A For Effort

Dark chocolate peanut butter cups. No not Reece's. Pizza dough ready to go. No, not from Papa Murphy's. Coconut cashews. Not even found at Costco. Yes, friends, these items can be found only at one store, the piece de la resistance of all stores: Trader Joe's.

Show Notes

Talked about in this episode, but written down for reference here:

Amanda's pantry staples:
  • Bruschetta
  • Dill Pickle mini falafel
  • Lemon Curd
  • Mini Brie
  • Hasbrowns

Megan’s pantry staples:
  • Hot and Sweet Jalapenos
  • Oat non-dairy frozen dessert sandwiches. 
  • Dark chocolate pb cups
  • Chocolate croissants and cream cheese croissants (these don’t have to raise overnight!)
  • Face wash with tea tree oil 

Things the listeners love:
  • Sweet potato gnocchi
  • Butter waffle cookies
  • Acai bowls
  • All the Indian premade stuff
  • Pre-made rice
  • Frozen pizza dough

Amanda's favorite quick exclusive TJ's meal, is the Sundried Sunshine meal.
  1. Sundried tomato chicken sausage
  2. Bag of shaved brussel sprouts
  3. Bag of cauliflower
  4. Any other bagged veggies, sometimes I use spinach.
  5. Jar of sundried tomatoes. 
  6. Parmesan 

Sautee all the veggies in a pan with the oil from the tomatoes, until they’re nice, brown and crispy, basically until you salivate. Add the sausage until cooked. Then you add the tomatoes and parmesan. When that’s all yummo, you serve it with a baguette. The end. 

Megan's favorite falafel meal: 
  1. Bag of frozen falafel (that dill pickle falafel is insanely good AND the perfect size)
  2. Yogurt tzatziki sauce 
  3. Jalapeno cilantro hummus (optional but very worth it!)
  4. Spinach, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes
  5. Feta cheese
  6. If I’m feeling “extra” I’ll pickle a red onion

Need it REALLY FAST? Easiest one ever, no prep at all:
  1. Bag of dumplings or bao. Just depends on what I’m in the mood for.
  2. Bag of fried rice.
  3. Bag of edamame.
Microwave the edamame. Pan fry everything else. You’ve just used 3 dishes and made and entire dinner.

From Megan: This does NOT count as a recipe, but I always keep, at minimum, 4 bags of frozen orange chicken in the freezer. I have this meal timed out down to the minute, and I can have it on the table in 30 minutes. I preheat the oven while I get the rice out, rinse it, and get it in the pot. While I wait for the rice to start boiling, I line a baking sheet with foil, pour the chicken on it, and pop it into the oven (even if the oven isn’t done preheating - it’s fine, trust me). When the rice begins to boil, I put the lid on and start the timer for 15 minutes. Then I sit back and relax.

Happy eating, friends!

What is A For Effort?

Hey, it’s us: Amanda and Megan. We’re just two average moms who love their kids so dang much we decided to start a podcast! This is not another mommy podcast, with experts informing you how you can be a better mom/wife/daughter/coworker/best friend in twenty-six sugar-coated steps. What WILL you find in this podcast? Validation? Yes. Laughter? Hopefully. Inspiring advice? Probably not.

Truthfully, no matter how many parenting books we read or conferences we attend, we still find ourselves raising our eyebrows and stifling laughs at our offspring. So, at the end of the day, we just slap each other on the butts (like you did in high school volleyball) and say: “you really tried, and that’s all that matters…”