Trader Joe's Autumn Haul
It is officially autumn, the leaves are changing, and pumpkin spice everything is available in every coffee shop, grocery store, and café around here. It seems that everyone's favorite version of the ingredient is the sweet, spicy, pumpkin spice latte, however, savory pumpkin dishes are my favorite. The richness and creaminess of the ingredient is great in soups, curries, pasta, and breads. Fortunately, Trader Joe's has some of the best selection of pumpkin and squash products this time of year. Everything from ravioli and soups, to cereal, cookies, and ice cream. I headed to Trader Joe's in Capitol Hill to stock up on some of our seasonal favorites and do our weekly shopping.
One of my favorite things about Trader Joe's is their focus on high-quality and affordable prepared/frozen foods and seasonal products. Their store is full of delicious, rotating ingredients that make weeknight dinners simple and delicious. Like many folks, I love their frozen meats and salad kits for a cheaper version of take-out. Even now that we have more time at home and less activities in the evening, it is still nice to have simple, prepared options for dinner. This week, we tried the Kung Pao chicken (frozen) and stir fried veggies (fresh) for a quick, healthier version of the Chinese-American take-out dish. We also made a pumpkin coconut curry that is great on some of the cooler, rainy days that signal the start of fall in Seattle.
Check out what we've got for the week down below. I've included prices for reference. Stay tuned for recipes using these pumpkin-inspired finds in following posts.
Produce
The bulk of our groceries this week were from the produce isle. We love having big salads full or seasonal veggies for lunches and then preparing more cooked veggies for dinners. The pre-chopped stir fry mix is a great option to get a variety of vegetables and not have to do any prep work! This week we got:
Herb Salad Mix
Baby Spinach
Coniferous Crunch Salad Mix (cabbage, broccoli, kale, brussels sprouts)
Gape Tomatoes
Yellow Zucchini/Summer Squash
Bell Pepper
Broccoli Florets
Stir Fry Vegetables (onion, peppers, mushrooms, snap peas, broccoli)
Nectarines
Riced Cauliflower (frozen)
Pumpkin (canned)
Green Goddess Dressing
Total Cost: $32.17
Protein & Packaged Goods
When it comes to protein, we eat everything - plant based proteins, chicken, seafood, eggs/dairy, and red meat. We try to mix up our protein options throughout the week for our health and the environment. We have a lot of pantry staples at home right now, so I've lumped in our grains and packaged goods into this category as well. This week we got:
Roasted Deli Chicken/Turkey
Kung Pao Chicken
Jalapeño Chicken Sausage
Eggs
Almond Milk
Coconut Milk (full fat, canned)
Mozzarella cheese
Trader Joe's Pumpkin O's Cereal
Whole wheat cous cous
Mesquite almonds
Honey roasted peanuts
Chile spiced mango (dried)
Mini cheese crackers
Scandinavian Swimmers (gummy candy)
Berry licorice
Total Cost: $53.83
Recipes
We will be using these ingredients to make a pumpkin curry, stir fry, hearty salads, and our morning coffee and tea lattes. We typically have cereal or eggs for breakfast and make sure that the pantry is stocked with snacks for throughout the day. I am so excited that the Trader Joe's Pumpkin O's are back in stock - the brown rice and oat flour base makes for a super crunchy, pumpkin-spice flavored treat in the morning. The honey roasted peanuts and mesquite almonds will be a great source of afternoon protein while we work. Stay tuned for more pumpkin recipes coming to the blog soon.
Let's chat!
What are your go-to items at Trader Joes? Any favorite pumpkin recipes? Share you favorites in the comment section below.
