Trader Joe's Must Haves

Its no surprise that I love Trader Joe's and these posts are pretty common around these parts!

So I will dive into my recent Trader Joe's new finds that have quickly made their way onto my must have list!

First up is this little gem that I found in the frozen aisle and are $4.49! Its a great light lunch item! I made it the other day for the hubby and I but I added some shredded chicken on top and it was perfect! I would eat this on its own for sure!

 This Mushroom Fettuccine dish is so good! Cooks best on the stove top in my personal opinion! I add two garlic cubes to give it a little extra something. Perfect for two people with a side of salad! $5.99 and found near the pre-made meals/salads.

These vegetarian black bean and jack cheese burritos are great for lunches on the go!

They are super cheap ($2.99 each) and yet delicious!

These Crushed Garlic cubes are everything!! I add this to almost all my meals. I never leave the store without grabbing a couple of these bad boys.You can find them in the frozen section!

At my Trader Joe's these carrot spirals are right next to the garlic cubes! My kids gobble these "noodles" like it is nobodies business! I add the garlic cubes and a little bit of avocado oil and top it with Parmesan cheese!

I've tried cooking Okra before and it was a complete disaster! So when I saw these in the chips/cracker aisle I was hesitant but thought why not! Surprise they are yum and the kids actually eat them!

Share you TJ favorites!! I love trying new items :)

xoxo

Jocelyn

Five on Friday

Happy Friday Everyone!

We have an exciting weekend of cleaning out the garage planned for ourselves!

Its not really how I want to spend my free time but it is something that has been on our to do list for months! So I will be very happy to finally check it off the list!

Before I start the day with full fledge cleaning lets have some Five on Friday fun!

| one | 

My youngest daughter Charlotte is turning 3 in just a few short weeks, so party planning has started. Albeit a little late but nonetheless it is under way! This years celebration will be a small one but will be filled with plenty of love and laughter. We are just inviting our immediate family and will serve some appetizers, pizza and of course CAKE! Oh and the party will be Cars themed because our little princess loves everything Cars. I've spent the week combing through Pinterest for some party inspiration and found these...how cute right?!!?

Both parties can be found at Catch My Party

               

| two |

This week I visited Aldi for the first time (see that here) and picked up a frozen fruit & veggie  smoothie blend!It had fruit I normally don't add to to smoothies but I was pleasantly surprised with how delicious it was! The package says makes 4 smoothies but I don't think I added enough orange juice/water so our package only made enough for 3 of us. I would would totally buy this again! Smoothies are a sure way to get my youngest to have veggies! 

| three |

I have seen letter boards all over Instagram and even saw them at Hobby Lobby! I knew I wanted to buy one but didn't care for any of the price tags I was seeing! So when I went into Target the other day for toothpaste and I saw this cute letter board for $5 in the "Dollar Spot" I quickly threw it into my cart! I even found an extra set of letters for only $1. The best part of this shopping trip was that I had a gift card for Target that I earned with Shopkick(what's shop kick?..see that here)...so the letter board was basically FREE!!!

| four |

I have been kicking butt lately in the making healthy meals department! The other day I threw these items together for a quick but healthy lunch for the hubby and myself! It was delicious, healthy and pretty darn filling! Everything for this lunch was purchased at Trader Joe's minus the diced prosciutto that was grabbed during my trip to Aldi! 

| five |

I love floral prints and got a little carried away the other day and ordered both of these tops online from LOFT with a gift card I got for Christmas! They currently have a great sale going on right now, so if your needing to update your wardrobe now is the time! 
LEFT TOP | RIGHT TOP

                  

Have a great weekend everyone!

