My Trader Joe’s Love Affair

In the past I did a lot of posting about food and recipes.  When I started back blogging that was what I originally thought this blog would turn into.

Food is my passion second to fashion.  There is no denying that.  I love eating out, trying new things and cooking.  I have a semi-large family with lots of opinions and I am always trying something new.  But all healthy boys means my grocery bill climbs each week and the summer it’s like an avalanche on the budget.  I am always looking for ways to feed my family good food but not spend $400 a week.

My friends Kayla and Karen are always talking about Costco and Trader Joe’s.  I kept hearing them talk about how much the save but I wasn’t willing to drive across the bridge for a grocery store.  Until i actually shopped there…

I was in Metairie one afternoon and decided to stop in and do my weekly grocery.  I had planned to go to Rouses later that day so I had my whole list ready to go.  When I finished I ran through the list against what I would have purchased at Rouses and I saved more than $75.  It was definitely worth the drive with savings like that so I went back the next week.

If you aren’t familiar with Trader Joe’s their prices are low because they sell their own food.  So no name brands so to speak.  If you are faithful to a brand they won’t have that.  But I can tell you that a lot of things I felt wouldn’t compare to my normal brand did better and more.

These are a few of the things that are always on my shopping list…

• Everything But the Bagel and Onion Salt: Both are seasoning and we use them on everything.
• Ground Meat and Steaks:  They have grass fed organic beef for about $4.99 a pound.
• Waffles and Breakfast Items:  The blueberry waffles are amazing.
• Sweet Potato Gnocchi:  The perfect side item that prepares really quickly and I goes with almost anything
• Simpler Wines Rose: Enough said.  It’s $3.99 for 4 cans.
• Mahi Mahi Burgers:  They come 4 to a pack and are perfect for a quick meal.
• Sweet Potato Ribbons:  I use them for breakfast and dinner.  They are quick to cook and delicious.
• Peanut Butter Oat Bars:  Everyone in the house loves them.

One of the best things about Trader Joe’s is the frozen food section.  They have vegetables, fruit, side dishes and so much more.  We always find something new to try and I have been told the selection varies depending on where you live.  I have an general idea of what I want to cook when I go to Trader Joe’s but a lot of what I buy depends on what is available in the freezer section.

I wanted to take some time to highlight a few of the meals that I make with my haul from Trader Joe’s.  It’s good to hear about what someone is buying but what do they make with everything they have…

Breakfast

Sweet Potato Hash:

• Sweet Potato Ribbons
• Chicken Sausage
• Eggs
• Cheddar cheese

I cook the chicken sausage and sweet potatoes in a skillet and when they are thoroughly cooked I add my whisked eggs and scramble.  When they are finished I take everything out and top with cheese.

Eggs Florentine:

• Eggs
• Onions
• Spinach
• Feta

In a pan I cook the onions until brown on the edges and then add the spinach to wilt.  In another pan I fry two eggs.  On a plate I later the spinach, top with eggs and then top with a small amount of feta cheese.

Dinner

Mexican Steaks and Corn:

• Flank steaks
• Chili Lime Seasoning
• Frozen Mexican Style Corn
• Argula

Grill steaks and cook corn according to directions.  I layer the plate with argula, corn, sliced steak and top with a little more chili lime seasoning.  This is also a dish you can add the frozen grilled peppers to.

Pulled Pork:

• Pork Tenderloin
• BBQ Sauce
• Onion Salt
• Sweet Potato Ribbons

I generously season my pork with onion salt and then put it in the crock pot on low for 6 to 8 hours.  When it is cooked I drain the liquid and shred with bbq sauce.  In a skillet I cook the sweet potato ribbons place on them a plate and top with pulled pork.  Top with chives.

I am continuing to share these recipes and more on my Instagram so follow along in my stories for some of the new things I find to try.

XO,

Tippy