At-Home Salad Ideas + Recent Meals (um, salads and pizza!)

 

Last week I mentioned that I would share more about salads this week. This is a little funny as I think all I do is share about salads (and pizza I guess). BUT! I am going to list my favorite at-home salad combinations so that you can make salads at home that you actually like to eat. I used to be that person who could never replicate a good salad at home. I don’t feel that way anymore as I really do like and enjoy the salads that I create.

First, some salads not made by me.

I had this salad at Town Bagel. I love it when we order the chopped salads at Town Bagel because I always get it with a maple raisin multigrain bagel on the side.

In the salad (although I am probably forgetting to list an ingredient):

• Romaine
• Roasted red pepper
• Avocado
• Chickpeas
• Cucumber
• Beets

I had this beet salad at Pete The Greek the other day for lunch. I’ve shared this salad before on the blog – it’s so good and loaded with beets, feta cheese, and chickpeas among other salad staples. The salad comes with warm pita bread so I always ask for a side of hummus too. I use the hummus for the pita bread and put some in the salad as well.

For the salads I make at home, I’m fairly basic with my ingredients but they are still always satisfying. While I do rotate my ingredients and randomly change the salad staples that I have in the house on occasion, here’s a good list of what I have been working with lately:

• Organic Romaine
• Organic Tomatoes (either cherry or plum tomatoes)
• Asparagus
• Corn
• Feta Cheese
• Avocado
• Roasted Potatoes (either sweet potatoes, purple potatoes, or the mini potato mix from Trader Joe’s)
• Dr. Praeger’s Veggie Burgers
• Chickpeas
• Lentils
• Quinoa
• Dressings

I like to combine any of the above ingredients to make a salad, chopping it all up before digging in.

I used to call this salad in the below picture, the Power Salad. This salad uses some of the ingredients listed above like roasted sweet potatoes, quinoa, roasted cherry tomatoes, and feta cheese.

I usually rotate chickpeas or lentils with quinoa as my protein source and then figure out the rest from there depending upon my mood. Again, it’s all so very basic, but easy to remember to have everything on hand and ends up really delicious.

I don’t like a lot of steps, I don’t even want to chop or cut things in advance any more than I have to! The simple fact that I dice and roast potatoes is a big enough step for me at this point! One day maybe I will cut up a cucumber again. The extra step right now doesn’t appeal to me.

Here are some various salad combinations using my staples:

Lettuce + tomato + feta cheese + avocado + chickpeas

Lettuce + tomato +roasted potatoes + quinoa + avocado

Lettuce + tomato +asparagus + veggie burger + chickpeas + avocado

Lettuce + tomato + asparagus + corn + lentils + quinoa + avocado

Lettuce + tomato + asparagus + roasted potatoes + quinoa + lentils + avocado

Lettuce + tomato + veggie burger + quinoa + roasted potatoes + avocado

Lettuce + tomato + feta cheese + asparagus + quinoa + corn + avocado

The combinations are endless! And sometimes, I add a slice of cinnamon raisin Ezekiel toast with either mashed chickpeas and avocado or melted mozzarella and tomato on the side. 

I will end today’s post with a basic salad topped with leftover pizza from Cipollini. Cipollini is suddenly becoming my favorite restaurant.

We had the margarita pizza at lunch (with salads), took home a few slices, and that became my dinner.

What are you go-to salad ingredients when you make salads at home?

Playoff Hockey Fan Food Highlights (recent eats)

Well, I might as well make today’s food post all about our hockey fan foods as life right now is all about Islanders playoff hockey for sure!

On the way to the Islanders game last Friday night, we stopped for dinner at Piccolo. The main reason we chose Piccolo was for their bread basket which always includes a slice of Sicilian pizza. They will refill the bread basket as often as you wish which is an awesome added plus.

I forget the name of the chopped salad that I ordered but it was terrific. The roasted peppers and mozzarella cheese gave it all the flavor and I ordered it without the chicken that is usually included.

