Delicious Finds #2: Organic White Cheddar Puffs

Hello lovely readers,

Happy Saturday!

If you missed Delicious Finds #1 check it out HERE.

As mentioned in my original post-- from time to time I come across 'serendipitous' finds at the supermarket, Target, my local Bodega, etc. Items which catch my eye, I grab on a whim, and which turn out to be delicious.

In these post, I share my finds and what I think of them.

Not being sponsored for this. Just sharing.

So part of my "grocery shopping" staples include chips which I tend to eat with my sandwiches or wraps during lunch. Chips make my lunches simply more wholesome and satisfying to say the least not to mention I'm usually very busy during the day so I tend to prep quick lunches.

While shopping at Aldis, I usually grab their Sweet Potato chips (also super delicious). But the other day, right next to my go-to chips I found this gem:

First of all, some advise for the marketing department or designer of the bag of this product: remove the "Kids" label. I almost didn't buy this because I don't have any kids at home so I was a bit hesitant. The only thing that motivated me to put it in my cart was reading the ingredients. Every single ingredient was organic and everything sounded so delicious I couldn't resist. I believe the bag was $1.99 or so (cant remember exactly) but it seemed like quite the bargain.

I got home right at the nick of time: Lunch Time! and I prepped my sandwich. I couldn't wait to try this product and let me tell you something--- it did not disappoint!! Light and fluffy cheese flavor. Kinda' melts in your mouth. Super flavorful but not overpowering. Perfect complement to my lunches. Very similar in texture and flavor to Pirate Booty products (if you'd tried them).

I believe the 'Simply Nature' brand is owned by Aldis. So, if you have one near you or shop at one, I'd encourage you to check this out and try it. I looked through my pictures to see if I took a photo of the first meal I had with the puffs but couldn't find any. I guess I couldn't wait to eat that day and forgot to take a picture :)

And that's all ladies and gents.

Tell me, have you tried this product? Have you tried anything delicious lately that you came across by "chance" and would recommend? let me know!

How Trader Joes solves my dinner problems almost every time

Ok Trader Joes is going to have to start paying me commission for mentioning them so much on the blog. If you were wondering what was my favorite supermarket, well, secret is out!

I love to cook. My favorite meal of the day to cook is breakfast (specially when I have time to do so like on weekends) and my second favorite has to be dinner and I like to mix things up a bit. Sometimes when I am running low on ingredients or run out all together, I have to get creative. Tonight was one of those nights.

I eat vegetables almost every single night (yes, I am one of those weird people that actually likes to "indulge" in broccoli, mixed veggies, and Brussels sprouts). I only had a very small stalk of broccoli left so I decided to do some sort of "stir fry" with mushrooms, garlic, and onions. I steamed the broccoli first before mixing it all together. I seasoned it all with these two amazing powders:

Obviously that was just the "side". Here is where TJs really saved me. I steamed up one of these delicious Cheese & Green Chile tamales:

...and I was pretty much set:

Perfectly delicious and wholesome dinner for a long day! Now I am indulging on some fruit, tea, watching The View on my Roku and blogging for a bit. Hows your night going?

Tell me, Have you ever tried real Mexican tamales?

Getting Creative in the Kitchen

Hey all! I feel like I’ve had quite the hectic week and it’s only Wednesday. Ask me why I woke up this morning thinking it was Thursday already?! Ugh! Yesterday there was a crazy accident on my train line on my way home from work so I had to find an alternative way to get home. I was left stranded at a random train station. Thankfully, I made the best out of it by going in to a Barnes and Noble while the craziness died down and it made for quite the productive evening (Barnes & Noble is one of my favorite places to be. Nerd alert!). Another plus side is that I even found my local express bus  in the area which eventually took me straight home! Sometimes breaking away from the routine can help us discover new things we’d probably never realize otherwise.

In terms of workouts—Ive been pretty good with doing Jillian “shred in 30” every other day since the beginning of the year. I love her DVDs. I seriously never though I’d be able to find a work out DVD I would love as much as this one (plz don’t judge lol. I still love his videos!!) but I did and I love it!! Ive also been walking several miles per day.

Somehow I’ve been able to maintain a fit and healthy lifestyle without a gym membership! NYC can be an amazing gym in and of itself!

So…back to the title of the post. Lately I have been enjoying loving the kitchen and finding clean, healthy, yet delicious recipes to try or I’ll just make up random stuff (which I what I usually do). I have to share with you the three top dinners I’ve come up with this past week. Every single one of these dishes was soooo good and full of flavor! And guess what! I barely used any oil and zero salt. For flavor; I use about 1 teaspoon of coconut oil and then I add garlic and onions; which I sauté. I also add some of my curry powder which adds flavor to everything (with a gazillion times less sodium than regular salt).

Sunday: Chicken Quesadilla

Monday: Mashed Sweet potato with Grilled Shrimp

Tuesday: Organic black bean soup with carrots and veggies on the side (not pictured)

…don’t you love Trader Joes? The delicious dish above came out of this lil’ number.



Oh! And I figured out a way to make ~65 calorie hot chocolate (Simple Ingredients: One cup vanilla unsweetened almond milk, one packet of “sugar free” hot cocoa, some cinnamon on top--- One word: D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S. The almond milk gives it such a creamy taste! (side note: the Masala Chai  tea experiment is still a work in progress lol. For now, hot cocoa will do).

So, those are my eats so far for the week. Let’s see what new experiment I come up with tonight. I find that ENJOYING the foods we eat place a HUGE impact on weight loss and maintenance. As you may already know, it has to be a lifestyle. Who wants to go through life eating things that taste like cardboard just for the sake of being skinny? Not my style. There is a better way! Food is to be enjoyed. Bon Appetite!

Question: Do you like to cook? Are you a recipe person or a “I’ll figure it out” kinda’ girl?