Tag Archives: Trader joes

Kitty!

29 Aug

Pronounced: “Kitta-yh” of course.

Isn’t she adorable? Sadly, she isn’t mine. She’s our neighbors cat, and is extremely friendly. With everyone. I call her (Pardon my French!) The kitty whore of the neighborhood. She gets around. Meowing outside everyone’s doors and windows. But I love her anyway.

She loves rolling around, and playing with my mom’s laser pointer. (Where does that red light come from? Regardless, she can never catch it. It drives her crazy!)

Our neighbor told us her name, but I can’t remember it. So I just call her Kitta-yh. It fits. I love it when she meows outside my window!

I asked if I could get some treats for her, and the neighbors said it was ok! I looked at the grocery store, and all of the brands contained some sort of chicken or fish “meal” and while I know that cats need meat in their diet to survive, I just don’t want to take part in it. She can get her meat from her food. I looked at Whole Foods, and they didn’t have any cat treats! I decided I would make her some, but can’t find a good recipe.

Does anyone have a vegetarian cat treat recipe? 

(Crappy photo of a) Whole Foods salad, for the win!!! I only get these about every six weeks, so I pile those veggies on! I was a little upset, they didn’t have the normal tags listing the ingredients up, so there was a few things I didn’t get, as I was afraid they had gluten in them. : / Oh well. I think I got enough!

I also got these at Trader Joes… I had no idea what they were! They’re alright.  And very spicy. I don’t think I would go out of my way to get them again. I don’t know what it is, but for some reason I’m craving ethnic, particularly Thai food lately. Maybe it’s because most Thai “ramen” instant noodle bowls use rice noodles and are gluten free. I’m a sucker for simplicity.

I have another thing I need your guy’s help with. I don’t have much of a green thumb, but my chocolate mint plant, (Yes chocolate mint! It’s a little more mellow on the mint with just a teensy tiny hint of chocolate…) is taking over my yard. Case in point:

Does anyone know a good way to ship fresh herbs? Because if I find a way that works, I’d be totally willing to send some to whoever wants some! (Provided the demand’s not too high and I’ve got some left) I thought about just drying it all, but dried herbs only last about a year, and fresh herbs are so much fun. So I wanted to share. Let me know if you have any ideas!

Lastly, THIS is the greatest blog I’ve ever seen. I’ve got a whole new respect for Suri Cruise. (Even though I know she’s not the one who’s really writing it.) Have you ever seen “Suri’s Burn Book” before?

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Summer Lovin’

22 Aug

And by lovin’ I mean eating. Duh.

Summer is the time for….

Corn on the cob! And of course, french fries (Garlic fries from Trader joes. Has anyone had these? They are amazing!! And unfortunately for me, contain wheat. Something I did not know until I stocked up on a few more bags. lame. bye bye fries.) and, veggie dogs! Do you like my array of condiments? I can never decide.

Fresh Veggies! Fun story, when I was younger, I hated asparagus. I thought it tasted like cat pee. (Don’t even ask how I knew what that tasted like, I don’t think it was from personal experience) But, my cousin roasted some up on Easter, and I can’t get enough of the stuff now! I dress ‘em up real simple, just 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, pepper, and Trader Joes everyday seasoning. I know roasting isn’t’ really a summer cooking method, but I never seem to do what’s normal.

 

(veggie) Burgers! On a bed of lettuce, onion, and slathered in condiments. Sometimes, I think I’m just in it for the condiments.

 

Veggie filled salads! Plates like these are my favorite. I just pile a million veggies on, and I’m all set. This one is a romaine salad with onions, walnuts, strawberries, and golden raisins. On the side is a garlic dill pickle, half an avocado, more strawberries, carrot chips, cucumber, and hummus with some tahini. yummy.

Fresh fruit and berries! Summer is pretty much the best time for fresh everything. here, I’m lovin’ (No spell check, not “login’”) some fresh raspberries, puffins cereal, and coconut milk yogurt.

