Jul 29, 2010

I'm baaaack! Massachusetts Goodies and Mosaic Blogger Meet Up

I'm back in the dirty South! I had so much fun visiting my family and can't wait to go back again. While I was there, I found a bunch of new fun foods. The very first day I found the Peanut Butter & Co. Mighty Maple peanut butter at Hannaford for only $3.89. Another place I wanted to pick up nut butter was at Trader Joe's!  My aunt Jennifer brought me to their location in Acton, where I grew up.
We found lots of goodies and had fun checking out their products. Jennifer wanted to buy this just for the name:
After a week's worth of random food and souvenir shopping, my suitcase became so full I had to sit on it to zip it shut. No big deal, right? Well, when I got to the airport, it was 10 lbs over the limit! I opened up my suitcase to put stuff in my carry-on and because it was so packed, it popped open and bras and underwear went flying all over...oh, and peanut butter jars and brownie mixes, too. Oh, the life of a foodie. Here are all the goodies I brought home:
  • Peanut Butter & Co. Mighty Maple peanut butter 
  • Peanut Butter & Co. Rip-Roaring Raspberry jelly
  • No Pudge! Fudge Brownie Mix, Cappuccino
  • Trader Joe's Reduced Guilt Brownie Mix
  • Trader Joe's Sesame Honey Almonds
  • Trader Joe's Almond Butter with Flax Seeds
  • Maine Blueberry Honey (can't wait for this on my Blueberry Ricotta pancakes!! 
    I was so excited to take home all these goodies, even if it meant that 50% of my souvenirs from Massachusetts/Maine were FOOD items! When I got home Tuesday night, I had a package waiting for me. I recently became facebook friends with the manager of one of our local Chick-fil-As. For being such a "raving fan", he sent me some gifts:
    In the box were 2 stuffed cows, 2 football-shaped koozies, a pencil sharpener, a Pez dispenser, a towel, and lotssssss of coupons! Thank you to Rick & Debbie Blind of the Centre Pointe location! :)

    Yesterday was my first day back to work, yuck, but I had a blogger meet up to look forward to. For dinner, Erica, Lindsay, Blair, Amelia, Kerr, Katie, and  I met up at Mosaic Cafe in Mt. Pleasant. Mosaic Cafe is an adorable restaurant that strives to use local ingredients and focuses on seasonal cuisine. The menu is full of soups, sandwiches, and salads. I chose the Oriental Chicken Salad: chicken breast salad (sesame seeds, snow peas, scallions & walnuts), carrots, sprouts, crunchy noodles, grape tomatoes, with a sesame-ginger vinaigrette for $10.95. 
    It was pretty good, but not fantastic. I'm not sure if it was from the chicken or the dressing, but it was extremely salty. And my salad didn't have any snow peas, scallions, or walnuts on it. Hmmm. I still had a great time catching up with all the ladies and meeting Katie and Kerr for the first time. :) Here we are inside the restaurant. 

    From left, Blair, Erica, Kerr, Katie, Lindsay, Amelia, me:
    And another pic from outside. I purposely wore flats so I would be as short as Erica. She ended up wearing heels and we were still the same height! :)
    Remember my 3-week Abstinence from Alcohol challenge? It's almost over!! The time is length is random, I know, but we decided to do it on the 10th, and just wanted to do it until the end of the month. On Saturday, I'll be celebrating the fact that I have been able to go without a sip of alcohol for 3 whole weeks -- even while on vacation! I'm a little afraid that a couple sips of wine will have me falling out of my chair. I better surround myself with good company!

    One more thing: I added a new tab a couple weeks ago: Foodie Goodies. It's a page dedicated to my absolute favorite food products. Check it out and let me know what your favorites are! I'm always looking for new items to add!

    Mosaic Cafe & Catering on Urbanspoon

    33 comments:

    1. hahahhahahah- we need to do a better job coordinating shoes ;) Glad you had fun on your trip- TJs rocks. I can't believe we dont have one. I think last night was an off night for Mosaic...usually its a lot better than that...maybe it was a different chef or something.

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    2. I'm with Erica. The salt was out of control last night. So disappointing. Ahh TJ's I can't wait to head back to Atlanta to do some shopping. Thanks for the heads up on Justin's at WF's. I'll let you know if Earth Fare has anything fabulous.

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    3. I love that your suitcase was overflowing with food items! Story of my life. And I always back things into my carry-on bags, which means I'm constantly stopped at security. The TSA people pull out each item, one by one, and examine each one like it's a bomb haha.

      How exciting that Chick-fil-A sent you goodies!!

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    4. What better souvenirs are there than food?!

      I'd love to hear an in-depth review of your alcohol-free stint... are you anxious to be able to sip wine again? Or are you good without it?

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    5. Umm, I'm totally jealous of your Chick Fila box. Why is that I'm craving waffles fries now at 7:45am? :)

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    6. Funny - when I travel, about 1/2 the souvenirs are food items or food related.
      So lucky to be able to meet up with fellow bloggers. What fun.

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    7. Two jars of almond butter was totally necessary. Good work!

