Jumbo Berry, Mini Wonton

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.

Bowled Over

No post from me last week because we were on VACATION. It was perfect! We went home to the Virgin Islands and got to start every single morning with a run and/or iced coffee and/or breakfast right on the water. Then we came back to New York and had a fancy stay at the Wall Street Hotel and an amazing meal at their restaurant (La Marchande).

Highlights from this week included…

Valentine’s things! Like heart-shaped candies.

Chocolate cherry protein bar from 88 Acres.

Chocolate covered cherry smoothie – plain Greek yogurt, frozen dark cherries, and chocolate milk.

Chocolate cherry cookies – this recipe with the addition of chopped cocktail cherries.

I paired this wonderfully pink peach apricot rose soda with vodka and edible glitter!

Do these winter citrus fruits count as on-theme because I love them? My last two juicy crunch tangerines were a bit lackluster though, so sumo mandarins have regained the number one spot in my heart.

Yogurt bowl with juicy crunch tangerine, canned peaches, blueberry jam, and granola.

Snack plate – pimento cheese dip scooped with mini cucumbers, baby carrots, and white cheddar popcorn chips.

This week’s dinners were all – a) fantastic and b) served in bowls. Butter chicken inspired tofu. Extra-firm tofu marinated in tomato sauce, olive oil, ginger, curry powder, and smoked paprika then sauteed. For the sauce I cooked the marinade with yellow onion, fresno chili, butter, tomato paste, and a big splash of half and half. Served with a quick cucumber and tomato salad (tossed with lemon juice, olive oil, pepper, and Sichuan pepper salt) and a blend of brown rice and riced cauliflower.

Cava inspired bowls. Leftover rice/cauliflower / leftover cucumber tomato salad / marinated grilled artichoke hearts / honey harissa baked chicken (we use this recipe as our base and it is perfect) / baby corn / Cava crazy feta dip.

Bowls very-loosely inspired by Bún thịt nướng. Whole-wheat vermicelli noodles / roasted brussel sprouts / tomatoes / chicken breast cooked in the crockpot with water, soy sauce, lime juice, honey, and ginger / topped with Nước chấm sauce and chili crisp.

Guava, Passionfruit, Tangerine

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.

Dollars To Crullers

It was a fantastic weekend (including a 6+ mile Manhattan walk)! Highlights include…

Banana protein coffee (blender – coffee, milk, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla protein powder, frozen banana); Adam and I both decided we adore this.

Interlude‘s Cadenza is one of the most exciting coffees we’ve had in a while. Shaken espresso served with Mexican Coke topped with cold foam and vanilla whipped cream.

Sadly, Doughnut Project is closing this month so we had to go get a final fantastic maple cruller.

Related – Daily Provisions‘ monthly cruller special is lemon poppy seed so obviously we got that too! This was even better than DP.

Rigor Hill Market‘s hot chocolate is a 10/10; thick and creamy, a good balance of bitter and sweet, and it comes with toasted marshmallows.

Joe’s Steam Rice Roll, we got beef with egg and scallions. The sauce trio makes this.

Dinner at Thai Diner. We arrived early and managed to snag a table. I got Phat See Ew with beef shortrib. Any dish with broad rice noodles and Chinese broccoli is a hit with me.

Plus pea shoots with garlic, chili, and salted soybeans.

Guava sour with vodka and mint.

Dinner at Backyard BBQ in Freeport. I didn’t have my camera but I did Instagram our giant spread because we loved it here. Brisket, chicken with an amazing bbq rub, candied yams, and pickles.

Plus smoked baked mac and cheese that we both thought was perfect. We also had an unphotographed cheese burger!

An easy homemade dinner – Trader Joe’s chicken taquitos baked topped with ground turkey, zucchini, smoky salsa, and cheddar.

Over, Left Not Underwhelmed

It genuinely took until Sunday morning but I finally feel completely back to normal! I even enjoyed a run. It was a very low-key weekend with some yummy bites. Highlights include…

I really enjoyed this instant espresso sachet from Blue Bottle.

Banana protein coffee (in the blender – brewed coffee, half and half, frozen banana, vanilla protein powder, cinnamon, and brown sugar).

I knew I was well because both coffee and booze appealed to me. Two new-to-me tries – Lagunita’s classic IPA and a Flying Embers hard kombucha.

Yogurt bowl perfection – plain skyr, Bear Naked vanilla almond crisp granola, blackberries, and a Juicy Crunch tangerine (aka my new favorite fruit; this was seedless and so sweet and wonderful).

