Good(le) Eats

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.

Cookie Dough

Highlights from the weekend include…

A plain Greek yogurt bowl with blueberries, plum, and cookie dough granola.

My favorite Perfect Bar, chocolate chip cookie dough.

Paired with a cookie dough latte! Starbucks blonde espresso with cold foam with brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and vanilla bean paste.

Jeni’s Gooey Butter Cake is my new favorite ice cream (second only to the Ben & Jerry’s s’mores bites); cream cheese ice cream with vanilla cake and butterscotch sauce.

Whole Foods’ pimento mac and cheese bites. <– swoon

Microwave Korean rose tteokbokki .

An assortment of dippable things for dinner (I had three dipping sauces so clearly this meal was a winner) – Popeye’s chicken nuggets and mac and cheese, roasted broccoli, leftover cauliflower wings.

Deconstructed hash. Roasted Russet potato and purple Japanese sweet potato / Trader Joe’s breaded cheese curds / chicken breakfast sausages / sauted red onion, green bell pepper, and poblano pepper / plus chipotle aioli.

Taco Bout It

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.

Sandwich Week (Take Ten Thousand)

This was our best Sandwich Week yet! We also had some good snacks and fantastic veggie sides. Highlights included…

We tried and loved the new Ralph’s Coffee location. I made an affogato with espresso and their coffee/vanilla soft serve.

Weird Tea – good not great but a nice level of sweetness.

Tropical skyrs. The guava Siggi’s was surprisingly disappointing but the mango passionfruit Icelandic Provisions was top-notch.

With blueberries, blackberries, and cookie dough granola.

We had leftover Cheez-Its from our tofu (<– that sentence is funny. P.S. The extra-toasted variety is great) and I made this unhinged plate of microwave nachos.

Cabot seriously sharp cheddar popcorn. I usually don’t care for cheesy popcorn outside of Chicago mix but this was so sharp.

Whole Food’s lemon and yuzu jam cookie.

Another week of me really enjoying both of these chewy snacks.

Turkey and cheese, french-toasted. Trader Joe’s sourdough sandwich bread, jam, smoked sliced turkey, and sharp cheddar, french-toasted. With roasted brussel sprouts that I sauteed with red onion, baby bell pepper, butter, honey, and harissa.

Turkey and cheese, chopped. How have I never had a chopped sandwich like this before? It was amazing. We chopped together smoked turkey, maple roasted turkey, sharp cheddar, leftover garlic baby broccoli, banana peppers, yellow mustard, mayo, and paprika. On sub rolls.

Tuna, blended. We took our tuna salad to the next level by putting it in the food processer; with smoked trout, mayo, and capers. On sourdough with avocado and pickled red onion. Plus garlic sauteed baby broccoli; I topped mine with butter-toasted cheez-its and baby bell peppers sauteed with candied jalopenos.

Eggs, doubled. My dad and I had a conversation awhile back wondering why no one makes egg sandwiches with more than one kind of egg? They absolutely should! This was a soft-scrambled egg and a fried egg, with yellow mustard, mayo, and sharp cheddar, on sourdough. Plus roasted baby cauliflower.

Wonton More

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

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.

Trader Joe’s Thai Noodles

I hope all of my local readers are breathing a little bit better! Highlights from the past week…

A sucessful fridge dregs yogurt bowl – Trader Joe’s guava passionfruit Greek yogurt with a bit of cottage cheese, mandarin orange, and chia seeds.

The cookie dough flavor is the best Perfect Bar flavor (though I am hoping to get my hands on the crispy layered ones again asap).

Plant-based gummies. The ones on my left are one of my favorites but I was not a fan of the ones on the right as they were basically fruit leather (note – Adam loved them).

An assortment of citrus sparkling beverages. The Social Hour was the stand-out. I was suprisingly not that impressed by the Topo Chico.

I enjoyed these Trader Joe’s Mee Krob seasoned noodle crisps and would buy them again.

Trader Joe’s chicken and veggie gyoza potstickers (9.5/10) with edamame and dumpling sauce on the side.

Trader Joe’s Thai wheat noodles sauteed with spinach, edamame, green onion, and a spicy sauce (including gojuchang, Sriracha, and chili crisp!) and topped with sesame seeds and a fried egg.

Salsa Week

I love a good set of theme dinners! Some highlights from this week include…

I am definitely a fan of the BelliWelli bars, cinnamon swirl was soft and not too spiced.

Summer fruits are bringing me a lot of joy. It was a great week of yogurt bowls. Plain 2% Greek with cinnamon, blueberries, blackberries, and chocolate chip cookie dough granola.

Plain Greek with maple syrup, mandarin, blackberries, granola, and chia seeds.

Adam and I really enjoyed this Mabi tea with mauby and strawberry.

Instant topokki.

Two non-traditional jerkies, both a 10/10 – Louisville Vegan Jerky Co maple bacon and Trader Joe’s salmon – both had wonderful textures and great balance of flavors.

McConnell’s double peanut butter chip ice cream is a new favorite. This was the year I discovered that chocolate flakes are a top tier ice cream mix-in.

This packaged Alfajor was surprisingly moist; we would buy it again.

Two of my current favorite canned tequilla cocktails – Superbird paloma and Onda passionfruit seltzer.

Taco salad. Arugula with Trader Joe’s cilantro dressing / black beans / cheese flavored corn nuts / homemade tortilla chips – baked with lime and togarashi / poached chicken / roasted veggies – bell peppers, poblano pepper, and sweet onion / roasted zucchini / salsa – Frontera chipotle.

Chilaquiles. Shredded chicken – breasts and thighs cooked in the crockpot / all the leftover veggies / homemade tortilla chips / salsa / sharp cheddar and mozarella / topped with a fried egg / and plain Greek yogurt and hot sauce.

Crispy quesadillas. Shredded chicken reheated with green onions and taco seasoning / seasoned and mashed black beans / mozarella and sharp cheddar. Plus a trio of dipping sauces (guacamole, salsa mixed with yogurt, serrano mayo) and roasted broccoli.

Homemade burrito. Shredded chicken, black beans, salsa, avocado, and sharp cheddar. The surgeon did an excellent job rolling.

New Wave burrito. Sirloin Steak, chimichurri, rice, french fries, lime crema, chihuahua cheese, ranchero beans, and pico de gallo.