My current fave Trader Joe’s dessert
Let me introduce you to what I've been eating for dessert for the past two months. Two months? Yes you heard that correctly. I'm totally obsessed. It's a combo of Nonfat Plain Frozen Yogurt with a few small scoops of Mango Tangerine Sorbet. Both items come from the freezer/dessert section of Trader Joe's. The combination is totally swoon-worthy.
I love the light creaminess of the plain/tart frozen yogurt and the tangy citrus-y sweetness of the mango tangerine sorbet. My taste buds love it and I think yours might too! Tangy, tart & sweet! I've been known to throw a few raspberries in the mix, but mostly I just eat a scoop or two of each flavor in a little bowl. It's EXTREMELY low in fat too, so you won't feel super guilty if you put extra scoops in your bowl. I hope your nearest Trader Joe's stocks these items because you are in for a real treat if you can get your hands on some!
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Lunch Ideas– ROUND ONE!
Here's what I had for lunch today!
Fruit salad: Chopped mangoes, green grapes, blueberries & kiwis
Pasta: Chicken, bell peppers, asparagus & broccoli in a light cream sauce
Lunch. I look forward to it more than anything while I'm at work. It's important for me to fuel up at lunch or else I'll fall deep into Zombieland. Over the past few years, I've taken photos with my camera phone of my lunch at work. Yes, I am weird. Don't worry, my coworkers think so too. There's PLENTY of days where my lunch is not photo-worthy. But every now and then there's something fun, different and new in my rotation. I've decided to share some of them with you.
Most of the lunches below are leftovers of something I made the night before, or something I had in my freezer. Some of the lunches are just random things from my fridge- especially the salads. I like to bring a big bag of ingredients to work (the fridge at work is big) and assemble my food in the kitchen. The act of making my lunch is also a good break from number crunching. My point is, please don't limit yourself. As long as you have a microwave & fridge, you don't have to have boring lunches at work. If you have a toaster or a toaster oven, you are soo golden. We used to make french bread pizzas in the toaster oven at my old job. Talk about FUN. Anyways I hope these photos give you some inspiration for your boring old lunches. And yes, I am a dork. I freely admit it. A dork who loves food, camera phones and lunch! Brace yourself! 
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A Thomas Keller Weekend
We had the opportunity to go up to Napa this weekend to celebrate my niece's 8th grade graduation and my sister-in-law's big 4-0! While my parents watched Cooper overnight, Casey and I were able to act like adults and have two amazing meals from two Thomas Keller restaurants in Yountville. We went to Bouchon on Saturday afternoon and Ad Hoc for Sunday brunch! Everything was absolutely wonderful!
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Blueberry Corn Salad
REFRESHING! Sweet, tangy, simple, crunchy, GOOD. Last night, I put this salad on top of a grilled corn tortilla with some grilled shrimp and plopped some lime sour cream on top. So fab!! The only thing wrong was that it was a little too chilly outside when we ate it! Damn you, weather. Other than that...sheer perfection. The salad tastes even better, the longer you leave it in the fridge! You have to make it a day in advance, but the wait is well worth it! Put this on your TO DO list, and you won't regret it. Promise.
Not yet sold? Check out this shrimp tostada action!
Oatmeal Raisin Bars
Have a craving for oatmeal raisin cookies but feeling too lazy to whip out a batch of cookies? These oatmeal raisin bars will do the trick! This recipe produces a dense bar that is perfect as a breakfast treat! Who says oatmeal cookies aren't OK for breakfast? Fool those crazy people with these bars! Eat one or two or three...and get away with it cuz they totally aren't cookies! They're bars! Got a BBQ to go to? Bring these! They'll hold up well in the heat!
Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes with Orange Maple Butter
You need to make these NOW.
Make them for dinner if you have to! They are fantastic! And that orange maple butter is OFF THE HOOK! You will seriously find every excuse to eat the leftovers all week long. And please do, because the recipe makes a good amount! I'll totally kick your ass if any goes to waste! So how are the pancakes? Scrumptious! They taste like a cross between breakfast polenta, a blueberry muffin, and a pancake with a fancy high noon tea vibe (thanks to that butter!) Every now and then you get a little crunch from the cornmeal. It pleases me and I bet you will be pleased too. By the way--your taste buds called and they said their sick of plain old regular pancakes. Throw them a bone and make them something new and different! Do it!
Come on! Look at that BUTTER!!!
Asian Inspired Mango Orange Slaw
They past few weeks have been crazy! The husband was gone for business, leaving me all by myself with Coop. There was the stomach bug that hit Coop first and then left me down for the count. Whoa. I never thought it was possible to lose my appetite and it finally happened! So I've been quite timid about eating lately. I've been living in Blandsville for the past few days and last night I had enough of it. I needed something that would get me excited about food again. I also was aching to get back in the kitchen because chopping veggies keeps me sane. Is that weird? This salad REALLY REALLY helped. It's sort of my kick-off-to- summer salad. Although we are a few weeks away, aren't we? We had a little heat wave yesterday, so that's my excuse for celebrating early. Yes.
It has a few familiar nuances of salads I've made before, but this time mangoes and oranges make their debut appearance in this nice little slaw! They are a colorful and sweet and a good balance when mixed with a few spicy/crunchy elements. The juice of the orange mixed with the Asian dressing creates quite a mouth par-tay! It's pretty refreshing if you stick the slaw in the fridge for an hour or so before serving. If you are craving some protein, pair it with some grilled shrimp or mix in some savory baked tofu! The tofu adds a nice salty element. You are totally going to crave this one, trust me.
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Soba with Salmon and Watercress
Let's face it. I simply cannot eat Peanut Butter Bacon Cookies that often. If I did, I'd be in BIG trouble! Wanna know how I repent my food sins? I make something ridiculously healthy afterwards and eat that way for a few days. When I was younger, I could have a salad for my next meal and I was free from the tremendous gluttony I subjected myself to. Now, it takes a few days and then I'm in good shape. Some days I eat cereal for dinner because I'm lazy and it's low in calories. Sucks getting old, huh? I've learned that in life, it's all about balance.
So here's a nice little recipe I picked up from the recent Body + Soul magazine. It's totally spa food in the sense that it makes you feel healthy & light after you eat it. You'll wanna reach for some after a sweaty yoga session or perhaps after you made a lunch out of peanut butter cookies! I was thrown off a little with the addition of buttermilk in the recipe, but somehow it worked out really well. It's light, slightly creamy, tangy and super simple! With the addition of chives (from my garden!) and salmon, it's hearty and zesty! If you are a fan of the peppery nature of arugula and the spiciness of radishes, you'll appreciate the watercress in this dish too! I totally thought Casey wouldn't be down with this recipe because it isn't a *meat & potatoes* dish but I'm happy to report he ate more than a few servings! Now that I finished eating healthy...what kind of food sins can I commit now?
