She’s too funny sometimes.

Today I am going to share some Things I’m loving this week:

Lets start of with this popcorn from Trader Joe’s. I love making homemade popcorn, but pregnancy has taken my energy at nights so healthy bagged popcorn it is. Call it lazy if you want but this stuff is convenient, it costs $1.59 and it tastes great. It also pairs well with Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal

Salsa Verde!!! Um yes this stuff is drinkable… well not really but it’s sweet tangy and awesome with tortilla chips. Marc picked it out at Trader Joe’s and we have had it before. It’s so good. I highly recommend it.

I told you I’ve had a craving for chocolate and sweets which is totally not like me and I’m blaming baby boy on this… but i’ve started to replace that craving with these Cookie Dough Larabars. They basically taste like the real thing and I feel good about eating this vs a brownie or cookie any day. When Stop & Shop has them on sale for $1.00 I stock up.

The Good Bean Smoky Chipotle & Lime chickpeas. One of my boot camp friends brought me these because she knows I like the sea salt ones and I couldn’t find these anywhere. They are so good, spicy, and satisfy a salt craving! Marc and I ate them together until he stole the bag from me

Trader Joe’s Blueberry Wheat Bran muffins. I bought these to have for a morning snack they are great topped with a little butter.  They are 100 calories a piece & have a good amount of fiber!

In case you missed my post yesterday check it out! I have a 21 Week Pregnancy Update for you!!

Check out the difference there!! 21 weeks on the left and 14 weeks on the right!

WELL that’s it for now. I hope you have a great weekend

What’s something you have been loving this week?

Any fun plans for the weekend?

I love saying that, it just feels good to know free-time awaits us at the end of the day.

Last weekend we made a trip to Trader Joe’s AKA my favorite grocery store ever. I wish there was one a little closer so that I could go every day, but there’s not. It really makes me look forward to our trips and of course all the good finds from the store.

THING’S I’M LOVING TRADER JOE’S STYLE: 

There’s nothing quite like fall and knowing there are so many good pumpkin products available. I’m a complete sucker for anything pumpkin and most of the time I need to turn my head due to the pure fact that most of the pumpkin products are loaded with sugar and other crap that I don’t need. I usually try to make my own pumpkin treats but sometimes its fun to try out new products and of course share them with my family & YOU.

I found these Pumpkin O’s in the cereal aisle… 1. They are crunchy 2. They are toddler approved 3. They are a sweet pumpkin treat for 110 calories.

I also stumbled upon these Pumpkin Bars. We have had their fig bars before and we are all a fan so when I tried these I nearly died. They do have a little more sugar then I would’ve liked but it beats having a slice of pumpkin pie. You can enjoy one of these bars for probably 1/3 of the calories as that slice of pie!

We love hummus in our house, this tomato & basil trader joe’s hummus is creamy and tasty. I enjoyed it with some whole grain tortilla chips, Ava enjoyed some with her fingers, and Marc spread some on his sandwiches this week. It’s great and it’s only $1.99 per container.

Sometimes eating veggies can be challenging and there’s always days that I’m just not feeling it. Having this Broccoli slaw on hand was an easy way to get a serving of veggies. I added a simple dressing and enjoyed it with my lunch and my dinners! Ava also ate some big spoonfuls of the broccoli slaw.

Last but not least.. Trader Joe’s chicken sausage is awesomely delicious, contains no preservatives, is high in protein, toddler approved, and tastes great as is, on a sandwich or mixed with some veggies & potatoes. Some Chicken Sausages aren’t that filling but these did the trick!

I am also LOVING this end of summer weather we are having. We have been enjoying the park a ton and I’m sure we will be going a lot more throughout the fall. I’m not gonna lie, I have fun going down the slides too.

What’s your favorite Trader Joe’s Product?

Any fun weekend plans?

After a fun & relaxing weekend with my family I’m feeling energized and ready to tackle the day. Last Thursday & Friday Marc was in Buffalo, NY for work travels and a golf tournament so I was home with Ava and Cooper until early Saturday morning. While I didn’t like having Marc gone I did catch up on housework, computer work, and sleep.

Friday night was a very low key night.

Ava and I took a trip to Bruce Park to play on the playground.

She had so much fun and I loved seeing her smile the whole time she was playing.

After we got home my mom and brother stopped over to keep me company and we hung out and chat, until 10pm rolled around and I decided I was ready for bed.

Saturday morning we got up bright and early, I took Cooper for a long walk and then we headed to the YMCA for Ava’s Soccer Kick & Play program.

The program is for 12-24 month old kids and they alternate between soccer kicking and play time. It’s a great program that helps with hand eye coordination, balance, listening, communicating and play time skills.

