Siggi’s pumpkin spice skyr with blackberries and granola.
Trader Joe’s vanilla bean Greek yogurt with pumpkin puree, maple syrup, chia seeds, blackberries, and grnola.
Pumpkin pie smoothie. Pumpkin puree with milk, plain Greek yogurt, frozen banana, maple syrup, cinnamon, and mace.
Trader Joe’s scallion pancake / canned salmon with mayo and Sriracha / roasted zucchini / all topped with Kewpie, Sriracha, and furikake.
Roasted cauliflower and chicken salad – shredded chicken breasts, mayo, yellow mustard, honey mustard dressing, and roasted almonds slivers with Sichuan salt.
Breakfast burger sandwiches. Whole Foods’ plant-based burgers, gouda, and a fried egg on a whole-wheat bun with blueberry jam. Plus leftover cauliflower.
Is it supposed to be a balanced breakfast or a gourd-based breakfast? La Colombe pumpkin spice canned coffee plus Perfect Bar’s pumpkin pie seasonal flavor.
Lifeway pumpkin spice kefir. I am on a years’ long hunt for the eggnog version.
Trader Joe’s pumpkin Greek yogurt with plucot, chia seeds, and granola.
We liked but didn’t love Elysian’s Night Owl pumpkin ale.
Trader Joe’s Howling Gourds pumpkin ale makes it into Adam’s top five favorite beers.
And Southern Tier’s canned craft cocktail of their Pumpking whiskey and cola is officially in both of our top five for all-time-favorite beverages. I bought this months ago and squirreled it away and devestatingly I have been unable to find it again.
The nights we didn’t get take-out (we’ve had kind of crazy work weeks) we hit it out of the park with what we cooked for dinners. Super salad night – local lettuce with miso caesar dressing, bacon-flavored crunchy mung beans, Gardein vegan crab cakes, red bell pepper, and avocado.
Broiled salmon with a miso glaze plus baked green beans. Adam had his with rice but I went with bbq potato chips.
Emily Mariko style salmon bowls! Plus a side of smashed cucumber salad.
FYI – It’s Pumpkin Month! Here is this year’s stash…
Even more exciting – we went glamping on the waterfront in Greenpoint and got to enjoy the perfect view.
And the boy came with us!! The three of us had a wonderful time.
Highlights from the weekend…
I ended Apple Month with a homemade cinnamon apple pie cocktail.
And I started Pumpkin Month with a Pump Rock from Sweetleaf. Their Rocket Fuel (cold brew concentrate with chicory, maple syrup, and milk) with the addition of pumpkin spice syrup.
This Sriracha shrimp bowl from Trader Joe’s has held the title of my favorite frozen meal for more than a year.
Fries with beer cheese and short ribs from Greenpoint Brewery; all three of us were smitten.
Best meal of the month – takeout from Elder Greene. We shared crispy brussel sprouts with goat cheese and maple walnut aioli / The Burger – LaFrieda short rib blend, cheddar, American, pickles, onion, and special sauce / and a Waygu burger with white cheddar, arugula, lemon herb aioli, and a brioche bun.
Apple snacks at work. Freeze-dried Fuiji apples and an apple ginger bar. Both were wins.
Apple pie matcha! I will definitely make this combination again.
We finally made it to Zaab Zaab, a very well-loved Isaan Thai spot in Elmhurst. Everything we got was fantastic. The spice level was exactly to my liking and I was glad I ordered the creamy cold brew with condensed milk. Green papaya salad.
Prawn Pad Thai.
Rib eye Pad Krapow.
I made the world’s most decadent bowl of leftovers. Basil beef / shredded duck (leftovers from a fun meal Adam had without me) / sauteed spinach and onion / fried egg / smashed avocado.
We tried the newest Coke flavor – Dreamworld. It was a bit too fruity for me; I preferred the Starlight and would much prefer if they would just bring back Diet Cherry Coke.
Buffalo chicken salad. Shredded chicken (breasts and thighs cooked in the crockpot – this is our favorite method, especially because it creates a no-salt-added broth for Webster!), mayo, Frank’s, green onion, and celery on an everything ciabatta roll. Plus roasted baby cauliflower.
Crab rangoon grilled cheese. Sourdough bread, sharp cheddar, and a blend of blue crab claw meat, Kewpie, cream cheese, sugar, Sriracha, green onion, and Swiss and Gruyere. Plus roasted purple cauliflower.
Bagel and lox inspired. Everything ciabatta, homemixed scallion cream cheese, heirloom tomato, smoked sockeye salmon. Plus leftover cauliflower sauted with honey, horseradish, and honey dijon.
Chicken biscuit-inspired. Sourdough, breaded chicken patties, sharp cheddar, and a maple butter spread. Next to homemade biscuits which ended up being too crumbly to serve chicken on. Plus roasted brussel green beans.
Paired with a peach tea IPA to drive home the Southern theme. We liked this in theory and complexity but it was way too sour for us. The key lime blonde was much more our speed!
Sweet and spicy. Sourdough, turkey, sharp cheddar, blueberry jam, and pickled jalpenos.
See also – pb&j yogurt bowl. Plain Greek with peanut butter, fancy blueberry jam, and fresh blueberries.
This past week has been meatball week because I am all about a good dinner theme.
Homemade turkey meatballs (juicy thanks to panade, with urfa pepper) with red sauce and roasted spaghetti squash. Spaghetti squash is amazing I need to make it way more often!
Whole Foods vegan meatballs with olives, dolmas, roasted zucchini and sweet onion, and Trader Joe’s herbed tahini sauce.
Buffalo chicken meatballs (stuffed with blue cheese and cream cheese) with sauted carrots and celery.
Crab meatballs (with panade made out of Utz crab chips!) with a simple salad.
Eating Chalk 