Random Trader Joe's products (that are awesome)

If you're a poor student who wants a little gourmet but can't afford it, Trader Joe's is the answer. Originally a convenience store chain from California, it has expanded to many states in the U.S. I'm grateful that there are a few stores in the Boston area because they have some really cool products that won't break the bank. This post is about a few of my favorite recent products from there. Their product lines turnover quite often so it's possible that these are not available in your area any more by the time you read this. I happened to find these in January 2012.

The first one is the Mosaic of chocolates. It's only $1.99 for 8 pieces of chocolate (2 pieces * 4 flavors). It's probably biggest bang for the buck and the value is actually in the simplicity of just 8 squares of good chocolate. The white and milk chocolate pieces have cranberry and pistachio pieces mixed in. The dark pieces have almond pieces and are topped with sea salt. Those are probably my favorite. The salt also goes well with the other pieces, so if you can knock a bit of salt off the dark pieces, try putting it on the other squares. The most boring piece in the bunch is the milk chocolate with white chocolate drizzle. It's still good though.

Mosaic of Chocolates - only $1.99

 The next product is the Eggnog flavored almonds. They're on sale after Christmas for $1.99 a box. My room mate described the flavor as being "very nutmeg -y," which is not a bad thing, just an observation. The almonds are covered in white chocolate with eggnog spices. It's a simple product and definitely worth the $1.99 for an 11 oz box.

Eggnog flavored almonds - on sale for $1.99

Finally, the Gummy Tummies were just something I decided to try because the thing I enjoy most about going to Trader Joe's is trying something new and thinking, "wow, that was kinda cool!" and this seemed to be something that might fit the bill. As you can see in the picture below, the penguins look more like Barba Papas (some of you might be too young to know what those are) with liquid filled bellies. The liquid is actually quite viscous so it's not like they squirt water when you bite into them. Unfortunately, they are not suitable for vegetarians (in case you are one) because they contain animal gelatin (one of the top ingredients). However, for everyone else, these are really cool.

Gummy tummies penguins - surprisingly good!