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I tried 18 of Trader Joe's award-winning foods, and would buy at least 14 of them again

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  • Serves 5

INGREDIENTS

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food

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style

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style

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food

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pop culture decoded

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stylized bird

18

i tried foods that won trader joe's customer choice awards to see if they live up to the hype

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staples like the mandarin orange chicken and soy chorizo deserve their acclaim

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i probably wouldn't buy the apple chicken sausage and the white-cheddar corn puffs again

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every year i look forward to trader joe's customer choice awards

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trader joe's black-bean and monterey jack burrito

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when i first learned that this grab-and-go burrito made the

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the burrito was quite simple

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this was better than many fast-food burritos i've had

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everything tasted wholesome and real

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stand-alone meal

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these are a great meal

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i'm confident these qualities and its fair price were the reason it earned the title of best appetizer during the 9th annual customer choice awards

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the creamy spinach and artichoke dip would work as a snack

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trader joe's creamy spinach and artichoke dip

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perhaps this is because spinach and artichoke dip is a staple appetizer on most restaurant menus

2014

the best meat product winner

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trader joe's apple chicken sausage

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the came precooked in the package

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i these sausages in the skillet

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unfortunately

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they also had a strong maple tang that didn't seem artificial but gave each sausage a strange aftertaste. the pork alternative does a better job of standing up against these strong flavors

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the apple chicken sausages probably would have paired better

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they may have won the title of best meat product in 2014

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the dark-chocolate peanut-butter delivered an optimal dose of sweetness in a package

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trader joe's dark-chocolate peanut-butter

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blame it on the chain's perfectly designed impulse-buy section

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these are a life changing snack

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the chocolate has a rich and robust cocoa flavor that compliments the sweetness of the creamy peanut-butter center exceptionally without tasting bitter

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these peanut-butter are exquisite enough to turn any dark-chocolate hater into a believer

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verdict: these candy are a noteworthy mainstay in my cupboard that will be around

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the olive-oil popcorn tasted

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trader joe's olive-oil popcorn

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this particular popcorn has a delicate coating of olive oil that renders it a little nuttier than the i'm used to microwaving

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this is a great healthier snack alternative

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you could probably add some additional seasonings to the and shake it up

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verdict: this popcorn deserves its recognition as a healthier snack option

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the peanut-butter-filled pretzels were delicious

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trader joe's peanut-butter-filled pretzels

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i also loved how the dusting of coarse crystals on the outside added another dimension of texture and gave my taste buds an additional burst of salt

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the plantain chips were perfectly crunchy

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trader joe's plantain chips

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plantains may closely resemble bananas in look and texture

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these plantain chips were extra

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the crunch reminded me more of a cracker than anything else

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these chips had a great crunch

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perhaps everyone is learning that fruit- and veggie-based chips are actually

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these plantain snacks tasted on their own

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the arugula salad reminded me of springtime

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trader joe's arugula

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arugula seem intimidating because it looks a bit more like an herb than it does lettuce and has a distinct flavor that errs on the side of bitter and almost pungent

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the only real downside is that the salad is only available in a instead of a box

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verdict: these salad greens are much more cool and fun than your typical spring mix

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if you're still hesitant trying this option due to the spice

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the orange chicken was an incredible bargain and tasted just as as takeout

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trader joe's mandarin orange chicken

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walk down trader joe's section

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i baked the chicken in the oven

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i'm also not a huge fan of meat since it get overly chewy

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the real star of this dish was its premade

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although this dish ally is fried-chicken bits doused in a toothsome orange sauce

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the ice-cream cones were the perfect after-dinner treat

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trader joe's hold the cone ice-cream treats

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trader joe's hold the cone ice-cream treats were the very solution to that predicament

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cone is topped

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these treats are the perfect size

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the cones are smaller than even your standard child-sized ice-cream order from a parlor

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the soy chorizo was a spicy vegetarian dream

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trader joe's soy chorizo

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all the vegetarian-friendly foods that trader joe's customers have dubbed the best

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it tasted even better than the meat version

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any time i use soy chorizo in a dish

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getting it out of the packaging and into the pan made a bit of a mess

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this alternative also boasts nearly less fat than the pork version — so it's no surprise this won best vegetarian item again this year

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if i had to compare it to animal-based meat

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it crumbles and easily falls apart when out of its packaging

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it worked great as a taco base

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i loved this soy chorizo

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my only issue was that this product was quite messy to use because i had to it out of its tube and plastic casing

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verdict: this stuff is the real deal

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i haven't been a devoted vegetarian

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the unexpected cheddar cheese was absolutely outstanding

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trader joe's unexpected cheddar cheese

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that said

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this block of cheese had the perfect texture

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you could probably serve this exact cheese to me at a fancy wine bar and charge twice as much

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pairing it

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but

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initially

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verdict: delicious

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trader joe's everything but the bagel sesame seasoning blend would elevate any breakfast

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trader joe's everything but the bagel sesame seasoning blend

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this seasoning is one of them

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sure

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this seasoning adds great flavor to just anything

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consists of sesame and poppy seeds

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i also enjoyed the way it added texture and crunch to my food. i sprinkled some on top of avocado toast and it instantly tasted like something i had paid money

