A Trader Joe's Review and a Humpback Whale

Hi all!
I'll start with another Trader Joe's Review..

Trader Joe's Thai Red Curry Sauce: I love curry sauces.. they are so warm and perfect to enjoy during the colder months of the year. This one has a great ingredient list- nothing weird about it.

Upon first taste, I thought something was a bit off. I decided to try it anyway. I sauteed up some red onion and brocolli. Once the vegetables were tender, I added about a tablespoon of the sauce. I then served it on a bed of mesclun greens. WOW! This was delicious and I highly reccomend this stuff.

I started off my day today with some errands and exercise on foot.  It was so windy out today.

Has anyone else glanced at the signs around the Back Bay Trail?

Hmm.... this makes my day. I would be so excited to see a few humpback whales frolicking in the bay..dont think it will happen anytime soon ;)

Have a wonderful day!!

Love me some Sunday

My favorite day of the week is definitely Sunday. For three main reasons:

·         SLEEPING IN: Well, sort of. Sleeping in for most is 10 A.M or later. For me, sleeping in means waking up around 8:30 and laying in bed thinking about how nice it would be to be able to sleep in :)
·         DAY OFF: No work one day a week. Pretty sure anyone would be happy about this. No work also means no workouts. I have myself convinced that the gym is closed on Sundays, it is right?

·         FOOTBALL SUNDAYS: This ones clearly a lie.

This Sunday started off with a shift I had picked up at the restaurant. It was insanely busy! I picked up the shift because I wanted to counter balance my budget with my (worth it) trip to Forever 21 and Target.

I picked up a black pea coat at Forever 21 and some really cute boots at Target. Oh yeah, and a black skirt too!

The boots shown here with my favorite homemade apron :)

We had people over for dinner. Our guests were my sister Emily, her boy Kevin, and our great friends Megan and Krissy. It was a great way to end the week.

I decided to make roasted root vegetables. So good!
Andrew cut the vegetables with my apple slicer. Worked great!

I roasted sweet potatoes, beets, and regular potatoes for about an hour and 15 minutes in Olive Oil, salt and pepper. So easy and so delicious.

My sister made baked chicken with an red onion and cremini mushroom sauce. The onions and mushrooms were sauteed in olive oil and homemade pesto sauce. Once the onions and mushrooms softened, Emily added some flour to thicken it. It was amazing!





A little worker bee.

I love having people over! It is so fun to make a meal together and catch up on life.

Hope you have a wonderful week!

People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don't recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the curious eye of a child-- our own two eyes. All is a miaracle." -Thich Nhat Hanh

Awkward gym moments among other things..

The place: Planet Fitness, Portland, ME

After a sweaty 35 minute work out on the stairmaster, I am one hot mess. I decide to finish my work out with some lunges and other leg exercises.

I enter the stretching room and am relieved to see it pretty much empty. I set up my stuff in my own little corner. Water bottle: check. Weights : check. Enormously large gym bag: check.
 

 

As I am doing some leg lifts on the mat, a woman walks in, probably in her 20's like me. She looks around and for some reason feels so compelled to stretch directly next to me. Now, I am all for meeting new people but this is a little claustrophobic. As I scoot over to the end of the mat to get some space, I am pretty sure she moved along side with me.. Hrmm.. Ill be puzzled with this one for a while.

I LOVE the stair master by the way. I sware the first 3 work outs on it are by far the worst.

So, I tried another TJ's Product.

Definitely pretty boring--but nothing a little hot sauce and frozen corn can't fix. ;) 3 out of 5.

Also, I LOVE the peanut flour so far. It is like corn starch in consistency and has a light peanut taste.I have been using it as peanut butter and it is really delicious and fairly cheap. For 3.49, I got a product that will last me a few months for sure. To use it for PB, I just add 1 tbsp to 2-3 tbsp water and a dash of salt and mix. The dash of salt is necessary for it to taste good! It is a great source of protein for you body builders out there! hehe.

In other news, this has been my view of my boyfriend lately :)

He is working so hard on the fish tank! It looks amazing though :) This picture is for you, Mr. and Mrs. Harner!

 I am working tonight then maybe a drink with some people in the Old Port. Have a wonderful Saturday!

No Excuses: 10 Ways to Get your Booty to the Gym!

Happy November 5th everyone. Today it is cold. Tomorrow it is cold. The next few months are even colder.
 Bundling up with seven layers to go warm up your car every morning? No thanks.

Growing up, my dad didnt turn up the heat until mid November. Ive been known to sleep in my ugg boots on occasion. Funny but true.

 

 

It can be hard getting yourself to the gym when the weather is ugly. Not only that, our days are short in the winter so trying to fit in life AND the gym can be difficult. Plus, the couch is just so enticing!

 

 

Here are a few tricks that help me get to the gym 5-6 times a week:

 

Grin & Bear It:

Change your attitude. Smile big and tell yourself you are excited for a great work out.

