What I Ate Monday + Trader Joe's (finally!)

I finally made it to Trader Joe’s!  M and I had plans to go a couple weeks ago, but we cancelled because the restaurant we planned to eat at beforehand was closed that day.  Yes, we could have just picked another place to eat at, but I had my heart set on the Spiral Diner and nothing can really compare to it.  Just like Sinead always said…

Nothing compares to you, Spiral Diner.  Why must you be closed on Mondays?

*wipes a tear*

ANYWAY!  I made a quick trip to the new Trader Joe’s in Plano yesterday afternoon with E and my Mom, and we were not disappointed.  The place was pretty packed (as expected) but it wasn’t so bad.  Everyone was shuffling around like health food-eating zombies, muttering to themselves about each sweet TJ’s find (FALAFEL chips!?  Chocolate-covered almonds with sea salt!?  COOKIE BUTTER!?!?) while playing bumper carts with the other customers.

It took everything I had to not swipe the contents of entire shelves into my shopping cart (Dude, that lady just took 12 boxes of granola and, like, 18 jars of almond butter!), but somehow I walked outta there with a receipt for $50 even (!) and two bags full of goodies.

It was like Christmas from Food Santa!  Only I had to come to him.  And the loot wasn’t free…

Okay, scratch that.  Here’s what I got:

A 22-ounce bottle of both Ruination IPA and Arrogant Bastard Ale, mini soy ice cream sandwiches, a bottle of Trader Joe’s $3 wine (Shiraz!), dark chocolate covered almonds, dark chocolate covered almonds with sea salt and turbinado sugar (!), two Pure Bars, roasted flax seed peanut butter, roasted flax seed almond butter*, a can of organic split pea soup, a pint each of chocolate and strawberry coconut milk ice cream (CHEAP!) and a package of organic tempeh.

*I just took a dive into that crunchy, salted almond butter with roasted flax seeds and it was ridiculous.  If I go missing you will more than likely find me hiding in a closet somewhere with my face in that jar.  Just a heads-up!

For the record, my Four Food Groups are dessert, alcohol, nuts and kale (yes, kale is its own group, shut it).  I definitely stocked up on the first three with this shopping trip. 

(I’m no nutritionist! These 4 Food Groups seem like a much better bet.)

I can’t say that I’ll be shopping at Trader Joe’s on a weekly basis, but I will definitely be going there once or twice a month.  They had incredible prices on almond milk, frozen fruit, coconut milk ice cream, booze, granola, juice boxes, snacks and condiments.  I definitely didn’t get to explore every single product on every single shelf the way I would have liked to, so I’ll be heading back that way again soon.

Have you guys tasted TJ’s cheap-o vino?  I’ll let you know how it is once I try it tonight this weekend.  It has the potential to be life-changing, I think…

What are your favorite Trader Joe’s products?

Now for What I Ate Monday!

Just because.

(Lucky you.)

Breakfast was Overnight Oats in a (Peanut Butter) Jar!

• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 T. chia seeds
• cinnamon + stevia to taste
• 1/2 mashed ripe banana
• 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Dump into a near-empty nut butter jar, mix, and put in the fridge overnight.  In the morning, grab a spoon and feast.

I know it looks kind of gross, but it is sooo gooooood.  I make Overnight Oats in a Jar this way with just about every nut butter I buy- almond, sunflower seed, cashew, walnut, peanut… the list goes on.  Sometimes I add a tablespoon or two of protein powder, if I’m feeling crazy (I am clearly out of control).  I love scraping the last of the nut butter from the bottom and sides of the jar! 

(Maybe a little too much!)

This is getting borderline pornographic now so I will move on to lunch.

A giant salad of course, with a million different chopped raw veggies, roasted sunflower seeds, Annie’s Goddess Dressing and a huge spoonful of classic hummus.

Delish. 

On the way to Trader Joe’s I munched an apple and ate one of my favorite bars ever:

Thunderbird Energetica in Cashew Fig Carrot (amazing!)

I don’t like to eat energy bars often because I much prefer a dip into the almond butter jar when I need a mid-day boost (paired with a piece of fresh fruit, it is truly the perfect snack), but I do keep a stash of bars for emergencies.  They’re easy, portable and convenient.  I like Lara Bars, Pure Bars and Raw Revolution Bars, but Thunderbird is my absolute FAVE.  The flavors are insane!  They are so good.

E started hip hop dance class yesterday and LOVED IT.  I have no rhythm so he certainly does not get it from me! I was starving when we got home at 6:15pm but thankfully I’d already done most of the cooking over the weekend and was able to whip something up in a flash:

Collard wraps!

I actually got this very idea from Veggie Terrain, who I am stalking following on Instagram.

4 big collard leaves topped with shredded cabbage, Curried Almond Dressing (from the Let Them Eat Vegan! cookbook), two halved Lentil Walnut Burger patties, tomato, avocado slices and salt & peppa.

Pa-RETTY freakin’ tasty, oh yes. 

Before bed I needed some carb action so I rolled with a slice of leftover (veganized) Strawberry Banana Bread and a glass of ice cold vanilla almond milk:

Glorious.

Then I called it a night and hit the sack.  At, like, 10pm.  Because hi, I’m 85.

In my defense, I did wake up at 4:45 this morning (!) to lift weights for an hour before the kids woke up.  Hopefully that makes me sound a bit more youthful.

What have you been eating lately?  Tell me about it!

Have a great Tuesday afternoon. 

XO,

Sara