You may have noticed I've been a bit quieter blogging lately - it's actually for a super exciting reason. I've been working late nights behind the scenes for a big launch of a new business! It's been almost a year in the making and I'm so thrilled to finally be able to share all about Little Foodie with you.

Health and wellness has always been something that I have been passionate about, although growing up I didn't really think of it as an "extra" thing. I played year round sports and my parents always cooked healthy meals so it was just part of the way I lived. When I started working, I began noticing how hard it was to find time to exercise and cook healthy meals. I work in the cancer industry and continuously noticed co-workers (and sometimes myself) fall prey to busy schedules and easy cravings. 

When one of my previous colleagues, Dena (also in the biotech space and an amazing entrepreneur), approached me about joining forces to try and combat unhealthy habits from a young age, I was super excited to jump in. After nearly a year of late night email threads, weekend brainstorming coffee dates, and tons and tons of learning about the food industry, we decided the perfect way to start making a difference is by making healthy eating FUN! 

So today, I'm so excited to present to you the first collection of Little Foodie. A collection of onesies and toddler t-shirts featuring adorable, brightly-colored fruit and vegetable characters with a memorable message for healthy eating. Stylish, comfortable and 100% cotton, it's the perfect culmination of all my passions, design, health and family.

Take some time to browse the collection and if you know of a cute boutique in your area that these would be perfect for, please reach out! You can always grab one for your next baby shower gift while you are at it :-p. 

Can't wait to hear what you think and thank you for helping spread the word! 

Jessica

So many of you ask me how I stay organized with my businesses and my full-time job. For those of you who are new to the blog, I work full-time in the cancer diagnostics/care industry as a project manager and enjoy sharing my passion for design here (plus I'm working on a secret project that I'm so excited to launch soon). There are definitely some late nights involved and some early mornings, but honestly, I find that with a few key habits and tools, I can get more productivity out of normal working hours and still enjoy quality time with my husband and friends. 

Thanks to all your DM's on instagram, I've rounded up my top 5 tools and tips to keep me organized, productive and balanced. I love when you guys send me your questions so that I can provide you the most helpful content. 

1. Water
I know you have probably heard this one a million times, but honestly, it makes such a difference. Lately, I really haven't been drinking as much water as I used to and I can feel the difference in my energy as well as just how I feel in my body. Since health and wellness have always been important to me, I normally try to make it a priority in my day and when I do, I have more energy to get more things done. 

2. Exercise
Have you ever heard the saying, "a body in motion stays in motion"? This is one that my husband and I use all the time, but we take the slightly modified version from Tony Robbins, "Motion creates emotion". In other words, if you start moving, it creates the emotion and motivation you need to really accomplish your goals. If you can just squeeze in a 10 or 15 minute walk, that will help get more things off your list in the long run. 

3. 2Do
Now for the lists! I love to-do lists and if I don't write it down, it doesn't get done. When I was younger, I always tried to memorize what I needed to finish (for some reason I thought it was more impressive that way) but inevitably something fell off the list - normally more than one thing. So when I found2Do, an app for my ipad and phone, I was excited to have an electronic version of all my sticky notes floating around my house. I have different lists for projects I'm working on and can easily see tasks for all of them on one list or by project and set due dates and reminders as well as add notes. Even better, I can share my lists! My husband and I have one that we share so that we can help keep each other accountable and productive for our family to-dos.

4. Goodnotes
I use this app on my ipad with my apple pencil to take handwritten notes. Like I said, writing things down is how I remember it so not only do I write down to-dos in my 2Do app, but any notes that I take for bigger meetings I'll add in these notebooks. It's like carrying around 10 notepads for each project but they are all in one easily accessible and searchable spot. This app is also amazing for my designs! I do a lot of space planning and DIY sketches so that I can refer back to them as I work through the projects. 