 

Ready, set, go:

-Put all your work out gear (headphones, water bottles, sneakers) next to the front door. This will hold you accountable to yourself..you wouldn't want to have to put all that stuff away before it was used right? That would be embarrasing;)

 

 

Weigh it out:

Make a list of the PRO's and CON's of going to the gym.

                                                                                      

See for yourself:

-Visualize yourself at the gym on your favorite piece of equipment. Think about each minute flying by as you get stronger and healthier!

 

Start with 5: 

Tell yourself you only have to work out for 5 minutes. I do this all the time. If I am really truly not interested in being there after 5 minutes then I'll go home, but I usually end up getting into my work out and staying.

 

Find a Buddy:

-Ask a friend to come with you! My sister and I like to push eachother to work out longer. That smile is so fake.

 

Money Bagz:

Reward yourself for your hardwork with a new music download. The BEST soundtrack to work out too: Slumdog Millionaire. Hands down!

 

Thanks for reading, now get to the gym! :)

Day Off

Yesterday was my first day off in weeks from work. I really had no schedule besides a doctors appointment at 10 A.M and a trip to the gym. All I knew was that I needed some well deserved relaxation.

Since my doctors appointment was in my hometown of Saco, I decided to stay down there and see my sister. I was really craving samosas for dinner so I decided to find a recipe for them. A samosa is an Indian pastry that is usually filled with potato and vegetable and served along with a chutney.

The recipe I found was from The Crunchy Kitchen for a sweet potato and green pea samosa. Along with the samosa, I served an incredible beet chutney if I do say so myself.
 My sister made Chicken Curry with Cashews which was delicious, especially if you are a fan of curries like my family. I would love to try to make the recipe with tempeh or tofu instead.

Dont mind my huge sweatshirt..My house is cold :)

This is the Sweet Potato, onion, green pea and curry mixture that goes inside each Samosa.

Wine Bottle? Rolling Pin? Dont judge.

Yum!

The samosas are a healthy vegan appetizer that you should definitely try!

The case of the peculiar squash

Ah, squash? Ever since I was little, squash was just a decoration. Something colorful that reminded you of what the Pilgrims used to eat. I dont know, thats how Ive always thought about it. How many people decorate with squash? The answer is too many. :)

Mmmm, I love squash. Super healthy, comforting and delicious. My favorite variety of squash is definitely the spaghetti squash.



Spaghetti squash is a yellow squash with thin yellow strands of "spaghetti" in the inside. When you peel these strands away from the squash it is similar to the consistency and look of plain ol' spaghetti. I usually have mine with some tomato sauce and it is a wonderful and lighter alternative to regular pasta.

Want to try it?

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.



Now, with the sharpest knive you own, cut the squash in half the long way. Go slow and don't cut your fingers off.

Now, remove all the guts of the squash with a fork. Honestly, dont worry about getting all of the mushy stuff out.

Next, add 1/2 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 clove minced garlic, Salt and pepper to each side. Bake for 45-50 minutes.

Let the squash sit for 10 minutes before you begin peeling the strands with a fork into a bowl.

Enjoy with pasta sauce and a litte parmesan cheese! I also added a big handful of spinach to the bowl before I added the warm spaghetti squash to up the nutrition. My mom has made it with pesto before and said it was excellent.

Trader Joe's Reviews

Charles Shaw Merlot- What is 2 buck chuck supposed to taste like? Fermented juice? Spot on here. 5 out of 5 for value.

The Bagel Spinoza "The Works" Bagels- Andrew said he enjoyed these a lot. His rating "Similar to a Pepperidge farm bagel, pretty chewy, 3 out of 5 if a 5 is an Einstein bagel." Einstein is a bagel and coffee place that is all over the Midwest. One bagel of theirs could feed a family of 4--they are the perfect bagel.

Peanut Flour- If you are a peanut butter lover, go buy this. It is a wonderful, less caloric form of peanut butter. Make sure to add a pinch of salt and a 1:1 with water for this. What a cool product full of protein. The package says it can be used for thickening soups, making breads or pastries, etc. I use it as a peanut butter spread. 5 out of 5.

Pumpkin Butter- Oh my, this stuff is delicious. I have been using it as a spread for rice cakes. 5 out of 5.

TJ's Organic High Fiber Cereal- I love Fiber One cereal, especially the little twigs one. This stuff tastes like legit  cardboard. 2 out 5. I gave them a 2 because it does keep me full.

TJ's Chickenless Chicken Nuggets- Won't be buying again. Tastes mushy and bland inside. Outside crisped up in the oven but the inside was super dissapointing and gross. 1 out of 5.

Trader Joe's Mandarin Orange Chicken- YUM!! This chicken was crispy, easy to make, and delicious. The bag cost 4.99 and we made 4 meals out of it. If you like Orange Chicken buy this for sure. It wasnt super healthy but I topped my salad off with some of these little chicken bites and it was wonderful! Andrew said 3 out 5 and I said 5 out of 5.

I waited in line at the Portland Trader Joe's for about 30 minutes. It was insane on opening day and I kept wondering if I should drop my basket and run out the door.

I am so ready for a day off! Thankfully, I have one coming up on Wednesday and I could not be more excited. Have a great day!