A to Z Food Challenge : M

Today I bring to you the food that I eat on a consistent basis. A particular food group that I would happily be stranded on a deserted island with. The food that forces me to exercise in order to keep up with the amount of protein I consume. I'm talking about meat. 

I find myself in torrential dilemmas every time I'm at the grocery store, because I struggle to decide what meat to consume for the day. Chicken, pork, beef, fish, SO MANY CHOICES! All delicious, but equally frustrating. Not only do I have to choose which type of meat will make it to the dinner table, but also which cut of that meat. Today's choice, steak. Rib eye to be exact, priced at $8.49 (I goofed and forgot to see how much they were priced per pound, but this was how much I paid for my chunk), paired with corn and homemade mashed potatoes (Gold Potatoes are our favorite). 

First of all, before I begin my mini review, I would like to discuss beef cuts. Porterhouse are the best of the best, seeing as how they are tender and technically two cuts of meat in one. Flank steak however can be rather dry, seeing as how the marbled fat content isn't really apparent. For us, my son will not eat a tough steak - he's definitely my kid -  but I didn't feel like shoveling out $28 a steak for tonight's meal. So I with a little help from a Trader Joe's employee, I went with the Rib Eye as it tends to be a little more tender to my son's preference. Picky eaters, am I right?

I chose to simply use salt, oil, and Grill Mates 'Montreal Steak' seasoning. I also decided to cook the steaks using a cast iron, as it was WAY to freaking hot outside to fire up the grill. Sorry, but standing in the scorching sun cooking meat doesn't sound like a fun time to me. While the steaks were cooking, I boiled some potatoes with corn and began to taste test a few other items I found today while on my grocery adventure. 

Side Note: If you're looking for a quick and easy meal for the kiddo's, I highly recommend these party size mini meatballs from Trader Joe's - $4.79. My son absolutely loves them, which makes them a constant re-buy for us! To be honest, anyone could enjoy these. With spaghetti, BBQ sauce, ketchup, you name it. 

The first new product I decided to pick up, is called "Lattemiele Milk and Honey cookies". I absolutely love my nighttime tea - I say nighttime, because I can't bare to drink hot tea in this heat - so when I find a small snack that I could nicely pair with my tea, I go for it. These cookies come in small packs, which I absolutely love because I won't have to worry about them all going bad at once, and taste like a subtle heaven. They remind me of a vanilla wafer, but less sweet. These cookies definitely have a taste of honey and with tea they are amazing. I find them to be the perfect late night snack that won't stuff you. These "Milk and Honey cookies" are $2.49 and well worth it. 

Another newbie for today's challenge, is Trader Joe's new "Melon Juice" made from honeydew melons. Now I know my son is NOT a fan of honeydew, so testing this drink with him was not an option. However, I absolutely love honeydew so I jumped on this like flies on honey. To me it tastes like watermelon and cantaloupe. I find this to be a refreshing beverage that you can't just sit and sip. I've chugged 3 glasses of these today, because of the heat and I felt so rejuvenated. I'm hoping this product doesn't leave the shelves anytime soon, because I will be buying and re-buying!!!


The last item for today's challenge, is Trader Joe's "Milk Chocolate Candy Coated Drops" - $2.99. These are EXACTLY like M&M's. From the crunchy outer coating to the melting chocolate inside's, they will have you wanting handfuls. I do feel as if they are bit bigger than the original M&M's - which is a bonus for me - and they're is something about them that makes me want these more than actual M&M's. While the similarities are crazy, they do have differences. One being the size, but the other being that the outer shell seems to be less "manufactured". I know that doesn't make a ton of sense, but it just tastes like authentic hardened chocolate. That's not to say that M&M's is all fake. The Trader Joe's chocolate drops are just better. For example, a standard M&M would melt from the inside out, these melt all together, making me believe that I truly am tasting a difference. These will be definitely be a re-buy for us! My son even said they tasted better than M&M's and M&M's used to be his favorite! 

Overall I think today was a delicious day of amazing finds. Everything is re-buys and my son thoroughly enjoyed our Friday night feast. 

This week has been a rough week for me mentally, emotionally, and physically. I haven't had much rest and I can feel the toll it's taking on my body. I'm truly hoping to catch up on some rest tonight and be back on my "A game" next week. Until then, have a wonderful weekend guys and I will talk to you guys again on Monday! Love you all and stay safe.