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The ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ post-credits scene is a cosmic cliffhanger. Here’s what it could mean.

Tom Holland in Spider-Man suit next to his work table
Tom Holland in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.”
  • “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” has an end-credits scene.
  • It gives us a hint as to where Spidey will show up next.
  • Major spoilers ahead for “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.”

As the credits roll, then keep rolling without a mid-credits scene at the end of “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” your Spidey senses may begin to tingle in a bad way.

But rest assured, there is an end-credits scene in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” — you just have to wait until the very end.

What happens in the ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ end credits scene?

Although the scene is brief, it will certainly make you think a little as you walk out of the theater.

In “Brand New Day,” recent MIT grad Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon) creates an app called “Spidey Tracker,” a lo-fi map of New York City that’s dotted with Spider-Man masks marking the locations of recent Spidey sightings.

Ned created the app because he hopes to one day thank Spider-Man for saving him all those times in high school. Remember, following the events of 2021’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” no one, including his close friends Ned and MJ (Zendaya), remembers that Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is the wall-crawler.

The app has become popular around the city. Parker is aware of its existence, and Punisher (Jon Bernthal) uses it to keep tabs on his friend.

The “Brand New Day” end-credits scene puts the Spidey Tracker front and center. It zooms in on the tracker’s screen showing the Spidey mask in New York City — presumably Peter Parker. Then, the app detects another Spider-Man location. The map zooms out of New York City to reveal the entire Earth; then it zooms out past an 8-bit moon to reveal a Spidey mask somewhere in outer space.

The scene ends with text that reads, “Spider-Man will return.”

Tom Holland looking at his phone upside down on a steel beam in Spider-Man suit
Tom Holland in “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”

What does the end-credits scene mean?

In typical Marvel fashion, especially when it comes to Spider-Man, it’s unclear.

Did Peter Parker find his way into space… again? Or is this an indication that another Peter Parker is out there in space?

Tom Holland is not currently listed in the enormous cast of “Avengers: Doomsday,” which premieres December 18 — but don’t be shocked if he makes a quick cameo.

Our money is on Spidey, or multiple Spideys, showing up in that movie’s sequel, “Avengers: Secret Wars,” which comes out in 2027.

In the comics, all the timelines and alternate universes collide in “Secret Wars” in a location called Battleworld. It leads to a showdown that will decide which variant becomes the sole version of each character.

Will we see Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire’s versions of Spider-Man again? Maybe even Miles Morales from the “Spider-Verse” animated movies? Or was the Spidey detected in space another variant we haven’t even thought of?

While doing press for “Brand New Day,” Holland, 30, said there’s a “clear vision” for how he will step down as Spider-Man. “It’s laid out… and I think it’s really exciting,” he told the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast.

As we’ve learned with Marvel, the options are endless.

“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” is in theaters now.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Meet the Hunt family, the billionaires behind the Kansas City Chiefs and one of America’s richest dynasties

The Hunt family owns the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Hunt family owns the Kansas City Chiefs.
  • Thanks to early investments in oil, the Hunt family is one of the wealthiest families in America.
  • They’re widely known as the owners of the Kansas City Chiefs, winners of three recent Super Bowls.
  • Lamar Hunt founded the team in 1959; Clark Hunt, his son, is now the Chiefs chairman and CEO.

The Kansas City Chiefs are used to making headlines.

From their star quarterback Patrick Mahomes and controversial kicker Harrison Butker, to tight end Travis Kelce’s marriage to Taylor Swift, and, of course, their fifth Super Bowl appearance in the last decade, it’s hard to imagine a time when people weren’t talking about the Chiefs.

That’s good news for the Hunt family, who’ve owned the team since the beginning.

The Chiefs were founded by Lamar Hunt Sr. in 1959 as the Dallas Texans, but the team has been in Kansas City since 1963. Now, team ownership is divided between his children: Clark Hunt, Sharron Hunt Munson, Daniel Hunt, and Lamar Hunt Jr., with principal decision-making falling to Clark, who’s been the team’s CEO since 2010.

But the Hunt family’s dynasty extends far beyond football. Their real story actually begins with American oil tycoon H.L. Hunt.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Hunt family, who Forbes estimates is worth $25.6 billion.

