Tasting Trader Joe’s

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Natalie

The first thing I said to Jay when I found out we were moving to California 6 months ago was, “There better be a Trader Joe’s there!”. Now, I go there about once a week to stock up. I love TJ’s because the prices are good, and there are always new items to try out. Here are some reviews of a couple products I’ve loved…and one not so much.

Butternut Squash Triangoli – this was one was one of my first finds ever. The subtly sweet and savory filling is my idea of perfection.

For the sauce I sauté the diced Trader Joes pancetta (and sometimes onion) in butter, then toss in the triangoli, and cover with Parmesan cheese. I could eat this every day!

Organic Wood Fired Pizza – I got this on a whim last week since I was home alone on Friday and that’s when I love to get my “junk food” fix. The box looked promising.

Unfortunately, I was really disappointed. I had to add cheese because what it came with was so sparse. The crust was very tough, almost cracker like. I won’t be getting that again!

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad – The ingredients intrigued me and I couldn’t pass it up. It makes a great quick lunch. I threw some leftover chicken into the mix and I think it was the perfect addition. The combo of flavors is great and the wide variety of colors are eye pleasing. I would definitely get this again!

What new food finds have you been craving lately?

Typical Eats

Posted on October 11, 2012 by Natalie

When I found out I was pregnant, one of the first things I did was find out how much I should be eating. As it turns out, it’s more like eating for 1.1 than eating for 2. Basically I’m trying to eat almost exactly the same… except I almost always have dessert at night. My doctor told me not to gain more than 10 lbs in the first 20 weeks, since the last half of pregnancy weight gain is not really in my control. So far I’ve gained 3lbs and I’m pretty happy about that. Here is what I’ve been eating in a typical weekday (note the word weekday, weekends are no holds barred! Hehe).

7:45 AM – Breakfast starts with a green monster. I usually make it with 1 handful kale, 1 big handful frozen strawberries, 1 date, ½ banana, 1 scoop of Sunwarrior Vanilla, and vanilla almond milk.

10:00 AM – Hunger kicks in and I have my first snack, usually fruit and string cheese or a Clif bar. Clif has been winning lately since it almost always sounds more appealing to me than fruit. I love all the flavors that I’ve tried. This one is Chunky Peanut Butter.

12:15 PM – I go home for lunch (lucky to work 2 miles from home) and usually make a salad. This one is some romaine lettuce, rotisserie chicken, shredded cheese, Bolthouse Caesar dressing, and Frank’s! I love putting hot sauce on my salads now.

3:00 PM – Time for snack #2! I usually go for a Chobani with some low fat granola on top. One of my fave things about Chobani is that they have the extra space in the cups for mix ins.

7:00 PM – Dinner is served. It’s funny how that since I have been pregnant, my interest in cooking has waned. The last thing I want to do now when I get home from work is cook. I just want to relax. Luckily, Jay has been in his cooking mood and has made some great stuff! This week it has been some delicious Beef Stew. You can see the bread in the corner of the photo. It was a cheddar garlic bread from the farmers market. It’s one of the best pieces of bread I have ever had! Dunking that bread in the stew was perfection.

8:30 PM – All I can think about at this time of night is chocolate …cookies, ice cream, brownies. Luckily I made these amazing Nutella Pops this weekend. They taste an extra creamy fudgsicle. Here is the recipe…

Nutella Whipped Cream Pops
Makes 6 popsicles
• 2 cups Trader Joe’s House Whip (or Cool Whip)
• 1 cup milk (I used reduced fat)
• ½ cup Nutella
Place all ingredients in a blender. Process until blended, then pour into popsicle molds. Freeze for at least 4 hours, then enjoy.

What is your favorite way to eat chocolate?

Happy Days in Florida

Posted on June 12, 2012 by Natalie

I totally forgot to post about my trip home to Florida! It has always been my home, so it seemed so normal, I didn’t really think about writing about it. But here is my trip in pictures…

I was on a free ticket thanks to all the miles I racked up, but that meant a poopy connection. I was prepared for the VERY long flight. I had all these movies with me. Forks over Knives was so informative! We Need to Talk about Kevin was probably my favorite. It was messed up with an unhappy ending, but I like those kind of movies.

I was starving when I got to Philly, and was craving Chick Fil A… haven’t seen one in Cali yet Sad smile

When I finally made it to Florida after 12 hours of traveling, I heard them talk about Red Velvet Cake Ice Cream on the radio, so I knew I had to track it down. Let me tell you, it was worth it!

I also cooked for my mom one night. I made “Skinny” Chicken Parm. I baked the chicken and topped it with marinara and low fat provolone. Then I made a quick side of spaghetti squash with roasted tomatoes and a little parmesan.

We got to go the beach twice! Once at Juno Beach…

… and once at Lantana Beach.

On Lantana Beach, we ate at Dune Deck Café where I had the best Greek Salad EVER! Maybe I liked it so much because they had so much feta.

Later that night we went to a great sushi buffet! I was so ravenous I only got one picture in.

The day I went home, I had breakfast with my dad & step-mom at Nick’s Diner. I was tempted by the vast menu, but opted for the Bananas Foster French Toast. I can’t resist anything with “Bananas Foster” in the title!

What is your favorite part of vacation? Eating…Relaxing… Beach… Adventure… Culture? I like ALL of the above.

Will Jog For Food

Category Archives: Salads

Tasting Trader Joe’s

Typical Eats

Happy Days in Florida