So I’m pretty much obsessed with muesli. I had it again this morning for breakfast and I can see myself having it for breakfast for a very long time! It’s like how in the winter in the mornings nothing satisfies me better than hot oatmeal with peanut butter….in the summer the same goes for this muesli. I’m going to try different combos but today I had the same as yesterday—raspberries, banana, toasted slivered almonds, agave nectar and cinnamon. With hot tea!
No lunch is packed today because I’m the nerd that will be at the new Whole Foods when they open at 9:00 this morning…..I guess some people don’t really understand my love for food and grocery stores. Perhaps its strange…but I really do love it! I would spend HOURS hours! in the monster sized gourmet grocery store—le bonne marche—in Paris. Anyways, I’m going at 9:00, walking around for about 30 minutes and picking out something to take to work with me for lunch. Yay! Then, on Friday I will return and spend all the time I want there because I have the day off.
No workout this morning because I have to hurry to get out of the house….I’m not stressing about it though because I know I will be able to workout tomorrow, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I’m hoping more yoga is in my future as well!
Erin
June 25, 2008 at 12:09 pmSee ya there!!
bee
June 25, 2008 at 12:11 pmnope, not strange at all! at least, not to me because i’m the same way. even with publix i get excited about going there. but whole foods is the absolute best! i remember the first one i ever saw, i ran inside and just wandered up and down ever aisle. i didn’t even buy anything!
Jenn
June 25, 2008 at 12:13 pmNo worries – we COMPLETELY understand your love for food and grocery stores. I would be at that new Whole Foods in a heartbeat! Have fun – can’t wait to see what you get! 🙂
AshleyP
June 25, 2008 at 12:14 pmI just saw last night’s conversation and wanted to share my best meal ever. There are two: Back in college I was going through a rough time-a bad breakup, I was sick, and it was freezing cold outside. I was seriously craving my mom’s chicken and dumplings. I called her and got the recipe and this is the ONLY time I have ever made it to taste just like hers. I still make it when the weather is cold and I’m not feeling so great, but it has never been as good as the first time I made it.
The second one is a restaurant meal, actually not long after the I made the first one. My now fiance and I were going on one of our first dates, to a sushi restaurant that is still one of my absolute favorites. I had eaten california rolls and veggie rolls before, but this was the first time I had sushi that was “gourmet” I guess.
Fun topic, Jenna!
Meghan
June 25, 2008 at 12:27 pmJenna, I completely understand your love for grocery stores and grocery shopping! I can spend HOURS in ANY place that sells food. It’s crazy! I gotta say that my ideal job would be a personal shopper…… grocery shopper that is….
koootz
June 25, 2008 at 12:39 pmI love Whole Foods. I’m only 22 but I like to walk around the store for hours imagining what sort of tasty things I can make and then I imagine how I’m going to feed my children delicious meals (that is if I can afford shopping there)
Katie S
June 25, 2008 at 12:40 pmJenna– I am the SAME way about grocery shopping/food… I was probably the only kid in high school who used to wake up early on the weekends to go grocery shopping with my mom… I still love spending a saturday or sunday at whole foods!! You are not alone!!!
Lauren
June 25, 2008 at 12:43 pmJenna,
how long were you in paris for? It seems like you know it so well- you even did yoga there! Enjoy whole foods!
What is muesli, is there a brand you recommend? It kinda looks like cereal?
arielle
June 25, 2008 at 1:13 pmI love grocery stores. I could totally walk around for hours. My boyfriend hates it.
kathleen
June 25, 2008 at 1:16 pmI am obsessed with muesli too! I ate it everyday when I was in Berlin last summer and had forgotten about it until now.
Nicole
June 25, 2008 at 1:28 pmI LOVE grocery shopping. It is so incredibly relaxing.
And I’m so jealous that you got to live in Paris! I am pretty much obsessed with the place.
Betsy
June 25, 2008 at 1:51 pmi seriously love grocery stores and food shopping too. always have. i could spend hours and hours in a great grocery store. my local whole foods is amazing and i definitely spend more time there than i should.