We look forward to the next class next week.

After class Ava was wiped! She had a snack and then took a nice long nap. Marc also napped with Ava so I took advantage of the sleeping house and ran about 10 different errands around town! In the afternoon we headed to our neighbors house for a play date and then Marc and I had a date night dinner at Barcelona restaurant.

It’s our go to date night spot. The service is great, the food is awesome and it has a great atmosphere.  We love their tapas!

We started with the Spinach & Chickpea casserole & meatballs. (MY FAVORITES)

Plus some calamari, smoked trout pate,

& broccoli rabe.

We also indulged in some red wine.

It was a great date night and we left with full bellies!

Our Sunday morning started off similar with a long family walk and then we made a trip to Trader Joe’s. Is anyone else obsessed with that place???? I literally could buy every item in the store. I had to hold back from some purchases but I love all their stuff.

Our evening was spent hanging out with our neighbors on our porch while our daughters played until bedtime! It was a great weekend.

What was something fun you did this weekend? 

Are you a pumpkin fan?

Of course fruits, veggies, healthy fats, and lean meats are always my first choice when it comes to shopping but here are some of my packaged product picks.

My Top 5 Healthy Food Picks from Trader Joe’s:

1. Coconut Cranberry Granola… this out based cereal is great as a snack or yogurt topping. An added bonus is the healthy fats from the Coconut oil. Just looking at the picture of this granola is making me crave some!

2. Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter… this peanut butter has 2 ingredients.. peanuts & salt! Enough said.

3. Trader Joe’s 96% Lean Beef… if you need a red meat fix this beef is extra lean and costs around $5.

4. Trader Joe’s Hummus.. I have tried most of the flavors and my 2 favorite are the edamame and chipotle hummus. YUM.

5. Plantain Chips.. most of you know that I have been on a huge plantain kick over the last year. Whether they are baked, pan fried, or in chip form they are delicious. These are hands down my favorite brand of plantain chips! One bag just isn’t enough!

What are your favorite Trader Joe food items??

I have had in a few times before but I decided to amp it up with some extra veggies & flavor.

I sauteed some mushrooms & spinach in olive oil

and then following the risotto box mix instructions I made the risotto, added in the veggies, plus 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese, and BAM this deliciousness came together.

This meal is satisfying, healthy, and indulgent! I will have it again! I served the Risotto with pork chops but for a simple meal next time I will try mixing in some rotisserie chicken!

I’m trying to think of what healthy dessert to make tonight for my valentine. I love this Chocolate Decadence Cake recipe from eatingwell.com I have made it before so I think I might do it again if I have time!

I figured I would post some things that I have been enjoying this past week.

This Coconut, Cranberry, Granola from Trader Joe’s. It is so delicious and I can’t seem to keep myself away.

Roasted Red Pepper & Cauliflower soup… this soup has been a lunch staple this week and perfect for cold weather days!

Fig Bars (Trader Joe’s) They are a good low calorie nutritious snack!

I love any type of berry, and these Blackberries were a bargain for 99 cents a container so of course I couldn’t pass them up

Greek yogurt..  Chobani yogurt is made with natural ingredients. What’s not to love!

I am slightly obsessed with sweet potatoes. I’m not joking. I guess there could be worse things to be slightly addicted to like chocolate right? I also made a chicken with swiss chard in a sherry sauce that I had with the potato. I’ve never really cooked with swiss chard so I was a little nervous but it was actually quite tasty and I’m definitely going to make it again!

Since Trader Joe’s has been a theme this post.. If you haven’t tried any of their Hummus you NEED to. Especially this edamame hummus. It is so creamy and is a great afternoon snack with some veggies or whole grain crackers! I love Trader Joe’s!!

I hope you have a HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY! 

On my trip, I purchased a package of Pumpkin Muffin mix that I heard was super tasty.

The package instructions were to add 1 cup of water, 2 eggs, & 1/2 cup of oil. Since I rarely follow a recipe completely by the instructions I decided to do 1/4 cup of organic vanilla yogurt and 1/4 cup of oil. This way we cut the fat in 1/2!!

This batch made 12 medium size muffins and 12 mini-muffins. I figured the mini-muffins would be great to take on-the-go! I also decided that I was going to freeze some of the bigger muffins to have handy once the baby comes and I need a quick little snack.

On a random note… When we took Cooper for a walk this past Sunday look what he found!!!

I guess he is allowed to pick up trash every once in a while Speaking of Cooper, he loves the new carpet we got on our stairs, it is his new hang out! The carpet is part of our baby-proofing to make sure we don’t slip carrying the baby around the house.