Giving Thanks

I'm thankful to have my parents, my sister, my neice, my brother-in-law, my cousins, my aunties, my grandmother, & a host of close friends in my life. Even though we celebrate Thanksgiving with all the trimmings, I'm just thankful I get to call on all these meaningful people in my life every day of the year. What a blessing!

Here's some pictures of our Thanksgiving dinner from last year. I can't begin to imagine what it's going to be like this year..beyond amazing, I'm sure!

What a view-- The turkey, dressing, & those luscious golden sweet potato pies baking in the oven!

Up, close, & personal

About to chow down!

I guess someone needed 2 forks to down all their food & wash it down with some sweet tea in a mason jar...Luv it;-)

Racks

...of caramel clusters! Just delicious~

Who's Your Mama Now!

Who is really your mama? No... who's the mama or better yet..where's yo mama and why hasn't she introduced you to Hoosier Mama Pie Company? This newly opened gem located in Chicago's Ukrainian Village neighborhood is truly about to become a phenomenon. I have to say that amaaaazing is an understatement of how much deliciousness this place is giving away. From your first step into the door, this bakery captures your senses, putting you into a trance, and before you know it, you've eaten two or three slices of pie! Me and a good friend have been frequenting this spot every Saturday since we discovered it walking to a craft fair in the late summer. Here is a little list of what we've tried thus far:

Classic Apple Pie-crust! crust! crust! with firm, sweet, juicy, & cinnamony apples.
Banana Cream Pie- whipped cream heaven at its finest
Raspberry Pie-delectably sweet and savory
Sugar Cream & Pumpkin Pie-see pictures below

We simply can't get enough of the above mentioned; however, there are sooooooo many more selections to choose from: Strawberry Rhubarb, Maple Pecan, Coconut Chess, Lemon Chess, Peanut Butter, Coconut Custard, Key Lime, & Chocolate Cream w/ Bananas. Their menu changes with the season, of course.

Now look at how easy on the eyes this place is-

Say hello to the best pumpkin pie in the city of Chicago. Bundled in heavy whipping cream with staples of cinnamon, nutmeg, and a crust that won't quit, you'll be quick to say that it just doesn't get any better than this! Believe you me, I am not a huge fan of pumpkin pie whatsoever. Sweet potato is my honest to goodness favorite. However, this pie has changed my life!

Sugar Cream Pie--this was sooooooooo delicious! Imagine the best ever caramel frosting you've ever had converted into a cream pie. Yes, this is exactly what this pie tasted like. I honestly wish this post was edible!

So why are you still reading this!?!! Please believe they do sell out! That's right-run, don't walk to get your slice of sheer divineness. Tell 'em Greedy Food Chic sent ya:-)

Hoosier Mama Pie Company

1618 1/2 Chicago Ave

Chicago, 60622

http://www.hoosiermamapie.com/

Whole Foods To The Rescue

Aaaaw I'm so excited! I'm getting settled into new surroundings all around me and it's all good!

The other day, I went to Whole Foods with a friend/coworker. Now this just isn't your typical Whole Foods..it's the brand new one in Lincoln Park! Yippee..yaaaay! First of all, this place is super huge- 75,000 sq. ft. huge and houses a ton of stuff that were beyond my wildest dreams. I mean, I've been shopping with them for years, but it seems to me now that every location divulges a different experience. Okay, so how about there's parking in the building! Now that's especially good on those rainy/snowy days. Once you park and walk in, you take the escalator down and you land right in the produce section. The lovely cherries greeted me as I walked off the electric stairs, so of course I grabbed a bag! I then proceeded into the area where all the toiletries and medicines are located. I couldn't believe they were selling my kinky curly hair products in there for $25.99! I can't remember if I even paid that much but it's good to know that I can now purchase this stuff there when I run out. Right next to that department were these machines where you press a button and it makes peanut, almond, or cashew butter. Yummmmy! I immediately grabbed the plastic bowl to make me some almond butter, but since the machine was temporarily out of order, I opted for peanut. It's soooo good! I have it with a banana in the morning and it's divine. Okay, at this point, I just float through the store on a little tour cuz I'm just mesmerized by everything. I just should've put my basket down and walked through the store, sampling all the aisles--HA!

Whole Foods has a make your own trail mix stand, huge uber fresh salad bar, the hot bar of course, fresh sushi bar, chinese strip, a diner, the pizza pub, dessert deli, 2 wine/beer bars, I mean it just doesn't stop.

Go! See for yourself but please be warned: You could lose your mind with excitement in this place. Oh, and don't spend your whole paycheck there..it's just food! Baaahahahaa...Later!

