Trader Joe's blog and cooking.
Some of Trader Joe's most popular items are in the frozen section. But quality can vary, fortunately, that's why you have this site!
From the Chicken Tikka Masala to the Sweet Potato Gnocchi to their very popular Cauliflower Gnocchi find hundreds of reviews of Trader Joe's frozen products and see which ones are worth your time and which ones you may want to consider leaving on the shelf!
With summer upon us, on my most recent trip I was going to pick up the usual seasonal Key Lime Pie. In New York, this isn’t something you can find regularly. Nor can you find it at Trader Joe’s. It’s summer only. But next to that bright green box was an equally yellow box of Trader Joe’s Lemon Meringue Tarte.
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Have you ever looked at the calorie count of an item and put it back? Or prayed it was really good to justify the calories? Well, that’s pretty much how I felt after I picked up Trader Joe’s Kunefe. While this box isn’t big, this packs a heavy hit of calories.
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While the first day of summer is nearly upon us, the taste of summer has already hit the shelves of Trader Joe’s. Amidst the mango flavors that are both arriving and returning from a hiatus, Trader Joe’s Peaches and Cream Tarte sits quietly in the freezer section returning from a years hiatus. And if you are looking for a picture perfect dessert, then keep one of these handy, even if summer is over.
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I am a proud choco-holic. The more chocolate the better. In fact, I believe that chocolate is almost a dietary need. If you feel the same love and passion that I do about chocolate, then you might want to give Trader Joe’s Chocolate Lava Cakes a try. …
Once again, a seasonal favorite has returned. It does not seem to have changed much from the previous review. If you are looking for a fully cooked skewer with pretty grill marks and full of Caribbean flavor, then for a frozen item, Trader Joe’s Grilled Jerk Chicken Thigh Skewers is pretty good overall.
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The longer I’m at this blog, the more patterns I see. I’ve seen products come and go. And come back again. Sometimes after years of disappearing. If you are familiar with Trader Joe’s A Dozen Sweet Bites, you might recognize this cake. In fact, Trader Joe’s Opera Cake hasn’t been on shelves in many years.
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I was beginning to wonder when we would see another cauliflower item appear in Trader Joe’s shelves. And now, it has found its way into breakfast through Trader Joe’s Egg Frittata. But don’t worry, the taste of cauliflower was quite muted.
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Lunches. There are so many times I am so guilty of not making my lunch. Before I moved close to a Trader Joe’s I existed off of frozen meals. But truthfully, they were pretty terrible. The calorie count was reasonable, but there was a sacrifice in taste. Most of those frozen meals tasted like cardboard. Trader Joe’s Korma Fish Curry tastes like anything but cardboard.
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I love Blondies. I reviewed Trader Joe’s Blondies Bar Baking Mix not too long ago. When my Mom and Sister hear that I’m making a Trader Joe’s run, that is their usual request. That is one of my sister’s favorite items to make and bring to her workplace. Because who doesn’t love the dense blondie nature that reminds you of a big cookie?
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If we were to go out for sushi, you would probably see me with one roll of Spicy Salmon in front of me. There are certain cuisines that you just order again and again. I took a sushi making class. The most important lesson I learned was that I wasn’t going to be making sushi at home. But I now know I can get a good bit of the flavors in Trader Joe’s Spicy Salmon Gyoza.
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Trader Joe’s is finally bringing us some real food in addition to a whole bunch of snacks. So if Trader Joe’s Shakshuka Starter is in any way unfamiliar to you, perhaps you are more familiar with a similar dish that can easily be made at home: eggs in purgatory. What’s the difference you ask? Here, the difference is spice.
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Well, I can now say, I feel like I’ve seen it all. Or now I can say, and now I’ve tried them all. Trader Joe’s offers no shortage of gnocchi offerings. Ranging from the basic Gnocchi Sorrentina, to the more cheesy Gnocchi Gorgonzola, to Sweet Potato Gnocchi to the non-potato based Cauliflower Gnocchi. Now, Trader Joe’s is playing with the order of things. Now, Trader Joe’s Outside In Stuffed Gnocchi have the familiar topping of the Gnocchi Sorrentina on the inside.
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If the Skittles slogan is “Taste the Rainbow,” then someone was thinking “Taste the green pizza.” Well, I tasted it. It tastes about as attractive as it looks. A pizza made with spirulina would have made for a prettier pie.
