Trader Joe’s Haul

I went to Trader Joe’s for the first time a couple of weeks ago and it was literally the most exciting thing that’s happened to me all year (#2020 lol). The nearest Trader Joe’s to me is about 35 minutes away, but I happened to have a doctor appointment at the end of September that was just down the road. So I had to swing by! I did hours of research beforehand on the best products at this magical place, and I was so excited about everything I got. I spent $66 (not counting three items purchased for friends) and got 17 items. I can’t wait to tell you about them, so let’s get into my reviews!

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Murasaki Sweet Potato Chips

I’d heard these were good, and they were! They’re just sweet potatoes, oil, and salt, but I could eat the whole bag in one sitting. However, I won’t buy them again because they’re high in fiber and sent me into a mini flare-up (I follow a low fiber diet to manage my pain, nausea, and early satiety/extreme fullness).

Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter Protein Granola

Lately I’ve been really enjoying KIND peanut butter granola clusters. This is essentially the same thing, and it’s delicious; coconut yogurt with a handful of this is the perfect bedtime snack. I’m going to stock up on this next time I’m at Trader Joe’s because the KIND granola is normally out of stock at Walmart.

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Maple Leaf Cookies

I broke into these on the way home from Trader Joe’s and they were delicious–I definitely regret only getting one box! They’re similar to Oreos, but shaped like maple leaves, and the filling is slightly maple-flavored. They do tend to make me nauseous, but most of the time they’re worth it!

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Coconut Shrimp

I wasn’t planning to buy this, but I love shrimp and it looked like a good freezer meal to have on hand. I’ve been wanting to try it for weeks now but haven’t felt well enough yet and didn’t want to delay this blog post any longer–so stay tuned for my thoughts!

Cold Pressed Pineapple Juice

This was really good, but it had a lot of sugar and fiber–which are things I try to stay away from, at least in large amounts. I enjoyed it but won’t buy again.

Vegan Mac

I was excited to try Trader Joe’s dairy free mac-n-cheese. Unfortunately, the vegan mac didn’t really do it for me. It had a flavor to it that seemed familiar, but I just couldn’t place (butternut squash is the third ingredient, so maybe that?). I divided it into individual portions and put it in the freezer. I’ll probably eat the rest eventually, but I really don’t prefer it. (Although it does have a lot of protein–9g per cup!)

Vanilla Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert

I have had so much trouble finding a plain vanilla ice cream that’s dairy-free. Until Trader Joe’s, I couldn’t find one anywhere. And while I prefer other flavors of ice cream, there are times when I’m eating a brownie or some other dessert and I really just want some vanilla ice cream to go with it! So I grabbed this to keep in my freezer for those times.

Non-Dairy Strawberry Frozen Dessert

I got two of these, but I should’ve gotten three. Or five. Maybe ten. This is absolutely HEAVENLY. Everything about this strawberry ice cream is perfect. I got some waffle cones at Walmart and put the ice cream in there, and it got even better. It was so good I literally wanted to cry with happiness. Not exaggerating.

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Dark Chocolate Sunflower Seed Butter Cups

These are delicious, as expected! I don’t like them quite as much as the peanut butter cups I make at home. But I feel like when it comes to peanut butter cups, half of it is about the experience–and it’s fun to have a chocolate candy that I can take out of a bag, unpeel from the wrapper, and eat.

Chile Lime Chicken Burgers

I’ve been enjoying turkey burgers from Walmart recently, and I’d heard so much about these chicken burgers that I figured I would branch out and give them a try. I like them a lot!!

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Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are a really good food for me. But because of my carpal tunnel, I struggle with peeling and chopping them up. So I think this is the most genius idea I’ve ever seen! The potatoes are frozen into small coin shapes. Drop 8-10 coins into a saucepan, add a few tablespoons of water, and you have mashed sweet potatoes within five minutes. Brilliant!

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Peanut Butter & Jelly Frooze Balls

I should have looked more closely at the nutrition facts before picking these up–they have 9g of fiber, which is too much for me. I probably won’t be buying them again, but it was fun to try them once! They tasted a lot like date balls.

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GoMacro Bars

I got two flavors of GoMacro bars: protein purity (sunflower butter and chocolate), and protein pleasure (peanut butter chocolate chip). They were good, but not $2.29 good, and I doubt I’ll get them again (although I did feel trendy eating them, lol).

Vegan Banana Bread with Walnuts

This was great! Nothing special, but a solid loaf of banana bread. I sliced it up and put it in the freezer to eat piece by piece (with peanut butter on top to add more calories and protein).

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Pumpkin Bread & Muffin Mix

I’m going to make this boxed pumpkin bread mix sometime later in October when I finish the banana bread. It looks good!

Sadly, Trader Joe’s didn’t have any Enjoy Life sunseed protein bites–which is, ironically, the entire reason that I’d originally wanted to go. But I stocked up on those from Enjoy Life’s website, so it’s all good.