Howdy all – TGIFN (thank goodness it’s Friday night!) 
Knock on wood, but I feel like my website issues are getting a little bit better. The site is loading faster and not serving errors anymore, so maybe we’re on the up and up?!?! Keep your fingers crossed!
In other news, today has been simply fab (other then dealing with my technology woes.) Since I wasn’t able to blog this morning, I got an early start on my to-do list – it WAS a mile long!
My first planned stop was to get an oil change. I’m embarrassed to tell you how many miles my car is over the limit. Mortified, in fact! I guess I rarely look up at the sticker, then down at the gauge in one swoop?!
I got to the service station bright and early, but there was already a 2 hour wait at 8am. No way was I wasting 2 hours of my gloriously free Friday morning, so I hopped back in my car (I’ll try again tomorrow?) and headed to the promised land – Opening Day of Trader Joe’s!!
I guess I’m not sure what I was expecting when I arrived. A busy store, of course, but nothing could have prepared me for the chaos inside – it was cart bumper to cart bumper traffic! You literally couldn’t move freely, so everybody just kind of formed a huge snake line and followed each other up and down the aisles. Organized chaos, I guess you could say?!
So maybe it’s just because it’s my new, fresh, LOCAL Trader Joe’s, but I have never seen such variety at a TJ’s in my LIFE! I legit could’ve spent $400 on all the goodies they had inside. There was cheap produce for days, goat cheese for miles, Greek yogurt to the ceiling, dinner ideas to last ’til 2050 – it was grocery shopping at it’s FINEST!!
I was giddy with excitement (I seriously found myself standing and looking from side to side in wonder,) snagged a basket, and went to town. Up and down the aisles I went, grabbing the clear essentials before I got trampled!
Extra firm, organic tofu (natch)
frozen Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas (perfect for lunches or a night when Ben’s working late!)
Sesame Soy Ginger Vinaigrette (my FAVORITE marinade/sauce. Great for making Cold Sesame Peanut Noodles, Teriyaki Fried Rice and Asian Salmon!)
Apricot Mango Greek Yogurt (right?!), Masala Simmer Sauce (perhaps to use with the tofu,)
whole wheat pizza dough (going to try and toss it in the air,) frozen bay scallops (one of the most fun foods in world)
and zee King of all snacks – Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels!!!!
You didn’t think I’d leave without picking up a bag, did you!? 
PLUS, since it was opening day I got a free re-usable bag – wheeee!!!!
I also picked up some pre-made sushi to eat for lunch. A California Roll with Brown Rice.
Sadly, I think this is the only thing I’ve ever gotten from Trader Joe’s that I didn’t like. Kind of pasty…I can look past it though…
I want to take Ben back this weekend so he can revel in all it’s brilliance. Plus, I really want to go back as soon as possible… Think I’m weird yet? K, I’ll stop. 
After I barely made it out of TJ’s alive (there were some crazies with those carts!) I got my hair cut. It was getting SO long and feels good to be back at swinging length!
Then somehow I made it to Walmart, the bank and the mall twice, (I got two pairs of shoes then went back and returned them later, I know, weird) all before 12pm! After that I threw in the towel. I needed relaxation.
I parked it on the couch and indulged in the episodes of Community, The Office and 30 Rock I missed last night, on Hulu. Ok – 30 Rock – laugh out loud funny. Here’s the link to last night’s episode in case you missed it. I will seriously shed a tear the day that show goes off the air!
Afterwards I did some cleaning (check out my freezer!)
and before I knew it, it was time for dinner – pizza! I had a coupon for a free Freschetta California Style Pizza and decided to give it a whirl.
The Freschetta California-style pizzas are thin crust pizzas with fresh toppings and fancy(er) cheeses – think asiago and provolone alongside mozzarella. I don’t normally do frozen pizzas but Ben does, it was free and Bacon, Spinach & Artichoke pizza with a white wine garlic sauce sounded irresistible, so we gave it a go.
Pretty standard stats for a frozen pizza, and I’m sure the added bacon didn’t help, but sometimes you have to let your hair down.
