A Trip to Trader Joe's

Today I left the kids with my folks and went to the nearest Trader Joe's. I knew that there was no way that I could take them yet...and as it was, I spent at least an hour, just reading labels. My kids have their father's patience, or lack of it -- seriously. None are good shoppers and I am no poke! Thank God for internet shopping.

When I got to Trader Joe's, I had to circle the block, looking for a place to park. University and college campus' so close, I wondered if I would keep circling and then, yeah! Free underground parking connected to the store. Very cool, even a place for carts. The elevator was big, clear and clean. I felt safe and arrived ready to get my groceries and be back home in a flash... what a joke. Like - uh...duh... I had a gazillion labels to read, and I did. Seriously. I was feeling pretty overwhelmed and after the 3rd Hawaiian-shirt-wearing employee asked me if I needed help, I accepted. She was a doll and even got me a gluten-free list of all their products in the store. She also mentioned that it is available on their website, and it is. I checked. I hafta admit, I have never ever noticed a "g" on labels or packages before, to indicate that it's gluten-free. But then again, I didn't care too much about organic produce until last summer either. In fact, I don't know if I had even heard the word "gluten" more than a few times in my life, until a couple of months ago. Ignorant? Naive'? Neither or both... ((sigh)) Here's that gluten-free products list in a pdf.

The store was busy. I was kinda surprised at how many employees were working and at how many people were shopping. More ignorance on my part. Here's what I bought:

Agave Nectar, Rice Milk, Peanut Butter, Aluminum Free Baking Powder, Mayo and Pasta - all gluten-free and dairy-free!