Mother’s Day Breakfast Tradition Will Look Different This Year!

It’s that time of year again! Mother’s Day breakfast tradition time!

If you have been reading for a while, you know that my son and I have a very special Mother’s Day breakfast tradition. It’s a really big deal for us. Well, a really big deal for me. I’m not sure that my son cares as much as I do, I think he totes along for the food. That’s fine, one day he will appreciate the tradition. And me.

So the story goes like this. On Mother’s Day in 2010, when my son was 6 years old and up at the crack of dawn as most kids are at that age, I suggested we go out for breakfast in an effort to do something different for Mother’s Day. And there you have it – early morning Mother’s Day breakfast tradition established.

It’s now 2020 which means this will be our 11th annual Mother’s Day breakfast tradition. The only issue is, we can’t actually go out to eat this year. Who could have ever predicted this would be our current situation?

We have revised our breakfast plan and decided upon takeout from Premier Diner.

I didn’t start my blog until January 2013 which means I do not have pictures from the first three years of our breakfast tradition. However, I do have Mother’s Day breakfast recaps here on the blog since 2013! Let’s take a look at them today, okay?!

As you may recall, we bounce between two breakfast locations:

• Premier Diner
• Maureen’s Kitchen

Sometimes I want to add a new Mother’s Day breakfast spot option to our choices but my son doesn’t allow it.

Who am I kidding though, it’s not like I am one for variety. As it is, either place we choose, I only choose between two breakfast items:

• Baked Oatmeal
• Whole wheat blueberry pancakes

It’s always a tough decision!

So let’s look back at my choices over the years since Mother’s Day 2013.

Mother’s Day Breakfast at Premier Diner  2013

I remember stopping for our Mother’s Day breakfast at Premier Diner before taking my son to Hebrew school. This was still three years before his Bar Mitzvah!

I’m sure it was a tough decision for me but I went with the whole wheat blueberry pancakes. YUM. These pancakes are always so delicious.

 

Mother’s Day Breakfast at Premier Diner 2014

Baked oatmeal this time! I definitely tossed my options back and forth for two weeks before ultimately deciding what I would order for breakfast.

Mother’s Day Breakfast at Maureen’s Kitchen 2015

We made the decision to go to Maureen’s Kitchen for Mother’s Day this year for the first time in our breakfast tradition history. I remember we sat at the counter and watched them make all of the pancakes. I like doing things like that.

I had the baked oatmeal. I’m still unsure who serves the better batch of baked oatmeal. I used to say Maureen’s Kitchen but Premier Diner’s baked oatmeal is so good. It’s really a tough call.

My son’s pancakes were so pretty.

Mother’s Day Breakfast at Maureen’s Kitchen 2016

If I recall correctly, I wanted to go to Premier Diner but my son chose Maureen’s Kitchen. Instead of baked oatmeal, I ordered the whole wheat blueberry pancakes. Premier Diner makes better whole wheat pancakes for sure. Don’t get me wrong. Maureen’s Kitchen is like one of the best places EVER for breakfast. But, the whole wheat blueberry pancakes, at least on this particular day, were not even close to as good as Premier Diner. I hate to really say it out loud (because Maureen’s is just so delicious for everything) but it was true.

Mother’s Day Breakfast at Maureen’s Kitchen 2017

Back to Maureen’s Kitchen! I should mention that we get to Maureen’s literally when they open at 7:00 AM, otherwise, you are going to wait if you arrive a minute later!

Baked oatmeal this time!

Mother’s Day Breakfast at Maureen’s Kitchen  2018

Maureen’s yet again! I’m fine with it although I did try to go to the diner. My son is big on selecting Maureen’s. He loves the whole experience.

His pancakes deserve the extra picture. How pretty!

 

Mother’s Day Breakfast at Premier Diner 2019

I was so happy when my son agreed on going back to Premier diner for our breakfast. I do love Maureen’s but I really enjoy the diner’s whole wheat blueberry walnut pancakes with the side of egg whites and bananas.

