T.J. Maxx: A Hidden Gem of Specialty Foods

Hi-Ya !

Besides cooking I have another love....Shopping !  What girl doesn't, right ?
I am frequent shopper of T.J. Maxx and Marshalls.  Normally my shopping cart includes the latest pair of jeans, a comfy sweater, the sexiest pair of pumps, and if I'm lucky a Micheal Kors purse.

Lately....I find myself making a special trip to T.J. Maxx or Marshalls to the back of the store where I can find a treasure trove of specialty and gourmet foods.  This aisle is in the back of store near the kitchen cookware, bedding and other housewares. It is indeed a foodie's dream !!!

I have a few items that I specifically go looking for, but I also like to roam the aisle for inspiration for a new recipe.  And.....not only can you discover some gourmet items ( such as saffron), but you can find your everyday pantry items at a fraction of the price you would pay at your local grocery store.

Check out some of my food finds

I make my own green smoothies on a regular basis, so I was ecstatic to find some of my healthy additions at a fraction of the price of my local grocery store.  I typically add, chia seeds, flaxseeds and hemp seeds, but every once in a while I'll find a specialty blend, like the hemp & fiber smoothie blend.

I tend to cook with extra virgin olive oil ~b.k.a.~ EVOO, but my new favorite cooking oil is coconut oil.  I found an array of coconut oil selections at T.J. Maxx and again at a lower price than my neighborhood stores.  Besides cooking with coconut oil it has countless uses for everything from a body or face moisturizer, lip balm, natural hair conditioner, many medicinal uses, as well as an aid in weight loss. Check out 77 coconut oil use here.
 *Tidbit* I started using coconut oil in place of butter. When I'm craving that ooeey gooey grill cheese sandwich I tend to feel a tad bit better about my sandwich since I'm spreading on the coconut oil.  Check out my Grown -n- Sexy Grilled Cheese recipe.

I must admit my kitchen cabinets and pantry has some very interested products.  I am fascinating with spices.  I feel you can take a piece of protein and/or veggies for that matter and make it to something tantalizing by simply adding the right seasonings/spices.  The Gourmet Collection has tons of different types of spice blends.  Honestly I think I find a different spice blend every time I visit the specialty aisle.
Come on' ....Step outta the box and try a new spice then let your imagination run wild and create something spectacular.

When I'm craving a salty and crunchy snack, I tend to reach for popcorn, which by chance is my FAVORITE snack.  As you can see on this particular day they had an abundance of crunchy healthy snacks to choose from. You will find some of the most strangest flavors, but admittedly I have tried a lot of them and quite surprisingly I've liked them.  For example, the Himalayan Pink Salt popcorn.

 I ran ( I mean, trotted) in a 5K earlier this year and I finished successfully, but the next day {Whoa Momma}, my knee was not a happy camper ! Since I am allergic to Ibuprofen I had to find an alternative to some type of relief.  I did some research and found out that that turmeric (yes, that spice in your pantry) is an anti-inflammatory herb. I started taking turmeric daily in the pill form that I purchased from the Vitamin Shoppe.  Slowly, but surely my knee inflammation started to go down and I was able to resume my exercise activities (Yay!).  I now keep turmeric (in pill form) in my medicine cabinet.  While on one of my shopping escapades at T.J. Maxx I came across an organic powder of turmeric, which I bought and that I add to some of my green smoothie concoctions.


Other golden nuggets I have found at T.J. Maxx are:  Saffron, truffle oil, avocado oil, walnut oil, coconut water, all types of nuts, teas, coffee, pure honey, Vermont maple syrup, and an array of tomato sauces. I have even lucked out and found drastically reduced items.  I suggest the next time you are in a T.J. Maxx to be sure to visit the culinary gourmet aisle. Keep in mind that some stores stock more or less, so if your 1st visit doesn't reap a basket of goodies, don't fret, keep looking.  It took several  visits to different T.J. Maxx stores until I found the one that I frequent more often than other locations.  

  Happy Shopping !!



* I am not getting paid for this post or am I in any way associated with T.J. Maxx or Marshalls.  I was just blown away at the specialty food aisle and wanted to share some love to my readers.
#SharingIsCaring

Rosemary Parsnip Fries w/ Sriracha dipping sauce

Hi-Ya!

On my "Healthier Me" journey one of my goals is to eat as healthy and clean as possible. I'm human, so I may cave into food temptations from time-to-time, but overall I consider myself to be very conscious of the food I eat.

