5 Things Friday - Trader Joe's Edition

I've mentioned on here before that grocery shopping isn't my favorite thing to do here. Take that with a grain of salt - it's not like I'm trudging through a muddy market and can only pay in cash - they have normal groceries stores. Most are just smaller, with less of a selection than what my spoiled millennial self is used to, so that rarely am I able to just go to one and get everything that I want in one trip.

First world problems, I know, I know.

So like I've also said in the past, I try to shop online for a good majority of stuff - anything that isn't perishable. And then there are both of our wonderful mom's who love us so much that we semi-regularly get boxes full of food from them as well.

Typically their boxes are exclusively stuffed full of food from Trader Joes. Which even the dogs now get excited for, because they love Trader Joe's dog treats. So for my Five Things Friday today, I think I'll share our top five staples that we always ask for when offered a Trader Joe's shipment. (Keep in mind, I would pretty much have everything shipped if I could but anything that needs to be kept cold just ain't gonna make it across the ocean and arrive in edible condition, as shipping time averages 8-10 days.)

Beautiful.

You may find this topic incredibly dry and if so, feel free to close the window now. However if you also get riled up just by hearing the phrase 'let's go to Trader Joe's' read on - and also - please share with me some of your all-time favorite TJ's staples, so that I can have some new ideas next time I send my mom to the store for me.

#1 - Plantain chips. This one sits far above all the rest of the list. They have both salty and sweet, both are great, salty always wins though (we actually even make nachos with them sometimes).

I'm drooling

#2 - Bars. I have a bad habit (I think it's bad?) of eating two small lunches - one before and one after our mid-day workout. So typically the first half of lunch is a bar and some fruit. I used to exclusively stick with Larabars, but I'm also now also a fan of Quest Bars when I need a change up.  I ALSO just saw that Perfect Bars are now going to be carried at Trader Joe's as well - which are my ultimate favorite.

#3 - Jerky. Andrew might list this as his number 1, not sure, but he can finish off a bag in one sitting. Both beef and turkey are great, and while it's not the cheapest of snacks, it's some great quick protein.

#4 - Trail mix. Any kind really - but if it has chocolate in it, it's extra special :)

#5 - Any kind of treat. Andrew's mom recently sent us cowboy bark and I'm pretty sure I single-handedly finished off the bag over the course of last weekend (Andrew doesn't really like sweet things - confusing - but a win for me). However those dark chocolate pretzel thins are also pretty amazing... chocolate covered almonds... honestly, if it has chocolate, ship it.

Bonus: My sister made me aware of their Everything Bagel Seasoning last month. Since my mom has shipped it to us, I've been putting it on A TON of stuff - Andrew's daily scrambled eggs... sweet potatoes... and the best yet, pictured below.

Avo Toast and Eggs

That's all I've got. Tell me your top 5 - and then go out and have an awesome weekend.

Cheers - 

Kait

Soup, Tunes, and Living Room Camping

Alright, let's get this show on the road.

First off, Happy Monday. You made it through the second hardest day of the week. What's the first hardest you ask? In my humble opinion, it's Tuesday. So buck up people, it's right around the corner.

Probably most importantly, my poor pathetic knees are healing. I took Friday off from working out in order to basically allow them to scab up. Instead I took the morning to hit snooze a few times, and then listen to this gem on my way to work...

Did you hear? Eric has a new album coming out February 11th. Not that I've been counting down since November or anything.

In other news, one of my new favorite Trader Joes snacks is this bag of delight:

It's literally dried cranberries. Not another ingredient to be found. I had about a handful a day all of last week, and finished them off today. A nice addition to my almonds.

My lunch for the week is a paleo buffalo chicken soup that I stumbled upon on pinterest. Preparation wasn't too bad, and the result was a whole lot of spicy soup.

Following the cooking of the soup, we tested out one of Andrew's Christmas presents.

It seems to be working just fine. Can't wait for some potential camping adventures this spring.

All this talk of food reminds me, I've been meaning of to tell you guys about a cool app that my friend mentioned to me - TwoGrand. It's basically a simple app that let's you keep track of the food that you're eating - and to follow others as well - by taking pictures. The purpose of the app is basically to encourage healthy eating and pick up on trends/ideas from others, who may have similar goal weights as yours. Now, I'm not necessarily trying to lose weight - I actually haven't weighed myself in months - but regardless, the app is a great way to keep track of what we're putting into our precious bodies, in a day and age when everyone has their phone on them... pretty much always.

Check out their website here, their blog here, or just search TwoGrand in your app store. It took me about a minute to create my account, and I can definitely see myself using it during weeks that I'm trying to really hold myself accountable, etc.

Give it a glance if you're a food/meal tracker kind of person.

It's looking like one of those 9 pm bedtime nights for me. I'm gonna finish the rest of this peppermint tea and dive under the covers.

Cheers -

K

official

Well after consecutive days of several forms of pizza, Chinese food, pasta, wine and champagne galore, Tuesday left me ready to clean up my eating habits a bit.

I've decided I'm going to try my best shot at tracking a What I Ate Wednesday for you guys today, and report back tomorrow. Wish me luck.

In other news, it’s December!! I’m officially listening to Christmas music, our house is decorated beautifully (no thanks to me), and my favorite boy is back.

Life is good.

I also pretty psyched that I snagged my last holiday flight yesterday for super cheap via Southwest – was able to use points on my Baltimore to Chicago flight as well as my New Years Chicago to Denver flight.

3 flights < $400 = success.

Let’s see what else… I found these, I love them.

Trader Joes

These too - these dude are at Walmart, and great on-the-go snacks.

I’m also trying to be more conscious of drinking water. When Andrew left in July I couldn’t get him to willingly drink a full water bottle if I begged – he was a Gatorade believer to the bones. Now upon his return he sucks down water like it’s his job – it makes me so happy, and simultaneously has been a good reminder of how good it is for the body. Trying to be more conscious of that.

shameless giraffe photo bomb

Last announcement: I officially committed to a gym!

It's just a small guy down the road from where I work, but the location and low monthly fees made it impossible to beat. I look forward to trying out a few of the classes that they offer, and possibly being able to throw in a few quick workouts over my lunch break.

Time to run off to work. Happy Hump Day, Happy December, make today great!

Cheers-

K