Littleblackdress
June 25, 2008 at 2:13 pmLove whole foods. Best meal? My first breakfast on my first trip to Paris when I was 16- served in our hotel suite- fresh croissants and baguette pieces with butter and homemade jam, fresh yogurt, amazing coffee with brown sugar cubes, delicious fresh fruit. You know you are in love with a country when even the butter tastes better than anything you’ve ever had.
BethT
June 25, 2008 at 2:18 pmCount me in on loving grocery stores! I’ll even scope out new little corner stores to see if they have anything good, and I’ve tried every Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods near me to make sure they don’t have different products that I “need” 😛 Fun hobby.
Andrea
June 25, 2008 at 2:26 pmmmm the muesli looks so summery and refreshing. what brands you favorite??
Rose
June 25, 2008 at 2:27 pmHave fun at Whole Foods! I am so happy to have one close, so I understand your excitement! You’ll love it 🙂
Kath
June 25, 2008 at 2:52 pmEarthFare is opening across the street from Winthrop today!!!!!! I saw the crowd at 8:00 but had to get to class 🙁 I”ll be going later on. And I could also spend hours and hours in grocery stores. You’re lucky you have a Whole Foods…that’ll be the day in this city.
Sarah M
June 25, 2008 at 2:53 pmI wish there was a whole foods or even any other healthy grocery store around here. 🙁
I live on a small island and fresh produce is so expensive and not always readily available. Luckily they do sell lots of Kashi products though!
Allyn
June 25, 2008 at 4:00 pmSo. Jealous.
Seriously, you have no idea. The only time I get to a Whole Foods is when I’m working on the road during school years and have to travel to Birmingham, AL and New Orleans (Memphis has a Wild Oats… not as good). Even if I’m just going through I’ll try to stop. I usually try to remember a cooler for the car so I can stock up on a few things.
I live in Mississippi where there are no Whole Foods, go figure.
Once again: So. Jealous.
Clara
June 25, 2008 at 4:52 pmHave fun picking out your lunch 🙂
I think I know where you are coming from, because I feel the same way about bookstores. I can spend hours and hours (and do) at places like Barnes & Noble and Borders!
tfh
June 25, 2008 at 5:01 pmCan’t wait to see the treasures you unearth at Whole Foods! Just wandering and “shelf-shopping” (supermarket version of window-shopping?) can give me such great ideas for new meals and foods I want to try…and having a gift certificate is almost like complete, guilt-free license to try new things, isn’t it?
Heather
June 25, 2008 at 5:05 pmThat’s not weird! I love checking out new grocery stores… plus, if it’s the grand opening then they’ll probably have a lot of samples 🙂
Excited to see what you find!
babycakes
June 25, 2008 at 5:21 pmJenna, I pretty much always spend hours during my weekly trips to Whole Foods. You are definitely not alone! This is why I save my WF trips for the weekends. I just don’t have the time (hours) during the week so I wait until Saturday or Sunday to roam around in bliss. Going for any less amount of time is torturous – like a big tease! This is especially true for grand openings of new stores, so I don’t know how you’ll do it! Good thing you’re going back on Friday 🙂
I’m also with you on the oats. The ONLY way I eat them is raw/uncooked, even during the bitter cold Boston winters. I just love’em this way 🙂
karla
June 25, 2008 at 6:27 pmhahaha im crazy and used to spend hours in Whole Foods when i lived in the US. Now in Barcelona I go to the veggie markets and biological stores but there is NOTHING that compares to whole foods,…so enjoy for me!!
A.Cook (formerly Ashliqua!)
June 25, 2008 at 6:36 pmOh my goodness can I just say that grocery shopping is one of my favorite things to do! I love to spend lots of time in Whole Foods and others…honestly a WF gift card would be a perfect gift!! (I’ll have to hint to my family for my birthday coming up haha) Enjoy Jenna! Make sure you take a pic of what you buy!
jenna
June 25, 2008 at 8:25 pmLauren,
I was in France for 6 weeks last summer—lived in a tiny apartment with 4 other girls a couple blocks from the Notre Dam and in the Latin Quarter. Amazing!
