This week I ran to Trader Joe’s for a bag of lemons.
Well, “run” might not be the exact word since TJ’s is a half hour from my house. And nobody runs a half hour for just a bag of lemons, right?
So, I guess my real point is that I didn’t have a list or a meal plan or anything logical like that. But Trader Joe’s is my favorite place to buy the perfect size bag of lemons at a fair price. Well, next to Aldi that is.
Anyway, I digress.
Do you know what happens when you wander the aisles without a list or a plan? Your cart fills up. And soon you have spent $160 on a lemon run.
Today I’m sharing what I bought for our small family of two with maybe enough to share a meal or two with good friends. Here is my August Trader Joe’s haul:
PRODUCE
TJ’s doesn’t always have the finest produce because most of it is packaged in plastic.
But this time I scored some really good finds. Including a giant box of strawberries. They were so good that it seemed as I was prepping them, one went into my mouth for everyone that went into the bowl!
Asparagus has been hard to find this year unless you pay a king’s ransom. I found some good looking spears for only a slightly outrageous price and took a chance. It was hit or miss but even bad asparagus is good.
A big bag of radishes for John and a bag of peas for me – snacks are covered!
And oh, yeah, I got lemons!
FROZEN
While we buy a lot of frozen food at Costco, TJ’s is really more reliable for our favorite foods in a reasonable sized package. I stocked up on all the foods we eat in our normal rotation. Isn’t it great to open the freezer and find what you’re looking for instead of “dang, we’re out of that?”
BAKERY
Splurging on pita and English muffins along with our normal tortillas, all of this went right into the freezer for parsing out over time with no need to binge before the expiration dates.
And suddenly John is eating egg muffin sandwiches every morning. Hmmm. English muffins are his kryptonite.
REFRIGERATOR SECTION
The cheese party tray has become a regular in our house. It’s so nice to have a small variety of cheeses everyone loves on hand for entertaining. And when the package starts to empty, the remaining slices are the perfect size to top an omelet.
TJ’s seems to always have the best price on Boursin as well and that is such a treat.
Small packages of deli meat in the fridge section are the right size for our family to put together a quick lunch sammy or to top a salad. Last year I shared this 5 minute deli salad which I intend to put on the menu this week!
SNACKS
Everyone was covered in the snack section – even the kitties.
WARNING: TJ’s corn chips are like none other on the market and should be regulated by some agency as crack. Highly addictive! Buy in moderation!
The individually wrapped ginger chews are the perfect little after-meal sweet or nice to have in your purse for wetting your whistle.
DRINKS
A bottle of freshly squeezed OJ made hub’s muffin sandwiches taste even better.
The decaf tea is mine, of course. As is the mini bottle of sparkly for emergencies. Like those tiny celebrations that don’t warrant an entire bottle!
BEAUTY
I bought a bunch of stuff in the beauty aisle. I’m going to do a bit of research and share the data another time. Look for an upcoming post in the near future!
Suffice it to say, TJ’s quality is reliable and for the price, I’ve never been disappointed in their skin and hair care products.
WRAP UP
It’s been fun having a full fridge and pantry with all of my favorite goodies this week.
Oh, yeah and I bought a little bouquet of flowers that are still going strong on the kitchen counter. Regardless of Roxy’s intent to bring them down.
Thanks for coming shopping with me. I hope this gives you inspiration to stock up on the things that make your kitchen and belly happy.
May God bless you and yours for a wonderful week ahead.