Today started off like any other Sunday.
Ryan and I awoke just before 8 a.m. and made a delicious breakfast of eggs with cheese, Canadian bacon and a toasted sweet wheat bagel.
Unfortunately we each only got one egg because we only had two left in the carton. It turned out okay though because once we placed the egg, cheese and Canadian bacon on the bagel and made ourselves egg sandwiches for breakfast, neither of us seemed to miss the extra egg.
Once we were done eating, we changed, said goodbye to Sadie and headed to church. After church, Ryan drove to soccer practice (in the rain 
) while I hit up Whole Foods.
I was on a mission. A mission for fennel.
I saw a recipe in Clean Eating magazine that utilized the plant in a delicious-looking side dish and wanted to pick some up to give the recipe a try sometime this week.
I planned to do my weekly grocery shopping at Publix after my pit stop at Whole Foods, so I made a beeline for the produce department, grabbed some fennel and headed to the counter. (Well, I did get a little sidetracked by the fresh rolls at the bakery and some cool-looking seaweed snacks.)
When the man behind the counter told me my total, I almost pulled a Sadie and peed myself.
My bill was almost $12 and the FENNEL comprised $8.50 of the bill. What!? Is this some kind of a miracle plant?
All I can say is that I better like this stuff. A lot. In fact, I’m hoping Ryan and I can survive on fennel for dinner two nights in a row this week. I hope he’s game.
Once my all-too-expensive trip to Whole Foods was over and I downed a bakery roll in the car to soothe my irritation, I stopped by Publix, the mecca of buy-one-get-one-free deals, for the rest of our groceries.
After purchasing our weekly staples, I headed home, unloaded the groceries and complained to Sadie about the fennel.
She didn’t seem to care about my fennel blunder until I told her that the money I spent on the fennel was coming out of her chicken jerky budget. Ha!
Since I ate a roll in the car on my way to Publix and then enjoyed a lot of free samples at the grocery store (apparently Super Bowl Sunday means billions of free samples… I even got half of a hot dog for free!), I wasn’t too hungry for lunch by the time I arrived home.
I opened the fridge and grabbed the first thing that caught my eye…
The new mango-flavored Chobani Greek yogurt that the company sent me to try. I actually tried my first cup of this earlier this week as a snack, so it alluded the blog, but I must give credit where credit is due and say this stuff is the jam! It tastes so tropical… like paradise in a cup. I think it would be great in smoothies or enjoyed in a massive yogurt bowl with a cup of the pineapple Chobani.
I just got a call from Ryan saying that he’s headed home from soccer practice, so I’m off to to make him a delicious fennel sandwich for lunch with fennel salad and fennel soup… and for dessert? A fennel sundae.
Hope your Sunday is treatin’ you well!
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I have to admit, I do not like uncooked fennel- it tastes like licorice. My Mom makes this fennel salad with uncooked fenenel with some oil, S&P, and a few other spices- she loves it..but I can’t stand it. Not even the smell.
But cooked fennel I really like! It adds a nice flavor. My Mom also makes this white bean & fennel soup- it’s SO good. I just googled it to see if I could find it & I did- here’s the link: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/White-Bean-Fennel-Soup
Hope you don’t mind me putting a link…thought you might like to try it 🙂 Especially on this rainy/ chilly day- perfect for soup 🙂
i never mind links! that recipe looks really good! perhaps that will stretch out this fennel to THREE meals!
wowser, that’s expensive!! I have the same issue of CE Mag, i think since I just saw a recipe in there for fennel last night. I’ve never cooked it myself but I’ve had it braised and it’s really tasty! Looking forward to hearing about your fennel adventures 🙂
i once bought grapes at whole foods without looking how much they cost and they totaled up to $9! ridiculous.
I just spent $9 on grapes the other day. I was too embarrased to put it back after they rang up, but I really wanted to. I feel pressure to eat every single one!
each grape you eat is $.50. 🙂
I had no idea fennel was so expensive! Admittedly, I’ve had the non-seed version once in a salad at a restaurant. It was sliced thin and paired with grapefruit slices – I was surprised at how nice the pairing was!
I am in love with the mango they sent me too. Soooo good! And 8.50?! Madness!
