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Woot for Loot!

Posted on September 6, 2012 by kissmybroccoli

Hey guys! I hope you’re all having a great week!

As promised, I have some loot to share with you guys from my trip to Nashville last weekend…and I know you guys are just dying to see it!

Reason #436 food bloggers/readers aren’t considered “normal”

But that’s ok, our abnormal world is more fun and MUCH MORE delicious! 😉

First up, Trader Joe’s!

My usual staples: unsalted almond butter, olive oil, extra-firm tofu, unsweetened organic applesauce, and tomato paste (am I the only one who loves this JUST because it comes in a tube?) along with a “few” extras…

I got some freeze dried fruit for some baking experiments I have in mind, the crescent rolls were a result of having a total “omg, I’m craving buttery deliciousness” moment, and the peanut sauce was just something I HAD to have! 😉

I also HAD to have that Island Soyaki sauce after hearing Emily rave about it!

Corn tortillas because I’ve been craving tacos like nobody’s business…

And my FAVORITE mints and MORE mint…because the Mint Chocolate Chip Parfait was only the beginning! 😉

Next up, it was onto Whole ~~Paycheck~~ Foods!

I always head straight for the bulk bin section to restock my supply of rolled oats and whole wheat pastry flour, but this time, I also picked up two containers of TVP! I made Laura’s chick-less nuggets a few weeks ago and have been CRAVING them like crazy!

Cute AND delicious!

After stocking up in the bulk section (and maybe stealing a couple of nibble of chocolate covered almonds and honey sesame sticks) I wondered over to the produce section. When I saw that they had golden beets, I just couldn’t pass them up…so pretty! I also picked up a nice assortment of fresh figs, two perfectly ripe nectarines, and one pink lady apple.

With my fall goals in mind, I picked up three packages of seafood from the fish counter…Coho salmon, mahi-mahi, and my lovely sea scallops!

Then I headed over to the cold section on a mission…I’ve been looking for a good, minimal ingredient ricotta for a few weeks now and I FINALLY found it! I really want to add it to pizza…maybe with a bit of pesto and some sun-dried tomatoes?…but we’ll see if I can keep my spoon out of the container long enough first! 😉

While I was cheese-hunting, I also spotted some new-to-me yogurts and omg, I’m sorry Chobani, but I think I’ve found a new favorite!

The 365 brand is AMAZING!

Both the fat free and the low fat only have 2 GRAMS of sugar and the consistency is so thick and creamy…I didn’t want them to end!

On my way out, I hit up the “snack zone” and picked up some new bars, a package of hemp seeds, and two sample packs of hemp protein…I’ve heard a lot about hemp lately, but have never tried any so I’m excited to see how these taste!

I also spotted these guys on the very top shelf…I almost missed them…and actually, I wish I had. They were definitely better after a few seconds in the microwave…the peanut butter was just ok, but the pumpkin didn’t even taste like pumpkin!

So disappointing!

But one thing that WASN’T disappointing…
the BEST purchase of the day (next to the yogurt):

Oh yeah!

It’s a little sweeter than my favorite coconut peanut butter, but so rich and so creamy, and it was the PERFECT topping to Sunday morning’s pancakes!

Mmmmmm!

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go raid the kitchen for random dippers! 😉

What are your Whole Food’s/Trader Joe’s “staples”?

Have you found any new favorite foodie items lately? Do share!

Posted in Product Review, Shopping, Snacks | Tagged almond butter, Greek yogurt, oats, protein bars, tofu, Trader Joe's, tvp, Whole Foods | 32 Comments

“Falling” Into Good Habits

Posted on September 4, 2012 by kissmybroccoli

Hey guys!

Well, I’ve already been at it for a couple of days, but now that the long weekend is over, it’s time you guys joined me in getting back to the grind! But don’t dread it…think of it this way…we’re just THAT much closer to another weekend!

And so close to another WIAW that it’s ALREADY HERE!! 😉

Just when I thought I couldn’t love Jenn anymore, she has to go and pick another FABULOUS theme for our weekly celebrations!

This month, the theme is “Falling” into Good Habits where we can all share our delicious eats but also get ahead of the whole New Year jazz and set a few healthy goals/resolutions for fall! Perfect timing Jenn, because there just so happens to be a few things I’ve been wanting to aim for, like…

Giving foods a second chance…

While I’ve ALWAYS been a fan of dried figs, I’ve never really had that “wow” moment with a fresh one, but after seeing Ashley’s DELICIOUS-looking figgy smoothie the other day, when I saw some at the store the other day, I felt compelled to give them another shot.

I think it’s all about the combo…on their own, I just don’t find them flavorful enough, but mixed in a bowl of plain Greek yogurt, with a crumbled oatmeal raisin cookie and a little cinnamon?

Folks, we have ourselves a winner!

I’ve still got a few more left, but have a plan for them…I’ve been told to stuff them with goat cheese, wrap them in prosciutto, and barbecue them…now THAT I have to try!

Eating more fish….

The other night, I whipped up a fantastic dinner of pan-seared scallops (just coated them with spices and threw them in a skillet), sauteed greens, and roasted veggies and was reminded of how much I’ve missed eating fresh seafood.

Mmmm, scallops!

I don’t usually buy a lot of fish because since I prefer to buy only fresh/wild caught, it can get a bit pricey. There are occasions that I can find such things around here, but it’s rare so while I was in Nashville this weekend, I picked up these beautiful scallops and a few other fine fishy specimens, wrapped them up and stuffed them in the freezer!

