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Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter Cups Trax Mix

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OK-YUM! Trader Joe’s has combined smooth creamy mini peanut butter cups with dried cherries, almonds and cashews! Appropriately called Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter Cups Trax Mix.

Trader Joe's Peanut Butter Cups Trail Mix

Trader Joe's Peanut Butter Cups Trail Mix

We spotted this new trail mix on the “new items” shelf at Trader Joe’s on a recent visit. This is one of my favorite places to check out, just before we check out, just to see what is new in the store. As you know, Trader Joe’s has so many great items that even regular shoppers don’t get to know all of them. This New Items area gives us a head start, right?

Trader Joe's Peanut Butter Cups Trax Mix

Trader Joe's Peanut Butter Cups Trax Mix

OK back to the Peanut Butter Cups Trax Mix. YUM! Yes I said that, but I will say it again. The crunchy nuts, and the chewy dried cherries are wonderful together. AND then add the rich chocolate and peanut butter mini cups and this Trax mix is a home run!  I can see a baggie of this Peanut Butter Cups Trax Mix going into a lunch in the near future…. I guess that is IF there is any left!

Now the only thing I want to mention is the potential for a melt down with this product.  Here in Tucson it is still fairly hot out (Yikes today’s high is 100) and therefore this product might not be the best kind to include in a lunch or backpack to take for a quick snack. We usually stick to the fruit-and –nut only Trax Mix until the temps are under the 70’s. Just FYI

Have you tried this yummy Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter Cups Trax Mix? What did you think??

Trader Joe’s Manchego Cheese

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Trader Joe's Manchego Cheese

Trader Joe's Manchego Cheese

Another great product discovered in the Trader Joe’s Fearless Flyer, May 2010. To view The Fearless Flyer online, go to Traderjoes.com. You will see the information right on the home page.

We actually re- discovered this cheese by flipping through the Trader Joe’s Fearless Flyer. We both love Tapas, those little bits or snacks typical to a Spanish bar or restaurant. We have enjoyed many different kinds of cheeses that are served for Tapas- and really did not know their names. This cheese is fairly distinctive, as it is dry-firm and has a distinctive dark rind.

So we read about this nutty, sharp tangy cheese from Spain, and thought OK sounds fantastic, right? So we had to laugh when we arrived at Trader Joe’s to discover that we already knew about the cheese, just not by the official name. HA!

So anyway this is a great cheese. It is firm and nutty and kinda crumbles when you cut it into thin slices. It makes a great cheese to go on a cheese tray maybe with a soft, ripe pear and some crackers.

According to the Fearless Flyer, this is a sheep’s milk cheese (hey news to us) and has been make in Spain for hundreds of years- Even mentioned in Don Quixote! (OK, yes I am curious now, and will have to seek out the book to check).

Another source for all things food, The Food Lover’s Companion,   mentions that this cheese melts easily. Then this got me thinking about a fantastic cheese sauce or even a yummy macaroni and cheese- Spanish Style. Hmmmm….  Maybe I will need to switch up some menus this week to sneak in a potato-cheese –thingy… What do you think??

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Trader Joe’s Triple Fruit Treat

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Confessions of a super busy week: I forgot to post a note about a great product, until, um…. the last handful!

Here is the full story… while shopping at Trader Joe’s we found a new-ish product: Trader Joe’s Triple Fruit Treat with mango, cranberries and blueberries.

Well, we thought they were new, looked great, so we should give these a try, right?  Then the checkout person was like “hey these are fantastic!”  and the person bagging up our groceries (in those nice, cloth bags) also commented on this seemingly ordinary bag of dried fruit “yes, I just love those mangos!”

So while we thought this was a new product, we guess it has been in the store for a few days at least.

Anyway back to the review…. This item really was just delicious! The mangos were cut into small, thin squares so they were just the right thickness to be chewy, but not too thick that you were worried about your teeth.  We already love dried cranberries, and these were nice because they were more separated, and not all smashed into large chunks. And dried blueberries? WOW these are really a nice dash of flavor, and make this mixture really shine!

Just to go over the top, we added some cashews and some peanuts to the dish when we were snacking on this fruit mixture. So to us, this was like a super gourmet trail mix. YUMMZ!

Trader Joe's Triple Fruit Treat

Trader Joe's Triple Fruit Treat

So here is the final handful of this dried fruit mix when we said to each other  “I thought YOU took the picture!”

Go ahead and try it today!

Great Snacking with Trader Joe’s

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Like we told you in previous posts, we are working towards making positive changes in out diet. For us, this means that we not only will eat more at home, but ensure that we make better/ more healthy choices about what we eat when we go out.

Enter: The Snack Zone -OK this is really just a plastic bin in the refrigerator that is stocked with a variety of items that are ready-to-eat and ready to-go standing by for us to grab when we are hungry or as we are heading out the door.

Recently we have had a nice selection in the Snack Zone: cheese and crackers and nut mixtures (Trader Joe’s Cashews, Cranberries and Almond) portioned out in small bags. We like to stock the Snack Zone on Friday’s after shopping at Trader Joe’s to get ready for the next week. (This does not always happen, but it is a goal we are working on;)

So this week, with the weather turning a bit warmer (Truthfully…. it is 80+ degrees here in Tucson today…sorry if you are out shoveling snow) we chose a couple of new snack items to add to our weekly menu mix. Two of our requirements of snacks is that they be quick to put together (especially at the last minute) and portable so that we can take them on the road with ease. Also we like to change it up, and these new snack items are just the thing after a number of weeks of cheese and crackers and nuts.

Currently our Snack Zone consists of:

Trader Joe’s Persian Cucumbers
These are petite cucumbers that sorta resemble those long English cucumbers, only smaller. The skins are tender and they are not “Waxed for Freshness” (which often happens to cucumbers-yuck!) so you can eat the peels. They are sweet and tender and simply wonderful.

Trader Joe’s Hummus
This tub of hummus has just enough garlic for a great flavor, with out being too strong and it is blended into a creamy consistency that is not watery.

Trader Joe’s Baby Carrots
What can we say? they are sweet and ready to eat right from the bag. The ultimate Fast Food for busy people.

We have sliced up the cucumbers and poured out the baby carrots into a zip-top bag, and then spooned out the hummus into a small plastic container. So now this snack is ready to go when we are ready to head out the door or just our table.

We are enjoying trying out these new, heather snack options (especially after “taste testing” all that Easter Candy). We hope you get inspired to try those Persian cucumbers or the Hummus the next time you are shopping at Trader Joe’s.

Trader Joe's Hummus & Veg

Trader Joe's Hummus & Veg