Holiday Gift Ideas | SoCal Savvy Mom

Dec 18
2013

Winner of Whole Foods Giveaway!

Thank you to all of you who entered our Whole Foods Giveaway! They loved hearing all the reasons everyone loves shopping at Whole Foods Encinitas and hope you continue to keep shopping there! We will be posting some fun upcoming events at the Encinitas store so stay tuned for those!

The winner is Jennifer! Jennifer the contact person at Whole Foods will be e-mailing you within the next couple days, to give you the $50 gift certificate. Congratulations Jennifer, and thanks again to everyone who entered our giveaway. Whole Foods gift certificate guidelines – It may either be printed or if you have a smart phone it can be loaded to your phone. Once it is downloaded on paper treat it like cash there is no replacement if it is lost or stolen.

Happy Holidays!

Whole Foods

Dec 14
2013

Cheese, desserts, more cheese and wine… Heaven.. close it is Whole Foods!

by Nicole Connerley

Incase you missed it let me fill you in on what was going on at Whole Foods Encinitas on Thursday at their Dressing Rehearsal. We arrived right at 6 because we didn’t want to miss out on any of the yummy tastings they had to offer. Our first stop was at Jackie’s Jams for a jample and it was pretty much the best jam I’ve ever had. Jackie’s Jams are made locally in San Diego and my favorite thing is they never use high fructose, corn syrup, coloring or flavoring.

If you are going to a holiday party and would like to bring a little something sweet Whole Foods has you covered! Tons of options and all decorated for the holiday season, with prices starting at only $2.99 you will be sure to find something amazing!

I am not going to lie my favorite stop on our sampling tour was in the wine department (shocking I know!) but the main reason is Steve! We were sampling 3 different Cabernet Sauvignon from 3 different price-points. The first was in the $10-$15 range and was nice and sweet, the next was in the $20-$25 range and was a smoother, and then the winner of course was the $30-$40 wine. Steve is so knowledgeable about every single wine in the store because he personally has hand-picked every bottle! I was able to tell him what type of wine I was looking for and he found me the most amazing bottle normally $40 on sale for $25, I grabbed that bottle of wine quick!

Whole Foods has literally everything you will need this holiday season whether you are hosting a party or going to a party and need to bring something. The pre-paid food items are not only delicious but made fresh everyday! Do yourself a favor and ‘Like’ Whole Foods Encinitas on Facebook, they post one-day sale items on the Facebook page that you will not want to miss! Happy Holidays!

Dec 11
2013

Hilarious Holiday fun @ Target!

by Nicole Connerley

I stopped by Target yesterday and couldn’t believe how many hilariously funny holiday items they have for sale! My favorite has to be the mustache wine stopper… who can resist doing this? Well, obviously not me! For only $9.99 you receive a adorable wine stopper and cork screw opener. I am having a holiday party this weekend and can’t wait to give these away as door prizes!

It is also a perfect item for a white elephant gift exchange. I found a few other pretty cute and hilarious items as well. There were a few different options for the little flasks, with funny things on them, but this has to be my favorite! I snagged a few because they are perfect for a stocking stuffer. Target has a full line of Hilarious Holiday items this season be sure to check them out!

There is also a full line of ugly sweaters unfortunately all of them were sold out at the Target in Encinitas, I was hoping to wear one to my party this weekend. Check your local Target for the #HilariousHoliday line!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post by Target, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Dec 10
2013

Breakfast with Santa @ Renaissance Sports Club!

by Nicole Connerley

SoCal Savvy Mom is excited to invite you to join us at Breakfast with Santa next Saturday, December 21st at 10:00 a.m. or on Sunday, December 22nd at 1:00 p.m. at Aliso Viejo Renaissance Sports Club! Bring your camera to snap pictures of your little one with Santa, and of course any letters they want to give to Santa. Breakfast will be the traditional faire with a few extras for the little ones. You will not want to miss this fun event!

Tickets are $24.95 for adults and $15.95 for children (ages 3-13) 2 and under are FREE. Must sign up before Friday December 13th! To sign up for Breakfast with Santa at Renaissance Sports Club simply call 949-330-5560. We look forward to seeing you there!!!

breakfast with santa

Dec 9
2013

Giveaway $50 to Whole Foods – Special Dressing Rehearsal in Encinitas 12/12/13

by Nicole Connerley

Join us at Whole Foods Encinitas this Thursday 12/12/13 from 6-8 pm. for a special event to get ready for the holidays! The event will host beer & wine parings and sampling, yes sampling! Whole Foods will also show off some of the amazing premier party dips with more samples! My favorite I already know is going to be the holiday cheese board and how to create a perfect one for your holiday party. There will also be coffee and seasonal treats as well, I almost died and went to heaven looking at the holiday treats in-store today!

