Happy Friday, loves!
I hope you all had a fantastic week!
Mine has been pretty great…shortened workweek since I took an extra day after my mini vacay to St. Louis (always good to have a day to recoup after vacation, am I right?), fabulous 80 degree weather which I’ve been taking advantage of with regular walks through the park…
And some other fun and exciting things that have been causing random happy dances…which may or may not have happened in public…
#noshame
First up…Twinnings tea!
I’ve always been a huge fan of chai tea (I swear I sold my sold to Starbucks shortly after discovering their chai tea latte back in college) so when I saw these babies at a World Market that I just happened to pop into on my way back from St. Louis ;), I couldn’t resist.
And they are all AMAZING…especially with almond milk and bit of stevia!
Take THAT Starbucks!
On Monday, I headed out to the store to pick up a few essentials and couldn’t believe my eyes when I spotted WHOLE MILK Oikos at Wal-Mart (of all places!). I’ve never seen anything but the 0% in all the stores around here and sadly, the consistency of fat free yogurt just isn’t the same.
Mmm, thick and creamy!
Then I stopped by Big Lots for nothing in particular and ended up walking out with these HoneyMaid Grahamfulsย as a little treat (among other things of course).
Not exactly the healthiest, but there are a lot worse options. They make the perfect tide-me-over snack and I love how they come in little portion-controlled packs because let’s face it, you hand me a jar of peanut butter and a box of graham crackers and THAT is my serving size! ๐
I also picked up some Turkey Perky Jerkyย (can’t help but giggle every time I say that out loud) which is actually something I’ve been secretly obsessing over for weeks now. Only 220mg of sodium per bag with 100 calories and 18g of protein?
Sign.me.up!
Yesterday, I went back to The Country Pantry since I knew my excitement during the last trip surely caused me to miss out on a few things and boy was I right!
How could I have missed the almond flour?! I’ve been wanting to experiment with this flour for a while now and got it a heck of a lot cheaper than if I’d bought it at Whole Foods! I also picked up some pepitas after Meghan was generous enough to send me a sample of her Pumpkin Cranberry Crack Crunch…seriously you guys, if you haven’t tried her recipe, you are missing out!
I found local eggs for only $2.15 (holy cow chicken, Batman!) and something I was a little hesitant to try…cheese curds.
I mean, c’mon…how does the word “curds” sound appealing? But in the end the other words…”roasted garlic cheddar” won me over and…?
OMG, cheese HEAVEN!
I’ve been adding them to everything…
Including this morning’s bowl of oats!
Cheese and apples (and celery seed) were meant to be!
While I was there, I also picked up some smoked paprika and maple extract since I was out of both and this fun little whisk!
Funny thing about the whisk…when I was whipping some Pumpkin Pie French over the weekend, I asked my friend Eric for a whisk.
I got an odd look…typical.
So I dug through the bachelor pad kitchen drawers and found this little guy…
And yes, I was so amused that I took a picture!
But it is so much FUN to use! It bounces as you hit the bottom of the bowl, which actually helps “fluff” your liquid a bit more, but I just liked it because I thought it was cool!
And now I have one!
And now you all think know I’m a goober! Lol!
Don’t forgetย to join Kristin and me in our FunFinds Fun! Justย add the hashtag #funfinds to your Twitter/Instagram pics whenever YOU come across something that gets you happy dancing in the middle of the grocery store! ๐
Or join us by posting your finds on Fridays with this new fancy button that Jenny made! Isn’t it cute?
What FunFinds have you discovered this week?
Are you easily amused by kitchen gadgets?
Can I just say I look forward to your Friday posts each week? They are my favorite because I always find myself lusting over your finds. I adore Oikos plain but I can rarely find it near me. it freaking kills me! That perky jerky, man never even heard of that. So cool! Thanks again for a great Friday
Aww, thank you Alex! You are SO sweet! Hope you’re having a great weekend! ๐
I saw those Grahamfuls at the grocery srote recently and couldn’t believe they didn’t think of it sooner. Graham crackers were practically MADE for PB. Are they as good and the DIY?
So… I can’t wait for you to come to the farmer’s market in ATL. It’s crazy cheap. Like those pumpkin seeds? They are only 60 cents/lb. No joke. It takes major self control every time I go.
Garlic cheese curd oats?! You are brilliant. #strangebutgood to the max, my friend. I bow to your strangeness.
I love your fun finds… and the fact that you post on Friday night so I have some entertainment. You do that just for me, right? ๐
1. YES! They are so good…just the right amount of pb…and not fake tasting at all!
2. 60 cents per pound?! Omg, I’m gonna be in trouble! Maybe I should make you hold my wallet…
3. Hey, any way to get more cheese in my face! Lol
4. JUST for you…and well, you know…the fact that I have no life! ๐
Ohhh my gosh. Peanut butter filled graham crackers?! For REAL?! How have I not had these?! that might even be better than pb filled pretzels ๐ MAYBE
Hmm, that would be a hard call to make…gotta love the salty/sweet of pb pretzels!
I just received one of those grahamfuls in a care pkg this week. However, mine isn’t pb.. it’s pb AND CHOCOLATE! I haven’t eaten it yet, because it’s my only one haha.
