Trader Joe's Trip.

Yesterday I made a quick trip to Trader Joe's for some essentials and as usual, wound up with way more in my cart. There's just something about TJ's that makes you want to eat everything in the store. 

The cheddar & horseradish chips pack a punch and have serious flavor. The raisin rosemary crisps pair perfectly with pretty much any type cheese or chicken salad. The pastry bites with feta and carmelized onions are an easy app I plan on serving for Cameron and I while we cook our Valentine's Day dinner together. 

We've been hooked on rice crackers lately and I've been buying them from Target. The amount that you get in the bag, however, for the price is ridiculous. It may last us 2 days. So I decided to try Trader Joe's out and for $1.99 a bag, they are less expensive and there are way more in the bag. I also bought ghee for my attempt to half-ass the clean eating thing.

Fat Free Greek Vanilla Frozen Yogurt + Chocolate Lava Cakes = Valentine's Day desserts. Keeping the Vday meal easy and delicious! Need to make sure I make it to the gym Saturday morning. 

What have you recently discovered at Trader Joe's that you can't live without? 

A Day Off {Pool, Trader Joe's Trip + Prayer Request}

I just realized that this is my last full week at my current job! Woohoo! Next week I'm only working 3 days and I cannot wait!

Since I'm working an event this upcoming Saturday, I had the day off today. My friend, Katie, met me at my in-laws house so that we could get some sun and catch up on our busy lives. 

We lasted about 3 hours before the heat started getting to us. I headed to Mt. Pleasant for a Trader Joe's trip and figured since I like to see what out people buy, I'd show you what I got! Now this was not a huge haul, as I had just gone to Harris Teeter yesterday, so keep that in mind. 

Ginger Beer - $3.99

Organic Chicken Broth - $1.99

Sparkling Pink Lemonade - Just realized this isn't on my receipt! Woopsie!

White Cheddar Corn Puffs - $1.99

Organic Red & Green Mixed Grapes - $4.49

Pita Chips - $1.99

Shaved Brussels Sprouts - $2.79

White Button Mushrooms - $1.79

Georgia Peaches - $.69 each

Coffee Ice Cream - $3.99

Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas - $1.99

Mediterranean Hummus - $3.99

Carne Asada - $10.94

Mint - $1.69

Chile Verde Chicken Burritos - $2.99

Garlic & Herb Pizza Dough - $1.29

Total after Tax: $49.40

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Lastly, I have a prayer request for some very close friends of mine. If you've been following for a while, you've heard me mention my friend Tim, who has been battling colon cancer for the past 4 years. Keep in mind, he just turned 31. His wife, Jenny, is one of my sorority sisters. He was admitted to the ICU last Friday due to high fever, trouble breathing, and issues he's been having with his pancreas, and has had plenty of ups and downs since then. They removed him from ICU on Saturday, but he was placed back in there today. He has a million people supporting and praying for him, but he could always use more. 

You can find out more and keep up with his status here on their blog.

We love you, Tim! Keep fighting!

Trader Joe's Reviews.

As promised, here are a few Trader Joe's reviews from my last trip to the store. I must have been in a really lazy cooking mood because almost everything I bought were freezer meals. What can I say? Sometimes I just like to keep things simple in the kitchen after a long day. 

Chicken Chile Verde Burritos

These burritos were our favorite item of my shopping trip. I will admit, I really didn't even know what "chile verde" meant other than the fact that verde means green in Spanish. They were filled with creamy tomatillo salsa, chicken, and veggies. I will probably always throw these in my cart from now on. 

Greek Style Chicken with Orzo, Spinach, and Feta Cheese

This dish was my second favorite of the trip. I'm a huge fan of Greek food and this dish was very flavorful. My only complaint was that the box said serving size of 2, yet there was only 1 sliced chicken breast inside. Splitting one small-ish chicken breast is not enough for me to eat and it SURELY isn't enough for Cameron. I would definitely buy this dish again, but cook an extra chicken breast to go along with it.

Beef Pho Soup

I had never tried Pho before trying this one, but after hearing about it so often on Christina's blog (she happened to do a healthy products Trader Joe's review today, check it out!) once I saw it in the freezer section, I knew I had to try it. I was pleasantly surprised that I liked it. The flavors were very good and vibrant, and there were a ton of veggies (onions, bell peppers, carrots, etc). My only disappointment was there there were literally only three pieces of beef in the whole thing. And I likes my meat. 

 Mahi Mahi Burgers

I've been wanting to try mahi burgers from Costco for a while now, but every time I go I can't find them, or I don't feel like shelling out $20-$30 for something I'm not sure I'm going to like. This 4-pack of mahi burgers at Trader Joe's caught my eye so I threw them in the cart to try. I served them on a toasted wheat bun with lettuce and some garlic lemon aioli I whipped up. They were slightly fishy to me, but I am a wimp in that department. Cameron really enjoyed them and I would definitely buy again. 

Sparkling Limeade

I was originally planning on picking up some of the sparkling pink lemonade that is so tasty, but sadly they were out. Instead, I decided to try the sparking limeade and am so glad I did! It's not overly sweet, which I was afraid of. Would be perfect with a splash of vodka during the summertime. ;)

Fettuccine Alfredo with Grilled Chicken

Fettuccine alfredo is one of those dishes I do not get to cook as often as I like because it's not a favorite of Cameron's. Well, on this trip I decide it had been long enough since I deprived myself of it so I threw it in my cart. It was pretty good for being a frozen meal, but obviously not the best I've ever had. I would buy again to keep in the back of the freezer for when Cameron has a work dinner or something and I'm home alone. 

What should I pick up during my next trip?