Trader Joe’s
I’ve been hearing about Trader Joe’s on line for years. At first it seemed to be a California thing – and we all hate California because they have all of the cool stuff and best weather. The only reason we don’t all move there is the whole earthquake and cost of living thing. We can’t afford $750,000 for a 600 sq ft house that is freeway adjacent and fault-line straddling. I heard stories of 2 buck chuck and ready made meals that tasted good and had a reasonable price tag and were free of preservatives and crap. Then I heard we were getting one here.
I’ve been pretty clear about 2 things 1) I love food and b) I’m lazy. Trader Joes is my kind of place. I can’t comment on the 2 buck chuck because I live in the bible belt a whiskey barron controlled state and they won’t allow wine to be sold in grocery stores because that might undermine their price fixing. But the rest of it? The stories are all true my friends.
Daffodils that bloomed the next day for less than $2 and tulips (my fav) for less than $4. Hence the seemingly unrelated flower photos in my grocery store post. I love fresh flowers but can’t bring myself to spend much on them because they die. But I figured a little happy was worth $2.
But the real story is the food. Most everything is in house brands. And it is all made with ingredients I can pronounce. The garlic hummus ingredient list reads like I made it at home (garlic, chickpeas, tahini, lemon, salt, olive oil). We’ve liked everything we’ve tried with the exception of 1 or 2 things. The fresh portabella ravioli and the lobster ravioli are YUM! The shredded pork carnitas is fabulous. Beef taquitos – good stuff. And the prices are really good – even Steve remarked on the fact that we would be hard pressed to make some of the items for the price.
I love picking up a few new things to try and knowing that I have dinners in the frig that will taste good and be ready in under 15 minutes on the nights that I don’t want to cook.
The other thing I love is the staff – at least in our local store. The staff is helpful and friendly. Customer service is a lost art so I’m always happy to find a store that places value on it.
Has anyone found a great coffee at Trader Joe’s? I tried the Guatemalan and the flavor was okay but the roast is just too light. The Bolivian didn’t do it for me. I’m trying to decide what to try next time. Also, if you have a favorite ready made item from there let me know!
Good timing on your post. I keep meaning to get there. I was thinking of doing a post titled “I hate to cook, but we still have to eat.” So maybe I will stop by TJ’s and pick up some easy meals…
My MIL brought me some 2 buck chuck back from Reno a few years ago. I was impressed! Too bad they don’t carry it there. And, too bad we don’t have Trader Joe’s up here in the (currently) frozen tundra. It sounds like my kinda store!
oh, oh, oh, my friend… We so need to talk… Not all CA is that way… I am not a Trust Fund Baby- which means I don’t have money coming out of my ass – oops… I mean butt! I am a single momma of 2 Guat Tots… I live Farily comfortable, nothing big in the hills of Malibu, or Southern Calif… I am about 35 miles northeast of San Fran, don’t make lots of money, but am not on any public assistance. Lets just say… Not all of Californians are Rich, stuck on them self, drive hummers or beamers, and use cash to whip their ass… , yet I am not what some refer to Trailer Trash… Yes, some of us actually are HUMAN! As for the weather and earthquakes… You know that song, it never rains in CA… Well, when it rains, it doesn’t stop for a few weeks sometimes, the ground absorbs it so fast from being so dry though the summer, that the lakes don’t even get filled anymore… Then when the summer gets here, you are on water rashening… Not all rashin, cause the don’t mind the HUGE bill… As for the Earthquakes… I so don’t mind them as much as when I was in Texas with those, Tornado watches, no warnings, no, watch again, then they skip the warning and sound the horns to take cover… You sit up all night waiting and anticipating the storms… In CA… You don’t know when the Earthquake is going to happen, you just happen with the after math when it is over! So much easier and WAY less Stressful!~
BUt, it is ok to hate CA people… I do! HAHAHA… Just not all of them! Still Love you Man!@@!
Oh… And as for Traders Joes stuff… LOVE LOVE LOVE THEM.. I would love to send you a bottle of “Chuck” for your tasting… Just let me know~!
