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Three Strange Meals

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I was on a roll today with interesting combinations – some on purpose and some not!

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I couldn’t decide what I wanted for breakfast, so I mixed a few things together: Greek yogurt base with Apple Scrapple bread and hot microwaved cinnamon apple on top. The combo of bread and hot apple on the cool yogurt was quite good!! Chia seeds and TJ’s peanut butter rounded out the toppings.

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Loved it!

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Mazen and I traveled to Trader Joe’s for a weekly grocery trip.

This is what happens when you go to TJ’s sleep deprived and hungry! Some new items literally jumped into my cart without permission! The Raisin Rosemary crisps are soooo good, the crunchy cookie butter awesome (but not as awesome as Biscoff Crunchy(, the roasted coconut chips remind me of this product I tried a while back and loved, and the cinnamon sugar…will be making another appearance.

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Of course I got more of the Good Guy too : )

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Sooo…I was in the middle of assembling some of the crisps with goat cheese to create some smoked salmon stacks when I decided I wanted to see how the cinnamon sugar grinder worked. I ground it over my plate just so the cinnamon wouldn’t get on the counter and whoops – the LID FELL OFF! All over my lunch!

The good news is that cinnamon and sugar go wonderfully with goat cheese, so I dumped the majority back into the container and then ate cinnamon sugar-dusted goat cheese crackers for lunch!

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Then I moved my salad to a clean plate and put together a super healthy mix to balance out the sweet crystals – greens, olive oil, veggies, salmon, more goat cheese + capers.

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Clems for a snack!

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Karen came over today and played with Maze while I went to the gym for a quick visit. I did a quick set of weights and 20 minutes on the stairmaster and biked home as fast as I could. Luckily all was calm!

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Tonight’s dinner was awesome and just one of those “let’s put this in that” meals.

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We had a fun bag of grits from local Wade’s Mill that Edible Blue Ridge gave us for the holidays.

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We cooked the grits per the package – they were thick and chunky just how I like ‘em! That big blob of white – more goat cheese!! On top are lemon-dill roasted chickpeas. The beans were drained and rinsed, tossed in a dressing of equal parts lemon juice and olive oil plus a splash of honey and a pinch each of salt and pepper. About a tablespoon of dried dill on top. After a quick marinade, we strained out the dressing so they were close to being dry and roasted them at 400* for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through. Then the dressing was added back after – just for more flavor.

This dish was strange, but so good!!

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On the side – Karen brought us a lovely watercress, beet, avocado and you-guessed-it: goat cheese salad with an orangey dressing. So crunchy good!

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Why all the goat cheese? We made some homemade!! I actually wasn’t around to blog about it when Matt and Karen did the process, but I think we’ll definitely do it again and I’ll be sure to share. It’s quite good!!

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And lastly – our little entertainer!! He LOVES his bouncy seat that Santa brought from Amazon and is just now making the connection between kicking his little feet and making him bounce. It’s SO cute to watch!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. CRUNCHY cookie butter from TJ’s? I had no idea it existed! I have had the crunchy by Biscoff, and I love it… a little too much in fact. 😉 Glad you got some sunflower seed butter too – that’s always a must for me when I get over to Trader Joe’s. Looking forward to hearing more about the homemade goat cheese! I LOVE goat cheese.

    Reply

  2. Maze definitely is rocking it in style with that bouncy seat! I’ve yet to try sunflower seed butter – they don’t carry it in our stores so I need to hunt online. I wish we had a Trader Joe’s nearby. The closest one is 2.5 hours away. I have major TJ envy and whenever I do go, I’m like a kid in a toy store – everything looks good and I spend way too much and often forget the things I went there for in the first place!! 🙂

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  3. That is a heck of a lot of goat cheese (or any cheese for that matter) in one day…between all the cheese and nut butters, I’d be hard pressed to get into my pre-pregnancy clothes (just had a baby).
    You must have an amazing exercise regimen and metabolism to get away with those generous servings of nut butters and carbs.
    **jealousssssss!!**

    LOVE Mazen in the bouncer…he looks like a very happy boy!

    Reply

    • I’m sure you mean well, but this type of comment is what can lead people into disordered eating, guilt, and an unhealthy relationship with food…in general, please be careful about the way you word things.