I’m really going to miss my unlimited mugs of coffee this Sunday on Mother’s Day. That’s one thing you can’t get with taking out! However, since we aren’t rushing to beat the crowd to sit down, I think we can leave a little later in the morning to pick up our breakfast. Now that my son is older, he sleeps much later and I have learned to not like to rush out the door so I do appreciate the extra time in the morning. I will definitely have a recap of breakfast to share next week!

Best Pizza From New York and Beyond

A while back I mentioned that I was starting my own little New York City Pizza Tour. Well, obviously our ability to get to the pizza places and restaurants for the tour was put on hold and will likely be on hold for quite some time.

We only made it to one pizza place on our list (Koronet Pizza) prior to the virus pandemic. I mentioned it on Instagram.

 

So while I can’t continue to share updates from the pizza tour still waiting to happen, I thought it would be fun to highlight some of the great pizza experiences from my travels over the years of this blog.

For the purposes of this post, I’m leaving out my usual slices of pizza and aiming for a wider variety of pizza experiences that I’ve had through the years. There will be a few mentions of pizza from New York but overall, I want to look back at my favorite pizza from other areas. Sure, I’m a sheltered New Yorker who will always say that New York pizza is the best, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like pizza from outside of New York. It is possible to find good pizza in other areas — you just gotta look at it as a different pizza experience, rather than compare it to New York pizza.

Las Vegas

Let’s start with the pizza in Las Vegas. I loved the pizza at the buffet at The Aria where I stayed in 2018. I loved it so much that I had slices of the pizza at the buffet a couple of times while there. There was another incredible slice of pizza that I had late one night from another pizza spot in Las Vegas. While I do not have a picture of that slice, I remember it had mushrooms and it was so good. Each slice I tried in Las Vegas was just so delicious. I remember it so clearly. You can read about the rest of what I ate in Las Vegas here.

New York

Okay so this is a margarita pizza from here in New York but how can I pass up sharing it, doesn’t it look so incredible?! I love the margarita pizza at Cipollini.

Chicago

Who doesn’t love Chicago’s deep-dish pizza? Gino’s East has been a favorite of mine since I’m a kid. Deep dish pizza is a pizza style all to its own, not to be compared to New York-style by the slice pizza.

I was in Chicago a few years ago and couldn’t wait to get some pizza at Gino’s East while in town. YUM. Read more about what I ate in Chicago in this post which also included pizza at Pizzeria UNO!

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Miami

I remember devouring this pizza for dinner at Upland while in Miami for Heather’s birthday. While Heather and I had the conversation last summer when she was here in New York regarding how much she misses New York pizza since moving down to Florida, this margarita pizza was certainly tasty. Read more of what I ate while in Miami in this post.

New York

If you find yourself in Chelsea Market, you will see that you have a lot of food options to choose from. I, of course, will tell you to go with a slice of Sicilian pizza.

Citifield

I may be a Yankees fan but I’m always happy to take my son to see the Mets play because I LOVE the pizza at Citifield. My usual routine is to walk through the gates at Citifield field and head straight for the margarita pizza. 🙂

Boston

I love going to hockey games in Boston because HELLO look at the pizza they have at TD Garden!

The pizza from Sal’s Pizza is gigantic and OMG is it good! Read the rest of what I ate the last time we were in Boston in this post. 

Disney World

How can I leave out the pizza from our trips to Disney World?! My son and I head down to Disney basically every other December break. The margarita pizza at Via Napoli in Epcot is definitely a favorite of mine. Make reservations for this restaurant next time you are in Epcot!

We always stay at the Hilton Bonnet Creek hotel which has really good margarita pizza too. Sometimes I order it as my meal and sometimes we share it as an appetizer when we dine at the hotel.

I recall having this little pizza in Hollywood Studios. It’s not the best pizza ever but it’s always a good park option.