Flashback post: Here’s what I ate the last time I had dinner at Piccolo!

This basic greek salad counts as fan food because I had it, with a side of pita bread and hummus, while reading the sports section at my parents’ house. It’s nice to still read an actual newspaper sometimes.

Sunday’s Islanders playoff game had a noontime start which is early! My son had slept by my parents Saturday night so the plan was for me to arrive by noon to watch the game and order pizza (and mozzarella sticks). On the way to their house, my son called requesting chips and dip so I quickly ran into the first grocery store I passed on my way.

No picture of the mozzarella sticks but the pizza (from Stella’s) was so good.

For last night’s game which was in Pittsburgh again, my son had Chipotle and I had the usual salad that I make at home. I bought the mini ice cream cones from Trader Joe’s to eat as we watched the game.

This game was so nerve-wracking that I’m not sure how I managed to not hide in my closet (playoff hockey is really stressful!). It’s a happy morning here in New York as the Islanders did win and sweep the Penguins. On to the next round!!

[bctt tweet=”What I’ve been eating during the NHL playoffs on the blog today! #isles #playoffhockey #NHLplayoffs #wiaw #pizza #salad #ontheblog” username=”cookiechrunicle”]

Have I turned you into a hockey fan yet?

 

Recent Meals + Vegan Cobb Salad + Intuitive Eating

I managed to capture a few recent meals worth sharing with you today! 

Happy to be back to my favorite whole wheat margarita slice from Mario’s. Remember last week I went with the veggie slice instead? That was a mistake. Not that the veggie slice is bad, I just like the margarita pizza better right now.

My salads from Chopt never look like much but I always enjoy them. In this bowl was spinach, romaine, quinoa, avocado, spicy peppers, beets, and shaved brussels sprouts with lemon tahini on the side. My only issue with this combo sometimes is the brussels sprouts. I do not eat brussels sprouts like I used to so when, on a whim, I decide to have them in this salad, I totally feel the digestion process. Brussels sprouts can be hard on me when I am not used to eating them regularly!

I had this greek salad at Greek Cove the other day with the side of pita bread and hummus. I love their hummus!

And yesterday, we went to Cheesecake Factory where I chose my alternate favorite salad, the vegan cobb salad. Sometimes I go with my all-time favorite salad and on occasion, I am more in the mood for the vegan cobb. What’s in the Vegan Cobb salad? I believe it’s beets, asparagus, quinoa, farro, avocado, chickpeas, cucumber, and tomato. I order the Vegan Cobb without the almonds and sunflower seeds because I have allergies to both.

And finally, I needed the Godiva Brownie sundae yesterday. Sometimes dessert is an option and sometimes it is a necessity. Yesterday just felt like a necessity. How to know if dessert is optional or a necessity? It’s something you just know. And when you pay attention to what you just know you need, I think it’s what they call intuitive eating. I intuitively knew I needed a brownie sundae. 🙂

Have a great week!

Best meal you had over the weekend?

Billy Joel New Year’s Eve + Some Recent Eats

Does anyone know what day it is?

This week is going to feel weird until it’s over, isn’t it. That’s just how it goes with the holidays.

So. While I find most New Year’s Eve hoopla overrated, Billy Joel was playing at the Coliseum so like, why not go?!

not here for an Islanders game!

I’m not much of a concert lover (I prefer sporting events, not concerts) but I make the exception for Billy. He is my favorite!

if you watched the Times Square coverage, you already know it was raining here in New York. Saying it was raining, or even saying it was pouring, will never fully express just how torrential the rain was when we walked from the car to the Coliseum to then wait outside in line to get through security. I think I am still soaked to my core and this article explains/justifies my complaints. 

Snapchat kept us from looking wet.

Anyway, the concert was terrific. I heard my top two favorite songs– Uptown Girl (Kevin James made a guest appearance during this song!) and We Didn’t Start The Fire — and we sang along for the rest because they are all truly the best. Except for River of Dreams. I never liked River of Dreams.

