I Love the Grocery Store - Hidden Gems

I realize the grocery store is an odd thing to write about, but it's genuinely one of my favorite places to go. For many, going to the grocery store is a chore, something they plan out once or twice a month, and rush through, carefully following their well made lists. I make shopping lists of things we need, but I also love to go for 1 item, and then impulse buy 15 more. I'm not a big shopper, and food feels like a guilt-free choice, because you have to eat, right? Thankfully, my husband also enjoys the grocery store. This past weekend we dropped our kids and their friends at the roller-skating rink, and we went to not just 1, but 2 different groceries, and we purchased from both. In fact, we went to a totally different store on Sunday. We may have a problem, but look at what we found!

Do you love Mexican food? Do you love cooking shows? You probably love Rick Bayless! Did you know he has his own line of pre-packaged slow-cook sauces? I sure didn't, but I'm really excited, because I think I have a grasp on Mexican cooking, but I obviously still don't, because I had never even heard of Barbacoa growing up in New Mexico. Was this due to isolation, or a genuine lack of this style of meat. Comments encouraged...

Speaking of New Mexico, I think I've mentioned before that I never have to move back. Sure I want to visit, and you can never replace the blue skies, and beautiful balloons. That said, I don't need to return for the food. Hatch Green Chile is now being grown in my area, and roasted at our farmer's market. Also, I can buy Bueno Green Chile at the Marysville Albertsons. We even have the Autumn Roast! Recently, in an effort to reduce our waste, the Hubby and I looked at our local bulk food options, and found the above gem. It was delicious, but not overtly Green Chile flavored. I recommend to anyone looking for tasty cashews, but if you're looking for more, stop!

My favorite find this past weekend was the above pictured oatmeal. I love oatmeal. My kids love oatmeal. I respect that you may not. My mother-in-law hates oatmeal, and that's okay. That said, seeing that there were new flavor profiles was exciting, and I was super pumped about the sweet/savory Apple Cheddar Rosemary flavor. I never understood the whole American apple pie with cheese thing, and then one of my high school teachers posted about pear and cheddar pie. I had to try, because I always try everything once, and I was hooked. It's a great oatmeal flavor. I highly recommend stretching outside your usually oatmeal box.