Sandwich week, PB Wednesday

Wednesday morning I could already tell it was going to be another warm one so I decided to make a cold breakfast by crumbling an oat bar into some vanilla yogurt and topping it with blueberries and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Served with a cup of Trader Joe’s blueberry green tea it was the perfect summer morning breakfast and one that let me have my oats without having to eat a hot bowl of oatmeal.

By the way TJ’s blueberry green tea is super yummy! The sweetness of the real blueberry juice cuts all the bitterness of the green tea. Even if you typically do not care for green tea if you like blueberries I promise you will l-o-v-e this tea.

For lunch I had another scrumptious sandwich creation of course. After having had turkey for my previous two days of sandwiches I was ready for a break from the meat so I came up with this delicious treat.

Toasted gluten free bread + a generous smear of peanut butter + slices of banana + a drizzle of honey = yummers!!

I used some of the huckleberry honey my mom and Hamilton brought back from Yellowstone for me. If you don’t have any honey on hand chocolate chips are equally scrumptious in a peanut butter banana sandwich as well.

I enjoyed my sandwich with a glass of chocolate soy milk, some mango, and a table top visit from my kitty cat Sammy Davis Junior.

Sammy really likes to play with liquids and he wanted so badly to put his paw in my milk but I deterred him from that endeavor by putting some toys in his water dish for him to play with instead.

Wednesday’s sandwich was a delicious success and fun thanks to the antics of Sammy.

Scrumptious sandwich week, day one

Thanks to my handy dandy bread machine and a bag of Pamela’s wheat free bread mix, Monday morning I awoke to the delicious smell of freshly baked bread. I was tempted to eat some right then and there but I resisted, knowing that my sandwich for lunch would be all the more delicious if I waited for my first taste of bread until then. Instead I had one of the delicious oat bars I baked Sunday night and a bowl of vanilla yogurt with raspberries (a story and recipe for another time). After a scrumptious summer breakfast and half an episode of Saved by the Bell it was time to head to work where in addition to attending to my Monday office manager duties I daydreamed about sandwiches, there were so many different sandwich combinations that I was eager to try this week, which one should I pick to have first?!

The 12 o’clock hour quickly arrived and I gathered my things and excitedly headed home for lunch. Upon arriving home I happily found that the house still had the delicious smell of fresh baked bread lingering in the air. Removing the fluffy loaf from the machine I set it on the cutting board and sliced off a thick piece for my sandwich. Having still not reached a decision on what to put between the two scrumptious slices of bready goodness I went to the refrigerator to look for inspiration. Sifting through the cheese drawer I found that I still had a bit of roast turkey and ½ an avocado left over from last weeks quesadilla creations. I immediately recalled my former favorite sandwich from my vegetarian days and decided to recreate the sandwich but to use real turkey instead of the fake turkey (aka turkey flavored gluten). The results, delish and just as good as my old gluteny favorite!

Turkey and veggie sandwich

Gluten free bread
2 slices of roasted turkey
½ avocado, mashed up with a bit of sea salt
1 handful shredded carrots
1 handful spinach
1 handful sprouts

I typically love to have this sandwich (and most sandwiches for that matter) toasted, but since the bread was so fresh I wanted to enjoy the fresh baked fluffiness and opted to have it untoasted this time. With a couple olives and some mango on the side it was the perfect lunch to start sandwich week with.

After lunch I headed back to work for a few more hours of office manager fun then it was off to the theater for a full night of interviews. Of course I managed to find a bit of time for a delicious dinner of Trader Joes Rice Biryani (modeled here by my lovely friend Jessica).

Horary for another delicious gluten free Trader Joes treat! The rice comes in the frozen section and has lots of yummy bits in it like raisins, peas and apple. I am typically not a huge fan of pre made and frozen meals from the store but sometimes even a cooing enthusiast like me can’t find time to cook and for those times Trader Joes is always my go to for delicious, nutritious ready made meals.

To TJ with love

My darling Trader Joe’s,

From the moment I first walked through your doors in 1995 I was smitten. Your shelves are consistently stocked with an array of unique and delectable products, your prices are pocket book friendly and your staff is always cheery and happy to help me with whatever I need.

Your bulbous garlic from Gilroy is always fresh and fragrant and for those times when I forget to grab some while in the veggie section you are there, always making sure to leave me some in the marinara and pasta isle.

Your dried fruits and nuts are plentiful, so much so that they have their own isle in the store. My favorite, Nothing but dried flattened bananas are sweet, scrumptiously sticky and far better than any fruit roll up I have ever tasted.

Your product price label descriptions that line the isles are so witty and informative! I could (and do) often times lose track of time reading the little snippets of info on the colorful tags. Your wine section descriptions in particular have on more than one occasion helped guide me to the perfect paring for my culinary creations.

You always have my all time favorite gluten free nutrition bar, Think Thin, Creamy Peanut Butter protein bars in stock, even when all other stores have sold out or stopped carrying them.

You used to sell my most favorite soy ice cream, Double Rainbow brand cherry chip and when it disappeared from its familiar spot in the freezer section I was saddened, but only temporarily as you quickly replaced it with a cheaper equally delicious soy cherry chocolate chip ice cream of your very own.

Your peanut butter cups, milk chocolate covered raisins, dark chocolate covered edamame and dark chocolate covered blueberries are my favorite sweet treats and like many of your chocolaty goodies are all gluten free!

You carry Yerba Matte tea, raw almond butter, gluten free granola and Puffins cereal and sell it for much much cheaper than anywhere else I have been.

You have lovingly marked all the gluten free product tags in the store with a cute little “g” so I know what is gluten free and you have started to mark all of your new products with the same informative “g” and the words gluten free when they are so I don’t have to peruse tags and rack my brain over the long list of potentially glutenous ingredients to see if something is safe for me.

You have started producing your own gluten free versions of many typically gluten laden foods that are amazing!! Banana waffles that rival any Eggo’s I have ever toasted, brownie mix that makes decadently fudgy brownies that even my non gf friends swoon for and hard apple cider that tastes like apple Hooch without that icky malty aftertaste. You are also ever so kind to offer a pamphlet at your stores and online that documents the long list of all the gluten free products you carry.

One of my most favorite moments with you happened most recently when I was on a quick lunch break shopping trip. I walked through the isles collecting items on my list, pre washed and sliced crimini mushrooms, a wedge of aged gouda, Applegate Farms herbed turkey slices, a pack of rice noodles and as I drew closer to the back of the store I recognized the familiar intoxicating scent of fresh baked cookies. I took a deep breath and prepared to put on my brave “I really don’t need that delicious gluten laden cookie even though I am starving and have not had my lunch yet” face. As I drew closer to the sample lady I saw her offerings for the day, plump, hot, fresh, crisscrossed peanut butter cookies. My mouth began to water and eyes widened as I approached the plate of delicious looking morsels. The sample lady noticed my fixated glare and awoke me from my cookie trance greeting me with the most beautiful words, “hello dear, would you like to try our new gluten free peanut butter cookies?” I wanted to hug her and tell her how much I loved her for having an extraordinarily delicious sample that I could actually eat but instead I smiled and said a polite, thank you, grabbed a sample and scurried off to finish my shopping grinning and giggling to myself happily over the wonderfulness that had just occurred.

So my dearest Trader Joes, from the bottom of my heart and belly, thank you for all that you are, all that you do and above all for all of your amazingly awesome food.

xoxo

miss rachel marie