I guess I should mention the idiot guy in front of us who felt the need to stand when he didn’t need to stand (because we had perfect seats) and everyone (including myself) kept telling him to sit down (and the lady next to me was throwing popcorn at him). Only took a few hours before security removed him (another complaint about Coliseum on this night – where was security?) but that was not before his girlfriend/wife (seated to his left in the picture below) left him there high and dry. HA.

And on that note, let’s switch gears to a few recent meals to get us back on a usual blogging track!

I mentioned in my 2018 highlights that pizza was my food of the year which I plan to continue in 2019.

Here’s my giant salad from Town Bagel. I say giant because I couldn’t finish it. I don’t have the appetite I once did, that’s for sure. Running less definitely changes things!

Another giant salad that I couldn’t finish. There might have been a time when the greek salad at the Premier Diner was an easy finish for me, not anymore.

And sushi for me my dad’s birthday. We celebrated his birthday twice but I missed pictures of the first dinner (and birthday cake). I had this sushi at Eighteen in the city the other evening.

Wishing you a very Happy New Year and a quick week ahead. I know I am struggling to get back to routine – I can’t be the only one!

[bctt tweet=”Billy Joel on New Year’s Eve plus recent eats on the blog today! #billyjoel #NYCBlive #NYE #longisland #newyearseve #recenteats” username=”cookiechrunicle”]

Did you go out New Year’s Eve or do you like to stay in?

Favorite Billy Joel song?

 

Placed Second + Can’t Eat Avocado + Recent Eats

 

Well, I should probably edit yesterday’s 5k race recap to include the race results now that I have them. I placed second for my age even after the whole dropping the phone fiasco at the start. My first race in the 40-44 age division!

This is now the second time I found out that I placed second in a race AFTER leaving the race (and third time ever placing second in a race too).

My official time is listed as 24:10.

Bleh.

Like okay. I know very well that’s a great time. I am however skewed when it comes to fully grasping this as the great time because I’m still annoyed that there’s no adjustment for chip time and that I dropped my phone at the start causing me to lose a ton of seconds.

I could have had first in my age if I didn’t drop my phone! First was 23:40!!

I’m so NOT a perfectionist. I’m really not the competitive type and certainly not a type A personality either. Heck, I would still gladly accept a note from my mother to excuse me from every daily life task (including a race), just like she used to do when I needed a note out of gym class because I didn’t want to run. Or a note to excuse me from playing at camp because it was hot outside or a note to say I wasn’t feeling well and couldn’t go to school even when I was totally fine and just didn’t feel like going.

BUT this race time bothers me for sure. Not only did I want under 23, I certainly wanted under 24 which technically I achieved but we can’t see that in the official time.

I run so few races that the ones I do run really do matter to me!

Ah well. Second place is still cool. I did the best I could, that I know. I always do the best I can on any given day, even on my lazy days or can’t give a lot of effort days. On those days, that IS the best I can do and I’m never upset with myself for it.

I should probably email to see if I can pick up the medal or whatever it is they gave as the award.

So Laura and I chat by text every day.

Did you know that? I don’t know if you knew that. She’s totally my go-to running source but we talk about everything else under the sun too.

Of course we needed to recap my race again yesterday morning. The below is a direct quote text from Laura from our discussion on how hard the 5K race distance is in comparison to the half. I thought it might interest you:

Those races above threshold are just brutal. Like, I will never think the 5K or 10K are easy. Both are above every threshold – lactate, ventilatory, etc. – so your breathing is labored from the start, you can’t clear lactate faster than it’s produced and that makes your brain send warning signals, and it’s just a burn. At least with the half, a good portion of the race feels comfortable!

I love when she talks all technical to me and I love how we can reference the half marathon as somehow feeling comfortable. Comfortable is such a relative term here although it’s much more comfortable than a 5K (until those last few miles of a half, those are real hard).

Anyway. Let’s talk food today too.

Is that okay? Rather than wait until tomorrow.