That muesli is a concoction of my own—just combine 1/2 c oats with 1/2 c soymilk or milk the night before and let it sit overnight in the fridge. the next morning add almonds, dried and fresh fruits. Its the best!!! I prefer this much over brands although I did have a European brand I loved, I can’t find it in the states 🙁
emily
June 25, 2008 at 8:42 pmSara M – what island are you from? I grew up in the caribbean and I think I have all of you beat in grocery store love. Growing up we had no chain stores and following a damaging hurricane basically no grocery stores of any sort for a year and a half. Forget Whole Foods or Trader Joes, I get giddy looking at all the varieties of tea in gas stations!
Stacy
June 25, 2008 at 9:01 pmClara, I completely understand your Borders and Barnes and Noble obsession. I could wander in book stores all day. My favorite is the 3 story Borders right off of Michigan Ave in Chicago. Whenever I go into the city it is where I spend the most money.
Jenna, I’m also jealous of your Whole Foods. I’m sure if there were any near my small Indiana town I would also spend a lot of time browsing.
angelcubbie
June 25, 2008 at 9:13 pmStacy,
Just had to say I live in California but I have family in Chicago all the time and I LOVE that Borders. When I first discovered it, I thought I died and went to heaven lol. Book stores are my kryptonite. : )
angelcubbie
June 25, 2008 at 9:13 pmmeant to say I have family in Chicago and I “visit” all the time
Sarah M (the future FL girl)
June 25, 2008 at 9:25 pmApparently there are 2 Sarah M’s on here! I am the one who is moving to Florida.
Jenna, I thought I’d share my best meal a day late. It’s funny that you asked this question, because my mom and I were just talking about this last night and I hadn’t even read your blog or your question yet.The best meal I’ve ever had was something SO simple, which is funny because I am sort of snobby about my food. However, I think it was the context that made it so wonderful (although I can still conjure up the taste, too, and it was good.) This story may sound sappy, but it just goes to show you how food can be such an emotional memory.
It was actually when I was struggling with anorexia. I was 2 pounds away from my lowest unhealthy weight, and had been spending my six week Christmas break at home, desperately trying to hide the truth about my condition from my parents–and myself. My parents had been on my case about my eating for two months already, but I was so sick I couldn’t see how dangerous and unhealthy my habits were. By this time, I didn’t allow myself to eat anything unless I felt I had “earned” it through excessive exercise. In my mind this was perfectly logical. Anyway, I got really sick one weekend (probably because I hadn’t eaten anything substantial in weeks) and was not even able to get out of bed. I spent two days straight sleeping and the few times that I was awake, I thought to myself, “something is really not right here,” but I couldn’t see it or admit it to myself. My mom kept coming up and trying to feed me, but I refused food. Finally, on the third day, I was so weak that I couldn’t get out of bed to go to the bathroom. I couldn’t summon help because my voice was too quiet. As I lay there, I wanted to cry but didn’t have any energy to do so. At this moment, I had an epiphany that my life was totally out of control. I remember praying that God would help me understand what was happening to me and help me.
A few moments later, my mom came into my room with a plate. She said, “it’s time to eat, Sarah.” On that plate was two pieces of wheat toast topped with two soft boiled eggs, salt, and pepper. I looked at the food and didn’t have my traditional “gag” reflex (though I had stopped eating anything like this months ago.) Instead, I thought, “this is my help.” My mom sat next to me and lifted the fork to my lips and gently fed me, her lost and sick 20 year old daughter. I submitted and ate. I felt better. I still remember thinking, “This food tastes so pleasurable. Why did I stop eating it?” Obviously, it did not end my struggle with anorexia, but this weekend led to a trip to the doctor the next week where I was diagnosed and began my treatment program. I still want to cry thinking about the desperation and relief my mom must have felt during this time in my life. Interestingly, I just remember feeling saved.
Stacy
June 26, 2008 at 12:26 amThat Borders really is like heaven. I also have an obsession with paper products like planners and journals….so that huge paper products section is also really addictive 🙂
kathleen
June 26, 2008 at 4:26 amSarah M (future FL girl),
That was a truly beautiful favorite meal story. Thank you for sharing.