Tag Archives: banana

I Don’t Hate Mondays

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Highlights from the weekend…

Fluffernutter frozen iced coffee. With half and half, cold brew powder, roasted marshmallows, vanilla protein powder, frozen banana, and chunky peanut butter.

Summer fruit! This bowl was blueberries and Rainier cherries.

Chip City did a blueberry Eggo Waffle cookie special with maple icing and it was devine.

Chocolate snacks I loved. Tru Fru dried strawberries with dark and white chocolate.

This brownie Perfect Bar was lovely. The level of salt was a pleasant surprise.

We are really enjoying this (giant bin of) Spanish cocktail mix. It has the best crunchy chickpeas I’ve ever tasted.

I picked up this frozen vegan kimchi kimpap at 99 Ranch and was blown away but how well it reheated.

Friday night we had late errands and ate a mall food court dinner (bourbon chicken, duh) so we pregamed with a green smoothie. Frozen spinach, mango, pineapple, banana, lime juice, vanilla protein powder, and water.

Breakfast patty melts for brinner. Whole-wheat bread with dijon mustard / turkey patties seasoned with salt, pepper, smoked paprika, gochugaru, and maple syrup / sliced Dubliner cheese. Plus green beans – steamed then sauteed with honey, German mustard, yellow mustard, Sriracha, and water.

P.S. I will show a picture next post but I currently have a HOMEMADE LASAGNA in the oven. I am so excited for dinner! Layers of lasagna noodles / equal parts ricotta, cottage cheese, and mozzarella cheese with eggs, salt, and pepper / sauce = sauteed ground turkey and yellow onion with Fresno chili pepper, fresh tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and gochugaru / mozzarella on top.

Mind-bender

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Working in healthcare means no three-day weekends but we did have a nice weekend! Adam and I got to spend tons of time together, on Saturday we road-tripped to Pennsylvania for a bbq with my in-laws, and Sunday we did a bunch of fun Ridgewood stuff. Highlights…

Frozen coffee #1 – coffee, half and half, ice, frozen banana, vanilla protein powder, vanilla extract, brown sugar, and peanut butter.

Frozen coffee #2 – coffee, half and half, ice, vanilla protein powder, black sesame paste, and butterscotch coffee syrup.

Cholita. We got the Cocado minus milk – espresso with coconut syrup and sweetened condensed milk. It was delightful and inspired me to buy coconut water to add to coffee with condensed milk.

Salty Lunch Lady. This little luncheonette is our new favorite spot – the space was adorable, the service was great, and the food was fantastic. We got coconut cream pie.

And a turkey sandwich with dill pickles, Havarti cheese, avocado, and a dill mayo.

Mama Yoshi’s Mini Mart. Another super cute spot and our GIANT chicken katsu was so crispy and flavorful.

No trip to Ridgewood is complete without a stop at Evil Twin. We got all of the IPAs and fruity sours currently on-tap. Our favorite was the ET Stay(ed) Home 12 with raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, sweet cherry, and sour cherry.

Hellbender Nighttime Cafe. A new spot from the Rolo’s team, also a new favorite! We shared crispy lamb tacos with salsa roja, chorizo spices, onion, and cilantro.

And chicken fajitas with ridiculously good chicken, roasted shishito peppers and scallions, guacamole, Oaxan cheese, cilantro mayo, and pico de gallo.

Also several great cocktails. Our favorite was the Cocorac, a play on a Sazerac with coconut-washed rum and rye, palm sugar, absinthe, and coconut water.

We got home late on Saturday and had to get Wing Stop because little else was open. I remain fully obsessed with their hot honey dry rub. Pro tip – get the wings cooked well-done (do the same for the fries! Plus extra fry seasoning).

P.S. I didn’t realize until I was writing this post that we had coconut at 3/5 stops on Sunday; always nice to have an accidental theme!

Beautiful Things, Berries, Bowls

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Things from this week – Doing: I had a good treadmill run, 3.25 miles at a 7:49 pace. I recently set a lofty goal of 2 miles at a 7-minute pace and I am having fun trying to work towards it. // Listening: Adam and I are obsessed with Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things.” I also recently fell head over heels for Milky Chance’s “Flashed Junk Mind.” I adore that whole album actually. // Eating: Highlights below…

Fruit-forward yogurt bowls this week (I need to stop, these yogurts were both good but I always prefer plain skyr best). Elleno’s pink guava Greek yogurt with blackberries, blueberries, and Nature’s Path honey almond granola.

Painterland Sisters’ meadow berry 6% skyr with berries, 88 Acres’ cinnamon vanilla sunflower butter (9.5/10), and Made Good’s cocoa crunch granola (9.5/10).

