First off, thanks to everyone who entered the Love with Food snack box giveaway–a big congrats to the winners, Holly and Leesa!

Now, on to the topic at hand. One thing I’ve been loving in the past few years is the expanded grocery store options in Boston (especially since Wegman’s has moved in–hurrah!) but my absolute favorite is Trader Joe’s. They have a great mix of traditional groceries and unique prepared foods, and they do a fabulous job with their gluten free items. They’re all clearly marked and there’s quite a variety, from snacks to fresh baked goods to fruits, veggies, and dairy products. In no particular order, here are my 10 favorite gf TJ’s finds!

• Pumpkin Pancake Mix: Oh sweet lawd these pancakes… they are fluffy, sweet, and have the perfect amount of pumpkin flavor. These babies were a favorite among gluten freebies and gluttons alike in my house. I stocked up back in the fall when they were in stores but they’re sadly gone now (seasonal item). Hopefully they’ll be back!
• Oats: TJ’s has really great reasonably priced certified gluten free oats–they’re a staple of my diet and it’s great to know I can always stock up. I highly recommend trying out the flourless oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe on the back of the bag–they’re delish.
• Snickerdoodles: Are you a fan of moist, cakey, chewy, cinnamon-y cookies? Then these soft-baked gems are about to become your new favorite treats. They’re hands-down some of the best packaged gf cookies I’ve tried (and I’ve tried a lot!) Plus they’re vegan, if that’s your jam. Don’t miss ‘em!

  

• Sweet Potato Chips: TJ’s is basically the mecca of snacks, but their sweet potato chips are my number one salty snack favorite. Yes, they’re chips, but they’re not super processed and have some real veggie flavor to them. This makes them healthy, right? Great. Moving on…
• Peach Salsa: This is certainly the perfect accompaniment to my sweet potato chips, but if you’re a sweet salsa fan this stuff can literally go on anything: fish, burgers, rice, burrito bowls, nachos–sky’s the limit. I like to combine this with the corn salsa for a unique and yummy treat.
• Powerberries: In the not at all healthy category–these nummy little dark chocolate treats are an incredibly yummy treat. They’re little morsels of chocolate-covered fruit pieces–we love them as hiking snacks or as an after-dinner treat. Just be careful, because they’re addictive. You have been warned.
• Soy Ice Cream: While I thank my lucky stars that I’m not at all dairy-intolerant, I absolutely love this cherry chocolate chip soy ice cream. It has big chunks of both fruit and dark chocolate, and has the traditional texture without any funky soy flavor.
• Frozen Paneer Tikka Masala with Basmati Rice: This is one of my favorite go-to frozen dinner options (and I don’t love processed frozen foods in general). The ingredient list is short and pronounceable, and I like that each package has one single serving with rice–lots of packaged Indian food is multiple servings and you have to BYO rice on the side. The flavors are great and it’s enough food to fill me up–not an easy feat 😉

  

• Two Buck Chuck: I can’t leave TJ’s without grabbing a bottle of this el-cheapo vino. It’s pretty darn good and you just can’t beat the price!! My faves are the Shiraz and the Cabernet. I’m a classy lady.
• Udi’s, Luna Bars, and Larabars: I love always being able to stock up on my favorite tried and true brands, and TJ’s carries a great selection of these three.

Do you shop at Trader Joe’s? If so, what are your favorite items?