PB and CHOCOLATE?! Like a chocolate graham or chocolate and pb inside? Omg, my mind is blown…and I’m jealous! But I’d totally hoard it too! Lol
Hi love! Happy weekend!!
SO many good finds! I have been wanting to try almond flour, but SO expensive! I am glad you got it, now if you make enough yummy things with it, I might want to buy it!
Love the tea too!
Those graham things I have seen but never bought! They look good though ๐
Have a great weekend! <3
Cheese curds are amazing! Glad you’re liking them. ๐
I think I’ve decided to call them “nuggets”…it just sounds more appealing! lol
I’ve been reading your blog for a while now and I really love your awesome recipes. I just wanted to ask that you be careful using the word “retarded” in a derogatory way. I know lots of people throw it around, I’ve had to catch myself and say something like “ridiculous” instead.
This is a pretty great article that describes how hurtful the use of that word can be. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/24/ann-coulter-retard-john-franklin-stephens-special-olympics-open-letter_n_2008538.html?utm_hp_ref=sports&ir=Sports
Just wanted to share. Keep up the great recipes!
Thank you Kimberly. I sincerely apologize for my lack of thought when it came to the wording I chose. I would NEVER intentionally try to offend someone with my language. I have edited the post to reflect a better choice in words, but again I am sorry if I have offended you. I love all my readers so much…I would be nothing without you guys! Thank you so much for being one of the loyal ones! ๐
I love that whisk! I have the mini one from Pampered Chef that I use all the time! But I need that one too as I am the queen of all things gadgets!
I’m gonna check out our Big Lots for that jerky – looks good! This week my find was more bakery emulsions at Ross. Love the butter vanilla.
Those markets are awesome and I’ve wanted to get almond flour but I don’t think I’ll use it for baking, only in no bake things like a dessert crust or energy bites, etc. I’ve read too many scary articles on why it is bad to heat it.
Here is one I read that made me stop and think!
http://www.thefitnessdish.com/?p=11598
Oh my gosh, I saw that butter vanilla and I was a THISCLOSE to buying it! Why did I pass it up?! I have the mini whisk from PC too! Actually, half my kitchen is PC…yes, I have a problem! Lol
Oh wow, I never realized that about the almond flour…but it makes complete sense! You KNOW I’m no baker, but I may give this another thought before cracking into my package! Thanks girlie!
oh my lanta those teas….I NEED THEM!! Ok well technically I dont since I have an entire pantry full of teas, but those flavors you have are screaming my name.
I think that some people might find the word “retarded” offending.
Crystal, I apologize for not thinking of a more appropriate word. I would never mean to intentionally offend anyone…either in person or by way of the blog. Just so you know, I have edited the post to better reflect my point. Thank you for calling this to my attention. And of course, thank you for reading!
Whaaat?! Twinnings makes pumpkin spice chai tea?! I need to find that!
Also I totally agree about 0% Greek yogurt – it’s just not as satisfying! I always buy Oikos 2%, but I’ve never seen the whole milk kind around here. I bet it’s amazing though!
Gorgeous pictures from your walk! Changing leaves make me admire nature every Fall – the colours are amazing.
That logo is really cute – Jenny has the skills for sure.
And that whisk? Seriously funny! My grandma has one like that at I looked at her doubtfully the first time she offered it to me for preparing my oats. Call me a creature of habit but I still think my “regular” whisk does it best :D.
Thanks love! Glad you enjoyed the crack er… Crunch. I love the leaf pictures in the beginning, and your very impressive finds. Cheese curds are the bomb.com. I adore them, name and all. You grabbed a great whisk too. It’s all about the whisking.
So many fun foodie finds! Either I suck at shopping, or Canada is just bad at bringing in new things, because I never really find any good new stuff in the stores around here ๐ Like even right now, there are hardly any pumpkiny or Fall flavored things that you can buy, but at least we have prettier money ๐ Oh, and Oikos 2%. I totally agree that fat free yogurt is just… no. Sometimes I have no idea how I stomached it for all those years.
Being from Wisconsin, cheese curds are a staple around here! The squeakier the better!!
I’m from MN and went to school in WI. You need WI and I agree. 0% yogurt…ew! curds!
Cheese curds are amazing. Get in mah mouf!
I almost bought those little grahams at Big Lots! So like-minded. ๐
LOVE smoked paprika…oh man, it adds such a great flavor to vegan chilis…
Can you believe I only discovered smoked paprika a couple of years ago? I always thought it would taste the same as regular paprika…shows how little I knew back then! Lol
I have a secret…I’ve already got your goodies together for when we’re matched up for The Weird Foodie Club! ๐ xoxoxo
So glad I made the time to read some of your posts I missed! I love whole milk greek yogurt. They have it in my cafeteria and it’s delicious! I don’t know how expensive the brand is that they use but I love the taste, its not as tangy as some, I think it’s Mountain High Greek Yogurt if you ever see that brand. Did you the turkey jerky at Walmart? that’s actually one of the few places they have affordable groceries down here!
Wow, now that you mention it, I don’t think it’s as tangy as the non-fat version I usually get. All I know is that I’m totally addicted to it…I’ve been dipping Kashi Autumn Wheat into it as my nighttime snack! Yep, I’m a born dipper! ๐
I found the jerky at Big Lots. I’ve seen it at Publix a few times, but not at Walmart.