 

This last picture isn’t really a ‘summer’ thing, but I thought I would show you how I used up some of the leftovers from the Taco Tuesday I told you about yesterday. More taco salad! I love it. I think this one had chips crunched up on the bottom with refried beans on them, then piled in lettuce and veggie goodness, before being doused in sour cream and salsa. When I get on a taco salad kick, it lasts for days.

What are some of your favorite foods? What foods are you looking forward to eat once fall arrives? I know you can eat pumpkin and hot cocoa and apple cider year round, but they’re just better in the fall. One thing that makes me super sad about fall is Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale hits stores. And sadly, this is the first fall I won’t be able to partake in it’s pumpkin pie like goodness because I’m g-free now. : / I’m definitly going to have to explore some gluten free beers soon!

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Getting Back on Track

26 Jun

You guuuyyyssss… I don’t even want to talk about how long it’s been since I’ve blogged. Since I’ve even made a comment on a blog.

I’ve made excuses before about being busy, and blah blah blah, but life is totally kicking my ass right now. I don’t mean to complain, things are going great! I’m just soooo busy. Taking 4 classes in the summer, not a good idea. Plus, I’ve got work, and a new internship I’m doing this summer, and there are hours and hours of online training for it. Not to mention the actual work!

Anywho, In true Tablespoon of Liz fashion, I’m just showing up to show you guys a few recent meals of mine. I’ve started to keep my camera in the dining room, so I get some good dinner shots. Because lets face it, as awesome as salads are, you don’t want to see a bazillion photos of those.

A Trader Joes veggie burger on a “lettuce bun” (My new favorite thing right now!) Some gluten-free baked pickle fries (Amazing, recipe coming soon, hopefully…)

Some Trader Joes corn pasta with roasted veggies and asparagus.

A veggie dog (I found some gluten free ones at Whole Foods! yay!) with some roasted onions, corn on the cob (One of my favorite parts about summer, most defffff) Trader Joes garlic fries, and a selection of condiments and roasted onions.

And last but not least… some falafel on a “lettuce pita”, quinoa salad, and cucumber salad.

I’m definitly (I know, I know, I say this every time!) going to post that pickle fries recipe soon!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Pizza!

20 Feb

Sometimes, I just get a craving for pizza. I won’t lie, sometimes that craving is for pizza covered in greasy cheese. I won’t like again when I tell you that sometimes I indulge in the greasy cheese pizza.

But most often, I don’t. Sometimes, It’s worth the stomach ache. Most of the time, it’s not.

I can still have my pizza though. Just not covered in cheese. And it’s still amazingly delicious.

Ccccheck it out: (sorry for the crappy photos… cell phones, love ‘em and hate ‘em at the same time)

This pizza was amazing! In all of it’s mushroomy garlicy spinachy goodness.

Want the recipe? Of course you do.

Spinach Mushroom Pizza
One pizza crust of your choice, pre baked. I used Trader Joe’s whole wheat pizza crust. It’s amazing.
12 oz. mushrooms, cleaned and sliced.
3 cups baby spinach
1 can cannellini beans
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup water
2 T oil
1 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
2 green onions

Puree the beans, water, one clove of garlic, oil, salt, pepper, and onions together until smooth.

Sautee the mushrooms with the other clove of garlic in a little oil for 3-5 minutes, until they start to get soft. Put in a bowl, then sauté the spinach. You could just cook them together, but I’m super OCD and I like placing them on my pizza separately.

Spread the bean puree onto your crust, leaving about an inch around the edges. Spread the the mushrooms, garlic, and spinach on top.

Bake for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees. You really just need to warm it up because the crust is already cooked.

This pizza is definitly one of my favorites. It’s a fun change from the marinara sauce type pizzas, and the beans and spinach are a great source of protein! And I just love things that are super garlicy. I really like garlic. Beware vampires, lol.

On a completely unrelated note, has anyone tried these??

They are soooooooo good. Probably the best candy I’ve ever eaten. Ever. They make butterfingers crisps too, but the crunch ones are so much better. I can’t stop eating them.

