Trader Joe’s grab bag!

Reviewing 5 non-essential items under $20 total.

Hello and welcome back to Five Things I Ate! This week, we do a lil’ retail therapy. Read past posts here, and please follow my Instagram, @fivethingsiate.

Brownie Crisp Coffee Ice Cream Sandwiches at Trader Joe’s

At your local neighborhood Trader Joe’s.

One of my favorite ways to replenish my batteries is to go to the grocery store and buy a small basket of purely frivolous items. Trader Joe’s is, of course, the perfect place to do this exercise, and there happens to be one right across from the office. Does anyone need ice cream sandwiches? I would argue when the weather hit 80 degrees, yes. The brownie crisp coffee ice cream sandwiches goes down as one of the greatest Trader Joe’s items of all time, IMO. It’s the perfect size and balance of brownie and ice cream. I grabbed two, since I don’t go to TJ’s often.

Allagash Surf House Summer Lager at Trader Joe’s

At your local neighborhood Trader Joe’s.

I wouldn’t consider myself a beer drinker, as in, I can’t tell you if a beer is good or bad, only if I like it. And for me, the colder and crispier a beer is, the more I like it. The temperature of the beer is pretty much directly proportional to my enjoyment of it. So, is “Surf House” a good beer? I have no clue. But I bought a single can of it because I wanted a cool bev, stuck it in the freezer, and really enjoyed it in a frosty glass.

Mini Chocolate Chip Croissant Swirls at Trader Joe’s

At your local neighborhood Trader Joe’s.

I was very excited to try this one – as I think it’s universally agreed upon that Trader Joe’s frozen croissant line is one of the best and budget-friendly frozen baked goods out there. (Their mini croissants are some of my favorite pre-made baked goods.) I was not disappointed by these. For croissants I really feel like the freshness factor is everything, so the fact that you can eat these fresh from the oven really means you get peak flaky-crispy goodness. To my surprise, when I bit into one of the mini rolls, not only were they full of chocolate chips, but also a gooey pastry-cream filling. Very easy to make (I just let it bake for 25 min in the toaster oven while I took a Zoom call), and perfect portions for just a little treat.

Pineapple at Trader Joe’s

At your local neighborhood Trader Joe’s.

I still dream of the pineapple I had in the Bahamas. It’s on my bucket list to visit the Pineapple Festival and try it fresh from the farm. Is this pineapple anything on that level? No. Your mileage totally varies when buying fresh produce from Trader Joe’s. But will it do the trick when the weather is hot and humid? Yes.

Portuguese Custard Tarts at Trader Joe’s

At your local neighborhood Trader Joe’s.

I could have sworn that I reviewed these a few years ago – but either my memory serves me wrong, or the Substack search function is that bad. A quick Google shows that these have not just disappeared from my memory, but also apparently stores, for the past two years or so. I’m very glad they’re back, because just between you and me, I love pastel de nata much more than Hong Kong style egg tarts. These are a good way to have them fresh and hot out of the oven, perfect with a strong cup of milk tea.

XOXO,

Soph

P.S. Next week is my BIRTHDAY. As is tradition, every year on my birthday I take a day off work and go around collecting freebies. If there’s a spot in NYC with a good birthday freebie (I’m not just talking about Sephora) let me know! You can reply directly to this email – or message me on Instagram.