Happy Monday! A few scenes from the weekend to share…
I did a little Whole Foods trip and loved opening one of my bags to find they’d bagged all the best stuff together.
– Sweet Potato Pop Chips (these are seriously addictive…I’m sorry for telling you about them! 🙂 )
– Glutino Sea Salt Crackers
– Vanilla Bean & Espresso Barney Butter
– Wild Friends Chocolate Coconut Peanut Butter
– Purely Elizabeth Pumpkin Fig Granola
– Whole Foods 365 Peanut Butter
I waited until about 8:30 p.m. on Friday night to even start to think about dinner…that was not my smartest move. The combination of a long week of work + being starving + a bare bones fridge definitely led to some “hanger.” I decided the only thing I felt like was Thai takeout but it would have taken me as long to order it and pick it up as it would be to whip it up on my own so I used the remnants of a lot of stuff to whip up fake out takeout chicken pad thai.
And I still owe y’all my pad thai recipe. I am going to prioritize that (cross my heart). If I don’t post it in the next seven days you have permission to yell at me!
On Saturday I met a friend for lunch at Bricktops. We had not seen each other in almost 10 years. It was so wonderful to catch up with her. I had a salad (which I picked all the onions off of…love onions, not raw) topped with their housemade veggie burger. Bricktops has the BEST veggie burgers. This was heavenly.
I spent the rest of my Saturday afternoon shopping for house stuff at Home Goods and Target. We did a mini-overhaul of the living room decor over the weekend and I LOVE how it all turned out! Stay tuned for photos. 🙂
On Saturday night I had dinner at Illios Noche. We started with the octopus…which was incredible. Our waiter shared that the chef marinates it in a red wine vinegar mixture for a few hours before cooking to help it break down so it’s not tough and rubbery.
And for my entree I had corvina served over a greek risotto cake and grilled vegetables. I was pretty much sold after I read “greek risotto cake.” Corvina is similar to grouper in taste and texture. It was really delicious.
If you live in the Charlotte area, I highly recommend checking out Illios Noche. They have two locations. The restaurant has a nice ambiance and a great Mediterranean-inspired menu with everything from tapas to pizzas to entrees to pastas.
On Sunday I made brunch after teaching. I made one of my favorite comfort food dishes ever…sourdough toast with lots of salted Kerrygold butter, avocado, runny eggs and melted cheese.
I ended my marathon week of teaching yoga with a yoga practice. I attended a special “Asana for Autism” donation-based class and it was such a lovely way to wrap up all that yoga.
I made a quick and easy dinner on Sunday night. I sauteed scallops, cherry tomatoes, baby portobello and mushrooms in a lemon garlic sauce and served it over zoodles with a sprinkle of parmesan.
And of course I have to wrap up the post with a photo of the girls. Zoey had a her six month birthday last week! She’s such a big girl.
What are your favorite Whole Foods snacks?
Did you eat out or cook at home this weekend…or both?
I ate at home more this weekend…I need to get my butt out of the apartment and start trying more restaurants in Houston…HA! Cannot believe how big she is getting…Oh how time flies. Happy Monday! XOXO
I LOVE the Wild Friends peanut butter, especially Cinnamon Raisin!
Okay every time I get those sweet potato pop chips at the store I finish the whole bag that day. So addicting!
I can’t believe how big Zoey has gotten! What a precious girl!
I love the Gluten Free options at Whole Foods! Not sure I can pick just one! The Pop Chips are super addicting and that is my favorite flavor!
I typically only eat out on the weekends so we made a day of it on Saturday. Fish Tacos for Lunch and Mexican for Dinner. I always do a long run on Saturday so eating out is a nice treat!
I’ve been loving WF brand almond butter… and all of Wild Friends products of course 🙂
It was SO wonderful to catch up with you! I have a new outlook on my Core Desired Feelings and goals as I go into this week ahead, plus a spark of energy your spirit must have shared with me. That is a lucky bunch that gets to participate in y’alls Core Desire Yoga workshop in a couple of weeks! Hope to catch one of your hot yoga classes SOON. xoxo
Puffins…I love them but Trader Joes has a better deal…still <3
My fave Whole Foods snack that’s effortless is to buy their store-made pineapple salsa and layer it on top of their store-made guac. Eat with their basic sweet potato chips, which are lightly salted. It totally hits every note flavor-wise.
The vanilla bean and espresso almond butter sound SO good! I’ve got to find it now 🙂
That veggie burger reminds me of the big veggie burger at Houston’s – it looks so good! I want to try that chocolate coconut peanut butter. Next time I am in Whole Foods I will grab it – thanks!
Would you please post that last recipe with scallops and zoodles? Looks delicious!! Thanks!
That scallop zoodle dish looks so so good to me right now. Mind sharing how you made it? (even just a short description?)
I immediately ordered that barney butter. Vanilla bean and espresso?! Have mercy. 😉
I love that you mention the Kerrygold Salted Butter. It is such a staple here in Ireland- its the default butter- that its amazing to see it getting so popular in the USA.
i know all my expat friends are happy but baulk at the price of it!
It best on wholgrain brown bread warm from the oven & huge mug of Barrys tea. enjoy!! 🙂
Absolutely agree that Bricktops has the BEST veggie burger!! And as a vegetarian for 18 years – I’ve had a LOT of veggie burgers 🙂
LOVE Kerrygold. I mean, do people eat other butters? And your girls are adorable.
You probably get this question all the time … But how in the world did you learn to cook?! Your dishes all look amazing!! I’m much more comfortable baking than cooking but would love to learn! Any tips for rookies in the kitchen? Would love to know how you got started!