Man that is SO expensive! Can’t believe it was $8.50?! Surely it’s not normally that expenisve? I’m sure it’ll be worth it though 🙂
Geez! That’s ridicious!
I love WF but Publix will always own my heart.:)
ahhah FENNEL!! why the heck is that so exPANSIVEE.. cant wait to see what you make with it!!
Haha! My boyfriend gave me the oddest look when I started laughing outloud about Sadie not caring until you mentioned the jerky. So cute. I’ve never really commented, but I’ve been reading your blog now daily for over a month and I love it! I live in Palatine, I’ll, I think that’s around where you lived? Small world! Anyway, your blog has given me so many food and exercise ideas on my path to be a healthier me, so thanks!!!
oh my gosh, really!? i lived really close to fremd high school – right across the street from pleasant hill elementary. i miss palatine!
I went to Rolling Meadows High School! I knew a bunch of people who went to Fremd…I lived in Rolling Meadows growing up, I live downtown now but my parents live behind Plum Grove Jr High in Palatine. We were hit with MAJOR snow from this storm…so Palatine is not so fun to be in right now lol, but it’s always nice to visit home!
oh fun!! i went to plum grove! 🙂 i heard about the snow! i hope you’re staying safe & warm.
Wow, even the blogging world is kinda small. I grew up in Elgin, then moved to Palatine for a few months, and now I am living in Arlington Heights, where I hope to stay for some time!
Am I the only one who will put produce back if it costs a ridiculous (and surprising) amount?! Luckily there is a grocery store chain in Ohio with super, super local prices for produce, but once in awhile an expensive sucker sneaks in and I panic a little! Too bad the things that are the best for you end up costing more sometimes…
I’ve always found fennel in the regular grocery store for nice and cheap…definitely not $8.50!
It tastes like licorice, but in a good way, I think.
I don’t want to believe that your fennel was $8.50!!! I have never tried it, it’s all in my head really. The fact that it tastes like licorice but it’s a vegetable?? Hrm….. I hope that Ryan enjoys his fennel overload!! Haha, your last sentence made me laugh. You are just too cute for words. Hope you have a good Sunday!
bahahaha!!! I think this is hilarious- but you will like it. I am sure 😉 Especially for a dessert!
Funny you are talking about fennel. I just saw some at Sweetbay and was shocked at how expensive it was. I”m anxious to read what you do with it. Daddy asked what the heck it was! Happy SuperBowl!
haha please don’t tell daddy how much i paid for it. he may disown me as a daughter. 🙂
Fennel is delicious. My favorite way to eat it is to roast it with some onions with olive oil and salt. Just to help soften the blow- i’ll let you know now that you can only use the bulb(white) part (and usually have to take off the bruised outer layer) and then there is a core in the middle. So you really don’t get that much of the veggie to actually work with….aaaaand it shrinks down to nothing when you cook it!!
Okay but on the positive side- it is delicious, and raw fennel helps with digestion. At least that’s what my italian family always says. They put out raw fennel after holiday meals so we can ease our stuffed selves.
lol – grrrrrreat. 🙂
Whole Foods is always so sneaky like that! I once bought a lousy 4 sweet potatoes and my total was $12, like you I almost passed out after hearing my total! The sweet potatoes were great but worth $12, I’m not so sure.
Anyways, enjoy your fennel! 🙂
Holy cow! That is so expensive. My husband and I belong to a weekly CSA produce program, so we never have to buy vegetables and fruit at the grocery store. We save so much money this way! Can’t wait to hear how the fennel recipes turns out.
Oh gosh that’s crazy expensive! I hate when that happens, you get to the till and it’s way more than you expect.
Hope this is gonna be one hellova fennel dish! 🙂
That yogurt looks yummy!!!!!!
Wonder why the fennel is soooo expensive? Hope its good! =D
Haha this post made me laugh :). Hope you two are enjoyimg your weekend!
i can’t believe it cost so much! well, i mean i can…it is whole foods after all. but still…it’s never been that much at my local grocery store!
I’ve never used fennel before, but they have a delicious tomato-fennel soup at my favorite cafe. It’s amazing! I hope the fennel lives up to your expectations! Especially for that price 😉
That’s crazy! I had roasted fennel in a restaurant dish last night and it was delicious…kind of like licorice. I’m surprised my dish wasn’t more pricey then, because it had two full bulbs in addition to a TON more veggies and it was only $14!
