On Sunday

This Sunday was a lazy one. I don't usually like to make too many plans on a Sunday but this week, I left the day completely blank! I started my Sunday like most, with a good breakfast and the Boston Globe. I always watch CBS Sunday Morning and once that I ends, I start my day.

I drove into Westport to go to Trader Joe's but got distracted and stopped at the library book sale. Surprisingly, I didn't end up buying any books, although I did carry some around to consider buying but changed my mind at the last minute. So off to Trader Joe's I went and got groceries for the week. 

AJ came over after and we had lunch together before falling asleep on the couch for a while. He's always tired from work so he slept longer and I took Bellefleur out on the deck to read for a while. It was such a beautiful day outside, not a cloud in the sky! I wish I had spent more time outside yesterday but I can make up for that today!

The day went by so fast and by dinner time I wasn't in the mood for a big meal so I enjoyed a bowl of Cheerios and blueberries. I ended the night with a long walk on the treadmill while watching Real Housewives of New Jersey, my guilty pleasure!

I hope everyone had a nice weekend and I hope you all have a happy Monday!

Vacation Roundup

It's always annoying when fun and relaxing family vacations have to end. There is something about Cape Cod that, the minute I drive over the bridge, I know I'm on vacation and that it will be a wonderful time. Every year is great in it's own way and after 22 years of visiting Chatham, I know I will never tire of the small, sweet beach town. 

 Our last few days in Chatham were spent playing no less than 20 rounds of competitive Scrabble, soaking up the sun on the deck, taking long walks around the neighborhood and to the beach, and walking through town and shopping occasionally.

 I love getting to share this family tradition with AJ now. I can't wait until we have our own family to make even more memories with in Chatham.

 Our last dinner was eaten at home and shared with my mom and godmother. It consisted of Trader Joe's crackers, a variety of cheese, carrots, hummus, and delicious fruit salad. This was eaten between rounds of Scrabble and was followed up with rich chocolate from Chatham Candy Manor.

 AJ drove the whole trip home today. It took us just about 4 hours and I only nodded off for 10 minutes. We left around 10 am after sharing bagels and coffee while sitting on a towel at Hardings Beach, another one of our bagel traditions.

 Tessi rode home with us, too. She slept the entire way in her bed on my lap. It's always a funky feeling, getting back into the groove of regular life after being on a vacation for a while so I'm trying to throw myself back into life rather than ease into it. I already did some unpacking, I have my second load of laundry going, and I'm heading off to Zumba in an hour.

Tomorrow I have to restock the kitchen and get some writing done!

Trader Joe's Fruit Bars

A few years ago I often found myself feeling yucky after eating. I realized that it typically happened after eating highly processed foods so I decided that I would cut back. I noticed a difference right away in how I felt. And if I started eating processed foods again, especially foods with added sugars, I would feel sick again. I've done pretty well at keeping my diet clean but when we were in Boston it became more difficult and I slipped a bit. Now that I'm home and it's summer and there's fresh fruit all the time, it's easier not to turn towards sugary snacks. But sometimes, I still need something else to fill a craving.

That's why I love when I find an alternative to a food I like that is usually processed. I came across a great new snack at Trader Joe's—where else? It was displayed in their new foods section, which I love checking out but I rarely buy products from there.

They're fruit bars that come in three different flavors: apple and banana, apple and mango, apple and coconut, and apple and strawberry. I'm typically skeptical of all bars in general because they tend to have added ingredients that I can't pronounce or too much sugar but when I checked the ingredients listed on the wrapper, I was so pleasantly surprised! They only have to ingredients! Just apples and bananas. Or apples and mangos. Apples and coconut. And Apples and strawberries.

That's extremely uncommon to find at least in my experience so I promptly bought 7 bars. They have a similar to texture to Larabars but they are thinner and smaller and the perfect size for a quick snack. They are 90 calories a bar. Depending on the flavor, they differ in grams of sugar from 11-20 which I know is a lot but I think the lack of extra ingredients makes up for that. Also, if you're vegan, so are the bars.

I love granola bars and fruit bars so this is a perfect, healthy choice for keeping a clean diet!