5. Being on Time - JORD watch
The habit of being on time is something my parents taught me a long time ago and has been one of the most crucial pieces to my productivity. It's amazing what this little act can do it terms of building rapport with colleagues and partners as well as helping you stick to your schedule so that you can achieve more. I normally keep time on my phone, but when I"m in a meeting or at a restaurant with friends, I turn over my phone so that I can avoid being rude and looking at my phone with each notification that comes in. Instead, I try to really be present with whoever I'm with. The problem I ran into however, was that I quite literally lost track of time and ended up setting myself back on so many things. I wanted to find a way where I could effortlessly keep track of the time. I had been looking for watches for a while, but a lot of the metal ones, were really heavy and clunky and an apple watch defeated the purpose of trying to unplug from notifications, so when I found JORD wooden watches, I was really interested in giving them a try. I have to say I am SO impressed with both the minimalist design and quality of their watches (I got the Cassia Series, Ebony and Sable.) Not only did it come in such an awesome box, but the wood makes it really light and easy to wear and it also has such an awesome scent, you can ever so faintly smell the unique wood. I've been way better at keeping track of my day and as a bonus I get tons of compliments on my watch.

At the end of the day, the best way to stay productive and keep yourself organized is to commit to your values and goals that you want to achieve. In order to help you all do that and achieve your dreams, I've partnered with JORD watches to give you 10% off any watch of your choice (or maybe as a gift for that friend who is always late) and one of you will receive $100 off!

To get your discount head over here and enter to win! 

Hope you love your watch as much as me and that these tips help you stay productive this summer too! 

Jessica

​I love 4th of July! It’s always a time of so much spirit and goodwill, celebrating a truly unique nation that I’m so thankful for. 20 years ago, my family moved to America and we are truly living our version of the American dream. Although, we still love and miss things about our roots in South Africa (like Top Deck chocolate and Sparletta Crème Soda), America is where we found new opportunities (and hurdles) that have shaped me in many ways. Growing up in Seattle, we always celebrated 4th of July at friends’ houses, pool parties, and lots of delicious grilling and snacks. So this year, I decided to give some 4th of July popsicles a try and I'm LOVING them! They are both delicious and festive and the perfect addition to any celebration!. 

Hope you enjoy a fun 4th of July treat and have a fantastic holiday! 

Jessica

​Although in San Diego, we are lucky to have amazing weather year round-there is still something so special about summer! Longer days and warmer evenings lend to the perfect recipe for entertaining friends and family and relaxing on weekend mornings. To help get summer started I've put together some of my favorite items for a fun and festive season. Are there any I've missed that are on your list? I'd love to hear about them in the comments below! Hope you enjoy and happy summer planning! ​

Jessica

It's funny how you can connect dots once you look back, but while you are in the thick of it you sometimes feel lost. 

I've always wanted to be an entrepreneur. I don't know where it came from, but the yearning to run my own business has been the center point of my dreams for as long as I can remember. I entered college as a pre-med student and day dreamed during organic chemistry about my private practice dermatology clinic. One that would be far different from the rest. We would have manicures, pedicures, and massages while you waited for your appointment and upon check-in you would be greeted with champagne and a signature chocolate to start your appointment. Today, these are fairly widely known as Med-Spas, but at the time, there wasn't anything like it out there. 

I realized that although I loved what medicine could provide through helping people, I wasn't as excited about treating patients as I was about the experience they could have to make them feel better, stronger, and pampered by their surroundings. With that, I switched my focus to business. At the time, I felt a bit of a failure. I mean, I had chosen to go to USC specifically for the 8 year Undergrad/MD combined program. Changing from this path felt like a risky move. Would my career choice change be able to fund my student debt? Would I be able to find the right job? So much new unknown was introduced and to play it safe I stuck close to the medical field and upon graduation made my way into biotech. 

I loved what I did! Working in the cancer diagnostics space, I felt a big impact on the technology we were building. Yet, there was still a slight tug that I wasn't doing exactly what I should be. The projects I had the most fun on, were the ones that involved designing custom storage boxes for our freezers and improving workflows and placement of equipment to streamline operations. This was definitely my hearts way of trying to show me the direction of my future, but my logical brain routinely shut it down. 

As I continued to learn amazing business techniques by day, I hustled at all hours beyond the 9-5 clock,to test my passions and improve my capabilities. Barre instructor, Marketing Specialist...I even started my own health and wellness accessories company with a versatile laptop/gym bag as the signature product. I took online courses in sales, social media marketing, advertising, public speaking and so much more. I wanted so badly for my side hustle to become my main hustle and with each sleep that I didn't strike gold overnight, I grew more and more frustrated.  