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i love adding it to avocado toast

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perhaps that's why it beat full-on entrees during last year's trader joe's customer choice awards and took home the title of best overall

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the white-cheddar corn puffs were a solid snack

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trader joe's white-cheddar corn puffs

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their flavor was more mellow than i expected

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however

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the sourdough was one of the best breads i've ever tried

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trader joe's sourdough bread

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although pre- bread sometimes gets a bad rep

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this is still my favorite of sourdough

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this bread had just the right amount of that subtle flavor. it tasted incredible straight out of the and even better when

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verdict: i say this as someone who has tried several sourdoughs from different stores: this bread is the best i've had outside of visiting an actual bakery

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as long as i live within reasonable driving distance to a trader joe's

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rich and decadent

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trader joe's speculoos cookie butter

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when i first learned the existence of the iconic cookie butter almost nine years ago

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at the time

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but all it took was one spoonful of this divine spread to turn me into a full-on believer

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that's what cookie butter is. it tastes like the comforts of the holidays wrapped in a even if it's available year-round

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this product tastes like the holidays all year round

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verdict: i consider this treat to be the embodiment of the quirkiness and joy that trader joe's represents

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trader joe's cauliflower gnocchi

2020

last year

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trying all of the best trader joe's foods

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menu icon

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insider logo

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the word "insider

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subscribe

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business

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life

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the word life

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news

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the word news

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reviews

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the word reviews

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business

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tech

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finance

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markets

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strategy

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retail

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advertising

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healthcare

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intelligence

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life

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entertainment

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culture

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travel

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health

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parenting

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beauty

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news

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politics

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military & defense

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sports

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opinion

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reviews

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tech

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home

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kitchen

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beauty

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travel

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gifts

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deals

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money

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all

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a-z

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advertising

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business

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careers

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coupons

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doordash

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walmart

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dell

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staples

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under armour

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culture

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design

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entertainment

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executive lifestyle

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finance

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health

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healthcare

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intelligence

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latest

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life

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markets insider

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media

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military & defense

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news

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opinion

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people

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personal finance

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politics

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premium

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retail

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reviews

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science

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sports

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strategy

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tech

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transportation

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travel

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tv

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beauty explorers

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best in town

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bonkers closets

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festival foodies

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movies insider

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the making of

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the ultimate list

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featured

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better capitalism

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cities connected

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insider tv

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master your money

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next stop

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transforming business

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advertise

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careers

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contact us

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corporate

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corrections policy

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follow

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rss

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youtube

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close icon

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dismiss a notification

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sometimes previous / next navigation options

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homepage

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subscribe

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subscribe

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home

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sometimes previous / next navigation options

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lifestyle

18

i tried of trader joe's award-winning foods

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savanna swain-wilson

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updated

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11-08t19:34:22z

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the letter f

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email icon

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an it indicates the ability to send an email

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snapchat icon

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ghost

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snapchat

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fliboard icon

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stylized letter f

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flipboard

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pinterest icon

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the letter "p" styled to look like a thumbtack pin

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pinterest

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an image of a chain . it symobilizes a website link url

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copy link

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download the app

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i award-winning foods from my local trader joe's

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savanna swain-wilson

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visit insider's homepage f stories

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read on to find out which of these fan-favorite trader joe's items i'd buy again

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savanna swain-wilson

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it turns out

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it flattened out after i microwaved it and didn't really retain its cylindrical shape

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the cheese and beans o ed out when i heated it up

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savanna swain-wilson

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verdict: without question

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trader joe's spanakopita

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savanna swain-wilson

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savanna swain-wilson

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that said

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still

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verdict: i would probably buy this again

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savanna swain-wilson

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since trader joe's is essentially a snacker's paradise

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but whatever the reason

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this time

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savanna swain-wilson

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all at once

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verdict: i will always love this product

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savanna swain-wilson

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savanna swain-wilson

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verdict: if you're looking

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savanna swain-wilson

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nearly every time i enter a trader joe's

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naturally

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two and find myself completely satisfied and in an instantly better mood

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this taste test was my first time trying these

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nugget is a perfect

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savanna swain-wilson

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in other words

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verdict: i would totally buy these again and recommend them to anyone else who wants a fun

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unfortunately

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verdict: i would totally purchase these again

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savanna swain-wilson

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i mean

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savanna swain-wilson

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after minutes

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it tasted as as takeout

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savanna swain-wilson

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i finally understand why people say this option is just as as takeout

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verdict: overall

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it's also a decent bargain

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i can't speak

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savanna swain-wilson

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verdict: i am obsessed

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i know that design helps it look more like an authentic

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savanna swain-wilson

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trader joe's is usually my one-stop-shop

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in my opinion

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savanna swain-wilson

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i will be buying this again soon

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over the course of a week

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verdict: the praise

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i have tried many cheesy snacks in my day that have left a weird

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i wouldn't quite say these are bland

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if anything

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verdict: i'm not sure if i would buy these again on my own

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savanna swain-wilson

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ever since i moved away

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more than anything

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although i don't buy it as often as i used to in order to maintain some semblance of self-control

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