Welcome back! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and a fine New Year’s Eve. We had a great Christmas – there is nothing like having a 2 year old on Christmas morning. After Christmas every one of us got sick, so there was a slightly longer break than planned in the 5 on Friday series. We’re on the mend, and I can get back to telling you about one of my favorite grocery stores – Trader Joe’s.

I go to TJ’s about once a month (when Aunt Kathy watches the kids for my big errand day), but I squeeze in a bonus visit when we are running low on staples. Especially when we are out of the number one thing I get at Trader Joe’s:

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

We go though A LOT of sweet potato gnocchi. I usually buy six packages. It is supposed to feed 3 adults, but it feeds one adult and one toddler in our house. We rarely have leftovers, and it is not because I am the one eating a bunch of it. Audrey LOVES it.

She asks for gnocchi, and hearing a two year old say gnocchi is only one of the reasons I love it. I like that I can pull it from the freezer and have lunch on the table 7 minutes later (with two little kids speed is of the essence more often than not). I love that the first ingredient is a vegetable. Audrey hates eating vegetables, so any time I can get her to eat a vegetable I consider it a win. 

Unexpected Cheddar

I wish I could afford to have Montgomery Cheddar on hand at all times, but I can’t. I can, however, always have Unexpected Cheddar on hand. It’s shockingly good for the price, complete with those crunchy cheese crystal things that make you want to do a happy dance. I like it plain, on crackers, or mixed in with my scrambled eggs.

Pub Cheese Cheddar with Horseradish and Golden Rounds Crackers

This cheese spread doesn’t taste enough like horseradish in my opinion, so if you aren’t a horseradish fan don’t let the name fool you. The cheese is excellent spread on fake these fake Ritz crackers.

Bananas

They have really cheap bananas, and I have a toddler. It’s a match made in heaven. Unlike Costco and Aldi, where you buy bananas in huge bags, you get to pick your bananas out. I’ve been burned with bad banana bunches in bags before, so Trader Joe’s is my banana spot.

Spicy California Roll Sushi

Is the sushi great? No. It’s fine. It’s the kind of sushi that is best described as “won’t give you food poisoning.” That being said, John and I used to go out for sushi every week. Now that I stay home we can’t afford that, so sushi is a treat. At about $4 for a pack of spicy California roll it is affordable on my budget, so it is my lunch after every Trader Joe’s trip. There would be a picture, but I always eat it before I remember to take a picture, so you just need to imagine it.

What do you like to buy at Trader Joe’s? Did I miss any of your favorites?

Every Friday (OK, most Fridays) I share 5 things I think you should know about. What would you like to hear more about?