After letting all the side hustles settle for a while, I tried to narrow my focus and thought what am I actually good at that I can help people with. I woke up one night with the idea to start a blog called "Beyond The Clock". I told my husband, that the one thing that I know I am good at (because I'd done it so many times) is trying new things. I may not know up front if I will be good at something, but I always give it a shot. The blog was set to feature things that I loved  to do outside of my 9-5, like travel, health and wellness, family and my long lost passion for design. At the time, I didn't know that this would become my main focus. I just wanted to have a place, with no expectations of anything but expressing the things I love in my own way. 

Now looking back at how Beyond the Clock has grown, I see all the stepping stones that brought me one step closer to my passion. In fact, taking it all the way back to a kid, I would constantly rearrange my room, trying new ways to place the bed or hang the art. There are so many pieces of this company that I still want to expand and grow, but for now, I'm loving the feeling of late nights that never feel late because I'm absolutely loving what I am doing. 

Thank you so much for being a part of this journey with me and your continual support. There is no greater feeling than the feedback I get daily from all of you about the tidbits of inspiration you get from my blog and instagram. I'm excited to share all that is ahead with you. 

Jessica

I’ve always preferred baking over cooking. Maybe it’s because of how sweet the treat is at the end of the process. I even made my two tier wedding cake from scratch (everyone at work loved all the practice cakes leading up to the big day). Anyway, as much as I love baking, I still cannot beat out my husband Brad’s chocolate chip cookies. He has mastered the perfect crisp on the outside, soft on the inside, extra chocolatey chip cookies. There are not many people he shares his recipe with, but I convinced him to let me share it with all of you. Hope you enjoy these classics as much as we do.

• ¼ cup All-purpose flour
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• ½ cup of granulated sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks of butter)
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of baking soda
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups (1 bag) of chocolate chips

 
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Mix flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt and baking soda in a bowl. Ensure the butter is soft at room temperature. If it’s straight out of the fridge, put it in a microwave safe bowl and melt just barely (20 sec) to keep it soft. Next add eggs, butter, and vanilla extract to the bowl. Mix it so that everything is mixed in and a consistent golden color. Lastly add in the chocolate chips and mix evenly. Chill in the freezer for 10-15 minutes for the dough to firm up a bit (try not eat all of the cookie dough before bakingJ) Place 1 inch balls on cookie sheet. You should be able to fit about 12 per sheet. Cook for 8-10 minutes. Enjoy warm with a glass of milk or let them cool and keep them in you cookie jar for the week! 

one | two |  three  | four | five | six | .seven | eight | nine

If you've been following the blog for a while, you know that family is a big part of who I am. When me moved to America we really just had each other, no cousins or grandparents around, so any fights and frustrations were resolved pretty quickly. 

My mom and I are fortunate enough to be such good friends. She is one of the most thoughtful, generous and kind people I know. She taught me how to speak up for myself and follow my dreams and always helped us see the positive outlook in every situation. So, although I love treating her on more than just Mother's day, my sisters and I always like to do a little something extra on Mother's Day.

That being said... when it comes to any holidays besides the winter ones, I have to admit, I'm not the best planner.
I normally get a Halloween costume together by rummaging through an old costume box the day of. So if you are like me and want to treat your mom but may have left it to the last minute, I've put a list together for gorgeous go-to's for your mom that will be there in time for Sunday (the 13th for those of you still wondering :-)), 

Jessica

Happy Tuesday, everyone!! A few months ago, I was introduced to a really neat company called pHur water. Being the science nerd that I am, I was really intrigued with their product and how they literally use water to disinfect surfaces.... well its electrolyzed, pH-modified water but amazingly provides no-residue cleaning and hospital-level disinfection.

Keeping a clean house has always been something that my parents instilled in me. On Saturdays growing up, we would do what my dad called a "Power Hour". Each of my sisters and I would get a job to do. My older sister cleaned the kitchen, I got the bathrooms and my little sister was the duster and silver cleaner, while my parents did almost everything else from laundry to vacuuming. We would put on classical music and all roll up our sleeves. My dad's logic was, and still is, that many hands make light work. So, if everyone puts in a power hour, we can all have more time together rather than one person cleaning all day. 

Now, as a newlywed, my husband and I are working to figure out our own "power hour" equivalent and surprisingly have had a really hard time finding the right products to use. I like things that leave a really good smell, Brad likes things that work really well the first time and leave a lasting finish. Also, my sister recently got a new puppy, Winston, and we wanted to make sure to have a product that was safe for him. 

