Happy Monday, friends!
I’m starting off our week with our TRADER JOE’S MAY HAUL!
Big, big news in McKinney, TX…we just got our SECOND Trader Joe’s location and bonus, this one is really close to my house. I have been anxiously awaiting the grand opening of this second location which was set for this past Thursday. I dropped my kids off at school and headed straight there to shop. As soon as I got to the light to turn on to the street where said new Trader Joe’s is located, I saw about 200 people in line wrapped around the building.
Apparently I wasn’t the only one anxiously awaiting this new location. Sigh.
What did I do?
I turned and then turned again and drove myself right to the other location where I parked up front and shopped in a very quiet store.
I’ll try the new location once it’s a little less popular 🙂 .
In April, the theme at Trader Joe’s was all things LEMON but this month, it was all about…
…STRAWBERRY!
Here’s a little look at what we’re loving this May…
If you’re in to sparkling waters like I am, you absolutely should try the seasonal varieties at Trader Joe’s. It’s always fun to see which ones they have in store. Right now, it’s pineapple!
Sheaffer always swears their shredded pepper jack is better than any other. And you know what? She’s right!
My kids are BIG fans of both Babybel and Trader Joe’s Unexpected Cheddar. All three girls have one of these in their lunch every single day (sometimes two). Trader Joe’s has these new individually wrapped Unexpected Cheddars which have been a big big hit. It’s packaged/shaped like a Babybel, but it’s the Unexpected Cheddar. Brilliant!
Speaking of cheese…
…I clearly had to buy this! It’s not spicy, it’s flavorful. It’s great with a cracker on a charcuterie board.
I’ve shared these before…
…they’re fully cooked chicken meatballs, and they’re SO good! I like to heat them up for my lunch (see pic below). The flavor options change and right now, they have Buffalo style. I LOVE ANYTHING BUFFALO STYLE! I put a few of these in the air fryer along with…
…one of the stuffed peppers (another Sheaffer suggestion, SO GOOD!)…
…and bam, lunch! I added some of the shredded pepper jack to my bell pepper and put it in the air fryer along with some of the chicken meatballs. It was a very easy lunch to enjoy two days in a row.
Speaking of lunch…
…my girls love to take these wraps in their lunchboxes.
Look what I found just in time for the red, white and blue holidays…
…adorable! My girls DEVOUR all of Trader Joe’s macarons!
Speaking of devour…
…these are in the frozen section. This is my kind of dessert right here. I love a dark chocolate frozen piece of banana. Delicious!
I bought the double chocolate brioche because well, it’s really good. I use their brioche often to make breakfast casseroles, but this one in particular is really good just toasted up.
Mades was the most excited about…
…the strawberry waffles!
It’s cherry season! I love cherries!
If you are really a fig fan, grab these Turkish dried figs. It’s kind of like eating a fig newton without the cookie. They’re soft and chewy and not too sweet.
I’m not even sure what exactly these are, but my kids loved them. I ate one, and I personally enjoyed the saltiness of the pretzel. It’s a fun little concoction!
These were my most unexpected find so far this month. I love a cashew…and these taste so buttery and delish. The honey is faint, but the butter and crunchy cashew are divine together.
I’ve mentioned this before, but all three of my girls love all things beauty related (they would live inside Sephora!), and Trader Joe’s is a great place to get beauty products for great prices. I bought these items for my girls, and they were thrilled. All three are seasonal.
Speaking of seasonal…
…I picked up my two favorite mustards this trip! I love, love, LOVE both of them!
And finally, I’ve shared this glaze before. It’s so easy to put over tomatoes and burrata, or grilled chicken…delish!
Okay, what are you currently buying and loving from Trader Joe’s right now?
Don’t forget…
…if you love their mustards, pretzel buns and sauerkraut, make sure you make my GERMAN BURGERS! These are crazy good!
Merry Monday in May! Comment and let me know what I need to grab this week from TJ 🙂 . xx
Elspeth Mizner says
I’m saving some of these for my next haul! Yum!!
http://www.elspethsdaybyday.com
Carissa says
Here are some Trader Joe’s favs in our house!
Sourdough Bread
Brookie
Fresh Squeezed Lemonade
Tangerine Juice
Pitted Salted Manzanilla Olive pouches
Rosemary Marcona Almonds
Brazil Nuts
Frozen:
Garlic Naan
Pitted Dark Sweet Cherries
Colorful Carrot Coins
Dutch Griddle Cakes
Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe
Chicken Breakfast Sausage Patties
Basmati Rice
Hold the Cone
Scallion Pancakes
Mushroom Medley
Steamed Pork and Ginger Soup Dumplings
Mix and Match Mama says
Yay! I love these recs!! Thank YOU!
Laura says
I am with Sheaffer, their shredded pepper jack is far better than any other brand.
Lisa D says
I am a fan of Trader’s orange chicken bowls, and green chile mac and cheese.
Mandie Howard says
I am about to shock you….. I have never been to a Trader Joe’s!! I have two within 30 minutes of me. Should I finally make the drive?
