cucumbers

One of the asks from my Blogtastic Blogiversary survey way back when was to share what I eat on a daily basis.

Yesterday, I REALLY tried to capture all my eats… but I suppose I’m just not disciplined enough to make it happen. After I had my carrot sticks in the afternoon, I realized they were all gone and unavailable for a pic. Here’s two pics that made the cut. Yeah… I am terrible at the whole WIAW thing that so many bloggers do.

I managed to snap a pic of my Veggie Delite moments before I devoured it…

Last night’s dinner was 1/2 cup of Skinnytaste Crockpot Bolognese and 1/2 cup of cooked quinoa – - LOVE that Bolognese!

So, rather than giving you the play by play of what I ate yesterday, I thought I’d talk a little bit about how I grocery shop each week. There’s two different goals I have when I go to the store: 1) To pick up ingredients for recipes 2) Buy the staples

Meal Planning

Meal planning is not my strength. I’ve made plans before, and then… I decide I’m in the mood for something else and deviate. It’s what I do. I try to keep my plans pretty flexible as a result. I’ve also learned from my sister-in-law Beth to plan for recipes that kind of complement one another and ones that have similar ingredients.

For example, I could make these three dishes on the same week because they contain common ingredients: tomatoes, avocados, onions….

I keep a list of items that I need to replenish on my smartphone because I always have that handy. I use an app called Evernote, that also links to my iPad so that I can constantly add it to whatever device I’m using. I use Evernote for to-do lists, Christmas gift shopping lists, etc… LOVE that App!

Staple Shopping

There are a few things I pick up every single week at the store. I am a creature of habit, but moreso… I NEED SNACKS! If I don’t have snacks ready to go, it can get REALLY scary at my house and my car can do crazy things like DRIVE THRU on the way home from work. No one wants that to happen!

Here’s a breakdown of what ended up in the cart this week….

Cheese Sticks – I must have been craving cheese. This is a rare purchase, and can take me months to eat… but they’re the cheddar mozzarella mix. Pretty tasty snack!
Asparagus – It was on sale. I ended up with both WHITE and GREEN. After eating it at LaDawn and Dana’s on Easter, I have a taste for it and just want more! Roasted, these make for GREAT sides.

Roasted White Asparagus… Yum-O!

Cucumbers - Quite possibly the most perfect veggie, I eat the heck out of these too… I prep them on the weekends so I have them ready to nosh on… I prefer English Cucumbers to the regular ones.
Bananas - I’ve been eating bananas for my mid-morning snack lately. Love them. Unfortunately, I like them on the greener side… so, again, a small bunch.
Apples and Pears – I take either an apple or a pear with me every day to work as a snack. SO GOOD. I bought four. I usually only buy enough for the week, so they don’t go bad… Trying a new kind of apple my boss recommended this week: Pacific Rose. We’ll see how it stands up to my favorite Honeycrisp. Note: Does anyone remember when fruit was my nemesis when I first started Jenny??

I’ve started displaying my fruit in the kitchen to tempt myself to eat it! Using that new cake plate I bought for the Gooey Butter Cake…

Grape Tomatoes - Another great snack, I literally eat these like grapes. I fill a little bag and take them to work for snacks some days and toss them in salads on others.
Butter Lettuce – I truly believe it’s the most superior of all lettuces… I bought two BIG containers of butter lettuce. Eating them this week with a favorite vinaigrette that I need to share with you guys at some point…
Lean Cuisine Lemon Chicken – I bought two of these… I just really liked it when I tried it last week. Try it!

Note: This list is missing one of my favorite weekly snacks… BEETS! But, I went to the wrong store this week. They’ll be back on the counter and in the snack bag next week!

Tell me about your grocery shopping. What must-haves to do you pick up every week?

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One of my co-workers recently described a salad that she ate that she thought I might like.

Keep in mind, she’s seen me eating my roasted beets at lunch, and eat veggies and yogurt dip just about every day since I started there. As a result, she knows I love my veggies… but I’m not sure she really realized how much I loved cucumber, tomatoes, and avocado. Since it was a snowy weekend, it seemed like a good idea to make it while I was stuck in the house on Saturday.

This salad is a SUPER-SIMPLE amazing combination that I think is going to become my BFF come summertime, and frankly… I think we’re going to hang out throughout the spring too. (I’ve already bought ingredients to make it again!)

It tastes like all the things I love about guacamole with all the fantastic flavor of my favorite cucumber-tomato salads I grew up on. It also has a splash of balsamic that combines with the avocado to form a tasty dressing.

It’s the kind of recipe that I’ll make forever because it’s so easy to throw together.

Creamy Avocado Tomato Cucumber Salad

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

1 english cucumber, chopped and quartered

1 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, sliced

1/4 red onion, diced

1 avocado

1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

freshly ground pepper

salt, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Chop your cucumber and add it to the bowl. Note: I use English cucumbers because they have great flavor and less seeds. Also, save time and don’t peel your cucumber for this salad. Instead, just wash the skin well.