I can’t eat avocado right now. I’m not really sure why but suddenly, it’s making my stomach queasy. I was concerned about this until my friend Lisa told me that she can’t stomach avocado right now either. I wonder what is up with us?

My post race bagel and salad on Sunday did not involve avocado. I left it out of the usual order on purpose.

I did have avocado in my favorite Cheesecake Factory salad and I’m telling you, I felt it the other night.

Lisa and I are always on the same food wave length. We eat the same type of diet and are both in our not in the mood to cook mode. We are justifying this situation as acceptable since we are both experiencing the same feelings. Like maybe we just need a prolonged break from cooking the foods we have been cooking and eating for years or something.

She told me yesterday that pizza and salad is working most nights of the week for her and I was like, me too me too!

Maybe I will quickly make quinoa and lentils though. That’s easy enough and I can add it to salads. And maybe I need to grab a carton of the roasted pepper tomato soup that I love from Trader Joe’s. I can easily heat that up with a grilled cheese. Or maybe I will ask Lisa to make her lentil soup for me. 🙂

[bctt tweet=”Race results plus recent eats on the blog today! #run #running #5K #pizza #cheescakefactory #avocado” username=”cookiechrunicle”]

Anyone else unable to eat avocado right now? Are they just not good at the moment?

What have you been eating that’s easy for dinner?

 

 

Recent Eats: Sushi + Cupcakes + Margarita Pizza + More!

 

Please excuse the lack of blog schedule that I have going right now. I’m having a bit of a moment with my routine, what I feel like doing, and the wait for school to start. For this reason, since I have food pictures available, I am sharing them today instead of Wednesday when I typically share food happenings.

I LOVE the multigrain maple raisin bagels from Town Bagel. I always order one on the side with my chopped salad.

We were at my aunt’s beach house over the weekend. While I didn’t get a picture of my plate or the main buffet table with most of the food, here’s a basic table shot before anyone sat down and started eating.

My son asked me if I really needed another picture of my salad when we had dinner at The Cheesecake Factory the other evening. I said yes.

Look a salad made at home! This is my super easy go-to salad of the moment. Chopped romaine with mini pearl tomatoes, feta cheese, avocado, and chick peas, and Trader Joe’s Champagne style vinaegrette.

This sushi from Rothmann’s made it to my Instagram account last week. I’ve been bad about updating instagram lately but I’m doing the best that I can. I juggle so many social media accounts that my own seem to fall to the pile of least importance!

I also had this salad (it has shrimp in it) plus we ordered asparagus. The salad came with very finely minced bacon crumbles on top which were hardly noticeable so I didn’t complain or anything. While I’m technically a meatless eater, I don’t freak over these things because I just can’t.

The molten chocolate cake which was good until we tasted the outer edges which weren’t so good.

MY FAVORITE. The whole wheat margarita pizza from Mario’s to which I add a basic side salad at home. This side salad has the Trader Joe’s Green Goddess salad dressing.

I ended up at Smallcakes last night and got lucky to find one chocolate cream cupcake left on display.

And if I ever cook again, I want to try making these black bean burgers from Sally’s Baking Addiction.

[bctt tweet=”A whole bunch of recent eats on the blog today! #food #vegetarian #sushi #cupcakes #wiaw #ontheblog #rothmanns #longisland” username=”cookiechrunicle”]

What have you been eating lately that you love?

Any other bloggers feeling out of routine?

Favorite type of cupcake?

Catching Up + Recent Eats + Beach Day

 

Who else is super confused as to what day it is today?! Yesterday at the beach felt like a Saturday although with my son away, every day lately feels sort of like a Friday since I am free to come and go as I please!

You know I like to take advantage of my kid-free time so I have been making the most of it when I’m not working. Aside from cleaning closets and drawers little by little, I’ve been out and about as much as possible.

Monday night I was at Salt & Barrel.  What a great spot! I don’t normally frequent this area but the restaurant is located right along the route for the Great South Bay Half Marathon which I last ran in 2015. Gosh time flies!