Haroldson Lafayette Hunt made his fortune in the oil industry.
A portrait of Haroldson Lafayette Hunt circa 1940s.
H.L. Hunt founded the Hunt Oil Company in 1936.

In 1964, The New York Times reported that almost 30 years after H.L. Hunt founded the Hunt Oil Company, his family had an estimated fortune of $700 million (about $7.5 billion in today’s money, adjusted for inflation).

At the time of the report, the company was producing oil and natural gas in 12 states, including Texas, Louisiana, and North Dakota.

With his great success in the oil business, H.L. Hunt reportedly invested profits in other industries, such as publishing, cosmetics, and pecan farming.
H.L. Hunt (left) shaking hands with Douglas McKay, then Secretary of the Interior, at the 34th annual American Petroleum Institute. Other men stood nearby.
H.L. Hunt invested in other industries.

Hunt founded Facts Forum News, his publication for producing conservative, anti-Communist radio and television programs, from 1951 to 1963, per the University of Houston.

H.L. Hunt died in 1974 with an estimated net worth between $2 billion and $3 billion.
A portrait of H.L. Hunt at his desk in 1968.
Hunt died in 1974 at 85 years old.

His fortune, which would be worth roughly $13 billion to $20 billion today after adjusting for inflation, was placed into trusts for his 15 children, whom he had with three different women.

His youngest son, Ray Lee Hunt, is now the wealthiest surviving child of H.L. Hunt.
A close up of Ray Lee Hunt during the Middle East Petroleum and Gas Conference in Kuwait City in 2010.
Ray Lee Hunt is chairman emeritus of Hunt Consolidated, Inc.

Forbes reported that Ray Lee Hunt, 83, has a net worth of $6.6 billion, as of July 2026.

He is chairman emeritus of Hunt Consolidated, Inc., which includes Hunt Oil Company, Hunt Energy, and Hunt Realty Investments.

Ray’s sister, Caroline Rose Hunt, founded Rosewood Hotels & Resorts in 1979 after her father left her the Rosewood Corporation.
Caroline Rose Hunt posed at the Junior League of Los Angeles Carnivale Gala in 2004.
Caroline Rose Hunt founded Rosewood Hotels & Resorts.

Rosewood Hotels & Resorts was sold to New World Hospitality (now known as Rosewood Hotel Group) in 2011 for $229.5 million, according to an announcement published in PR Newswire.

Caroline Rose Hunt died in 2018 at age 95, AP News reported.

Their brother, William Herbert Hunt, led the family’s oil and gas company, Petro-Hunt.
hunt brothers

Before his death in April 2024, William Herbert Hunt served as an advisor to management at Petro-Hunt.

Per the company website, his family continues to own and operate Petro-Hunt, which, in addition to its focus on oil and gas, also purchases minerals and royalties, invests in real estate, and partially owns an oil refinery.

Another brother, Lamar Hunt, cofounded the American Football League.
Lamar Hunt looked on before a 1986 game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Lamar Hunt founded the Kansas City Chiefs.

Lamar Hunt founded the American Football League (AFL) in 1959 to rival the National Football League (NFL) after being refused access to buy a franchise. Since the AFL and NFL officially merged in 1970, the Lamar Hunt Trophy has been awarded to the winner of the AFC Championship.

Lamar also founded the Kansas City Chiefs (originally known as the Dallas Texans), which the family still owns today, and is credited with coining the term “Super Bowl.”

Lamar’s four children and his wife, Norma Hunt, inherited the Kansas City Chiefs after his death in 2006.
Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt is presented with the Lamar Hunt Trophy after the 2024 AFC Championship.
Lamar Hunt’s four children serve as co-owners of the Chiefs.

Norma Hunt died in 2023 at the age of 85, leaving siblings Clark Hunt, Sharron Hunt Munson, Lamar Hunt Jr., and Daniel Hunt as co-owners of the team.

Clark Hunt, 61, is the chairman and CEO of the Chiefs organization.
A close up of Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt at Super Bowl LIX Opening Night.
Clark Hunt has been CEO of the Kansas City Chiefs since 2010.

Hunt took over as CEO in 2010 and hired Andy Reid as head coach in 2013. Since then, the Chiefs have created a winning dynasty with three Super Bowl wins in five seasons.