After trying pHur water, we were all super impressed. It left the house smelling so clean and fresh and was so effective. At first I was a bit nervous to use a two part system, but it was actually really convenient because the cleaning and disinfectant are separate. What I mean is, I used to use TONS of paper towels because I didn't want to just wipe the dirt around. Since the disinfecting part is a separate simple spray with pHur, you can use one microfiber cloth to clean the entire surface area and then spray the disinfectant and simply walk away.  

The cleaning wipes are also super convenient and I love they don't leave any stickiness behind! I'm so glad that I finally found a product that cleans well, is toxic-free, and leaves my home feeling fresh. So happy, that I teamed up with pHur to do a little giveaway for all of you to give it a try as well. You can find the kits here or head on over to instagram and enter to win. 

Hope you win and your spring gets an extra bounce of freshness to it!

Jessica

Tuesdays and Thursdays are my favorite days of the week...ok they are my favorite days of the work week since Brad and I have designated them as date nights (one or the other depending on our schedules). We love exploring new places in San Diego and often times returning to some of our favorite spots to have quality time together. I've collected some of our favorite restaurants and activities to help find your next perfect date night spot!. 
​​
Salt and Straw Ice Cream
The Baked Bear​

If you follow me on instagram, you may have seen on my stories a few weeks ago what this place is all about. It takes a food court up a level with gourmet options and trendy seating areas both inside and out. Plus there are a ton of other cool eateries all within just a short walk across the parking lot so no matter what you will have lots to choose from and take in the sites of the historic naval buildings. 

This was actually my wedding venue so I have an extra special place in my heart for it. They have an awesome view of San Diego and on weekends they are known for their unlimited brunch buffets with seafood as far as you can see. Their maritime decor is also an awesome feature from their entryway and lighting to their menu and view. 

If you are looking for a unique experience, The Grass Skirt does the trick! It has a "speakeasy" like entrance and behind the door is a mix of unique cocktails and Asian fusion food set to tropical beats. 

One of my good friends showed me this adorable wine garden in the heart of Little Italy and I'm in love. From the street, you may not even notice the building, but just behind the doors is an urban oasis filled with wine and cheese. Yes please! 

If you are looking for a special occasion spot, this one is one of my husband and my favorites. They have the most amazing vibe of old Hollywood meets upscale Western. This steakhouse is known for impeccable service, they even made a personalized menu for us on our anniversary. The price is definitely worth the experience. 

Once you have finished up at Carruth Cellars, head just a few blocks over to Salt and Straw for the most perfect concoctions of ice cream. My favorite combo is the white chocolate strawberry and ooey gooey brownie split scoop, it tastes just like a chocolate covered strawberry. They have gorgeous wood styled in art deco themes all over their interior and just across the street is a brand new seating area for the community. Or, you could take your ice cream and walk down to the waterfront. 

Ice cream cookie sandwiches anyone? The Baked Bear has the best ones in town. My husband and I bring almost every visitor in town to this spot and everyone has loved it. You can stick with classic chocolate chop or try a doughnut or brownie ice cream sandwich. Their cookies are perfectly soft even when they have a giant scoop of ice cream between them. They now have a few locations, but the original is still our favorite. Don't be shocked if there is a line out the door, but fear not, they move through it quickly. 

Hope you guys have the best time on your date nights and if you have a favorite spot on the list, I'd love to hear it so drop the name in the comments and why you love it! 

Jessica

Birthdays are some of my favorite things to celebrate. I just love how special it makes people feel when the get streams of texts, cards, or phone calls from those they love or friends they haven't heard from in a while.

So, in honor of my birthday coming up in just a few days, I've teamed up with a few of my favorite instagram accounts to share with you some amazing spring and home decor inspiration AND a chance to win a $100 Nordstrom giftcard for one lucky winner. Head over to Instagram to enter!

Not only do these ladies have the most gorgeous pages, but if you follow their stories (or chat with them via DM) you know they have the personality to match. Find out more about these rockstar women and their passions. 

I mean, I couldn't possibly have not taken a sneak peak at Nordstrom's Spring Home Collection this season. So, if you happen to be the lucky winner, Here are my top picks for you!

Remember to head over to ​Instagram to enter! Can't wait to see who the winner is!

Jessica