Trader Joe's Haul --> Summertime Version!

Trader Joe's is always one of our favorite spots so every few months I try to highlight what we buy. When I was in graduate school I did a research paper on Trader's Joe's customer service. Little fact. They design their store to be like a "treasure hunt" and purposefully switch in new seasonal products all the time in limited quantities so you always come back looking for more! So fun right?

Yes, we frequent the wine section. And eat snacks while we shop! :) Here are some of our summertime favorites!

--> Wine! 

I am loving the New Zealand and Australian Sauvignon Blancs this summer. Light and crisp!

--> Hummus. 

We have lots of zucchini and peppers in our garden and this is the perfect snack!

--> Nuts. 

And more nuts. I am addicted to their trail mix varieties + lots of almonds

--> Fruit Wraps. 

The girls love these and they are 100% organic

--> Cranberry Coconut and Gorgonzola Crackers. 

The husband LOVEs the gorgonzola variety. The cranberry coconut were a last minute purchase but SO good and a great seasonal treat.

--> Mini Potatoes.

Perfect for Sunday night flank steak!

--> Organic Fruit Pouches.

A total necessity for on the go toddlers.

--> Buffalo Burgers.

A perfect weeknight dinner that is super easy. Their sweet potato fries are awesome to pair with this!

--> Fresh and Frozen Fruit.

The best price for berries we can find anywhere. 

-->Greek Yogurt.

The coconut cream yogurt is hands down the best coconut yogurt I have ever had. And its 0% fat. :) 

-->ABC Cookies.

Another toddler necessity!

I hope you enjoy these recommendations! I honestly could buy the entire store most days!! 

I Heart Trader Joes!

We go to Trader's Joes so often that the cashier's there know the girls and their favorite stickers. lol. I made a solo trip this week and thought it would be fun to share my finds! Seriously, I cannot get enough of this place! I actually did a paper on them in graduate school and learned all the behind the scenes tips on their amazing customer service.

#1 - You can take anything back anytime.
#2 - They area always changing the stock. Their goal for the customer? To make the shopping experience like a treasure hunt. Mission accomplished.
#3 - And this is just personal opinion. The wine and chocolate section is worth the trip even if you don't get anything else! (And if you want to even it out, the organic frozen fruit and veggies!)

Some of our favorites!

FROZEN

- Frozen fruit and veggies (great for smoothies!)

- Frozen waffles and pancakes. Organic and super easy for busy weekday mornings

FRESH

- Cold pressed juice (100 calories per bottle!)

- Fresh blueberries! (They have the best deal on these almost all year round!)

- Yogurt! (0% and a ton of flavors!)

- Flowers (They are great to pick up for parties and super cheap!)

PANTRY

- Nuts and trail mix 

- Cereal bars (They have awesome granola bars too!)

- Ancient grain and super seed mixes (Think oats, chia seeds and all the yummy cereal mixins)

- Wine

- Dark Chocolate raisins (A great treat for the girls!)

- Chocolate "kitty" cookies (We are sort of obsessed with kitty cats right now!)

- Olive oil

- Balsamic Vinegar

- Coconut Oil Cooking Spray (AMAZING)

Enjoy! And get inspired! They always have something yummy (and healthy) to try!

My Favorite Macaroni Recipe!

This is my all time favorite macaroni and cheese recipe, which I recently overhauled to make both family and 21 Day Fix (the meal plan I follow) friendly!

Its easy to make and makes a lot so you can easily feed a family of 3 or 4 for 2 nights. I usually serve it with a side of veggies or sometimes chicken sausage for some extra protein. My tip for making pasta healthy is to ALWAYS use whole grain pasta and sneak in a veggie. If you aren't sure what to sneak in, go with spinach. You can't taste it and no one knows its there! You can even add additional spinach to this dish and it will taste just the same! 

Serving size is about 1 cup and approximate calories is 350 per serving. I count it as 2 yellows, 1 blue and 1/2 green for the 21 Day Fix program. 

