My Trader Joe's Obession

So I know I'm late to the party, but I'm starting to understand shoppers' fanaticism over Trader Joe's products. There's one down the street from my house but I rarely went. Aside from their hummus and "Two Buck Chuck" wine, I figured I wasn't missing much. I didn't know how wrong I was

But then I tried their Belgian Waffles. And I saw the light. I've never had a lighter, crispier, more delicious store-bought waffle. $1.99 gets you a box of four. 50 cents for a piece of breakfast heaven. The only other place that comes close is a local breakfast joint I frequent here in Fresno, and only if I specifically ask them to make it extra crispy.

So now I'm that person, who fills up her cart with four boxes at a time. I've even resorted to stalking the store when they're out. It was a miserable waffle-less month for me. So my kids were forced to eat Eggos... which forced me to find another delicious breakfast options from... Trader Joe's, of course: Frozen Chocolate Croissants! Huffington Post family blogger Julie Tilsner even blogged about these puppies. Her experience pretty much sums up mine.

WOW.  Possibly the flakiest, tastiest, butteriest, chocolatiest croissant I've ever had. So flaky, you'll be wearing it all over your clothes after breakfast. As the box suggests, there's some forethought involved. You need to put them on a baking sheet the night before to let them rise, then stick them in the oven for 20 minutes the next day. While getting the kids ready, the house fills with THAT smell... you'll swear you've been transported to a little cafe in Paris. They have 18 grams of fat  IN EACH CROISSANT---but who cares when you're nibbling on such a delicious morsel?

Then there's their $3.99 tub of Fat Free Frozen Vanilla Greek Yogurt. My family lives off of smoothies for our morning serving of fruit... a scoop of this in the blender adds the creaminess without the fat. Plus we're getting some of that protein that greek yogurt is praised for.

My obsession isn't limited to just their breakfast options. It's just that with two school-aged kids and two working parents, I'm always on the lookout for fast and tasty morning shortcuts. But Trader Joe's fans are well aware of their other cult favorites like their seasonal offerings... including pumpkin flavored everything... from pumpkin pancake mix to pumpkin butter.

But as a Korean American... I'm also always on the lookout for Korean food shortcuts. I swear someone at Trader Joe's has got to be a brother from another mother. Not only do that have edamame, bulgogi and kimchi fried rice but they've also got wasabi flavored seaweed! I lived off of roasted seaweed snacks in college. A 99 cent pack plus some sticky rice = a meal for a poor student sick of ramen. And now one of my favorite Korean snacks comes with a kick of wasabi. I'm smitten.

Anyhow, for those of you reading this who are already TJ shoppers, none of this is news to you. So thanks for indulging all my newfound wonder. You're all just nodding your heads knowingly... because you've all gone through this falling in love stage. I'd love to hear about your favorites you can't live without. I'll see you in the aisles, reusable bags in hand.