12 Favorite Fall Foods From Trader Joe's

Are you one of those Trader Joe's fanatics?
You know, the ones that Huffington Post wrote about...
Or the ones in the video at the bottom of this post?

 "Fanatic" is a pretty strong word,

so I'll not apply that moniker to myself, but I will say that I am a...

 HUGE FAN. 

(Let me say right here that I am not being compensated in any way 
by Trader Joe's...I just really love their products).

I'm not kidding, if I had to choose three material things I could not live without, 

I'd say my cell phone, my down comforter...and Trader Joe's.

OK, maybe that does qualify me as a fanatic. 

Apparently there are a lot of us out there. 
I know, because some of them are my former co-workers. 

When I was still working at a television network, we had a monthly meeting 
to talk about which programs we should air in prime-time.
This was pretty important stuff...as our decisions were critical in attracting 
millions of TV viewers to tune in.

This vital strategy session was called the...

"Prime Time Calendar/What I Found at Trader Joe's" meeting.

 I'm serious.

Not a meeting went by that we didn't spend the first twenty minutes discussing 
new products we discovered at Trader Joe's.
Finally, we'd get down to real business, deep into strategic discussions 
about network competition and Nielsen ratings, when someone would say,
"OMG, have you tried the Sea Salt and Turbinado Sugar Dark Chocolate Almonds? 
They're a-MAZ-ing!" 

Now, instead of sharing my Trader Joe faves with them, 
I get to share them with you.  :)
Hopefully you are not in the middle of something really important, like brain surgery, while you're reading this, 
because I'd hate for you to stop in the middle of an operation to write me an  
"omg, you've got to try the Speculoo's Cookie Butter!" comment. 

So, what was my methodology for coming up with my 12 favorite fall foods? 
The notion of such a collection was not pre-meditated.
It was truly an "aha" moment, while I was waiting to check out at Trader Joe's.
 As I looked down at my bounty of seasonal items, I saw the rough draft of a blog post sitting right there in the bottom of my shopping cart. 

Many of these seasonal specialties have been on my best-loved list for years;
a few are new this season (at least to me), and have become instant favorites. 

Here is my list, in no particular order.

1. PITA CRISPS WITH CRANBERRIES AND PUMPKIN SEEDS

OK, maybe this is in some kind of particular order, and maybe this is my favorite thing on the list. And maybe I ate an entire bag on the way home from Trader Joe's. Whatever. They're a little salty, a little sweet; a lot of crunch. Note to self: Try with goat cheese (and put them in the trunk next time).

2. PUMPKIN BREAD AND MUFFIN MIX
I don't often do mixes, but this is one of my exceptions. It's a bread, it's a muffin...
I bet it can even masquerade as a baked donut. I like to mix in chocolate chips, but I'm dreaming of my next batch, swirled with Nutella (like my Banana-tella bread). 



3.ORGANIC PUMPKIN PUREE
Sure, you can get canned pumpkin anywhere. Not only is this organic, it's cheaper than other brands I've seen (as are many of TJ's products). Oh, and it's got a yumcious recipe for pumpkin pie on the back. 

4. PUMPKIN CRANBERRY CRISPS
I bought these little sweet-and-savories last year to serve with cheese (delish with #12!). They were such a hit, that I am now required to buy extra boxes for friends who don't live near TJ's. Hey Siri, what are Trader Joe's expansion plans?

5. HONEYCRISP APPLE CIDER
It's juice, whole juice, and nothing but the juice. No preservatives, like another brand I tried. Honeycrisps are my favorite apples, so when I saw this, I HAD to try it. I even taste-compared this to a "fresh" Honeycrisp cider. Do you think I would have listed it as a favorite if the other brand won? (TJ's is less watery, btw). 

6. PUMPKIN BUTTER
I can't believe it's not butter! Not even close...no dairy, no fat, no cholesterol...
just a pumpkin spread with yummy spices in it. I hoard it so I can enjoy year-round. 
How do I love thee, pumpkin butter? Mostly, in my oatmeal, and in plain yogurt. Or...spread on an english muffin (British muffin, if it's from TJ's), topped with cottage cheese sprinkled with cinnamon, and broiled in the toaster oven a few minutes. I just drooled on my keyboard thinking about it. 

7. ORGANIC PUMPKIN FROSTED TOASTER PASTRIES
I bought these for Junior Goo Shoes as a treat, since they are healthier than other toaster pastries (that would never pass my label-reading test). Although the directions say you can microwave them, we both agreed that they taste much 
better toasted. And two taste better than one. In My Humble Opinion.

8. TURKEY CHILI WITH BEANS
I'm not a meat-out-of-a-can kinda girl, but this is really good! I don't even know what made me first buy this, but now I always keep a can or two on hand for emergencies (Oh - now I remember - I bought this when our power was out, because it was something that could be heated on my gas stove). It's great for filling taco shells, btw. Hide the cans, and no one will know the difference. I won't tell.

9. CRANBERRY MAPLE NUT GLUTEN FREE GRANOLA
Good enough to eat out of the bag, it's also a great topping for yogurts. 
And it's glutton-free, so I won't pig out on it. Ohhhh...gluten-free. My bad. That's good, too.


 
10. GREEK NONFAT PUMPKIN YOGURT
I have to admit, I don't usually buy TJ's yogurt. But this pumpkin number called out to me when I was walking by. It's so rich and creamy, that I double-checked the label to make sure it was nonfat. Mixed with mini-chocolate chips, it's a "reduced-guilt" dessert (to borrow a phrase from TJ).  

11. PUMPKIN BAR BAKING MIX
It's a pumpkin blondie (is that an oxymoron?) I baked, I tasted, I ate half the pan.  OK, I really didn't, but I wanted to. It literally took two minutes to mix these up, and another 25 minutes to bake. Almost-instant baking gratification. The fact that I was on the elliptical while these were in the oven cancels out the calories.

12. TOSCANO CHEESE WITH CINNAMON
I promised myself I wouldn't give in to temptation to buy this. But curiosity got the better of me. Crusted with cinnamon? Oh, yes...YES! It's a hard cheese (a little softer and creamier than parmesan), and the cinnamon gives it a nutty taste. Drizzled with honey? Swoon-worthy! All hope of ever resisting this again is over. It's probably my favorite 'favorite' of all. I know, I'm rambling, but I'm in love.

 

Soon the shelves will be stocked with holiday specialties.

  What are some of your favorite seasonal products from TJ?

Did somebody say Minty Marshmallows?
Word.  

 

PS - Want a good laugh about those Trader Joe's fanatics?  Watch this video.

Those Crazy Trader Joe's Fans!

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