Well, it's been a hot second since I've posted on this blog. I blame Spring being super busy. If you feel like you need a kick of me, visit me here (I update that blog much more).

This past weekend, I got to visit two of my favorite places for gourmet treats: Trader Joe's and World Market. I had a field day at Trader Joe's.

Here's what I bought:

• Goat Cheese (the soft kind)
• Tangerines
• Grape Tomatoes
• Bolivian blend coffee

One thing that always surprises me is that even for a specialty store, Trader Joe's has pretty reasonable prices for produce and coffee. Their produce also seems much prettier than a regular big grocery store. The goat cheese was comparable to what you would pay in a regular store. One thing I also love about their coffee is that a good majority of it is fair trade, which is really, really cool.

World Market has a fabulous food section. It's a great place for candies, coffees, teas, and sauces. I got some Australian licorice and chai.

It would be easy to spend a fortune in both of these places!

Ah yes... the question on everyone's minds.

My boyfriend (we'll call him the Architect here as well) and I both work full time and I also am working on my Master's at the same time. "What's for dinner?" is about the last thing on our minds in the morning when we're both running to get out the door. This means that our dinners during the week are a little... haphazard, shall we say.

Usually I take out either some chicken or fish (we very rarely eat red meat at home) to thaw and then make something up when I get home.

I really need to sit down and plan out weekly menus. I have a few meals that I always fall back on but I'd love a little more variety (and I'm sure the Architect would like that as well).

This morning, I took out some chicken. I really wanted to use up some spinach that I have but I cannot think of anything to make with the spinach and chicken (spinach and chicken enchiladas, quesadillas, or lasagna) that would not require running to the grocery store after work. The grocery store is usually the last place I feel like going after getting off the subway. Anyhow, usually we are pretty well equipped with cooking staples and I can usually find something to make. In lieu of making a store run, I'm thinking of doing a chicken terriyaki stir fry with pineapple and onion. It's seriously easy but will work in a pinch. I'll serve it over rice (I love my rice cooker).

What do you cook when you don't have a plan?

PS Come visit me at my Xanga site: thecheshiregrins