      And congrats on the no-alcohol challenge! You did so great! :)

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    8. I love your layout! ...and I want all those goodies so bad ;)

      Stay tuned - I'll be doing a Give Away on my blog for those cookies soon!!

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    9. omg!!!! 10 lbs over!! Love it! lol!! I always go crazy and buy yummy food I see thats new to me when I travel too! I love it!! I spend more money on food than souvenirs as well! lol!!

      I am so proud of you on the no alcohol challenge , and yes be careful when you do have a drink, you might be trashed off one! I get like that too when i dont drink for a while! Im a lightweight anyways, so that doesnt help!

      Oh that chik-fil-a package is so sweet! seriously you should be their mascot! Everytime i see chik-fil-a I think of U!!!!!!!

      I think my funnel cake pic should be your screensaver on your computer or background since it brings you joy and a smile! It actually cracks me up too and mike up everytime we look at that pic! It just shows my love and adoration for funnel cakes! lol!

      Love u!

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    10. i would have had the same problem with the suitcase if i was able to go to a tj's while on vacation! haha. love it.
      i looove blueberry honey!! and those honey sesame almonds sound amazing.

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    11. Aw <3 your recap! I live in southern NH right now and moving to Central Mass in a month! Love the fact Mass is loaded with Trader Joes :) I think I must try the Trader Joe's Sesame Honey Almonds!!

      Gotta say it, I hateee when salads or well any restaurant dish, doesn't come as advertised. You tell me I'm getting roasted red peppers in my entree, I better get them.

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    12. aw, i love your chickfila present!!! i agree with whoever said she wanted waffle fries after seeing it...meeee too. love you!

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    13. Food makes the best things to take home! Glad that you had a great trip! And what a fun box of goodies you got from Chick-fil-a!

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    14. LOVE all your goodies - and how you basically smuggled them home lol and I would have you say you are the biggest Chik-fil-a fan I've ever known. Hands down.

      Your blogger meet up looked fun! You guys are the cutest :)

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    15. Forget a suitcase, I think I would need a truck to transport all my foodie purchases! It looks like you got a good stash!

      Bummer about the salad. I find that restaurant salads usually don't live up to their description. Somehow statements like "piled with goat cheese" usually translate to 2 measly chunks. :P

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    16. Wish we were in Mass at the same time. That would have been perfect. Love all your goodies and have bought 90% at some point....glad you made it back safe!!

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    17. Haha way to be a foodie! So $3.89 is a good price for pb and co? Ours cost $3.46 and I thought that was expensive lol.

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    18. 1. I want to do a blogger meet up.
      2. That TJ's is cute.

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    19. Well at least when you hit the sauce again, you'll be a cheap drunk, thats good. Hold on, cheap drunk doesnt sound right but its late and I cant think straight. But you know what I mean right?!

      That Chick Fil A Box is absolutely adorable and I am happy you got your TJ's fix :)

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    20. WOW! You go the hook-ups with the manager of CHick-Fil-A... I need to get to know the one close to where i live :)

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    21. I hate the airport just for the fact that I dread the fact that my suitcase is somehow always over the limit!! But looks like yours was worth it--all that food from TJ's--yum!

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    22. I swear I have almost the identical TJ's shopping list, ahh love me my weekend jaunts to pick up groceries.

      I am UBER jealous of your Chick-fil-A present, I want!! Aren't they just the best! Those poor people who don't have one in their state.

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    23. I am jealous of all your fun food finds! It was great meeting you!

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    24. Hello, fellow chocoholic! I had no idea that Peanut Butter & Co. made jelly too! Gotta get my hands (and lips) on that rip-roaring rasberry. I love their dark chocolate dreams PB and go through the jars like crazy!

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    25. I ALWAYS do that on vacation! I now know to leave lots of extra room for the food that's bound to be coming home with me :P Sometime's my mom even has to shove stuff in her suitcase to help out!

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    26. I love how you smuggle food. Definitely done that before...haha.

      Everyone's looking good--esp in all that PINK! :)

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    27. UM - I NEED Trader Joe's Sesame Honey Almonds ASAP. And AMEN to Basil Vodka, I also enjoy your food snuggling ways :-)

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    28. Your suitcase story at the airport made me laugh. I have had that happen before! Note to self: wrap bras & underwear inside shirts and pants when traveling. ;)

      I bet Mosaic was just having an "off" night. That is why I ended up eating only my veggies in the salad and avoided the croutons, shrimp, and feta.

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    29. I love EVERYTHING you bought! Might Maple is my favorite from PB&Co I think. It's so hard to choose though! And of course TJ's is always amazing. Your blogger meetup looks fun; so many wonderful people there!

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    30. oh gosh, i feel silly complaining about the heat. south carolina is 10 x worse! for sure. i hope you've been keeping cool down south, girl.

      trader joes and a chick-fil-a packag sound like the most perfect day!

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    31. Congratulations on the alcohol abstinence challenge! Don't you feel like you've gone through a detox now?!

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    32. hahaha that cow pez dispenser is just too cute.
      Im jealllous!! :)
      and pleasee let me know how that raspberry jelly is- never had raspberry, only really grape or strawberry, but it sounds delish!

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