In addition to the Chiefs, the Lamar Hunt family owns the MLS team FC Dallas and a minority stake in the Chicago Bulls.
Jesus Ferreira, #10 of FC Dallas, dribbled during a 2024 game against Sporting Kansas City.
The Hunt family was a charter investor in Major League Soccer.

In addition to being chairman and CEO of the Chiefs, Clark Hunt is also chairman and CEO of FC Dallas, while his brother, Daniel Hunt, is the club’s president.

The family’s involvement with the team was actually decades in the making. Lamar Hunt founded the Dallas Tornado soccer club in 1967 and helped establish the North American Soccer League before becoming a charter investor in Major League Soccer (MLS) in 1996.

In 1999, Lamar Hunt funded the first stadium in the US dedicated solely to soccer, Columbus Crew Stadium. That same year, he was awarded the National Soccer Hall of Fame Medal of Honor, and the US Open Cup Tournament was renamed for him.

The family took over the MLS club Dallas Burn in 2003, which was relaunched as FC Dallas two years later.

The Lamar Hunt family also has a large real-estate portfolio built under Hunt Midwest, based in Kansas City.
Lamar Hunt's children, Sharron Hunt Munson and Clark Hunt, on the sidelines of a Kansas City Chiefs game in 2019.
The Lamar Hunt family also owns the company Hunt Midwest.

According to the company’s website, Hunt Midwest is “a Kansas City-based real estate development company with more than $3 billion of developed projects nationwide,” including senior living communities and residential, multifamily, and industry-focused locations like SubTropolis.

Clark Hunt is married to Tavia Shackles Hunt.
Clark Hunt and his wife, Tavia Shackles Hunt, before a January 2025 game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos.
The pair wed in 1993.

The couple married in 1993 and have three children together: Gracie, Ava, and Knobel.

Shackles Hunt is from Kansas City, Missouri, and was involved in beauty pageants, winning Miss Missouri Teen USA, Miss Kansas USA, and finishing second runner-up at the Miss USA pageant, People magazine reported.

She has also worked as director of the Chiefs Women’s Organization.

“I love being a leader of it and organizing events to familiarize our extended football family with Kansas City and plug them into serving the community,” she told Her Life Magazine in 2018.

“It bonds us together on the field and off the field to gather to serve the community and enjoy fellowship together,” she added.

Their daughter, Gracie Hunt, was crowned Miss Kansas USA in 2021 and works in public relations for the Chiefs.
A close up of Gracie Hunt on the sidelines before the Kansas City Chiefs divisional playoff game against the Houston Texans.
Gracie Hunt

Gracie Hunt, 27, grew up playing soccer but was forced to stop after suffering four concussions. She then pivoted to beauty pageants, winning Miss Texas Teen International in 2016, Miss Texas International in 2018, and Miss Kansas USA in 2021.

Now, Hunt works in public relations for the Chiefs while also taking on projects of her own, including a capsule collection with Wear by Erin Andrews, which she’s shared online with her 584,000 Instagram followers.

Hunt told People magazine in January 2025, “Coming out with a capsule collection with Erin was a way for me to create something that is my own.”

She is also a philanthropist, having founded Breaking Barriers Through Sports in 2016. According to her website, the organization “aims to give people a positive identity and confidence through athletics and living a healthy lifestyle.”

In April, she announced her engagement to Derek Green, the son of former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Trent Green.

Tavia and Gracie Hunt shared their views on family values following Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker’s controversial comments in May 2024.
Tavia Shackles Hunt (L) and Gracie Hunt (R) at a Kansas City Chiefs game in 2022.
Both Tavia and Gracie appeared to support Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker after his controversial commencement speech in May 2024.

In May 2024, Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker delivered a commencement speech at Benedictine College, a small private Catholic liberal arts college in Atchison, Kansas.

In his address, Butker told women in the audience they’d been told “the most diabolical lies” about the value in pursuing a career. He also told men to be “unapologetic” in their masculinity and fight “the cultural emasculation of men.”

His words drew backlash, including from the sisters of Mount St. Scholastica, nuns affiliated with the college. They wrote in a statement on their website that his words “seem to have fostered division.”

However, both Tavia and Gracie appeared to support Butker in their respective social media posts and TV appearances.

