanese stirring glass (or pint glass) with a long spoon until you can easily move the spoon through the ice. Strain into a rocks glass with ice, garnish with orange zest and a rosemary sprig.
Banhez Pro Tip: this recipe is easy to batch but given how spirit-forward it is, it can lose flavor the longer it sits in ice, so keep that in mind 😉
Tada! It’s sweet and tangy, light yet flavorful, and the smokiness of the Banhez Mezcal won’t go unnoticed! This is one of my favorites because of how quickly you can stir together the ingredients given most of them are already in your pantry!
Give this a try and let me know what you think, I know you’re gonna want to batch this! P.S. did you hear that I’m hosting a giveaway featuring this beautiful set below?! Enter in the comments, good luck <3
Giveaway Entry Rules:
– must be 21+ years old to enter
– winner will be selected at random
– enter as many times as you like, the more you enter, the more chances you have to win!
– an ‘entry’ is a comment on all 3 of my Banhez Mezcal cocktail recipes that’s here on my blog. Here’s Epi 1 and Epi 3 for you, be sure to comment on all 3 articles and good luck!
– stumped on what comment to leave? Tell me a fun fact about yourself or what your plans are for the holidays!
– and drink responsibly always please and thank you <3 , love Mama Lizama
‘Tis the season for sharing your favorite recipes and sweet treats with the people you love, and today I’m sharing with you a very special series! I’m teaming up with Banhez Mezcal to bring you some holiday themed cocktails just in time for your next party or festive gathering.
Today’s installment, jovially named Santa’s Helper, is the first of three that will all be launching here this week. During the video where I make this drink live with you, you’ll hear me refer to the ‘Banhez ensemble’ and I say that because Mezcal is made from 100% agave, but this one is a blend of two, which creates a very mixable spirit, perfect for cocktails!
Before we jump into the recipe I want to tell you why I chose to partner with Banhez. They’re the only mezcal that is Farm Family (37 and growing) owned (co-operative in Oaxaca Mexico) and they believe that a strong foundation comes from a strong community. So closely related to my own brand ethos, community building and story sharing is so important to me. I love that they’re filled with heritage which is so often celebrated, and that honoring the land is such a huge part of the Banhez mission.
So to continue with this theme of gratitude and community, I’m hosting a giveaway with Banhez just for YOU! Today through the 21st you’ll be able to enter my Banhez Mezcal giveaway, right here just by commenting below! So I hope you follow along and enter each step of the way, you’ll have multiple chances to win and the prize is valued at over $250! Entry details are below, following the recipe <3
Santa’s Helper:
2 oz Banhez Ensemble
3/4 oz Cranberry syrup**
2 dashes Fee Brother’s Old Fashioned Bitters
Orange zest
Sprig of rosemary
Begin by preparing the Cranberry Syrup and then begin to build the yumminess!
**Cranberry Syrup:
1 can of cranberry sauce, any consistency will work
1 cup of water
1/2 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 teaspoon of salt
Dashes of whatever spice you’d like- I used 1/4 tsp of cinnamon and 1/4 tsp of nutmeg
1) To prepare the cranberry syrup simply put all the ingredients together in a Japanese stirring glass (or pint glass) and mix until smooth. Double strain solids through a sieve and bottle the remaining syrup in a mason jar or air tight container. If you’d like to make this recipe in bulk simply double or triple the recipe and it should last in your refrigerator for about two weeks.
2) Now for the cocktail part, in a large shake tin combine together the Banhez ensemble, cranberry syrup that you just made, and bitters over ice. Shake shake shake and then strain into a rocks glass with ice, garnish with orange zest and a rosemary sprig.
I truly hope you give this cocktail a taste and let me know what you think! Banhez Mezcal is best when enjoyed with friends as it’s made with the spirit of community, and is meant to be shared with yours. I’m so happy to support a brand that has so much heart and that’s where my excitement to share this series with you comes from.
