Day 155 - Coconut Cashews

Not only did we BUY this big bag of coconut cashews, we deliberately went back through line a SECOND TIME to buy them.  We had already checked out at the Palm Beach Gardens, Florida Trader Joe’s when David spied these and we thought, “Why not??!”. 

David is the cashew lover at our house.  Cashews are usually not good to me – too buttery or meaty or something (not that I have anything against butter or meat, I guess what I am trying to say is cashews are not my favorite…).  We were heading into a few days of rest and relaxation for David and stocking up on treats for him to munch on so these seemed like a good fit.  I would be working long hours, he would be munching cashews.

This looks like the perfect snack for a few days of relaxation, right?

 Only, not so much.  I came back to find him in the hotel room eating OTHER snacks but having only consumed a couple of these cashews.  “What’s wrong with them?” I asked.  “They are CASHEWS – you dig cashews!  And COCONUT – also on your “like” list.”  His reply – “They are, I dunno, they are just BLAH.”

So I tried one.  And I agree – blah blah blah.  Salt is listed as an ingredient, but it is the last one listed so I assume it is only a teeny tiny dash per 5,000,000,000 cashews or something.  These puppies could use a more generous dusting of SEA SALT.  We both agree that would perk the flavor up.

Cashews are always crazy expensive and these are no exception

The packaging says “We’ve married two favorite tropical flavors to come up with a Trader Joe’s treat that we bet you won’t be able to stop eating!”.  Well Joe, you lose that bet.  We stopped eating these right after we opened the big, expensive 14 oz bag and will be returning them today for a refund.  Sorry!  These just didn’t work for us.

Our suggestions:  add SEA SALT and package them in a very tiny bag instead of this huge one.  That will make them tastier and cheaper.  David adds, “Add something tasty to them to give them some zing – maybe LIME or CHILI POWDER!”.  Until then – refund please.

Price – $6.99

Rating – 2.5

Day 154 - Mediterranean Hummus Snack Pack

Now THIS is a good snack!!! 

We popped into a new Trader Joe’s today – well, new to US and pretty new to the scene, too!  Turns out the Trader Joe’s in Palm Beach Gardens, FL has been open for less than a year.  It’s lovely!  It is nice and clean, fresh, and has sweet employees (especially the guy who was our cashier, whose name on the receipt says “C. Luke”). 

Me outside the Palm Beach Gardens, FL TRADER JOE'S!

We got two items to eat in the car for lunch (we were on a 4.5 hour drive and needed foooood).  We got a pesto chicken wrap (to be reviewed soon) and this Mediterranean Hummus Snack Pack.  Let’s just say – this snack pack was GOOD, the chicken wrap, not so much…

Here is the package - inside here are 2 individual snack packs!

 This pack contains two sealed little packages, each with pita chips and hummus.  The pita chips were crunchy and tasty and the hummus was great!  It is called MEDITERRANEAN HUMMUS, and I think (but am not 100% sure) it is the same as the larger container of Mediterranean Hummus reviewed on this blog on day 78.  Each snack pack contains 4 oz of hummus and some pita chips – just enough for a snack (for us, a shared snack for 2). 

It looks tiny here (photo taken on my lap while eating this in the car) but it didn't feel tiny in real life

 This would be a fantastic thing to pack in a work or school lunch, or to eat as an afternoon pick me up.  I normally think items packaged as “single servings” or tiny snacks are a waste of both money (being over-priced) and packaging materials, but in this case it does not seem too expensive for what you get and the packaging is quite minimal. This is a healthy snack, and a double pack was $1.99, meaning one snack is only a buck!  Well worth it! 

Good price (but not a great sign...  The other artwork on signs was much better in this store)

Price - $1.99

Rating – 4.75