Little Sesame caramelized onion hummus with Simple Mills everything seed flour crackers.

Served with baby carrots, of course. The crackers were a 9.5/10 but the hummus was too lemon-forward for my tastes.

Summer-y strawberry sparkling beverages.

Hawaiian/Li Hing Mui seasoned candies we brought home from Vegas.

It was Carnival back home last week and my parents sent me some goodies from Food Fair.

The banana coquito I blended with espresso, half and half, brown sugar, and frozen banana and it was delicious. Topped with sprinkles and nutmeg.

I am a fan of Yasso’s chocolate-covered Greek yogurt bites. Coffee was good but not as good as salted caramel.

Dinners in bowls are the best kind. Brown Jasmine rice / celery and scallion sauteed with ginger / roasted zucchini / Gyeran-jjim – Korean steamed egg, I make mine with just a bit of water with white miso paste and fish sauce / chili crisp.

Rice / zucchini / sauteed spinach with green onion, sesame oil, and sesame seeds / Trader Joe’s beefless bulgogi (high in sodium but delicious) / soy marinated egg.

Cottage cheese / soy marinated eggs / heirloom tomato / sliced cucumber – I let them sit in the leftover egg marinade for 20 minutes and they were great / North River crunchy yellow peas.

Not a bowl – I am going to finish out Thursday with nachos when I finish this post!

Super Travelers

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No post from last week because we were on VACATION! We had the week off and jet-setted to Miami AND Las Vegas. Adam and I had a wonderful time! Some highlights included – tons of Cuban coffees and guava pastries in Miami (shoutout to Chugs Diner for the best of both) / everything at Tam Tam but especially the frozen soursoup daiquiri / a nostalgic trip back to University of Miami campus / catching up with both college and high school friends in FL / my 1st trip to Las Vegas / every coffee at Dig It but especially the dirt cup latte / the mango sticky rice iced latte at Vesta / dinner at Safta capped off with tahini chocolate pie / brunch at Peppermill where the vibes were immaculate and the blueberry muffin was actually my favorite thing I’ve ever eaten / an insane afternoon appreciating the art at Meow Wolf Omega Mart / my 1st trip to the Grand Canyon.

We got back to NY Friday night and I had a couple of days for laundry and errands before work today! Some highlights from the weekend…

Saturday was the Super Troopers’ release date anniversary and we enjoyed a rewatch with some on-theme foods! Chocolate-covered banana (milkshake). Vanilla ice cream, frozen banana, cocoa powder, and a chocolate protein shake.

Cotton candy aka sugar heaven. I could only find this Starburst kind and it ended up being delicious.

Instead of chugging maple syrup with added it to our chicken salad. Chopped baked chicken with celery, candied pecans, mayo, Greek yogurt, vinegar, Cholula, and maple syrup. Served between buttermilk waffles with a side of roasted green cauliflower.

Sunday I had a hair appointment in Brooklyn so I got to do some fun Park Slope things. Iced cappuccino from Velvette Brew.

Banana brown sugar walnut muffin from Simple Loaf Bakehouse (I’ve decided I’m into muffins now!).

And a perfect fried chicken sandwich from Pecking House with duck fat chili oil, Kewpie mayo, bread and butter pickles, and milk bread.

Other things from the weekend include these Yasso ice cream bites which were great.

And a fantastic green smoothie – fresh Sumo mandarin, frozen banana and spinach, matcha tea powder, vanilla protein powder, honey, and water.

From Egg To Yolk

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Some highlights from the weekend…

A perfect egg sandwich. Whole-wheat bread with salt, pepper, mayo, and yellow mustard and soft-scrambled eggs with extra-sharp cheddar.

Plus a fancy latte (at home!).

These salted egg yogurt rice crackers are one of the best snacks I’ve ever tasted.

Leftover chocolate peanut butter banana bread with a scoop of Cold Stone’s Lucky Charms ice cream.


Plant-based sausage, egg, and cheese bing plus steamed green beans tossed in a skillet with chili crisp, honey, soy sauce, and rice vinegar.

An excellent sheet pan hash. Chicken parmesan sausage / brussels sprouts / blue cheese / dried goldenberries / roasted pumpkin seeds / sauce – chili crisp, yuzu marmalade, and rice vinegar.

Lula Mae Fan (Fan)

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Some highlights from an exceptionally delicious weekend…

Homemade cookie dough cold foam iced latte with frothed milk, brown sugar, vanilla bean paste, and baking soda.

Banana sesame protein coffee. Blended – coffee, chocolate milk, frozen banana, black sesame paste, vanilla protein powder.

