Can you guys believe it is finally getting sunny and hot out? After weeks of rain and cold temperatures in the middle of summer, yesterday was the first day where I was practically blinded by walking outside and craved a popsicle or an ice cream cone every hour. Once I got off work yesterday, I took a nice long walk with a friend to a natural grocer up north and got myself a kombucha while she grabbed a mango popsicle. It was a wonderful end to the day to say the least, especially after a long week of work. As I start off this week filled with more long hours of work, I had to prep myself to grab tons of groceries and food prep for the week.

The past few weeks I’ve really been slacking in the cooking department. I go to the grocery store at least 2 times a week because I never know what I want and end up eating all of my fruit and veggies way too quickly. Can we just “lol” at the fact a bag of frozen grilled cauliflower at Trader Joe’s says it has FIVE servings? I poured the bag out onto a cookie sheet yesterday to cook and I thought “yeah, this will be gone in 2 meals”. I don’t see how it is possible for 2 little cauliflower to be a serving! Come on people. This is why I go through veggies so darn quick!

Anyhoo, I finally got the chance to hit both Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s after work this past Sunday. After grabbing my usual post-work hot-bar salad bowl (filled with spinach, sweet potatoes, root veggies and edamame… #dreamy), I decided to dive into snack shopping. What else is new? All I ever want to/like to do is snack. But I wanted to fill you in on some of my favorite products I picked up for this week and how to incorporate them into numerous different meals.

I decided to grab some hard boiled eggs this week to make an “avocado egg white salad”. My roommate from this past year gave me the idea on snapchat a month ago and I’ve been curious to try it. Let me tell you, it’s such an easy recipe to make. Since I’m not a fan of the hard boiled egg yolk, I scooped each one out, sliced the egg whites and mashed them up with half of an avocado. Next, put it in a tupperware in the fridge and you’ve got yourself an easy snack. Spread it on a piece of sprouted toast with a little chili flakes and you’re set!

When I’m not sure of what to make for dinner, grabbing an extremely large zucchini always works. All you need to do is spiralize it (most vegetable spiralizers you can find on Amazon for $40). I picked this organic zucchini up from a natural grocer down the street from my apartment. Spiralize it, toss it in some coconut oil in a sauté pan and add some marinara sauce. Bam, a meal.

Tempeh never fails me, especially the Lightlife brand. I’ve tried pretty much every tempeh flavor and I love how versatile of a product is. It’s the only soy I really consume on a regular basis but Lightlife’s variety is organic and non-GMO! Woohoo! My favorite is the flax and original flavors. I slice them up into long strips, sauté them in either coconut or olive oil or bake them in the oven at 400º for 15-20 minutes. They pair well with roasted veggies, quinoa, on salads or even in a wrap. A great source of protein especially when you need something that can be eaten cold or warm.

I’m now a HUGE fan of dried fruit. Who would have thought? I love fresh fruit but when you’re on the go in between train rides and work shifts, throwing a bag of these goods in your purse is the way to do it. I just recently spotted these new “Pocket Snacks” from Eden Foods that are a combination of organic nuts, seeds and dried berries. This wild berry mix was under $2 and is the perfect amount of nuts to snack on in the middle of your day.

This vegan cream cheese spread from Kite Hill made its way into my shopping cart this weekend and I was not upset about it at. all. I have been eyeing their almond based cheese products for a few weeks and finally took the plunge and bought the chive variation for $6. Although a bit pricey for a cream cheese, it definitely is on the cheaper side as far as nut-based cheese products go.

I knew I had to spread the cream cheese on a piece of my favorite Ezekiel bread with wild caught smoked salmon from Trader Joe’s (another weekly grocery item). Needless to say, it was one of the best savory breakfasts. The cream cheese texture tastes so much better than your average processed dairy cream cheese you’d find at Einstein Bagels or Bruegger’s Bagels. I can’t wait to go back to the store and try their other cheeses, especially this soft fresh truffle dill and chive. All I can say is wow. Note: I paired this breakfast with my avocado egg white salad I mentioned before. Heavenly!

In regards to grains, I always opt for buying Food For Life products but when I tried their tortillas they were impossible to roll without breaking in half. That’s the trouble you go to when you buy food with no preservatives sometimes! However, another brand I absolutely adore is Engine 2. They create sprouted grain tortillas that hold together rather well vs. Food For Life. Another amazing Engine2 product is their line of marinara sauces! Probably the one marinara sauce on the market that doesn’t have added sugar so it is as if you made it in your own kitchen.

Of course I can’t stop in a grocery store without purchasing some plain Siggi’s Dairy cups. I had one this morning with a bowl of fruit and nuts. The simplest of breakfasts and the purest of ingredients! If you’re not familiar with my Siggi’s obsession, be sure to check out my Instagram filled with nothing but Siggi’s.

I get my sun dried tomatoes at Trader Joe’s because the only ones at Whole Foods are salted and they literally taste like I’m pouring a whole salt shaker on my tomatoes. Yuck. These ones at TJ’s are sliced up and perfect for topping on a piece of toast with hummus, in a wrap or even just by the handful for snacking!

The unsweetened hemp milk pictured is nothing but PHENOMENAL. I picked it up at another on campus natural grocer (there are just SO many these days) since it was the only unsweetened nut milk available. I’ve tried Tempt before and have not been let down yet. This flavor is a combo of coconut cream and hemp milk, without the ingredient carrageenan. It is a wonderful additive to iced coffee!

To finish off my grocery round up, where would a week be without a big vat of hummus? This week’s special: spinach Oasis. The only let down of the Oasis brand is every time I open the lid, it looks as if it is only 75% full. Therefore, I end up devouring it within a good 2-3 days. Boooo.

If only there could be a hummus ATM located at every corner to reimburse me with hummus weekly. Wouldn’t that just be ideal? I think yes. I’ve got my eye on this brand new vegetable hummus from Oasis. I will be on the lookout for it.

This week’s chip selection were these baked lentil chips and a few more snacking essentials? Pitted dates and a pistachio coconut mulberry granola, both out of the bulk section at Whole Foods.

Safe to say I will be trying my absolute hardest to not eat out this week and I think I’m on a good roll so far. Granted it is only Tuesday buuuut I’ve got a fridge packed of goods ranging from arugula, avocado, mushrooms and nut milk to a shelf stocked with bananas, apples, oranges, banana chips and sunflower seed butter. Leftover falafel burgers in the freezer might sneak their way into my weekday plans as well.

Happy Tuesday!

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-Addie