Visiting Atlanta Any Time Soon?

A really nice lady I've known all of my life is headed to Atlanta for her family reunion. We were talking about all there is to do there and I just said I'll put a list together for you of all my must do favorites when visiting the ATL! As I was done with it, I thought, "this is good," and wanted to post it. So here it is & afterall, this is what this arena is for, right!

For the Young Adults
Luckie Food Lounge – Great food! Lovely bar area, people watching, the restroom is amazing! Gelato & magazine shop..such a fun & beautiful place, you’ll feel lucky to be there!
375 Luckie St
Atlanta, GA 30313
www.luckiefoodlounge.com

Harlem Bar (same owners as the Social House) Always jumpin’ & fun atmosphere
262 Edgewood Avenue
Atlanta, GA 31132
404-588-0014
www.harlembaratlanta.com

Café Circa (Black-Owned)
464 Edgewood Ave
Atlanta, GA 30312
404-477-0008
www.cafecircaatl.com

Strip (Atlantic Station) Great social setting, beautiful location..the scene to be seen! 

The Castleberry Hill Corridor – Lounges, pizza pubs, art galleries, urban vibes,…just a nice area to park the car, take a walk, network, and go door to door checking out the spots!
257 Peters St. SW
Atlanta, GA 31132
404-523-1555
www.mbaratlanta.com (Website of 1 the many lounges in this area. Hungry? Try the turkey burger sliders w/fries!)

W Atlanta, Midtown – Check local listings or call and find out the happs at this location
188 14th St NE
Atlanta, GA 30361
404-892-6000

Restaurants
Tavern @ Phipps- Great tavern food right in the heart of Buckhead.
3500 Peachtree Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30326
404-814-9640

Busy Bee Café (Soul Food) –Hole in the wall location but it is so what the people need and want in their lives! Yeast rolls, cornbread muffins, fried green tomatoes, baked or fried chicken, smothered pork chops, catfish, sweet potatoes, mac & cheese, collard greens, black eyed peas over rice, peach cobbler, nana pudding..Basically, Soul Food the movie meets your reality! 
810 Martin Luther King Jr Dr
Atlanta, GA 30314
(404) 525-9212
www.thebusybeecafe.com

Thumbs Up Diner- Fantastic breakfast in the MLK Jr./Sweet Auburn district
573 Edgewood Ave NE
Atlanta, GA 30312
www.thumbsupdiner.com

Social House- Black owned breakfast/brunch in a southern home bed/breakfast setting. This place is located around the corner from Atlantic Station
1663 Howell Mill Road NW
Atlanta, GA 30318
www.socialhouseatl.com


Flying Biscuit (Breakfast & Lunch)
Great breakfast w/ delicious biscuits that come with apple butter..yum! Visit website for additional locations.
1001 Piedmont Ave NE
Atlanta, GA 30309
404-874-8887
www.flyingbiscuit.com

Riverstreet Sweets- Savannah favorite in the Heart of Atlanta located in Phipps Plaza. Best pralines, candied pecans, with a selection of the best fudge in town!
www.riverstreetsweets.com

Café Intermezzo- Italian ambiance. Let the dessert attendant help you choose a delectable sweet treat out of their glass bakery bar. Have coffee, tea, or any drink of choice from their vast drink selection menu.
1845 Peachtree Rd
Atlanta, GA 30309
404-355-0411
www.cafeintermezzo.com

Shopping

Atlantic Station
Lenox Mall
Virginia Highlands (Boutique Shopping & Dining)
Stonecrest Mall
Perimeter Mall
Dawsonville Outlets
Discovery Mills (Similar to Gurnee Mills)

Enjoy!
Greedy Food Chica

On Being A Lady...

The best way to learn to be a lady is to see how other ladies do it.
— Mae West

Hannah's World

At work, we've been running this eatery in the ground during lunch-Hannah's Bretzel. They are an establishment that takes being healthy to another level! And I mean it's extreme! For the Marketing Off-site meeting at work today, Hannah's was in full effect! From turkey sammiches with swiss gruyère cheese to smoked salmon with capers and a dill crème fraiche on a bretzel baguette..everything was just amazingly fresh and tasted oh so darn good! The desserts consisted of delectable blondies with organic chocolate chips on top to moist banana bread...I mean everything was just fantastic! If you're ever in the Chicago area, you HAVE to hit up the Bretzel! Tell 'em Greedy Food Chic sent you! :-D

Cupcakes For Everyone!

