They other day I got asked the age old question, “If you could eat only one thing for the rest of your life, nutrition benefits aside, what would it be?”
Truthfully, the first thing that popped into my head was avocado.
FRIENDS.
The great Nutrition Happens computer/iPhone crash is (semi) over. I’m still working on recovering a few lost files, but the struggle was real being away from my computer – first world problems, for sure.
Moral of the story: back up your computer + phone often – especially if you hoard photos like me. Those 12,000 photos will thank you later! I know you probably heard this a million times before, but it truly saves so much heartbreak (and a few tears) in the end. Sounds a terrible break-up, doesn’t it? Dark chocolate and cabernet was totally consumed in the process. And retail therapy happened. Always the cure all.
Truth be told, it was nice to have a little media break for a bit. I took it as a sign to step away from my computer and rest (literally, sleep!). I’ve gotten into a terrible habit of staying up too late (which, if you know me at all, is very unlike me!) working on a few upcoming projects for the blog. I can’t wait to share some new content with you soon!
In the meantime, it’s Wednesday, and it’s been forever since I’ve shown you a full day of eats – so you know the drill!
Breakfast.
Went for a 4 mile tempo run that morning and then ate this 2% Fage (wayyyyy better than fat-free!) with mango + strawberries + chia seeds.
Lunch.
Packed lunch: Baby kale + mixed bell peppers + grape tomatoes + cucumbers + fresh pico salsa + Trader Joe’s albacore tuna + a dollop of hummus, tossed with black pepper and apple cider vinegar.
Afternoon Snacks/ Pre-Yoga.
A few bites before an afternoon yoga class: a carrot + Trader Joe’s Mediterranean hummus + a piece of almond cheese.
And a few pieces of the garlic parmesan crackers from Uncle Kracker. They were on sale a few weeks ago at Whole Foods – I love the crunchy texture, it’s great with hummus! Plus, it’s made with a pretty good ingredient list:
Parmesan cheese + whole wheat flour + water + garlic + potato starch + sweet potatoes + oats + organic palm oil + sea salt + yeast.
Dinner.
Fact: I’ve had a brown box from Whole Foods 3 times in the past five days. Their garlicky kale is everything. In this box, I also had a base of arugula + dijion roasted cauliflower + a piece of egg plant parm + tofu + roasted butternut squash under all that kale. And a few brussels. OH, and no self control at the hot bar. Story of ALL our lives.
After Dinner.
This white chocolate mocha tea. I added a few drops of liquid stevia and it was the perfect comfort cup to wrap up my day.
Linking up with Jenn today for a virtual foodie party – go check out some of the other food inspirations!
I hope you haven’t gotten tired of me boasting about all things spring-y around here…the spring produce love is REAL. I’m digging my daily greens (as usual) and the warmer weather definitely help sets the spring time mood – can’t wait for berry season soon!
Breakfast.
Post-workout. A 2% mango and jalapeno Siggi’s with coconut chips.
Mid-Morning Drinks/Snacks.
Iced coffee via Kudu’s and a blueberry Bai5.
I also had some raw carrots for a snack with hummus…which I never got a picture of. But I am giving you this picture, which shows a little bit of what I prepared for the week – including the carrots! I guess the theme of the week is orange…oh wait that’s every week. (Go Tigers! And Vitamin A!)
Lunch.
Made a batch of this cucumber. radish, and mango mix for the week – with a squeeze of lime and drizzle of honey.
Which got mixed into this salad – with a bed of arugula + avocado + smoked salmon and a little bit of goat cheese.
Which you can see in action here…work lunch.
Afternoon Snack.
An minneola orange. Hauled last week
Dinner.
An everything but the kitchen sink salad – my favorite! A base of kale and arugula + shrimp + sweet potatoes + roasted tricolor carrots + peas + sundried tomatoes + peas all tossed in lemon juice and tahini.
Dessert.
A piece of this kick ass chocolate I got in the mail from the Easter bunny. They sure do know me well – coconut and dark chocolate and all!
Head on over to Jenn’s linkup for more food inspirations – she’s talking all about her CHARLESTON eat’s today – yay!
Yesterday I gave a peak into a few of my farmer’s market purchases, but I still needed to stock up on a few other essentials for the week. Truth be told, I love grocery shopping too much to skip my weekly trips to Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. Seriously…my second homes!
Via the Charleston Farmer’s Market: White / green asparagus, bell peppers, golden beet, and strawberries
From Trader Joe’s: Sliced mango, frozen shelled edamame, organic coconut sugar, organic whole carrots, crumbled goat cheese, 0% Greek yogurt, organic baby kale + arugula + Tuscan kale, avocados, limes, lemons, Mediterranean hummus, bananas, organic 3-grain tempeh, canned albacore tuna, chickpeas, and broccoli.
As you know, I love baking with coconut sugar – and Trader Joe’s definitely has the best price around ($3.99). My local TJ has been out for weeks, so I when I saw it back in stock this weekend, I picked up a bag.
