Just to preface, these are RIDIC-OUS-LY good. I apologize in advance for the jars of nut butter you’re about to harm in the making of these cookies.
Breakfast:
Plain Greek yogurt + strawberries + pistachios + mango + chia seeds / hemp hearts. As much as I like trying the fun flavors Siggi’s makes, but I’m definitely more of a plain greek yogurt with fresh fruit type!
Mid-morning snack.
This mini sized spirulina energy bar from Go Raw. Made with sesame seeds + bananas + dates + coconut + spirulina.
Lunch.
My packed lunches have been looking like this lately – featuring this red quinoa, chickpea, and roasted vegetable salad.
Usually I would pack it with extra avocado, carrots with hummus, and some mandarin oranges for snacking.
Caught in eating action at work. Story of my life!
Afternoon Snacks.
A piece of this Trader Joe’s dark chocolate honey mints to cure a mid-day slump. Love that it’s only 3 ingredients – honey, chocolate liquor, and oil of peppermint. The PERFECT minty bite!
Pre-workout mini juice break via Whisk. A blend of kale, pineapple, lime, and mint. Loved this combination!
Dinner.
Post workout dinner was a bed of romaine with baked salmon + roasted asparagus + roasted red bell peppers + chickpeas + goat cheese + lemon juice and tahini – squeeze of fresh lemon juice. I’m a fan of big salads – athletes just can’t run (literally) on a bed of plain greens, ya know? I feel like romaine can sometimes be underrated – I know we all go crazy for leafy greens (which definitely packs the nutrition punch!) but did you know that even ONE serving of romaine gives you well over the daily recommended intake of Vitamin A? It’s packed with a variety of vitamins, fiber, and water for some hydration – I love the extra crunchy texture it adds to salads!
Thanks to Jenn for another week of fab eats. Head over to Laura’s WIAW to join the foodie fun!
Lots of base greens this week – I’m feeling all the salads!
From Trader Joes: Mandarin oranges, organic Tuscan kale, sliced mango, organic arugula, organic baby spinach, organic romaine, frozen pineapple, pomegranate seeds, tomato basil hummus, greek yogurt, radishes, lemons, tempeh, sun dried tomatoes.
I like to pick up frozen fruit from Trader Joe’s to keep stock in my freezer. They’re easy to throw into smoothies (frozen fruit just gives better texture!) or to just snack on. I’m loving frozen mango and pineapple as dessert!
Trimmed radishes are only 99 cents at Trader Joe’s, friends. Scrounge up some change from your couch and get you some. Great to toss onto salads!
A pack of sun-dried tomatoes made it into my shopping basket this week because I’ve been craving a nice big salad with all the toppings and sun dried tomatoes would be one those said toppings. These are also fabulous toss into omelets!
From Whole Foods: Pineapple mango salsa, crumbled goat cheese, kiwis, frozen tri-color carrots, bananas, organic bell peppers, and Japanese sweet potatoes. Oh, and the green tea and coconut flavor coconut milk ice cream from So Delicious (sale!!!!) Swooning. 
Seriously hands down my favorite flavors of all time from So Delicious. It’s like, if I were an ice cream, this is what I would look like. Green tea and coconut. Either one or maybe both. Probably both swirled together. A girl can dream.
I am SO happy to get some Japanese sweet potatoes back in my kitchen. They’re one of my favorite sweet potato variations besides my number one purple sweet potato.
So I know what you’re thinking – it’s definitely more economical to make your own salsa. However, when I’m shopping for myself, I like to to pick up a small container such as this from Whole Foods because it’s the perfect amount for the week. Sometimes making a big batch of salsa for myself results in me wasting half the batch – not good! I love the house made ones from Whole Foods – I stir them into salads or pair them with a protein for a little extra kick.
Stahibush Island Farms is often a go-to frozen vegetable brand of mine. The company’s passion for sustainable farming resonates in their products – I love their frozen sliced beets! I usually reach for the Whole Foods 365 Brand most of the time, but I’ll pick up a some from Stahibush when they’re on sale.
And even though Trader Joe’s sells a goat cheese crumble for less ($2.99 vs $4.99), I’ve always found that the Whole Foods version is a taddd bit creamier. Adding a touch of goat cheese crumble is a nice addition to salads, omelets, sweet potatoes….basically anything!
What’s in your grocery cart this week?
So, butternut squash for dessert. AKA vegetables for dessert. I get you. Always have vegetables and dessert on the mind. You know, the finer things in life – we’re all about that here at the Nutrition Happens kitchen.
I had pack of pre-cut butternut squash from Trader Joe’s leftover in my fridge from last week so I was trying to find a way to use it up. I’m not saying that butternut squash is soooo winter (because I love squash), but my body really enjoys eating seasonally and currently, I’m really enjoying spring vibes and its abundance of fresh produce. (Did you catch this Minted Strawberry and Fava Bean Salad with Asparagus last week? My tastebuds are still humming!)
A full day of eats for you guys – hooray!
Breakfast.
Greek yogurt + berries + Purely Elizabeth granola + hemp/chia seeds. Lottsaa cinnamon dumped on afterwards.
Mid-morning Snack.
A Go Raw live apricot bar. They’re starting to grow on me – I wasn’t a big fan at first. But honestly, they are very easy to recreate yourself – which I’m planning to do soon!
