I Heart Trader Joe's

I have decided to make this a series of sorts, any time I find a new food, activity, or whatever comes to mind, I'll make an I Heart... post.

This I Heart post is about Trader Joe's as you can see.  Now, you'll probably hear me talk about them a lot but here are some of my favorites from TJ's.  Granted I learn about new things all the time, and sometimes things go away but I'll post about new things when I find them in my regular updates.

Social Snackers- One of my new favorites, these crackers are buttery and flaky and can be quite addicting so I have to keep them out of site otherwise I will end up eating a whole sleeve.  I have before!

Cracker Cuts Sharp Cheddar Cheese-  These go PERFECTLY with the Social Snackers.  They are just the perfect size.  They aren't low fat, but they are still only 1 P+ per square so it's totally worth it for the real deal!

Jasmine Pearls Tea- I have already mentioned this in the my first I Heart...  post.  It's just a good light green tea with a hint of jasmine in it.  It's not as strong as regular green tea, which I'm not a big fan of.  It's very delicate in flavor.  I also love all of the health benefits you get from drinking green tea!

Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels- Okay, these I never buy because I can't stop eating them.  Literally, I can't!  But if you are strong willed enough to eat a serving, they are really good!  It has the sweet and smooth of the peanut butter, salty and crunchy from the pretzel.  I am what I call a "pick apart" eater, which means I pick things apart when I eat them.  I'll eat the pretzel bottom first, then eat the peanut butter which gets pretty solid from the baking, and then I'll eat the salty top of the pretzel.  They have them in unsalted as well, but I like the salted version best.

Pretzel Thins- They have a couple of varieties but I've only had the plain salted.  They are really good, and I really like using them with their Peach Salsa which I'll mention as well.  Really helps feed a pretzel craving, at least for me.

Peach Salsa-  I don't know the exact name, but if you just look for a Peach Salsa in the chip isle of your local TJ's, you'll find it.  It's sweet and has a slightly spicy smoky flavor to it as well.  It might even have smoky in the name but I cannot remember!  I first tried it when my aunt made a cheese quesadilla and added a little of the salsa to the middle of it and the flavors were SO good!  It was just 2 corn tortillas, a little bit of shredded Gouda (I believe, or you can use any cheese you like, melty cheese works better), and a little of the salsa and heat it up in a dry pan or spray with cooking spray until crisp on both sides and middle is all melty and gooey!  YUM!

Laundry Detergent-  I know you're probably thinking, what?!  She's mentioning something other than food?! Yes, because I want to mention things I love from a particular spot and also want to show that sometimes it's not all about food.  I love their lavender laundry detergent.  It's biodegradable and had a light lavender scent.  It's not too harsh on my clothes which I like. 

There are so many things I like there and I keep finding new things so I will mention things in my regular updates when that may happen.

Do you have any favorite things I have not mentioned from TJ's?

I Heart Tea

Okay, so every now and then I'll probably have something I'd like to mention food wise that I love that I will post about in addition to my regular posts.  Plus, I'm in a kind of chatty mood today...  :)

I've never been a huge coffee or tea drinker, more so for coffee than tea, but when I got into my 20s I started having a cup of tea every now and then.  Now at work, I find myself having more and more tea and I really enjoy having it throughout the day.  I'm sort of becoming a tea connoisseur of sorts.  I like fancy teas and trying different flavored teas.  I am trying to build up my repertoire on teas but for now I'll mention my few favorites.

Harney & Sons' Paris tea-  Harney & Sons isn't something you'd just find in Safeway or Walmart.  You'd be more inclined to find it in a specialty grocery store.  Our local store, Nugget, sells a few of their teas including probably their most popular flavor, Paris, tea as well as English Breakfast, and a few others.  Paris tea is a fruity black tea and is probably my most favorite tea.  My mom drinks it every day so she's always asking me to pick some up for her since it's cheaper than where she finds it.  We first discovered this tea in a little tea shop in Carmel, CA and have been obsessed with it ever since.

Republic of Tea's Coconut Cocoa Tea- This is an herb tea that is probably 2nd to the Paris tea above as my top favorites are concerned.  I just saw this one at Nugget, and they sell Republic of Tea in quite a few places, most popular would probably be Cost Plus. This one I just had to try!  Chocolate & Coconut for practically no calories?!  Where do I sign up?!  It's best to me with 1 packet of sweetener in it, I use the Truvia brand, to make it feel like you are having dessert.  And they call it a "Cup of Dessert Herb Tea." I definitely think this will help me when I have a sweet craving!

Republic of Tea's Ginger Peach- To me this is their most popular tea, but I don't know.  I have grown up knowing this tea better than any other specialty tea I've heard of.  My mom has been drinking this for years and it's a really nice tea.  I especially love it iced.  I don't know why, maybe because sometimes in restaurants you can get iced ginger peach tea.  This is (as the name says) a fruitier black tea, and definitely reminds me of my childhood.

Trader Joe's Jasmine Pearls- This is a whole leaf green tea with Jasmine flowers. The balled up the green tea leaves and when the bag sits in the hot water, the balls open up and you can see purples jasmine leaves as well in the bag.  It's a lighter green tea, not as severe tasting (at least to me, I'm not a big green tea fan but I drink it because of it's health benefits) and you can taste a hint of Jasmine which is probably why I like it better.

Lipton's Tea- I had to add this because if you just want a good cup of regular black tea, there's no other place to go than good ol' Lipton's.  This more than any other tea definitely reminds me of my childhood.  This (again to me) is the most well known tea ever.

Okay, that's what I have right now.  If I'll add a new tea every now and then when I try new ones to my regular posts.

Do you have any teas out there you love and would like to mention?