For those of you that don’t know, Trader Joe’s is one of my all-time favorite stores. It’s not just my favorite grocery store. It goes up against places like Target, Home Goods, etc. I just love that place and am always so excited to peruse the aisles for more delicious goodies! And, when the Fearless Flyer comes in the mail, it’s a big day around here. I like to read it cover to cover and circle all of the items I want to try. Granted, Gary then tells me to pick one, but due to COVID-19, I go grocery shopping by myself so there’s just no winning for him!
In the month of December, I grabbed a few fun holiday treats for us to try!
First up…Jingle Jangle ($9.99)! This item has been all over social media as chocolatey holiday goodness. It’s literally a tin of chocolate covered pretzels, popcorn, cookies, and more. Based on that alone, I couldn’t resist, but the adorable holiday tin really sealed the deal. Surprisingly, I’ve had enough self control to not open this yet! We plan to open it on Christmas to have as a sweet treat throughout the day.
The next holiday goodie I grabbed was this box of adorable Mini Gingerbread People ($3.49)! I’m not a huge gingerbread fan, but I thought they’d be a fun addition to a gingerbread house this season (definitely go check out my gingerbread house tips!!) As it turns out, these are pretty tasty because they are coated with white fudge icing. Yes, please!
These Mini Peppermint Meringues ($1.99) are definitely my favorite holiday item from this season! They melt. in. your. mouth. They remind me of those fancy after dinner mints from restaurants. Not too minty, not too sweet, just right! And the serving size is 11 pieces, so TJ’s definitely knew how addictive these were going to be!
The last holiday item I grabbed was this super fun cookie decorating kit ($6.99)! I bought a similar one for Thanksgiving and it was a fun at-home date night for us. During COVID times, I’ll welcome any form of entertainment that doesn’t involve a screen!
I also picked up a few staples that we’ve been loving lately.
You. Need. This. Dip. Oh my goodness, I am obsessed with the Green Goddess Dip ($3.99)! It’s great on potato chips, tortilla chips, veggies…pretty much everything! I think this might be a seasonal item (we had it last year as well before it disappeared), so you should definitely try to grab this one ASAP.
This Cheddar Cheese with Carmelized Onion ($8.99/lb) is so stinking good! Everyone I’ve told about this particular cheese agrees. It’s great with crackers, on a charcuterie board, or just by itself (I know I’m not the only one out there who eats chunks of cheese!) I highly recommend snagging this on your next TJ’s run!
This item might seem silly to rave about for some of you, but these frozen Hash Browns ($1.99) have become a staple in our household. I personally love to eat them with scrambled egg whites in the morning. Hot tip: microwave them for 30 seconds before crisping them up in a frying pan…it’ll cut your cook time in half!
The last staple I grabbed at TJ’s was their Israeli Couscous ($1.99). During the time of COVID, we’ve really tried to add some variety to our meals. Plain white rice was getting a bit old for me to have as a side (though Gary could eat rice forever), so we added couscous into the rotation. Again, it’s not a super glamorous food to be raving about, but I’ll have to share my lemon couscous recipe with you all…it’s a total game changer!
I obviously couldn’t leave without snagging a few other random items that are “new” to us, but aren’t necessarily seasonal items in the store.
Asiago Cheese with Rosemary & Olive Oil ($8.99/lb) sounded too delicious to pass up! Can’t wait to try this on a charcuterie board for New Year’s Eve!
Last but not least, we’re going to try some Brown Rice Pasta ($1.99) around here! I’ve been navigating some stomach issues as of late, so I’m going to try to see if minimizing gluten/wheat has any impact. I’m super curious to see how this tastes!
Alright, friends, what have you been loving at Trader Joe’s lately?? I’m always looking for new suggestions! And, be sure to check out my January Trader Joe’s Food Finds for updates about the items from this list that I haven’t tried as of today!
xoxo
Jennifer