Weekly Obsession XXIII

Happy Friday! I’m pretty excited that the weekend is tomorrow because Alex and I leave bright and early to head to Chicago. I’m not kidding about bright and early y’all, we’ll be at the airport before the sun is up haha. We’re heading to my parents house for a few days then going to one of my favorite places to visit my grandparents and spend a few days at their house on a lake. I’ll check in when I can next week but I apologize if the blog takes a bit of a back seat.

Before I can even get home to finish packing, let’s share a few things I’ve been obsessed with this week. Let me know what your plans are for July 4th next week and something you’ve been obsessed with in the comments below. Have a great day 🙂

Blueberries

I picked up two pints of blueberries since they were on sale at the grocery store and it was a great decision. Most of this week (minus today since the blueberries are gone) I’ve been bringing a full snack size bag of them to work with me. They’ve been the perfect midmorning snack. The berries come from New Jersey so they’re about as close to fresh from the farm as I can get since the farm near us doesn’t have any. Some have been really tart while others are more mild. I’ve been loving them and have to prevent myself from snacking on them at home. No joke, I would eat the whole pint if I could.

No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies

On the opposite of the health spectrum have been these no bake cookies. I made them last week and have been snacking on them nonstop. Full disclosure I ate 3 of them in one day earlier this week. No regrets either. The texture makes it feel like you’re eating straight cookie dough but it’s actually healthy. Some of them were straight peanut butter while I added a few dark chocolate chips to the top of others. If you are looking for an easy dessert for any cookouts you may have, try these out.

Paul McCartney Carpool Karoke

If you like the Beatles, watch this. If you don’t like the Beatles, watch this. Carpool karoke is one of my favorite segments that James Corden does but this one is probably my favorite! Alex and I watched it the other night and we were both singing along to the songs. Some of them have been stuck in my head since then and I’m not complaining. This video is such a feel good one and a perfect way to say goodbye to work and hello to the weekend.

Question of the day: What’s one thing you’ve been obsessed with this week?

Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower

Happy Wednesday friends! I’m currently counting down the minutes until the work day is over. Alex has been at a conference out of town for work since Sunday afternoon and I’ve missed him so much. I picture a family walk later and some cuddles on the couch.

Quick plug for the giveaway I’m doing to celebrate Maureen Gets Real turning 1. Check out Monday’s post for the details 🙂

On Sunday I started to feel like I wanted boneless chicken wings for dinner. I didn’t have boneless chicken wings in the freezer or chicken breasts that were defrosted and takeout didn’t sound that good to me. There was still cauliflower in the fridge though so I thought why not turn that into buffalo cauliflower. To get the crunch I just made a quick batter with water and flour then let it roast in the over. I tossed it in buffalo sauce and BOOM dinner was served!

Now I’m not going to come out and say I’ll never get buffalo chicken wings again but it was definitely healthier than ordering takeout and I will make it for dinner for sure. I could also picture myself making this early in the week but not tossing them in sauce until I’m ready to serve as a fun side dish.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon garlic powder – you can definitely use less, I just love the flavor it gives!

Half a head of cauliflower

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup hot sauce – Frank’s is my favorite but use whatever one you prefer

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cut up the head of cauliflower.

In a bowl, mix together the flour, water, garlic powder. Add salt and pepper to taste. The batter will be thick but you may add more water if it’s too thick.

Toss the cauliflower in the batter.

When transferring the cauliflower to a baking sheet, tap off any excess batter on the side of the bowl. I did this with tongs and it worked well!

Bake for 40-50 minutes until it has a golden color. Rotate the pieces halfway through for even cooking.

When there’s about 10 minutes left on the oven timer, heat the butter and hot sauce in a sauce pan. Remove from heat once melted and stir.

Toss the cauliflower in the sauce mixture and enjoy!

Question of the day: Boneless or bone in chicken wings?

5 Things I Always Buy Name Brand

Hello and happy hump day! We’re already halfway through the week which seems crazy to me.

When I was grocery shopping and cleaning out the cabinets the other day, I realized there are a few items that I always buy name brand. Now I’m all about saving a dollar here and there on generic items but sometimes the extra money spent on name brand items is worth it in my opinion! So today I’m sharing five food items that I always buy name brand. Let me know if there’s anything you always buy name brand in the comments!

Snyder’s of Hanover Snaps Pretzels

One time I bought the generic brand of pretzels because they’re about half the price of Sneyder’s pretzels. Let’s just say there’s a reason they are cheaper and not a good reason. The store brand just tasted stale to both Alex and I so you couldn’t eat them alone. Hummus or peanut butter was a must. We were both very happy to finish so we can go back to our beloved Sneyder’s. Without fail, the pretzels are perfectly cooked and the right amount of salt. When they’re on sale we stock up and our cabinet is overflowing with them.

Dannon Oiko’s Triple Zero Greek Yogurt

This Greek yogurt is the healthiest Greek yogurt I have found. There is no added sugar or artificial sweeteners in it which is amazing. So many flavored yogurts have sugar as one of the first three ingredients and in my opinion that defeats the purpose of having yogurt. There’s also 15 grams of protein in them which is great. The yogurt is actually blended which gives it a thick yet light texture. That’s probably a terrible explanation but just try it! My grandma even said it was good once I told her about it. My favorite flavors are peach, strawberry, mixed berry and vanilla. I eat one almost every afternoon at work as a pre-run snack. I don’t think I’ll stop buying Oikos Triple Zero yogurt for years.

Rotel Chipotle Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles and Chipotle Peppers

There are always a minimum of 2 cans of this in our cabinets. If we’re being real though there’s usually 4-5 cans. The local grocery store has a 5 for $5 deal on them so when I see that, I’ll stock up. I use these to make homemade salsa and the flavor of the Chipotle version is the best. The store brand just has one variation and in my opinion it didn’t have a ton of flavor and spice. It’s not worth the few cents I would save buying the generic can if I have to sacrifice flavor. Rotel diced tomatoes will forever be something I buy.

Martin’s Potato Rolls

Alex introduced me to potato rolls since they’re his preferred bun for burgers, hot dogs, brats, and Italian sausage. I tried the store brand version of them and they did not freeze well at all. We don’t go through a pack of buns fast enough to keep them in the cabinet so we keep them in the freezer and just take two out to defrost when we need them. The flavor of Martin’s potato rolls is so good even after being frozen. They’re just as soft when you defrost them as when you buy them too which I like. If I gave you one from the freezer and one that I had just bought from the store you wouldn’t be able to tell which was which. When I noticed them on sale, I buy a few packs to have on hand.

Tea

I drink tea every day. Alex occasionally drinks it as well so I grabbed a box of the generic store brand tea once. The tea was almost flavorless if that makes sense. It just made the hot water taste kind of different but the tea flavor wasn’t strong. I ended up using two tea bags in every mug so that I could get flavor and use the box faster. Instead of saving a dollar or so by buying the generic brand, I grab the “Club Sized Savings” box that our local grocery stores offer for Lipton. Just one tea bag gives me the exact flavor I’m looking for in tea. Plus it makes good iced tea as well.

Question of the day: What’s one thing you always buy name brand?