There are a lot of Joe’s in my family: My Uncle Joe, my Dad Joe, my brother Joe, my nephew Joey, and me…Joanna.

So when Trader Joe’s finally set up their first store in my neck of the woods it was calling my name, and my Dad’s name, and my brother’s and, well, you get the idea.

With a name like Trader Joe’s you’d think I’d love the place, right?

Wrong.

I didn’t love Trader Joe’s at first. The store was packed with people the first month it opened, it wasn’t organized like every other grocery store around, and I wasn’t familiar with the Trader Joe’s branded items that make up the majority of the joint. But, it only took a few trips and some suggestions from some friends to really appreciate the store, the selection, and the prices.

So you’re probably wondering what are my favorite finds at Trader Joanna’s, I mean, Trader Joe’s? Right now I’m hooked on…

• Trader Joe’s Instant Coffee. Perfect for brewing a great tasting cup of Jo on the go or blending directly into a protein shake.
• Individual packs of almonds. Perfectly portioned and great for stashing in your travel, gym, or lunch bag.
• Power Crunch Bars. One of my favorite protein bars that just so happens to be the lowest price I’ve found in (my) town.
• Trader Joe’s Natural Peanut Butter. I’m rather nuts about the taste and the price.
• Healthy 8 Chopped Veggie Mix. You’ll find this mix in the produce aisle and you’ll find me tossing handfuls of these veggies into frittata’s every night or into a bowl with balsamic vinegar for a quick salad.
• Peeled Garlic. OK, I know it’s easy to peel garlic but it’s even easier if someone else does it for you that way all you have to do is toss them with a little olive oil with some veggies for roasting.
• Trader Joe’s Edamame. Soy good. Arr, arr.

Are you a Trader Joe’s fanatic, too? If so, what are your favorite finds?

Now I really must go do some more grocery shopping and then wish my nephew, Ryan JOSEPH, a very happy birthday!

Somethings just go together like:

• Bacon & Eggs
• Shoes & Socks
• Wine & Cheese
• Apples & Oranges
• Fitness & Spice
• …and Peanut Butter & Jelly

And speaking of Peanut Butter & Jelly, here’s a great way to get your PB&J fix while adding a healthy dose of protein and subtracting some of the unnecessary carbs dough.

Simply grab a single serving of Greek yogurt (Chobani strawberry or raspberry flavors are recommended for this recipe by yours truly) and stir in a tablespoon, make it two tablespoons, of your favorite peanut butter. Enjoy!

If you are a PB&J fan this little number will make your taste buds dance like Fred & Ginger. Guaranteed.

Now I really must go to the gym and then…dine & dash!

It is safe to say I love coffee.

Hot, cold, iced, blended, creamed, instant, brewed, and/or covered in chocolate (as in chocolate covered espresso beans)? Yes, please!

Now that the weather has turned 100 degrees (no joke) a hot cup of coffee in the heat of the day is not an option so I’ve been whipping up this (approximately 100 calorie, 20 grams of protein) afternoon snack for a quick pick me up instead:

• 1 serving Vanilla Protein Powder
• 1 heaping Tablespoon Instant Coffee (I’m digging Trader Joanna’s, I mean, Trader Joe’s instant coffee–right, Monica?)
• 1 Teaspoon Sugar Free Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix (optional but recommended as it acts as a thickener and sweetener all in one)
• Stevia to taste
• Ice
• Water

Blended or on the rocks. You decide while I go make myself another cup of coffee.

Now I really must go hit the gym…have a grande!

As an even younger Fitness & Spice girl I remember marveling at my Grandma as she’d sit at our kitchen table snacking on tomatoes straight from my Dad’s garden. She’d eat a tomato just like you’d eat an apple, only she’d add a sprinkle of salt between bites.

Any day now I’ll be able to enjoy that simple pleasure myself once my tomato plants finally pump out some fruit. But until then, I borrowed the first tomato from my niece Ali’s garden and made a Baked Parmesan Tomato as a side dish from a recipe I found on EatingWell.com.

• Preheat your oven to 450 degrees
• Slice a tomato horizontally and top it with olive oil, oregano, Parmesan, salt and pepper
• Plop the prepped tomatoes on a cookie sheet lined with tin foil
• And, if you happen to have some garlic handy, smother it up with some olive oil and toss it on the pan for good measure
• Bake for 15 minutes

You say tomato, I say tom-ahhh-to!

Now I really must go tend to my garden and my garlic breath!

There are two kinds of people in the world…those that like cheesecake and those that are wrong.

