Trader Joe's just opened in our neighborhood, and we couldn't be more excited! We shopped there frequently while living in Boston, and it's always nice to be greeted by friendly people in Manhattan. :-) That being said, I've found the items there are hit-or-miss. There are a few things we purchase everytime we go, and others that we tried once and will never buy again. In order to save you the same pain, below is our list (we'll keep adding to it as we try new things!):
All items are Trader Joe's brand!
Cheese & Dairy:
2% Greek Style Yogurt- it's ok. We both prefer Fage, but it's fine in a pinch. Heard a rumor that their yogurt comes from Stoneyfield Farms.
Mango Smoothie- not really dairy, but in the same case. Also not bad--we prefer "Naked," but good for the price.
Refrigerated Items:
Masala Lentil Dip- Delicious. Bought it on Priya's recommendation--she described it perfectly--"tastes exactly how you would expect it to taste." Yum.
Mediterranean Hummus- I'm a big fan. Lots of flavor. Delicious.
Frozen Food:
Garlic and Tandoori Naan- Fantastic. Love them, especially the garlic. Will stick to Whole Foods when using naan as flatbread, as I love grilling them, but these ones are great for tastes-like-indian-restaurant naan.
Vegetable Masala Burgers- Our go-to veggie burgers. Delicious! We also use them in place of falafal balls to make indian-style pita sandwiches.
Paneer Tikka Masala (comes with spinach rice)- Great for what it is--a frozen indian lunch entree. Tastes like very mediocre indian restaurant food, but for $3, I don't care. Not a huge fan of the rice--I heat up a naan and use that instead.
Chicken Tikka Masala (comes with cumin rice)- Ash preferred this to the above, I preferred the Paneer. Sauces taste about the same--only a few pieces of chicken. Definintely would buy it again.
Chicken Vindaloo Rice Bowl- Pass. Won't buy it again. Not too much flavor (vindaloo is supposed to be spicy!), and the rice was kind of mushy. Blah.
Vegetable Penang Curry- Better than I expected! For the price, not bad at all. Small, so probably not enough for a meal, and there was definitely oil floating on the top which could turn some people off. Wouldn't buy it consistenly, but not too bad.
Thai-Style Vegetable Gyozas- Better than I expected. I've had horrible experiences with frozen gyozas, but these are not bad. Just wish I could find a good dipping sauce for them. For how cheap they are, it's hard to be disappointed.
Frozen Spinach Artichoke Dip- (Priya)- This is a rec from Swati and it is delicious! As Swati recommended - heat it up in a bowl and then chop a tomato and stir it in - great way to serve a quick appetizer.
Garlic Pizza Dough- (Priya)- was a bit scared to try this as I don't like it when garlic overpowers a dish - but this was delish!
Vegetable Birds Nests- (Priya)- Asian side dish that literally look like birds nests and come with a soy dipping sauce. Not amazing - but a good side dish if you're making Asian and need something else.
Pantry Items:
Clover Blossom Honey- Good. I'm not a honey expert, so it tastes fine to me!
Almond Biscotti- (Rahul)- sooooooooooo good. :-)
Wasabi Peas- (Rahul)- he recommends them!
Fresh/ Baked Goods:
- Focaccia and Ciabatta rolls are fine, but I find they spoil faster than most bread. I think they don't use preservatives, which is probably why. I will still stick to Whole Foods, Fairway and Zabar's for bread, though.
Drinks:
Root Beer- (Rahul)- Amazing. (Rahul, I love root beer, so I'm so excited I'm going to go to the store tomorrow to buy it!) :-)
Corona Light Copy (I can't remember what it's called)- It was $6.50 for a 6 pack, and looked just like Corona Light. I didn't drink it, but everyone said it tasted just like Corona Light, so a great imitation product.
Desserts:
Mini Mint Mouthfuls- (Priya)- delicious little ice cream treat. The only problem is you feel like you could eat 4 in one sitting (and sometimes do :-/)
Not Sure What Category...
White Pizza dough and sauce- (Rahul)- recommended!
If you have any thoughts on Trader Joe's items, let me know! I'll try to move comments up into the post so we gather an overall list. :-)
(Thanks for your recs Rahul and Priya!)
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6 comments:
I went to TJ's today and bought almost everything on your list!
You should try out the almond biscottis there - soooo good. The TJ root beer is also amazing. As is their white pizza dough and sauce. As are their wasabi peas. I'll stop now.
Thanks Rahul! I moved your recs up into the actual post. I'm headed there to buy root beer tomorrow. :-) (You'll love the Veg. Masala Burgers--delicious!)
Mini Mint Mouthfuls - delicious little ice cream treat. The only problem is you feel like you could eat 4 in one sitting (and sometimes do :-/).
Frozen Spinach Artichoke Dip - This is a rec from Swati and it is delicious! As Swati recommended - heat it up in a bowl and then chop a tomato and stir it in - great way to serve a quick appetizer.
Garlic Pizza Dough - was a bit scared to try this as I don't like it when garlic overpowers a dish - but this was delish!
Vegetable Birds Nests - Asian side dish that literally look like birds nests and come with a soy dipping sauce. Not amazing - but a good side dish if you're making Asian and need something else.
Here are some additions!
Cilantro Jalepeno Hummus! Very good - I'm still partial to Sabbretts Jalepeno hummus, though they are pretty similar. It's spicy, though not too spicy.
Roasted Flax seed with Blueberries - A winner!! 2 tablespoons have 4 grams of fiber. Great on plain yogurt with some honey. I am also going to try it on oatmeal. I have friends that put it in everything they bake too. (Refrigerate after opening)
Chimichurri Salmon (Frozen) - Good, super easy to make. Sold by the pound....the one around $5/6 is enough salmon for two (ours had two fillets inside). Already flavored for you. Would be good to make and then throw on a salad. Not as good as.....
Seasoned Mahi Mahi (Frozen) - Fantastic! You thaw this in the fridge all day (or, out of the packet for a few hours). Amazing flavor and very easy to make. We ate is enough for two (our packet had a bunch of small filets inside).
Belgian Chocolate Pudding - Fantastic!! This is in the refrigerated section next to the rice pudding. I love pudding, and the darker/richer, the better for me. This is some of the best store brought pudding I've had - and, a small spoon is pretty satisfying.
We bought a few things we haven't eaten yet: Maple Sugar Oatmeal, and Dark Chocolate Covered Pretzels. We'll be in touch with updates!!!
hmm - not sure what happened to my mahi mahi post. here it the complete part of that one:
Seasoned Mahi Mahi (Frozen) - Fantastic! You thaw this in the fridge all day (or, out of the packet for a few hours). Amazing flavor and very easy to make. We ate this with veggies, though think it will be amazing in fish tacos, so plan to try that next time!! The $6-ish packet is enough for two (our packet had a bunch of small filets inside).
Enjoy!
Oh - And....
Bon Bons - (Frozen) These are small cookie like things, with a small scoop of ice cream on them, covered in chocolate. really great b/c you can eat just one or two. I like Vanilla, Sameer is partial to Coffee.
Chocolate Soy Mini Ice Cream Sandwiches - (Frozen) Sameer said these were okay (I didn't try them). The size was great, so we might try the vanilla ones.
Chip-wiches: Delicious, obviously.
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