As I mentioned before, I have two more holiday themed cocktails featuring Banhez coming your way this week so stay tuned and don’t forget to enter the GIVEAWAY below in the comments section! The lucky winner will receive this gift here, featuring a 1 Liter bottle of Banhez Mezcal and this entire beautiful cocktail creating set!So enter enter enter this is a good one!
I hope you know I love hearing from you all so you’ll have to tell me if you’ve tried Banhez Mezcal before. Is there a recipe I should make for myself and share with everyone? Sharing is caring, tell me all the things! Thank you for being a part of this series with me, to purchase Banhez Mezcal for yourself or as a gift (yay they’ll ship before Christmas if you order now!) you can order HERE! I chose to feature Banhez because it’s special to me as is my platform. Especially because they’re proudly Mexican, full of heart and heritage, made up of cocktails and artisanal dreams, and built by the spirit of community. What’s not to love, look at these smiles!
Giveaway Entry Rules:
– must be 21+ years old to enter – winner will be selected at random – enter as many times as you like, the more you enter, the more chances you have to win! – an ‘entry’ is a comment on all 3 Banhez Mezcal cocktail articles here on the blog, here’s Epi 2 and Epi 3! Be sure to enter on ALL 3 blog articles! – stumped on what comment to leave? Tell me a fun fact about yourself or what your plans are for the holidays! I love learning more about you guys! – and drink responsibly as always please and thank you <3 , love Mama Lizama
Feel free to send this to a friend who would like to enter as well, the more the merrier! Tis the season of sharing so cheers to you and yours from me and mine <3
Interested in learning more about Banhez? I’ve linked you here:
The art of being a woman, I mean damn, it’s an art. We navigate through life with tenacity and tact, grace and gratitude. So the story goes like this – my insanely talented and driven friend Alexandra wrote a book called The Art Of Being A Woman and I went to her launch party last night, which inspired this post. I was honored to have been on a panel with some pretty incredible talent where we discussed women’s issues, finding balance in life as a woman, and what we believe the art of being a woman means. My quote at the end of the panel was short and sweet, “we’re sexy, we smell good, we’re powerful, and we birth life”.
Among many things I also think ladies can be pretty bad ass when it comes to being savvy with our money and smart about our finances. Bargain shopping, that’s what I’m getting at here folks. You foxy babes will patiently sift and search, until you find the perfect piece . . . just like we find our husbands! KIDDING! In all seriousness though, the money I save bargain shopping is money I save for my kiddo. This write up is really to encourage you to pick up and read Alex’s book for insight and inspiration, AND to entice you with frugality. Because you can’t feel guilty when you shop and saving your hard earned money for a life you deserve is a very real thing. Yes, I am the queen of segues.
Lets be real, you’ll never find me in a high-end department store purchasing shoes that cost more than $50, or having the latest and greatest hand bag, or even knowing what those brands are- that’s just not me (that Tom Ford lippy there, on sale!). I have nothing but love for those of you who splurge on the finer things in life, I’d just rather find them on sale! So I’m gonna share with you my number one secret for this summer . . . having this season’s hottest accessories for literally 95% off. Crazy talk I know.
I fell deep into an Instagram hole, as we all do at 3am … and found so many adorably cute jewelry companies. I wanted these earrings so badly until I found out they were $96 and wanted to chuck my phone at the wall before I remembered that Joe was asleep next to me and refrained. Needn’t worry though, your girl found these (just as beautiful) dupes for $5.90! Forever 21 y’all. Also this is not an ad #ipaidforthis. I swooned and maybe even squeaked a lil over these Circle Cutout Ear Jackets because they’re very similar to their $84 step sisters but for a ridiculously lower price point.
And check it, these Filigree Drop Earrings are only $4.90 compared to the $95 earrings that I was side eyeing because classic, and for less than 6 bucks you can have this summer’s hottest trend- the tasseled duster earrings, which I found for $75+ on other sites. You may think quality above all else but if you’re like me and you lose earrings like you lose socks (where do those lone socks even go?!) than this is just fine for you *snap snap
Insane right?! Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE beautiful things and sometimes we just get what we pay for and we wanna splurge on whatever the hell we want. DO IT! But also sometimes not. I’d personally rather invest my money in experiences and traveling with my family. I also want to be out of college student loan debt, I want a house, and I don’t want to worry about my daughter struggling in her future, I want all of that. So I save and I save and this is one of the many ways that I do that. Also, no one will even know that you’re not on brand and if they do they’re standing too close.
