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Trader Joe's Carrot Spirals

If you are wondering, yes, I've reviewed Carrot Spirals before. Previously it was in the freezer aisle. They were the first spiralized item that I had seen in the freezer item. Since then I've added Zucchini Spirals. But now the refrigerated aisle is getting a bit of a makeover with spirals of sweet potatoes, butternut squash, zucchini (at my store these aren't Trader Joe's branded), and even pre-cut Spaghetti Squash.
Trader Joe's Carrot Spirals review

Taste

However, as excited as I was for these, it turned into disappointment. While everything in this picture looks well and good, I have some bad news: this wasn't as spiralized as I would like.

You see, if you are selling me spirals, I'm really buying these as a pasta substitute. These on the other hand aren't long enough to be twirled. These are like carrot shreds with an arc to them.

They cooked up fine via the stovetop. The texture was fine. But I was missing that familiar pasta gesture of spinning my fork around in some sauce.

These would be fine in a salad, but if you were hoping for the fresh answer to what is in the frozen aisle. You'll end up disappointed like me. Even when I went back to the store in hopes that my bag was just a misfire, I realized that pretty much all of them were like that too.

Overall

For $2.69 you are better off spiralizing these yourself. Or you can just reach for the shreds as they are close enough. For me, they won't end up in my cart. I have other spirals to get into.

Product photos

The bag of Trader Joe's Carrot Spirals:

Calories

Trader Joe's Carrot Spirals nutritional information

Ingredient and directions

Trader Joe's Carrot Spirals ingredient and cooking directions

Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe's for a searchable list.

Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!

The Bottom Line

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Trader Joe's Butternut Squash Pizza Crust

Well, well, well. It seems like I've seen this packaging before. But Trader Joe's Butternut Squash Pizza Crust packaging is darn similar to another item. If you pick up Trader Joe's Cauliflower Crust, then you might accidentally find yourself picking up this product instead. Fortunately, not only is the packaging similar, so are the end products.

Taste

This is one of those Franken-food mashups that Trader Joe's seems to love to pull on us. It isn't traditional pizza. Cauliflower pizza was going mainstream when the new crust hit. But that original Cauliflower crust made a lot of people go crazy.

Especially the low carb peeps. Cauliflower crust was originally designed to fit a need in the gluten-free and the low carb communities. But like Trader Joe's Cauliflower Crust, this too will only satisfy one of those groups.

If you are consuming this because you are gluten-free, then that is different. This doesn't contain cheese like some of the recipes, it does contain quite a bit of corn flour making it taste more like a polenta or even grits.

But if my receipt tells me anything, it is that this isn't around forever. In fact, I checked and this is marked as "HOL" or holiday or seasonal. So if you like this, then pick up a few.

Now, I when I first purchased this item I actually bought 2 of them. When I bought my first Cauliflower crust at Trader Joe's it took a while for it to come back into stock, so I felt I was better off safe than sorry.

The one you are seeing pictured is actually the second. The first one I tried via Instagram stories was vastly uneven in thickness leading to near burnt on one side and done enough on the other. For this second one pictured, that wasn't an issue.

Perhaps there are some quality issues here. So you all will have to let me know.

Otherwise, you'll have to allow for 25+ minutes to get this pizza done. You'll also need to get your oven really hot to 450F and eventually to broil. In my world, aka electric oven world, this meant another 20 minutes.

Timing gripes aside, this was an improvement in directions as compared to the original Cauliflower pizza. The crust did crisp up nice, but I was wishing for something just a hair thinner.

It didn't taste too "squashy." The primary taste and texture for me was the corn flour. I didn't mind eating it. I'm almost positive I was still saving calories as compared to eating regular pizza. It held my tomato sauce and cheese well, but I wouldn't load this crust up to heavily as I'm not sure it wouldn't flop over.

Is this worth a try?

Depending on what your priorities are dictates whether or not you should give this a go. If you love the taste and texture of the original Trader Joe's Cauliflower Crust, then yes give this a go. It is very similar. If you are gluten-free, this is ok to try.

Otherwise, I know the whole squash thing isn't everyone's favorite fall veggie, so it is ok to give this a pass too.

As for me, I enjoyed this, but at this price point (and the fact that I can eat gluten) Monteli's Organic Pizza Crusts (not Trader Joe's branded, but sold there) are a far better value.

Just realize this is labeled as being a holiday item. So plan accordingly.

