Good afternoon, friends! It’s been a busy one over here – I’m sure it has been for you guys, too! For lunch today, I whipped up one of my standard favorites – a grain/bean/veggie/salad explosion. The star was this package of pre-cooked lentils, which is one of my favorite Trader Joe’s products.
They are so good I’ll eat them directly out of the package… but they also make an excellent protein and fiber-packed salad topper. I started with a base of arugula, then added some chopped mushrooms and green pepper, some leftover toasted almond quinoa from Tuesday night (which is buried under the lentils), and the lentils.
I topped it all with homemade balsamic vinaigrette (balsamic vinegar + macadamia oil + dijon mustard + lemon juice) and enjoyed a juicy nectarine on the side, too. Loving all the summer produce lately!
While I threw it together, I snacked on these peanut butter filled pretzels, which are my other favorite product from Trader Joe’s. I think these would make excellent fuel during a long run, too… hmmmm.
Speaking of long runs, I’m traveling again this weekend – my fellow Brooks Run Happy blogger ambassadors and I were invited out to Seattle to check out the Brooks headquarters and to run the Seattle Rock ‘n’ Roll race, which is on Saturday morning. I’m so excited and grateful for such a cool opportunity! Seattle is such a beautiful city – can’t wait to explore it via my running shoes. Hoping the weather will be good for us!
I’ll be running the half marathon – I’m not running for time, so I’m really looking forward to enjoying the views and taking lots of pictures for you guys. As always, you can see what I’m up to before I post again here via Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. :) Have any of you run the Seattle Rock ‘n’ Roll half before? Any tips?
I’ll be back tomorrow from the plane to share an awesome new recipe, and will also share the Summer Shape Up week 2 meal plan so you can grocery shop over the weekend. You’ll be able to find the meal plan linked to here once it’s up, or you can click the Summer Shape Up graphic on my right sidebar!
Have a great day!
I love love LOVE the pb filled pretzels–but once I start eating them I can’t stop!
And the produce at TJ’s rocks…. every time I go in there I smell the strawberries and almost fall over because they smell so good. :)
I agree, those PB pretzels are DANGEROUS. One of my officemates in grad school turned me onto them–they are so tasty!
Have fun in Seattle!!
I like lentils, too, but often struggle with digesting them :(
Have you tried sprouted lentils? Those will be easier on the digestion!
i have trouble too, are these TJ ones sprouted?
I don’t think the TJ ones are. I like this brand of sprouted lentils, or you can sprout them yourself using dried lentils — more info here.
I have not but I see that you will be running right by my home office! It is hilly be prepared.
Wave hello as I pass by! :)
Ohh I love peanut butter filled pretzels! I will need to try Trader Joes version sometime!
It’s amazing how you can just say “yes” to a half marathon now at the drop of hat! Super star runner! Have you been to Seattle before? Heard the restaurants are good!
Yes, I have – cool city!
Man you weren’t kidding- you ARE super busy this month!! Let me know if you want to relax with some yoga :)
This is my last trip for awhile! We will def have to meet up once I’m back :)
Love those lentils so easy to throw into anything! Have fun at RnR! I did Vegas last November such a blast. I’m the DC Race ambassador so hope you’re going to do that one this year too!
Yes, I did DC RnR in March – love that race!
Besides pb pretzels – my 2 favorite Trader Joe’s items are Happy Trekking Trail Mix. I get anxiety when the bag is getting low in my cupboard. My other go-to item is frozen brown rice. It comes 3 bags/box and is 3 minutes in the microwave…then I can add lime juice and cilantro if we are having tacos or eat it plain or spice it up if I feel like it or mix it with veggies for a super fast stir fry!
I haven’t tried frozen brown rice – I do love the 90 second microwave brown rice though!
I have to give a shout out to Trader Joe’s Inner Peas. If you haven’t tried them, you must! I’ve brought them along as snacks from here to Tokyo, Paris and beyond!
I haven’t tried those – will have to!
I alway forget about the pb filled pretzels which is prob a good thing because I can eat the whole bag in one sitting!!
Have fun in Seattle!! It is such a fun city. You will do great in the RNR!
I love the Trader Joe’s lentils. yum! Hubby loves those pb pretzels A LOT.
Those peanut butter filled pretzels make the list of things that need to stay out of my house! They are soooo good and I can’t stop eating them. :)
sunflower seed butter is my favorite thing from tjs! those pb filled pretzels are pretty darn good though!
Haha that bag of TJ’s peanut butter pretzels is currently sitting right next to me. Dangerous, I know….
I will be on the course cheering, right around mile 6. Will look for you! It is a good race. Pretty hilly, and some parts are boring while others (like the viaduct) are gorgeous. The viaduct is slanted and has huge pebbles in the cement so it hurts to run on when you are ready to be done. Should be a perfect day, weather-wise!
Yay thank you in advance for cheering! :)
Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels sound…. DANGEROUS!
I’m in Seattle and my sister is running the half for second time. I hope you have a great time here and good luck on your run!
I love trader joes. I’m not sure what is do without them! I love just about everything there :)
Yay, good luck to your sis!
If you have time, I’d highly recommend a stroll through the Pike Place Market. There’s a Greek yogurt place called Ellenos that is out of this world. The passion fruit-marion berry flavor is amazing. Good luck this weekend!