Tag Archives: squash

Pesto Pizazz

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Things from this week…

My fruit bowl had an admirer. Dogs can’t eat grapes (these were Thomcords), but Webster enjoyed some of my giant blackberries.

This swamp drink was a butterfly pea tea lemonade (with fresh lemon, lime, and brown sugar) with matcha.

Alani maple donut protein coffee (6/10, I wanted it to have more flavor and caffeine but there was no aftertaste).

Spudsy ranch sweet potato fries (9.5/10, so crunchy and savory).

Rainbow bites gummy candies (1/10, I was excited for these but I thought the flavor was so strange. We ate them while watching Rainbow Bright and even the on-theme of it all couldn’t save them).

We really enjoyed both of these IPAs. Three Floyds’ Cat Date double > Grimm’s Classic Rewind

This dinner was super quicky and easy but so satisfying. Cold silken tofu sauced with soy sauce, sugar, chili crisp, gochugaru, sesame seeds, and furikake / kimchi veggie dumplings / frozen edamame that I reheated in the microwave for two minutes.

Pesto pizza! Homemade dough (I swapped Greek yogurt for blended cottage cheese in the two-ingredient recipe) / sliced gouda / homemade pesto / sliced tomato / parmesan. Plus roasted zucchini.

Whole-wheat spaghetti with pesto, zucchini, tomato, and mushroom and herb chicken sausages. I topped mine with chili flakes.

Webster’s 12th Buyday

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Highlights from this week…

Yesterday was the 12th anniversary of Webster joining our family! He is the best. We spent the day hanging out and he celebrated with a peanut butter pup cup from Seacliff Shave Ice.

The humans shared one with cola and butterscotch, with vanilla ice cream, topped with condensed milk and mochi.

Southdown Coffee granita iced coffee.

I also had a variety of coffees from home this week.

We got a bunch of good snacks from Fine Fair Supermarket, including this great tres leches cake.

Trader Joe’s snacks. The ube mochi were fantastic, they were so marshmallow-y!

I loved these new Happy Hour tequilla seltzers.

This guava Mtn Dew was way too sweet but delicious mixed with golden rum.

Dinners this week – 1) Involved a lot of take-out (I was a bit under the weather and also take-out is great). 2) Involved a lot of cauliflower (I got excited about the options at Trader Joes and ended up buying three varieties. And also cauliflower is great).

Roast Korean BBQ French Dip special; shortrib, white cheddar, caramelized kimchi, crunchy onions, and spicy mayo on ciabatta. With roasted baby cauliflower.

Taco Bell came out with a birria taco (“grilled cheese dipping taco”) and I obviously had to try it. I also bought a back-up burrito in case it wasn’t good but I ended up really liking it; the red sauce was obviously not consume but the meat had a good texture and there was tons of cheese. Plus roasted cauliflower and broccoli.

Jalopeno popper turkey meatloaf (with Trader Joe’s hot and sweet pickled jalopenos and tons of sharp cheddar) plus roasted rainbow cauliflower.

Walking tacos (but Adam convinced me to serve them in bowls instead of out of the bag). I made mine with crumbled Fritos / plus ground turkey sauteed with red sauce, baby heirloom tomatoes, and white onion / cheddar / avocado.

Mac and three cheese muffins. With Goodle’s whole-wheat curveballs. I swapped parmesan for extra cheddar and added pickled jalopenos. Plus roasted zucchini.

Good(le) Eats

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Highlights from a yummy week…

Plain skyr with blueberries and Blue Stripes Cacao peanut butter banana granola.

Such good snacks this week! Apriums.

Strawberry bites cereal. I loved this and Adam hated it.

Whole Foods’ pimento mac and cheese bites. I think they are best with honey and hot sauce.

Caramel core ice cream.

Soursop chocolate bar. I carried this home from Denver and it was worth it.

Rum and coke slushie.

