Trader Joe's Fearless Flyer Review - March 2015

The Fearless Flyer is out! For those of you who are familiar with Trader Joe's, you already know what that means, and I'll bet you're pretty excited! For those of you who aren't acquainted with Trader Joe's, let me introduce you. It's a like a neighborhood grocery store with some healthy foods mixed in. A treasure trove of delicious produce and tasty treats. The Fearless Flyer is TJ's monthly (or maybe semi-monhtly?) 'newsletter' that advertises new products, highlights a few favorites and gives you the good news that certain seasonal goodies are back in stock.

Each time a FF comes out, I like to try a few items and give you some feedback. Perhaps my review will peek your interest to try some of the products for yourself. (And no, I don't get paid by TJ's. I don't even think they know that my blog exists at this point.)

That brings me to my post for today. Although I do enjoy creating fun lunches for my kiddos, sometimes I like to craft my own special lunch. After all, I too need to eat.
So today's lunch is geared towards adults (though you could certainly pack it for a child).
Yesterday, I ate this lunch at home. Today, I brought it to my husband's workplace, and we ate lunch together, with baby in tow.

First, the Cruciferous Crunch Collection. Pure crunchy veggie deliciousness. It reminds me of the Kale Slaw Salad that I crafted back in October. There is no dressing included in the package, which means you can top this salad with whichever dressing suits your fancy.
I chose a poppyseed dressing - yum.

 Chèvre with Honey. This was a gamble for our family, since it's a mild goat cheese, which we don't normally like. BUT I have to tell you - with the exception of LoveBug, we loved it! There's a bit of a pleasant tang, which is complemented by the sweetness of the honey. We spread it on the Tuscan Pane bread, which is reviewed below.

Tuscan Pane. This sliced bread reminds me a generic, store-bought French bread. It is pretty good warmed up and topped with the Chèvre with Honey cheese; there is nothing super special about it.

Organic Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Soup. Oh wow. A creamy tomato soup with a slight tang of red pepper. Delicious beyond belief. And so healthy too!

Honey Wheat Pretzel Sticks. I purchased these as a snack for our family. Overall, they are good. The honey adds a nice sweetness to the crunchy sticks. I found them to be a bit dry at times, so have a drink handy while eating them. Plus side: there seems to be quite a few servings in the bag, which means we still have snacks in this house of seemingly-bottomless-pit children.

A delicious lunch! Crunchy, chilled salad. Creamy, hot soup. Smooth, tangy cheese smeared onto hearty bread. Yum.

Zoodles and Sauce

It's zucchini season! If you're not overwhelmed by zucchini from your garden, then you're probably getting gifted some. But even if neither is the case for you, it's pretty cheap at the store right now. What to do with all of this wonderful, green veggie goodness?

Here's a favorite of mine that I discovered a few months ago. Zoodles - zucchini cut into noodle-like strands, topped with sauce. Oh yum! Here's how ...

First, a list of ingredients: zucchini, olive oil, sauce. Pretty uncomplicated.

While the sauce is heating on the stove, cut off the ends of the zucchini, and then cut it into 3 equal pieces.

 Using a mandolin on the thickest setting, run the zucchini over the blade several times, until ...

... you get to the seeds. Then rotate the zucchini in your hand, and repeat slicing all on sides.

Stack the slices of zucchini. Slice into thin sticks. (Sorry for no picture on slicing; somehow, I deleted it.)

In a skillet, warm a little bit of olive oil over medium heat, and add the zucchini sticks. Saute for 3-4 minutes, until all of the zucchini is cooked.

Place your freshly made zoodles in a bowl.

Top with warmed sauce.

And enjoy your delicious, healthy lunch!

I mean, it's SO good that my self-proclaimed picky-eater father-in-love says, "That's pretty good!" Whoa! Give it a try!

Spaghetti Squash & Pesto - a Healthy Lunch for Adults

For the most part, I've focused on healthy lunches for kids. But what about the rest of us? We need healthy lunches too! Plus, it'd be helpful if the lunches were premade, appealing, portable, appetizing, ready-to-go ... I could go on. Here's one of my current favs!
Spaghetti Squash with a dollop of pesto.
Easy, nutritious, affordable and definitely packable.

To make this delicious lunch entree:
(1) you'll need a spaghetti squash (obviously), a cutting board, a sharp knife, a spoon and fork (not pictured) and a baking dish.
(2) Cut the squash in half lengthwise, and scrape out the seeds.
(3) Next place the squash cut-side-down in the baking dish, add a little water, and cover with plastic wrap.
(4) Microwave about 10-12 minutes, depending on the size of your squash.

Once the squash is cooked, carefully remove the plastic wrap, and lift out the squash half using an oven mitt. It's gonna be HOT!

Here comes the fun part: with a fork, scrape the flesh of the squash. It will naturally shred into spaghetti-like strands!

Throw the spaghetti squash strands into a bowl, and top with a bit of butter, cheese or sauce. I used a few dollops of homemade pesto. Delicious! And so good for you!

If you're packing your lunch to go, just put it into a Rubbermaid-type container, and reheat once lunchtime rolls around. I'll bet you'll be the envy of the lunchroom!