What’s your favorite kind of candy? Do you ever get in a pizza mood? 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

TGIF

10 Feb

It’s fiiiiiinally Friday everyone! And I’m so excited. I’ve been so busy lately with work and homework, I haven’t had much ‘me time’. I’m excited to relax and do some baking this weekend!

Tomorrow, I’m going to a fancy shmancy charity gala where my mom works, so I’m excited to get all dressed up (And take advantage of the open bar!)

Anyway, on to business. A couple of days ago, I was given the Liebster Blog Award by my good blogging buddy, Professor Vegetable. Thanks for the award, it mean so much to get fun blog awards like this, it lets me know that people and other bloggers are actually reading what I post on here.

This is the description of the award:

“Liebster is German and translates into English as “dearest” or ”favorite”. A Liebster Blog Award is given to talented bloggers who have less than 200 followers. So, in a way the award not only recognizes these bloggers as amazingly gifted in their own right but also as your very own personal favorites.”

And here are the rules:

  • Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog.
  • Link back to the blogger who presented the award to you.
  • Copy and paste the blog award on your blog.
  • Present the Liebster Blog Award to 5 blogs of 200 followers or less who you feel deserve to be noticed. (Some say just 3 or more blogs of less than 200 followers each)
  • Let them know they have been chosen by leaving a comment at their blog.

So, here are the 3 people I want to award this blog to:
Starr from The Misfit Baker. She whips up the most amazing vegan baked goods, you wouldn’t believe it!

Meg at A Dash Of Meg. She’s going to college in London to be a dietician, and blogs about trying to be a healthy fit university student.

And last but not least, Caloric and Crazy.  I discovered her blog only a few months ago, she was my secret santa buddy in a blogger present swap. I’ve been hooked on her blog ever since!

And now, I wanted to share with you some recent eats. Normally all I ever seem to remember to take pictures of is the salads I eat, but I’m happy to say that this past week, I’ve been craving the carbs, so just a salad won’t do.

(Sorry for the cell phone picture!) Baked tofu, quinoa, and potatoes, mushrooms, and green beans from Trader Joes.

Veggie and hummus wrap, with veggies an hummus on the side. What can I say, I like veggies and hummus, lol.

Quinoa, baked tofu, more Trader Joes potatoes/mushrooms/green beans, and some fresh veggies with some pomegranate vinaigrette to dip them in.

Ok, so heres a small salad. I can’t get away from them completely. I ate it with some tofu, broccoli, and spaetzle. (Spaetzle is a German soft egg noodle/dumpling type thing.) I had it when I was in Germany once and loved it, so when I found a box at the store I almost danced with excitement right there in the aisle. The boxed kind is definitly not as good as the real deal. But I’ll take what I can get.

Have you eaten anything good lately? Do you normally like reading smaller blogs, or bigger ones?

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

What would I do without Cereal?

11 Nov

Probably never eat past 7pm. That’s fo’ sho’. (Spell check just tried to change that to “for show” Idiot machine.) Cereal is my night-night snack (Pronounced ‘ni-night’. Did anyone else call their bedtime snack that too?) of choice.

But, onto more important things besides spell check. Has anyone ever tried this stuff?

It’s absolutely amazing. I die every time I eat it. (I’m a medical miracle.) Ok that’s a lie. But I feel like I’m dying because it’s so delicious. It’s crunchy. Like every good cereal should be, I guess. And I like the flakes. With the clusters. Normally, I don’t like cereal that has both of these elements. But this one is definitly rocking my world. No joke.

I don’t even eat it with milk. I eat it with So Delicious coconut yogurt. It looks a little something like this:

Oooohhh, and speaking of coconut yogurt (Does anyone else say “co-co-nut” every time the spell/read the word coconut? I do. It’s not even that difficult to spell, I don’t know why I do it. Ok, it’s not difficult to spell at all.) Does anyone remember that one post a week or so ago where I was all excited about trying So Delicious coconut greek yogurt?