Whole Foods asked me to share one of my favorite holiday recipes with all my items from my shopping trip today. I decided to make my goat cheese endive spears, always a HUGE hit at my parties. The recipe is very simple and so delicious everyone will think you spend hours preparing it.

4 oz. goat cheese
1 tbsp. honey
1/2 ts. black pepper
1/4 ts. thyme (fresh or dried)
2 heads endive
1/4 cup walnuts
On a baking sheet sprinkle walnuts and roast for 10 min at 350 in the oven. Once goat cheese is softened mix with honey, pepper, and thyme. Let the cheese sit in the refrigerator for 30-40 minutes. Once cheese has chilled spoon onto the endive spears and add a toasted walnut on top.

Incase you are wondering what exactly is an endive spear and what it looks like…
Love that you can buy nuts in BULK!

All of the ingredients needed to make the goat cheese endive spears.

The finished product!

Why I love Whole Foods…let me count the ways… there is an organic option for nearly every single item you can imagine, love the huge selection of items that you can’t find at most stores. My favorite thing about Whole Foods would have to be the staff, the staff that goes over and above any other store I go to. Everyone is so friendly, not to mention ready and willing to help you with anything. I always lose count of how many times I was asked “may I help you find something?” simply amazing!

Whole Foods has you covered if you are going to a holiday party and want to pick up a nice bottle of wine…There is a top ten list of wines all for under $25! Don’t forget to pick up some tonic and sparkling water to mix your drinks with as well!

I thought you mentioned a $50 Whole Foods Gift Certificate? Yes, yes I’m getting to that! To enter for the Whole Foods $50 gift certificate simply leave a comment on this post why Whole Foods is your favorite store!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post for Whole Foods Encinitas, all thoughts expressed are my own.

Dec 6
2013

Holiday events in San Diego December 7-8, 2013

by Nicole Connerley

Saturday, December 7

Holiday Parade @ Encinitas – Thousands of people will be on floats and in bands with tens of thousands more cheering them on as the 2013 Encinitas Holiday Parade rolls along Coast Highway 101. The parade begins at 5:30 p.m. and it is preceded by a 5:00 p.m. tree lighting ceremony a the Lumberyard (near Starbucks coffee). For more information click here.

Santa by the Sea @ L’Auberge Del Mar – The Del Mar Association and L’Auberge invite you to join them for the annual Christmas Tree Lighting in the amphitheater at 5 p.m. Directly after the tree lighting will be a special screening of the movie Elf. Bring your own camera for pictures with Santa and Mrs. Claus and your little ones, and enjoy the music by the Original Dickens Carolers. Other hightlights of the night are a Holiday Photo Booth, Snow, Holiday Cookie Tasting, Hot Cocoa, Cake Walk, Dance Performance, Hot Cocoa, Passport to the North Pole, Special Prizes, and Letters to Santa. For more information click here.

Holiday Open House @ Cedros Avenue – Support your local community and shop close to home this year! The Cedros district is hosting a Holiday Open House from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 pm. with live music, raffles & giveaways, refreshments, balloon animals and face painting, and fun in-store festivities and specials! For more information click here.

Sunday, December 8

Weekend with Santa @ Flower Hill Promenade – Enjoy children’s holiday activities Saturday & Sunday at the Flower Hill Promenade from 10:00 a.m. to noon. There will be make and take holiday crafts, photos with santa and yummy holiday treats. There is also a breakfast with Santa both Saturday and Sunday at Sea & Smoke for a small fee. For more information click here.

Christmas Parade & Holiday Festival @ La Jolla – The parade begins at 2 p.m. and the Holiday Festival will begin at 3:30 p.m., photos with Santa will be held at the Recreation Center at 3:30 pm. as well. The day comes to a close with the Christmas Tree Lighting at 4:30 pm.

Parade of Lights @ San Diego Bay – The San Diego Bay Parade of Lights is held two consecutive Sundays each year in December. The Parade begins at 5:30 p.m. and proceeds from Shelter Island past Harbor Island, the Embarcadero, Seaport Village, and Ferry Landing in Coronado.