Come get to know the newest Flagship Walgreens store in San Francisco! #SFWAG

I was invited to the opening of the Walgreens store opening by Collective Bias®.  I was compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias ™ and Walgreens #CBias #SocialFabric  All Opinions are my own.

There is one store that I always go to if I just need to pick something up really quick, if I ran out of diapers at 9 pm, and where I've picked up medication and prescriptions for years. That store is always my neighborhood Walgreens.

For so long I've always gone to Walgreens for household illnesses, a gallon of milk, or even a little toy for the kids. Shampoo, nail polish, and a variety of clearance products, there's always something I need to pick up that I can find there. It's always been that one-stop-shop and somehow it's always managed to be the closest little store by my house, no matter how many times I've moved. It's that store that's dependable, and I love it even more now that they've developed a rewards card.

Last week, my love for Walgreens was intensified ten-fold!!! I was invited to attend the grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony of the brand new Walgreens in San Francisco. This wasn't the opening of just any old store.This was the opening of a Flagship store in the heart of Downtown San Francisco. Located at 134 Powell Street on the corner of Powell and O'Farrell. 

In San Francisco, all the buildings are big and grand. It's part of that wonderful San Francisco experience. If you were to just walk past this particular Walgreens, you wouldn't even notice that it's about 18,000 square feet inside, or that it's a 2-story Walgreens. I love that! When you walk in the door, it literally takes your breath away. This store takes one-stop-shopping to an entirely new level!

The Walgreens "flagship" style stores are designed to compliment the communities where they exist by supporting the Walgreens vision of becoming "My Walgreens" for everyone in America, the first choice for health and daily living.

This is just a glimpse of what the first level has in store. I walked in the front door and didn't know where to start!

The Main level has hundreds of fresh food items including produce and high-quality, on-the-go meal options such as wraps, sandwiches and salads made fresh daily.

Fresh salads and sandwiches, at Walgreens? Seriously?! I've always stopped at Walgreens before our kids football games to stock up on snacks, candy and drinks, but I've never seen one that has such a huge choice of fresh and healthy choices!

Here there's a large choice of sushi, cakes, burritos and other meals. I've never seen anything like it, and yes I purchased that Red Velvet cake, and it was DIVINE!

Here we have more salad, yogurt and fresh fruit, vegetables with dips, hummus and other meal options. What more could you want?

Even more salads! These look pretty delicious, I'd say!

The store's expanded features also include several flavors of self-serve frozen yogurt accompanied by an enticing toppings bar. I love the screen above that shows all of the various flavors and combination choices.

There's an Upmarket Cafe, offering a barista preparing fresh brewed premium coffee and espressos. A juice and smoothie bar featuring fresh fruits and vegetables included in distinct recipes that are named after various San Francisco landmarks and areas. I also love that the Upmarket logo is on a look-alike bridge, which is one of the most famous landmarks of San Francisco.

Fresh juice, chilled and ready to go!

Local, freshly baked goods are also available.


More baked goods and desserts brought in daily by local bakers.

There's a robust selection of beer, wine and spirits and quality products appropriate to celebrate special occasions. Once again, more distinctive signs showcasing what makes the San Francisco Bay Area unique!

There's even a replica display of Ghirardelli Square that will pay homage to Ghirardelli's local history and will offer one of the largest selections of Ghirardelli premium chocolates and gift selections in the San Francisco area. It's beautiful, and they were on sale with your Rewards card!

Towards the back of the downstairs area, you can find the California Fresh Market. This has fresh produce and dairy products, many from local farmers.

Also towards the back of the downstairs area is a large variety of souvenirs that can be found through local vendors on the streets of San Francisco. I love all the aprons, oven mitts and of course the mugs!

It was time to go upstairs, and see what more this store had to offer (as if I hadn't already seen more than enough!) The pharmacy is located upstairs, as well as the health and beauty products. This store isn't your average drugstore with a few aisles of makeup and hair care. Oh no! This is home to the LOOK Boutique. Think of a high end department store, and the feel of their cosmetics department. That is what you get when you arrive in the LOOK Boutique.

Now I know I'm a foodie and this is mainly a food and recipe blog, but before I knew how to cook I always knew makeup, hair and eyebrows. I'm a glamour girl at heart, and I was LOVING the upstairs area.

This is Marcia, and she made us feel special by giving us all a personal and private tour before the doors were officially open. She showed us all around the Beauty and LOOK Boutique.
As you can see in the background, this is no ordinary beauty department at Walgreens. It has the look and feel of high end beauty products. Beautiful hardwood floors and natural lighting overhead. It's the epitome of everything you want when you go shopping for beauty items. Impressed is an understatement.

