last week i cooked & baked for a dinner event at the shop in laguna beach. it was an incredibly inspiring evening of food, and female business owners. the night culminated in an honest and moving talk by owner of mowellens, a CBD oil & wellness company.

for many years, i have used CBD products to sooth my anxieties and reduce inflammation & pain in my body. after a youth full of antibiotics, topical steroids, allergy and anxiety meds, i took my health back. even though it looks like i eat nothing but cake and drink nothing but vodka, it couldn’t be FURTHER from the truth. i believe in EVERYTHING IN MODERATION including treats and drinks. but for the most part, i eat really clean and have one cocktail a week. on friyay.

if CBD or THC aren’t for you, i hear you. if you freaking love them, i hear you. if you are nervous or scared to try, i hear you. do your research, listen to your heart and body, and go with your gut.

with all that being said, i wanted to highlight a CBD product i LOVE.

a spin client of mine turned me on to these delicious, light sprig sodas that come with a dose of CBD or THC oil. lately, when i’m wound up from a crazy week of work, i’ll make my friyay vodka soda a little extra special with a sprig. if you can’t get your hands on one of their scrumptious sodas, you could drop in a few drops of mowellens fabulous product (both have been tested by this little lady).

sage + sprig vodka soda

serves: 1 cocktail

prep time: 1 minute

active time: 2 minutes

total time: 3 minutes

ingredients: 2 oz vodka. 1 sprig soda (or as much as you can fit in your serving glass). 5 medium sage leaves, plus a few leaves for garnish. 1 cup ice. muddler. shaker.

start by filling your serving glass with ice and reserve 1 ice cube for your shaker. fill your shaker with the extra ice cube and the vodka. smash and tear your sage leaves, and add them to the vodka.

use your muddler to really smash up the sage leaves into the vodka so it infuses. about 1 minute.

use the shaker to strain your vodka as you pour it over your ice.

fill the glass with sprig soda.

garnish with sage leaves and serve.

xo, a

sage + sprig vodka soda

serves: 1 cocktail

prep time: 1 minute

active time: 2 minutes

total time: 3 minutes

ingredients: 2 oz vodka. 1 sprig soda (or as much as you can fit in your serving glass). 5 medium sage leaves, plus a few leaves for garnish. 1 cup ice. muddler. shaker.

start by filling your serving glass with ice and reserve 1 ice cube for your shaker. fill your shaker with the extra ice cube and the vodka. smash and tear your sage leaves, and add them to the vodka. use your muddler to really smash up the sage leaves into the vodka so it infuses. about 1 minute. use the shaker to strain your vodka as you pour it over your ice. fill the glass with sprig soda. garnish with sage leaves and serve.

this week was the calm before the storm. i took a little "spring break" along with all the kiddos i teach and gave myself the week off from cooking. next week is the beginning of what i'm hoping will be a very busy spring and summer season for our businesses. 

so i'm going to be hitting easter weekend with the family hard. i have to soak up every last second of freedom before i'm back in the kitchen for hours on end. it is a dream job, but still a job. 

with spring in full force and easter this weekend, i was feeling something, light, bright and fruity for cocktail time. wes and i found this delicious blood orange soda at our local produce store and i knew just what to do with it. 

sun kissed cooler
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 2 minutes
active time: 1 minute
total time 3 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz vodka. .5 cup citrus juice (i used a mixture of orange and blood orange). .25 cup citrus soda (or club soda if you don't like the extra sweetness). 1 tbs grenadine. 1 cup ice. start by filling your serving glass with ice. make sure you pour this drink in order and don't stir it. otherwise it will become one color before serving. 

start by combining your citrus juice and vodka. stir well to combine. 

pour your juice over the ice. 

then pour in your soda. 

finally add in your grenadine.

 garnish with an edible flower or citrus wheel and serve. 

xo, a

sun kissed cooler s
erves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 2 minutes
active time: 1 minute
total time 3 minutes
ngredients: 2 oz vodka. .5 cup citrus juice (i used a mixture of orange and blood orange). .25 cup citrus soda (or club soda if you don't like the extra sweetness). 1 tbs grenadine. 1 cup ice. start by filling your serving glass with ice. make sure you pour this drink in order and don't stir it. otherwise it will become one color before serving. start by combining your citrus juice and vodka. stir well to combine. pour your juice over the ice. then pour in your soda. finally add in your grenadine. garnish with an edible flower or citrus wheel and serve.