There are people in this world whose favorite store is Trader Joe’s and could live off peanut butter filled pretzels, ginger cats and vegetable masala burgers. I am not one of those people, but I like the store a lot and there are several products I love that I can’t find anywhere else. So I was really happy when Brian and I received a TJ’s gift card from my aunt and uncle for Christmas. Since our nearest Trader Joe’s location is over an hour away, it wasn’t until today that we got a chance to spend it. Recently, Caitlin shared her favorite products from Trader Joe’s and, since today was a fairly typical shopping trip, I thought I’d do the same.
This was our purchase today:
frozen vegetable gyoza (pot stickers), frozen edamame, goat cheese, frozen salmon filets, frozen haddock filets, chocolate cheddar cheese
tricolor quinoa, whole wheat couscous, maple syrup, fruit leather strips, banana chips, almonds
We purchase most of these items on all our trips to Trader Joe’s. They have some of the best prices on dried fruit and nuts, as well as cheese, that I’ve ever seen. The frozen fish prices are pretty decent as well and, along with the pot stickers, will help make menu planning easier in the busy upcoming weeks. (Side note: are there ever going to be “not busy” upcoming weeks?) I couldn’t resist that log of goat cheese – it was about half the price as at our supermarket. We don’t usually get syrup at Trader Joe’s, but we’re running low and we figured it was a good use of a gift card. Couscous is one of my favorite grains because it cooks so quickly; I always buy a couple boxes at TJ’s, but I should really be on the look out for a whole wheat version in my local stores. Quinoa isn’t usually on the shopping list, but it’s March’s Grain of the Month, so I opted to pick some up.
My favorite thing is probably the fruit strips. Those 20 strips will only last Brian and I for a couple weeks, if we limit to one a day. I love all the flavors and how easy they are to grab and go. If Trader Joe’s was closer to us, I can’t imagine how many we’d go through.