I've been on a mission to find healthy and quick side dishes.  Don't get me wrong I love salads and fresh veggies, but I tend to get burned out pretty quickly, which leads me to this blog post.  The next couple of weeks I will be exploring foods that I can create as a side dish.  This post I will share my new fond love........ Parsnips !

I was inspired to try parsnips from one of my friends who posted her dinner on the Facebook group, Getting to Goal & Staying at Goal.

A little history of Parsnips
Parsnips is a root vegetable and its siblings are the carrot, celery and parsley. This root veggie contains a plateful of nutritional perks, such as fiber, folate, potassium, and Vitamin C.  You can eat this in its raw form or for a more healthier meal I thought roasting them would be the better choice.
Read more about Parsnips here.


This was my first time cooking with parsnips, so I didn't know what to expect, but after the first taste of my finished dish I knew that it would definitely be one of my "go-to" sides.

Rosemary Parsnip Fries ~a.k.a~ "Tee's Gourmet Fries"

One Skillet Breakfast: Baked eggs w/ avocado and spicy tomoates

HI-YA !


It's been a minute since I've been in the blogosphere.  My day-to-day life has been quite consuming lately, but I have been brainstorming, creating, and concocting recipes; as well as exploring some new foods. This week I decided to keep it simple and share a breakfast that I enjoy at least once a week.  If you want an easy, delicious and healthy breakfast then I suggest you try this one !

Fall inspired Butternut Squash & Apple Soup

Hi-Ya !

I am still on cloud nine since Autumn arrived.  I can't cook all my favorite Fall veggies or fruit fast enough.  One of my favorite Fall soups is Butternut Squash.  During this season Panera Bread has a butternut squash soup on their menu, which is absolutely delicious and I tend to always get a bowl whenever I visit. 

Since I am a frugal gal and like to save money whenever I can I do brown bag my lunch through the week. Sunday is my meal planning day, so this week I decided to make a pot of butternut squash soup with some small tweaks to make it my own.

Check out what's in this Fall Flavorful Soup !!!

 ~ Fall FAVORITES ~

Ingredients
Serves 4-6

• 2 cups of butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed (shortcut: Trader's Joe bagged butternut squash)
• 1 cup cubed carrots
• 1/2 stalk of celery, diced
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 small sweet onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons of European style butter (*it has a creamier texture and richer flavor)
• 1 medium Honeycrisp apple, peeled, cored and cubed
• 4 cups (32 oz) vegetable stock
• 1/4 cup of heavy cream
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Melt butter in pan over medium heat.  Add the onions & celery and cook until it softens.  Add the apples, carrots, butternut squash, sweet potato, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, thyme, cinnamon, and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, then reduced heat to low-medium and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until veggies are fork tender.
2. Puree the soup (it may still be hot, so be careful) in batches in a blender, or use an immersion blender stick and puree right in the pot. I have used both methods, but this time around I will be giving my new Nutribullet RX a whirl to see if its lives up to its soup making abilities.
3. Once you have pureed the soup, return it to its original pot and stir in the heavy cream and simmer for about 5 minutes. 
4. Carefully taste test a spoon of the soup.  Add more of any of the seasonings per your taste. (I added a smidget of more cinnamon)
5. Spoon soup into your favorite bowl and garnish with a swirl of cream and chopped chives.
6. Enjoy !!

Foodie Tips & Notes:

• You can substitute the European style butter with regular butter, extra-virgin olive oil or coconut oil
• Swap out the vegetable stock with chicken stock
• Eliminate the heavy cream in the soup or just add a swirl on top of your bowl
• In place of the Honeycrisp apples you may use Granny Smith apples, especially if you like a less sweeter soup
• If nutmeg is not a favorite spice then feel free to leave it out
• This soup may be refrigerated up to 4 days or freeze any remaining for up to 3 months
• You can pair this tasty soup with this simple salad    

A Simple Salad with Fascinating Greens !

Hi-Ya !!

Salads are a staple in the Summer months, but Oh how I love to enjoy a nice Fall salad. There are so many "Fall-type" ingredients that you can add to jazz up your salad and still reap the healthy benefits. You can choose from the wide world of squashes, pomegranate, pears, beets, and cranberries.
Create your FALL salad today !!

What's in my salad bowl you ask?!?!  Check it out....

