I refuse to go to the grocery store...

Horrible photo, delicious muffins

Yesterday, the Mr. and I were out shopping. Well, errand-running that turned into a full-blown shopping trip (new pillows, tablecloth, napkins, etc at Macy's with one of their ridiculous holiday weekend coupons). I have been wanting a mini muffin pan for a while (my life is so exciting) and I finally found one at Cost Plus for $8.99. I love Cost Plus for many many reasons, but that's a whole 'nother post entirely.

Fast forward to today. After brunch with the girls, taking my dog for a long walk, cleaning the kitchen, and doing some work stuff, I really wanted to use my mini muffin pan, but I refused to go to the grocery store. 

I found some walnuts, oatmeal, eggs, and bananas that were turning brown and whipped up some delicious and semi-healthy banana walnut muffins with oatmeal and brown sugar streusel on top (Recipe can be found on Cooking Light). I love it when I can figure out something to make with ingredients I already have. It cuts down on unnecessary trips to the store, saving money on both gas and food!

Note that I used white flour, since I didn't have any wheat flour, and I'd recommend making extra streusel for the top, since what the recipe called for wasn't quite enough. And, if you are making mini muffins instead of regular, they only need to cook for about 10 minutes.

Now I'm on to organizing my closet. Productive little Sunday!

Trader Joe's: How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

I first started stopping at Trader Joe's when I lived in San Diego. The Pacific Beach Trader Joe's is HUGE (especially in relation to the Queen Anne one in Seattle...shoebox!). Trader Joe's has so much going for it - great wine, affordable food, tasty appetizers, great quick meal options, and much more.

But, there are a few "room for improvement" areas at Trader Joe's, meaning that, unfortunately, you always have to go to two stores if you're doing massive grocery shopping to get everything you need.

Over the years, I've introduced many people to the wonderful world of Trader Joe's, so here is my unofficial, highly biased guide to shopping at Trader Joe's:

Snag It:

• Frozen appetizers: pick up frozen pot stickers, mini-tacos, spinach dip, edamame, and shrimp to have in the freezer for when you need something to take to a party, or you have last minute guests.
• Fresh pizza dough: for about two bucks, you can find fresh, ready-to-toss pizza dough in a couple different flavors (whole wheat, herb, sourdough).
• Wine: it's well known that TJ's has a huge selection of wine at really great prices.
• Frozen rice: I love brown rice, but it takes forever to make. TJ's frozen rice comes with three packets that you throw in the microwave for three minutes. 
• Vegetarian items: you'll find that garden burgers, veggie sausage patties, and the like are significantly cheaper than the grocery store. 
• Cheese: whether it's shredded cheese, nicer cheeses for making a cheese plate, or string cheese to put in lunches, there's always a good selection and it's affordable (no Tillamook cheese though). 
• The List Goes On... in the interest of brevity, also buy these items at TJ's instead of somewhere else (just trust me!) frozen berries, oatmeal, fresh/refrigerated pasta, frozen waffles, yogurt, nuts, dried fruit, protein powder, imported beer, easy lunch items, frozen crab cakes)

Skip It:

• Fresh produce: it's more expensive than at other grocery stores, and sometimes it comes packaged oddly (for example, you can't buy one zucchini, but you can buy six in one package!)
• Fresh herbs:Trader Joe's never has fresh cilantro, and they don't have as large of an herb section as other stores.
• Bread: I'm just generally not impressed with the selection. 
• Canned goods: The selection is pretty limited, and you'll find better prices at larger stores. 

I love a lot of things about Trader Joe's, including the fact that the employees are always friendly, they have a lot of organic choices, and that they don't have any gimmicky sales or little plastic membership cards I have to keep on my keychain. 

Oh, and there are a bunch of Trader Joe's Cookbooks that are on my wish list. Love it!