Trader Joe's Haul - February 2018

I don't get to go to Trader Joe's often (because there are no Trader Joe's in Canada), but when I do go, I love to share some of my favorite finds with all of you! I haven't been to Trader Joe's since this whole clean eating venture, but I had heard that they offer great gluten free & vegan options. I was excited to check out their stock and they did not disappoint. Here are some of the highlights from our most recent Trader Joe's trip...

I have to start with 2 things that we ate before even even leaving the store -

They had this Amba Mango Sauce available as a tester with some grilled chicken and it was love at first bite. Mango has always been one of my favorite things and it is perfect in this sauce. It is just the right combination of sweet and spicy. I can't wait to use this at home!

On our way to the cash, the Bean spotted these and asked for them. Our lovely cashier said "that's not even a question! You totally need those and you need to open them right now." We followed instructions and opened these right at the cash and absolutely loved them! I'm not a big candy fan (I've always preferred chocolate to candy) but these candies are GOOD!

We also grabbed little applesauce pouches. These are great to have on hand for lunches and easy snacks. We chose the apple strawberry and the apple mango but I think they had some other fun flavours to choose from too.

It's no secret that I love to treat myself to pink drink from Starbucks every once in a while. My favorite part of the pink drink? The freeze dried strawberries. I have been looking for them everywhere but they are ridiculously expensive. Not at Trader Joe's - totally reasonably priced and the most fun treat! We grabbed some freeze dried blueberries to.

Sometimes I walk through bread aisles just to smell the bread. Is that crazy? One thing I miss the most about bread is the smell. So, I ventured down the bread aisle and was surprised to find gluten free bagels and gluten free cinnamon raisin bread! How fun? Both of these finds are completely delicious and have made the best breakfasts!

Oh what do I top my bagels and cinnamon raisin bread with, you ask? Some vegan cream cheese for the bagel and vegan butter for the cinnamon raisin bread. Both the vegan cream cheese and the vegan butter are delicious! I don't know if this brand is only available at Trader Joe's, but I highly recommend it if you can find it elsewhere.

We also grabbed some gluten free tortillas and immediately added fajitas to our meal plan for the week! It has been so hard to find good GF tortillas in Montreal. We picked up some dried mango too. I mentioned before that I love mango anything and dried mango is one of my faves.

We picked some Hickory Barbecue Chips and some Salt & Vinegar Chips - the perfect snack for our car ride home! Both of these are delicious.

These got mixed reviews from my crew, but I love them! They definitely aren't a sugar-y sweet treat but I think they're good. The Bean thinks they taste a little like soap and my friend Hannah thought they tasted like a chickpea. I mean, do what you will with these silly reviews but I loved them!

And, I saved the best for last - these snickerdoodles are just fabulous! Like maybe the best cookie I've had since being gluten free... maybe ever! Drop whatever you're doing and run to Trader Joe's to grab a box of these cookies! I promise, you will not be disappointed! And last but not least are the macadamia nuts. While we were in California, I tried macadamia nuts for the first time (I had only ever had them in cookies). They are so good on their own! These are a more expensive buy, but they make a fun treat every once in a while.

Let me know what your favorite Trader Joe finds are!