Shaved, Shredded, or grated Parmesan cheese

Nothing beats freshly grated parmesan cheese, but it isn't always handy, and most of the time I seem to be in too much of a hurry to grate it on demand, so I use pre-cut cheese. That leads me to question, which kind to get? shaved, shredded, or grated? When fresh grated is best, it is airy and has lots of surface area so you get lots of aroma and flavor without using a huge amount. However, these same caracteristics make it loose flavor fast when bought pre-grated. The next contender is shaved. large, paper thin slices of cheese. I find that you usually get some really large ones, lots of flakes, then a bunch much like the grated. The big ones tend to be too big, and the small bits loose flavor just like the grated cheese. Finally, the winner, shredded. These are large enough to hold in the flavor while on the shelf, but small enough to give it up easily when you put it on food.

Trader Joes: Kosher Sandwich Pickles

These are pickles sliced lengthwise into thin slices, perfect for putting on you sandwiches, but I like just eating them straight. The are very crisp and bright. The pickle flavor really stands out. I think they are better than most of the sandwich slice pickles. They taste very salty, but looking at the ingredients, I can see they don't have any more salt than most pickles (yup thats alot I know). (5 calories; 0g fat; 1g carbs; 12% sodium; per two slices)

Trader Joe's Organic Ketchup

Ketchup, but organic. It is a bit darker red then most ketchup (or Catsup), but it tastes the same. If you are into organic food, this fits the bill. (serving size 1tbsp 0g fat, 0g protein, 15 calories)