Now, to just remember that they are in there! 😉

Reaching for more veggie snax…

With the eminent close of summer in the air, I’ve been eating my weight in blueberries, cherries, peaches, nectarines…I think you know where I’m going with this.

While fruit is most definitely a heathy snack, I want to keep balance in mind and remember that there are delicious veggies I could be nibbling on too!

Last night, we had a small potluck at work and I whipped up a batch of “throw together” hummus and served it with organic celery, carrots, and cucumbers…

Add some red bell pepper, crackers, and a side of meaty chili (that was totally regarded as another dip) and call it dinner!

Welcoming fall flavors…

Speaking of potluck, there was NO WAY I couldn’t talk about this AMAZING cookie!

Dried apple pieces, chunks of cinnamon sugar, and rich white chocolate chips…and you know enriched flour, preservatives, and probably a couple of UCI (unidentified cookie ingredients).

I’m not much of a baker, so I don’t know if I’ll try to go the cookie route, but I CAN’T wait to get in the kitchen and whip up something with this amazing flavor combo!

Maybe you’ll see them soon in the form of pancakes? 😉

And lastly, PR Planking…

After a GREAT workout on my favorite piece of cardio equipment at the gym today, I felt like I still needed a little something more so I figured I’d do a plank or two, but I’ll admit after seeing all of Calee’s plank #proof on Instagram over the last week, the competitive side came out in me…

4:29

Officially, the LONGEST plank I’ve ever held!

My arms were shaking, my abs were screaming, and there may or may not have been a puddle of sweat beneath me…but it felt SO GOOD and now? Now, I want MORE!

Hmm, think I could do 8? 😉

Do you have any goals you’ve set for yourself recently?

What’s the longest you’ve ever held a plank?
Don’t be shy, when I first started, a minute seemed like a YEAR!

Now, head on over to Peas & Crayons to see how everyone else plans to “fall” into some good habits this season…who knows, maybe you’ll get an idea or two! 😉

Posted in Breakfast, Desserts, Entree, Snacks, What I Ate Wednesday, Workouts | Tagged arc trainer, cookies, goals, Greek yogurt, organic, plank, scallops, seafood, wild-caught | 53 Comments

A Marvelous Labor-FREE Weekend

Posted on September 3, 2012 by kissmybroccoli

Happy Labor Day!

While I know we technically still have [only] three more weeks until the first day of fall, I can’t help but associate Labor Day with the end of summer. The sun is setting sooner, the temperatures are cooling off, leaves are starting to change…that’s right folks, pumpkin season is right around the corner!

But before we start pulling out the carving knives and candy corn (ick), it’s nice to enjoy those last few weeks of summer that we have left?

I know most of you have today off from work and/or school and will be enjoying family time, BBQ’s, and maybe even some fireworks, but as of last night, it’s back to the grind for me…but please, save the pity…I’m getting time and a half!

Chaaaaaa-CHING! 😀

And besides, my weekend started on Friday, and I did my best to make the most of it!

Be sure to hop on over to Healthy Diva Eats and check out everyone’s marvelous link-ups…maybe, just maybe their weekend rocked as much as mine! 😉

It all began Friday morning with a GREAT lower body workout in an almost EMPTY gym…gotta love holiday weekends to give you more space in the weight room! After that, there was just enough time for a shower, breakfast, and a quick post before making my way out for a little road trip!

Any guesses as to where I ended up?

Ohhhh, yes…it’s been TOO long!

But I didn’t drive all the way to Nashville just to stuff my face with a trough of Whole Foods salad bar options or to load up Elvira until my wallet started to whimper…oh no, I had an even BETTER reason!

Love this girl!

And these two little munchkins!!
Totally stole this pic from Heather’s Instagram feed!

After a MARVELOUS lunch filled with delicious food (omg, so many levels of YUM in that box) and LOTS of catching up, Heather headed home to feed the babes, and I began the mission to murder my wallet in broad daylight!

Stay tuned for a post later in the week for pictures of the carnage! 😉

But the fun (and deliciousness) didn’t stop there…

Saturday I woke up early, made my weekly trip to the farmer’s market, whipped up a quick summery salad

And headed off to my parents house for something special.

…Hmmm, I wonder WHO could that be for?…

Daddy Broccoli’s Birthday!

We made it a nice stress-free afternoon, creating a quick and easy lunch of fresh corn on the cob, my cucumber, tomato, and onion salad, and smoked chicken from my dad’s favorite local BBQ joint.

Now if that plate doesn’t scream SUMMER, then I don’t know what does!

The rest of the afternoon was spent lounging on the couch and chit chatting while drooling over shows on The Cooking Channel and Food Network…yeah, my parents know how to get me to stay awhile! 😉

Then it was time to dig into that cake!

I’m not usually big on cake (must I remind you of my cookie ~~love~~ lust?) but holy mother of fluff…this was one of THE BEST cakes ever! I can still taste the perfectly creamy, sweet, but not too sweet icing! And thankfully, I packed my Lactaid, because that ice cream was the icing on the….oh, you know what I mean! 😉

While I’m not typically a cake person, PANCAKES are of course a whole other story!

In the final hours of my fantastically labor-FREE weekend, BB and I got up early and went to our favorite place for celebrating Pancake Sunday…

BB ordered the “Fluffy Pancakes” stuffed with crushed Oreo cookies topped with powdered sugar while I went plain with the silver dollar pancakes…

But that was just the beginning…those pancakes were but a blank canvas…

Ahh, yes…topped with a dollop of peanut butter and a fresh nectarine that I totally brought from home and then drizzled with just enough maple syrup…it was enough to [almost] make me swoon!

But there was something missing…so halfway through my plate, I made a request of our waitress…