Product photos

The box of Trader Joe's Butternut Squash Pizza Crust:

An unopened box of Trader Joe's Butternut Squash Pizza Crust

Calories and ingredients

Directions

How Trader Joe's describes this product:

Trader Joe's Butternut Squash Pizza Crust product description

Out of the package you get:

A plastic wrapped Trader Joe's Butternut Squash Pizza Crust out of the box

After being cooked you get:

Trader Joe's Butternut Squash Pizza Crust fully cooked and next to the original empty box

Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe's for a searchable list.

Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!

The Bottom Line

Don't forget to share your thoughts by going to the "user review" at the bottom of the box (click on the number of stars you believe this product deserves) and leave a comment below.

You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest to see what I'm up to in real-time.

Trader Joe's Birthday Cake Popcorn

If this packaging seems familiar, then you aren't wrong. This is the same packaging that comes on Trader Joe's birthday cake candy bar. That bar comes and goes at random points in the year. This is five ounces of popcorn with a candy coating on it, while the candy bar is 2 ounces. If you've never tried that candy bar, then let me get you up to speed.

Taste

That bar would have been a dream as a kid. Nonstop sweetness with as much color as a white colored candy bar can handle. So this is a natural extension of that same idea.

Now that product reminded me a little of when I was a kid. If you've ever had Funfetti cake or icing, you know what I'm talking about.

There is no rational reason why I like Funfetti. It's fun and has a pleasing taste. On top of that, it isn't something that your run-of-the-mill cook can recreate. Now, like Funfetti and the candy bar, this popcorn is sweet.

It seems like half the new products hitting the shelves are targeted at people who have a sweet tooth. But in line, I was seeing something that is becoming more common. I watched people put various items back due to the sugar content.

Hopefully, Trader Joe's takes note.

But in the meanwhile, here we have a very vanilla flavored popcorn. This isn't the fake boxed cake batter type of vanilla. This vanilla is more natural.

Each kernel gets its own coating and some have sprinkles on them which do not seem to add anything beyond the appearance here.

So in essence, yes this is the Funfetti answer to popcorn. It might be worth a try provided you are willing to indulge in yet another sweet item.

Overall

And like the Funfetti cake and icing, I still found something strangely enjoyable about this product. It has that same je ne sais quoi about it that the Funfetti has for me. It's not something I would buy regularly. But it did satisfy my mid-afternoon craving for something sweet. One bag will likely be sufficient.

For $1.99 this is a 5-ounce bag of popcorn. For what it is, it is fairly priced for candy-coated popcorn.

This is available at Trader Joe's seasonally or can be purchased on Amazon.com.

Product photos

The bag of Trader Joe's Birthday Cake Popcorn:

Calories

Trader Joe's Birthday Cake Popcorn nutritional information

Ingredients

Trader Joe's Birthday Cake Popcorn ingredient list

How Trader Joe's describes this:

Trader Joe's Birthday Cake Popcorn description

Out of the package you get:

Trader Joe's Birthday Cake Popcorn out of the bag

Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe's for a searchable list.

Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!

The Bottom Line

Don't forget to share your thoughts by going to the "user review" at the bottom of the box (click on the number of stars you believe this product deserves) and leave a comment below.

You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest to see what I'm up to.

Trader Joe's Harvest Spaghetti Squash Spirals

If one good thing is coming from the new products on the shelves, it seems like Trader Joe's has gotten on board with spiralizing veggies. I don't oppose this trend. I love my pasta as much as anyone else. I just don't love how easy it is to consume so many calories in one sitting.

Taste and review

I was really excited to pick up Trader Joe's Harvest Spaghetti Squash Spirals. And then I opened the bag. And then I wondered where the rest was. You know that feeling when you open a bag of potato chips and feel like you somehow got a half-filled bag by mistake. Yup. Same thing here.

To be fair, you could easily go to the refrigerated aisle and pick up a bag of freshly spiralized veggies and a jar of sauce for about the same price. The difference is you'll eat several meals from the refrigerated option.

You see for $3.99, you are getting a bag that has enough for 1 lunch for 2 small sides. I'm really not understanding how they came up with three servings in this bag. There were only two nests of veggies coming out of my bag. What you see in the process pictures below that the pan pictured is a 9" skillet. Not a huge pan in the grand scheme of things.

But what cooked up was delicious. I planned on making it as a side but ended up enjoying the whole thing for lunch. I needed an extra couple of minutes to get the squash to cook, but that may have been because of how mine were frozen together.

The spirals were nice and tender. I wasn't missing the pasta from this dish one bit. The sauce was flavorful and was even better with a very generous-sized bag of Grana Padano cheese (similar to parmesan cheese).

Overall

The taste of this was on point. The texture was on point. My problem was how little came in this bag. Would I buy it again? Possibly. I really liked the taste. But if you are counting on three servings, pick up an extra bag. Or hit the refrigerate aisle and pick up a jar of Trader Joe's Autumnal Harvest Sauce so you can get your creamy tomato squash sauce in.

Product photos

The bag of Trader Joe's Harvest Spaghetti Squash Spirals:

Calories

Trader Joe's Harvest Spaghetti Squash Spirals nutritional information

Ingredients

Directions

Out of the package you get:

Trader Joe's Harvest Spaghetti Squash Spirals out of the bag — Keep in mind this is a 9" skillet just for perspectives sake.

After being cooked you get:

Trader Joe's Harvest Spaghetti Squash Spirals fully cooked

A closer look:

Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe's for a searchable list.

Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!

The Bottom Line

Don't forget to share your thoughts by going to the "user review" at the bottom of the box (click on the number of stars you believe this product deserves) and leave a comment below.

You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest to see what I'm up to.

Trader Joe's Spicy Shrimp Bowl with Riced Cauliflower

So as 2018 draws to a close, it seems that Trader Joe's has committed to two food products: sugar and cauliflower. The vast majority of the items I'm writing about are super sweet. I was more than happy to give my palate a break. While I don't mind cauliflower sneaking into more items, but for me, it needs to be done well.

Taste and review

This item, it was not done well.

Here is an item that all the individual components are fine. Except for the riced cauliflower. My cauliflower looked like it had been well pureed. Not a deal breaker, but that lead to another issue, the components here just didn't seem to come together harmoniously.

This in some ways, is meant to be like a sushi bowl in the same way Trader Joe's Smoked Salmon Poke Bowl tried to be like a deconstructed sushi roll. This tries to be like sushi in some of the same way, but without the textural and important detail of the rice.

Now, don't get me wrong, the rice in Trader Joe's Smoked Salmon Poke bowl was the low point for me. In good sushi, the rice is well-flavored and seasoned with each of the grains maintaining their individual texture.

If you've had not great sushi, it comes down to the rice.

But here, the cauliflower has been obliterated into a mash or puree. The other elements were fine. The avocado remained fresh and green through some miracle of culinary science. The red cabbage was fresh and crunchy. The sriracha shrimp were hot and spicy. The miso glaze was flavorful and a bit sweet, but I'm not sure it complimented everything in this bowl.

The pickled cucumbers were the first thing I smelled when I opened this container. Not everyone loves the aroma of pickled veggies.

But as a team, they were like the Avengers in the movie Captain America: Civil War. They all ended up breaking into two separate teams. If this bowl were reorganized, they could take some of these elements out to make a more harmonious union.

One thing I can agree on is the calorie count. If you eat this whole bowl, it will be fewer calories than most of the other refrigerated meals at 170 calories. But I only managed to get half way through it before I let it go. The cauliflower mush was just a bit too much for me to enjoy with the other contents of this bow.

Overall

For $4.99 I would proceed with caution on this one. It's not going to be a universally loved and adored item, but it seems to be low in calories, dairy free, and does have some decent components. Would I buy Trader Joe's Spicy Shrimp Bowl with Riced Cauliflower again? This is a buy once and I won't be reaching for it again.

Product photos

The package of Trader Joe's Spicy Shrimp Bowl with Riced Cauliflower:

The nutritional information:

Trader Joe's Spicy Shrimp Bowl with Riced Cauliflower nutritional information

The ingredients:

Trader Joe's Spicy Shrimp Bowl with Riced Cauliflower ingredients

How Trader Joe's describes this item:

Trader Joe's Spicy Shrimp Bowl with Riced Cauliflower description

Out of the package you get:

Trader Joe's Spicy Shrimp Bowl with Riced Cauliflower showing the contents of the plastic container

Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe's for a searchable list.

Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!

The Bottom Line

Don't forget to share your thoughts by going to the "user review" at the bottom of the box (click on the number of stars you believe this product deserves) and leave a comment below.

You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest to see what I'm up to.