The Secret World of Trader Joes

School starts again on September 1st. While I am dreading the end of summer and beginning my 5th!?! year of teaching, the commute up north does have one perk: I will be in the neighborhood of my beloved Trader Joes once again.

We are running dangerously low on our TJ staples, and I'm excited to get back into the swing of things. In the meantime, here's an interesting article, courtesy of A and J.

In other news, I may have to go gluten-free. No definite verdict as of yet, but expect to see some G-free advice and tips on here as I try to replace my irreplaceable bread products. Hopefully my return to TJ's will yield some good finds. Here are 3 frontrunning products so far:

1) Udi's Gluten Free with online coupons, always a bonus

2) Annie's Homegrown pretty good g-free mac and cheese

3) Tinkyada  rumored to be the best rice pasta on the market. I made a baked ziti with their shells and it actually was quite tasty.

Now, if only they weren't so expensive...

?!?!?!

AVP tour suspends operations.

Food Should Taste Good

Truer words have never been spoken. My newest obsession, these chips/crackers are sooooo yummy. Wholesome, healthy snacks made with real ingredients: nothing on the (super short) ingredients label looks or sounds scary.

Food Should Taste Good is also a charitable organization, with a focus on environmental sustainability in their manufacturing processes.

Our personal faves are the sweet potato and the lime chips. I've also tried the works! and the olive chips, both good.

The website also has various recipe suggestions for accompaniments, which all sound delicious, though I think the chips should speak for themselves. Try your hand at the recipe contest for free chips (I entered my roasted red pepper dip, cross your fingers).

Do yourself a favor and jump on this bandwagon. I'm telling you, I can't get enough. It's borderline dangerous, really.

Healthier Italian Favorites

I grew up eating Italian food. A lot. And I love pasta in all its forms. A lot. To keep my girl-ish figure, I needed to come up with some variations on my favorite recipes. I bring you my versions of lasagna and eggplant parm (remember, I don't measure ingredients very often, so if that drives you nuts, stop reading now).

Lasagna Veggie Roll Ups:

• One box lasagna noodles (I normally use whole wheat pasta for cooking, but for lasagna, I use regular. And for this recipe, you need to use the kind you have to boil first).
• Low fat pasta sauce (we love Trader Joe's Low Fat Tuscano Marinara Sauce)
• Low fat shredded mozzarella cheese (another shoutout to TJ's: low fat shredded mozzarella)
• Fat free ricotta cheese (I don't have anything to put in parenthesis here)
• Broccoli and spinach, fresh or frozen, along with some chopped onion and fresh garlic
• Grated Parmesan cheese
• Fresh basil leaves, chopped

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water so they are easy to handle. Mix the ricotta cheese with the veggies, and feel free to add in some egg beaters for a creamier consistency. Spread some pasta sauce in a thin layer in the bottom of a glass baking dish. To make roll ups, lay one lasagna noodle flat; spoon some of the ricotta mixture and mozzarella cheese at one end, and roll up the noodle, keeping the mixture inside. Repeat until all noodles are used. Lay in a single layer in baking dish. Top with more mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Sprinkle with chopped basil. I usually eat 2 roll ups for dinner, and we have tons of leftovers for lunch!

Baked (not fried!) Eggplant Parmesan

• One medium/large eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch disks
• Egg beaters
• Bread crumbs (Italian or panko, try to find low sodium if you can)
• Pasta sauce
• Low fat mozzarella cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• Fresh basil leaves, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Dip eggplant disks into egg beater mixture, followed by breadcrumbs. Lay eggplant in a single layer on a baking sheet greased with cooking spray. **Here comes the magic** Bake eggplant for 20 minutes; remove from oven, flip disks over, and bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until breadcrumbs look crispy. In a glass baking dish, layer the eggplant, pasta sauce, and mozzarella cheese. Top with grated parmesan. Bake for an additional 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Sprinkle fresh basil on top.

I know it's summer, but the lighter version of these dishes won't make you feel bloated and sluggish, I promise. Also, I believe air conditioning was invented so we can use our ovens in the summertime. Lemme know what you think!

Green Energy for the Tri-State

Despite our best efforts, sometimes our carbon footprints are larger than we think. A lot of the impact comes from energy we use in our homes. I've turned into my parents, frantically turning off lights that aren't in use. I've changed all my lightbulbs, use less heat in the winter/AC in the summer when I have control of it, etc. Carbon offsets were a consideration, but to be honest I find they are kind of confusing.

I've recently caught wind (you'll get the pun later) of a power company that offers green energy to our area. Viridian offers environmentally sustainable energy at a savings to its customers. New Jersey mandates that every electrical supplier obtain around 8% of their electrical load from renewable resources. Viridian's rate plans claim to obtain a minimum of 20% from renewable resources, and also has a 100% renewable resource option.

I believe it's a win-win for everyone: lower your impact while saving some green. We plan to switch to Viridian once we buy one of these (which is hopefully soon!)