A few recipes/TRADER JOE'S PRODUCTS i think you should try at home

I don’t know about you, but what I miss the most about life BC is eating out at restaurants. Being able to share and enjoy a meal with a friend amongst others was something I seriously took for granted. The first night my family ordered food for pickup, after we had only been eating at home for 4 weeks straight, was a highlight of my early quarantine days. That experience was so impactful on me that I literally took the time to document it in my journal. I’ve come to learn that it is the smaller things in life that make your day better, and in that instance, the smaller thing was a French Dip sandwich from Houston’s.  

So with all this time I have found on my hands, cooking and baking have literally kept me sane. Whenever I start feeling anxious about the world crashing around me, how do I cope? Baking chocolate chip cookies. You would think that I’ve gotten tired of baking and eating them by now, (I’ve made 10 batches in 7 weeks) but I haven’t and neither has my family. You know, the more I think about the reasoning behind all the working out I have been doing, I’m realizing it might be a subconscious action to make up for all the cookies. 

I’ve also been taking the time to try out new recipes and recommended products from Trader Joe’s! One of the first meals that I made in quarantine for my family was a homemade version of my favorite salad from Sweetgreen. I miss the Harvest Bowl with avocado from Sweetgreen with my whole heart and to my surprise, recreating it at home was possible. I looked at their menu and bought all of the ingredients that they put in the salad. It definitely took a lot of effort and 2 hours to make between preparing the chicken, baking the sweet potatoes, and roasting the almonds, but it was so satisfying to be able to share my favorite salad with family and to get a fix of a meal I was craving. 

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I’ve learned in quarantine that eating breakfast every day is a good way to start the day off on the right foot. I saw this video on Tik Tok where this girl gave a recipe for a “flat tummy tea” that you are supposed to drink every morning before eating to increase the rate of your metabolism and to prevent bloating. All that goes into the drink is a glass of warm water, juice from half of a lemon, 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. It has a very tart taste so I always drink it with a straw so it can go down faster. After I finish that, I love making myself some iced coffee. At school, I would always get a cold-brewed iced coffee from my local cafe (Cafe Nero I miss you so much) and when quarantine started, that part of my routine got messed up. Although, Trader Joe’s helped solve this problem because I found out that they sell cold brew canned coffee. I love this product because it makes me feel like I have some kind of normality back in my life and it is really easy to just pour over ice. ​

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Another breakfast food that I have been enjoying during these Corona times, is avocado toast with a sunny side up egg. I always use Dave’s Killer “21 whole grains and seeds” bread because I think it is the best tasting bread in the game and it’s pretty healthy. You are probably thinking, Olivia, that is the most basic breakfast food ever, but let me put you on to this TJ’s product that makes the meal for me: Everything but the Bagel Seasoning. It’s so good and it makes anything you put on it taste like there’s a bagel involved without all the extra calories. 

Lastly, I like to think that I’ve taken up the title of being a mixologist in quarantine. I’ve been tuning into online recipes that some of my favorite influencers have been sharing. So far I’ve tried out 3 different recipes and have made a blood orange margarita, a spicy watermelon margarita, and a Kombucha Paloma. So far the Paloma has been my personal favorite and I’ll link their recipes that I got from a girl named Ella Rose. 

Now that school is coming to a close, I feel like I will definitely have more time to continue trying new recipes and making my own yummy food at home. Stay tuned to my Instagram stories if you're interested in following along on my food journey. 

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