Yum. This frosé tasted like a dessert!

Back to my favorite salad at The Cheesecake Factory. It was nice to take a break for a bit to have the Vegan Cobb Salad instead of my usual but it was time to return to my all-time go-to BBQ Ranch Salad.

We’ve been having a heat wave here in New York which means I order iced coffee. I’ve got an almost daily Dunkin Donuts habit going on right now which isn’t the best for my wallet but whatever, I’m in a phase.

Beach day yesterday!

I realized while walking on the boardwalk in Long Beach that I haven’t even given thought to running the boardwalk this summer. Remember last year on July 4th when I was running the boardwalk and found myself mixed inside a 5K race? That was funny. I would be really surprised if I decided to drive to Long Beach to run this summer. It could happen if someone else asks me to tag along but the motivation that I used to have to go on my own is not there.

^ That white building is the Allegria Hotel where I had my awesome birthday brunch a month ago!

I’ve got a lot of beach totes which I’m rotating this summer! Yesterday was my first time using this particular Henri Bendel tote and I really liked it! I can’t find the exact link but this striped canvas large tote looks perfect for the summer – it’s even bigger than mine and has the shoulder straps with the ever-important water-resistant lining.  

Also! Definitely get the trio set of toiletry bags if you haven’t yet. Either this set or this set are so perfect for makeup, the gym, travel, or the beach! I always have one of the bags from the set in my beach bag to hold my sunblock and whatever else. And what’s really nice is how durable they are and water-resistant!

I love days in Long Beach because we can easily walk into town for lunch. Per the usual, we went to Gino’s for pizza and salad.

In other random news, I ordered a new crochet lace dress cover-up from the Gap on a whim. I have no idea how it will fit but even after discussing cover-ups recently in my  swimsuit shopping mindset post, I still don’t have the right mix of cover-ups in my wardrobe. I like that the Gap offers petites so I am hoping it fits well and that I love it when it arrives!

Hope everyone had a really nice 4th of July!

[bctt tweet=”Catching up on the blog with what I’ve been eating and doing this week! #beachday #longbeach #summer #cheesecakefactory #longislandeats #bendelgirl #henribendel” username=”cookiechrunicle”]

How was your holiday? What did you do?

Do you like iced coffee this time of year? How do you order it and where do you like to get it?

Have you ever had frosé?

Random Meals + My Thoughts On Taking Pictures Of Food

 

Today’s post is a collection of random meals that I’ve had over the last several days.

Sometimes I realize that I’ve forgotten to take pictures of my meals. While I’m definitely a healthy eater and total foodie who loves to dine out, keeping up with meal photography and documentation is not what I want to do. At least not every single day for every meal!

I forget where I was reading this comment, but I read somewhere that a person stopped following a few healthy living bloggers because she no longer wanted to hear about food all of the time. While she stated that she liked those bloggers, she was trying to get beyond her disordered eating and it was becoming important NOT to read about food habits (even if they were healthy habits) and not to see every single meal and food details on a regular basis.

What I eat and remembering to take pictures of what I eat is not even close to the first thing on my mind which I believe is an important point to gather from my rambling this morning.

Taking constant pictures of food means constantly thinking about what I am eating. I don’t think very much about what I am eating, what I had this morning, or what I will have later. Of course I realize I have my blog and certain things need to be shared but I can’t share every meal or have food conversations on a daily basis. It doesn’t feel natural and this blog is written from an honest, natural standpoint.

I’m well aware that a lot of my followers are trying to get beyond their disordered eating habits and patterns too. I like to think that my blog over the years has been a helpful resource in terms of honesty, education, and enlightenment regarding a balanced eating lifestyle. I also hope that my blog has assisted you in realizing it’s okay to not think about food all of the time. While blogs are so great to read, please be mindful of how many you are reading on topics you may need to avoid or at least avoid reading ad nauseam. Too much of anything is just not okay, you know?

Now that we got that out of the way, here are a few random meals from the last few days.

