When we lived in New Jersey, we lived in a town nestled close to several other small towns, one of which was the little town of Westfield. Between the quaint movie theatre, eclectic shops and local diners, this was a gem of a town with a happy little downtown square. Right at the entrance of the square is a gorgeous big cathedral that all my girlfriends and I dreamed of getting married in one day. And at the exit? A Trader Joe's, tucked into the corner of a parking lot across the street from a building where I often found myself singing and performing growing up.

The closest Trader Joe's to me now is at least 30 minutes away if not farther. With a baby who only stays awake for 2 hours at a time, it's just not possible to make the trip out there just for groceries. Especially when two perfectly good grocery stores are within 5 minutes of me (including Natural Grocers!)

BUT on Monday morning Reaghan and I braved the cold temps to meet a friend for a play date, and I found myself in close proximity to a Trader Joe's! Let me be honest, I totally planned this ahead, as I've been obsessing over TJ's for quite some time now and

praying

that they would open one up in Denton! It's been over 10 years since I last stepped foot in one, and I was wanting the experience all over again.

Here are my top three favorite items from my grocery haul on Monday:

Sprouted bread

// I've heard people talk about this but have yet to find it in our natural food store here in Denton (maybe I'm looking in the wrong place?!) When I glanced at the bread section at TJ's....there it was! Sprouted bread is probably the best kind of bread, if you are going to eat it. The grains have been soaked for optimal nutrition and better digestion. And the rest of the ingredients were pretty clean too. Yay for healthy bread!

Almond Butter

// Just yummy, and only $6.99 for this big jar! That's pretty amazing to me and sort of on the low end of cost for almond butter, from what I've seen at the store. We go through this stuff quick in our house and rely on it for snacks :)

Organic Bananas

// ....for .29 each!!! Really?! Organic banana's are usually about .60 anywhere else. We (and by we, I mean Reaghan) eat a lot of bananas, so I stocked up on 3 bunches. And yes, we'll probably eat them all before they get too ripe. If not I'm slicing them up and freezing them for smoothies! Yay!

I'm already planning the next time I'll "be in the neighborhood" and can stop by.

Have you ever shopped at Trader Joe's? If so, what's your favorite item they carry?

Top Three Trader Joe's Picks