favorites

I’m not quite sure how it’s already Monday. I feel like the weekends have been flying by, especially because I worked yesterday but mostly because Marathon Monday is barreling down on me. I don’t feel ready. At ALL. Let there be panic!

It’s been awhile since I have done a post on favorite things, and since I discovered a few over the weekend, I thought it would be a fun way to kick off the week.

Here are some things I am loving this week.

Nespresso Naora coffee – I love my Nespresso machine, like a lot. When I received an email from Nespresso’s PR agency offering to send me samples of their newest coffee pods, Naora, I was pretty excited and even happier that they arrived on a weekend so that I could enjoy a leisurely cup.

Naora is 100% Colombian coffee and has rich, complex flavor, without being bitter or too strong. Like tasting a wine, I tried to incorporate my senses of smell, touch, and taste with my first cup of Naora to see if I could get some of the tasting notes that define the coffee, like a juicy acidity. I got some very subtle flavors of dark fruit; mostly I sipped and enjoyed. This coffee is a Limited Edition from Nespresso, and I will be stocking up.

More Target grocery shopping discoveries

Archer Farms Dried Mango – Lately, especially after long runs, I have had a major craving for fruity candy. I bought a bag of Swedish fish and thoroughly enjoyed them, yet felt really unwell after. While shopping at Target this weekend, I grabbed these dried mango slices which are perfect for that sweet, fruity craving. Note, they do have added sugar so aren’t a great fruit replacement, just a candy replacement. The flavor is super fruity, and the chewy texture makes the slices take longer to eat so I don’t overdo it.

Archer Farms Strawberry Cheesecake Yogurt – This yogurt actually kind of tastes like strawberry cheesecake; it is delightfully fruity and has that cheesecake richness, along with a yogurt tang. I wish they had more low fat yogurt flavors; I find fat free to be pointless for filling me up but Archer Farms has some delicious-sounding flavors in its fat free line. Maybe I’ll give them a try anyway. I have been pleasantly surprised at every Archer Farms product I have tried!

Philadelphia Dark Chocolate Cream Cheese – Uhhhh yes. I shouldn’t have discovered this because from the second I stuck my finger into the dark, chocolatey tub for a taste, I was smitten. And when I followed the serving suggestion and dipped some salty pretzels in. . . oh my.

There isn’t a sugary flavor at all to this; it’s smooth, rich, decadent, with deep chocolate flavors. This will be a go-to dessert item in our house from now on. I can not wait to make some sort of fresh strawberry shortcake with layers of this cream cheese in the middle.

Harvest Moon Winery – Our last day in Sonoma was pouring and resulted in many sprints from the car to tasting rooms, leaving my camera and other electronics in the car. The focus was just on getting inside, and I missed out on photographing some incredible tasting experiences. From the second we burst into Harvest Moon (literally sheets of rain falling), tasting room director Erin was an absolute delight. She shared with us some food prepared for a party that had cancelled due to the weather, told us fun anecdotes about the wines and winery, and poured us some of my favorite wines of the trip. I especially enjoyed their sparkling Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer. The wines were beautiful, the tasting room cozy, and the company a lot of fun. Not bad for a random stop!

Things I am not loving? People who are passive aggressive and rude in emails when you know that in real life they are not quite that brave. And downstairs neighbors who buy DRUM KITS with cymbals over the weekend. I literally thought there was a joke on me when I heard it yesterday, a day I ended up working on a really frustrating account. But since Sunday was kind of awful, Monday will be fabulous, right?

Do you have any new favorites or fresh frustrations to share today?