My husband and I celebrated our sixth anniversary a couple weekends ago. My parents were in town so we had ourselves some free babysitters! I planned a progressive date night for us and our first stop: grocery shopping at Trader Joe’s. Wild and crazy date night, right? I figured it was the perfect opportunity to check out the new store without having to drag the kids into the mob scene. Side note: if you haven’t heard, the new store opened in Winter Park at 131 North Orlando Avenue.
I have since been back to Trader Joe’s and decided to go on a Saturday afternoon, along with everyone else in Central Florida. I will tell you, the parking situation there is not ideal…to say the least. Mentally prepare yourself if you’re going to go during a popular grocery shopping time of day. I’m really not sure what they are going to do when other retailers move into surrounding retail space.
Anyway, I wanted to share four of my favorite finds. I will give you a disclaimer, I am not a Trader Joe’s pro by any means, so I want to hear your favorites too.
I am impressed with the produce I’ve found, but the bagged organic avocados are my favorite right now. My nine month old loves them and I love having them around the house to add to various dishes. The price has gone up since that article was written. I paid $4.50 for the bag of four.
Reduced Guilt Chunky Guacamole
The chunky guacamole was recently recommended to me by a friend and holy cow it’s amazing. It’s made with Greek yogurt and has 50% less fat and 40% less calories. Now you’re speaking my language, Trader Joe’s.
Reduced Guilt Spinach & Kale Greek Yogurt Dip
While I was picking up the guacamole, a friendly employee introduced me to the RGS&KGYD and it is equally amazing. She suggested putting it on my sandwich in place of mayo, which I will be trying this week. So far, it’s delicious on pita chips.
Last, but certainly not least, Cookie Butter
If you have yet to try the cookie butter, you must make a trip to TJ as soon as possible. I am a huge peanut butter fan, so I put cookie butter (creamy or crunchy) on anything that I would normally put peanut butter on, such as bananas, bagels, pretzels, or just a spoon. It is delicious and you must try it.
If you’re new to the Trader Joe’s scene, you can learn more about the grocery store on their website and don’t forget to sign up for the Fearless Flyer. I would also like to note, this is not a sponsored post, I’m just trying to share the love. Do the same and leave a comment below of your favorite Trader Joe’s product so I can add it to my shopping list!
I tried to go a few days after it opened, but couldn’t get parking. It was also raining, so I wasn’t willing to walk far without an umbrella on hand. About a week or so later, I went again and found parking in the lot. It was still crowded, which I hate, and the customers were not all that friendly or concerned with where they were going or who they were blocking, etc. Maybe it was just the customer experience I had, but it wasn’t nearly as impressive as it has been hyped up to be by many of my friends. I was just kind of “meh.” And they didn’t have the thing I went to try: the vegan chorizo, which my friend has sworn by. The customer service person helped, though, when I mentioned I couldn’t find it, by going back to the back of the store and looking for it. They were out. I will try it again because I believe in second chances, and I have several recommendations besides the ones you’ve offered, so maybe next time I’ll stick to just buying what has been recommended. I spent about $40 on my first trip but what I got was just “meh” too–no better or less expensive than what I can get at Publix. Thanks, Kendra!
I’ve been to Trader Joe’s several times and there are several things I enjoy getting there. The frozen fruit and vegetable selection is great. Like you, we picked up a bag of avocados (as well as limes) to make guac. I love the longboard chips and other snackables. We’re also fans of the cookie butter.
One word of caution for anyone who has shopped there in the past week: there has been a recall on their stonefruits because of lysteria. We bought a container of nectarines and will be taking them back for a full refund. More info here: https://www.traderjoes.com/about/customer-updates-responses.asp?i=108