“Are there any more cat treat advent calenders?” I asked my friendly local Trader Joe’s customer service dude. “Those sold out a while ago,” he replied. Oh right, it was mid-December and I guess I forgot how calenders worked. But get this. My inside source (I know!!) at Trader Joe’s revealed a secret to me: Cats are NOT loving the advent treats. Customer feedback was the equivalent of my cat Roger eating his Friskies too fast and then puking it on my bedspread. Not great. So I don’t feel so bad about missing out on that one. Now for the rest of December’s latest Trader Joe’s drops. See you in 2020!

(Read our 2018 reviews here and here to dive deep.)

Photo by Laura Murray

The Bites

Crispy Rice Salmon Bites, $6.99

If you like to order salmon well-done, or enjoy the worst food in the world—salmon burgers—you’ll love these dry, flavor-devoid salmon bites with spicy mayo sauce. I do appreciate the crispy crunchy coating like when you get spicy sushi rolls “with crunch.” That coating is going places.

Cornbread Bites, $3.99

These are balls of cornmeal dough with liquidy cheese inside. They’re not as good as my beloved mac ‘n cheese bites (reviewed below, somewhere)—a perfect frozen food, and these cornbread bites would benefit from that textured, breadcrumby coating. Still ate ‘em all.

Photo by Laura Murray

Random Snacks

Sliced Alpine Semisoft Cheese, $4.99

There’s a slight sharp tang to this uber-melty cheese. Classy.

Plantain Crisps, $2.49

YES. MUCH YES.