A Few New {to me} Trader Joe’s Items

A while back you might recall {like if you’re my mom or one of my other VERY loyal readers} I wrote a post about my top 10 favorite Trader Joe’s Items. And as some of you may know, I do 80% of my grocery shopping at Trader Joe’s {with the other 20% being Costco- they have a great organic selection now, you know?}  So here are a few of my latest Trader Joe faves:

Nitrite Free Salami

I’ve been searching for this for a while now.  All the taste of salami without the nitrites, yay! It comes in two flavors: white wine and red wine…honestly I can’t taste the difference between the two…both yummy and both, you got it, nitrite free.

Next up is Crunchy Almond Butter with Flax Seeds.

Now, normally I like my flax seeds to be ground as the body can’t really digest the whole seeds…however, I’m not really eating this for the omega-3s…it’s just SO um um GOOD!  I’m not really an almond butter gal.  I’ve loved my sunflower seed butter for a loooong time…but this one, folks, has won me over.  If you’ve not liked almond butters in the past, give this one a try.  And did you know TJ’s will take it back if you don’t like it?  So it’s risk-free, too!  I put it on TJ’s whole wheat British muffins with a SMIDGE of super fruit spread on top.

Moving right along to the sweet stuff…I had never tried a crumpet until recently.  In fact, I only bought them after listening to a Disney Princess sing about the perfect princess tea…and my daughters asking for “crumpets please”. 

Can you say: Dessert for breakfast?  Uh, yeah, they’re that good.  You just gotta try them to see what I’m talking about. The nooks and crannies on these puppies can soak up three times as much butter as Thomas’ English Muffins…and make sure you use real butter!

As if the crumpets are good enough on the their own with a little{or a little more} butter…try adding a bit of this on top:

Lemon Curd. Enough said.

Though I do want to say one more thing while we’re on the subject, this stuff can make even the best scones taste that much better.

Finally, to make sure your table is always lookin’ it’s purdiest…at $1.29/bunch of 10, you might need more than one bunch.

The Daffodils are going fast, but boy are they fun to share table space with.

And if yellow isn’t your thing…

…you could go for the incredibly sweet scent of stock. And at under $3/bunch, you’ll think you’re hiking amongst the wildflowers each time you pass by.

{If you’re liking that aqua colored mason jar, see my tutorial here.}

Ok my friends, that’s all the shopping tips I have for you today!

What are your latest Trader Joe faves?  Or what have you always wanted to try but still haven’t?

Top 10 Favorite Trader Joe's Items

10. Niman Ranch Applewood Smoked Uncured Bacon- this bacon is so yummy and "good" for you  not too terribly bad for you since it doesn't contain added nitrates or nitrites (except those in celery powder), no antibiotics or hormones and their pigs are fed an all vegetarian diet (not given animal bi products).

9.  Sunflower Seed Butter- this is such a wonderful alternative to peanut butter and so tasty, in fact I prefer it!  I spread it on English muffins, toast, bagels (usually combining with TJ's Super Fruit Spread).  I also us it in Asian dishes that normally use peanut butter, like stir fry and pad Thai noodles.  Tastes yummy in chocolate smoothies, too!

8.  Very Green Powder & Hemp Protein Powder- both additions to our morning smoothies (along with flax, which TJ's also carries, but I buy at Costco)

7.  milk & yogurt (&  cheese for that matter)- I just love that all of their dairy is rBST-free (butter, cheese, sour cream, cheese, milk and yogurt)

6. Non fat frozen yogurt- pleasantly tart (read: VERY tart if you are expecting sweet vanilla ice cream!) This fro-yo is processed in such a way that preserves the live cultures (most cannot say that), something all of our guts can use daily.  (and another fave snuck into that picture, too!)

5. Tea Tree Tingle Shampoo and Conditioner- I've been using these for a few years now and love them. They don't contain parabens, sodium lauryl/lauryth sulfates, or many of the other yuckies that are in many products out there.  For the price and what they contain don't contain, they're a winner in my book bath.

4. Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap- I use this bar soap for my entire body, face too.  It's just about the purest soap out there, containing NOTHING toxic.  Have you looked up your beauty products on Skin Deep? It will tell you how your products rate as far as all the "bad stuff" (ie. parabens, sodium lauryl/lauryth sulfates, etc.)

3. Barn Star Omega 3 eggs- from hens fed a vegetarian diet, not given hormones or antibiotics and contain 350 mg omega 3 per egg.

2.  Challah Bread- Once a week my family enjoys "French Toast Day" with Trader Joe's Challah bread! It is super yummy and great for French Toast. I just slice it up, dip it in a mixture of egg, milk, real maple syrup (also a TJ's fave), cinnamon, and vanilla, and cook in a bit of butter on the stove-top on med-low. Doesn't need any syrup!


Sorry, as of posting time, I didn't have a picture of it ready to go...we used it yesterday for French Toast Day! I'll get it posted soon.

1. The Dark Chocolate Lover's Chocolate Bar- the darkest chocolate around at 85% cacao, these little squares of heaven just might keep us alive a little longer with their huge antioxidant power. So don't feel guilty! Enjoy with another antioxidant fave, red wine.

Since I do 80% of my grocery shopping at Trader Joe's, I have many many favorites.  These are some staples that are always in my house (except the Challah bread!) and  all items I will make a special trip to TJ's for. 


A couple handful of honorable mentions include:

~Organic Tampons (no need to expose our bodies to more chlorine and pesticides, and their price beats everyone around)
~All Natural Anti-plaque Toothpaste (without fluoride- and I haven't had a cavity since braces in middle school)
~Quick Cooking Steel Cut Oatmeal
~String Cheese
~Shredded Mexican Blend Cheese
~Super Fruit Spread
~Rosemary Ham and Smoked Turkey lunch meats (contain NO nitrite/nitrates)
~English Breakfast Tea
~various flavored Green Teas
~Whole Wheat English Muffins
~Whole Wheat mini bagels (no high fructose corn syrup)
~Cuties (ok, you can get these anywhere, but who doesn't love these little mandarins without seeds?)
~BBQ and Sea Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips (made with healthier oils)
~anything Pumpkin (cream cheese, muffin mix, pancake mix, ice cream, pumpkin butter to name a few)
~Uncooked Pizza Dough (I have a system for cooking so it doesn't stick to the pizza stone)
~Fresh Pesto Sauce
~Whole Wheat Gnocchi
~Dry Roasted & Salted (but the 50% less salt blue label) Mixed Nuts, NO peanuts
~Dark Chocolate covered pretzels (dairy free!)
~Italian Sweet Chicken Sausage (uncooked, I remove casing prior to cooking)


and last but not least, 2 Buck Chuck  Try it with some dark chocolate tonight.

This bottle is left over from our wedding! We served this at the bitter end to guests that were too many drinks in to know better.

Seriously my list could go on and on.  I love Trader Joe's, did I mention that? 

What's YOUR favorite thing at Trader Joe's?

I linked this posting up on another blog having a "Favorite Things" linky party.  It's my first linky party!  Check it out: