Hi friends. Last you heard from me I had just arrived home from a week in Florida. My weekend took a bit of a wrong turn when my lawn crew somehow cut my buried fiber internet line when they were aerating and seeding the lawn on Saturday morning. Perplexingly, my neighborhood is a dead zone for cellular service even though it’s in the middle of Charlotte so I really couldn’t use my phone for anything. It was a very quiet weekend on the technology front…and kind of nice!
I met Dorie for a yoga class at Khali Yoga Center on Saturday morning. We took our friend Ian’s class. 10/10 recommend Khali (and Ian…his personality and teaching style is just so warm and lovely).
First, the studio is absolutely gorgeous. Tons of natural wood and live plants and it feels so serene. Second, they have these huge garage doors that they put up for every class that allow for an indoor/outdoor experience. If you prefer to practice outside you can roll your mat out on the patio. Dorie and I were on the front row of the studio space with the doors open and it was so peaceful to hear the ambient noises from the neighborhood/nature/etc. Third, all classes are a $10 drop in which is relatively affordable in the yoga in Charlotte world. You can also do monthly unlimited for $80.
The style of yoga is mostly Baptiste but they do have other offerings. Most classes don’t have music. Just FYI! Cannot wait to get back to Khali soon. <3
Dorie and I sat and had tea/coffee after class and it made for a lovely Saturday morning.
My fridge was empty so I made a trip to Trader Joe’s after we parted. I only shop at Trader Joe’s once every 2-3 months because it’s not super convenient and not my favorite grocery store. That said, there are certain things I like to buy there and I love their fall seasonal items. I rolled out of there $200 poorer. Ahhhh!
Here’s a look at what came home with me.
- Jarred harissa
- Diced tomatoes
- Three jars of their Autumnal Harvest pasta sauce because it’s SO GOOD! Get it!
- Chicken broth
- Rolled oats
- Kettle chips
- Pecan halves
- Perfect Bars
- Lentils
- Dark chocolate peanut butter cups
- Pepita salsa
- Green goddess seasoning – GET THIS!
- Whole bean coffee
- Canned salmon
- Peanut butter
The selection of frozen products at Trader Joe’s is superior to all other stores in my opinion. It’s always a big re-stock for me!
- Pizza bites (for Finn)
- Turkey burgers
- Chicken drummellas (for Finn)
- Gluten-free chicken nuggets (for me – I could care less about gluten-free but these are so good!)
- Riced cauliflower and butternut squash risotto – I’ll report back on this
- Melodious blend (all time fave)
- Multigrain blend with vegetables (all time fave)
- Fish sticks (Finn adores)
- Gorgonzola gnocchi (all time fave)
- Lemons
- Shaved brussel sprouts
- Greens mix
- Avocado
- Shallots
- Mushrooms
- Dates
- Apples
- Pre-packaged salad
- Baby carrots (dog treats – they LOVE carrots!)
- Lime
- Butternut squash
- Kabocha squash
- Onions
- Acorn squash
- Bananas
- Garlic
- Pear
I also bought flowers (that you see in my cart above) and a few bottles of wine because they have a great and affordable selection. It’s been a long time since I had fresh flowers in the house and they are making me so happy.
I had a very different and fun Saturday night. Dorie and I went to a small birthday gathering for a friend of ours. I actually did yoga teacher training with this friend 10 years ago but it had been a while since we hung out. It was so great to catch up! We started the evening with an outdoor dinner at The Diamond and finished with drinks at Smokey Joe’s. It was my first time at this Charlotte dive bar and a welcome change of pace. I felt like I was back in Athens, GA.
Speaking of Athens…I was SO BUMMED that I couldn’t watch the UGA game on Saturday because my internet was out but I am thrilled that the Dawgs are on top! We are the number one ranked team in the country as of this week!!! GOOOOO DAWGS! Please god let this year be our year for the national championship.
I made my way back to the trails on Sunday morning for a run before I picked Finn up from his dad. These are the trails that I always walked on for the three years that I lived in my rental house. I was able to access them from the end of my street and I miss that so much. Luckily, I am only a very short drive from them in my new house and it’s so worth getting in the car. It’s a totally different feel to be on the trails and greenway versus neighborhood streets. I hope to keep up a 1-2x/week routine of getting out there. <3
I picked up my sweet boy around noon on Sunday and we had to run a few grocery errands before heading home. When we were leaving The Fresh Market, I bumped my head while I was buckling him in the car. I said, “ow” and Finn said, “mommy, are you okay?” I replied, “Yes, I just bumped my head,” and he said, “it’s okay mommy, just take a deep breath.” I took a deep breath and he looked at me and said, “there you go. Do you feel better mommy?” Oh my goodness. My heart.
That’s it for tonight but I have much to update you on later this week. Thanks for being here.
QUESTIONS
What grocery stores do you frequent?
If you shop at Trader Joe’s, what are your favorite frozen items?
Dive bar or fancy bar?
Do you prefer trail or road running?
I ran to Trader Joe’s with a friend last night – to check out the seasonal items and pick up my faves too. I do like shopping there, but it always feels like more of an experience or stock-up place than a go-to weekly grocery stop. My TJ’s faves are the pb cups, bosc pears, peanut butter, almond-butter covered almonds, and just mango (which they were out of sadly – hope it’s not gone for good!) I want to try those gf chicken nuggets since I’ve heard you rave about them a few times now! The newish coffee-caramel almonds are also super delish! I always pick up the frozen bell pepper trio when I am there – so easy and more affordable than fresh bell peppers when I am just going to use them in a stir fry or soup. I’ll stop rambling about TJs now haha…Thanks for sharing your haul and hope the updates to come are positive <3
P.S. did you know Aldi has a similar fall-themed pasta sauce that I like even better than the TJ's version?!
I too only make it to Trader Joe’s every month or two. For me it makes it more special. My favorites are the turkey meatballs, chicken teriyaki, my husband and daughters like the mandarin orange chicken, their vege spring rolls are good and I always keep the frozen spinach and artichoke dip for times I have unexpected guests, it’s convenient and tasty. The pumpkin salsa is great, and I too love the green goddess seasoning. Last but not least I can’t leave without the Scandinavian swimmers.
Most of my shopping is from sprouts and fries.
Well the only bar I regularly frequent is our local golf course every Friday night with my husband. They have live music and we are friends with the bartenders so always have fun. Our favorite date night. And it’s less then a mile away.
I love the trails. They help me leave any expectations behind an I love being out in nature. I am blessed to have the trail heads right outside our our house.
Thank you for the great post.
I went to Trader Joe’s this week too. The Green Goddess dressing is so good. I put it on a baked potato with sour cream. It was delish! I also like the multgrain blend with vegetables. Frozen foods suggestions: vegetable samosas and the cauliflower gnocchi (roast it in your Ninja Foodi oven.)
Grocery stores: I jump around. HEB (TX- based), Kroger, Randall’s, and Trader Joe’s. I recently went to Sprouts for the first time. They have a good collection of supplement and my favorite Go Macro bar flavor (banana almond). Sprouts will probably a pop-in to see what they have type of occasion.