Back on the english muffin pizza kick! I don’t know how I forgot that I love English muffin pizzas! They are the perfect little snack or light lunch!

Then there was this random idea to have an english muffin with melted mozzarella and tomato plus avocado. Oh, so good. Wait, I think I also sprinkled the Trader Joe’s everything but the bagel seasoning on top. Try it! Delicious.

It’s not typical for me to go out for pizza and choose a slice that doesn’t involve sauce. Why did I choose this broccoli slice without sauce? I don’t know! It looked good in the moment so I ordered it.

Simple sushi lunch! Both rolls were veggie rolls on this occasion as I’m not always in the mood for the sushi rolls which contain fish.

I’m still grabbing the chopped up Powerhouse Veggie Blend from Stew Leonard’s. I easily get at least four meals from this bowl of veggies which really makes it worth buying in my opinion.

For lunch earlier this week, I added a Dr. Praeger’s veggie burger plus chick peas to the veggie blend to create this salad.

Chocolate chip cookies are the best when they are super soft and gooey. I do not do crispy chocolate chip cookies unless of course it’s the edges that are crispy and the centers are gooey. In which case, I only eat the center of the cookie and leave the crispy parts for someone else to make it seem like I’m good at sharing.

[bctt tweet=”Random meals on the blog today! #food #sushi #pizza #cookies #stewleonards #healthyeating ” username=”cookiechrunicle”]

How do you like to eat English muffins?

Do you take pictures of your meals for your blog or other purposes? Do you always remember to do it/have you fallen out of the habit/interest over the years?

Have you unfollowed certain blogs at times because you feel they are becoming unhealthy for you to read?

Normal Hungry Person + Recent Eats

 

My appetite has been A DREAM without running. You have no idea! As a runner, I have gotten so used to being that person who NEEDS TO EAT AND EAT NOW. I don’t feel that way right now which is making this little break from running so very enjoyable. It’s nice to be a normal hungry person. You know, like someone who feels their hunger approaching but can survive without eating for a bit? Someone who can eat and feel satisfied, rather than wonder what’s next AND can go a bunch of hours satisfied without even a stomach rumble.

Did I ever expect this sudden little running break to sort of feel as though it’s changing my life and perspective on my workout routine? Not at all! It’s starting to seem like dropping the dumb shampoo bottle on my foot last week was meant to happen. As if it was a little way to jolt me into shaking up my routine and help me to see that perhaps it was time for a change. Obviously I will know more about what I mean here when I start running again but I really think that I’m going to be running less. My foot feels fine and looks a million times better but I may wait until I go back to the doctor for the re-check just to ensure that it’s safe to run. The thought of causing a stress fracture scares me.  

Anyway! Time to talk food. 🙂

Breakfast still means oatmeal which I always fail to photograph. It’s still looking just like this! A little bit of oatmeal with blueberries, cinnamon, and peanut butter before a Pure Barre workout followed by more of the same after I take a shower. I do add diced apples and Skoop Protein Powder to my post-workout bowl lately though.

I’ve been eating a ton of colorful bowls loaded with veggies and plant-based proteins for lunch…and dinner.

This bowl in particular contains quinoa, lentils and avocado seasoned with the everything but the bagel sesame seasoning from Trader Joe’s. This seasoning, especially when combined with avocado, just makes for an amazing flavor/texture combination without much work.

So this meal looks like a mishmosh of food but it was actually really good. It’s basically another veggie bowl with quinoa involved BUT it also includes a mashed up Dr. Praeger’s veggie burger. I was feeling a need for texture and the veggie burger served the purpose. This bowl was made more Italian style by cooking it with Italian seasonings, tomato paste, and parmesan cheese. I can’t recall if I added tomato sauce too. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t.

Here’s a giant salad using that crispy and crunchy salad mix from Trader Joe’s which I mentioned in Monday’s post. I doctored it further with spinach, avocado, chick peas, and roasted green beans. This salad mix will be a regular purchase I think for a bit, I do really like it!