Nearly a week after Butker’s address, Tavia Hunt shared photos of her and her daughters on Instagram, along with a diagram outlining the pros and cons of stay-at-home parenting and a screenshot of an article on the happiness of married couples.

In the lengthy caption, Shackles Hunt wrote that she’s always encouraged her daughters to be educated and “chase their dreams,” but said she also wants them to know that finding a spouse and raising a family “is one of the greatest blessings this world has to offer.”

“Affirming motherhood and praising your wife, as well as highlighting the sacrifice and dedication it takes to be a mother, is not bigoted,” she added. “Someone disagreeing with you doesn’t make them hateful; it simply means they have a different opinion.”

Given the post’s themes of motherhood and faith, fans were quick to connect Shackles Hunt’s words to those of Harrison Butker, who, in his commencement address, spoke about his wife, Isabelle, and how she embraced “one of the most important titles of all: homemaker.”

Meanwhile, Gracie Hunt was asked about Butker’s speech on a May 2024 episode of “Fox & Friends.”

“I really respect Harrison and his Christian faith and what he’s accomplished on and off the field,” she said. Hunt also praised her mother’s ability to stay home with her and her siblings while they were growing up, but added that “there are many women out there who can’t make that decision.”

Today, the Hunt family has a combined net worth of $25.6 billion.
Clark Hunt and family at Super Bowl LVIII in 2024.
Clark Hunt and his family attended Super Bowl LVIII in 2024.

Per Forbes, the Hunts are the 15th-richest family in the US, behind other family dynasties like the Walton family, Mars family, and Cathy family.

Read the original article on Business Insider

I hated that my dad bought a lawn care franchise. Now I’m CEO of a $426 million company.

Jennifer Lemcke headshot with dad
Jennifer Lemcke took over her dad’s company.
  • Jennifer Lemcke started working in the same business as her dad when she was 21.
  • They scaled quickly, all while Lemcke was raising three children.
  • Lemcke says she’s always been driven by money — and that’s not a bad thing.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jennifer Lemcke, CEO of Weed Man. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I was not happy when my dad decided to purchase a Weed Man lawn care franchise. At the time, I was in 10th grade. It was difficult to accept that we were moving from our home near Toronto to Ottawa, just to pull weeds. To this day, my dad swears there was a family meeting about it, but I don’t think there was.

Despite my reluctance, I made friends in Ottawa and settled in quickly. I’ve always been very money-motivated, so I would pick up shifts and odd jobs for my dad. That helped me earn money to buy a car and cover my insurance, but I didn’t have much interest in joining the family business. Instead, I went to college to study political science.

I was drawn by my dad’s financial success

During school, I worked full-time in telecommunications at the university. My boss was a great mentor. Although he was working for the school, he was very entrepreneurial-minded, and he encouraged me to think that way, too.

My dad was buying up more and more Weed Man franchise territories. I was seeing him purchasing nicer cars and bigger houses. That really attracted me to the business.

When I was 21, my now-husband and I decided to purchase our own franchise, while also becoming investors with my dad. Other family and friends followed us, including my uncle, the best man at our wedding, and that friend’s brothers.

Really, Weed Man was a big family business to its core. Because of that, I’m motivated to make money not only for myself, but for my franchisees and employees, many of whom are family.

I worked extra hard to prove myself in my dad’s business

Working with my dad wasn’t easy. I joke that I experienced reverse nepotism, but there’s some truth to that. There were times when I worked more hours but earned less than my colleagues.

I may not be the smartest person in the room, but I’ll work harder than anyone else. In my soul, I needed to work extra to prove myself to my dad and our franchisees. I wanted them to know that I was there alongside them, feeling any pain they were feeling.

My kids were forced to be independent

Around 2000, my dad’s ownership group purchased the American rights to Weed Man. I was the chief operating officer, so I traveled often while we expanded into the US.

I had three kids at home, so that wasn’t easy. Sometimes, I had to give the kids Tylenol and send them to school when they weren’t feeling well, because I couldn’t miss an important meeting. If they wanted to play sports, they had to organize their own rides. I had a nanny even when they were in high school, and she was a lifesaver, but I still questioned whether I was doing the right thing as a working mom.

During that period, work came first, the kids came second, and my husband was third. I was further down the list, after the pets. There was no work-life balance or harmony, but I was motivated by the idea of making this business a success for the people who had been alongside me for decades.