xoxo

Jocelyn

A Trader Joe's Deliciously Easy Meal

Today is our first Monday back into our normal routine and I am definitely feeling it!
On days like this when I don't really feel like "adulting", I relay on easy meals to make it to bed time!
Trader Joe's is my go to for almost everything food related! Tonight's dinner will be an old time favorite of ours! A quick and ridiculously delicious meal that only has 4 items I throw together. Within minutes I have a delicious meal that everyone in my family loves!
So if your not feeling like being stuck in the kitchen all night long this recipe is for you!
The three items below are all found in the frozen food section of Trader Joe's!
The Penne Arrabbiata is delicious and super affordable I never leave with at least 2 bags of this stuff! The cooked medium Shrimp is $7.99 and comes with plenty! I never leave the store with out grabbing a few of the frozen cubed basil packets (ps they have a garlic pack too and its the best thing ever)!
I added all of these items plus two handfuls of spinach in a large skillet and cooked it for about 15 -20 minutes!!

The final product is a delicious meal that you will quickly add to your dinner rotation!

Do you have any delicious Trader Joe's meals you swear by??!! Please share in the comments below :) I am always on the hunt for great and easy meals!

xoxo

Jocelyn

Trader Joe's must have Fall Edition

On our latest Trader Joe's trip I decided before hand that I wasn't going to go Pumpkin flavor crazy! So out of all the delicious goodies to be seen we came home with these treats!

First up is the Fall Zucchette Pasta! The pasta is made up from butternut squash and is delicious! I got it merely because it looked like tiny little pumpkins and I knew the girls would love it! And now I am going to go and stock up while I can because they were that good! The hubby and I ate it with regular marinara sauce and the girls ate it with olive oil and Parmesan cheese! 

Second up and my absolute favorite from the trip! Pumpkin Cream Cheese Spread! Delicious on bread, bagel and pretty much anything else! I especially love dipping apple slices into this amazing spread.

Third up is the Honey Roasted Pumpkin Ravioli! Now this might sound strange but I loved this with a little pesto sauce! Definitely not something I could eat over and over again but once in awhile!

I have a few items I want to get on our next trip:

- the Autumnal Harvest Pasta Sauce

- Harvest Spice Trek Mix 

- Pumpkin Spice cookies

Any recommendations are welcome!! Leave must have treats I need to try in the comments below!

xoxo

Jocelyn

Trader Joe's must haves update

Our Trader Joe's love still runs very deep!

I love the food and the girls love searching for Casey and Chloe! Win and Win!

Two kiddos at the grocery store isn't the most easiest task to accomplish but having the girls so excited to find those bears, has been a major game changer for us! 

On our most recent trip I decided to give some new products a shot!

The day we ventured into the store they were giving samples of this ravioli and despite that it was sprinkled with tomato and basil, my kids literally inhaled it! It definitely made its way into our cart and has been a fan favorite! Drizzle a little olive oil, diced tomato and basil and omg its delicious!

I have been on the search for a new cooking oil and came across this sunflower oil! I've tried cooking with coconut oil but the girls can't stand it and I don't blame them. This oil has been a great substitute for my normal go to olive oil!  

My daughter goes to a "peanut free" school so this sunflower seed spread has made it possible for her to have her much needed pb&j lunch time sandwich!

My kids and my husband are "snackers". I am asked for snacks to many times to count! When we stumbled upon these snacks I had a feeling they would be well received.

The cinnamon apple snack sticks taste just like churros!!!

The roasted plantain chips are an amazing substitute for those chip cravings!

The cranberries are nothing mind blowing but hey they are organic so there ya go ;)

I think the thing I really like about Trader Joe's is that every trip I find something new! It allows me to switch things up and yet is super affordable!

To see some of my old Trader Joe's must haves click here!

xoxo

Jocelyn

five on friday

Happy Friday Everyone! 

This was our last week of summer vacation and we literally did nothing! Not that I am complaining because come next week I will be missing our "nothing to do" days. While we still have today to soak in all the nothingness (yes I am sure that is a word and if its not it totally should be!), I wanted to join in on the Five on Friday fun!

| one | Back in April I shared my Trader Joe's must haves, since then I have added two more to the list! The Butternut Squash Zig-Zags are delicious and a great way to add more veggies to your meals! The Riced Cauliflower is an absolute favorite of mine! I saute it with a little bit of olive oil and white pepper. When I feed it to my girls I mix it into their brown rice and they gobble it right up. 