Lunch.
My packed lunches this week have been looking a little something like this –
A toasted mini pita from Whole Foods (if you toast them until crispy, they slice perfectly open! It’s perfect for that crunchy texture without feeling like you just ate 10 loaves of bread) + Hilarys Eat Well black rice burger + clover sprouts + pineapple salsa. And baby carrots + Trader Joe’s 3 layer hummus on the side.
Seriously though…everything holds up in that pita perfectly.
Afternoon Snack.
A cara cara orange. So good and refreshing!!
Dinner.
A Trader Joe’s chili chicken lime burger + avocado + goat cheese + sauteed zucchini, yellow squash, and bell peppers.
Dessert.
Always ending my day with a little dark chocolate. Bonus points for the hazelnuts.
Bonus:
Since I don’t post as many dinners on Instagram, here’s a look at a few more dinners collected over the past week or so –
Tempeh and vegetable stir-fry with Trader Joe’s Mango Chutney.
Leftovers…more of the same. Special guest overlooking all the leftover goodies!
Another tempeh stir-fry with Trader Joe’s Island Soyaki.
Thanks to Jenn for another great WIAW roundup!
Things already in my pantry: lots of leftover produce from last week!
From Whole Foods: Sambazon Acai pack (on sale for $5.69!), Mahava coconut sugar, pineapple salsa, frozen peas, frozen mangoes, Fage greek yogurt, strawberries, a ruby red grapefruit + sumo mandarin + cara cara orange, a bartlett pear, almond cheese, oat flour, a two savory yogurts from Blue Hill and a brown box to go filled with too many hot bar items.
I love using coconut sugar as a baking replacement. Sometimes stevia just doesn’t cut it – and when you’re baking for someone who is not used to the stevia aftertaste, coconut sugar is a great alternative to refined sugar. Derived via the sap of the liquid of coconut plants, coconut sugar is said to have a lower glycemic index compared to other sugars. Even though coconut sugar container a higher amount of nutrients and inulin (a fiber undigested in our digestive system) compared to refined sugar, it doesn’t mean you can go absurdly crazy and eat it by the spoonful. (source.) Moderation is key! It’s a better alternative on days we want to bake up a nice treat.
There a many options and brands avaliable readily these days – I really like using this one from Madhava. They also have a great whipped honey!
Sambazon Acai packs are staples in my freezer – I’ll pick up some when I catch them on sale. I love blending a pack with frozen mangoes! I also love snacking on frozen mangoes, especially during the warmer seasons.
Still feeling the citrus love – they are still incredibly sweet! I ate the sumo mandarin on the way home – the bonus is that they are super easy to peel…aka making them a perfect car snack.
You can just as easily make oat flour yourself by grinding oats in a food processor, but I keep a bag on hand in the pantry for those days when inspiration strikes and need it just like that. Or when I’m making recipes that only require a few tablespoons.
I’ve bought the almond cheese from Lisanatti before but it’s been a while and since it was also on sale this week, I decided to give it another go. From what I remember, it takes on more of a nuttier almond taste – but melts just like regular cheese. I plan on crumbling in on a few salads I have planned for the week. Have you tried almond cheese before?
And the Blue Hill yogurts – I’ve seen these floating around Instagram for the longest time. I’m surprised I didn’t try them out sooner – I tend to have a sixth sense when it comes to new products! I picked up the one with beets (duh) and sweet potatoes (what’s new?).
Same goes for the mini Go Raw bars – although I tried one the other day and was not impressed. My favorite dried fruit/nut bars are from a local company here in Charleston called Nicole’s Nutty Goodness – the espresso flavor is my favorite!
From Trader Joe’s: Asparagus, avocados, baby carrots, roasted red peppers, organic split pea soup, toasted oat bran, honey, avocado salsa, greek yogurt, romaine, mint, lemons, limes, whole carrots.
Side note: Does anyone love reading Trader Joe’s Fearless Flyers? Seriously, I look forward to it every month. They make it so fun!
I’m so happy to see the toasted oat bran back in stock at Trader Joe’s! It used to come bags but it’s nice to see it in some new packaging. Nothing too interesting here, just some essentials. I was craving soup the other day and didn’t feel like getting comfortable in the kitchen to make my own – so I stocked up some split pea soup for when days like that strikes again.
The avocado salsa….not my favorite item from TJ! Not enough avocado, too much salsa.
Just some more essentials – lemons + limes, carrots, bananas, Tuscan kale. And the three layer hummus is just another fabulous hummus from Trader Joe’s – great for those who are indecisive and can’t decide on one flavor.
I stopped by Earthfare one day last week after work to pick up a few things – instant oats, whole spelt flour, black quinoa, pecorino cheese, blackberries, blueberries, this cornbread mix from Hodgson Mills (5 ingredients and only takes 20 minutes to bake!), these garlic parmesean crackers from Doctor Kracker (I like to add them for texture in salads!), and a bottle of Pinot Noir. #wino
I’m a sucker for trying new teas so this had to make it into my basket. White chocolate mocha?
Oh, okay. And a little pecorino action for the week. Cheese..wine. Life’s all about that balance!
What’s in your shopping cart this week?