You’ve got this in your fridge:
It appears I’ve replaced my cereal addiction with an addiction to Greek Yogurt. No one should have five tubs of Greek yogurt in their fridge at a time.
Just sayin.
The (not so) Common Market
During my blissful day of unplanned meandering, I wandered over to The Common Market in South End for lunch:
How adorable is that little sandwich guy? The Common Market is one of those places you’d probably just drive by if you hadn’t heard through the twitter grapevine that they had delicious sandwiches. It looks, at least from the outside, like a standard convenience store, and it wasn’t until I walked along the side of the building that I realized they have this great secluded courtyard to sit in and enjoy your lunch!
Once inside the Market you can spot newbies <aka ME> who are unsure where to go to order… where to pay… and frankly what the heck is going on inside this quirky store. There’s STUFF everywhere in the store. Not just stuff to fill space, but stuff that is interesting and unique and fun to look at and drool over.
If your heart is set on getting a sandwich (as it should be), you can head straight to the back of the store where the deli counter is located. You order your grub there and then pay at the register at the front of the store.
While waiting for my sandwich, I snooped around the store a bit and noted that you can even dine-in at one of the handful of tables perched right in the middle of the store.
You can crab a bottle of wine (or five) from their extensive wine selection to enjoy with your grub. Or if beer is your thing, they’ve got quite the selection of high-end bottled beers as well.
The sandwiches don’t come with chips or drinks or any sides, but that is A-O-Kay because the market is chock full of yummies. The shelves are packed with snacks and chips and TONS of homemade baked goods:
I somehow exercised superb self control and did not snag any of the baked goodies. Though they had these brownie logs that looked to die for, and that I’ve been dreaming about since!
The Market also has a random hodgepodge of fun gadgets and gizmos and cards and signs for sale and some random gluten-free products on the shelves. I’ll have to bring my friend Tracy here when she comes to visit!
$6.25 for a sandwich ain’t bad in Charlotte. Especially when it comes with a compliment stamp:
I went with the Turkey Capri sandwich, which had sundried tomato spread, a slathering of goat cheese, a big handful of baby spinach, and red onion between two hearty slices of 9 grain bread:
The sandwich was FABULOUS. I think i could eat one of these every day and not get tired of them. Though they also had a pepperjack turkey panini on the menu that looked quite tasty…
The the funkyness of the market carried out to the courtyard area which was full of random odds and ends, crazy signs, and patrons enjoying the nice weather and even nicer food.
The South End location does wine tastings on Wednesday nights and beer tastings on Thursday nights. They also have live music on the patio on the weekends.
Sadly, my sandwich came to an end. Too soon. But isn’t that always the case with a tasty lunch? 
Ohhh! Lest we not forget the scratch off giveaway winner!
Yay Nicole! Email your mailing address to: ferventfoodie@gmail.com.
10 Calorie Iced Mocha (yes, really).
The other day, I came home to THIS on my doorstep:
Jealous?!?!
This goodie box was sent to me as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program with Godiva Coffee.
It’s the simple things in life, I tell ya.
It’s been so stinkin hot, that I figured I could put the Godiva Chocolate Truffle coffee to good use by making some iced coffee. Give me iced coffee and a straw and you’ll have yourself an empty glass in approximately 13 seconds.
Early in the morning, I brewed up a big ole pot of the Chocolate Truffle coffee, and proceed to drink 2 glasses of it hot. I couldn’t get over the strong chocolate smell! I put the rest of the pot into the fridge to chill out, and it made the whole fridge smell like delicious cocoa.
Later that afternoon, I filled a glass halfway with ice:
Then added 6 ounces of the brewed coffee, plus 1 packet of no-cal sweetener, plus 2 ounces of some fat-free unsweetened vanilla almond milk (the kind I buy is 40 calories a cup).
Isn’t it pretty?
All mixed up:
10 calories to caffeinated joy!
If you are feeling extra sassy, you could even add a squirt of your favorite chocolate syrup to the mix. Your call my friend. Your call. 😉
A day of unplanned meandering.
I woke up this morning with no specific agenda. I had a list of things to do, but no specific order or priorities or timeframe to complete them in. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time this has happened to me. How did I get to this point of continuous overscheduling, overplanning, and overbooking? I am SO over it. Prior to moving to Charlotte, I envisioned every day being like today: a day full of unplanned meandering about the city. Days filled with simple things like walking around and trying restaurants. Meeting people. Talking food.
I realize wanting EVERY day to be this way is unrealistic. But how about EVERY weekend day? Is that too much to hope for?
I laid in bed for a while thinking about all the possibilities of the day, before heading out on my Sunday run. The Charlotte area had some crazy flash flooding on Friday, and the park behind my condo was literally under five feet of water! Thankfully the water has resided, but the whole area is basically a giant cow chip now. So, I decided to hit the city streets and explore some neighborhoods I don’t usually get to by foot.