BLT pasta salad. Whole wheat cavatappi / heirloom baby tomatoes / turkey bacon / romaine lettuce / and a sauce with mayo, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

I bought these Goodles noodles 90% because the box was so pink and 10% because they were whole-wheat, and they ended up being delicious.

Loaded salad. Romaine, tomato, turkey bacon, mozarella, cashews, and Trader Joe’s cilantro dressing.

Beans and rice (kidney beans and brown rice cooked with onion, hot pepper, ginger, and coconut milk) / tuna cakes with Jamaican curry powder and red curry paste / roasted zucchini / hot pepper jelly.

Birthday Cake

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Highlights from an extra-yummy week…

Monday was my birthday! Obviously I had a stash of on-theme treats. Milk Bar ice cream (10/10; it has a frosting ribbon!) / BelliWelli bar (8/10) / Made Good granola bar (9.5/10) / Premier Protein protein shake (4/10).

See also – my birthday gift to myself was ordering some of these delicious cocktail cherries I had in Traverse City, MI.

Other fun treats included huckleberry gummy bears from CO.

Mango-passionfruit fruit leather.

Homemade (mini) blueberry cobbler! I used a New York Times Recipe. Topped with ice cream.

You know my birthday dinner choice was Roast take-out (enjoyed in front of “I Think You Should Leave,” of course!). I got a bbq chicken crunch wrap (sharp cheddar, pepper jack, avocado, crispy tortillas, chicken, and chipotle ranch) and fries with house sauce. Plus homemade spicy sesame green beans (steamed/blistered and sauteed with gojuchang, tahini, and sesame seeds).

This week’s dinners were all wins. Korean steamed eggs with brown rice, sauteed bok choy, roasted zucchini, and chili crisp.

A summer veggie plate. Leftover zucchini / sauteed garlic baby broccoli / Trader Joe’s Sriracha baked tofu / cheesy corn salad – sauteed fresh corn, green onion, poblano pepper, mozarella, gochugaru, Kewpie, and lime juice.

Jumeokbap. I used brown rice and added Sriracha. And made mine giant! With leftover green beans (so good cold!) and cucumber tossed with gojuchang, sugar, and rice vinegar.

Coke, Callaloo, Cashew

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Highlights from a yummy week…

A fantastic smoothie; frozen cherries and strawberries with cottage cheese and water.

7/11 Day. I ruined my Coke slurpee with unfrozen lemon but it’s still my favorite holiday.

Rum and Coke slush! Coke ice cubes blended with golden rum and key lime juice.

These Tid Bits fruit bites are delicious and surprisingly high in fiber and protein.

Cashews aren’t usually my go-to but I loved these for snacking this week.

Hands-down our household’s favorite snack right now are the Trader Joe’s lentil curls. They are so satisfying!

Dinner sucesses this week were 100% thanks to this beef bacon.

Sandwiches with bacon, Kewpie, and local heirloom tomatoes. Plus roasted zucchini and extra tomato on the side.

Callaloo is traditionally made with amaranth leaves and salt pork but this version with spinach and beef bacon was a delight. Plus crab, yellow onion, hot pepper, ginger, garlic, urfa, and coconut milk. I topped my bowl with hot pepper jelly.

No bacon but still a winner – turkey meatloaf. A riff on this recipe with gojuchang, ketchup, sisig seasoning, green onion, and sharp cheddar. Plus roasted cabbage with tahini and chili crisp.

This post is a day early because I am taking a long weekend and heading to Colorado tonight! My youngest cousin is getting married! And I am spending a few extra days exploring Denver with my mom.

Taco Bout It

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Highlights from the 1st week of July…

Lunch at I am Nacho Mama. I had a wonderful iced latte with almond milk and honey.

Mexi-cola cauliflower wings.

Chicken tacos with griddled cheese and special sauce.

Best snack of the week – guava corn crackers with Trader Joe’s Everything and the Elote dip. <– we were big fans; it was best with baby carrots

Themed snacks for the 4th – watermelon seltzer, Italian ice beer, and s’mores ice creams.

