I go to Trader Joe’s once a month. Generally I skip a lot of the produce there because it’s really expensive and nothing special. I just don’t see the worth in it. I can get similar organic produce at my Fred Meyer. And during the summer I usually buy my produce at a local farm stand by the house.
But Trader Joe’s is the perfect spot for specialty items.
I generally buy most of my cheese at TJ’s. You can try tons of different kind of fun flavored cheeses and it’s not that expensive! Definitely my favorite go-to cheese spot. And if I’m craving Indian food, I love the TJ options.
Some of my favorite TJ finds that I get every time:
- The Vegetable Masala Burger (these veggie burgers are DELICIOUS!! and only 140 calories)
- Kefir
- Crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (great for on top of steaks or in salads)
- TJ smoked Gouda slices (great for snacks and only 100 calories)
- Cottage cheese
- Cubed butternut squash (because I’m lazy)
- The fingerling potatoes are super cheap at TJ’s and delicious with breakfast
- A big bag of kale
- Chocolate
- TJ pizza dough (I buy a bag every time I go and throw it in the freezer for the next time we want homemade pizza)
New to me this trip:
- Riced Cauliflower – after hearing about this for like a year I finally decided to buy a bag and see what all the fuss is about
- Buttermilk biscuits
- Cinnamon instant oatmeal
- Tri-colored carrots (I know they’re just regular carrots, I got taken in by the purple ones–what can I say?)
So after my grocery visit I whipped up lunch while Logan took a nap. Roasted butternut squash, sliced apple and a slice of Smoked Gouda cheese. It hit the spot on the gray, rainy day.
Portland was hit with some stormy weather this weekend. I was glad I went out in the morning to get my grocery shopping finished before the wind and rain got really bad. (The so-called storm of the century never really hit, by the way.)
I was craving some comfort food. After a week of being sick and the rainy Fall weather, all I wanted was some soup and biscuits. I made the buttermilk biscuits from Trader Joe’s and then this soup:
The mixture made a ton of food! But that was good for lunches for the week. And I froze a ridiculous amount. Seriously, make this if you have to feed 10 people!
Yes, I did use the “good” wine in this recipe! The only change I made to the recipe was using spicy sausage instead of mild. Because we always like spicy more than “mild”!
Trader Joe’s Buttermilk Biscuits:
Damn, these biscuits are to die for.
I ended up leaving out the zucchini at Michael’s request. After eating the soup I agreed that the zucchini would be a weird addition, even though it called for it.
I don’t know that I’m a good critic of this soup because I’ve been sick with a head cold turned sinus infection turned bronchitis…I asked Michael what he thought of the soup because it tasted “bland” to me…and he was like “um it tastes like fire”…so yeah. 😉 Not a good gauge. But I will say that it felt very hearty and filling and healthy. And the biscuits were the perfect addition!
What are your favorite must-have Trader Joe’s items?