Hugs
Ellie
lurker here, but i just had to comment on this…I LOVE trader joes….lovelovelove.since you mentioned hummus I like the spicy hummus, i get the herb salad mix and eat it with their red wine and vinegar dressing, all the frozen food i have tasted is really good including the potato and cheese perogi(?), the quiche’s the lasagna, dumplings and the pizza, the tamales are amazing, i love all the ready made salads and sandwiches for when i need a quick lunch, especially the italian chopped salad or country italian salad. you should try the gnochi from there, i could eat it everyday topped with the tomato basil sauce and i bet your girls would like it. i also love the marinated artichokes and put those in my salad (they discontinued them for a while and i was going crazy). I also love the trader joe’s water, i am picky with water and that is one of the only one’s i will drink and also the new zealand water they sell. And the price….amazing for a college student( In california..lol) like me, i really need that.
I am sooo jealous. We have no Trader Joe’s and it causes me serious distress! We stock up on non-perishables when we go visit my brother in St. Louis and my parents by the 3 buck chuck by the case to make their road trips worth it.
OH! I LOVE Trader Joe’s!!! I just posted pics of our little guy pushing the cart around the store and running into everyone in the process. We don’t live near one so we always stock up when we make the trek to the closest piece of heaven called Trader Joe’s. Our favorite coffee is the French Roast that comes in the ginormous container for $9.99. LOVE IT!
I want one, hope they come to my Florida town soon! All we got recently was a new Aldi and I haven’t been in yet.
I started shopping there just two weeks ago. Love it too. I like the Guat coffee ok… but you’re right, I wish it were a little darker roast. Let’s see – oh – the orange glazed chicken or something like that is good. I just add fresh veggies.
My only complaint is the yogurt. We eat a lot of yogurt around here and I found theirs to be Y.U.C.K.Y.
Oh Ellie – I meant hate in the sense I would say “She is so thin and pretty and has such great hair. I hate her.” I guess envy is a better word!
I’m a T J fan…we don’t have Whole Foods near my house so TJ’s is my only option. My favorite the broccoli slaw….it’s so great for salads…eliminates the prechopping, lol. 2 Buck Chuck? My husband was given it as a thank you gift the other week (we live in PA which has crummy liquor laws, but nearby DE has awesome liquor laws). To my suprise it wasn’t bad ;-).
We’ve been TJ’s fans for a few yaers now. Try the frozen Eggplant Parm (in the blue plastic sleeve, not the see-thru one that’s all breaded) – it says the serving size is 3 – MWAHAHAHAHA!!! Our other staples are the Vegetables Melange, Sweet Potato fries, garlic fries, Shrimp Gyoza (shrimp dumplings), lamb tips, cabernet beef pot roast, Champagne-Pear Vinaigrette(I would eat this on cardboard), Charles Shaw Cabernet and Chardonnay, Organic Vodka Sauce, all the Thai curry sauces, and … okay, well, just a few of my recommendations.
Oh, yes, we live near a TJ’s. About 3 blocks (that’s right – a quick walk).
Here are my favorite items.
*Honey-Wheat pretzel sticks.
*The frozen potstickers/gyoza (I buy the chicken ones). Take a pack of those, get a fresh pack of snow peas, and a few more TJ’s odds and ends and see this recipe from Real Simple – it is super easy and yummy. (Here’s the URL in case my HTML didn’t work: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/pot-sticker-salad-00000000000671/
*The spring rolls – there are 2 flavors, the curried chicken and the other one I forget, but they are divine.
We rarely buy much fruit and veggies there b/c they seem to go bad quick or taste a bit…different.
Glad you too get to enjoy – it is actually a very fun place to shop for food – even though you can’t get everything on your list of necessities there.
Love TJs! I like the breakfast blend whole bean coffee. I like getting the high-fructose-corn-syrup free katchup, apple sauce and other such things for the little guy. Gotta love the prices too. Too bad the only one around here is like an hour away.
First, let me just say that the Two Buck Chuck is now Four Buck Chuck. Damn inflation. But it’s still good for $3.99 wine.
The mushroom risotto is awesome. And it takes two minutes, seriously. Very quick and easy. They also have a creme brulee that is absolutely divine. We usually get their snacks there. The meat is VERY expensive there compared to my Kroger store, but it’s good quality, and usually you can get a good deal there. The salads are pretty awesome, too.
