Trader Joe's Yum!

Sometimes I make pretty bad assumptions, and for the past few years I've made one about Trader Joe's. 

My assumption of Trader Joe's was that is was an expensive super market that had healthy things I would probably love but couldn't afford. This idea cost me one year of living walking distance from Trader Joe's and never stepping inside. I mean, I would pass by the store almost on a daily basis at one point a couple summers ago, but did not even look to see what they had. OH EM GEE! What a mistake that was because after my first visit in over 5 years, I was head over heals for this place that is filled with awesome food at great prices. Not to mention their organic, all wooded-out style! I love it & now I stop by on a weekly basis!

I love Trader Joe's for their unique & delicious selection of food items. And the awesome thing is I have loved everything I've tried from there so far! So with the excitement I had about loving so many different things (is this sounding a little too good to be true?) I decided that every time I visit TJ’s I would purchase something new I hadn't tried before. This was not a hard decision because I love exploring with new foods & flavors. G's not as big of a fan of this, but he liked my idea all the same. And you know what? We have not been let down with the new foods we've tried so far! (except he hasn't tried everything I have, but that's ok too! lol) Because of this really cool experience, I had the idea to write a post about the newest foods I've tried, loved, & repurchased from TJ’s. I'm planning on writing a post once a month for the next year. Let's see how far I actually go!

I am no food blogger, so I may not be too detailed about ingredients or nutrition. But I wanted to do this to encourage you to try out new foods and new places to purchase food for you and your family! It’s been a great eye opener for me to realize I just should not make assumptions about even the simple things I don’t know, and not to fear trying new things - because the worse that can happen is you don’t like what you try, but thanks to TJ’s awesome policy you can return what you don't like & get your money back with no problem!

So here are my top 5 "yums" for this month!

1. Organic Dark Chocolate Truffle
If you're a dark chocolate fan you'll love this! If your a milk chocolate fan you'll love the milk chocolate version of this. I love having chocolate at home because if I know it's available to me I don't crave it all the time. Except when I'm craving a dark chocolate cupcake from Sprinkles, but that's a whole 'nother subject!
Wanna try out this chocolate delight? It's $1.99.

2. Spicy Black Bean Dip (fat free!)
I tried this dip thanks to the free samples of new items TJ's has in the store. Even though I am not a huge fan of spicy food, this dip is so tasty I can gladly put up with the slight tingling that occurs in my mouth when I eat it. Also, its only 30 calories for 2 table spoons! I'm not a calorie counter, but when something that tastes this good is so little in calories, I get excited! If you want to give this black bean dip a try (that tastes great with a quesadilla, or sweet potato chips - my favorites!) it'll cost you about $1.69.

3. Spectaculous Crunchy Cookie Butter
This stuff is a life changer! It's as simple as that. I remember Julie and Michelle both telling me to go to TJ's to try the regular cookie butter spread, and after I finally went there was only ONE jar left. That definitely told me there was something special about this product and I was so exited to try! But when I got home and opened the jar, gasp!! It had already been opened! I could not believe it! I called Julie to tell her about the tragedy that just occurred, and I had to go back the next day to exchange for another jar. Since then, I've tried the crunchy version (pictured above) of this delicious gingerbread cookie spread & love it even more! If you don't want your taste buds to miss out on life anymore, try this! It'll cost you about $3.69.

4. Chile & Onion Flour Tortillas
I am a quesadilla lover! The Panini presser we got as a wedding gift is one of my favorite & most used cooking items because I love toasting quesadillas on it! This tortilla has a unique and yummy flavor that does have a bit of spice to it. So if you want to give it a try it'll cost you about $2.29 (comes with 10 tortillas).

5. Kettle Corn (popcorn)
Chicago is home to the famous Garrets Popcorn, and the Chicago mix is it's classic flavor: cheese popcorn mixed with caramel popcorn. SO GOOD! I love it because anything that combines sweet & salty flavors excites me, and the kettle corn from TJ's does not disappoint! Wanna try? It's $1.99.

Thank you Lord for the blessing of having access & the ability to buy nutritious food. & please have mercy on those who starve everyday.

love, T Olive