Do you love buying the sliced mango/pineapple from TJ as much as I do? Call me lazy but having it sliced and ready to go in the mornings makes things much smoother.
From Whole Foods: Frozen spinach, sliced peaches, sundried tomato red pepper and feta dressing, and in house bread (Organic Nutridozen).
As far as smoothies go, I’m big on texture – which is why I love to use frozen spinach in my green smoothies. Ice waters smoothies down so in addition to frozen bananas, I add in a block of frozen spinach for good consistency.
So in love with the in-house baked sprouted bread loaves from Whole Foods lately. This week’s pick was the Organic Nutridozen.
Ingredients: Whole wheat flour, seven grain, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, rice flour, sunflower seeds, corn meal, salt.
Simple ingredients and toasts up like perfection. Oh, and that texture – can’t beat it!
I never use to like salad dressings, but the foodie in me seriously has a case of the FOMOs when it comes to health conscious products at the grocery stores. I’m a big fan of the “Health Starts Here No Added Oils” refrigerated dressings (the sesame ginger!), but I was curious about their “365 Organic” shelf stable line as well. Verdict? Not my favorite – they both lacked flavor and tasted pretty watered down. If you’re looking for some options, I would recommend the Health Starts Here line over by the produce/refrigerated section – all made without added oils. The fig balsamic is a good one, as well as the carrot ginger and vegan caesar.
Smari Icelandic yogurts were on sale this week at WF…..it’s been a while since I’ve picked up these. I’ve reviewed them before during my early blogging days.
These yogurts are extra creamy – the straining process is what makes it different from your usual Greek yogurts. Because it’s so thick, the protein is also higher per 6 oz serving (compared to other Icelandic yogurt brands), as you can see (20 grams protein, 6 grams sugar). I usually pick up Siggi’s when I buy individual containers because it’s more cost efficient. But if you ever catch Smari’s on sale, I recommend stocking up on a few!
I also made a Target run this weekend and picked up some frozen salmon fillets and cashew milk.
What’s in your grocery cart this week? I hope you guys find these hauls useful – let me know if I ever inspire you to pick up anything new!
This past Saturday was the opening day of this year’s Charleston’s Farmer Market, aka one of the best times of the year!
And just in time for the Low Country Local First’s Eat Local Challenge. I’m excited to be blogging about my experience with local buys/eats during the month of April.
Groceries bought Sunday, and haulin’ for you this Tuesday. I’ve been digging all the salad combinations lately. Having a variety of different vegetables on hand makes it easy to create a hodgepodge of messy and delicious salads! The Charleston Farmer’s Market starts back up this Saturday and I cannot wait – I’m ready to peruse to the market for local produce again!
Via Trader Joe’s: Organic arugula, organic romaine, wild caught smoked coho salmon, frozen fire roasted peppers and onions, organic carrots, coconut oil spray, mangoes, strawberries, bananas, lemons, Persian cucumbers, greek yogurts, organic 3 grain tempeh.
These fire roasted peppers and onions from the frozen produce section are great to keep in your freezer for those last minute dinners. Just a blend of bell peppers and onions, all chopped up and ready to go – just heat up over the stovetop and pair with your protein of choice! I love it as an addition to salads, wraps, or paired with quinoa and salmon.
Picked up another pack of smoked salmon to pair with some lunches this week. And some honey lemons, which I have been craving!
From Whole Foods: Sambazon frozen Acai packs, organic sprouted wheat bread, sweet potatoes, clementines, and minneolas. Still on a citrus kick, and loving it!
This week was the last week for the Sambazon acai sale – so I just stocked up on another pack.
Have you tried Minneolas before? It’s a like cross between a grapefruit and tangerine. I love citruses that are easy to peel – such as these! The tartness is very mild and I love the freshness of the citrus flavor.
The Whole Foods bakery has a great selection of fresh, local breads – I love the organic sprouted wheat bread – it’s packed with hearty ancient grains! Slice it right there in house to the perfect size it toasts up flawlessly and makes it a fabulous base for avocado toast or as an addition to make your salads heartier. The smaller size also makes it a great choice to make crostini’s, when you need a last minute party appetizer. The mini slices are just so cute! It’s hearty and has a true ancient sprout grain taste.
Ingredients: filtered water, organic sprouted wheat flour, organic seven grain mix (organic cracked wheat, organic oat flakes, organic rye, organic hulled millet, organic corn grits, organic whole spelt, organic flax seeds) whole wheat starter (organic whole wheat flour, filtered water, fresh yeast) organic whole wheat flour, organic rye flour, organic flax seeds, salt, fresh yeast.
I also picked up some clover sprouts, grape tomatoes, mini bell peppers, and an alcohol free lemon witch hazel, which I use as a toner for my face.
Other grocery items: eggs, brussels sprouts, and asparagus, via Publix. Essentials!
What did you pick up from the grocery stores this week? See any essentials of yours here?