Hi Neighbor!
Don’t laugh but I used to be intimidated (and slightly confused) by Trader Joe’s. I felt panicky strolling the aisles and not recognizing any brand names, and the folksy, text-heavy circulars felt like an inside joke I wasn’t a part of. I jumped every time a cashier rang the bell, and sometimes I just wanted to buy stamps or batteries for goodness’ sake. For awhile I simply smiled and played along when friends gushed about Trader Joe’s. But then my kids got older and formed opinions—STRONG opinions—about the contents of our pantry, specifically the snacks. They were tired of Goldfish and Pirate’s Booty, and honestly, I couldn’t blame them. I was bored too.
They begged me to try Trader Joe’s, where all their friends with the cool snacks shopped. So off we went. While they gleefully walked the aisles, I trailed nervously behind. But then they started filling my cart with fun, slightly offbeat snacks and frozen goodies with names that made me laugh. Grocery shopping often feels like a drag. I try to make one big trip a week, but I end up making at least six, buying the same things over and over. (Just thinking about it makes me tired.) Exploring Trader Joe’s through my kids’ eyes was exhilarating, like someone was shaking us awake after a yearslong food coma. Of course the free samples help, along with the lollypops and stickers the cashiers dole out to my youngest. Above all, it’s a place that doesn’t take itself too seriously, which is hard to find these days.
Last week we went to Trader Joe’s for a fall snack haul, filling our cart with salted maple ice cream, pumpkin spiced pretzels, bats & cats sour gummies, pumpkin-flavored Joe-Joe’s, maple-spiced nut mix and ghost chips, among other things. After we came home and unpacked our finds, our pantry felt a lot less blah, almost like we’d given it a mini makeover.
OK now it’s your turn…what are your top Trader Joe’s finds? Please share in the comments below!
PS My kids are obsessed with this recipe made entirely from TJ’s ingredients!
See ya at TJ’s,
Kate