Cookies and creme protein bar. Yes, I paired this with the cookie latte.

Golda. Breakfast plate – two eggs [over easy], spiced home fries, sourdough toast, and housemade hot sauce.

Brooklyn Kolache. We shared pimento cheese, beef sausage, and a sweet poppy seed.

Also a wonderful ube iced latte.

Fan Fan Doughnuts. I was underwhelmed by the dough today, sadly, but the toppings were top-notch. Dark chocolate with meringue / salted brown butter / lemon / Iranian Love with labne frosting.

Petee’s Pie. I am sad that we slept on this spot for so long because we were quite impressed. I had the Maine blueberry crumble pie with maple whipped cream.

These jelly sake cans – particularly in yuzu – are one of my favorite things.

This photo isn’t that exciting but it’s mostly a reminder to myself that the chicken and poblano pepper burrito from Whole Foods is pretty darn good.

I forgot to take a photo of my turkey cheeseburger salad – red lettuce, sauteed red kale, ranch dressing, ground turkey, tomatoes, extra-sharp cheddar, and sesame seeds – but we paired it with creamy dill potato chips.

Lula Mae – Cambodian food and the best meal of 2024. They had a pre-fixe happening for Restaurant Week and we got to try a ton of (amazing!) things. Spicy mezcal mule and a Tokyo Mae – Suntori whiskey, Cynar, yuzu, anise, and sarsaparilla bitters.

Cha kway fried bread with tom yum butter and pickles. <– mindblowing

Tuna on crispy rice.

50:50 fried chicken – dry rubbed with a lemon pepper dressing and a soy tamarind sauce.

Braised short-rib and morning glory greens in a tamarind stew.

Jumbo Berry, Mini Wonton

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The best things I ate this weekend…

Banana protein coffee shake – coffee blended with frozen banana, chocolate milk, cinnamon, and vanilla protein powder.

Elleno’s lemon curd Greek yogurt in a giant yogurt bowl with strawberries, jumbo blueberries, and granola.

Rhythm Tajin-seasoned dried jicama. 10/10. These had a lovely airy crunch.

Local pizza – vodka and buffalo chicken.

Trader Joe’s chicken, cheese, and green chili papusas (very meh, I would not buy again) with perfectly roasted broccoli with togarashi and ranch dipping sauce. Our optimized veggie method is roasting on a foil-lined tray and folding the foil over halfway through the cooking time to create a steam-packet. The dipping sauce was Greek yogurt, mayo, rice vinegar, and ranch seasoning.

Wonton soup. Trader Joe’s frozen mini chicken cilantro wontons (fantastic), green onion, baby bok choy, gochugaru, white pepper, and salt in chicken broth plus water and white miso paste. I topped my bowl with chili oil and this was surprisingly satisfying for how quick and easy it was.

Guava, Passionfruit, Tangerine

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I feel like I say this every time, but what a yummy week! Highlights…

Starbucks’ chicken, maple butter, and egg sandwich is a limited/occasional release that’s worth trying if you ever see it. I’m not sure why they don’t think maple butter needs a permanent menu spot.

Nut Pods’ toasted marshmallow creamer goes wonderfully in an iced matcha latte.

Especially when paired with these dried baby pineapples.

I love these Craize guava corn crackers. I scooped the last of the garlic hummus with them and the salty-sweet situation was great.

Peanut butter cup banana bread! This perfect recipe plus peanut butter, chocolate chips, and mini peanut butter cups.

Juicy Crunch Tangerines are definitely my new favorite citrus/fruit. They are so sweet and juicy, and mostly seedless.

Yogurt bowl with plain skyr, tangerine, blueberries, passionfruit, and granola.

Yogurt bowl with plain skyr, blueberries, and banana bread.

We thought our Backyard BBQ leftovers were still a 10/10. Brisket, chicken, smoked macaroni and cheese, and candied yams. Plus homemade honey bbq sauce and roasted broccoli.

Plus a boozy peach tea from Voodoo Ranger to go with the theme.

Hedgehog tofu. Scored/baked super-firm tofu with this sauce and roasted brussel sprouts. Topped with chili crisp and furikake.

Chicken salad. Shredded chicken (breasts and thighs cooked in the crockpot) with plain skyr, mayo, lemon juice, ranch seasoning, and chopped dill pickles. Plus green beans sauteed with honey and honey dijon.

Chilaquiles. Orange bell pepper, poblano pepper, yellow onion, and tortilla chips sauteed with chicken broth and smoky salsa, with chicken and cheddar. An egg on top and chipotle Cholula and fresno chili.