Today for breakfast I had English Breakfast tea from the twinings with a piece of an apple danish from Au bon Pain! I wish I could've eaten the whole darn thing but I've been feeling better in my clothes and want to continue feeling this way!

We celebrated a co-worker's birthday with Sugarbliss Cupcakes. How about the frosting was sooo yummy in my tummy followed by the red velvety cupcake that I devoured! It was soooooo yummy! Did I say that already...ha! Yeah, so this is all I've had to eat today. I know..not healthy at all but hey, I'll eat something beneficial later on. Doesn't it just make the world go round when you do something for someone else and you see their excitement and appreciation boast out and it's sincere! That's how I felt today when we surprised the co-worker. She made me feel good! It's great to receive that feeling..makes you just keep on being a light in people's lives!

Wishing you the very best day,

Stephy

You Found Me

Today...oh today. Got up this morning, had a girlfriend check-in with the homies across the country, headed to Target. Picked up some groceries, a pair of cute ballerina shoes to chill around in, and The Fray. Have to say I love it cuz it falls dead on with how I've been feeling the last few days. I'm turning a few corners right now and hopefully everything will continue to work out in my favor.

Breakfast was a bagel with cream cheese and a cup of pineapple orange juice.

Cherries..The Equivalent of Heart-Shaped Rain Drops

Mmmmm...just in time for Spring!

Rain, Rain Go Away!

Man, it's dreary outside. The drops from the sky are falling..and I couldn't think of anything better than a nice cup of comforting soup on a rainy day such as today! I went down to Au Bon Pain and grabbed a cup of their Southwest Corn Chili Chowder that was delicious! I had a petite baguette to go with and it was still warm! I tell you...au bon amazes me. Even though they are a chain eatery, they just keep it soooo consistent with the quality of food they serve. Never am I disappointed and their bread is always so darn yummy in my tummy!

I can't forget to mention breakfast cuz it was simple, yet so slammin! How about I made a cup of instant organic cinnamon oatmeal and kicked it up a knotch with some crunchy almond Barney Butter that was just so amaaaaazing! It took the oatmeal to new heights! LOL Seriously, I ate that bowl up so fast! Talk about the best experience that I've had in a long time with a nutritious, nutty, buttery, cinnamony, and scrumptious bowl of oatmeal! Definitely will be eating again with some other additions like blueberries and such...so stay tuned!

It's A Beautiful Day..Don't Let It Get Away!

I've had an eventful day thus far! Got into work this morning, rushed and printed out my Friday reports, went to the doctor came back & finished up some tasks on the daily agenda..wasn't going to go to lunch but my boss was so very nice to let me go after taking time to go to the doctor! Very nice, right?! So that kinda made my day along with the fact of the feeling that I actually do work with a great team of people..what a blessing, right!?! And in this economy, I'm thankful to have a job!

So I headed outside to bask in the beautiful sun with my co-workers...aaaaaah! it was just beautiful...did I say that already!?!?! HA Guess it's cuz this is literally my first time outside during a lunch hour since the beginning of the year! I munched on some museli that consisted of milk, firm granny smith apples, oats, and banana! Yumsters! For breakfast I had a cup of Twinings English Breakfast Tea with my oatmeal raisin walnut Clif bar. Double yumsters! It feels good that I have changed my eating habits and have been incorporating more healthy options. I've almost completed a week of Meatless March thanks to Jenna over at http://eatliverun.com/ !

Let me get back to work..I'll catcha laata with what I had for din din!

Double Duty

Ok, so I'm playing catch up. I'm about to go over what I ate yesterday along with today's eats!

Thursday 2/26

Breakfast: Blueberry Creme Oatmeal
mid-morning snack: Clif kid Chocolate Chip Bar (soooo good) a row of samoa cookies (yeah, I was bad)

Lunch: More Samoa Cookies ( I couldn't help it..they only come once a year & they were soooo darn delicious!)

Dinner: Turkey/Swiss and mustard on wheat, black bean burger w/mustard, and ridged ranch chips

Dessert: 1 lemon cookie (as if I needed it) with water and my multi-vitamin!
_________________________________

For today, I must say that I am wearing a pair of jeans that fit but aren't too fitted like they were when I purchased them about 3 weeks ago..way to go meeeeee!!! HA

Today I had:

Breakfast: Clif Chocolate Chip Energy Bar

Lunch: Jimmy John's Tuna Sammich w/ Jalapeno chips (total treat since I've been doing really good for the week!)

Afternoon Dessert: Final row of samoa cookies (ok they are finally gone so I can get back to the originally scheduled program)

Catcha laaaata to discuss dinner!