Mix and Match Mama says
You should stop what you’re doing and go immediately!!
Jessica says
…And now I’m hungry! 😂 Thank you for sharing!!! My spouse and I tried their blueberry scones from the freezer section over the weekend and not only did it make the house smell AMAZING, they were perfect for a morning break/coffee snack. 🙂💛
Lori says
I am loving the dewy skin serum from Trader Joes!
Sheaffer says
I’m having a stuffed pepper for lunch today. I’ve been thinking about it since last night. 🙂
Wendy says
I found the Roasted Garlic and Pesto pizza (with a deep fried Naples style crust) on my last trip there and it’s delicious! So good with a glass of wine. The caramel coffee almonds are SO good as an afternoon snack as well. I love Trader Joe’s!
Mix and Match Mama says
I have not seen that! It sounds delicious!
Rachel says
Just curious…is Kensington (and the rest of the fam) still gluten free? You used to mention that sometimes in your recipes or Trader Joe’s hauls or travel posts, but I haven’t noticed it in awhile.
Mix and Match Mama says
We are no longer a gf family. I blogged about it here: https://mixandmatchmama.com/2024/08/second-opinions/
Rachel says
Oh wow! That’s great news. I must’ve missed that post. Thanks for clarifying for me!
samantha brooks carroll says
I did pick up some of the Guava Spread from Trader Joe’s a few weeks ago after reading your post. I didn’t make the oatmeal bars, but I thinned out the spread into a syrup and mixed in vodka, triple sec and lime juice for a delightful guava cocktail!
Mix and Match Mama says
Delicious!!!
Erika Slaughter says
You’ll be so proud to hear…I went to the new TJ’s this weekend! I think it’s either a tad smaller or was just really crowded so it felt smaller?
Courtney says
Your mani looks so good! Are they gel or dipped? And how often do you get them done?
Mix and Match Mama says
They’re “dip”. I get them done every 2-3 weeks. I love them because they’re indestructible!
Brooke says
My closest Trader Joe’s is 1.25 hours away. I am so jealous… so I just googled how to request a Trader Joe’s in my town and filled it out. Ha! It would do great where I am. I still made a list for next time I make it over there though! 🙂
Katie Cherry says
Those face masks are amazing! Pore minimizing and smoothing. They are not seasonal at my TJ and I purchase throughout the year.
Tracy says
Our family loves Trader Joe’s freeze dried strawberries, brookies, Sublime Ice Cream Sandwiches, kale greek yogurt dip, pizza dough (refrigerated section), chicken schwarma (we grill this) and Atlantic salmon (we marinate and grill this on a regular basis). I also love their fresh flowers!
Alisha says
I’ve seen you talk about Trader Joes so much, but never see you mention Aldi. Have you shopped there/tried? We are an Aldi family for 95% of our groceries in this economy and I know there are many similar products between the two stores under the same ownership. Just curious if you’ve been!
Mix and Match Mama says
I have NEVER shopped at Aldi. You should listen to the Acquired podcast that discusses Trader Joe’s. It talks about the origin of both stores. It’s fascinating! I’m not sure why I haven’t been before?? I know I should try it!
Karen in VA says
We went to a different TJ over the weekend and discovered Detroit style uncured pepperoni pizza. It is the BEST frozen pizza I have had in a really long time. So good that we are going to make a special trip to that TJ just to get more. And it’s further away, but worth the drive.
And the reduced fat Mac and Cheese is really good! And my husband puts their onion salt on everything.
And get the reduced fat cheese puffs. So good you will eat the entire bag. I hate reduced fat anything usually…but not these two items.
Kelli Purser says
My family owns an Ice Cream business. We make homemade ice cream. We drizzle the balsamic glaze on top of our homemade Stawberry ice cream. TRY IT AND REPORT BACK! 🤣
Mix and Match Mama says
My mind is BLOWN! I love this idea!
Lori R says
I wish there was a store close to me and not over an hour away!
Jennifer Weber says
Gosh, I love these Trader Joe’s hauls!
Our favorites include: The ready made cold brew (not the concentrate, marcona almonds, haricots verts (thin green beans), their pizza sauce, the sweet onion pretzels are good, jasmine rice, the mini ice cream cones, the chicken sausages, and so much more.
I’m definitely going to head that way soon and grab some of those cherries!
Constance Le says
yuuuuuum everything looks so good!!!!!
Stacie says
I went to our trader joes the day before mothers day. It was so packed you would have thought the store just opened. Ha. We love the frozen alfredo for a quick side.
Suzan M LeFurgey says
Add olive oil to the glaze to thin it out and it makes excellent salad dressing.
Candy Hundley says
Hoping this goes through– sadly the closest Trader Joes is 3 hrs away– i’d love the Macaroons for the 4th of julie party we always have!! Thank you for all the TJ’s recommends– the pepper jack cheese,the flavored mustards etc- yum !!! Again im hoping this goes through.
Candy H.
Marissa says
Have you tried the key lime pie?? It’s so good!!
Mix and Match Mama says
I have not, and I LOVE Key Lime pie!!