On-the-Go Snacks: Mariano's

Remember when I told you that I was a member of Collective Bias®? This is another sponsored post that I feel honored to be a part of! I'm so excited to share it with you. Before you get worried, remember that all the opinions are my own!

Summers are always hard for me in terms of eating healthfully. There are so many tasty seasonal treats that beg me to indulge in them. On top of that, I'm often lazy when it comes to cooking. I'm the queen of the quick and easy pasta. My body doesn't need pasta for every lunch. That's why I thought it would be great to head over to the Lakeshore East Mariano's  in the heart of Downtown Chicago to find some delicious snacks that my body would thank me for. 

I was impressed by the local market feel of Mariano's. We had fun shopping and I hate grocery shopping! Somehow I felt really classy picking up all of my snacks.  My boyfriend and I also stopped to grab a hot lunch and sat on the patio overlooking a darling little park. When it came to searching the store for my snacks, everything was easy to find. I still had to stop to ask for help every once in a while and all the workers were so sweet. We were impressed. So what did we buy? Well, you can view the whole trip here but are the highlights.

Their produce section had so many beautiful colors.

Ok, we bought some fudge. So worth it. The have an adorable station where a worker hand cuts your piece.

Here's the patio where we ate our hot lunch. It's so pretty and was the perfect complement to our delicious lunch.

The tea was a perfect pick-me-up before I jetted off to church.

I've been bringing the peppers to work as a snack during my 15 minute break. They're yummy, crisp, and easy to pack.

My family normally leaves the tomatoes by the refrigerator for quick and easy snacking but they're also really handy if you need a snack to munch on while driving.

I'm really excited because there's a Mariano's opening up in the suburb right next to my boyfriend's house. Maybe for a special occasion we'll head over to that one for another sweet treat. If you live in the Chicago area like I do and you want to check it out for yourself, you can visit them here. And if you do visit them, don't forget to sign up for a rewards card!

I think the anti-grocery shopper in me loved Mariano's because it didn't feel like a grocery store. It was a restaurant and a market and a place I'd like to go back to. For fun (gasp!) I'm proud to call Mariano's #MyMarianos

Share the love,

Taylor

P.S. Did you enter the summer soiree giveaway with Angelorian Traditions?