Trader Joe's Thursday

Can you believe it?

I'm actually blogging about this again.

Will wonders never cease?

Anyway, I wanted to share a few more favorites this week. I tried a few new things this week and boy, am I glad I did!

Mini Brie Bites with Hot Pepper Jelly

A few weeks ago, I discovered these mini Brie bites in the cheese section. I love Brie, so I threw them in my cart and I can't tell you what a good decision that was. Five come in a bag and I wasn't sure what to expect when I opened the first individual Brie, so I wanted to show you. I was thinking it was just going to be a little cup of creamy Brie, but it's an actual tiny individual cheese with a rind! It is a perfect snack between lunch and dinner! It holds me until dinner but doesn't fill me up so I'm not hungry. 

I put pieces of the Brie on TJ's equivalent to Wheat Thins and smear a little pepper jelly on top. If you don't like spicy, you will probably still like this jelly. It's got the sweetest heat and it's perfect with the Brie. Do yourself a favor and grab this combination the next time you're at TJ's! 

Wine Country Chicken Salad

Listen, I'm kind of a chicken salad snob. I didn't even like it until about a year ago and now, I really only like my homemade kind. I like the perfect seasoning, lots of grapes for sweetness, and pecans for crunch.  And NO CELERY. Gag. Celery is of the devil. I'd heard that this was delicious and was hungry while we were in TJ's yesterday, so I picked some up for lunch. I really liked this! It has big pieces of chicken and the cranberries add the perfect compliment. Of course, I love the pecans. I think chicken salad tastes best on club crackers, but I just used some TJ's Ritz crackers yesterday since I didn't have any club crackers. Delicious!

Sea Salt & Turbinado Sugar Dark Chocolate Almonds 

These are crazy good. The salt is perfect and I think it's just what the dark chocolate needs. Keep these in a secret place so you don't have to share with anyone. Does my kindness inspire you? 

Summer Watermelon Salad with Sugar Snap Peas

I can't take credit for this, but I did want to share! This was what they were serving at the sample station. Both Griffin and I had two samples... each. The sample lady kept giving them to us! It would be the perfect compliment to anything you might throw on the grill this summer or would be a great side to any type of luncheon. I can't wait to make this soon!

I also picked up the May edition of Trader Joe's flyer. If you shop there, grab one! They highlight different items in the store and I hadn't tried a lot of them! I spent some time browsing the flyer yesterday during Griffin's nap and I marked some new things to try. We'll see what I find!

I do apologize to any of you who don't have a TJ's. I know I've been torturing my poor aunt with my TJ's recommendations! I will pray that Trader Joe's comes to a city near you soon. 

And this has nothing to do with TJ's, but I hope the cutest boy in the world brightens your world this Thursday. He thought he was big stuff in Daddy's glasses! 

Happy Thursday, friends!

Trader Joe's Thursday

I'd love to say that this is the beginning of a blog series for me. But if history repeats itself, this will be a one week thing. Maybe a two or three week thing if we're lucky. It's who I am; at least I own it.

I love Trader Joe's. I feel sad for myself that I've only really known the Joe for the last two years. I also feel sad for people who don't have a TJ's close to them. It's unfortunate and I will pray for you.

Trader Joe's has so many great items at even better prices! Everyone is always so friendly and I constantly find new things each time I go. Griffin loves going because he gets a sucker, stickers, and is on the lookout for the hidden stuffed frog while we shop.

Side note, I actually didn't realize he was looking for the frog until we went on Monday. I'm always the one who says, "Let's find the frog! Where is he?" but I'd forgotten in my glee of finding the perfect bunch of tulips when we walked in.

We're the frozen aisle and Griffin starts saying something that sounds mysteriously like a vulgar word that starts with F. I can assure you that my child has NEVER heard that word (ironically until yesterday when our mail lady said mother****** in front of him and his friend-- she was talking about the RAIN. I was livid. It was so uncalled for). I was concerned because although I knew that wasn't what he was saying, it sounded an awful lot like he was saying the F word. I started panicking because other people were around.

I basically started shouting "You want a fork?? Why do you want a fork?? You can't eat now!" to be sure the other patrons understood that my child wasn't expressing himself with the worst profanity of all time. It was a stressful situation until I realized that he'd seen the stuffed FROG sitting on top of the pizza case. Thanks be to God, my child is just a genius who'd found the frog and wasn't swearing his way through the frozen delicacies. I made sure to loudly praise him because not only did I want the other people to know what he was really saying, but I also wanted them to see my boy wonder who found the frog all on his own. I just realized I am THAT mother. That's a painful realization.

Anyway, all that to say I love Trader Joe's and so does Griffin.

I thought I'd share a few of my favorite things with you each week (or really maybe just this once) so that if you have a Trader Joe's, you might find something new!

Rice Orzo Pilaf

This is so, so good. It's the best rice pilaf we've ever had and it's even just the tiniest bit creamy like risotto! It makes a great addition to any meal, but I usually pair it with some kind of baked or grilled chicken. If you need a rice side dish, try this. I've always got a few boxes in the pantry!

Highbrow Chocolate Chip Cookies

I was a little skeptical of these... until I ate one. They are a thin, crunchy chocolate chip cookie and I prefer thicker, chewier cookies. But there's something about these that just make me want to eat the entire box in one sitting. And because they're thin, a whole box isn't too bad for you! That's my justification. I actually don't think Tyler ever got to try these because I ate them so fast. Putting these on my grocery list now...

Cinnamon Schoolbook Cookies

I bought these specifically for Griffin. I don't really like cinnamon, so I knew I wouldn't be tempted. It's a fun way to work on letters even though I have my teacher doubts about how effective that method is. But it is fun to give him a few after lunch and review our letters. His current favorite letter is W and he loves finding it anywhere... especially when it's in cookie form! This could be a fun kindergarten manipulative for all you K teachers out there! 

Teeny Tiny Potatoes

I learned about these from Tina and her recipe for the potatoes is just perfect. It goes well with a burger or with a chicken sandwich! They're tiny and crunchy and a fun change from french fries or sweet potato fries. I tend to get in a "grilled meat sides" rut during the summer and this is a great recipe that allows me to change it up. 

Island Soyaki

I blogged a little bit about this marinade here but we were big fans. It made for a delicious chicken sandwich, but I want to try it on grilled pork chops and grilled chicken thighs/ legs next! It had the tiniest hint of sweetness. If you like to grill, try this with your meat this summer.

Three Layer Hummus

I got this hummus on my very first trip to TJ's and I will be so sad if it ever goes away. It's red pepper hummus on top, traditional in the middle, and cilantro on the bottom. I'm a lover of all things cilantro, but it's actually my least favorite of the three layers! This is delicious with carrot chips, Triscuits, tiny bell peppers, and with a spoon. No, really. It's that good.

I really want to keep going, but I need to save some things for next week! I'm planning to share one of my favorite snack ideas next.

What do you like to get from Trader Joe's? I'm always looking for new favorites!