Fearless Shopping at Trader Joe's

Congratulations to Summer Lynn McCormick! You were randomly selected of the commenters on the Chicken Fried Rice post and the winner of the Trader Joe's $25 Gift Card! Best, Fearless Shopping at Trader Joe's

Trader Joe’s Chicken Fried Rice $2.29/ bag I would like to start by saying that I am not a huge fan of frozen, pre-made meals. I am a little bit of a control freak when it comes to what and how much goes into my dinners. I am also not a fan of frozen vegetables. In my experience, I have found frozen veggies to be soggy, flavor-less, and an odd texture.  That said, I have to say that the frozen Trader Joe’s Chicken Fried Rice is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! Amazing enough that it has now become one of my go-to meals, especially on busy weeknights. There are four of us in my household (two adults and two 10-year-olds), so one-and-a-half bags of fried rice is the perfect amount. When I shop, I usually buy three bags at a time. At $2.29 a bag , how can you go wrong?! You could use the rice as a side. It only takes about five minutes to cook. But I like to throw other things into it and make it the main dish because why not?! We love carrots in my house, so I will usually dice up one or two car...

I've been on a super huge hummus kick for months now, making my way through the Trader Joe's hummus collection, which is massive and delicious. Recently, they launched this new product-- the Dill Pickle Hummus. Now, though I'm a dill pickle loving kid at heart since I was a young kiddo-- this sounded quite odd to me. How could this possibly taste? Pickles with hummus?! Well let me tell you, it's freaking AMAZING!!!!  My skepticism was met with pleasant surprise, as this zesty and tangy treat is absolutely a dill pickle delight. It's not overwhelmingly powerful in vinegary taste, it's flavorful and still tastes like hummus with that garlic and dill essence. What's more is it's not only flavored with dill pickles, it has dill pickles in  the hummus. Which gives it that extra kick!  I first tried the hummus with Trader Joe's Yellow Rounds Chips, which was great with that added salt, however I much prefer this snack with pita bread, as you might with any...

In the heat of the summer, who really wants to turn the oven on to make a meal? I sure don't. I'm constantly looking for innovative solutions to this problem-- quick and tasty ideas I can either do stove-top, on the grill outside, or none of the above! Take a look at a few of my go-to's and share some of your own with me in the comment section or contact me via the side bar option.  1. Sally's Salad A friend of mine, three guesses on her name, came up with her own delicious version of this salad when we went out to eat. She'll have this no matter what time of day, and I quickly adopted a quick one liner when going out with her, "I'll have what she's having!" So, good! It's a little quirky-- it's a salad with no, I repeat, no lettuce, folks! Try it! You won't be disappointed.  Ingredients: Chopped up cucumbers TJ's Grilled Chicken Strips (green package)  TJ's Organic Pitted Kalamata Olives in Brine / EVOO TJ's Authenic Greek ...

For all the parents out there--- here's a list of kid-friendly snack and lunch recipes for you to pack up that picnic basket and hit the road to your nearest beach or park for a safe and social distanced outing! These are easy-peasy 20 minutes or less recipes. Let me know how these turn out for your family!  Recipes:  1) Joe-Joe's Truffles (no-bake) Ingredients: One box of Trader Joe's Chocolate Joe-Joe's  One package of cream cheese  One package of semi-sweet chocolate chips Directions: In a food processor/blender-- process all the cookies until finely ground up. They should be practically powder form and mush. Set aside 1/2 cup of the ground joe-joe's for later. Mix in the package of cream cheese with the rest of the joe-joe's mixture thoroughly.  Scoop spoon fulls and roll into balls placing on parchment paper. Set aside.  Melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips by the double boil method and temper the chocolate. Once melted, place each ball on a fork and ge...

Often when I'm packing a picnic, entertaining or even just making a meal for the family, I'm left with a head scratcher on the creativity-front when it comes to side dishes. Especially seasonal appropriate dishes. My go-to is Pinterest. I have a whole board dedicated to recipes. Since working at Trader Joe's, however, I've been able to drum up some of my own creations and pin my own kitchen concoctions. Of course, ringing at the register is fun too, because I get some great tips and ideas from customers.  1. Fig, Goat Cheese & Prosciutto Wrapped Crostinis  Ingredients: 1 jar of Fig Butter 1 baguette  1 log of plain goat cheese (not herbed, not honey) 1 package of prosciutto  ground black pepper grapeseed oil (or olive oil if you don't have grapeseed) Directions: Preheat the oven 350 degrees. Slice the baguette into 1/2" thick slices and brush oil on each slice just enough to lightly cover both sides (this will make them crisp up).  Pop in the oven for 15-20...

My favorite section in the store would have to be the cheese department. That's mostly because I'm obsessed with cheese, I could live on cheese-- if I was stuck on an island with only one food option, it'd be cheese, cheese and more cheese.  What a perfect place to be in love with cheese, because Trader Joe's has a wide selection of delicious finds from all over the world. To boot, for reasonable prices that won't break my weekly budget.  One of my recent favorites, is the Blueberry Vanilla Chevre goat cheese log. It's a creamy and sweet dessert cheese, paired well with many items, from your favorite mild cracker to melting onto a sandwich, gourmet grilled cheese style. It's covered in hundreds of tiny wild blueberries, no artificial coloring or flavoring. It's divine.  My long time favorite cheddar, and one of most popular cheeses, is the Unexpected Cheddar . It's crumbly, nutty, and a little tang! Don't expect it to be like the common sharp ch...