So I did, and it was tasty!
The toppings were a little sparse, so next time I’d definitely add fresh spinach, a can of chopped artichoke hearts and maybe some fresh tomato, but overall, it had great flavor.
The smell was incredible too!
Well tonight’s agenda is WIDE open. I was supposed to wait and watch the previously mentioned tv shows with Ben tonight, since he missed them too, so…whoops? Any good movies out that we should rent?
Other than that it should be a pretty low-key evening in the IGE household! We also have ZERO plans this weekend, which I’m pretty excited about. The next 2 months are going to be pure madness – this is the much welcomed calm before the storm!
Have a great night!
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Do you like grocery shopping? What’s your favorite store?
If we ever get a Whole Foods here, I’d be beside myself!!
I used to LOVE grocery shopping but now I loathe it- mostly because it’s an extra errand and I HATE putting things away!
I like Trader Joe’s and WFs, too.
Yay! I was anxiously awaiting your Trader Joe’s grand opening post and really enjoyed it. Dang girl, you were busy today! I felt productive today as well, getting most of my to-dos done before afternoon!
I adore grocery shopping, and although I used to prefer going at it alone, I now prefer going with my husband because we have so much fun together in the store. We like looking around, getting lost, doing price comparisons, and hunting for good deals.
Trader’s is my favorite grocery store (whole foods is close to our apartment too but it’s waaaaaayyyy expensive. We’re talking 6 bucks for cooking spray). There are several Trader’s in Portland, including one that’s really close to our place, and every time we go it’s like an event that we always look very much forward to.
Hope your evening shapes up well. As for a movie recommendation…Ever seen Everything is Illuminated? It’s one of my faves. Very artistic, funny and enjoyable to watch.
Ciao, Dana
I don’t mind grocery shopping, but sometimes it does get to be stressful. There are really only two grocery stores in Anchorage, so the options are pretty limited. I *always* make sure to stop by TJ & WF when I go back to Minnesota!
Oh, and I love the haircut! You make me want to chop mine!
The masala simmer sauce is one of our TJ staples! It’s soooo good!!!
How exciting the TJs is open now! I drove past it with my mom this summer and she was excited so I’ll have to let her know it’s open! Happy weekend!
I have never been to Trader Joe’s. I am really excited that it opened here in Des Moines, since I’ve only heard good things about it! I don’t think I can handle the chaos of opening weekend, so I will wait a couple weeks before checking it out.
I don’t like grocery shopping. Every. Single. Week!! Ugh. I wish lettuce lasted longer so that I could go less often!!
We don’t have a TJ or WH in the whole STATE where I live. Sad. I go grocery shopping first thing Sunday mornings. Get a Starbucks and have the store to myself. Other than paying, it’s pretty stress-free.
I would love to have a TJs nearby. It’s one of my qualifications for my next move
The movie Due Date came out in theaters today. We are going to it tomorrow night. It’s supposed to be “The Hangover of 2010″. It should be funny!!!
I love grocery shopping! Trader Joe’s by far is my favorite!!
Just hit the new TJ around 7 – still crazy and a lot of empty shelves, but I was able to snag a few things and found a checkout line with 2 people in it – score! I don’t care for regular grocery shopping but do dig the specailty food stores!
Why – “When in Rome” of course!
And fave store – oh – can I have 2? One is what my kids call the “ghetto store” – produce from ALL over the world, I mean what do you do with breadfruit?
And the other is this little mom & pop Italian place with handmade cheeses and imported cheeses and different Italian deli salads and oh – the desserts there – well – I’m not allowed to go there more than 3 x a year!
Whole Foods is like disneyland for me…I spend hours just seeing what is available! But TJs is fun bc of the samples and fun meal options!
LOL on the Whole Foods comment! Seriously, I laughed out loud.
My favorite things at Trader Joe’s are the:
-Almond Butter with golden flaxseed. Need I say more?
-Golden Flaxseed-It’s the best I’ve ever found. (I make my own bread in a breadmaker and add flaxseed; I top it on my yogurt/strawberries/almonds; and add it to just about anything else I can!)