• Yellow cherry tomatoes
• Red onions
• Mediterranean goat cheese
• English cucumber
• Pomegranate seeds
• Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and pomegranate vinegar
• Herb salad mix from Trader's Joe

** The Sharing of my taste buds experience** This was my first time getting this bag salad from Trader's Joe and I'm glad I did.  This bag of green goodness contains some basic greens, such as: romaine lettuce, red & green chard,and arugula.  It also includes some greens that (1)  I have not heard of and (2) I would have never thought of adding to a salad.  

The other greens/lettuces that are in this mix are: Oak Leaf lettuce, Lollo Rossa, Tango, Frisee (endive) radicchio, Mizuna, Parsley, Cilantro. and DILL.  Yes, Dill !!! The springs of dill in this salad mix made a HUGE taste difference. It wasn't overpowering, but just right.   I love cooking w/ dill, but you can bet your money dollar that I will be buying some fresh dill to keep handy for my salads.

If you shop at TJ's then I highly recommend you trying it out. The cost was only $2.49 a bag and its organic...can't beat that, right ?!?!?

Tee's White Bean Chicken Chili

Hi-Ya !

The first day of Autumn is rapidly approaching and now that I think about it's actually next week......Woo Hoo !  Can you tell that Fall is my favorite season !!

Well, let me run down a few of my favorite things I like to do and eat at this time of the season.

I'm not a full-fledged football fan, but I do love to experience a game or two that includes some Tailgating,

I love to take a walk in the crisp air and all I need is a nice comfy fleece hoodie.

I love that I can wear a pair of riding boots and a sweater with my favorite pair of jeans.

I love the foods that are available in abundance around the Fall season.
For instance.....Honeycrisp Apples and Pumpkin Spice Lattes.

I love making soups.  My favorite is butternut squash !

I love a good hearty bowl of Chili, which brings me to my blog this week :)

I make a couple variation of chill's, but this recipe I experimented with some new ingredients...more veggies, Go figure, huh ?!!?

Ingredients
Serves: 4 hearty bowls or 6 smaller bowls

• 1 lb of lean ground chicken
• 1 can (14.5 oz) of white beans, rinsed and drained (Navy, Cannellini or great Northern beans)
• 1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomatoes paste
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 small jalapeno, seeds removed and chopped fine
• 1 tablespoon of chili powder (add more if you prefer... I did !)
• 1 tablespoon of cumin
• 1 - 1 1/2 cups of low-sodium vegetable stock
• 1/4 cup of zucchini, sliced and quartered
• 1/4 cup of yellow squash, sliced and quartered
• 3-4 whole white mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 cup of frozen sweet corn kernels
• Salt to season
• 1 tablespoon of fresh cilantro, chopped (garnish)
• Dollop of low fat sour cream or Greek yogurt (garnish)

Instructions

1. Add a drizzle of  EVOO to a dutch oven pot and brown the ground chicken. Remove and set aside.  To the same pot add EVOO and the onions and cook until it begins to soften. Add the jalapeno and garlic and cook an additional 1 minute or so. 
2. Add to the pot the cooked ground chicken, beans, stewed tomatoes, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, corn and the vegetable stock. You may need to add water to be sure that all of your ingredients are covered.  Season with chili powder, cumin and salt.
3. Stir well, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low-medium, and let simmer for about 30- minutes or until those veggies are tender.  
4. Ladle your chili in a bowl. Garnish it with the chopped cilantro and a dollop of sour cream.

*Side Note*

• This chili is kinda spicy, so watch out !!  You may substitute the jalapeno with a can of mild green chiles or omit the jalapeno all together. 
• If you want to add cheese, shredded Monterey Jack is a good choice !
• You may substitute ground turkey in place of the ground chicken or omit the meat and go vegan!!

My Two Cents: Healthy Bento Lunch Box

HI-Ya !

Bento Box:  is a box shaped compartmental container designed to hold Japanese side dishes. A traditional bento holds rice, fish or meat, with pickled or cooked vegetables.

 I love Sushi and although it's not the healthiest choice when choosing a meal, I do indulge (responsibly....lol)  in a sushi roll every now -n- then.  If  I'm feeling really frisky I'll get the Bento box, which is a plethora of tasty foods.  My favorite component are the tempura vegetables, which are light fried...... ohhh Weeee!!!

I take brown bag lunches (not literally...I have a cute insulated lunchbox) to work and sometimes I can get burned out on the same lunch items week in and week out.  I've come up with a smorgasbord of lunch meals or snacks to add to my very own bento lunch box.  My bento box are compartmental food storage containers I found at my neighborhood Walmart.

They have different shapes and sizes

Look at this.....I came across this Thermos and I immediately had a happy thought.....I could make me a green smoothie in the morning and and it would still be cold and frosty at lunch time.

Today's Bento Lunchbox includes

• Parsley & Quinoa Salad (see recipe here)
• Chicken Lollipops - I took a grilled chicken breast cut them in cubes and slid them on wooden toothpicks.... Voilà !  
• Fruit cup; fresh strawberries and blueberries
• Triscuit brown rice crackers (they come in different flavors....the sweet potato & roasted onion is my favorite

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

More bento lunch ideas

• Whole Wheat wrap (meat or veggies), not eating bread ? ...lettuce wraps work too!
• Turkey meatballs
• Cooked veggies
• Coleslaw
• Brown rice or Quinoa
• Tuna or Chicken salad
• Veggie lollipop; cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, mozzarella, with a side of dressing.
• Fruit lollipop; apples, grapes, pear, strawberries, etc..
• Deviled eggs
• Granola
• Soup or Chili
• Turkey roll ups (deli turkey, mozzarella stick, leaf lettuce)
• Air-popped Popcorn
• Etc....................

On another note 

* I use silicon cupcake holders to keep food separate, which also gives me a little more room in my bento box.





The lunch choices are endless, so make your own healthy bento lunch box today !!

Parsley & Quinoa Salad

Hi-Ya !

From the green leafs in my smoothies, in my salads or as a side dish I consume a healthy amount of leafy greens.  For my salads I typically go with romaine, kale, red/green leaf or a spring mix, but I decided to go with a different green for this salad recipe.  PARSLEY !!

Why parsley ?  I love Mediterranean cuisine and there are 2 salads that I tend to order when I can find a good Middle-Eastern restaurant.... Tabbouleh Salad and Fattoush Salad.

They both have have fresh ingredients like, tomatoes, cucumbers and onions.  Tabbouleh star ingredient (in my opinion) is the bulgur wheat.  The star ingredient in the Fattoush salad (in my opinion) are the pita chips.  They both are dressed with fresh squeezed lemons....yum !

Let's get started......

There are lots of fresh ingredients in this salad, so there will be lots of chopping to do.

Chop- Chop !!

Flat Italian Parsley

(*I replaced Bulgur with Quinoa)

Ingredients for Parsley salad
Serving 1

• 1 bunch of fresh Italian Parsley, stems removed and chopped
• 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1/4 cup diced English cucumbers
• 1/2 small red onion, diced
• 1/4 cup of fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 1/2 cup of cooked Quinoa

Ingredients for lemony-garlicky vinaigrette

• 1-2 garlic cloves
• Juice of (1) lemon
• 1/8 tsp of red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup of walnut oil 
• pinch of sea salt & pepper

Instructions

1. Cook Quinoa per directions on package. Set aside to cool.
2. Whisk the garlic, lemon juice, red pepper flakes and salt in small bowl. Slowly whisk in walnut oil. If you don't have walnut oil in your pantry you may use extra-virgin olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Combine all of your salad ingredients (quinoa, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, mint and parsley) into a large bowl.
4. Stream about 1/2 of the vinaigrette on the salad and toss to coat.  Add more if desired.

** You can enjoy this salad as a side dish or you easily make this salad your main dish by adding  cubed grilled chicken breast. On occasion I add feta to this salad.

LemonLicious Yogurt Bites

Hi-Ya !

Do You have 5 minutes to spare to make a SupaDeDooper snack ?

All you need is 2 ingredients and maybe a couple extras if you like.....no pressure !

Greek Yogurt is a staple in my kitchen and with all the fun flavors it makes it so much funnier to create new healthy snacks.


Grab these things to get started...................

Mix the yogurt with the jello ( I used half the box)

Stir until completely combined and place bowl in microwave about 2 minutes. Stir at 1 minute intervals.  You want to be sure the gelatin is completely dissolved.

Spoon the mixture into the cupcake liners

Let it chill in refrigerator about an hour or until set.  

That's all there is to it !

I was feeling a little adventurous, so I added a squirt of whipped cream and a chocolate chip morsel.

