Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Fun Friday: Trader Joe's Opening and Frozen

Look what we got in March!
The kids and I decided to go to the grand opening because I needed groceries, anyway. I had read in the news that they were expecting a big crowd, including traffic police. We soldiered on, undeterred! They weren't kidding. There were long car lines coming from every direction, trying to get in. At first, I thought, "Forget this; we'll come back another time." But as I circled back around, I thought, "All of these people must want in for a reason! We can't miss out!" And the longer we waited, we more I felt I NEEDED IN! So I circled around and around until finally the policeman ushered me into an available parking spot. 

The 5 of us walked slowly through the crowds, taking in every aisle. The kids eyed the samples as they generally do, like you would assume it is the first food they've had all day. I felt as I have before - that Trader Joe's isn't as vegan friendly as Whole Foods. They just don't have everything I want or need. And there seems to be ambiguous sugar in everything packaged. What is all of this sugar? Does my obsessive compulsive bone sugar aversion want to eat it?
 
However, we clearly found plenty of things to purchase. I made mental notes of all the great prices. I have really been wanting to make a page that tells me which stores I frequent have the best price for each item we buy. (For example: Daiya is $4.79 at Nutrition Smart, $4.99 at Whole Foods, and a whopping almost $5.59 at Winn Dixie. This is important information to us because we love our Daiya.) What do you recommend I buy at Trader Joe's as opposed to other places?
 
The good news: when I fill my cart like this at Whole Foods, I know I'm looking toward at least a $350 debit. My full cart at Trader Joe's: a little over $150!
 
That night, we finally joined the club.
 
I splurged on these instant download printable popcorn boxes which were a few dollars on Etsy. They were so cute and fun, I don't know if I can go back to popcorn in bowls. (The kids decorated the table with handmade snowflakes.)

I also printed off these for our "party."

Look at the guy in the back. How happy is he?
 
I had really been craving icecream cake recently. When I was little and stopped eating eggs first, I always had an icecream cake for my birthday so it feels nostalgic to me. I don't remember what all of these layers were. I know there were cookie crumbles for the crust, there was vanilla, there were crumbled Justin's pb cups...

and there was chocolate icecream, crushed nuts, ganache, whipped cream...I don't know, maybe other things, too.

It ended up being better the next day as I hadn't allowed it to freeze long enough before we tried cutting into it. But it achieved its Frozen-themed purpose. And I'm glad I got it out of my system because it reminded me that I'm just not a huge icecream person anymore. (Soft serve is a different story.) My kids totally loved it, though, and thoroughly appreciated it. And I had to listen to Let it Go in the car on repeat for about two weeks straight.

13 comments:

  1. Welcome to Trader Joe's! I hope the crowds die down for you guys. I mostly pick up the same things there over and over: nuts, dried fruit, gluten free bread, almond butter, and snack bars. And cookies.
    I have not seen Frozen, but I've heard it's good. Even better with fun popcorn bags like that. But melted snowman doesn't sound all that vegan to me...

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    1. Well, we went back again, and though there were no police this time, there was still a parking lot attendant because it was full. But not as bad, and we were able to meander the aisles a little better.

      Yes, I guess melted snowman sounds a little sick and sad now that I think about it. :0

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  2. When a TJ's opened two blocks from our Madison house, the neighbors stayed away for about two months — we couldn't get near it, even on foot. TJ's is more of a specialty store than an everyday market, but there are lots of cool things there. The nuts and dried fruit, sun-dried tomatoes, p-nut butter, bourbon vanilla extract, frozen fruit, frozen vegan Asian dumplings, no salt added tomato sauce — these are some of our favorites.

    I wish I were half as creative as you when it comes to cool kid activities. I borrowed miss E's copy of Frozen and watched it last weekend, minus the nifty popcorn boxes. Yesterday, in the car, we belted out Let it Go over and over while her papa drove.

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    1. We went again, and I did make sure to look through the nuts and dried fruit more thoroughly per y'all's recommendations. And several of the frozen Asian and Indian things. I forgot to look at the no salt tomato sauce, and I will next time.

      Awww, that's fun. I'm really not as creative as I might have once been. My poor 4th child.

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  3. Hooray for Trader Joe's! Our has been open only since February, and I stay away on weekends.

    Wow! What an amazing looking ice cream cake! It looks like the kiddos had a great time!

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    1. Yeah, I went back again, and I can't remember if it was on a weekend...maybe it was...it was still pretty crowded. Thanks! I think they did. :)

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  4. This is Really nice Tips. Thanks to sharing wonderful Tips.

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  5. Yay!!! I hope that you enjoyed the experience despite the insane crowds! I'm personally not a huge fan of the TJs brands of vegan shredded cheese and vegan cream cheese but they do have cheaper versions of other common brands. Their versions of gardein products are good and less expensive I believe. Nut butter is less expensive there and I think coconut oil is too. Frozen fruit is also less expensive but why get frozen fruit when you have access to that gorgeous farm! There are definitely a few staples I go there for because the savings are pretty decent :)

    How cute is that party!! They all look like they are having the best time. The popcorn boxes are adorable and the ice cream cake looks delicious! I would have been right next to them digging in ;)

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    1. I did enjoy the experience because exploring health food stores is one of my favorite past times! :) We did try the vegan cheese on the second trip - it seemed to turn to water when we melted it. :0 Thanks for all the tips!

      THANK YOU!!!

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  6. Your Frozen party looks so fun! I love how you turn everything into a party :)

    We got a Trader Joe's n Austin last year. I haven't found anything I "need" from TJ's that I can't get anywhere else, but it's always fun to browse and pick up some treats. Around Halloween they have a TON of pumpkin products ... highly recommend the pumpkin rooibos tea!

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    1. Thanks so much! I do love a party.

      Ooo, that does sound good. I have been getting more into tea lately.

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  7. Nice TJ's haul. I see mini Soy Cream Sandwiches and Olives.

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  8. There are some good finds at trader joe's and its waaay cheaper than whole foods! Their frozen organic fruit is a great deal, and i love the vegan masala burgers, soycuttash, and the edamame is really cheap. The "homemade" thicker corn tortillas are way better than any other storebought corn tortilla, and the harvest grains mix and their quick cooking barley is great too.
    I hated their vegan pre-shredded cheeses but there's also a good selection of vegan cheeses in chunks i haven't tried yet.
    What an ambitious ice cream cake! Looks like a fun night.
    Ttrockwood

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