1 year, 10 TJ’s favorites, and a GIVEAWAY!
It’s been a year since I started frugalfoodiefamily, my little attempt to share with the world how I cook and eat well on a budget, for our family of 4 but also and sometimes even more importantly I think, for the community around me. Our budget started last year at $385, is now $400, and I’ve posted over 150 recipes in nearly 200 posts. Whoa.
The Adventure
It’s been so fun to make connections with people around the world, to share my love for food with the readers of Martha Stewart, OC Family, and the foodies checking out the mouthwatering pics on Foodgawker and Instagram (@frugalfoodiefam). Possibly the best part of all is hearing from many of you that you feel a bit more inspired and confident in the kitchen, that you’re saving money, losing weight, feeding your kids better and more nutritiously, and connecting with others over food. LOVE!
My Bestie, Trader Joes
Of course by now you know I’m an unpaid publicist for Trader Joes (they don’t know this yet but I’m working on it)! This year I’ve made about 75 visits to the store (probably 73 of them with my two small kids, lucky me:), purchased probably 40 different wines (I mean I just had to after said 73 shopping trips with small kiddos), and beamed with joy as my dear friend in Austin rallied her city together to get their first store ever!
So Happy Blogiversary to frugalfoodiefamily!
No, we’re not celebrating with cake. I’ve got something even better for you…
In honor of such a fun milestone, and because I’m not sure there’s any store more fun than Trader Joes, I’ve included my top 10 TJ’s favorites, plus a little G-I-V-E-A-W-A-Y! So here we go…
In no particular order:
10. Marinated Frozen Ahi Tuna. Usually around $5 bucks a pound, a favorite in the summer on the grill. Tastes like a steak. Really.
9. Extra Virgin Olive Oil. A $6 bottle lasts me 4-6 weeks. What a deal.
8. Two Buck Chuck. I always keep their Sauvignon Blanc on hand, for cooking and some weeknight sipping.
7. Whole Wheat Pizza Dough. Yes, homemade is better. No, I don’t usually have the time to make it. This stuff works great, and is just over $1 buck.
6. Dark Chocolate Covered Caramels. Oh. My. Just try them.
5. Greek Yogurt. 16 Ounces for $1.99. I haven’t found this price anywhere else, and I’ve stopped buying sour cream and cook with this instead.
4. Natural Peanut Butter. Around $2.50, a jar of this stuff contains peanuts and salt. Love it. The only thing I love possibly a little more is making my own almond butter.
3. Joe’s O’s Cereal. We buy a box of these week in and week out. And at $1.99, it’s a steal.
2. Honey Wheat Pretzel Sticks. Kids love ’em. Parents love ’em. I love ’em for $1.69 a bag.
1. Coffee Bean Blast Ice Cream. My absolute favorite. Thinking about a big bowl of it right now makes me blush a little.
So there you have it! My favorites from Trader Joes.
NOW……onto the Giveaway!
What would you do with a $20 gift card to Trader Joes?!
Leave a comment below and let me know what one of your favorite items is from Trader Joes. I’ll pick a winner at random on Wednesday, May 23rd at Midnight, and I’ll announce it on Thursday the 24th.
Good luck and thanks for all the love this last year!
Trackbacks & Pingbacks
- List of Products with No High-Fructose Corn Syrup | My Son Hates Corn Syrup
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I love the champagne pear vinaigrette from Trader Joe’s! Perfect for my favorite salad – arugula, Gorgonzola, fresh strawberries and roasted beets. 🙂
We can’t ever get enough peanut butter, coconut oil, and Joe’s O’s from TJ’s! What an amazing giveaway. =)
There are wayyyyy to many to count! I would have to say the olive oil too! We just got a Trader Joes in Prescott, AZ and before I was stocking up in CA on vacations! I love reading your blog, especially the wines on Friday! Thanks!
Coffee Bean Blast Ice Cream sounds like a decadent dream right now (it’s also my favorite,
try it with toffee chips mixed into it). Two Buck Chuck is a cooks best buddy.
My hubby and I love the Manchego cheese and their famous rice crackers. We serve this pre-meal treat with a bottle of pino grigio. Yummy!