So that’s the lesson for today, my Mama Lizama Moment if you will- to run, not walk on over to snag a book from my girl Alex, and to save where you can by indulging on some thangs and not on others. The art of being a woman to me also includes being financially free and dammit if that means I shop sales for the rest of my life so I can have that big ol’ house than I’ll do it! This was a simple trick that I wanted to share with you, a quirky way to be all trendy but not break the bank and I hope some of my ways help you too!
What does the art of being a woman mean to you? If you could describe it in one word what would it be? I should’ve added “financially savvy” to my last quote 😉
It’s kind of a big deal here in California when things actually bloom! So you can imagine how we straight F L O C K to sights like these poppy blooms in Antelope Valley. Fields of rolling hills and open spaces just covered in vibrant flowers – it was an Instagram dream!
There’s distinct trails that you’ll want to trek along when visiting the blooms and if you detour off path not to worry, a park ranger will be sure to kindly redirect you LOL
How marvelous are these meadows! Pro tip: stay on track to avoid snakes (or so we hear?) and please be careful not to step on or disturb the flower beds. We saw a lot of spectators running around in them and I cringed at the thought of a crawly critter jumping up BUT also them stomping the beautiful blooms away! As our camp director once said, “leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but pictures” lol
Leaving you with some hill-hiking fashion courtesy David, Corrine’s boyfriend who helped her capture all of these beautiful images! I hope you make your way to find some flowers and fun adventures for yourself this summer! Picnics out in nature are one of the best things ever given to us by the world, do it!
Do you have trails of blooms where you live? Does it cause quite the commotion like our breathtaking poppy fields do? Share pictures!
It’s about time I thank Portland for its sole contribution to my expanding waist line LOL Anyone else? No, just me mkayyy. Well if you’ve ever savored the flavors of Salt & Straw, relished in a creamy cheese by Tillamook , or basked in the light of the combined ice cream + Tillamook’s brand, than you too can send this post to Portland as a thank you.
A lot of Portland’s local sensations have made their way out of the big city into some of our own towns, and have I mentioned Salt & Straw yet?! Okay if that name sounds unfamiliar to you, please locate one asap, go overindulge and thank me later. In the meantime, we have our friends Karissa and Sebastian to thank for hand delivering us to this deliciousness this past weekend!
A recent addition to Los Angeles from the great city of Portland is Voodoo Donuts. I have to say, there’ve been a lot of conflicting verdicts when it comes to if the donuts are delicious or not. Can I just emphasize here . . . they’re DONUTS! I personally don’t have a palette advanced enough to turn down a donut, even if it were on the floor of a subway station. Oh I’d take a second glance! 😉
So we gave it a go after seeing a ton of Instagram photos showing off their picks at their newest location in Universal City Walk. After a half hour wait we were there, at the front door, aroma and all! Lots of photo ops, they know what they’re doing!
And what was our ruling? Well our group was elbow deep in fried fluffy pastry bread, milk, and there were a lot of happy dances happening lol Again, they’re just donuts, who doesn’t love donuts?! But I get it, if I’m comparing Voodoo donuts to places like Dunkin Donuts, Yum Yum’s, or any other donut place, there really isn’t one.
Sorry if that’s disappointing, but honestly if you placed two donuts in front of me, one from Voodoo and one from Yum Yum’s, I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. Wrapping this up I’ll say this, Voodoo Donuts may be pricey, they may be all fancy looking with their fancy toppings, but I’ll give ’em this, they’re yummy. They make a signature donut called the Voodoo Doll and it’s damn delicious!
