Friday is my Trader Joe's day and I love starting the weekend with a full pantry and fridge. I used to go on Friday afternoons on my way to pick up the boys from daycare but now I try to go as early as possible after school drop-off. Nowadays I have a sidekick shopper to boot. Luckily Cedric is a helpful and fairly courteous shopper. Although he did accidentally ram my heels with his little cart today, ouch!

The seasonal fall items are starting to arrive at Trader Joe's which is verrrry exciting. Especially since we have little weather indication here that fall is near. I always ask my checker about what new items they are excited about and today my cashier said hers is a roasted Brussels sprouts ravioli due out this fall! Can't wait to see those. I will be sharing plenty of seasonal items as we get further into fall but today here are a few favorites that are frequently finding their way into my red Trader Joe's cart...



Pink Pomelo Grapefruit Hand Soap. Grapefruit is my favorite citrus scent and this hand soap has become a summer favorite. Plus look at the beautiful label! I will happily put that on any sink in my house. It's relatively new (within the last year) so I'm not sure if it will be seasonal but I just saw it on the shelves at my TJ's this morning so you should be able to find it. Bottom line: Love it.

Brownie Truffle Baking Mix. The brownie mix to end all brownie mixes! This mix make brownies that are fudgy and indulgent and I'm pretty sure I could eat an entire pan if I didn't have to contend with Chris (which I do because that man loves chocolate). We've had a babysitter who loves to bake with the boys and this is what we usually leave for them to bake. Then we come home from date night to a house that smells like brownies and we also get to eat brownies (!!). Do you see how genius this is? (P.S. Our trick for a smooth transition when we leave the boys with a babysitter) Bottom line: Love it.

Mushroom and Black Truffle Flatbread. One day my friend and fellow TJ aficionado said casually to me, "Have you had the mushroom flatbread?" Well no I had not and how was I even living my life?? This flatbread has a savory sauce of pureed mushrooms (genius), is topped with mozzarella, and bakes from frozen on the oven rack to get a nice crisp. Perfect as an appetizer or as a quick dinner served with salad. Bottom line: Love it.

Greeting cards! One of my very favorite Trader Joe's items for these reasons: they are beautiful, cute, and clever; they have new ones all the time; they are 99 CENTS. What even costs 99 cents these days? Not other greeting cards that's for sure. When I see ones I like I stock up so I always have birthday/sympathy/new baby cards to send. Bottom line: Love it.