Trader Joe’s grocery store offers a wide selection of pumpkin flavored foods and apparently skincare! The Messenger tried a random assortment of items with no prior Trader Joe’s knowledge. Some purchases exceeded all expectations while others fell short.
Pumpkin Waffles – Immediately out of the box these waffles released a delightful smell. Taking only a few minutes to toast, these waffles were tasty with their crunchy and crisp texture. These waffles are a quick snack, making it an easy morning breakfast option. Although tasty, the actual pumpkin flavor was rather vague, tasting more like a regular waffle. Not receiving the fall themed satisfaction one might hope for made this treat slightly disappointing but nevertheless still a yum yum. If you’re into low-key pumpkin flavor this is the snack for you!
Overnight Oats – Boring. A small cup of oats and pumpkin mash makes for a cold slimy bite. When compared to the pumpkin waffles, these oats pack much more of a pumpkin punch. The pungent taste of pumpkin certainly comes through. It wasn’t horrible but it certainly wasn’t great. In an attempt to improve this mysterious mixture, we spread the oats on top of the toasted pumpkin waffle which turned out to be a horrible idea that I would describe as ‘nasty af’. Not worth trying unless you’re an oat fanatic.
Dog Treats – The only way to make sure a treat is good enough to give to your dog is to try it yourself. Stuffies Pumpkin maple bacon dog treats certainly brought the flavor. The small treat hardly tasted of pumpkin but brought strong flavors of BARF. Not only did it taste horrible, it was impossible to get down without gagging (it made me cry). Though my dog didn’t cry after eating it, she didn’t finish it either. Overall, the four taste applicants (two dogs, two humans) did not enjoy this so-called “treat”.
Face mask – For a face mask, this one is pretty dull. Firstly, the substance had a light pumpkin scent, but unfortunately it went away within two minutes of putting the face mask on. When the mask set in it was almost clear, making you look a little greasy. After eight hours of sleep with pumpkin goo on my face, I woke up with my skin feeling rather sticky, even after washing it off. Additionally, it would’ve benefitted my experience for the mask to be a ‘peel off’ as opposed to scrubbing my face off. I probably will not be purchasing this again!
Hold the Cone Ice Cream – Hold the cone. This cold confection was mega mouthwatering, proving that pumpkin tastes best cold. For just $3.29 you get eight small pumpkin ginger ice cream cones that taste similar to if orange sherbet and pumpkin spice had a baby. Although ice cream is not your typical fall food, the impeccable cone to ice cream ratio makes these cones an irresistible treat. It’s time to update your shopping lists with mini pumpkin ginger ice cream cones at the top!