Mango flavor!! YUMMM WANT THIS!!
I’m interested to see if you like fennel. That is one of the only foods that I do not like!
YIKES! I would be making my husband eat every last inch of that fennel! Best of luck 🙂
Wow, that is one expensive plant!
Try getting it at Trader Joe’s, it’s a lot cheaper!!
mmm mango yogurt sounds delicious!!!
i was at the supermarket today and had sooo many free samples- chicken drummies, chips and guac, pizza bites. it was awesome : )
Chobaniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
I’m super depressed because I can’t find any greek yogurt in Toronto. Chobani needs to get here ASAP!
I’ve never craved yogurt more than when I read your blog.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/599400
maybe this will help you out a little?
You are the sweetest person alive. Thank you so much dude
Oh geez, I hope you are a fan of the fennel! It’s days like that when I wish I had a house with a garden (or even an apartment that got enough sunlight!!) so I could create my own garden…
one day!
I love me some fennel but I don’t think I would pay 8 bucks for it. I can’t believe you didn’t have a heart attack right then and there. Hell if you did they’d probably give you the fennel for free.
But then again you wouldn’t care because you just had a heart attack. Or would you……..?
Wozzer. That is crazy expensive!! Hope you guys like it!
So….let us know if you like what you make with the fennel. What does it taste like?
I have to know if it is worth the co$t!
Loving my Sunday at home!
As much as it was pricey, it looks like a good piece, with all it’s fronds in tact! Enjoy 🙂
Yikes that is pricey for fennel. I hope you enjoy it with whatever you are making. It has a strong licorice flavor. Fennel isn’t my favorite and I’ll avoid it in recipes when used.
OH MY GOODNESS! Tha6t is very expensive! You could buy two or three jars of PB with that kinda dough! I hope you like it!
I am now dying to try those chobani yogurt flavors. I love Chobani. I have been looking for their pineapple kind LITERALLY everyy time I go to the store. Still no finds of it.
Could I order it?
My goodness that’s expensive for fennel!! I haven’t much payed attention to how much it goes for at Kroger or anywhere esle..but that does seem ultra pricey.
YIKES!!! That’s a lot to pay for a little thing of fennel!!!
I hope the fennel works out for you, but I just don’t like the licorice taste of it!
Fennel is always expensive…Whole Foods will probably have the highest price around.
It’s become a “hot produce item” as all the chefs on all the food shows use it.
I HATE it … It tastes like licorice …
Publix probably sells it … As would a local ethnic grocer if you find yourself addicted to it!
you forgot to buy more eggs apparently!! 🙂
I had a similar experience with Tahini! I grabbed it off the shelf without looking at the price and my jaw hit the ground when the checker-outer person rang me up. I sucked it up and bought though. I really wanted to make hummus 🙂
I know your pain (with the fennel). I needed diced pancetta once and had to go to the deli counter to get some (they were out of the pre-packaged king). I told the girl I only needed a small amount. She gave me a large block and it cost me $10.00. I didn’t need that much. I probably used only $3 worth and ended up throwing the rest out because it started to go bad. Learned my lesson the hard way. Good luck with the fennel.
I hate it when I am surprised (in a bad way) at the checkout counter. I’m sure you’ll conjure up some creative dishes! Have a great night!
I hope that the dish is delicious! While I love Whole Foods, I don’t understand how people can do all their shopping their for the week. It’s SO expensive.
We only buy pizza dough, wine, and on occasion meat. Sometimes they run really good meat sales!
i’m so sad to hear about the expensive fennel. you try and get nutritional variety in your diet, and they rob you! better luck next time though, let’s not let it get us down!
My Publix sells fennel! And it isn’t $8.50!! Yikes.
Aw bummer I missed all the free samples at publix! I rolled in there this morning at 7:45am. I wanted to make sure I beat all the last minute super bowl shoppers. I was in and out in 25 minutes. I think I should shopthat early every sunday!
Haha I love this. I’ve totally been shocked by prices at WF too. I was scarred one time buying a bag of grapes.