I suggest you make a trip over there and try a box of donuts for yourself, see how you feel about them! And don’t be alarmed but this was the only photo I got of said Voodoo Doll person, it was too delicious to wait haha
Any newness in your hood? I hear we have a new coffee shop opening much like Philz Coffee and I couldn’t be happier about it! I love coffee! I love dessert! I love food!
The perks of raising the world’s most perfect flower child is that she knows when anything zen-y and cool is happening in our area! Mercado Segrado in Topanga Canyon is an artisan goods and healthy eats event that happens annually and we’ve turned it into a family tradition. Full of organic food options, art, and hand crafted goods, if you love festivals than you’ll love this one. We especially love supporting local artists and eating from locally sourced venues!
This year, the background for the event was the grounds of Paramount Ranch in Agoura. It’s an old western set, with open spaces, barns, and buildings that look like they came straight out of a John Wayne film. The festival in past years have been held in Topanga Canyon but each year it becomes larger and this location didn’t disappoint!
We had a few favorite vendors that we kept popping our heads into to check out, Earth + Element being one of them! She makes some of the most beautiful ceramics you’ve ever seen, a ’boutique with a conscience’ <3 Their Moon Mugs are out of this world beautiful, check them out if you love ceramics like we do. And DL Skateboards– we couldn’t get over the craftsmanship and admired their boards throughout the day.
Each skateboard is handcrafted from a single piece of solid oak wood, they’re gripped with sand from Topanga Canyon, and the wheels and hardware are all made with parts from right here in California. How awesome is that?! If that weren’t convincing enough for you to go check them out, you should know that they also believe in the bartering system! Yes, you can barter for a board lol that’s the damn best! If I had a military issue canvas tent (ahem dad send me one from your basement!) to barter with, it’d be for the Deep Sun board. It’s my favorite, the colors just make me happy!
And of course, no travel post of ours is complete without a food photo! Pictured here is mango sticky rice. Made to perfection, this was one of many eats and treats featured at Mercado Segrado and we would’ve ordered another one if the line weren’t so long, it was one of the most popular dishes!
Pro tips: Wear comfy shoes- you’ll be walking around on unsteady rock all day, bring a hat and sunscreen- it’s an open space and you’ll want to explore the grounds, and get there when it opens- it’s nice to visit each pop-up tent and vendor there, and then have a seat to listen to one of the live performances take place. Take it all in it only happens once a year.
Do you have any local events near you that you HAVE to go to each time they come around again?
Everything you need to know about having a successful launch at the Rise Festival from someone who maybe-almost-kind-of didn’t have a perfect night at the coveted lantern ceremony. Could have been disastrous.
It was on Miya’s bucket list to cross off the Rise festival from her to do’s this year, which is I believe, one of the most breath taking and spiritual events you can ever partake in. So of course I told her to count me IN! Our Rise Festival took place about 32 miles northeast of Las Vegas in the middle of the desert and was the perfect setting for what would be one of the most intense visceral experiences either one of us had ever felt! You’ll see!
1. Have your tickets mailed to you – if this is an option do it. Will Call was 45 minutes away from the event and completely out of the way unless you were already staying in Vegas. It would’ve been MUCH easier if they’d made tickets available ON site, in alphabetical order … ya know, the same way they distributed the lanterns and mats. LOLZ 2. Fuel up before entering the site – the location is sooo in the middle of the desert that you should enter Moapa Travel Center into your GPS as it’s on the Moapa River Reservation. If you’re parking in the lot instead of using the shuttle system (those never seem to be the best option for me) than you’re not going to want to fill up at 11pm in the middle of nowhere. 3. Arrive early – The earlier the better I think. We arrived at Will Call around 3pm and then got to the event around 4:30pm, which made for PERFECT timing. We were able to grab a drink, take some awesome photos during the most spectacular sunset, order food from the food trucks BEFORE all hell broke loose, and write our intentions onto our lanterns while there was still light out. 4. Layer up and tote a bandana– Did I mention we were in the desert? lol Once the sun went down it was actually kind of chilly and windy out. Layers will keep you warm and a bandana of some sort will keep the sand out of your nose. We were blowing chimneys out of our nostrils when we got back to our hotel later that night. 5. TO LIGHT THE LANTERN – the most important part right! To Actually getting your lantern to rise and be with the 10,000 others! So thankfully they passed out an extra lantern to all of the participants as we only purchased one lantern each. Well the wind decided to pick up JUST as we lit our torches, and as I lit the fuel cell, the flame burned holes throughout my lantern making the first two attempts a big fat fail. Also it was momentarily disastrous as lanterns flew by my head and flames zipped by my very heavily hair sprayed hair. But we ducked and dodged, and third time’s a charm! Here’s what we learned:
– You need someone to help you hold the lantern upright so that the lantern walls stay open and don’t collapse onto your flame. Preferably all of your friends (make this a whole group event!) will hold your lantern up right until the heat has filled the lantern and it’s ready to rise on its own.
