Somethin's in the Kitchen

I've been in the mood to cook lately and am sad that I don't have someone to cook for, but the freezer is my friend, so I will cook until I can no longer fit stuff in my freezer. I hit up the grocery store across from work tonight (Stop & Shop- which is like a Vons) and bought some split peas, bay leaves and some basil leaves (also some oatmeal, Fiber One bread and vanilla coffee creamer for work). Then I hopped on the bus to Trader Joe's (where I spend way too much money and always end up buying a bottle of wine). I came in for two things and look at what happened? It's like going into Costco- I can never leave without spending a couple Hamilton's. I think Trader Joe's will be my go-to grocery store from now on. They are cheaper than the regular grocery stores around. I bought vegetable broth, sweet potatoes and regular potatoes, lettuce, bananas, my favorite red wine, carrots (baby and regular) and celery. Now, my apartment smells amazing as I attempt to make split pea soup (not sure how it's going to come out- I used to love my mom's split pea soup, but that was when I didn't mind eating ham). I don't have thyme, so I threw in an extra bay leaf, chopped up a carrot, used a half a cup of chopped onions, some water/vegetable broth and some basil. Now it's just simmering. I already ate dinner, so this will be tomorrow's dinner. I'm excited because I'm finally going to use my Magic Bullet to puree the soup. While the soup simmers, I'm going to make my apple pie filling. Not in the mood to make a pie tonight (nor do I have anyone to share it with, so for my diet's sake, I'll wait until I know it will be enjoyed by others) but I have so many apples I need to make room in the fridge for my veggies I just bought. I am so proud of myself for attempting so many new dishes lately. I also know I will have yummy food for the rest of the week (all my work containers that are portion controlled are all lined up in the fridge).