For more of what I ate in Disney World, here are the posts:

What We Ate Disney World 2014

What We Ate Disney World 2016

What We Ate Disney World 2018

Other pizza posts of interest:

Best Veggie Pizza on Long Island

Pizza As Part of a Healthy Lifestyle

What To Eat Night Before A Long Run

 

Tried Dirty Taco & Tequila + Other Recent Meals

 

I finally tried Dirty Taco & Tequila! I will save my delicious review for the end of this post.

First, some other recent meals.

I’ve been taking full advantage of my summer with my son away, including eating out more than usual. It’s not that I don’t eat out when he’s home, because I do, it’s more about the added sense of freedom for us adults to come and go, and go out without the kids a whole lot more often.

Although, I am always eating salads from Chopt. This is pretty typical for me at least once a week. Loving the Mexican Goddess dressing on the side lately. I think I was doing the tahini for a while but right now, I like the Mexican Goddess better.

Shocker here, my whole wheat margarita slice of pizza. Honestly, this is my dinner at least twice, if not three times a week right now. Sometimes I stay at Mario’s and add a salad. Sometimes no salad. Sometimes I take the slice home and have it with a salad. All depends.

I had this greek salad while in East Hampton over the weekend. Plus a side of coleslaw and pickle just because.

Another wonderful night at Prime. Taking full of advantage of outdoor dining for sure! It was a beautiful night. Sushi at Prime is absolutely fantastic as is their burnt broccoli.

We had the Movie Theatre Sundae for dessert.

Okay, Dirty Taco & Tequila.

I pass this restaurant all of the time yet hadn’t gone in until last weekend. It’s not that I didn’t want to go sooner, especially as I know the reviews are nothing short of amazing, it’s just that I hadn’t had the chance. I always asked my son if we could stop in and for some reason, he was never in the mood — which made no sense because he would love their menu. Once he is back from his summer program, we are going.

I knew from reading all of the restaurant reviews that everything on the menu would be terrific, especially the vegetarian options (which of course left me eager and excited!). I couldn’t wait to get the naked tacos plus a side of guacamole.

This salad bowl was HUGE! I chose both the carmelized brussels sprouts and roasted cauliflower.

The salad did not at all need dressing but it came with a choice of dressings – I chose the asian vinaigrette. It was absolutely delicious! I cannot rave about the flavors and amount of food in my bowl enough!

I cannot wait to go back to Dirty Taco & Tequila!

 

 

Dinner At The Bryant!

 

I’ve been really excited for the opening of the The Bryant which is the latest restaurant in the Poll Restaurants dynasty.

Local readers may be aware that the same owners of Bryant & Cooper (where we had dinner for my son’s birthday) as well as owners of Toku (which I last had around my birthday), Cipollini, Major’s, Bar Frites, and Hendricks Tavern, were planning to open The Bryant this fall — and it finally opened a week or so ago!

The hype over the opening has been SERIOUS. Usually, you don’t like to try a new restaurant until it’s been around for a while but this restaurant group doesn’t mess around which means it’s ready to roll when the doors open.

Rumor already had it that the spinach and artichoke dip was a must. We ordered it as soon as we sat down. Delicious, but terrible picture which I didn’t realize until I got home.

There were SO MANY excellent menu choices for me (me meaning, a meatless eater) that I wasn’t quite sure which direction to go in with my meal! I was choosing between pizzas, salads (really wasn’t in the mood for salad), zucchini noodles, sushi, and the house made veggie burger.

I ultimately went with the veggie burger which doesn’t look like anything amazing in the photo but it was very good. It had great taste and a good bite with crunch to the outside rather than mush.

With molten chocolate cake on the menu, even the warm brownie didn’t tempt me.

I only wish that molten chocolate cakes were bigger! The waiter had apologized that dessert took a long time (which I didn’t think it did but he felt bad anyway which was nice) but he explained it was because the molten cakes are made fresh to order. The ooze of chocolate was everything you could ask for in a molten cake.

