Magers and Quinn Booksellers is a real gem. Right in the heart of Uptown Minneapolis on Hennepin between Lake and 31st, Magers and Quinn is the Twin Cities’ largest independent bookstore. Open until 10pm on weekdays and 11pm on weeknights, it’s always busy, always well-stocked, and always has several carts of sale books displayed on carts outside the front door. Inside, it’s a treasure trove.

As soon as you walk into the front entryway, there’s an impressive collection of displays and shelves. It gets better though when you realize there’s an even larger back section:

M&Q’s numerous awards are humbly stowed away in a corner:

The atmosphere is one where you can browse through books in the store and not feel any pressure to buy or be on your way. On several occasions I’ve relaxed in the store, reading through cookbooks or browsing topics, and no employee has ever seemed to mind. Today, I was interested in browsing some food theory books:

After skimming through Michael Pollan’s Food Rules, I decided to purchase a copy of In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. The book is about the American food paradox: the most nutritionally focused our society becomes, the less healthy we are. I’m interested to read it and think I will learn a lot!

After my adventure at the bookstore, I was in need of a snack when I got home. I decided to make a protein shake with 1 scoop of chocolate Tera’s Whey protein powder, 5 strawberries, 1 cup of almond milk, and 6 ice cubes:

Very refreshing! I like the flavor of this protein powder a lot, but I don’t think I could stomach it with just water.