Cool Stuff At Trader Joe's

If you've been following me a while you know I love a smoothie in the afternoon. Even when it's cold outside (and it certainly is in New England!) I still try to make one each day. It's a fun snack and a nice way to get a good dose of nutrients.

My daughter's favorite smoothies are tropical: a mix of ice, frozen banana, frozen pineapple and frozen mango. Trader Joe's sells a good assortment of frozen fruits for cheap! Hurray!

Being Kind to Ourselves During the Holidays

 
Raise your hand (or glass!) if you can't believe it's already December. Maybe it's part of being a busy mom, but once Halloween ends, I feel like I blink and it's Christmas!

One of the great joys of the holidays is the food with make, share and eat with friends and family. Ask most people about their happiest moments in life and I'm guessing they'll say it was time spent sharing meals with loved ones. Food is one of life's greatest pleasures, and when we remember to savor our meals with a spirit of gratitude, there are few things better!

One of my pet peeves this time of year is listening to the media pushing sweets, rich foods (all good things in moderation, I really mean that!), but then quickly turning to "diet this, diet that" on January 1st. The old "I'm going to lose weight" New Year's Resolution is so boring to me.  Of course I'm a big proponent of taking great care of your health and often shedding a few pounds is a side effect of that, but it bums me out that people are focused on the negative. The weight. Focusing on what we don't love about ourselves. A "why did I eat that?" mentality.

It's too bad because negativity like that can rob us of an otherwise joyful experience.

So, this season, I say, why not choose self love? Yeah, yeah, I know I sound like a hippie (which I proudly am!), but I'm serious. Yes, you might gain a couple of pounds eating rich yummy foods this season, but instead of punishing yourself and setting yourself up for disappointment, just enjoy the holiday because you're lucky to be alive and lucky to be in the company of loved ones.

What I Ate Wednesday

Did you miss me last week? What can I say? It's a very busy (but fun!) time of year!

Breakfast, I'm sure you're shocked, was the same old yummy bowl of Shredded Wheat, oats and Uncle Sam cereal topped with red grapes and banana. I love it so much it never gets boring!
 

Snack was a scoop of store-bought red pepper hummus with vegetables.

Lunch was a head of romaine lettuce, baby carrots, mushrooms, sliced Trader Joe's marinated tofu, Whole Foods "Health Starts Here" salad dressing and raw sesame seeds!

Dinner was some rice pilaf, Greek baby lima beans, sauteed cabbage with carmelized onions (yum!!) and roasted buttercup squash.

Cool Stuff At Trader Joe's

Carrot juice! In the past, I really didn't get it, but one day I had a glass and it quickly became one of my favorite drinks. Trader Joe's carrot juice is great because for $3.89 you can get a large-sized bottle of organic juice that will last you the whole week.

What I Ate Wednesday

Welcome back to What I Ate Wednesday, where we take a look at what I've been up to in the kitchen!
 I can't believe tomorrow is already Thanksgiving? Where does the time go?

Breakfast was the same sort of thing I love every morning: old fashioned oats and grapenuts mixed with raisins, walnuts and bananas topped with vanilla soymilk. Delicious and very filling!

Lunch was a big old yummy apple and this simple salad of baby spinach, carrots and tahini dressing. The crackers are Finn Crisp Rosemary. A lot of flavor and crunch in a simple cracker!

My afternoon snack was a frozen banana chocolate smoothie topped with walnuts. If you can't tell, I love all nuts, but especially walnuts. Remember, although nuts are calorically dense, they are an excellent snack and source of healthy fats.

Dinner was a big portion of kale chips (love them!) topped with a little sea salt, roasted carrots and yellow beets and a couple of quinoa cakes.

Cool Stuff At Trader Joe's

Now that Thanksgiving is just a couple of days away (how did THAT happen?), it's time to stock up on yummy beverages for the holiday, right? I mean, not only is it going to be a beautiful holiday, but the Patriots play Thanksgiving night!

The last time I went to the Patriot Place Trader Joe's, I was excited to see this big display of Smuttynose Beer.

I never went for flavored beers, but this is the year of loving pumpkin ale. There are fewer things better than a tall cold pint of pumpkin ale with a sugared rim.

Smuttynose makes an excellent IPA as well!

How to Slice a Pomegranate

My favorite season? Fall. Why? Lots of reasons why, but the foodie reason is because of the huge shipments of POM pomegranates that show up at the grocery stores this time of year. Quick tip: buy a whole bunch of them and keep them in the fridge, as they store well for about three months!

My mom introduced us to eating pomegrantes when we were kids, and they've remained one of my top five favorite foods since! (yes, chocolate is there as well)

Since I'm verbal about my love of this amazing fruit, people often come to me for pomegranate advice! One of the questions people ask is, "How do I pick a good one?" There are a couple of things to consider. First, I pretty much only get the ones with the little POM sticker on them. They're usually $2.00 to $2.50 each. I've been known to buy 20 at once. Yep, you heard that right! Another thing to consider is the weight. The juicier the fruit, the heavier it will be. I also look for a nice dark red, fresh looking fruit.

If you've even cut into a pomegranate, you know they produce a lot of dark red juice that can stain your fingers, nails, kitchen walls (!), etc. Here are some pictures I took showing what I believe to be the best and cleanest way to cut into it:

Slice off the top and the bottom (the top is the stem side)

Very lightly score around the fruit, without puncturing the seeds.

Then lightly score around the diameter.

Voila! It's ready to eat! (yes, I am wearing gloves!)