The perfect chips and dip combo – 12 Tides everything-seasoned puffed kelp chips with smoked salmon salad.

Chia “pudding.” I didn’t give this enough time to gel but it made a delicious drink (chia seeds, skim milk, salt, cinnamon, and brown sugar).

It is super nice to have leftovers and easy items for quick dinners. Leftover chicken chili with green onion, plain skyr, sharp cheddar, and Trader Joe’s sweet and hot pickled jalapenos.

Plus roasted baby cauliflower and toasted beer bread with honey and butter.

Leftover sheet-pan breakfast tots topped with Kewpie, Sriracha, and furikake.

Trader Joe’s frozen chicken taquitos with roasted rainbow cauliflower. I ordered chicken fingers for lunch after that Kombucha (lol) and I had a plethora of leftover dipping sauces so this was a great dinner.

Over The Weather

We started out the week with a pretty horrific bout of food-borne illness, so that was fun. I spent several days not eating or eating Easy Mac and canned fruit, so this will be a short post.

The first thing I ate and enjoyed this week was this bowl of chocolate cereal with blueberries and pineberries.

And we managed to get it together for some great dinners the last two nights! Homemade chili (which I realize is a just bonkers thing to make on the heels of GI distress) plus beer bread with blueberry jam. Tons of shallots, yellow and orange bell pepper, poblano pepper, roasted diced tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and pepper, smoked paprika, chicken broth, cannellini beans, and shredded chicken breast. Topped with plain skyr, cheddar, green onions, and hot sauce.

Related – beer bread makes an excellent snack.

Cheesy breakfast tots sheet-pan hash. Adam said that the composition of this meal was not flattering, but it was delicious. All roasted on same sheet-pan – zucchini, green onion, poblano pepper, frozen potato tots, chicken breakfast sausage, eggs, and cheddar.

Harissa Jalapeño Sriracha

Things from the weekend…

Breakfast from Simple Loaf Bakehouse – a giant, cheesy turkey cheddar jalapeño croissant.

Scrambled eggs with Dubliner cheddar and chili crisp. Plus cucumber on the side.

Mentioning these dried baby pineapples again because we are still loving them.

The vegan tuna salad I was obsessed with at the Charlottesville Whole Foods has finally made its way to Long Island.

Giant ice cream sundae. I topped Phish Food with melted peanut butter, sprinkles, granola, and cocktail cherries.

This Trader Joe’s Sriracha shrimp bowl remains my favorite frozen meal. It is so satisfying. I do always add more hot sauce and a bit of Kewpie though.

We got bowls and Cava and loved them. I got rice and honey harissa chicken with so many toppings I can’t remember them all. Plus the amazing pita crisps. Best of all – we hit the soda fountain and had diet cola mixed with blueberry soda!

I Am A Little Stitious

Hello, 2024! I am not superstitious, but I do like to start every new year with a run and some traditionally lucky foods. This year we got in black eyed peas, collard greens, and grapes. Plus something sweet for a sweet year!

Highlights from a tasty week…

1/1/24 brunch date at For Five while I set up my planner.

I got a roasted turkey sandwich with cheese, sprouts, and avocado.

Plain skyr with strawberries, persimmon, and sugar cookie granola.

These jelly sakes are my favorite drink. Related – we played trivia at a bar midweek and got to try Abomination Brewing’s Christmas cookie Fog Nog (fantastic).

Hawaiian fruit jellies; the starfruit and passionfruit ones were obviously the best.

The best snack plate of the year – Trader Joe’s Chicken Tikka samosas (with spicy truffle mayo and plum sauce) / Lolliberry strawberries / jam grapes.

Not a bad runner up – soy marinated eggs / cucumber / cheddar.

Dinner on the 1st – sauteed collard greens with green onion and garlic and black eyed pea salad with garlic and black pepper almonds, green bell pepper, Kerrygold Dubliner cheddar, and mayo and chipotle Cholula.

We tried the Bombay Sando from Oak and Orange – toasted ciabatta with grilled chicken, amul cheese, seasoned potatoes, pickled red onions, and a housemade chutney. Plus the best green smoothie I’ve ever made – frozen spinach, banana, and cherries, fresh tangerine, and water.

Sheetpan hash. Roasted brussels sprouts, grapes, poblano peppers, sweet potato, and chili verde chicken sausage with green onion and dried cranberries. I went back and topped this with a maple-Cholula aioli.