Trader Joe’s is a little far for weekly shopping, but I do make a trip every few months. I love to pick up dried fruit and mixed nuts when I’m there. The prices are just so good!
And congrats on your one year anniversary! You have a beautiful blog – you inspire me every time I read it 🙂
Corn Salsa, yogurt cheese, and the new House whip (cool whip like dessert topping but without the partially hydrogenated oils)
too much good stuff! (oh wait, that’s someone else’s slogan.. lol) I always love their nuts!
There’s so much to love! Tempura birds nests, dried apricots, organic bagged pears and apples, whole wheat pizza dough, whole wheat white flour. Congrats on one year!
I too am a HUGE Trader Joes fan! I could not get along without them. My favorite item? It’s so hard to pick! I love their seasonal specialties. But lately we’ve been inhaling their raspberry sorbet. Yum!
I like getting the roasted nuts since it can be used to make so many things.
I love your blog–keep it up! I am partial to the Cinnamon Schoolhouse cookies from TJ. They are in the form of capital letters, delicious and low fat! My kids also go crazy for them and I can claim they are “educational” for my preschoolers and toddler:)!
I like the jar of green curry. Yummy and quick dinner poured over sauteed veggies and tofu with a can of coconut milk and served over rice. Their tortillas are also the only inexpensive ones I’ve ever found w/o hydrogenated soybean oil.
Their chicken gyoza potstickers are delish and we get them every time we go. 🙂
I have 2 favorites from Trader Joes. The first is the 1 pound 70% dark chocolate bar. The second is the apple blossom. Can you say YUM!
We love the snacks!!! My daughter has tons of allergies so we get the Potato snacks, Banana chips (Monkey chips), rice cakes, and Rice Milk. This mama loves all of the desserts , I can’t lie.
Favorite comfort food…their frozen mac n cheese. I get it for the kids, finish it up when they’re done. So yummy.
CONGRATS & Happy Cooking!! Soo many to mention~ Love Amour de Paris champagne (hint of peach) we served at our son’s wedding and many asked the name, especially those that didn’t normally like champagne normally. Price so amazing $3.99 for great flavor.
Non fat Vanilla Greek yogurt, honey butter, frozen brown rice, everything bagel chips, and on and on….
PS. Miss so much now that I’m in Austin (helping Jenn get one here!) I stock up when I’m back in CA.
What WOULDN’T I do with it?! Yum Yum!
I love their hummus!
family74014 at gmail dot com
I absolutely live the salsa especial! It’s authentic tasting and spicy, and we use it instead of a salad dressing when making a taco salad.
How can I choose just one? The sea salt chocolate covered almonds are amazing!
I don’t have a favorite item… yet 🙂 My town is getting a store in a month. I am excited to visit!
I’m so glad I found your blog, I love it! I also love Trader Joe’s and do almost all of our grocery shopping there. We buy their Milton’s 100% whole wheat bread (dairy-free for my son), salad mixes, peanut butter, sunflower seed butter, whole wheat pasta, wine, sliced american cheese, shredded cheese, nitrate free deli meats, nuts, dairy-free pancakes, semi-sweet chocolate chips (also dairy-free!), and the list goes on and on. Can’t beat the quality, the prices, and their customer service! Love them!
I like TJ’s dark chocolate.
Congratulations! i like that TJ’s stocks more organic produce now. And I almost always buy a fancy cheese when I go. 🙂
I love to buy dried fruit there, particularly Turkish apricots and dried sour cherries. I like their Tuscano cheese, too and their Greek feta. And they make really good cheese enchiladas.
White English Cheddar w/ Caramelized Onions
Honorable mention to Ace Pear Cider, the dark chocolate bar w/ toffee bits and the squirrel picture, and the bunches of daffodils when in season.
I love their Greek yogurt and salsa verde! Use the greek yogurt in everything, and love it with fruit or drizzled with honey! Salsa verde I pour over chicken in crock pot or mix with avocados for dip!
