It’s been a year since I started frugalfoodiefamily, my little attempt to share with the world how I cook and eat well on a budget, for our family of 4 but also and sometimes even more importantly I think, for the community around me. Our budget started last year at $385, is now $400, and I’ve posted over 150 recipes in nearly 200 posts. Whoa.
The Adventure
It’s been so fun to make connections with people around the world, to share my love for food with the readers of Martha Stewart, OC Family, and the foodies checking out the mouthwatering pics on Foodgawker and Instagram (@frugalfoodiefam). Possibly the best part of all is hearing from many of you that you feel a bit more inspired and confident in the kitchen, that you’re saving money, losing weight, feeding your kids better and more nutritiously, and connecting with others over food. LOVE!
My Bestie, Trader Joes
Of course by now you know I’m an unpaid publicist for Trader Joes (they don’t know this yet but I’m working on it)! This year I’ve made about 75 visits to the store (probably 73 of them with my two small kids, lucky me:), purchased probably 40 different wines (I mean I just had to after said 73 shopping trips with small kiddos), and beamed with joy as my dear friend in Austin rallied her city together to get their first store ever!
So Happy Blogiversary to frugalfoodiefamily!
No, we’re not celebrating with cake. I’ve got something even better for you…
In honor of such a fun milestone, and because I’m not sure there’s any store more fun than Trader Joes, I’ve included my top 10 TJ’s favorites, plus a little G-I-V-E-A-W-A-Y! So here we go…
In no particular order:
10. Marinated Frozen Ahi Tuna. Usually around $5 bucks a pound, a favorite in the summer on the grill. Tastes like a steak. Really.
9. Extra Virgin Olive Oil. A $6 bottle lasts me 4-6 weeks. What a deal.
8. Two Buck Chuck. I always keep their Sauvignon Blanc on hand, for cooking and some weeknight sipping.
7. Whole Wheat Pizza Dough. Yes, homemade is better. No, I don’t usually have the time to make it. This stuff works great, and is just over $1 buck.
6. Dark Chocolate Covered Caramels. Oh. My. Just try them.
5. Greek Yogurt. 16 Ounces for $1.99. I haven’t found this price anywhere else, and I’ve stopped buying sour cream and cook with this instead.
4. Natural Peanut Butter. Around $2.50, a jar of this stuff contains peanuts and salt. Love it. The only thing I love possibly a little more is making my own almond butter.
3. Joe’s O’s Cereal. We buy a box of these week in and week out. And at $1.99, it’s a steal.
2. Honey Wheat Pretzel Sticks. Kids love ’em. Parents love ’em. I love ’em for $1.69 a bag.
1. Coffee Bean Blast Ice Cream. My absolute favorite. Thinking about a big bowl of it right now makes me blush a little.
So there you have it! My favorites from Trader Joes.
NOW……onto the Giveaway!
What would you do with a $20 gift card to Trader Joes?!
Leave a comment below and let me know what one of your favorite items is from Trader Joes. I’ll pick a winner at random on Wednesday, May 23rd at Midnight, and I’ll announce it on Thursday the 24th.
Good luck and thanks for all the love this last year!
from the comments, back then.
I love the champagne pear vinaigrette from Trader Joe’s! Perfect for my favorite salad – arugula, Gorgonzola, fresh strawberries and roasted beets. 🙂
We can’t ever get enough peanut butter, coconut oil, and Joe’s O’s from TJ’s! What an amazing giveaway. =)
There are wayyyyy to many to count! I would have to say the olive oil too! We just got a Trader Joes in Prescott, AZ and before I was stocking up in CA on vacations! I love reading your blog, especially the wines on Friday! Thanks!
Coffee Bean Blast Ice Cream sounds like a decadent dream right now (it’s also my favorite,
try it with toffee chips mixed into it). Two Buck Chuck is a cooks best buddy.
My hubby and I love the Manchego cheese and their famous rice crackers. We serve this pre-meal treat with a bottle of pino grigio. Yummy!
Trader Joe’s is a little far for weekly shopping, but I do make a trip every few months. I love to pick up dried fruit and mixed nuts when I’m there. The prices are just so good!
And congrats on your one year anniversary! You have a beautiful blog – you inspire me every time I read it 🙂
Corn Salsa, yogurt cheese, and the new House whip (cool whip like dessert topping but without the partially hydrogenated oils)
too much good stuff! (oh wait, that’s someone else’s slogan.. lol) I always love their nuts!
There’s so much to love! Tempura birds nests, dried apricots, organic bagged pears and apples, whole wheat pizza dough, whole wheat white flour. Congrats on one year!
I too am a HUGE Trader Joes fan! I could not get along without them. My favorite item? It’s so hard to pick! I love their seasonal specialties. But lately we’ve been inhaling their raspberry sorbet. Yum!
I like getting the roasted nuts since it can be used to make so many things.
I love your blog–keep it up! I am partial to the Cinnamon Schoolhouse cookies from TJ. They are in the form of capital letters, delicious and low fat! My kids also go crazy for them and I can claim they are “educational” for my preschoolers and toddler:)!