-Ahi Tuna-It comes frozen and marinated in an olive oil/red pepper type marinade. It’s awesome grilled and placed on a spinach salad.
-I used to like these vegetable egg rolls until I looked on the package and saw they had soybean oil in them:( Most soy is genetically modified so I won’t use it.
-Flowers-Trader Joe’s does some lovely reasonably priced flowers there in the spring and summer. I like them because they do all one type versus all of the fillers at other stores. Plus they are good quality and last a while. I can never leave there without the flowers!
*I’ve tried two meats and don’t care for them-very fatty and seem to be low quality.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Whole Foods…let me count the ways:
-Love the Now Foods Organic Virgin Coconut Oil-I use it as a moisturizer and make up remover and use another jar for cooking in place of my other oils. It’s great to use for roasting vegetables-place some on the bottom of the pan/glass dish and then roast as normal. When used in place of spray oils (many are soy or canola which aren’t good), it not only prevents foods from sticking but there is virtually no clean up. I used that instead of aluminum foil (which is linked to dementia). I know, lots of “don’ts” in the kitchen, lol.
-Ground bison. Love that stuff! Makes the best burgers ever!
-Love the Earth Friendly Cleaning Products-ECOS Free and Clear Laundry Soap, Pear Dishmate dishwashing liquid.
-Organic vegetables and organic fruit-The organic bananas taste amazing. Ditto for the organic onions. I find the flavor is better. Not everything tastes better organic but sometimes you can taste the flavor differences. I can’t afford all organic but do about 50/50.
-Organic Vital Farms Eggs-I am not an egg lover but they were out of the organic eggs I was buying so I tried these. They claim they are the best eggs ever. I have to agree. Normally eggs make me a litte queasy but these were the best tasting eggs I’ve ever had.
-Love the organic vanilla yogurt and organic milk.
I shop mostly at WF and then another grocery store since I can’t afford WF (aka “Whole Paycheck”) prices. I could go on about Whole Foods but I won’t. They are probably the best supermarket type store out there however there is still a lot of junk type food (unhealthy food) in there if you don’t read the labels.
Oh, I tried your roasted brussels sprouts recipe again yesterday. It was delicious! The first time I used garlic salt since I didn’t have garlic powder and yesterday I used the garlic powder. Wow, they were awesome! I didn’t buy a lot of them because I wanted to make sure I liked them but I’ll buy more the next time. If I recall, you buy them frozen vs. fresh. Is there any particular brand that you like?
I only buy fresh actually, never tried frozen! Too afraid they’d be mushy or something!
I hate grocery shopping. I love planning meals and cooking them, but I don’t like restocking my fridge. I hate the bajillion people at the grocery store, their be-be kids in my way as I trek the aisles, and the long lines. Debbie downer, right?!
How about I trade you the Whole Foods that’s in my neighborhood for a Trade Joe’s. K? K!
We have a chain here called Wegmans… it is AMAZING. I also love TJ’s and am so jealous that you have one close by now! I hope we get one closer than 80 miles away soon! I just can’t justify that distance very often!
i love grocery shopping! its my favorite. and i love laundry too.
i just find them both so relaxing…
Ahh, TJ’s! I need to try some of the things you featured! Especially those peanut butter filled pretzels!
I am in desperate need of a haircut myself!
Have fun on your free weekend! Those are the best (in my humble opinion).
Oh and TJ’s, WF’s, and Stop and Shop are my go-to grocery stores! I did S&S today and TJ’s + WF’s are on tomorrow’s hit list!
A TJ’s just opened in my hometown too! I can’t wait to visit my parents and stock up. I like TJ’s, but I’ve noticed quite a few questionable ingredient lists on some of the products. You have to be on the lookout!
I bet you about DIED walking into TJ’s to buy groceries. I know I would if they brought one to Fargo!
