recommendation: what's good at Trader Joe's

Is it raining where you are? Its pouring here and is much needed, we've had a dry summer! Seems like the perfect day to catch up on reading emails & articles that you've been putting off for a rainy day! So I'm going to add one to your list. My grandma sent me this awesome article from Huffington Post, Sweet Finds And Major Disappointments At Trader Joe's. The article is about this couple, Nathan and Sonia and their friends Russ and Sandy, have decided to go through Trader Joe's inventory and rate the products on a 1 - 10 scale with complete reviews, and then blog about it.

Trader Joe's is sometimes similar to Pinterest, it sucks you in with the pretty packaging and prices, but its not always worth it. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge Trader Joe's fan and think this store is absolutely amazing. I would probably shop there way more often if there wasn't construction going on my route to get there. But one person cannot possibly like every single thing they have in the store so its nice to know in advance about how a product is so that you can decide if you personally will like it.

The site has categories on the lower right so you can check out products by type - Appetizer, Dinner, Condiment, etc. Check out their website, What's Good at Trader Joe's, I think it will prove to be helpful. Enjoy!

recommendation: cookie butter

I have a confession. But you have to listen to the whole story. See, it started like this. I had a day of errands all planned out, and only because I was going to be on the other side of town at Home Depot did I add Home Goods to my list. I went in, circled around. Pondered a few things. And walked out. Did you get that people? I went to Home Goods and DID NOT BUY ANYTHING!!!!

But that is not my confession. I was holding in a smile as I walked out, filled with pride at my self-control. In fact I was so proud of myself when I got back to the car that I lost all of that self-control and rewarded myself with a bite of a treat. Which I purchased only because I don't go to TJ's as often anymore so when you go you have to stock up. This is all making complete sense, right?

Ok so here's my confession. I bought cookie butter.

And I had more than a bite. I can't explain it, just buy it. If you don't like it, you only wasted $4. And if you love it, don't hate me for leading you there. It's not my fault. Trader Joes makes and sells it, blame them. It is not healthy, it is habit forming, and everything including but not limited to pretzels, toast and your finger tastes good dipped in it.

Its not butter, its same texture as peanut butter but tastes like crushed spiced biscuits (biscoff). You know, the kind you eat in Europe? Or on your Delta flight to Vegas? The label at the store describes it as similar to gingerbread, but don't let that deter you. Gingerbread seems wintery but its just the idea that its a spiced cookie spread. I tried dipping plain pretzel slims to make it a little less guilty - they snap easily but the salty taste is great. You can find this product right next to the peanut butter - its labeled as Speculoos Cookie Butter.

Try it! Seriously.

recommendation: easy berry cobbler

I recently posted on taking a shortcut with a cookie recipe and how it was only semi-successful. Well, I took another shortcut on another baking recipe, and again, it was only semi-successful. I had happy bellies around the room but felt as though the recipe could be changed... and that's why I'm posting/recommending it, because I feel like with a few easy adjustments, it can be a successful shortcut recipe!

My hubby has been asking me to make cobbler with all of the great summertime fruit available but every time I look up a recipe, it either involves a lengthy ingredient list or something in the list that I don't keep in the house, so it stops me from making it. My in-laws, sister-in-law and her son came to visit this weekend and I really wanted to make them a special dessert. I was going to make

Krusteaz Cinnamon Coffee Cake one morning and got a boxed mix but decided it was a little too much work in the a.m. and wanted to do something easier...and then I noticed on the side of the box... a berry cobbler recipe! Using the boxed mix, all I had to provide was 4 cups frozen mixed berries, which I have been keeping stocked in the house (LOVE Trader Joes Fancy Berry Mix with blueberries, blackberries and raspberries), water, butter, and old fashioned oats. Done and done!

Revisions are, the recipe needed a little longer to bake, I'm thinking its because I didn't have the deep dish pie pan it called for. I'd also add more berries next time as the berry to streusel topping ratio was not even. Lastly, I'd maybe put less of the cinnamon mixture into it, was a little too cinnamon-y for me (maybe just me, as we've established that I'm not the biggest cinnamon fan...).

Overall though, this was such an easy recipe and satisfied the cobbler craving. The house smelled great and even with the extra time, it only took about 45 minutes to bake. Worth another try!

recommendation: “make” Indian food for dinner

as you can tell by now, i’m a big fan of TJ’s (trader joes). i’m half Indian and my husband is always requesting that i learn how to make indian food… so this is my (temporary) solution.

it’s a great way to try Indian food if you’ve never had it before and are nervous about what to order at an Indian restaurant. Its also great because there are a lot of vegetarian dishes, and if you get a bunch of things to try, its fairly inexpensive. Best of all, since its all frozen it cooks very quickly so it makes a great quick meal for nights when you were on-the-go all day. My TJ Indian favorites are:

Frozen Section:
- tandoori naan – regular or garlic are both great, whatever you prefer. low fat, cooks in oven in 2 minutes (I don’t add the butter to it)
- chicken tikka (tee-ka) masala (ma-sa-la) – this is my fav for main course, not a lot of chicken but its ok b/c I make so many other dishes with it. It comes with rice but I make more rice on the side
- paneer tikka masala – my husbands favorite, paneer is a fresh Indian cheese (like fresh mozz but firmer like tofu), this comes with spinach rice
- brown rice in a bag (or Jasmine if you prefer white) – it comes 3 to a box and cooks in less than 5 minutes. You only need 1 packet for a meal for 2 diners

Aisles
- Daal Makni – my dad’s favorite type of daal, so therefore mine. It’s a darker daal (like bean soup) that tastes great by itself or over rice
- Channa Masala – this means chickpeas (same thing as garbanzo beans). Spicy dish. Looks oily but not thaaaat bad for you (ok not thaaaat good for you either) and super tasty.

I also normally make raita too, cools the

mouth down and just takes a few minutes:
Lowfat plain yogurt – 1 individual cup per person, or you can get a larger container if you are making for more:
Ground Roasted Cumin (jeera) – you can buy this at the store, McCormick makes it, or make it yourself which is what I normally do. Roast cumin seeds in a hot pan until they begin to brown, be careful not to burn. Cool seeds and then grind in a coffee grinder. Store at room temperature in jar for future use. BEWARE, when you grind the seeds, your coffee grinder will smell like cumin for long after. We have a second grinder for spices & herbs only.
Cucumber – I normally grate mine and then squeeze it in a papertowel or strainer to get excess water out, but you can just dice up a cuke too.

Dash of salt and sugar to taste
Dash of paprika for color

Mix yogurt, cucumber and ground roasted cumin together. Sprinkle with dash of cumin and paprika for color. Sorry no measurements but I normally do it by look and taste. Can store in fridge until ready to eat.

For some easy to make Indian dishes like spiced peas or tomatoes and chunna (chickpeas, remember!) - check out my sister’s blog Vegonomic$

My Dad and his sister Rani are the best Indian chef's I know, hopefully I will absorb a little more so that I can eventually make some of these dishes fresh! In the meantime - TJ's to save the day!

p.s. there is a box of veggie samosas in the pic - i do NOT recommend those. they didn't taste very Indian to me at all.

Recommendation: always make a grocery list

Note to self: do NOT go into trader joes (conveniently located 10 steps away from work) with no objective, no list, and limited cash. Or you will come home with this for dinner.

Every grocery shop I normally have a planned grocery list divided into categories, and then I list all the meals I'm planning for in case I forget what I'm buying an item for. Here are my categories:

Produce
Aisles
Deli
Dairy
Frozen
Other

Then list meals you are buying for, Sunday - Saturday. Be realistic about days you will eat out or eat leftovers so you don't waste food.

Shop smart...and enjoy the extra treats you throw in your cart!

Recommendation: things to do when you return home from traveling

Back from the big apple (recommendations and reviews to come soon!) and completely exhausted. Its hard to get back from a trip on a Sunday and start the week with full force. Where to find the energy to unpack, do laundry, grocery shop, etc?? We took it easy last night after getting home - unpacked our suitcases, ordered in, and watched a netflix. I think that really helped me decompress so that I could make this a manic monday and go grocery shopping, start the laundry, and prep a few meals for the week (and stay sane by slowly sipping 1 glass of red wine).

In an effort to catch up on my blogging, here are a few random recommendations that have helped make my life easier in the past 24 hours:

- unpack as soon as you walk in the door. you are not going to want to do it at any point and the longer you wait, the more painful it gets. like a band-aid. rip it off. get it done. quick

- buy fruit as a snack for work...and then slice it the night before work or morning of. i am like clockwork and need snacks at 10:30 and 3:30 every day. if I bring a whole apple or pear, I will not eat it, guaranteed. slicing it the night before only takes minutes and ensures that I get some fruit into my body the next day! this is especially great after traveling b/c if you are like me, you are used to eating all day everyday on vacation and you'll need little snacks to hold you over and get you back on a normal eating schedule

- be realistic when grocery shopping after a busy weekend. If you didn’t get your normal errands done and they are going to carry over to the next week, don’t plan crazy meals that take tons of prep work! TJ’s is my go to place for this as they have tons of pre-made and quick-cooking dinners. For tonight, I got this fantastic vegetarian (for you carnivores, I can’t taste any difference) french onion soup from the freezer section. It takes 40 minutes in the oven but is nice b/c you can pop it in, then change into sweats, and do a quick chore.

Before:

After:

- take a quick tally of your trip - i'm talking food & beverage, transportation, sights and misc. in nyc i just stuffed all receipts in my purse so that i could do this when i got home. its not necessarily to track the money but moreover to have an idea of what this trip cost, in case you want to take it again. i put mine in excel (i can't help it, i love excel). i plan to take those totals and put them back into our itinerary (i told you i love lists and planning) and will file that in our travel file (and/or google docs) for future reference when we go to the big apple next. flights and hotels and circumstances will change but at least we'll know roughly what the trip will cost

ok, that's all i've got for now. exhaustion is taking over. stay tuned for nyc tips!