(upbeat music)
- Hey, munchies, welcome to the channel.
If you're new I'm Alyssia.
I thought it would be a good time to do
an updated Trader Joe's favorite food haul.
I have done a few before,
but they're always coming out with new goods,
many of which can easily be integrated
into a healthy lifestyle.
And this video is not sponsored, but I wish.
I'm saving my current favorite item
for the end so stick around.
Let's get started with produce.
It seems boring, but they actually have
quite a few unique finds.
My favorite produce item is probably the Cara Cara oranges.
This may be because I hate oranges
and thought I always would until I tried these.
They are pink on the inside and not blood oranges.
They are less tangy, acidic and tart than regular navels.
More sweet like candy.
Nature's candy I reckon.
Well probably more like berries meets orange
or something like that, but seriously
they are so, so, so good and they're seedless.
Recently Trader Joe's has come out with spiral versions
of butternut squash, zucchini, sweet potato and carrot.
It's great because now I don't have to get out my spiralizer
and make a mess or be so frustrated
to have fun with my veggies.
And the only ingredient is the vegetable.
This precut spaghetti squash is also an amazing find.
Instead of having to manage the whole squash,
you can now just cook the bag in the microwave
and end up with cooked cubes that you can shred apart
to end up with the same spaghetti squash strands
as when you go through all the work.
A few times a year I am able to snag
these purple brussel sprouts at Trader Joe's
and it's always a delight.
They are my favorite color after all.
They don't really taste any different
than regular brussel sprouts and the purple color
doesn't stay as vibrant after roasting,
similar to purple asparagus or bell pepper,
but it is fun to switch it up.
I use these rainbow baby carrots sometimes in videos
and people ask where do you get those colorful baby carrots.
Well now you know.
Don't be fooled, they don't really taste that different.
I think if anything the regular orange ones
might be a bit sweeter, but who cares?
Also did you know that carrots
were originally purple and not orange?
Neato.
Trader Joe's also has these banging rainbow mini carrots.
They are perfect for roasting.
I actually used these in my Christmas dinner this past year.
Veggies are great, but they are tastier with a dip.
Am I right?
How about this avocado tzatziki dip?
The macros are pretty incredible.
It's a very mild dip, not spicy at all
and even though it's says there's jalapeno,
you can't really detect it in terms of heat.
You do taste the cucumber,
but the avocado is actually very subtle.
I think it's more noticeable
in the thickness of the dip than the flavor.
The tangy yogurt is more overpowering,
reminding me of a true tzatziki.
They've also got this creamy cashew fiesta dip.
This is so tasty.
It is not a queso.
There's no nutritional yeast to give a cheesy flavor,
but it does sort of remind me of tacos.
It's made with cashews and does taste nutty,
but mostly like roasted peppers.
It is actually dairy free, vegan and whole 30 compliant
and there's also no oil or soy which is pretty neat.
Another vegan and whole 30 compliant product
is the new unsweetened sunflower seed spread.
The only ingredients are roasted sunflower seeds and salt.
No additional oil, sugar or preservatives.
It tastes super savory with a hint of natural sweetness.
I love it and if you need a nut free option
for nut butter recipes, this could be a good choice.
Truffle honey mustard is next.
Oh man, I am big on truffle, but here's the thing.
If you are not big on truffle,
you still might be okay with this.
It does have a sharp mustard bite
and a kick sort of like horseradish,
but it's not overwhelmingly truffley.
I think it's because it uses truffle pieces
in the mustard rather than straight up oil.
I will caution you that for a honey mustard
this is not that sweet, but it is tasty.
Also I just love the jar.
You might've seen me use this a few times
in Instagram recipes.
The newish umami mushroom seasoning.
It's a mixture of salt, black and red pepper,
mushroom powder and mustard seed.
It tastes like a general savory flavor.
It doesn't have anything super distinct about it,
but I guess that's why it's called umami
and not something else because it's hard to pin down.
It's salty, a bit earthy and just sort of comforting.
I found that it really seems to amplify or add depth
to whatever flavors are already existing
or other flavors you're adding
more than adding its own distinct flavor.
It's a fun way to switch up seasonings,
but I will say you have to use quite a lot to taste it.
Another cool find I was happy to stumble upon was collagen.
It's not Trader Joe's own brand,
but they're carrying Great Lakes Gelatin's product
and it is solid.
I have shared with you guys before
how I've been taking collagen for about a year.
It's been great for my hair health
as well as skin, nails, improved digestion,
gut health, joint health and bone health.
The problem is it's usually got quite a hefty price tag
and Trader Joe's is really changing that here.
This was only 9.99.
I add mine to coffee every morning,
but you can also mix it into other warm or cold drinks,
smoothies or soups.
Okay, last and my favorite new product
is the frozen cauliflower gnocchi.
Now I'm not gonna lie.
I was a bit disappointed with the cauliflower pizza crust
and the ingredients weren't as prime as I'd hoped,
but I am pretty happy with this product.
The first few times I cooked it it wasn't great
and what I found is following the package instructions
does not yield the best result.
Here is how I cook it.
First I add it to a bowl with a tablespoon of water or so
and steam it in the microwave for one to two minutes.
Then I add it a pan with some cooking fat,
usually ghee or butter, but oil is fine too.
I let it cook over medium to medium high heat
for about twice as long as the package calls for.
I think the package instructions make two mistakes.
Adding so much water at the beginning of the cooking process
makes the gnocchi too gummy
and gives it an unpleasant texture.
It needs to steam so it's soft enough to cook,
but we don't want too much liquid to get in the way.
Then just use the heat of the pan and the cooking fat
to brown up the gnocchi pieces
and let it go for about 15 minutes or so
and it will become nicely browned.
It will start to get sticky
so have your sauce ready to add
and that will coat the pieces to keep them separate,
but also have the lovely browning on the "pasta".
Sometimes I do tomato sauce, sometimes just butter and salt
or parmesan, whatever you want is fine.
It is a super fun mean and while I don't consider it
a replacement for my vegetables,
it's a great alternative to refined grain pasta.
I hope you found this video helpful
and maybe found a pantry item or two
that you can try for yourself.
Let me know any of your favorite Trader Joe's items
in the comments below.
Thanks so much for being here.
I will see you next week and remember,
it's all a matter of mind over munch.