Sooo proud of you, friend! Fun to read this list of everyone’s favorite TJ’s items! Hands down I buy (and inhale) the bag of candied pecans almost every week. Also love their: mango and peach cream yogurts, frozen brown rice, italian country salad, bag of kale, sundried tomato hummus, quinoa chips, frozen pesto bowl, raisin crisps with their toscano cheese, and their boxed israeli cous cous…
I love anything chocolate covered from Trader Joe’s but I especially love the vanilla bean ice cream. I have never tasted anything so sweet and delicious and it goes with any smoothie and dessert you can think of. Having just plain, vanilla bean ice cream never tasted so good…congrats on the 1 year!
Congratulations on your first blogiversary!
Things I always buy from Trader Joe’s: dried fruit (the best dried apple rings ever), nuts, ground turkey (seriously cannot find it cheaper elsewhere), white bean hummus, and greek yogurt!
You’re our winner!! I’ll email you for the address to send to.
Thanks for entering!
I have a lot of the same favorite things at TJs but my absolute favorite thing to get is wine! I love the $3.99 Italian Pinot Grigio. Do delish 🙂
Been doing our main weekly shopping there for almost 18 years and my favorite right now is the almond pastry ring…..yuuuummy!
Congratulations on your first year! I have LOVED your blog and recipes and my family has greatly appreciated the new variety to our meals! 🙂 My favorite is TJ’s Gouda cheese with Savory Rice Crackers and a glass of wine for an after work/pre dinner snack.
Mmmm… that list is pretty good! We love the Ahi Tuna! So good and SOOOO easy. Actually, about half of your list is also mine 🙂 But I also love the frozen garlic and basi cubes- makes cooking a snap and I never have garlic sprouting in my pantry. I think my favorite thing right now (if I HAVE to pick one) is probably the jalepeno chicken sausage. Healthy ingredients, no nitrates, but SOOO delicious. I ate them almost every day when I was pregnant. I grill them. Mmmm. For the kids and for Italian dishes I get the sun-dried tomato. Yummy.
Hey Kelly! I am loving all of your recipes, ideas, and tips! You really have a gift with all of this!
One of my favorites from TJ’s, is their ready-made pulled pork! I just heat this up, put a little on some hawaiian sweet rolls, and voila! Instant pulled-pork sliders! 🙂 http://traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article.asp?article_id=580
My other favorite thing from TJ’s, is “Nothing but Banana, Flattened”. This is a great healthy treat, and tastes just like Banana’s Foster! 🙂
My TJ’s favorite is definitely the peanut butter pretzels! But on a healthier note, you cannot beat the price of their frozen fruit. I use it in everything!
Congrats! And here’s to many more!
I’m a big fan of all their nuts and trail mixes. And their pumpkin butter, when they have it.
Favorite things from TJ’s their cheeses, fresh flowers, frozen seafood, and their fresh bread. Congrats on the one year anniversay!! I raise my glass of two buck chuck to you!! 🙂
I love the cinnamon alphabet cookies – helps my kids with their letters and I dip them in my coffee! I can’t wait to try that coffe bean ice cream! Also I love their s’mores ice cream sandwiches- yummy!
My kids and I love their cinnamon alphabet cookies. Helps my boys with their letters and I like to dip them in coffee. I also love their smores ice cream sandwiches, delicious! Congrats Kelly on your first year- so cool! Xo
I’ve been going to the Trader since 1975. I like so many things the Trader makes:
Joe’s O’s start the day as does his OJ.
Nuts, produce, all his wonderful surprise finds throughout the years,
And of course … Two Buck Chuck …
Kelly-
I love your spreadsheet! We continually look for ways to cut our budget – and our food budget is HIGH! I have many favorites at TJs. I love to make their simple salad – Broccoli slaw, dried cranberries, roasted almond slivers, and champagne vinaigrette dressing
PEANUT BUTTER, ICE CREAM, POTSTICKERS, ROASTED NUTS
I am a huge TJ’s lover. I love their customer service – always leave happier than when I came! I have a laundry list of my go-to items and can’t choose just one. . . But I’ll just say that I LOVE stocking up on fresh flowers and little plants there. They are always beautiful, nice variety, super cheap and they instantly make my house look put together.