Peanut Butter Renewal

This post is gonna be so short but here's a breakdown of what I ate today:

Breakfast: Quaker's Banana Creme Oatmeal

Lunch: Chicken Pasta Salad & Fruit Salad from the infamous Soprafina
Dessert: Luna Caramel Chocolate Bar...oh and a few of those Lemon Cream Scout Cookies

Dinner: Turkey Sandwich...a few french fries and crumbled ranch wedged chips
Dessert: Banana and crunchy peanut butter sammiches....man that was a first to try moment and I will definitely be eating that again! OH MY YUMSTERS!!!

Italian Lunch With A Dab Of Lemon

Today's lunch consisted of an Italian Cobb salad from the infamous Soprafina! Boy, this is the second time I've been to this place in a week and I've never gone before that! The cobb salad had a boiled egg, mixed greens of course, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, gorgonzola cheese & a creamy gorgonzola dressing. Sounds delcious, right! The truth is that it was just okay. While the whole thing was fresh, it was just kinda blah. Oh well..you win some, you lose some.

I'm having issues with uploading from my phone, but here's the professional picture of what I had for lunch! See, isn't a visual helpful!

Dessert were these Lemon Chalet Cremes that the Girl Scout Cookie delivery guy placed on my desk this morning! Ok..these things were better than what I expected them to be..talk about yummy goodness all up in my mouth! I'm not huge at all on sandwich cookies, especially like opening them up and licking the cream..and that's exactly what I was doing-just like a kid in grammar school again! LOL And they were not too sweet and tarty either!

And the one liner for these cookies is 'The taste that takes you there'...well it certainly took me there! Go get you some...later!

Tuesday

Went to Target last nite and picked up a whole box of Clif Kid chocolate chip energy bars. I opened the box this morning and ate one on the train. When I first tasted it, I was like meeeh...whatever. Than I took another bite and was like wait a second, don't judge too soon..this is actually pretty good. The chocolate chips were pretty big and really tasty..almost felt like I was having a brownie! Oh, and there's no aftertaste either-which is a huge plus for me! I was opting to save some of it to mush up in my oatmeal this morning but that didn't happen..all gone. The oatmeal is a quakers quick pack of blueberrie's and cream.

BTW, I'm currently having issues taking pix on my phone and uploading the images so bare with me as I get it right! It's not like anyone is reading this anyways! LOL Aight..later!

Morningstar in the Eveningstar

This evening for dinner I had a Morningstar black bean veggie burger on Koepplinger's toasted whole wheat bread...sooo darn good. Dessert was a chocolate chip flavored Clif bar. Can you believe this is my first time having a Clif bar?!!? It was pretty good I must say. I'm stuck on Luna though. They go down as my all time favorites! Not to mention the 2 shrimps that somehow creeped up on my plate after it was all said and done! Here's the proof of my dinner minus those make believe xtra large jumbo shrimps...hehe

Soprafinna

Lunch today consisted of a bag of bbq baked lays, a half of a caprese sammich (mozzerella, tomato, basil pesto, lettuce and foccacia bread) with a tall glass of water with fresh lemon slices. Doesn't that sound good! No visuals for my lunch but dinner will be all that you can visualize and then some! ahahaaaa...stay tuned!

I've Been Eating

I've been a true slackster with this blog thing...but it's all good..cuz I'm back with a vengeance! Ok, so this weekend and previous weeks...days..however you want to put it, I've been eating any and everything! Cakes, reuben sandwiches, smoothies, cookies, chips, fried chicken, rice & peas, fried shrimp & fish, yogurt, granola, did I mention bags of chips, and whatever else you could think of...I've eaten it except for beef & pork of course! While some of the stuff is good for me, most of it isn't! I guess that's why I haven't had much time for blogging..HA! Anyway, I've decided to document my daily eats on here..so that means I should have a daily entry..yeah! And not just what I eat, but it should be healthy! I've gotten away from being the health nut that I am and it's soooo over time to clean up my act! Here's to getting back in the groove of shopping at my all time fave stores Trader & Whole Foods. I'll be (should be) filling my stomach with the amazing color foods of the rainbow (fruits & veg'ns) along with dusting my gym pass off and challenging myself physically again!! Man, I feel so much better about life and everything that comes with it when I'm in the gym releasing those endorphins!! With that said, it's on and poppin'! HA

So this is what I've had to eat for today: Nothing so far..absolutely nothing. If you want to count a cup of Twinnings English Breakfast Tea and 2 cups of water! HA I do plan on having something good for lunch though but my tastebuds have yet to speak to me yet..so we'll see what I end up eating.