My Trader Joe's Top 5

Since I keep having to repeat this list to everyone who asks me (and by "asks me" I do mean "mentions anything related to food and is promptly interrupted by me in an evangelical fashion with this unsolicited list") I figured I'd post it here. If you're not familiar with the ultra affordable, creative, friendly and healthy Trader Joe's, consider yourself deprived and find one to shop at as soon as possible. If you don't have one near you, please feel free to live vicariously through me.

1. Peanut Butter from Unblanched Peanuts (Creamy): I used to avoid all natural peanut butters but this is hands-down the best peanut butter I have ever eaten. It's so good it makes the inside of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup taste bland. It's so good it's as though Skippy tastes like a synthetic, sugary paste. Best eaten straight out of the jar with a spoon, it is also delicious as a condiment or in baking. Surprisingly the ingredients are: Peanuts, Salt.

2. Dark Chocolate Truffles: These amazing truffles come in a box of around 25 and cost something like $3.99. On top of that they are as good if not better than any truffles I've eaten, including those that curiously cost over $5 a piece. I only buy these for parties because I shudder to think what might happen if there was a box in my home.

3. Trader Giotto's 3-Cheese Pasta Sauce: I don't know what this low cal, low fat, low sugar sauce has in it that makes it taste extremely rich and tastes great with everything (well, almost everything - maybe not the truffles. Or the peanut butter. Though I wouldn't put it past me to try that sometime since I am the person who used to dip McDonalds chocolate chip cookies into the McNugget hot mustard sauce as a kid - and by kid I do mean until age 28) but I go through several jars each month.

4. Nutty American Trek Mix: A new addition to my favorites this trail mix has the perfect proportions of cashews, almonds, peanuts, raisins and semi sweet chocolate chunks, all very lightly salted. I've been making up all sorts of excuses to keep munching on it, and I can definitely see myself going on gratuitous hikes just to justify eating more.

5. Soy and Flaxseed Tortilla Chips: These are high protein, high fiber, low cal and low fat yet they rival any tortilla chip I've ever had. I've never seen anything like them anywhere else. Extra points for originality!

Ok, I'm a little obsessed with this place but it makes food shopping fun, particularly the part when they tell you what your total is (after you've somehow managed to fill up a cart even though you came in for a tomato) and it's always surprisingly low.

If any Canadians reading this post are salivating over any particular item on this list please let me know and I'll bring samples next time I'm up north!