Oh! And I made wild salmon for dinner again. I made a basic maple dijon marinade but Lauren sent me a recipe for an even better looking marinade that I hope to try next week! When I do, I will certainly give you the details.

My all-time favorite snack which I got away from for a while is now really back in my rotation.  Granny Smith apples with peanut butter and chocolate chips.

[bctt tweet=”I feel like a normal hungry person plus recent eats on the blog today! #hungry #runner #WIAW #recenteats #traderjoes #oatmeal #veggies #salad” username=”cookiechrunicle”]

Would you call yourself a normal hungry person or a runner’s version of a hungry person?

How quickly does your appetite respond to running more/running less/rest days?

 

Recent Eats: Lunches + Dinners (Plus French Fries!)

 

 

Today let’s take a look at my recent lunches and dinners!

I’ve been enjoying English muffins with peanut butter for lunch quite often lately. I don’t always feel like savory foods like salads and power bowls for lunch so this solves the problem when my cravings vary.

Sometimes I make an English muffin with peanut butter and jelly and sometimes I go without jelly.

It’s always nice when I eat an English muffin with peanut butter for lunch because then I don’t miss it at breakfast. On occasion I still have that mixed breakfast feeling of do I want oatmeal or do I want an English muffin? This solves the problem. Oatmeal for breakfast, English muffin with peanut butter for lunch. 🙂

Right now I have two kinds of English muffins in the house. One package of Thomas’ whole wheat English muffins and one package of Trader Joe’s  cinnamon raisin British muffins. The more toasted the muffin, the better.

I made a quick stop at Trader Joe’s the other afternoon even though I really do try (and often make it) a good week before needing to restock the kitchen. There were just a few things I didn’t buy enough of last week, including those colorful carrot coins from the frozen section!

My biggest problem when food shopping is realizing HOW MANY of something to purchase at once, so that I don’t need to come back again to the store within a few days. Certain foods like frozen blueberries (for my oatmeal), frozen broccoli, and now the colorful carrot coins, go really quickly so I definitely need to stock up with more than one bag.

I’ve been adding the colorful carrot coins to everything including this quick power bowl for lunch the other day when I wanted something savory.

This power bowl of sorts included the colorful carrot coins, chick peas, green beans, and leftover roasted potatoes. I also mixed in some leftover vegetarian 5 layer dip! I love a 5 layer dip even though sour cream and cheese aren’t my favorite parts. When it’s all combined though, it makes me happy. I don’t make the 5 layer dip myself but I’m sure that I can.

Yesterday for the first time in a while, I worked from Panera. Working from Panera usually means lunch at Panera! I’m still creating my own salad of seasonal greens with the addition of avocado and hummus.

And then there was the random stop at this new French fries spot called Spuds Pommes Fries. I’m not a big French fries person (I prefer onion rings) but I’ve been meaning to try “Long Island’s first Pommes Frites shop” so yesterday became the day.

Of course now I need to go back because there were so many French fries choices and other menu items! I went with parmesan crusted fries and a few dipping sauces. Initial response: Yum.

As for dinner, I keep loading my cast iron pan with all the veggies and plant-based proteins lately. This particular night was roasted sweet potatoes, peppers, onions, green beans, broccoli, and quinoa in a tomato type of sauce. I really want to create and share a recipe for my favorite diner even though it’s really not much of a recipe. It’s really simple with lots of variety.

Regarding the lentil soup recipe from my friend Lisa, she is totally going to give me the ingredients list and easy instructions this week so I will share that super soon! It was on me to text her to remind her and of course I didn’t but I will today.

[bctt tweet=”Recent Eats: Lunches + Dinners + French Fries! #recenteats #lunch #dinner #traderjoes #spudspommesfries #pommesfrites #panera” username=”cookiechrunicle”]

What have you been alternating for lunch lately?

Which types of English muffins do you like? Are you a peanut butter and jelly fan or do you leave off the jelly?

Are you good about buying enough at a time when you go to the grocery store?