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    • Breast feeding can require up to 800 extra calories per day! I would be eating cheese 24/7 if I had a nursing baby!

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  6. Some of my absolute favorite memories are of my daughters in the jumpy swing! They would really get that thing going. Please make a video of that sometime. I always saved swing time to help me cook dinner. It was awesome.

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  9. I love roasted chickpeas, and just made a batch of them last week to go with dinner. I think I just added curry and black pepper, but I’ll have to try dill next time (though we never seem to have lemon on hand). Do you or lemon juice?

    Cute Mazen pics, as always!

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  13. Oh my god! I LOVE the last picture! Maze is soooo cute, that face! Super duper happy!
    That boy just “makes your day everyday” I think! ENJOY!

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  14. LOVE that cinnamon sugar grinder from TJ’s! I bought it on my last trip there and enjoyed some this morning on my sprouted toast. Delicious! Mazen is too cute in that bouncer!!

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  15. Yay! Glad you’re coming around to the cold/hot combos in breakfast! 🙂 Yours sounds delicious!

    I saw that crunchy TJ’s speculoos and almost picked it up – let us know how it is!

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  19. I love the way you mix all those different flavors together. I feel like when I try that, it always tastes awful! When you make the roasted chickpeas, are they soft in the middle? Also, wanted to say that I made the bone suckin’ chicken and it’s AWESOME! Will go on my recipe list for sure! THANK YOU!!!

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  21. Hahaha definitely some weird eats, I never would have thought to put cinnamon sugar on goat cheese but if it works then it works! My weird combo yesterday was putting tzatziki sauce on cornbread! I had it out for the fish and just went a little crazy with it! It worked!

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  23. Oh my! That bouncy seat face! Priceless! All your fabulous baby photos of Maze make me wish I was a better photographer!

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  27. Maze looks so happy in that bouncy chair! I had the same thing happen with a new pepper grinder I bought, thank goodness I wasn’t grinding over my pot iof soup but had decided to grind it into a dish to see how course the grind would be it could have been a disaster!

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  28. I can’t get over it, TJ’s now has CRUNCHY cookie butter?! Well, I am just going to have to make a trip over there ASAP and I’m sure some other items will miraculously jump into my cart as well 🙂 You just can’t help it at TJs!

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  29. Goat cheese is my absolute favorite cheese. I use it any chance I get! Also every one of those impulse buys from Trader’s have made their way into my cart at some point too, and all I loved. The crackers are something I buy regularly now – I love dipping them in cream cheese!

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  30. I have a question about the lemon dill checkpeas. Do you store the roasted chickpeas in the marinade after the roasting period, or do you just use it as a little dressing on top, when you are eating the chickpeas? Just curious, it sounds so good. Thanks.

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    • I used it more as a dressing. I think they would lose all crunch if you stored them in liquid (although mine weren’t roasted long enough to really crunch)

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    • The “dressing” actually did de-crisp them a good bit, probably because we tossed the peas in it and it sat for a few minutes before going on the plate. Some of the peas had awesome crispiness after the bake, kinda like french fries. If you only used the dressing as a drizzle you could get more crisp but not as much flavor.

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  32. I love Mazen’s big open smile in that last pic. 🙂

    I’m definitely going to have to make those chickpeas. I love them and that sounds like a fabulous way to make them.

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  34. My husband and I were just talking about those old bouncers! Remember my sister in one in the 90s but haven’t seen one since. Can’t wait to get our little guy one in a couple months!

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  38. my lil girl LOVED that bouncer too – so HANDY. Tip: when you get to the point where he’s starting to get too tall but still wants to bounce THERE IS A WAY TO SHORTEN the bouncer attachment beyond just the double-up… just FYI – it took me a while (and some googling) to figure out a few months ago! ENJOY

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  40. Kath,
    I just moved to Indianapolis, where I found a Great Harvest! Just had a 1/2 slice of Dakota Bread and 1/2 Slice of Cinnamon Cranberry Walnut Bread. OUT OF THIS WORLD! I will never go back….
    It sure is amazing what freshly milled wheat berries do to bread… not to mention identifiable ingredients. Thanks for turning me onto such a great product!
    Theresa

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  41. I just bought those TJ Rosemary crackers on impulse too!! Loved them! You are motivating me to make a TJ’s trip..