In the end, it all turned out OK. My kids — who are now 26, 28, 31 — are incredibly hard workers. Their dad and I instilled that in them. My daughter and her husband work for the business.

My desire to make money isn’t a bad thing

I became the CEO of Weed Man in 2020, replacing my dad. Last year, the business did more than $426 million in revenue. My dad is the chairman of the board, so we still work together frequently. Our relationship feels more balanced these days, and we’re often aligned on our thinking.

My career has never been selfish: at my core, I’m driven by the desire to make money for my franchisees and my family. There’s nothing bad about that. Money allows you to do things that matter to you (like, for me, supporting youth sports).

I’m grateful I’ve been able to help facilitate that for myself and my family, as well as for the families we’ve touched through franchising.

Read the original article on Business Insider

We toured United’s fanciest Airbus jet yet, complete with business-class doors and a snack bar. See inside.

The author with the A321XLR at the airshow.
Business Insider toured United’s newest plane, the A321XLR expected to fly to Europe and beyond.
  • We toured United Airlines’ new ultra-premium Airbus A321XLR at the UK’s Farnborough airshow in July.
  • The jet has doors in business class, privacy dividers in premium economy, and a snack bar in coach.
  • It’s refreshing to see an airline add premium perks to the economy section.

United Airlines’ newest Airbus jet is easily the airline’s fanciest narrowbody yet.

Adorned in a special blue-and-white livery and packed with 150 luxe new seats, the Airbus A321XLR underscores United’s continued push to court higher-paying travelers as demand for more comforts grows.

Most notably, sliding doors are now a feature in Polaris business class — an increasingly common feature in newer premium cabins and something long requested by many of United’s most valuable flyers.

Meanwhile, Premium Plus, United’s version of premium economy that sits between business and coach, has new privacy dividers.

During a tour of the jet at the Farnborough International Airshow near London last week, Peter Wolkowski, United’s director of onboard products and partnerships, told Business Insider that the middle-ground section is particularly popular.

“It’s that nice buy-up from economy, where you can get more space and nicer amenities, as well as that opportunity to rest,” he said. “We are making a conscious effort to increase the size of the new Premium Plus.”

Coach also got upgrades, including a self-service snack bar and “extra elbow room” seats for an added fee, a sign the airline is investing in economy, not just its highest-paying customers.

United hasn’t said where its A321XLR will fly first, but it’s expected to launch later this year and replace aging Boeing 757s, mostly flying routes across the Atlantic. The plane can fly 11 hours nonstop.

Think far-flung destinations like northern Italy and West Africa — places that don’t have enough demand for a widebody but are too far for most other narrowbody jets.

The cabin-wide upgrades may make those long journeys more bearable. Here’s what passengers can expect.

Polaris is essentially a mini living room.
The United Polaris business class on its A321XLR.
The 20 Polaris seats were in a 1×1 configuration.

The 20 large business-class loungers each convert into an up to 78-inch-long lie-flat bed with a 19-inch television, a remote control, several charging ports, a cubby, and Bluetooth connectivity.

Closing the door cocoons the seat into a cozy, private little suite.

Wolkowski said the design underwent two rounds of overnight sleep trials, with customers spending the night in a mockup of the new seat while experiencing simulated service from flight attendants.

“Every part of the layout, the detail, everything you see, is very thought out and intentional,” he said. “From the labeling to the control panel being right at your fingertips.”

The privacy doors weren’t easy to certify.
View from inside the suite with the door closed.
The door will be usable from day one, Wolkowski said.

The doors’ added complexity during emergency evacuations created certification challenges, and the A321XLR requires an additional flight attendant.

Wolkowski said that the A321XLR doors are fully certified and will not be locked open at launch.

Unlike on the A321XLR, United’s new Boeing 787 Polaris privacy doors remain locked open as it completes certification. Wolkowski said they’re expected to be usable by the end of the summer.

Premium Plus is now more private.
The divider on Premium Plus.
The divider extends out further.

United added a large privacy divider between the window and aisle seats in its upgraded premium economy cabin, and there are no middle seats on the narrowbody A321XLR.

The 12 plush, deep-reclining loungers also have a 16-inch seatback screen, a footrest and legrest, extra table space, and elevated linens and meals.

