No, seriously, I am deeply in love. His name is Joe. Well, okay, it isn't actually a "him". It is actually a "what". It is, of course, Trader Joe's!
I just finished my weekly grocery shopping. It took me twenty minutes. TWENTY MINUTES! Can you believe that? Yes, I am a fast shopper, but still. Part of that speed is really due to the great layout of the Trader Joe stores. I know where everything is and everything is very intuitively stocked, so even if I am looking for a product that I have never bought before, I can almost guarantee where I will find it!
More important than the time savings though, are the savings in food cost! I continuously have this long-running dialogue with my friends about why they should be shopping at Trader Joe's instead of <gag> Walmart. But they just don't get it!
Today's shopping trip cost $124. I purchased enough food for two people for over a week, plus some additional odds and ends! That comes out to less than three dollars a meal! My friends routinely spend more than that a week at Walmart, and it goes without saying that the food quality is not even remotely close! Here's my recent take from Trader Joe's:
Here's a list of everything I bought:
- Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits- 2 Boxes (Our dogs LOVE them!)
- Bouquet of Spring Flowers
- Tea Tree Oil Soap (2 bars)
- Half and Half
- Butter (2 lbs)
- Organic Yogurt (6 each)
- Sliced Roasted Turkey
- Sliced Cojack Cheese
- Multigrain English Muffins (6)
- Whole Wheat English Muffins (6)
- Blueberry Scones (6)
- Bananas (2 bunches)
- Mini Watermelon
- Avocados (6 each)
- Red D'Anjou Pears (2 each)
- Limes (2 each)
- Brussel Sprouts
- Asparagus
- Strawberries
- Organic Jelly Beans
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Chocolate Bar
- Kona Coffee-Chocolate Truffles
- California Roll Sushi Tray
- Wild Salmon in Yogurt Mint Sauce with Orzo Pasta- Frozen Entrée (2 each)
- Reduced Guilt Macaroni and Cheese Frozen Entrée
- Garden Vegetable Lasagna Frozen Entrée
- Vegetable Pad Thai Frozen Entrée
- Indian Tikka Masala Frozen Entrée
- Beef Stroganoff Meal for Two
- Grilled Chicken Cacciatore Meal for Two
- Fully Cooked Pork Belly-12 oz
- Frozen Barramundi- Sustainable Source
- Lemon-Pepper Spice Mill
- Linguini with White Clam Sauce
- Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce
- Mini Meatballs- Frozen
This week, while other people I work with will be eating fast food or other boring lunches, I will be indulging in dishes like: Wild Salmon in Yogurt Mint Sauce with Orzo Pasta... or Vegetable Pad Thai... or Garden Vegetable Lasagna... or Indian Tikka Masala! And the kicker? They are ALL really quite good!
After a long day of work, I have to come home and prepare dinner, and even with my culinary background, it is sometimes the last thing that I want to do after a long, hard day. But I also like to have good food. That's another reason why Trader Joe's is perfect for my situation. Their pre-packaged meals are designed to serve 2-3 people. So there is no waste! Compare that to trying to reproduce these meals from a store like Walmart and you can instantly see why Trader Joe's is a better value.
This week, our dinners will include:
Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Mini Meatballs in Tomato-Basil Marinara Sauce
Lemon-Pepper Barramundi with Sugar Snap Peas
Seared, Sliced Pork Belly with Fingerling Potatoes and Brussel Sprouts
Beef Stroganoff with Pappardelle Pasta, Pearl Onions and Mushrooms and Asparagus
Grilled Chicken Cacciatore with Sugar Snap Peas.
Add to that all of the fresh fruit, and the occasional Kona-Chocolate Truffle! It just doesn't get any better than that!
Oh wait, yes it does! Because all of the above meals will take less than an hour to prepare, and most will be prepared in under 30 minutes! Now THAT fits my lifestyle.
So now you know why I am in love. But can you blame me? I mean, Trader Joe treats me like a king. What more could I want?
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