– Light the fuel cell with the tiki torch until the entire fuel cell is on fire, this takes a few minutes. Pro top: remove the paper wrapper surrounding the fuel cell BEFORE lighting it on fire.
– Once the fuel cell is red with fire, as your friends hold up the walls of your lantern, slowly take your lantern towards the ground. This will help to keep the wind out of your way and allow the flame a chance to create enough heat to fill your lantern with hot air.
– Once you feel your lantern start to naturally tug away and lift from your light grips, slowly stand up and allow the lantern to release! Boom, you did it!
It only took me THREE tries to get my lantern to rise, but when it did, I legit cried. It was so moving, symbolic, and serene! To watch your lantern float away among thousandssss of other lanterns, lighting up the night sky, it was so surreal!
Oh, and they had a live band playing on stage … so imagine writing your hopes, dreams, and prayers onto this ‘intention lantern’ with thousands of other people, in the middle of the desert, enjoying the breeze, all WHILE being serenaded with beautiful music. Right?! Unbelievable.
I uploaded the video of my lantern and I (the ‘3rd one’s a charm’ one) and our festival moments onto my Instagram account if you want to experience it <333
P.S. oh and don’t bother waiting in the 183,821 person line to get your photo in front of the RISE sign. I mean you can if you’re into that kind of thing but Miya and I took ours behind the sign and didn’t have to wait for didly. Just tell people to mirror the image in their minds.
Have you ever heard of this kind of event? Have you been? Would you want to go? I hope this post was helpful if you do!
It was such an inspiring experience in Venice Beach this weekend as I joined AT&T on the final stop of the Road to Rio tour! We celebrate and send off the US Olympic and Paralympic Team that AT&T has been a sponsor of for 30 years, and I got to connect with the #ATT-Fanmate community. I even tried my hand at a few activities that were on site simulating some of the Olympic sports!
The events were free and open to the public, held outside of the Venice Beach Recreation Center and it couldn’t have been a more perfectly beautiful summer day! The crowd really turned out as we all enjoyed the AT&T Road to Rio Trailers that were set up around the AT&T Main Stage. From a virtual reality experience in an Olympians point of view, to zip lining, and fun green screen photo activities, it was a fun and engaging afternoon.
We also got the opportunity to meet some Team USA athletes and enjoy live performances on the AT&T Main Stage by Hailee Steinfeld, Heffron Drive, Rachel Platten and others! Look at that view! I got to enjoy the excitement from the best seat in the house!
The best part of the day was sharing a special message to Team USA. I told them that we’re all so proud of them and that they’re already winners to us! I can’t imagine the dedication and perseverance it takes to become an Olympian! This weekend was all about connecting our community and having fun while communicating appreciation for the games and everything surrounding the Olympics and Paralympics.
It’s motivating being an AT&T Fanmate and I especially experienced that this weekend being among all of the fans and the fun! Join me and connect at attfanmate.com and follow along with the hashtag #ATTFanmate! Don’t forget to tune in as Team USA competes at the Olympic Games starting August 5th!
What would’ve been your favorite activity to do this weekend? Do you have a special message for Team USA?! Good luck to our Olympians!
This post is proudly brought to you in partnership with AT&T
