Trader Joe's

The first Trader Joe's in Florida opened here a little while back. Until yesterday, I had only stopped in very quickly for a specific item, checked out, and left. Yesterday, I finally took the time to wander up and down the aisles and check things out.

A few things I was happy to find:

Raw cashew pieces, $3.49 each (8 oz). That makes them $7/lb, which is less than what I have been purchasing them for in the bulk food bins at my local health food store- usually between $7.50-$8.50/lb.

I buy the pieces because I'm just going to soak and/or blend them, anyway. To compare- whole raw cashews are $15/lb in the bulk food bins at Whole Foods right now. Probably similar at the other health food stores. Why pay twice the price for something you are going to chop up anyway?

I also bought some roasted cashews, just for snacking. I thought it was great that the TJ's brand uses rice bran oil, rather than peanut, or sunflower/safflower, which is what one usually finds in roasted nuts.

My other exciting find is powdered sugar- with tapioca starch instead of corn starch! Yeah! This was $2.99/lb. I cannot recall the price of organic powdered sugar at Whole Foods, which is the only other place I've ever found powdered sugar without cornstarch. Good thing 16oz of powdered sugar lasts me a year : )

I noticed some good deals on organic produce- I purchased 5lbs of oranges for $3.49, but did not purchase any other produce, since I hope to make it to the Farmer's Market tomorrow.

Also worth mentioning- there were quite a few all-natural dog treats- chicken strips, etc- MADE IN THE USA for a very reasonable price. Bailey is pretty well stocked from Christmas, but I will try to remember Trader Joe's for doggie treats in the future.