I will definitely be back to The Bryant soon to try everything else on the menu! One thing you need to know, make a reservation in advance. If you expect a day of reservation, think again!

That’s basically all I’ve got for today, aside from this snapchat picture. I haven’t a true clue or need for snapchat but sometimes if I remember, I check the filters for some fun.

^This Generation Love top is still available and on sale!

[bctt tweet=”Dinner at The Bryant reviewed on the blog today! #dinner #weekend #restaurantreview #longisland #longislandeats #thebryant” username=”cookiechrunicle”]

Best thing you ate over the weekend?

Cheesecake Factory Crispy Brussels Sprouts!

 

The real star of today’s post is the addition of crispy brussels sprouts to The Cheesecake Factory menu. I received an email a few weeks ago that they were adding some new menu items and the mention of crispy Brussels sprouts was all I needed to hear. I couldn’t wait to try them!

The Cheesecake Factory crispy brussels sprouts involve maple syrup, and bacon. I didn’t bother to ask for the brussels sprouts to be cooked without the bacon (although they offered) because it’s easy enough to eat around the pieces. As a meatless eater, I don’t really care if the food is cooked with bacon and if I accidentally eat a small piece, it’s really okay.

Anyway, the crispy brussels sprouts! So super delicious. Perfectly crispy and terrifically flavored. I can’t wait to order them again.

As usual, I had my salad.

And shared Linda’s Fudge cake.

With a full stomach, I did some shopping around the mall before picking up prescription eye drops for my son (who was home with a sudden eye infection of some sort).

I’m in the market for a few new things from Lululemon for fall/winter but totally not in the mood to spend the money just yet.

My Lucky Rainbow sneakers are no longer available but from the same brand, how cute are these?!

I giggled when I saw this front tie shirt on display. Maybe they got the idea from me. 🙂

I also stopped into Henri Bendel and grabbed a luggage tag. I bought the Centennial Striped one but I can’t find the exact link online. They also sell the “bag tag” with passport cover as a set.

I’m on a mission to get everything I may possibly need before the close. I didn’t include the luggage tags in my Bendel Must-Haves Before They Close post from last week but the tag is still a must-have if you need a luggage tag! Everything is 20% off right now too!

[bctt tweet=”I tried the crispy Brussels sprouts from @cheesecakefactory! #weekend #brusselssprouts #cheesecakefactory #henribendel #bendelgirl ” username=”cookiechrunicle”]

Do you like crispy brussels sprouts? Have you tried them yet at The Cheesecake Factory?

Do you need new fall/winter running clothes? Where are you getting them from?

 

 

What I Ate At Smorgasburg

As I mentioned in yesterday’s workout recap, I finally went to Smorgasburg on Saturday. For those unfamiliar, Smorgasburg “is the largest weekly open-air food market in America, attracting 20,000-30,000 people to Brooklyn each weekend to eat from 100 local vendors.”

It’s worth noting that I took the subway from the city to Brooklyn. This was only the fourth time in my 40 years of life living in New York that I took the subway. Yes, the subway is easier and cheaper to get around town, it’s just not the way I grew up getting around the city therefore I shy away from it. Maybe I will learn to take the subway more often though. Aside from the platforms being hot and the trains being crowded, it does make navigating all over the place that much quicker and easier.

Last time I took the subway in this post from New Years Eve 2013!

Anyway. The food. There were lots of choices. Everything you can think of! We walked around to get an idea of what was available and then I gravitated towards Chickpea & Olive because something vegan sounded (and smelled) delicious.

I thought about a beet burger but ultimately went with the vegan BLT which used “eggplant bacon” as the bacon.

Okay. So. It was very tasty BUT the eggplant version of bacon was disappointing because it tasted nothing like bacon. NOTHING. No flavor of bacon and certainly no crispness of bacon. Had they just called it an eggplant, lettuce, and tomato sandwich, I would be able to tell you it was delicious. It was no BLT though. Ah well.