One of the first things that caught my eye was the Demeter Fragrance Library. This has many fun scents and you are more than welcome to try any and all scents. These are fun, because you can combine a few together to create your own custom scent! There's so many to choose from!

Here's a few of my favorites. Of course, they smell like food. So even when I'm not in the kitchen, I can smell like I was cooking something delicious! Fun, right?

This is another fun item, it's a lip gloss by Gosh Cosmetics. There's a mirror on the cap and the gloss stick lights up! So if you're in a dimly lit restaurant, you can still apply your gloss without the guesswork. Love it, and the colors of the entire line are gorgeous!

I was invited to attend this event with a few other local bloggers, and I loved our group! I "borrowed" this photo from Isis at Bay Area Mommy, and hope she doesn't mind!! From left to right is Isis, Shannon from The Mommy Files, our tour guide Marcia, Brandi from Mama Knows It All, and little ol' me!

Right next to the huge windows with perfect natural light shining through is the Ramy Eyebrow Bar. Here, you can find expert brow shaping and grooming services.

Ramy is a well known eyebrow guru, and he trains each of associates himself. He had some great tips and was very friendly. Isis from Bay Area Mommy got her eyebrows done and we were amazed at what a transformation it was. Her brows were gorgeous to start with, but he gave it a little oomph! That's me pictures above with him. I was too chicken to get my brows done, but looking back I wish I had!

There's Shannon from The Mommy Files getting her shopping on! We had a blast!

I loved the Social Command Center, it was displaying all the tweets and photos from twitter that came up with the hashtag #SFWAG, go check out everyone's tweets about this event!

Once our tour was over, it was time for the ceremonies for the day and then the grand opening! These guys spoke of the long history of Walgreens and why San Francisco was chosen for the next flagship store. This store is the first flagship store located in Northern California and employs about 90 employees, creating 50 new jobs! The San Francisco Mayor, Edwin Lee, came and proclaimed it was "Official Walgreens Day" in San Francisco!

Once the speeches were done, the ribbon cutting ceremony began and the store was now open for business! It was only right since we were in the heart of San Francisco that dragons came through the building to bring good luck! I love that the culture of San Francisco was evident in so many ways in this store. It is definitely unique and one of a kind because of it.

"50 Reasons to Love San Francisco" and Walgreens is now one of them. I'd have to agree!

Walgreen's core purpose is to help people get, stay and live well. Everywhere I went in the store, there was a friendly face that would offer assistance, and smile and say "Be Well". I love that! Nothing beats a friendly smile and extraordinary customer service. That, combined with everything in this store equates to a lovely shopping experience.

This store is unlike any drugstore you've seen before, and it provides a differentiated experience from what you would normally expect. For even more photos of my experience at this Walgreens, check out my Google Plus photo album! 

Friday Letters - May 10, 2013

Dear RoRo & D-Man,
You guys did so well with your haircuts last Friday night. It's so easy now to wash up and go! I'm glad you guys did well and are cool in the summer without all that hair!

Dear Boobie,
I'm so proud of you starting a new job!! Keep up the great work son, with a desire to succeed you can do anything!

Dear New Walgreen's in San Francisco,
I love you!! I was so fortunate to have the opportunity to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony and get a private tour prior to the store opening. This store is absolutely amazing! I also got to meet some wonderful women - Brandi from Mama Knows it All, Shannon from The Mommy Files, and Isis from Bay Area Mommy, as well as countless other friendly faces! I couldn't have been with a better group, everyone was so friendly, and everywhere I turned a Walgreen's employee would greet me, then end the conversation with "Be Well." Seriously, the best store ever, and I'll have more info in another blog post coming up soon! So be on the lookout.

and last but most definitely not least,
Dear CC,
You were my husbands best friend of almost 20 years, godfather to my son D-Man, you and your wife were one of the first families I became close with when we moved out of the bay area and in to the suburbs. I have many memories with you DJ'ing New Year's Eve parties and local High School dances, watching our kids at the football games while your daughters cheered and my boys played football. You gave Boobie his nickname on that football field, and you guys were his biggest cheerleaders. I remember at the games you'd always be listening to your music, and when you weren't in your music moments you were talking trash to all of us about football. You loved your Chi-town teams and made sure everyone knew! You were at my wedding and reception, all our kids dancing together and performing for us, you won the string game at my baby shower, countless BBQ's and get-togethers..I could go on and on. Unfortunately we lost you so unexpectedly this week, and you will be sorely missed. We promise to do whatever we can to take care of your ladies (wife & daughters) and watch out for them. Love you CC! <3

