I did my Cinco de Mayo grocery shopping yesterday and had to decide whether i should go to Trader Joe’s, Wal-Mart, Aldi, or Stop & Shop. After deliberating for a few minutes I decided on Trader Joe’s because I know they have pretty good deals and good quality food, but I was a little apprehensive since it was my first time getting beef and I was worried it might’ve been out of my budget, but I was wrong.

There are plenty of a Trader Joe’s locations on the East Coast so I recommend you stop by sometime. There are way to many reasons why I love Trader Joe’s so I’ve decided to narrow it down to a top 5.

Top 5 Reasons why #smallchickbigdeals loves Trader Joe’s:

1. It’s economically friendly: I spent less than 20 dollars yesterday and got juice, ground beef, taco seasoning, 2 apples, and 2 kiwis.  In other words, they have great deals and there prices won’t break your wallet.

2. The food is great quality: I’ve never had anything I’ve been disappointed with at Trader Joe’s. Not only is most of there food healthy but its delicious. They also have some great frozen meals in their freezer section.

3. SAMPLES!!!: If you come in hungry, don’t worry they have samples!!! They usually have a frozen entree (thats cooked) to sample along with a desert and they always have small cups of coffee available to drink while you get your groceries.

4. Amazing Customer Service: I was in awe when I saw they sold ground beef by the pound so I asked someone who worked there if the price I saw was really the price. They kindly said yes and was eager to answer my questions.

5. Two Buck Chuck: Unfortunately the location I went to did not have alcohol. But some locations have wine and beer. Trader Joe’s is known for its “2 buck chuck” aka 2 buck wine! Now what can be better than that? I’ve had it before and it tastes great!

Hope you stop by a Trader Joe’s next time you see one nearby!

Happy Eating

Hey everyone! Sorry it’s been awhile since I’ve posted a new review, but they will be up shortly. Expect some Tasti D Lite, Cups, Havana Lounge in Hoboken & more! I decided to switch my post up this time to quick and easy recipes that won’t break your budget.

These recipes are for none other than Cinco de Mayo. Cinco de Mayo has been one of my favorite holidays to celebrate while I’ve been in college. Every year two of my friends and I celebrate together and with our other friends. It’s been our tradition since freshman year. Our celebration has evolved from simple chips, dip, and drinks to celebrate to chili, tacos, and homemade sangria. This may seem expensive but these recipes are really easy to make and won’t break your budget.

Here’s a simple slow cooker chili recipe:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 can (15 1/2 oz.) black beans
• 1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
• onion powder
• Pepper
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Brown ground beef in skillet; drain excess fat. Combine remaining ingredients with ground beef in slow cooker. Cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours. Makes 6 servings.

That’s just one of many chili recipes, you can find alternates online, especially if you are a vegetarian, etc. This year my friends and I are having chips, salsa, and making homemade tacos. Tacos are a quick and easy recipe. Another easy recipe that won’t cost you a ton is to make homemade sangria. I made it last year and it was a huge success with everyone who came. I looked up some recipes online and made my own recipe. Also since I am half Colombian I was able to find out how some of my relatives make their Sangria. Here’s a sample recipe:

Sangria is very easy to prepare, the longer you let it sit the more of a fruity flavor it has. You can use either white or red wine depends on your preference. It will be nice and cold to serve the next day or later in the week!

 Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 small glass of fruit juice
• 3 shots apple schnapps
• 3 shots of rum of choice
• 1 lime, sliced (optional)
• 1 lemon, sliced (optional)
• 2 ripe peaches, cut into wedges
• 3 ripe green apples seeded and cut into wedges
• 1-2 bottles of white or red wine.
• 1 pint raspberries or blueberries

Directions

Combine sugar, schnapps, rum, lime, lemon, peaches and apples in a large pitcher. Cover with 1-2 bottles of wine of choice. and chill sangria several hours. To serve, spoon fruit into glasses and then pour sangria out of pitcher and its ready to serve. This recipe is meant for a large pitcher but if using a smaller pitcher use ingredients to your liking!

 Hope you all enjoy these cinco de mayo recipes and can use them when you get together with your friends! Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Happy Eating

As you know I love cupcakes and I love to review them. This morning I had the pleasure of being in SoHo and was super close to Georgetown *DC* Cupcake so of course I stopped by before I headed home! I was very impressed with my experience, I’ll tell you why…

Georgetown Cupcake (111 Mercer St, New York, NY 10012)

Customer Service: 5– Everyone who worked there was friendly and informative. I was able to speak to the GM quickly too. Everyone was up beat and willing to answer any questions.

Atmosphere: 5– There was just enough room for people to sit. Three round table which had a view of Mercer Street. Of course today it was beautiful out so it was even more enjoyable. The music they played was great and definitely helped the atmosphere.

Cupcake Quality: 5– I rarely ever give a 5, but I was really impressed. FYI Georgetown Cupcake is a new competitor in the corporate #CupcakeContest! I enjoyed the free cupcake of the day: Chocolate Salted Caramel with a coffee. It was delicious. It was decent sized and had just enough filling inside and the cake was great! I got a few to go as well.

Price: $ — Now you’d expect a place like Georgetown Cupcake to be expensive since the founders and owner have their tv show– DC Cupcakes. But no, each cupcake is sold for $2.75 which I think is decent compared to most places in the city. I’d definitely buy them for a holiday or party.

Final Score: 15/15– As I mentioned earlier they are now in my corporate #CupcakeContest and giving Crumbs some competition. The price and taste can’t be beat and the service is top notch!  If you’re in SoHo you’re crazy if you don’t stop in. They have tons of flavor choices and I’m sure you’ll find a cupcake you like! I highly recommend it!

Happy Eating & Stay Sweet!

Last week I had the pleasure of eating at tons of great places, which only means that there are tons of reviews on the way. If you haven’t read my post on contests, you should. I won a gift card to Joe’s Crab Shack awhile ago and decided to go with my boyfriend Jason this past week & it was a great experience.

Joe’s Crab Shack (various locations)

Customer Service: 5– The service was excellent and our waiter friendly and on top of everything.

Atmosphere/Cleanliness: 4.5 — The atmosphere was nice, but it was really crowded and we had about an hour wait (the location we went to just opened) but it was a fun atmosphere.

Food/Drink Quality: 5– For a chain I was pretty impressed, since I’m from the Jersey shore I love good local seafood and I felt like I was eating just that. Jason and I got the Joe’s classic steampot and it was good. We also got the double dip appetizer which was great. It had both spinach & artichoke dip and their famous crab dip. We both loved the crab dip and the spinach & artichoke dip was pretty good.

Price: $$$– Joe’s Crab Shack is definitely not a cheap place and you really need to save up or be prepared before you go but it’s worth the money and if you live in a place where you can’t get seafood easily I recommend you go to one nearby.

Final Score: 14.5/15– I recommend you take a trip if there’s a Joe’s near you! The food is great, atmosphere is fun it’s just a bit pricey and you may have a wait!

Happy Eating!