I know I’ve written about Trader Joe’s before, but I must write another post to express my love. Since I moved to Martha’s Vineyard, the land without big chain stores – although Trader Joe’s doesn’t exactly fall into that category of big box retail… maybe a mid-sized box? – I’ve learned to fully take advantage of my time on the mainland. Meaning, I go grocery shopping, clothes shopping, shoe shopping, toiletries shopping, all sorts of shopping.
One of my must-visit place is obviously Trader Joe’s. Don’t get me wrong, I do love all the local, fresh, organic produce and meat here on the Island, but I can only spend so much money on my food.
I can’t exactly bring back everything I want, such as frozen goodies, but I can still stock up quite a bit whenever I take my car off island, and here are some items that I always get.
Green Plant Juice
Alright, it may sound gross to some of you, but don’t knock it until you try it. At first I didn’t know what to think of it, but I tried it for the first time last year when Jack’s roommates bought a bottle. And surprise! Healthy ingredients, but sweet enough to give you that satisfying taste of hearty juice.
Yogurt Pretzels
Almost every day I treated myself to a small bag of pick-and-mix at BU, and yogurt pretzels always made the cut. I dearly miss the convenience of having a giant pick-and-mix stand just an elevator ride away from my apartment, but TJ’s thankfully offers a huge bag. These are less sweet than Flipz yogurt pretzels, but anyone who knows me understands my low tolerance for sweetness. I can’t even drink a full can of Coke or even stand having sugar in my coffee.
Pineapple salsa
Add a little bit of twist to your normal salsa. If I had it my way, I would bring back a giant tub of fresh tomato salsa, but those need to be refrigerated, so here’s my substitute. I love pineapple chunks, and it adds a fresh taste to my otherwise boring homemade chicken quesadilla.
Charles Shaw – Pinot Grigio only though!
Who are we kidding? Would I ever leave TJ’s without a few bottles of the classic Charles Shaw Pinot? Nope. A pricetag of $3 per bottle makes it even more attractive and valuable.
Coffee
Dark French Roast coffee simply completes my morning. I can’t live without a small (well, a large) dose of caffeine each morning, and this family-size can of whole bean French Roast serves the purpose very well.
Pita bite crackers
With hummus or cheese, versatile pita crackers. These make the perfect snacks, and next time I’ll probably bring two or three boxes back because one box disappeared in just a couple of days.
I could probably go on and on and on and on, but before I end up listing every single dried good at TJ’s, I’ll stop. I might actually bring a large cooler for my next trip though. I miss goodies that need refrigeration, like BBQ chicken pizza, hummus and hash browns.
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Yoojin Cho 