St. Louis & Schatzi

this is what $200 looks like at Trader Joe's.. yikes!

Earlier this week, we decided to make a trip to St. Louis this weekend.  The highlight of the trip?  Trader Joe's!  And if you're going to drive an hour and a half for groceries, you have to make it count.  As you can see, we piled the cart full and left the store almost $200 poorer.  This is a place that I don't mind spending money... although, Chad would argue there are a lot of places at which I don't mind spending money!  I like that, other than checking for the usual dairy/egg ingredients, we don't have to scour the labels for unknown ingredients, high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors and so on.  We also finally went in with a shopping list for dinner for the next two weeks.  We should only have to purchase fresh produce, otherwise we're probably set for a good month on staple pantry goods.  Of course, a few unnecessary things usually make their way into our car.  Here are some new things we bought on this visit:

1.  Pound plus dark chocolate bar:  As the name implies, over a pound of dark chocolate!  I've read that this is great for baking.  I stuck it in my baking box right away, so I'm not tempted to nibble on the giant block of chocolate.
2.  Organic Ruby Chai Tea:  Chad has been kind enough to make tea for us each morning, so I picked up a new variety.
3.  Brown Jasmine Rice:  I usually stick to the basic long-grain brown rice, so I thought I'd venture into the world of Jasmine rice.
4.  Sea Salt and Turbinado Sugar Dark Chocolate Almonds:  "Roasted almonds drenched in dark chocolate and sprinkled with sea salt and turbinado sugar."  How could I resist that?!
5.  Salt & Pepper Ridge Cut Potato Chips:  Chad grabbed these, but I'm sure I'll sample a few.
6.  Rice Sticks:  These were a perfect find for only 99 cents, since Pad Thai is on this week's menu. 

We also stopped for lunch at Sweet Tomatoes.  I love their salad bar, and they had two prepared salads that I'm going to try to recreate for weekday lunches-- Fiesta Couscous and Wheat Berry Curry.  They seemed simple enough, so I'll see what I can do. 

"I'll shake for a treat!"

While we were stocking up on groceries, Schatzi spent her day at the PetSmart Spa!  Okay, not really a spa (she's not THAT spoiled), but she was bathed and groomed.  She's snuggled in bed right now resting after her rough day. 

Also, yesterday I became the proud owner of a library card!  I checked out "Vegan Brunch" and "How it all Vegan," so I hopefully I'll find a few new recipes to try out in between the cookbook challenge!

Now it's time to organize the pantry, straighten up the house, and relax a bit before another crazy week begins!

Family Time

Chad and I both have a three-day weekend, so we made a trip to Fondy.  It turned into a busy weekend, full of visiting!  

ready for the game!

On Saturday, I met Keesha for coffee at the Blue Goose, along with mom, Shanna and Aunt Janet.  Then Kelly and the kids also came home in the afternoon.  For a quick lunch, I made falafel using a mix from Fantastic World Foods.  I was surprised by how tasty they were, being they were so easy to make.  Mom, Kelly and even Henry loved the "balls."  They definitely weren't Holy Land Diner-quality, but I'll keep them in mind for something quick and easy.  Finally, in the evening we saw most of the Will's at a Packer party hosted by the Walters.  The first half was really exciting and action-packed, but I think I spent more of the second half talking than watching the game!  It's so nice that we've been seeing them so often lately.  Dad would be happy!


We planned to leave in the early afternoon on Sunday, but instead had another full day.  We started out with church, then mom and I went to the Outlets, where I made a few (un)needed purchases!  When we got back to mom's house, Chuck, Janet and Aaron stopped for a visit.  I haven't seen Aaron since my wedding, so it was nice to catch up with the Halfmans!  By the time we finally packed the car and left, it was after 5:00!

I almost forgot... my mom gave me a pair of mittens this weekend.  They're a very special gift, because they were no doubt knit with love and they have lots of special memories attached to them.  She had been working on them over the last two months while she and dad were waiting for doctor's appointments, in between testing and scans at the hospital and lazy nights at home.  This weekend, she finally finished the last thumb! 

My goal today is to be super-productive and finally get our house back in order!  Maybe breakfast will even be from Veganomicon to start out the challenge for week 2... wish me luck :)