      

| two | While we are on the topic of food, I wanted to share these Yummy Spoonfuls I found at Target recently! I love these for so many reasons but let's be honest it is a lifesaver. When Charlotte is hungry for the millionth time I just pop these into the microwave and voila a little healthy meal! It is made in the USA, is organic, gluten-free, and so much more! So far Charlotte has given her stamp of approval on the Pinto Beans Brown Rice & Turkey and the Lentil & Carrots! Just picked up a few new flavors today and I am pretty sure they will be big hits too!

 | three | I stopped by Carter's earlier this week to pick up some new pjs and I was sucked in. I normally contain my need to buy every cute outfit I see but this time around I gave in just a little! In my defense I had just cleaned out both of the girls dressers and they were in need of some new clothes. Everything I bought was either on clearance or on major sale (double win) so to the mommas out there looking for deals swing by Carter's! Out of all the goodies I got these two onesies(geo print bodysuit/horse bodysuit) are my favorites! 

| four | Last Friday Cailee turned the big 5 and we surprised her with a Lego Table. She loved it and put it into use right away! This easy gift was a big hit and will last her for years to come. I will share a separte post on the lego table soon :) 

| five | Cailee's 5th birthday pool party was last weekend and it was a blast! It was well over a 100 degrees but the pool kept our guest happy.  I can't wait to share more pictures soon! But for now I'll leave ya with a picture of some yummy cake!

Now I am off to enjoy our last Friday of summer vacation!

xoxo

Jocelyn

trader joe's must haves

I love reading about what goodies people find especially when its food related. I often find myself in a cooking rut and on those days I turn to my Trader Joe's must haves.

For lunch...

Most days my hubby works from home so I make us the same lunch. I am a big fan of the packaged ravioli. They have all sorts of flavors but my favorite is the Goat Cheese and Sundried Tomato.We easily split one package between the two of us and the baby.  

But the days he goes into the office I pack him frozen pre-made meals that are both delicious and filling. His two favorites are the Bibimbap Bowl (a popular Korean dish) and the Chicken Tikka Masala (an Indian dish).

  

Goat Cheese & Sundried Tomato Ravioli $2.99 | Bibimbap Bowl $3.49 | Chicken Tikka Masala $3.49

For dinner...

The dinner time rush in our house is by far the most chaotic time of day. From helping Cailee with her homework to bath time. The last thing I want to do is spend the night slaving away making dinner when I much rather be spending the time with my family. These must haves really come in handy for me. 

The Organic Brown Rice (one box comes with 3 pouches) is a staple at our house, 3 minutes in the microwave and done! What I love most is I don't have to clean a rice cooker! The Orange Chicken is so delicious and is my 4 years old favorite! The Shiitake Mushroom Chicken is a newbie to our house but has been well received by all. I love that they are ridiculously delicious and take me less than 10 minutes to cook!  FYI one bag perfectly feeds our family of four!

Organic Brown Rice $3.49 | Orange Chicken $4.99 |Shiitake Mushroom Chicken $4.99 

For dessert...

The Cookie Butter sandwich cookies are a big hit in this house! The box lasts maybe 2 days and that's if I control myself. Oddly enough we have never tried their jar Cookie Butter but I hear its just as amazing. I just bought the Chocolate Dilemma Cheesecake and already have it on my grocery list for the next few months. Its that good! The cheesecake slices are small but incredibly filling. Last but not least are mommy's special dessert ;) The Blue Fin Pinot Noir is perfection and the Grifone Rose is a new favorite of mine!

Cookie Butter sandwich Cookies $3.99 | Cheesecake $7.99 | Grifone Rose $3.99 | Blue Fin $4.99

What are your Trader Joe's must haves? Please share in the comments below!

This is not a sponsored post! Simply products I've tried and loved!

xoxo

Jocelyn