Fall tends to mean everything pumpkin in this house. Pumpkin everything in this house also includes a plethora of pumpkin-themed foods and drinks. Pumpkin-themed foods and drinks lead me to our adventure at Trader Joe’s, which leads to this post (please note: not a Trader Joe’s sponsored post here, just a Trader Joe lover by nature). What better than a leisurely Friday evening perusing the aisles of Easton’s Trader Joe’s, surrounded by fresh fall flowers, cheery employees, samples galore and affordable wine? This is thirty-five years old!
So, I give you a taste of fall at Trader Joe’s with some of our recent pumpkin-themed finds (and other fall favorites), in case you want to snag some before they are all gone (due to my family). My cute kids ended up being the basic taste tasters, so take it with a grain of salt!
Always looking for a Cheerio alternative over here, the Pumpkin O’s were a no-brainer. Not messy (re: can eat in a car seat without a major clean-up required). Spiced with pumpkin flavor and an airy texture, the affordable box ($2.49) were a toddler-approved favorite right-off-the-bat. They tasted like sweet pumpkin pie to me and I began eating them with chocolate soy milk for a delicious mid-afternoon treat that soothed my sweet tooth.
They were sampling this along with 90% dark cocoa chocolate (I was immediately in heaven!), so my kids dove right in. Chewy, sticky and messy fingers weren’t my favorite part, but both toddlers asked for seconds, which the sampler so graciously gave. Personally, I’m not a big fan of candy corn. It just tastes like a lump of sugary clay that leaves a residue on my teeth; that being said, this popcorn didn’t disappoint. The sugary taste without the yucky texture, this popcorn tasted like kettle corn on steroids. YUM (and only $1.99 for a five-ounce bag).
This was by far my favorite selection. Put this on some Pepperidge Farm Cinnamon Swirl Toast and you’ll feel like you are in some sort of fall dream that you never want to escape! It literally melts in your mouth with hints of nutmeg and reminds me of being home for the holidays. My husband was a huge fan, too! It has all the richness of a decadent spread, but none of the guilt; word on the street is that it’s high in Vitamin A and is both fat and sodium free. Not as sugary as a jam and the kids still liked it. We also tried out some Apple Butter from Lynd’s Fruit Farm over the weekend and I’d also like to highly recommend that as well. YUM all over!
Pumpkin Body Butter
This one was all for MOM! With my impending end of pregnancy itchy skin, I decided to try this out. The lotion was hydrating and felt like a drink of cold milk for my skin! The scent was light and airy, not resulting in a dense perfume headache that tends to happen to me. I loved the texture (light and airy, again) and a little dab went a long way, meaning it fulfilled my savvy nature as well. Move over Bath + Body Works. . . who would have thought!?
Cinnamon Apple Snack Sticks
The kids asked to dig into these as soon as we got into the car to travel back home. I caved. They were quiet and content the entire drive home. I’m glad I caved.
A unique alternative to the usual veggie sticks we have in our house, these only lasted in the pantry for a few days. Sweet and crunchy with a sugary cinnamon dusting, they weren’t too sweet and the boys mostly enjoyed them, until they decided they were over them. Personally, I didn’t
think they were ‘blow me outta the water’ status; a little dry and a little tasteless. If given the choice, I’d stick with the Kroger brand veggie sticks!
One more item I spotted and immediately regretted not snagging were the Spiced Pumpkin Madeleine Cookies. After looking at the description online, I regretted it even more. Apparently, they are baked in a Northern Californian bakery that specializes in these cake/cookie concoctions where ingredients remain simple and purified: sugar, butter, flour, eggs, dried pumpkin flakes, ginger puree, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and clove. My only hesitancy about this purchase is that I’d eat all of them in a single sitting. Find them in the bakery section for $2.99 for six of them (a little on the expensive side, if you ask me).
And that’s a wrap to our Friday night adventure to Trader Joe’s! I hope you take a trip and try out some of these fall snacks; totally worth it! What are some of your favorite pumpkin, apple, candy-corn themed snacks? And where do you purchase locally?
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