Then I needed dessert. I didn’t know what I felt like (and I wasn’t hungry) but I needed to try something! The ice cream sandwiches from The Good Batch seemed like a good idea. The one I chose was an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich. It was okay. Nothing to write home about. I probably would have enjoyed the cookie dough ice cream sandwich but it was sold out.

Once back in the city, we stopped in to the Henri Bendel flagship store on 5th Avenue because news broke that one of my most favorite stores is closing. More about this later in the week. Ugh!

[bctt tweet=”What I Ate at Smorgasburg on the the blog today! #smorgasburg #NYC #NYCeats #vegan #veganfood #weekend #bendelgirl” username=”cookiechrunicle”]

Have you ever been to Smorgasburg? What do you like to get?

Best thing you ate over the weekend?

Any vegan readers? Do you have a favorite vegan bacon?

 

Outdoor Dining + Tried Smallcakes + Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Issues

 

Well this week felt as though it went slow but at the same time, it’s all a big blur. My son has been away now for two weeks which seems really weird, like how is it going so fast?! Where is the summer going?

Let’s include some pretty pictures from my son’s tour today to start off my Friday Favorites. He doesn’t send me much but I begged for a few scenery shots so that I can appreciate all that he is experiencing this summer.

As you may recall, he is busy touring the west coast! I believe this was from a hike somewhere in Utah.

And this is the Grand Canyon. Am I dating myself by saying that I always think of when the Brady Bunch went to the Grand Canyon?

We know I am not the outdoorsy type (unless it’s the beach) but I do appreciate the scenery. My real jealousy is about to set in though as he leaves the hikes and tours of such nature behind and heads to my kind of fun by seeing Las Vegas and all of California. What a summer for him!

Okay,  moving on to my favorites from the week!

Favorite Fitness:

I haven’t really been in the mood to run very much which is weird considering I don’t run a lot these days anyway at all! Whatever the reason, I didn’t force it this week when I knew I didn’t feel like it. Instead, I switched up my routine, did Pure Barre back to back, chose the elliptical, and took longer walks than usual. Who am I to suddenly like to go for a walk?

Favorite Food:

I’m picking last night’s dinner and dessert as my favorite meal from the week!

We went to Salt on the Water which is one of my top Long Island outdoor dining spots.The hometown appeal plays a role here for me but I also think Salt is gaining popularity from all of the instagram and social media hype too.

My only issue with Salt is that they change the menu every summer season so what I liked last year or even the year before is no longer available.

I did LOVE the fried mozzarella for this season though! Yum.

I did not love this salad. Nothing special about it, especially for the price.

Instead of dessert at Salt (weak dessert menu) we chose to go over to the new cupcake bakery, Smallcakes. I knew exactly which cupcake I was going to order as soon as I walked in and saw this cutie!

It’s called the Chocolate Cream: chocolate cake filled with our signature buttercream topped with fudge frosting and a dollop of buttercream.

Perfection. This is now my cupcake although I do want to go back to try a few more, plus try their ice cream creations too. I love that we have a cupcake bakery again!

Favorite Fashion:

So some honesty coming at you right here. There’s all the hype over the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale which gives early access now to cardholders and then opens up to everyone July 20 – August 5. I went through their website looking for what I think we need and here’s the honest part, I don’t love anything.

It’s a real issue for me as I do like to share links to what I like, especially when it’s on sale. But I can’t share links to items I wouldn’t buy for myself so I’m struggling right now to share anything with you that I see worth it. I will keep looking over the weekend but ugh, Nordstrom is not really my store. I love their restaurant and they have a great shoe department but overall, I do not find that I can really shop there like I can at Bloomingdale’s.

I’m not giving up though! Give me some time to see sort through the sale stuff. I just wanted to be honest and not link to anything I wouldn’t want for myself.

These glitter sneakers though, I do love these. 🙂

So many of these fun sneakers are on sale at Shoe Box but I’m still debating if I want another pair of glitter for the fall or if I should go another route! Like, this lucky rainbow pair, I think this is the pair I really want.

