I know, I am not the only Trader Joe’s enthusiast out there and I don’t know about you, but I am always thrilled when other people write about and recommend (new) items from Trader Joe’s that I might or might not have heard about or had the chance to try. For that reason, I also follow the “What’s good at Trader Joe’s” blog (don’t you?).
I am not entirely sure what the fascination with Trader Joe’s is other than that they’re an awesome company, have (mostly) awesome products and affordable prices. What’s not to love?
In an attempt to share my favorite Trader Joe’s items with you (or do reviews about new items I have tried), I might make this a regular feature post on this blog. I am planning to talk about items that are very specific to Trader Joe’s, but also staples that we chose to buy there on a regular basis (because of best value, taste or both!).*
Please don’t hesitate to jump in, give me your opinions on the items reviewed here or suggest products that are near and dear to your heart in the comments!
I’ll start off today with a new item that I just picked up this weekend and a few favorites from my regular grocery runs!
Trader Joe’s Whole grain cripsbread (10 crackers – $2.99) ★★★★★ // endcap display
I happened to see those on the endcap display of new products on my grocery run last weekend and if you know me at all, I am all about whole grain breads. The ingredient list is clean (I can read and pronounce all the ingredients – yay!) and consists mostly of grains and seeds, water, salt and oregano an thyme. I had the first cracker when I got to the car and I think they taste really amazing and make a great snack! I’ll definitely buy them again and you should try them, too.
Trader Joe’s greeting cards ($0.99) ★★★★★ // entrance area
If you want cute cards and don’t want to pay a fortune for them (or hand-make them yourself!), Trader Joe’s card rack is your place to be. The have a rotating selection and most of their cards are really pretty and unique. And at $0.99 a pop, they’re really affordable. I usually pick up a couple of cards on my grocery runs.
Frozen crushed garlic ($1.99) ★★★★★ // freezer section
You can tell me a gazillion times that fresh garlic is so. much. better., but the bottom line is: if you only use garlic for cooking and not very often at that, this product is your saving grace. It comes in an easy to use container with 20 servings of garlic cubes that you can stick in your freezer and easily add to any dish or salad dressing when needed.
Organic brown rice fusilli ($1.99 – 16 oz) ★★★★★ // pantry section
We’ve been eating the brown rice fusilli for quite a while now and we love them. The ingredient list is really short and -again – I can pronounce all the ingredients: brown rice and water. You really can’t beat that. We’ve mostly used them for pasta casserole and I think they’re perfect for that. The soak up enough liquid without getting soggy or rubbery.
Organic Popping Corn ($1.99 – 28 oz) ★★★★★ // snack section
Ok, if you are still buying microwave popcorn, you need to stop immediately. Not only is it expensive, it’s also not really good for you. Besides, you probably don’t know how easy it is to make your own, fresh popcorn from scratch in a pot on the stove. Ever since we first bought this organic whole kernels corn, we have never looked back. It’s really affordable (because you only need a half cup to make a big bowl of popcorn) and lasts for quite a while. Bonus: you can use any seasoning you like and still know exactly what you’re putting in your body at the end of the day.
Tell me one of the things that you bought at TJ’s this month!
* I am not affiliated with Trader Joe’s, nor have they endorsed, sponsored or paid for my reviews. I am just sharing my love for the store and its products, which bascially means free advertisement for them. Ha. All opinions are my own.
Gretchen
June 27, 2016 at 9:48 amI love those frozen garlic cubes! I haven’t bought fresh garlic since I discovered them and I swear they’re just as good. I also want to try the frozen basil and ginger as well!
san
June 27, 2016 at 9:16 pmYes! I have the frozen basil in my freezer, too… although I now also have a huge basil plant in my backyard and haven’t relied on the frozen stuff as much ;)
Marie
June 27, 2016 at 10:58 amWow you have a lot of card options at your TJ’s! We definitely don’t have that much. One of my aunts actually freezes both crushed garlic and whole garlic cloves, depending on what she’s making. She’s done that for a long time I think, but I never had the energy to do so. I do usually just use fresh garlic. Sometimes I need it crushed and at times I need it completely whole. Depending on what I’m making.
I’ve tried TJ’s brown rice pasta, but I just never liked it. I either get Whole Food’s pasta or the quinoa pasta which, to me, has a better taste.
One thing I always get from there in their frozen aisle is the baked fries. I make them with fish usually. Sooooooooo good!
san
June 27, 2016 at 9:18 pmI haven’t tried the quinoa pasta… maybe I should give that a try as well. And thanks for the recommendations for the baked fries!
Lisa of Lisa's Yarns
June 27, 2016 at 11:40 amThose garlic cubes are cool! I didn’t know such a thing existed!
I love TJ’s but there are not any that are conveniently located for me and it would add another stop to my weekend errand running as I wouldn’t be able to get everything there, so I pretty much never go there unless I happen to be in a neighborhood that has one! When I lived in Charlotte, there was a TJ’s close to the Target I went to so I used to go there often and one of my favorite things to get was the macarons in the freezer section. They were the perfect post RA injection treat to have (I hate giving myself my weekly injections so try to come up with a treat to enjoy afterwards).
I’m looking forward to seeing what else you buy at TJ’s – then maybe one of these weeks I’ll make a special trip over there!
san
June 27, 2016 at 9:18 pmI honestly wouldn’t know what to do without Trader Joe’s… we do the bulk of our grocery shopping there. Hopefully you can get a list together, so you can try a few things next time you’re near one ;)
Kate
June 27, 2016 at 11:57 amI’ve been buying bagged cauliflower “rice” at Trader Joe’s because making my own takes too long. I LOVE it & use it in everything now!
san
June 27, 2016 at 9:19 pmOh yes! I’ve heard about the cauliflower rice…. need to pick up a bag and try it out!
Kate
June 28, 2016 at 8:45 amIt’s really good with TJ’s lamb kofta or their salmon patties (both from the frozen section). I make a sriracha aioli to go over the salmon patties, & it’s such a tasty, healthy dinner!
Stephany
June 27, 2016 at 4:53 pmI didn’t know you could buy cards at Trader Joe’s! I need to investigate mine now and see if I can pick some up!
I also didn’t know about the frozen garlic cubes. If a recipe calls for garlic, I usually just omit it because I don’t want to take the time to chop it up. This may be a solution!
san
June 27, 2016 at 9:19 pmThat’s what I did for a long time… just omit the garlic, if I didn’t have any at home, but these cubes are super-convenient (and I do like garlic in some dishes!)
Stevie
June 27, 2016 at 9:11 pmThank you for the pasta recommendation! I have had some really bad brown rice pasta and have basically just decided to stay away from it. But I like to make big casseroles and big pots of spaghetti, so this sounds like something I may need to try.
One of my favorite snacks at TJ’s is the lentil curls. They’re in the chips/snacks section and they are the most delicious, crunchy snacks ever. I love to dip them in the spicy hummus :-)
san
June 27, 2016 at 9:20 pmWe really like the brown rice pasta in our casserole (haven’t tried just boiling it though). And thank you for the recommendation for the lentil curls. I don’t think I have ever seen them, but I’ll keep an eye out now :)
Linda
June 28, 2016 at 11:36 amI love their macarons!