I Want This Sling Bag!

I've been pouring over Instagram for a small weekend bag. I just need one that's light but fits my wallet, cellphone, keys, receipts, portable charger, and charger. I was thinking these Trio-inspired bags would be perfect because it's small, light, and has multiple compartments. Thankfully, there's a bunch of locally made options available at pretty reasonable prices!

(Read about the Celine Trio here from InTheirCloset.com.)

As of now, I haven't decided yet which one to get but here are the ones on my radar. Since it's not going to be a work-bag, I can choose something bright and colorful. I'll only use it on weekends or when I have to make a quick trip to the supermarket or something.

Twin City by Fetch Bella

Twin City Photo from Fetch Bella's Instagram

Price: Php 650

Link: http://fetchbellabags.com/product/twin-city-black/

Material: Synthetic leather with velvet lining

Colors Available: Black, Mint Green, Red, Royal Blue, White, Taupe Baby Pink

Compartments: 2

Sling by Yorke Studios

Sling Photo from Yorke Studio's Instagram

Price: Php 795

Link: https://www.instagram.com/shop.yorkestudios/

Material: Vegan Leather

Colors Available: Taupe, Wine, Black

Compartments: 3

Troika by Sinude Bags 

Troika Photo from Sinude Bags' Instagram

Price: Php 3,500

Link: http://sinudebags.com/collections/all/products/troika

Material: Genuine Embossed Leather

Colors: Creamy Nude, Salmon, and Navy Blue

Compartments: 3

Marian Sling by Shiq Bags

Marian Sling Photo from Shiq Bags' Instagram

Price: Php 600

Link: http://www.shiqbags.com/product/marian-sling-2/

Material: Synthetic Smooth Leather

Colors Available: Light Grey, Dark Grey, Silver, Gold, Taupe

Compartments: 2

Custom Explore Sling by The Leather Company

Explore Sling Photo from The Leather Company's Instagram

Price: Inquire via Viber/Whatsapp 0999 8834618

Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/BMtSNPxAbnC/?taken-by=theleathercompany

Material: Genuine Leather 

Compartments: 3

I'm leaning towards going for synthetic leather since I think I might end up buying several in different colors (genuine leather is more expensive). It will boil down to the color that matches my usual weekend outfits. When I do get to buy, that'll be another entry for another day! :)

Pili & Pino Banana and Cacao Granola (Review)

With the terrible traffic in Metro Manila, I always get hungry on the way home. On the road, I'd go for McDonald's drive-thru. When I get home, I go straight for junk food. I can't make good choices when I'm starving. 

This time, I'm trying out the Pili & Pino Banana Cacao Granola (Php 195 for 150 grams). I ordered mine from the Human Nature website. It comes in a resealable foil-paper bag, which is good because I plan to keep it in my bag for small snacking during traffic. 

Aside from as a snack, it can be eaten with milk for breakfast or as yogurt toppings. I think it's a little too expensive to be eaten as breakfast, if you're switching over from regular cereal. With just 150 grams, it will only last you 2 days.

Back of the package

Pili & Pino makes premium products using Filipino products. Pili & Pino is, of course, a word play of Pilipino (Filipino) read story here. Their products are all sweetened with coconut nectar, which is low-glycemic (won't cause a sugar crash).

So what's in their granola? According to the website, it has rolled oats, cashew nuts, pumpkin seeds, squash seeds, banana chips, cacao nibs, wheat germ, coconut nectar syrup. Here's a close up shot. The cashews are not in the picture, but they're in the bottom of the bag. Just needed to shake it around to find them.

The granola up close

Overall, it's not too sweet. It's mostly crunchy with a hint of banana and nutty flavor. Since it's not too sweet, I sometimes don't realize that I've already had too much. Perhaps to a non-Pinoy, it would taste exotic because of the banana chips and the coco nectar.

The cacao nibs are crunchy and slightly bitter, zero sweetness. They didn't have any chocolatey taste. I'm slightly disappointed for the no chocolate bits, but then again, this is supposed to be a healthy snack. Even though cacao nibs didn't have any chocolatey taste, I'm happy to find out that it's a superfood! It's high in anti-oxidants, magnesium, potassium, and fiber. Read more here:

• 7 Health Benefits Of Cocoa Nibs by Lifehack.org
• Health Benefits of Raw Cacao Nibs by Livestrong.com
• Cacao Nibs: Superfood that Boosts Energy and Burns Fat by Dr Axe

Next time, I'll be trying the Mango & Pineapple Granola. I prefer my granola to be a mix of crunchy and chewy. Pili & Pino has a lot more granola variants on their website, but the Human Nature website only carries the Banana Cacao and Mango Pineapple variant.

Pili & Pino
Website: www.piliandpino.com/
Order Page: humanheartnature.com/buy/index.php/food/pili-and-pino-granola.html
Facebook: www.facebook.com/piliandpino
Instagram: www.instagram.com/piliandpino