Our fav trader joe’s item (lately) are their ‘bits and pieces’ of dried fruit. Great for snacks on the go. But, I realize not so foodie…
My favorite item at Trader Joe’s is their Perrin Cotes du Rhone Reserve for my refreshing sangria!
Champagne Vinaigrette, Soy Marinated Cod, Chimichurri Salmon, Frozen Brown Rice, Organic Quinoa, Garlic & Herb Pizza Dough…I could go on and on!
Happy Birthday, FFF! Thanks for all the tasty recipes, keep ’em coming! The first thing that I would buy with a TJ’s gift card would be S’mores Ice Cream Sandwiches…mmhmmm. I also spotted a crunchy salted green bean snack last time I was at TJ’s that I’d like to try. They have good root beer, too!
Kelly-I did find the peppers in the adobo sauce at Sprouts. Do you have a good Gazpacho recipe? The one at TJ’s is great, but expensive.
My favorite is their Perrin Cotes du Rhone Reserve for my refreshing sangria!!! Matter of fact, I just picked up 8 bottles today for my graduation party 🙂 gonna be a lot of sangria! Lol happy 1 yr on your blog Kelly!!! Sooo proud of u!
There is no question. I would spent it all on orange and raspberry chocolate sticks.
I love the mochi, and we always, always always get some of their strawberry lemonade. SOOO good, and happy for the summer! Yay TJs!
So many TJ favs! For starters, their dark chocolate covered pretzels!
This is kinda weird but their organic grape jelly is my favorite item because I can’t find it anywhere else! I also love their stuffed pork chops! Yum!!
Would it bring shame on the family name if I were to confess that it’s 2 buck Chuck? Go ahead, admit it, foodies: It’s just fine for weekday wine.
I love everything but specifically the little bottles of sweet balsamic vinegar for $3.99 as well as the bags of Wasabi Wow!. My area is expecting or VERY FIRST TJs, which opens in a few months. Everyone is so excited. I am giddy. The closest store to us now is nearly 2 hours away.
My city is opening a TJ’s at the end of June… so excited! I have shopped there before in other states. Love the dark chocolate! Would love to try some of the things mentioned here.
I love the healthy snacks that my husband has very been caught taking with him to work.
I have to add to this again…the chocolate covered potato chips. They are AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!
I love your blog Kelly and weekly visit it for inspiration and new recipes! All time favorite from tjs is their pistachio and dark chocolate covered toffee!!! So delicious!
So many favs and also on the look out for more recommendations. Love their frozen gnocci, pizza dough (I agree!), pesto torta, and pretzels! I love your blog and check frequently for dinner inspiration!
I would probably get some dark chocolate covered almonds and a couple bottles of wine 🙂
I would have to say the organic corn dippers. I can’t live without those yummy chips. The cookie butter is amazing too!
For 10 years we lived in a state without a Trader Joe’s! We would drive to CA and load up the car with their pasta and marinara sauce. Its amazing doctored up with some mushrooms and chicken sausage. I love this blog, its so full of good humor and great ideas. Thank you, Kelly!
I am currently in California and I would stock up on all kinds of yummy stuff since Austin does not yet have it’s Trader Joes! Every time I visit CA I get peanut butter pretzels, marinara sauce, rice crackers, all different kinds of their soup in cartons, cookie butter, almond butter, and so on and so on and so on 🙂
JoJo’s!!!!
It’s not midnight yet! I love their yogurt. Banana/strawberry or Vanilla/ blueberry or Mango/peach. Our fridge is always stocked with TJ yogurt, milk, strawberry kefir milk and our freezer has gnocchi for the girls.
I LOVE tj’s cottage cheese. The large curd is what sets it apart from other brands and it’s a great source of protein!
coconut oil
Hmm, we live in TX now. Moved here from Quail Hill in Irvine. I miss Trader Joe’s so much!!! My favorite item would probably be either one of their jarred sauces or their pumpkin bread mix. Amazing! So glad I found your blog!
I live in Quail Hill too! Wonder if we lived here around the same time?! How did you find me?