I happen to adore cheesecake so I hopped into the Fitness & Spice test kitchen and attempted to shave off some of the calories, the guilt, and the work involved and came up with…

No Bake Greek Yogurt Cheesecake (Sorta)

• 8 ounces of homemade Greek “cream cheese” (any flavor will do, I used 2 single serving containers of Chobani lemon)
• 1 tub light cool whip
• 1/2 cup Splenda (go ahead and use sugar or your favorite sugar substitute if you’d like)
• 1 t lemon juice
• 1 reduced-fat graham cracker crust or crushed up graham crackers (I used New Morning organic graham crackers from the Attune Foods family)

In a large bowl whisk together the “cream cheese”, cool whip, Splenda, and lemon juice. I whipped this by hand because it’s a good little tricep workout especially if you forget to thaw the cool whip or give your “cream cheese” time to get to room temperature. Next, taste the batter. It’s good, right? Finally, pour the mixture into the pie crust and toss into the fridge for several hours. Or, do what I did, and break up graham crackers into the bottom of cupcake liners and top with the mixture, refrigerate for a few hours.

My photo does not do this recipe justice so you’ll just have to no-bake it and taste how amazing it is for yourself.

Now I really must go…the College World Series is in town and rumor has it there’s another sweet batter up!

Guess where I am today?

• A. The gym.
• B. The Attune Foods Website.
• C. Hawaii.
• D. In the Fitness & Spice Test Kitchen.

If you guessed “C” you are so wrong.

If I don’t catch you at the gym, grab a bowl of your favorite Attune cereal and visit me at the Attune Foods site.

Now I really must go to work or the only place I’ll be surfing this summer is the web.

You know how they say the moon is made of real cream cheese?

It’s not.

And when you strain some of the liquid out of Greek yogurt it’s not real cream cheese either, but the consistency and taste are really, really close. That, and it’s better for you and higher in protein, but don’t quote me on that because I didn’t bother to look it up.

If you want to make Greek Cream Cheese (sorta) do this:

Then, cover your contraption with another coffee filter or some cheese cloth and let it strain overnight in the fridge.

The next day you’ll have this spreadable, Greek goodness:

It’s kind of like whipped butter meets cream cheese and it’s perfectly acceptable for spreading onto whole wheat toast, or muffins, or pancakes, or celery, or a veggie sandwich or…

Now I really must go before I make a Big Fat Greek cheesy joke.

There,  that’s more like it…

Now I really must go to the gym and kick off my USDAY!

Did you know Peter Pan makes a natural peanut butter? You did? Why didn’t you tell me?

You know what I love about this peanut butter? Mostly everything. But in the interest of time I’ll give you two reasons why it is good–the taste and the price.

Moving on…

I stumbled upon this interesting recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookie Bean Balls on Christin’s website and thought I’d give it a whirl in the Fitness & Spice test kitchen.

You will never believe this but I made a few substitutions and I have to say these cookies turned out ahh-freaking-mazing! But I cannot take one bite of the credit as the original recipe (is probably better and) comes from the the greatness of Christin’s Kitchen.

Here is the recipe inspired by Christin’s cookies…

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (with a shot of protein!)

• One can Chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• One can Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup Peter Pan Honey Roasted Natural Peanut Butter
• 3 tbsp Vanilla Protein Powder
• 1 tbsp Honey
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 20 drops Stevia (What? You don’t have liquid stevia in the house? Improvise! You can do it!)
• drizzle of Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
• 1/2 Dark Chocolate bar chopped
  

Combine all ingredients except for the almond milk and the chocolate in a food processor (I used a Vitamix blender) until well combined.  Drizzle a tiny amount of almond milk in while the food processor is running, until the dough is smooth. Scoop the dough into a bowl and fold in the chocolate. Spoon the dough with a cookie scoop onto a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

You’re probably wondering…

What are the calories and macros per cookie? I have no clue. I don’t track that stuff. But don’t fret, these cookies are really Really REALLY filling so there is little to no risk that you’ll eat the entire batch in one sitting.

How many cookies does it make? I used a big cookie scoop and it made approximately 1 dozen cookies.

Will my kids like these cookies? I don’t know your kids but if they have good taste they will. If this is the case, I recommend telling them they are made with beans that way you won’t have to share.

Will you make these cookies again? Does Peter Pan fly?

Now I really must go dare you to make these cookies. “All you need is faith and trust and a little bit of pixie dust,” said Peter Pan.

I’m on the road again!

Stop by and visit me on the Attune Foods website where I’m sharing my personal “gluten-light” philosophy.

But before you go, I want to tell you about my latest obsession just in time for the dog days of Spring! Here it is…

Frozen Protein Cereal

• 1 Vanilla or Chocolate Protein Shake
• 1 or 2 heaping handful(s) of Erewhon Crispy Brown Rice Cereal

Make a blended protein but use less liquid than usual so it’s nice and thick. Top with your favorite Erewhon cereal and eat with a spoon.

Go ahead, make one! All the cool kids are doing it.

Now I really must go get off my glutes and skip on over to my latest Attune!