Fish Tacos with Creamy Fish Taco Sauce

Growing up in California, I've always had access to Mexican food in many forms. From fast food, to Tex-Mex, taco trucks, taquerias, and even the nice fancy authentic restaurants. So it's no wonder that I make burritos, quesadillas, beans, taco salads, enchiladas, tacos and many other dishes. I love Mexican food, and one of my families favorite meals is fish tacos. I remember one time I went to this one little place that served the best fish tacos. I was hooked, and when that particular restaurant closed down I was heartbroken. I had to recreate them! These aren't the same thing, unfortunately, but they are still oh so good. This is one of my families favorite meals, and I especially love to start including it in my regular rotation of meals through the Spring and Summer months. Something about that lemony sweet breaded fish with the creamy sauce with hints of lime and spice. Delicious!!

Fish Taco Ingredients:

• 3 Roma tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
• 1 green onion, sliced
• dash cumin
• 4 tablespoons lime juice, divided
• 2 cups Cole slaw
• dash ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 1 pound fish (tilapia)
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons parsley
• 1-1/2 teaspoons lemon pepper
• 2 teaspoons ground cayenne pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• canola oil
• 2 lemons
• 1 cup cheese (cheddar/monterey jack cheese)
• taco sized corn tortillas
• 1-2 avocados (optional)

Creamy Fish Taco Sauce Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I use a light version)
• 1/2 cup sour cream (I use a light version)
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/4 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder

Directions:

I like to make the add on's first, that way the seasonings and spices can set while I prepare the fish.

In a dish or bowl, combine the tomatoes, cilantro, green onion, cumin and 3 tablespoons of lime juice.
Mix and combine, then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

In a separate bowl or dish combine the Cole slaw, pepper, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon lime juice.
Mix, combine, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Combine all of the ingredients for the creamy fish sauce.
Mix well, refrigerate until ready to use.

Combine flour, cornmeal, parsley, lemon pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, salt, garlic powder, and sugar in a dish or plate. Mix all ingredients until well combined.

Cut each tilapia fillet in half, then dredge in the cornmeal/flour mixture until it is well coated.
Pour canola oil in a large skillet or frying pan over medium heat. You want it to be enough oil to reach the sides of the fish, but not completely cover it (fish cooks fast, it will fall apart!)

Once oil is warmed, add fish and begin to fry each side until it's a gorgeous golden color. 

Once the fish is golden and done, remove from heat and immediately douse with lemon juice from a lemon.
Let cool while the remaining fish cooks. Generously squeeze lemon over all pieces, once when removed from the heat, and once before you build your taco.

Once the fish is done frying, heat up your tortillas.
Then add the Cole slaw, fish, then drizzle with the creamy sauce.

Seriously, I could eat it just like that. Yum.

Add tomato/cilantro mixture, then top with cheese.

I also add avocado, simply because I'm obsessed with them.
Big G adds hot sauce, he's obsessed with that! These are great served with my crock-pot refried beans or my black bean medley (pictured with the tacos).

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday to Me!

I wasn't going to write this post, but since I always create a special one for each member of my family on their special day, I figure it's OK to celebrate me too!

My new phone, isn't she pretty!?

Yesterday was my birthday, and I had a wonderful day spent with my family and loved ones. I got a lot of flowers and balloons, and little special things that made my day sweet, and my amazing husband got me the new phone I've been needing. Yes, I said needing! My phone got to a point where I wasn't getting calls, I had to rig it in a special way just to hold a charge, and the memory on it was so full I couldn't use any additional apps and couldn't take any more photos. Because of the broken charging port, I couldn't back it up either to remove the photos either. 

None of that matters anymore though, because now I have a new one! My day was made! But the best gift I received was to be able to spend the day with my beautiful family! Aging isn't too bad when you're surrounded with those that make you feel loved, appreciated, and oh-so special! I love my family!

Now I'll share with you just a few photos of me, before I became Mama Harris. Let's take a trip down memory lane, shall we?

Okay, so this isn't me. This is my parents, so young and beautiful, on their wedding day.
Obviously, if it wasn't for them I wouldn't have a date of birth to celebrate. 

There's little ol' me!

Me again! 

Yikes! Check out the hair bear! HAHA!

In my 20's, those days were fun!

Then me now (taken on my birthday yesterday). To me, birthdays are a time to reflect.
I wouldn't trade the lessons and experiences life has brought my way. I'm a better person, mother and partner because of it all, and I hope to experience continued growth as the years progress. 

 Happy Birthday to me!