Fearless Shopping at Trader Joe's

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 ...

Trader Joe's has a wide array of cooking oils for you to choose from. But, where to begin?! There's avocado, sunflower, grapeseed, olive and canola oil, coconut oil-- you name it, they have it.  The question you might be wondering upon looking at the shelf is, what do I need and what would I use some of these oils for? Before we get started, it's important to understand smoke point .  Smoke point is the temperature at which a particular oil begins to breakdown and thus start to smoke, stink up the kitchen and release what's called free radicals . Oils that have low smoke point are better for drizzling and dipping, not for cooking with-- as they are adverse to high temperatures than those with high smoke points.  Also, if possible-- it's also a great rule of thumb to go with expeller or cold-pressed processed oils, which is the process of extracting the oils by pressing it out of the seeds rather than using chemicals. Trader Joe's grapeseed oil, for example, is o...

Welcome to Fearless Shopping at Trader Joe's . Some of you may be acquainted with Trader Joe's Fearle ss Flyer -- which is their periodic newsletter of new and upcoming products. It's full of great tid-bits of information and new things to try. I highly suggest subscribing and/or picking up a copy when you find it at your local store.  I have varied experience in life-- from working at Habitat for Humanity and other various nonprofits to working in the technology industry. I even started studying for a period of time to become a sommelier (a wine and spirits guru). I've served tables, worked retail, etc. I even worked for a Trader Joe's in Maryland while studying for my bachelors degree at American University.   This also isn't my first blog. A decade or so ago I started writing about my personal weight-loss journey and continued writing through my gastric-bypass surgery. It meant a lot to walk through that journey with friends and family, sharing my experience...