Confession: I’ve never been to Whole Foods. (Gasp!) I know! I love Trader Joe’s though. I make sure to go there in the Minneapolis area (Maple Grove) when I head that direction. I would consider that to be my favorite grocery store. But no matter where I go, I LOVE grocery shopping. But I always want to open everything when I get home. It’s a problem, especially when I buy for one and food gets old fast.
Have a great weekend!
I am SO jealous of your Trader Joe’s! I’m still crossing my fingers that Sioux Falls will get one in the next couple years (and if anyone from Trader Joe’s happens upon your blog and reads your post & comments, please keep that in mind!!!
). That being said, I love grocery shopping. I’m kind of a freak about it, and any time I go to a new city or back home to visit family, I find some excuse to pop into one. I have to say, my favorite store has always been and always will be Kroger (it’s what I grew up with), although I will admit that Hy-Vee’s not so bad.
I love Trader Joe’s! Their frozen ready-to-eat (after heating) edamame is also a great snack. The oreo-like cookies, cheese selection, and frozen foods are also my favorites. They also have the best selection of frozen wild-caught fish, and it’s reasonably priced. I never liked their sushi myself, nor Whole Foods sushi. In a pinch, it’s all right, but much better to go to a sushi place for lunch, pay close to the same price, and get decent sushi.
I like grocery shopping, but I’ll admit that I put it off as long as possible…mostly because I dislike the task of lugging groceries up three flights of stairs. When I do my shopping, I try to go on a weeknight or weekday if I have time. While I like to think of myself as patient, I can’t stand waiting behind people on a crowded aisle as they compare prices or read ingredient lists. GRRR! I have nightmares about shopping back in my college town, at the SuperCenter. Moldy fruit…people screaming at each other…huge bins of barbecued pork rinds on sale EVERY TIME (imagine if they had a giant rack of cooked carrots…I DETEST even the thought of pork rinds, yuck!!!). I love our local Hannaford. They have awesome prices, a huge natural foods section, and really excellent sushi! You are so lucky about your Trader Joe’s. The nearest one to here is about an hour away. Sometimes I go when I am meeting my dad for lunch.
So, I was just feeling totally left out that we don’t have a Trader Joes in my part of the state. But after some googling I figured out that Aldi owns TJs. We have one of those, so now I’m just going to pretend!
I LOVE grocery shopping!! I always shop at Aldi for some really good deals, but I go next door to HyVee right after for all the great name brand stuff I can’t get here (Morningstar Farm burgers, greek yogurt, etc.) Can’t wait to go back home to the DSM area over Thanksgiving Break to have my very first Trader Joe’s experience!!
OMG. I love WF, but have never been to TJ. I love looking at what you get at the grocery stores there. When we move back to the US later next year, I’m pretty sure my first American grocery shopping trip is going to be an overwhelming but fun whole day experience (unless we move to a small town). Seriously, though, we just do not have all the awesome food variety here in small town Germany as there is back in the states. And pretzels filled with pb?! I need to have someone send those to me asap.
I’ve worked at Hy-Vee in the floral department for 14 of my 30 years. Do I like grocery shopping? I LOATHE grocery shopping.
I LOVE grocery shopping! We just got back from WDM TJs – our first trip! I was so excited and when we got in the store I froze and got nervous and ended up only buying half of what I wanted… oh well, I’ll just go back this week!
Have you ever been to a Dean & Deluca? It’s a gourmet market mostly on the east coast, but reportedly there’s one in Kansas City and I think Chicago. They also do mail-order, but to go in the store is overwhelming and amazing because every corner is crammed with something tasty or unusual or gorgeous.
Also, I’m going to give a shout out to Costco. Not practical for your 2-person household, but I usually get at least half our groceries there. The meat and produce are particularly good. Plus, you’ve gotta love samples while you shop.
I am so excited that next week, I will be able to go to Trader Joe’s. I have heard so much about this store through your blog and I finally can shop there when I am in San Jose, CA on vacation.
Tj’s is my fave, but WF is a close second. I really want to try Wegman’s.
[...] except, oh yeah, we’re making history in the IGE household… A bag of Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels has lasted an ENTIRE WEEK in our pantry without being completely [...]