Trader Joe’s opened not too long ago in my neck of the woods, and although it was tempting to camp out on the first day, I found it just as satisfying to wait until 8 p.m. to sneak a peek. Although various sections were cleared out (it looked like a giant Hoover sucked away almost all of the hummus and yogurts), I still came home with a bagful of goodies.
The first time I was introduced to Trader Joe’s was when I visited my grandmother in Burbank, California. That was like three years ago. When they announced the chain was coming to my city, I was nearly salivating at the prospect of having access to a wider assortment of healthy foods, ingredients, and seasonal treats…yes, I bought a box of Pumpkin O’s cereal even though I can’t technically eat it for another month.
I frequent a lot of health food stores about town, but will be purchasing the following items (my absolute favorites) exclusively from Trader Joe’s:
1. Trader Joe’s Unsweetened Dark Chocolate Bar with Almonds – Don’t judge…after buying one or two here and there…I bit the chocolate bullet and plopped 12 of these candy bars down at checkout the last time I was there. And yes Mother, I am calling you out once again for announcing to the cashier that I am addicted to them.
2. Pre-Packaged UNSWEETENED Dried Cherries – Do you know how hard it is to find dried cherries that haven’t been laced with sugar? I’ve only found one other place in town, and Trader Joe’s currently sells the cheapest.
3. Trader Joe’s Organic Fruit Wrap – I’ve had plenty of fruit wraps and leathers in my day, but the Trader Joe’s Apple-Banana flavor is really tasty. The Wild Berry flavor is also one of my favorites. They cost 49 cents, and can be a real hit with the kiddies.
4. Uncured Bacon – If you’re lucky, you can find at least one package of uncured bacon at your local grocery store, but at Trader Joe’s, you have options. They even have uncured turkey bacon. Why buy uncured meat? The bacon doesn’t contain nitrates and preservatives. The downside…you have to cook it within a relatively short time frame…or it will spoil.
5. Trader Joe’s Fruit, Chia & Flax Bar – Strawberry: I’ve had other fruit and chia seed bars, BUT the difference in the Trader Joe’s version is that it includes flax seeds and there are visible pieces of real strawberry added to the mix…as opposed to a fruit leather type of bar.