Yes, chocolate.  I'm guilty ! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LemonLicious Yogurt Bites (Inspired by Jello)

Ingredients

Serves: 6 individual yogurt cups

• 1/2 package (3 oz) of JELL-O Lemon flavor gelatin
• 1 container (5.3 oz) vanilla bean non-fat Greek yogurt
• **Optional extras, whip cream and semi-sweet chocolate chip morsels

Instructions

1. Place the (6) cupcake liners in the muffin pan
2. Mix the yogurt and Jello in microwave safe bowl. Stir until combined.
3. Microwave for 1 minute, stir.  Microwave for 1 minute to 1 1/2 minutes until completely dissolved. 
4. Spoon each cupcake liner with the yogurt mix. About 2-3 tablespoons to start and if you have any yogurt mix left...fill accordingly.
5. Let it hang out in the fridge for about a hour or until set
6. When set; remove from liners and top with a smidget of whip cream and chocolate chip morsel.

On another note...

• You can mix and match YOUR favorite yogurt and JELL-O flavors
• You can use mini-cupcake pan and liners
• You can use the sugar-free JELL-O brand
• Store in a air-tight container, refrigerate for up to 3 days, if they last that long !!

Week 5: Tee's Two Cents on Weight Loss - Maintaining you new lifestyle change

Hi-Ya!

I bet you thought that losing the weight was a chore, but maintaining your new healthy lifestyle brings on a new set of challenges and difficulties. Normally in this stage of our journey we tend to regain the weight we lost over time.  The key to maintaining is consistency in your healthy lifestyle habits.  Keeping the weight off requires commitment, through your healthy food choices, exercise and your frame of mind.

Here are my top 5 tips that will help you maintain, and keep you pursuing challenges to improve your health and fitness activity.  Remember my mantra;  This is a journey, not a race !

Tip #1:  Remember why you started

There will be times that you will have a motivational breakdown, but don't worry it happens. 

I don't know why we have these moments, but we are a conqueror !

I found that I have to remind myself often on why I started living healthy in the first place.  Everybody's reason will be different.  My first internal motivation was that I didn't want to develop diabetics.  Your reason could be that you want to lower your blood pressure or just be able to run around at the park with your kids or grand-kids.  Whatever YOUR reasons are  just know at the end of the day quitting is not an option.

Tip #2:  One Plate at a Time 

We are on own worst critic and sometimes we have the tendency to punish ourselves for slip ups or times of weakness.  Don't let that slice of chocolate cake you had at a friends birthday party derail your journey.  Eat it, Enjoy it and Move on !  

Tomorrow is a new day  -  just jump back on your healthy wagon and keep it moving !

Having the right mindset to successfully continue on your journey is just as important as it was when you started.  Let's start saying, "I CHOOSE" instead of "I CAN'T".  

Instead of saying "I can't have a slice of pizza",  say " I choose not to have a slice pizza"....keeping in mind that you choose not to have that pizza because you choose to feel more comfortable in your favorite pair of jeans. That simple change can cause a POSITIVE mindset.   

Tip #3:  Sleep

Sweet Dreams......  Sleep is important to a healthy lifestyle as eating right and exercise. Getting enough sleep is probably one of the easiest and simplest things we can do to stay healthy.  Lack of sleep can cause you to wake up not feeling rested,  not focused, and possibly the onset of health ailments. There are numerous studies to suggest that we need 8 hours or more to get the rest we need.  Read the article I found quite interesting on how much sleep we actually should be getting. 

Tip #4:  Say NO the Scale

Sometimes the scale can bring good news and there are times that it can bring bad news. Our bodies change throughout the day. My main suggestion  would be to not get on the scale everyday.  

Focus on how you feel ! 

• How your energy levels has increased
• How your clothes feel looser 
• The constant compliments you are receiving 
• How your skin and mood has improved

Tip #5:  Stay Focused

With the demands of our day-to-day life, temptations, and loss of motivation staying engaged on our healthy journey will be challenging, but is it......

Accountability: (noun) an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one's actions.  

Here a few ways that I keep myself in check !

• Journalize your progress (read more in week 4 segment)
• Make it public to your family and friends. By doing so you will have more responsibility to reach your goal.  It's about that Support group ! (read more in week 2 segment) 
• Reward yourself: a reward system can help keep you accountable.  Just be sure that your reward is not a food or a day off exercise.  Instead, make your reward something that makes you feel better about yourself. (read more about reward ideas in week 3 segment)

=======================================================================

I hope that my "two cents" on weight loss have inspired you to get started on your own "healthier me" journey or has given you additional motivation to keep on living healthy!  If you should have any questions please feel free to drop me a line.  I would love to hear from you.

Cheers to a HEALTHY LIFE !!

Note:  I am not a dietitian, physician, nutritionist or fitness guru, just a foodie on a mission to eating healthy and staying as active as possible.  Always consult your doctor before making any drastic dietary changes or starting an exercise program