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Confession time: It’s the second time in two days I’ve been to Trader Joes, forgive me, I went on a Sunday and it seems like food was going out of fashion, especially in the frozen section. I wasn’t actually there for this product. I was actually looking for Trader Joe’s Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Butter and Sage.
I adored it.
But like many things at Trader Joe’s they like to tease you with great items and come back and try something new every time. So, this is my new bag of gnocchi: Trader Joe’s Gnocchi alla Sorrentina. In plain English it’s regular gnocchi with tomato sauce and some cheese….
Most of the new products hitting shelves this week aren’t of the healthy nature: there are new almond butter cups, candy coated peanuts, and this Blushing Apple Tart. So snacks and dessert items seem to be the order of the day. Trader Joe’s Blushing Apple Tart is the new addition in the freezer aisle.
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So if I’m going to do all these bread reviews, it’s only fair to share something that could use some bread. Or something for all that bread to sop up. I love a good sauce, but with almost a foot of snow being predicted by the weekend, I was thinking about some hearty meal planning and lots of staying indoors by the weekend.
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Let me apologize in advance if my reviews seem carb heavy. Because most of the new items hitting shelves are for some reason breads. I thought I was done reviewing bread last week when I tried Chocolate Chip Pain Au Lait. Nope, not only does the frozen Indian section have a new bread, there is also a pancake bread (review to show up in the near future). So while Trader Joe’s does an excellent job of serving certain food communities, I feel like the low carb crowd might be left out here a bit.
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Well, it wouldn’t be the beginning of the year without looking at the lighter options available at Trader Joe’s. Now, I’ve had my fair share of Mac and Cheese offerings from the Pepperoni Mac and Cheese, Truffle Mac and Cheese, Gluten Free Mac and Cheese, Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese, and Hatch Chile Mac and Cheese. And yes, they are mostly pretty good.
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Happy New Year! I hope 2019 is off to a good start for everyone. I spent a bit of the last week relaxing on the couch and spending time with Netflix, Hulu, and my other streaming services.
Last night I had found a new series on my Amazon Prime membership that I had not seen before. I grew up watching Emril Lagasse when I was a kid and a teenager. I think he is one of the many Food Network stars that helped inspire an entire generation of Foodies.
If you happen to be a prime member, the name of the show is Eat the World. It’s episode 2 that I got to watch last night which just happened to be about Shanghai Soup Dumplings. In the episode, they focused more on the traditional pork flavored dumpling: Xiao Long Bao. …
Well, after having some of Trader Joe’s Brookies, I guess my next view has to be some lighter fare. And just in time for dieting season is this frozen entree. From what I’ve been seeing posted around the internet, there are going to be some new additions in the freezer aisle. Certain items are scheduled to be discontinued like Trader Joe’s Cream Cheese Broiche Pastries, their French Toast, and even the tasty Sunflower Seed Drops are rumored to be discontinued. So with extra freezer room, I guess we will be seeing new items hitting shelves.
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For about a month, I’ve been putting together a list of the worst things I’ve had from Trader Joe’s. If this wasn’t seasonal, it would make the list. How bad was it? Well, the conversation in my household went something like this:
“How was lunch, honey?” my husband asked me.
“I’m making a new one,” I responded.
“Why?” he inquired.
“This was the biggest Trader No’s I’ve had in a while.” “Seriously?” “Seriously.”
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Cookie Butter had its year. I’m pretty sure 2018 was the year of Cauliflower. Are we seeing Jackfruit as the food item of the year for 2019? Perhaps, but time will tell. And it will all be based on how good the products coming out are. But for right now, there is now an additional frozen item that has jackfruit in it.
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My husband and I are suckers for having appetizers in the place of dinner. However, this box became just my dinner. I didn’t want to share these. Now, don’t judge me to harshly when I say, I like Chinese food better cold rather than fresh out of the takeout container. And there is a connection here.
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The dessert aisle this year is killing me. So I’m taking a much needed break from it. So far I haven’t seen a ton of new appetizers yet. Perhaps it is too early to say, but I thought they would be out by Thanksgiving. Shelves in my local store have already been packed with Bacon Wrapped Scallops and dates and we’ve even seen the return of the Lemon Ricotta Cheese and Fondue in the cheese aisle.
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