Well when I went to Whole Foods, THEY DIDN”T HAVE IT. I was so upset. I was like, why Whole Foods Indianapolis, Why? They didn’t have any festive coconut/soy milk flavors either. I want a little mint chocolate non dairy beverage in my life. Is that too much to ask? I think not.

Just to add to the randomness of this post, I ate this for dinner last night:

It was really really good. Quinoa, tofu, and broccoli slaw. Doused in soy sauce. I love soy sauce.

I feel like I need to apologize for this random post, But I’m not going to. I’ve been in such an odd mood lately. Like, a ‘not productive at all’ mood. I write up a to do list every day, and I always highlight the things I don’t get done so I can be sure to do them the next day, And my lists have been full of highlights lately. All I wanna do is catch up on Dexter and Gossip Girl. Maybe it’s the weather? I mean, It DID snow today. For all of 5 minutes, but hey, it’s better than the rain we’ve been getting!

I’ve also been oddly gaining weight. Not, much or anything, just a couple pounds. And I’m not going to say I’m getting fat or anything, but it’s just weird. I haven’t changed my eating habits at all. I blame the weather again.

Do you ever get into moods where you don’t feel like doing anything? What do you do to stay productive? 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Whole Foods/ Trader Joes Love

18 Jul

I love Whole Foods.

I love Trader Joes.

No joke. I am in love with them. Unfortunately, the closest ones to me are an hour and a half away. So when I go, I stock up. These are literally the closest places I can get dairy-free cream cheese, butter, and coconut milk yogurt. I’m lucky the grocery stores in my town carry almond and soy milk. : /

Anyway, last week I got the opportunity to go to these two fabulous stores, so I thought I’d dedicate a post to some of  my favorite things (not all though- that’d be a long post!) from these two stores, as well as some new things I discovered this trip!

Beverages! Coconut water (this time, chocolate flavor!) and Kombucha. Both these drinks are too expensive to drink all the time, but I only go to Whole Foods about once a month, So I like to treat myself!

Coconut yogurt. I buy this stuff by the case. (Which gives me a 30% discount at Whole Foods!) My most recent trip it was on sale, So I bought a ton! My favorite flavor is chocolate. It’s like chocolate pudding. But I can get away with eating it for breakfast!

Earth Balance, my favorite vegan buttery spread of all time. Nothing beats this stuff. And since they don’t sell it at my grocery store, I buy the tub that’s as big as my head.


Ice Cream. I have a hard time keeping this frozen in the car, but I bring a cooler full of ice with me. I’m dedicated. I love love love So Delicious coconut ice cream, and this time I bought some Rice carrot cake ice cream as well. Uh Mah Zing. Tastes just like carrot cake. Don’t know how they do it. And of course, my all time favorite ice cream, Trader Joe’s Chocolate Cherry Chip.


Chocolate Hazelnut Milk. This was a recent find, and my first time trying this. It was like liquid Nutella. So amazing. I’m planning on making some ice cream with this stuff : )

Trader Joe’s Salsa Chips. I cannot get enough of these. I could probably eat a whole bag in one sitting. They taste just like salsa. If that comment was even needed.


Chips! I know Trader Joe’s is technically considered a health food store, but for some reason I come out of it with a cart full of junk food. Baked onion rings, Flaxseed tortilla chips, and veggie chips are some more of my favorite chips from TJ’s.


And last but not least, a few TJ’s staples. First, Frozen Fruit. Berries, mango, pineapple, it’s all so cheap! Once again, this has to ride in the cooler in my car. Second, Veggie corn dogs. These taste just like the real deal. And lastly,  yogurt cheese. It’s made with cow’s milk, but it’s lactose free!

So, there you go. Now mind you, this isn’t everything that I buy at Trader Joes and Whole Foods, but they’re some of my favorites!

What are your favorite stores to shop at? Do you go to Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods? What are some of your favorite products? 

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 201 other followers