What do you think? I’ve had my eye on them for a really long time and the sale price is quite enticing. Once I decide, I will let you know!

Have a great weekend!

[bctt tweet=”Friday Favorites on the blog today including sneakers I need, dinner at Salt on the water plus a yummy cupcake from Smallcakes! #fridayfavorites #saltonthewater #longisland #cupcakes #smallcakes” username=”cookiechrunicle”]

Are you shopping the Nordstrom anniversary sale? Is there anything in particular you are looking for or have seen that you think is a great find?

Best thing you ate all week?

Do you have a cupcake place near you? Favorite kind of cupcake?

 

 

 

 

 

Recent Meals + Tried Greek Cove

I have a few recent meals to share today! In no particular order, let’s jump right in…

I worked from Panera on Monday so that I could really focus. It’s not so much that I really felt like working from Panera on Monday, it was more because my son finished his last final in the morning and came home with his friend. Do you really think I was going to be able to get my work done with two teenage boys in the house? Exactly.

I escaped for some focused working time at Panera and ordered my salad for lunch. Half way through, I realized they forgot my avocado! It’s either they forget the hummus or forget the avocado! Ah well.

It’s worth stating once again that I could survive on pizza with salad every night for the rest of my life and not be disappointed. We had this grandma pie the other night (with salad but the salad isn’t pictured) with my parents but my mom doesn’t eat pizza. She doesn’t like it. Who doesn’t like pizza? Who doesn’t eat pizza? I will never understand.

Oh! We tried Greek Cove over the weekend for dinner! Greek Cove recently opened a location in Merrick so I was thrilled to try their hummus and greek salad. I will be back for sure, especially since I’m going through a phase where I do not like packaged hummus. Fresh hummus is the best.

As you know, I’m feeling basic with my meals lately and continue to make simple salads at home.

This salad in particular contains a chopped up Dr. Praeger’s veggie burger with organic romaine lettuce, grape tomatoes, feta cheese, avocado, and green goddess dressing. I usually add chick peas too but it seems I forgot them for this salad. Sometimes I add a side of toasted Ezekiel bread with melted mozzarella cheese or mashed chick peas with avocado on the toast. Meals like this are easy and satisfying without requiring much effort, cooking, or ingredients.

In terms of recent desserts, I’m still all about Trader Joe’s semi-sweet chocolate chips. Handfuls every night make me really happy. 🙂

Do you know anyone who doesn’t like pizza? Do you understand their logic and taste buds?!

What easy meals have you been making lately?

 

I Tried Doughology Donuts

 

Where did the weekend go?! I’m not even asking this to make small talk. I don’t do small talk. I’m also not the type to gush about being so busy blah blah blah. Nah. I’m not one of the bloggers people. The weekend just went really fast between schlepping my son around, shopping, cleaning out drawers, getting my haircut and sitting on the couch watching television. I caught great old episodes of the Golden Girls! I love the Golden Girls!

And just somehow, it’s Monday already.

Anyway. The only thing I really feel like discussing quickly today from the weekend is that I finally tried Doughology donuts.

When it comes to trending desserts, I was ALWAYS more of a cupcake person than a donut person. Of course as a kid I loved Dunkin Donuts but the trendy donut shops that are popping up right now are featuring way more exciting donuts than the Dunkin selection.

With the cupcake trend dying (Crumbs closed on me) and trendy donut shops opening up all over the place, it was about time I tried Doughology donuts!

Photo Credit: Doughology

Looks like an amazing donut selection at Doughology based on their menu, right? They even have a custom donut bar where you can customize your own donut!

My only real issue is that I went there wanting to try Doughology’s rainbow cookie donut which I see plastered all over social media BUT it’s only available every other Sunday. Whatever, I will be back in two weeks to try it.

Photo Credit: Doughology

From Doughology’s pretty donut menu, I chose the Devil Dog donut. It was as yummy as it looks and really hit the spot for me this weekend!