My husband is a total coffee snob, and he loves any of the Peaberry blends-the Mexico one was his fave, but it’s hard to find now. I think he does the Peru blend, but he likes DARK DARK DARK coffee. I mean, sludge plus a little water. I’ll ask him what he’s on now-he’s gotten a few of them in a row, which is a good indication.
Yea TJ’s!!
Ummm… dumb southern neighbor here… where in the world is Trader Joe’s???
If TJ didn’t pay you for the good word, they should 🙂 I do have one but I don’t go as often as I should. I have to choose between Henry’s and Trader Joe’s, I go to Henry’s (they are in the same “mall”). But Henry’s = cooking 🙂
And, about California, we are not all that bad. Don’t give us such a bad rap 🙂 And, hey, you’ll learn to live with the ever present thought that earthquakes are part of the deal. You might even get to work in a place where earthquake preparedness is part of your training!
Oh how awesome would it be if TJs paid me or gave me free food?!? Alas, no. Just sharing what I love.
And I heart the idea of CA – but the cost of living scares me a little!
Really? No wine in the grocery store? And I was going through withdrawls cuz I can’t purchase hard liqour at Costco. OK, that sounds bad. Let me explain that I move to the pacific northwest from CA where you can buy any kind of liquor at pretty much any store.
I also love Trader Joes. They don’t have one where I live but there is one about 1 1/2 hours from so I stock up when I am up there. Some of my favorites are the shrimp dumplings, mandarin chicken, frozen green beans, cheeses and nuts and the garlic humus. I also stock up on crackers, bagel chips and vanilla wafer cookies. Their chicken and beef broth is also good and I use their fat free basalmic vinagrette is good on lots of different things, my favorite way to use it is to chop grape tomatoes, an english cucumber and red onion pour the salad dressing over, tear up some fresh basil and serve alongside a french baguette that you have sliced into rounds and brushed with olive, salt and pepper and bake until toasted. I generally just serve it with the salad in a bowl and the bread rounds along side, you can scoop up the salad mixture onto the bread and enjoy….delicious.
I’m sssssssssssssssoooooooooooooooooooooooooo jealous as I keep hearing all these great things about Trader Joe’s. I hope we get one dang it!!!
we have so much CHICKENBUS here in the ATX.
but nary a TJ in sight.
never been in one.
(go forth and bring yer camera. and do THAT photo montage :))
It’s about time you guys got one! I was totally unimpressed my first time through, but we’re addicted now. Try the black bean and corn salsa – it ROCKS! And the horseradish hummus, too.
TJ’s is the best. Unfortunately, the one that was just down the street from our house closed. I can’t believe a TJ’s actually closed! I now have to drive about 5 miles to get to another one. Not a huge deal, but I miss the one that was closer.
We love the pre-made salads, carne asada, and roasted red pepper spread (which I use to dip steamed artichoke into). There are too many good things to list.
I heart Trader Joe’s, but their coffee, notsomuch. There was one I bought there for a while though — the French roast maybe? I also bought the low-acid one quite a bit. It’s not bad.
I’m also in one of those obnoxious states that does not sell alcohol in grocery stores. BAH.
I love the new Trader Joes! I went there just the other day, and their prices were SO much better than the Whole Foods down the road. They were giving away samples of Arabaca coffee while we were there, and it was pretty awful though. Our church serves a Guatemalan that is WONDERFUL! I suppose it comes from somewhere locally in Nashville, so I need to find out their source. We have a grown son who lives in Atlanta, and he said TJ’s cheap wine was really good for the money. I so wish our TJ’s could sell it!
Fun post. I ADORE Trader Joe’s!! It has been fun to read the comments here to see what everyone else buys when they’re at TJ’s. I ADORE Trader Joe’s. The prices aren’t out of reach for the most part (although I agree that the meat can be a bit high but it is high quality stuff). I love the different bag salad mixes. The sprouted breads are very nutritious, lower in carbs and they taste great! The frozen section is terrific! I love the frozen artichoke hearts. God bless.
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