Definitely my most obscure week of themed dinners yet – handheld seafood! Tuna melts. A mix of tuna and smoked trout with tons of relish and mayo, on sourdough, with banana peppers and sharp cheddar. Plus roasted brussel sprouts and carrots tossed in a honey mustard sauce.

(Salmon) hot dogs for July 4th. On a whole-wheat bun with Sriracha and tarter sauce. Plus roasted yellow squash.

Crab handrolls. Shredded imitation crab with Kewpie and Sriracha / satuted cauliflower rice with salt, white pepper, and rice vinegar / avocado / poorly wrapped in nori.

Shrimp tacos. Corn tortillas with Whole Foods grilled shrimp and chipotle aioli and homemade mango salsa (with green bell pepper, poblano pepper, lime, salt, and gochugaru). Plus roasted broccoli and Trader Joe’s breaded cheese curds. Best meal of the week.

Wonton More

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It was a tasty week, great snacks and even better dinners! Highlights included…

A beautiful latte with espresso, butterfly pea tea, and sweetened condensed milk.

Smoothie success – cottage cheese, frozen banana and cherries, ube extract.

See also – blueberry Greek yogurt, frozen blueberries and grapes, butterfly pea tea.

Still obsessed with these Belli-Welli bars. I finally shared one with Adam, who was not a fan, but I think they taste great.

It turns out my favorite dried fruit is kiwi; the texture and taste of these was so satisfying.

Rainer cherries (swoon) plus Haribo berries gummies.

See also – these Honest gummies are wonderfully juicy and chewy; not the best gummy I’ve ever eaten but hands-down the best fruit snacks.

Creamy lemonade – fresh lemon and lime with sweetened condensed milk and lemon seltzer.

These alcoholic Frescas are a 9.5/10 – perfectly balanced and just sweet enough.

Pinch of Yum‘s bbq salmon plus roasted Japanese sweet potato and roasted cabbage dressed in a mix of honey, rice vinegar, and Caribbean hot pepper sauce.

Korean rice cakes sauteed with tomato sauce and gojuchang, plus roasted zucchini, shredded chicken, and sharp cheddar.

Homemade baked wontons. Our filling was fresh crab and roasted cabbage and green onion with soy sauce, white pepper, and hot pepper jelly. Plus roasted cauliflower and dumpling sauce.

Salad success – baby kale, this dressing, leftover cabbage, baby bell peppers, chicken breast, cashews, homemade baked wonton crips, and furikake.

Homemade baked wonton chips (these are going to become a staple!) seasoned with szechuan pepper salt and togarashi plus baby bell peppers and pimento cheese. Full disclose, I went back for thirds!

Staycation

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By the time this post goes live I’ll be on my way to visit friends in Traverse City, Michigan! I can’t wait!!

I’ve actually been on vacation since Saturday, which is great. Adam’s siblings came into town and we took them to Eataly, Roast (off course!), an escape room, and more. Then they took a family trip and Webster and I had a little staycation. Basically I spent three straight days with the dog on my lap — it was perfect.

Some highlights from the past few days include…

Southdown Coffee‘s espresso tonic. I don’t even like tonic water but I love this.

The Layers Perfect Bars are an 11/10.

I had not expected to love these BelliWelli bars but I do, the chocolate chip cookie flavor is easily a 9/10.

Yogurt bowls. Plain Greek with chocolate chip cookie dough granola, blackberries, and blueberries.

See also – watermelon with fresh berries. I love summer!

His and hers Ben & Jerry’s for the dog and me. We loved it.

Roast breakfast burrito with eggs, avocado, hashbrowns, and aioli.

Giant salad from Burrito Blvd. With chicken, zucchini, corn, tomato, and cheese. See also, but without a photo – we took Adam’s family to Rosa Mexicano and I had the best cheeseburger I’ve eaten in 2023.