After my run, shower, breakfast, and lazy time, I headed out to take some exterior photos of restaurants I’m planning to write reviews of this week. I played restaurant stalker for a while, got a few disapproving looks from various restaurant patrons (ahhh the life of a food writer *sigh*), then headed to Central Coffee Co. to try out their goods and take advantage of their free wifi.
Can I just say, I love coffee shops.
There are always interesting people around at coffee shops. People chatting and people who don’t want to chat at all <me>. People seeking inspiration <me> and people who just exude creativity.
I also love coffee shops for the fresh brewed coffee (obv.) and endless supply of tasty treats to sample (double obv.).
When I arrived at Central Coffee Co, I found a random seeming building that sure didn’t look like much from the outside. It sits at the corner of Central Avenue and Louise and has a tiny awkward parking lot. I wasn’t getting a good vibe as I walked up to the door, and I was almost hesitant to go inside.
Right when I opened the doors, that comforting smell a freshly ground coffee beans washed over me and I realized that the inside of this unassuming coffee shop told a completely different story. The shop was very long and narrow inside, with one wall of exposed brick running the entire length.
The walls were lined with a handful of small tables, mismatched chairs, and a swanky sitting area complete with white leather chairs near the fireplace.
I eyeballed their large selection of bakery treats, not sure which to go with. When I asked the barista how the zucchini bread was, he got a big smile on his face and said it was “awesome.” When the employees get excited about the food, that’s when you KNOW it’s good.
I went with my standard small black French Roast coffee (I’m hardcore like that) and a slice of that vegan zucchini bread, then grabbed one of the tables along the brick wall. Not only did they have free wi-fi, but they also had ample plugs for laptop charging = very happy blogger.
I sat back in my chair took a long sip of my coffee, and soaked in every ounce of this place that I could. Every sight, smell, and sound. The music was playing at the perfect decibel, and the barista stood at the counter, head bobbing to the rhythm, waiting for patrons in need of service. Strangers were sitting by the fireplace trading their top restaurant picks and their desires to try newly opened spots. The lights were dim and unabrasive, one of which was perfectly placed over my table. Occasionally, I would hear the coffee grinder buzz in the distance and that familiar smell would waft back over towards my table. I sat typing away on my computer and snapping random photos for a while before sitting back and savoring the zucchini bread. Every bite of the bread exuded intense cinnamon flavor. It was moist and slightly sticky, which made the crumbs hug my fork begging to be eaten. And I obliged.
As I relished my coffee, I realized this whole place was speaking to me. From the chalkboard menus on the walls, to the exposed beam ceilings and warehouse style air ducts. And of course, there was the giant biscotti perched in a glass jar on the counter. There was just something about this place.
Something right.
I think I found my new spot. 
A different kind of taco meat.
Mexican food = my fav.
Ok, maybe it’s second fav (right after Italian)… but it’s pretty high on the things I’d like to eat this very moment list, that is fo sure.
Whenever I make tacos at home, I always go with ground turkey or ground beef and a packet of taco seasoning. It’s tasty and super duper easy, of course, but it can get a teensy bit boring week after week.
Then I stumbled across this Cooking Light recipe for Chicken and Black Bean Stuffed Burritos.
Enter totally tasty un-boring taco meat:
This was pretty darn easy to pull together, and the meat is tasty and versatile. Perfect for busy season batch cookin!
All you need to do is combine the following together in a saucepan and bring to a boil:
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
Once it boils, stir in 1/4 cup of sliced green onions and 1 pound of shredded chicken – you could use rotisserie chicken, but I just grilled a large chicken breast up on the George and gave it a good shred using two forks.
And just like that, the meat is done!
I planned to make a burrito, but the tortillas I had at home were teeny tiny so I decided a quesadilla was the way to go:
This is 1/4 of the chicken:
A top a Trader Joe’s Low carb tortilla:
Plus 1/4 cup black beans, 1/4 cup fresh salsa, and 2 tbsp fat-free cheddar cheese:
Then I tossed another tortilla on top, and popped that puppy back on the George. I let it hang out on the grill until it was crispy and the cheese was melty, then I sliced the quesadilla up and served it up with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt (FABULOUS sour cream substitute):
So yummy!
Stats on the quesadilla: 350 calories, 36g carbs, 7g fat, 42g protein, 17g fiber
The next night, I decided to use up some of the leftover chicken by making a huge arse salad. I used 4 ounces of the chicken and all the same toppers as I did with the quesadilla and just threw everything a top a bed of mixed greens:
Hello two totally tasty totally healthy dinners that DO NOT taste like cardboard! I truly believe you can throw ANYTHING on top of lettuce and call it a salad 🙂
Stats on one giant salad: 275 calories, 19g carbs, 4g fat, 35g protein, 5 fiber
So in summary, this meat was just as easy to cook up as ground meat, but had a TOTALLY different taste. And it was delish on tacos, quesadillas, salads. Two thumbs up in my book!