Premium economy demand is booming.
A view of premium plus from the seat to the television.
There is a lot of legroom.

Wolkowski said premium economy is increasingly popular with flyers as a cheaper yet amenity-rich middle ground between coach and lie-flat business.

He said Premium Plus is the fastest-growing cabin on the company’s 787s.

Coach has Bluetooth connectivity and Starlink.
The economy cabin with seatback screens off.
The coach cabin makes up the other half of the plane.

United has been offering Bluetooth on select planes for years, so it’s no surprise the A321XLR got the feature.

The airline is also rolling out Starlink across its fleet; it has launched on regional jets and some 737s and 777s.

You can pay extra for more elbow room in coach.
The blocked middle seat on United's A321XLR.
The blocked middle seat is unusual on US airlines.

One row of United’s Economy Plus extra-legroom cabin will have the middle seat blocked, giving aisle and window passengers extra table space and more elbow room.

The extra-fee seat is similar to the “Eurobusiness” seat on European carriers such as Finnair and KLM.

Economy has a self-serve snack bar.
The walk-up snack station with United branding but empty.
The walk-up snack station wasn’t stocked, but expect items like chips and cookies.

United removed several rows of coach seats to add a snack bar in the back galley.

The walk-up perk, already on the airline’s CRJ550 and A321neo, will be available to all passengers, who can expect complimentary items like water, soda, and chips.

The entire cabin has custom mood lighting.
The orange mood lighting.
Wolkowski said mood lighting helps passengers adjust to time zones.

Wolkowski said United developed custom lighting scenes to help passengers combat jet lag by illuminating the cabin in specific hues during specific phases of flight.

For example, a blue-and-white scene, intended to resemble shooting stars, is for boarding. There are also darker hues for bedtime, and orange and pink hues for daytime and meals.

Bigger overhead bins mean fewer gate checks.
The overhead bins on the United A321XLR.
The ceiling scene is meant to resemble shooting stars.

United said its A321XLR will feature larger overhead bins designed by Airbus as part of its Airspace XL cabin. These will accommodate more roller bags and reduce gate-checking during boarding.

The same bin design is already in service on United’s A321neo aircraft.

Read the original article on Business Insider

I’m single, retired, and on a tight budget. Here are 6 of my favorite low-cost items to buy at Trader Joe’s.

A side-by-side image of Trader Joe's brownie-crisp coffee-ice-cream sandwiches and Trader Joe's cheese-filled Fiocchetti.
As a recently retired man on a budget, my favorite Trader Joe’s items include the frozen pastas and desserts.
  • I’m recently retired and on a budget, so I rely on Trader Joe’s for meals that last weeks.
  • For quick dinners, I love the store’s kung pao chicken and cheese-filled fiocchetti.
  • I always stock up on easy breakfast options like the spicy spuds or baingan bharta.

Cooking used to be one of my favorite activities. However, now that I’m newly retired, single, and living on my own, making intricate and time-consuming dishes is too much for me to do every day.

Lucky, shopping at Trader Joe’s is the best hack for newly retired seniors like me, and is a great way to have delicious meals in a flash — without breaking the bank.

With a little planning and strategy before hitting the store, I’m able to squeeze out multiple meals from any of Trader Joe’s frozen items. Here are the products I always grab from the store.

Prices may vary depending on location.

I think Trader Joe’s kung pao chicken is better than takeout.
A bag of Trader Joe's kung pao chicken lying on a table next to some cilantro, a bell pepper, green onions, ginger, and a box of Trader Joe's organic brown rice.

A bag of Trader Joe’s kung pao chicken costs roughly $5.50 and is one of my go-to weeknight meals.

The chicken comes with an enclosed packet of chiles and peanuts, but I also love adding some garlic, cilantro, peppers, and green onions to create a delicious stir-fry.

I typically serve it with Trader Joe’s organic brown rice, resulting in a filling meal that lasts for days.

Trader Joe’s Mandarin orange chicken is easy to make.
A bag of Trader Joe's Mandarin orange chicken sitting on table.

Trader Joe’s Mandarin orange chicken, which costs just under $6, is another one of my favorite quick meals that tastes amazing.

All I do is bake the chicken in the oven, stir-fry some vegetables on the stovetop, and add some frozen ginger, fresh garlic, and green onions on top before serving.