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  44. Such happy baby pics! Love the “bread bowl” idea! I buy these sea salts, just sea salt and either herbs or spices kind of like the sugar cinnamon one you got, so handy, twist and you get a sprinkling of delicious flavour!

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  45. We have a new Trader Joe’s that opened about 30 minutes away. I’ve yet to been, but Thursday is my birthday…and I’m off that day…and one thing might lead to another! LOL 🙂

    Maze is so stinkin’ cute! My daughter had a Jenny Jump Up that she LOVED, but alas, we brought it out when she was almost too big for it. She only got to use it for about a month 🙁

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  48. Man, Mazen is one animated little baby!! Love it. 🙂 I’ve never seen cinnamon sugar grinders before but I’ve always made my own for toast in the mornings sometimes. I’ll definitely have to add that to my list for when I get to check out Trader Joe’s. They’re opening up one in my area and I just cannot wait!! I’ve heard so many good things!

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  49. Two questions:

    1. How old does a baby have to be to put them in a bouncer? My little one is 3 months and I want to order one stat but don’t see an age range. You little guy is so cute it in– I can’t stand it!

    2. Would you mind sharing your food budget? My family is trying to make a budget and save money but also value delish, local, and organic food. We also love eating out and trying new restaurants. I would be so interested to hear what your family spends on food.

    Thank you. 🙂

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  53. What is up with the photos? I feel as if I am missing something as all it has is an image that says “I “heart” Katheats.com after every sentence but no photos…is this on purpose?

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  54. thanks that worked (I feel like such a luddite) They popped right up once I hit the right button (forgot to hit fn the first time) I started out in a reader but then had the same results when I went to a new window with the web address. Most of the blogs in my reader are in www format just because I like to be able to use pg up/pg dn when reading

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  55. I adore your blog, Kath! If we met in real life we’d be friends for sure! 🙂

    I’d love to see an entire post on the health benefits of nut butters. You inspired me to purchase sunflower butter for the first time on my last trek to Whole Foods. Which nut butters are the healthiest and, beyond oatmeal, what are some other ideas for incorporating them into my diet?

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    • I’m hoping to do a nut butter post actually, but I just haven’t had time! It’s at the top of my list. You can eat them on everything from celery sticks to apples, inside smoothies, in savory sauces (like a sunflower butter noodle sauce) or as a topping for so many snacks.

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  56. I was inspired by those chickpeas and made some this morning. They first made their way to a salad, and then the leftovers went into quinoa burgers for dinner. What an inspiring bean (and blog!). Thanks!

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  57. flavour combinations are awesome! maybe one day you could try this combination; peanut butter hummus or jalepeno hummus topped with cubed oregano and olive oil feta chunks plus more extra virgin olive oil! another great thing to do with hummus is add a smearing on to ground lean beef ‘tomatoey’ mince and grated cheddar! flavour combinations are definitely fun to experiment with as they add to your cooking knowledge i feel you start to learn what flavours magically work together! Mazen cute as ever- making me think about saying yes to my broody hubby haha!

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  60. Both my sons loved the bouncy seat. It made dinner so much easier. I also love roasted chick peas – I also do on the stove with just olive oil.

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  62. I am in New England and NEED a Great Harvest! Do you ship?!?! I have an extra freezer I can stash all your goods in!

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      • Ha, there IS one not far from me, I thought it was a Southern Bakery : )
        I will have to check them out and see if they sell as much good stuff as you!

        Thanks!

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  63. Huge yum to your breakfast and lunch! I love combining Greek yogurt with warm oats and apple scrapple bread is divine toasted to get the brown sugar topping all nice and gooey, that sounds fabulous 😀 I saw the new chunky cookie spread over the weekend and almost bought it, guess I’ll have to go back for it!

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  66. Cinnamon sugar and goat cheese? Who’d a thunk it? Love it! I always love your presentations, and the fact that you try to add something live and raw (for example the watercress salad), so kudos for that/ I have a quick question : I find that goat cheese is a bit too ‘strong’ for my palette. Can you recommend other types of cheeses that aren’t as overpowering?

    Alana

    Reply

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