Our Favorites from Trader Joe's

Do you have a Trader Joe's near you? If not, I hate to tell you, but you are missing something special. Apparently here in PA, where they are not allowed to sell alcohol in grocery stores, we are missing something special too, because Trader Joe's is rumored to have a good wine selection.

If you don't know about Trader Joe's, they started in the 50's as a convenience store (called Pronto Markets at the time).  They stocked innovative, hard-to-find, great-tasting foods. That strategy, cut costs and saved customers money. It's the same premise they build on today.

I've been shopping there regularly for a while now, we've become fans of several of their products. I've migrated to Trader Joe's brand for many of my day-to-day staples. You can't buy many "name brand" items there. . .they have Kind Bars and Cliff bars, but most of their products are bought directly from the suppliers.

Here are some of our favorites:

Coffee - Trader Joe's has a wide variety of coffee - k-cups, whole beans, ground and instant. We like the regular Joe Coffee whole beans. I grind them in the store and it all works out great for less than $4.99 a week. (that's one cup at Starbucks - this is all our morning coffee for 7+ days)

Chicken Nuggets -These are my "emergency" kid food. On a night where I don't feel like cooking, or we need something fast - I pop these in the oven, (no artificial colors) add a side of fruit or veggies and feel relatively good about what I fed my kids.

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups - These are just plain old amazing. They are rich and creamy and taste like you picked them up from a candy shop. I can't eat just one - ever.

My list is pretty endless, chicken broth, tea bags, crackers, frozen fruit and vegetables, waffles and frozen pancakes . . .the best part?    ALL their products contain NO synthetic colors, NO artificial flavors, NO artificial preservatives, NO MSG, NO added Trans Fats, and NO genetically modified ingredients. You can find special dietary items like gluten free, kosher and vegetarian as well.

Are you a Trader Joe's fan? What are some of your favorites? I'm always looking for something new to try!

catch you soon -