I love pairing it with Trader Joe’s brown or jasmine rice, both of which can be heated up in the microwave.

Dinners are easy when I have Trader Joe’s frozen bagged pasta on hand.
A bag of Trader Joe's cheese-filled Fiochetti sitting on a table.

Whenever I heat up one of Trader Joe’s frozen pastas, I know I’ll have leftovers for the rest of the week.

Right now, I love the cheese-filled fiocchetti, which is only $4.80. I like to cook it with some fresh shallots and Trader Joe’s organic baby spinach to add some color to the dish.

When I need an effortless breakfast, I reach for Trader Joe’s spicy spuds.
A bag of Trader Joe's Spicy Spuds sitting on a table.

Trader Joe’s spicy spuds, priced at $4.50 a bag, are always in my freezer for quick weekday breakfasts at home.

To elevate these potatoes even more, I like to add some green onions or top them with Trader Joe’s cheddar Gruyère melange.

I also love Trader Joe’s baingan bharta in the morning.
A box of Trader Joe's Baingan Bharta.

Another one of my go-to breakfast items is Trader Joe’s baingan bharta.

This roasted eggplant curry, which only costs $3.50, heats up quickly in the microwave and tastes great poured over some toasted bread and a fried egg.

I love Trader Joe’s take on an ice-cream sandwich.
A box of Trader Joe's brownie-crisp coffee-ice-cream sandwiches.

Trader Joe’s brownie-crisp coffee-ice-cream sandwiches are so delicious and always end up in my cart.

In my opinion, the flavors of the espresso grounds in the ice cream and the crispy texture of the brownies pair so well together.

Plus, each box of these sandwiches only costs $4.80, satisfying both my wallet and my sweet tooth.

Want to know what other shoppers purchased? Keep reading our Trader Joe’s diaries here.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Starbucks is betting bubbles will give sales some sparkle

Starbucks Sparkling Strawberry-Acai-Lemonade Refresher and Sparkling Mango Refresher
Two of the new bubbly drinks from Starbucks.
  • Starbuck is testing new carbonated versions of its popular refresher drinks in select markets.
  • Non-coffee drinks are playing a key role in Starbucks growth, especially among younger customers.
  • The company said its refreshers line is delivering double-digit year-over-year growth.

Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol is ready for some fizz.

The company is testing a carbonated version of its Refreshers, which are iced juice and tea drinks often mixed with fruit pieces, that have become one of Starbucks’ biggest beverage businesses since launching in 2012.

“I’m really excited that we’re getting ready to go test sparkling. We’re calling it Spritzers,” he told investors on the company’s third quarter earnings call Wednesday. The company delivered net sales of $9.3 billion for the period, with global comparable sales growth of 7.9%.

Of course, sparkling drinks have been a fast food chain staple since the beginning of the industry. After all, what’s a Big Mac without a Coke?

But lest you think the Seattle coffee giant is apparently just now getting the memo on soda, Niccol says his baristas are taking a distinctive approach to bubbles.

“Our team does a great job on getting to the delicious flavors that are relevant for the customer. So it’s been a really strong platform for us, and over the last quarter, really continued to perform,” he said.

Starting this week, the company said it was testing out the spritz concept at about 100 stores in Austin, San Antonio, and St. Louis.

Starbucks Cold Brew Sour Spritz
This is not a Coke. It’s a Sparkling Cold Brew Sour Spritz

The category expansion for Starbucks follows new Energy refreshers and Blended refreshers options rolled out earlier this summer. It also comes after nearly two years of a Niccol-led focus on fundamentals, like craft coffee and quicker, friendlier service.

One goal of the change is to increase business during the afternoon, once the morning coffee rush has subsided. The non-coffee flavors also help attract younger customers to the brand.

The sparkling flavor lineup includes a coffee and citrus combo, a peach and passion fruit tea, and a strawberry matcha mashup.

“It’s been a platform, frankly, that we kind of got a little complacent on in the past, and now we are reinvigorating,” Niccol said on the earnings call. “Whether it’s fully decaffeinated or whether it’s fully boosted, those are the different occasions that people want Refreshers, whether it’s in the morning or the afternoon, and whether you’re young or old, the platform is resonating.”

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