For the Devil Dog donut, they sliced a fresh chocolate donut and then filled and topped with a delicious whipped cream and chocolate chips.

I took a few bites from the Churro donut too. A churro donut would normally not be my style but was actually really terrific! The only time I truly enjoy a churro is when they serve it with hot fudge on the side. However, the churro donut at Doughology was really good, even without chocolate.

Now you want a donut, don’t you. I know, me too. Alongside my cup of coffee would be just perfect on this Monday morning.

I’ll keep you posted regarding the rainbow cookie donut. It’s definitely on my calendar to go back to Doughology in two weeks to try it!

In terms of other trending dessert spots, I’m remembering that Spoons Ice Cream & Cereal bar is now open for the season! Here’s my review from last summer in case you missed it.

[bctt tweet=”My first donut experience at Doughology donuts! #donuts #doughology #weekend #donut #chocolate #dessert #longisland” username=”cookiechrunicle”]

How was your weekend? Did it go way too fast for you too?

Do you like donuts?  Do you have a trendy donut shop near you? What’s your favorite type of donut?

 

Trader Joe’s Shopping + Lunch At The Little Beet

 

I’m making it a point to take pictures of my Trader Joe’s shopping cart every few weeks so that I can share what I’ve been buying (and eating) lately.

Here’s a look at my Trader Joe’s shopping cart from a couple of days ago. It’s really just a bunch of my weekly staples plus some odds and ends that I noticed were running starting to run low (like oatmeal and ketchup!).

Fresh Produce:

• Romaine Lettuce
• Baby Carrots
• Grape Tomatoes

Forgot to buy apples. Ugh!

Frozen Fruit & Vegetables:

• Broccoli
• String Beans
• Brussels Sprouts
• Roasted Peppers & Onions
• Blueberries < – I love frozen blueberries in my oatmeal. I stopped eating fresh blueberries so long ago after a stomach virus!

Pantry:

• Organic Steel Cut Oatmeal
• Organic Ketchup
• Organic Fair Trade Columbian Coffee K Cups
• Organic Chick Peas
• Organic Tomato Paste
• Organic Crunchy Salted Peanut Butter
• Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• Oregano
• Balsamic Dressing

I’m scared because I didn’t see the everything but the bagel sesame seasoning on the shelf with the other spices and seasonings. I actually read on Instagram that other people haven’t seen it either. Have you seen it recently?!

Refrigerated:

• Ground Turkey < – For my son. I will probably make this into taco meat or chili. 
• Skim Milk
• Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

My grocery shopping would probably have better structure to it if I were a more meal planner. But I’m not. A friend of mine is looking to get into some meal planning though and asked me for a few plant-based recipes, among other meal planning ideas. I know how to meal plan so I can advise on it, I just don’t do it myself. 🙂

I thought maybe you would be interested in the recipes I shared with her from here on the blog!

Black Bean & Quinoa Chili < – Love this recipe. Will probably make it this week! Also, for my son, I would make his turkey chili basically like this recipe, only with the addition of ground turkey. He likes quinoa now so this meal comes out terrific.

Eggplant Cacciatore < – This was always so easy and good! Definitely considering an eggplant as part of my grocery shopping list for later this week.

Sweet Potato, Black Bean & Quinoa Burgers< – I loved making these burgers and keeping a bunch in the freezer.

Oh! And I had lunch from The Little Beet yesterday. I hadn’t had The Little Beet in a really long time!

I created my own bowl which contained a brussels sprouts salad, a cucumber and greens mix, roasted green beans, and a delicious avocado white bean dip. I really liked this lunch!

Have a great week!

[bctt tweet=”Trader Joe’s Shopping Cart Plus Lunch At The Little Beet #traderjoes @traderjoeslist #thelittlebeet #food #weekend #lunch @thelittlebeet” username=”cookiechrunicle”]

Best thing you ate over the weekend?

What are your Trader Joe’s staples lately?

Are you good about meal planning?