Ingredients:

3 cups cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 [1-pound] squash)

1 1/4 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk (can also use almond milk) 2 garlic cloves, peeled2 tablespoons plain fat-free Greek yogurt1 teaspoon kosher salt1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese1 cup (4 ounces) grated pecorino Romano cheese1/4 cup (1 ounce) finely grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided1 pound uncooked whole wheat cavatappi (or macaroni noodles)Cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Combine squash, broth, milk, and garlic in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer until squash is tender when pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat.

3. Place the hot squash mixture in a blender. Add salt, pepper, and Greek yogurt. Remove the center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Place blended squash mixture in a bowl; stir in Gruyère, pecorino Romano, and 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano. Stir until combined.

4. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain well. Add pasta to squash mixture, and stir until combined. Spread mixture evenly into a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray.

5. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with parsley, and serve immediately.

Enjoy! It really is a family favorite! And no one will ever know its healthy!

(This recipe was originally modified from Cooking Light)

The Friday 5! (September 25 Edition)

I'm back with the Friday 5! A snapshot of the week and some of my favorite things lately.

1) First lets start with last Thursday, aka Taylor Swift Day! :) I'm still listening to her music on repeat in the mornings when I workout. Who doesn't love a little Taylor in the AM! She was SO good!

2) Next on the list was the girls 2nd day (2nd week) at preschool (aka Mom's Day Out (or Dad) Program). Its not perfect but we are working through it. The teachers seem great and the girls are really loving their backpacks (i.e. don't want to take them off!)

The park is still their favorite activity to do followed by play dough! The weather has been so nice!

 3) On a foodie front I made these pumpkin cookies this week. I skipped the cranberries and added about 1/4 cup more pumpkin. They are good crunchy and have a nice sweet taste to them!

(Source / Recipe)

4) If I had unlimited free time and an unlimited budget I would go on a re-decorating spree! My favorite DIY bloggers came out with a new book this week which I pre-ordered so it was a nice mid-week surprise! For some reason reading decorating blogs is relaxing at 10pm at night!

(Source / Blog)

5) Last but not least, I did a 3 day cleanse this week (Monday through Wednesday) where I restricted myself to protein shakes, fruits and veggies (no sugar, dairy or carbs). It was the perfect reset to remind my body what its like to run on clean energy. (And I get to head into the weekend a good 5lbs lighter!)

I am super excited to meal plan this week (if you don't eat much for 3 days its very exciting). This is one of our dinners we are planning. I can't wait to try it...BBQ Meatloaf cups. Perfect for the little people and big people in the family!

(Source / Recipe)

I am also pretty excited for the weekend! Its Scott's birthday, lots of football and the weather is going to be amazing. I get bordline giddy about breaking out the pumpkin and boots! 

 (Source)

I hope everyone has a great weekend! TGIF!

XO,

Holly

Toddler Tested and Approved --> 3 Ingredient Breakfast Cookie!

In my quest to find new and easy recipes, this one has been a winner in the house lately!

It takes about 10 minutes to make (minus baking time) and is super easy to double the batch and freeze for later.

Ingredients
1) 2 Medium ripe bananas
2) 2 cups of dry oatmeal
3) 1/4 cup of dark chocolate chunks

Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Mash the bananas into a large bowl.
- Add oats and stir thoroughly
- Add chocolate and stir throuroughly
- Using a tablespoon, mash mixture into small balls. Place on cookie sheet.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes to desired crunchiness
- Serve or freeze

Makes 12-16 cookies. Serving size is 2. (For all you 21 Day Fixers I count this as a yellow snack/treat).

These are great for snacks (about 100 calories for two) or for breakfast. You can modify this recipe about 100 ways. Sometimes for extra protein I add peanut butter and when I am in the mood for some thing a little more sugary tasting I add cinnamon. (calorie free!). You can also add dried fruit, nuts etc.  Its a great way to use those old bananas and a healthy alternative to your average chocolate chip cookie.