Trader Joe's blog and cooking.
The pros: Trader Joe’s Seltzer Water flavored with Lemon and Ginger Juice is one of two new seltzer flavors and if you love ginger then you might dig this.
The cons: This is very assertively gingery for something that only contains 2% juice.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Seltzer Water flavored with Cranberry and Lime Juice is one of three new seltzer waters that are quite distinct from other sparkling beverages around them.
The cons: This is pricier than the bottled sparkling water options at Trader Joe’s.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Organic Sriracha Ranch Dressing is nice and spicy.
The cons: I wasn’t wild about this on a salad, but as a dip I was all in.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Grass Fed Organic Rib Eye Beef Steak is a new and premium addition to the meat aisle of Trader Joe’s.
The cons: This is a premium product at price point of over $21 per pound. There is also quite a bit of fat that could have been trimmed off.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Organic Tea and Lemonade is essentially the beverage better known as an Arnold Palmer which is a mix of lemonade and tea.
The cons: Nothing really stands out other than the obvious sugary nature of this drink.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Organic Caesar Salad Kit is a vast improvement over Trader Joe’s Caesar Style Salad Mix.
The cons: Keep your expectations in check as this mix is as good as this is a good bagged salad mix.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Organic Air Popped Popcorn is new and is a healthy popcorn.
The cons: My husbands reaction was “this tastes like diet popcorn.” You can take that on face value. The bag makes it obvious to anyone within 100 feet that you are consuming this product.
The verdict: …
For the most part, I tend to review one item at a time. However, for something as basic as frozen fruits and veggies I think it’s just best to review them together. Let’s be honest, it’s hard to write THAT much about such a staple freezer item. Now, if you are like me, I tend to let my wallet dictate my buying habits. However, for this item perhaps its best to do a side by side comparison. Trader Joe’s frozen strawberries come in two varieties. There is a third, in the Organic Tropical Fruit Blend, but that is also mixed in with other fruit, so I did not add that one into this review.
The pros: Monteli Organic Pizza Crusts are organic, frozen, reasonably sized for 1-2 people per pizza, delicious too.
The cons: This is way over packaged with plastic. Mine weren’t frozen flat so adorning this pizza was slightly more challenging.
The verdict: …
So, Trader Joe’s is many things, but basic is not one of them. One or perhaps two blueberry varieties are common. Usually an organic and an non-organic variety is pretty standard for most grocery stores. Trader Joe’s frozen blueberries come in four different varieties at four different price points.
So unlike most reviews where I look at a single product , I’ll go through what to expect from this line of frozen blueberries.
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The pros: Trader Joe’s Organic Italian Artisan Pasta Gigli is one of three new pastas that are organic and artisan.
The cons: This is a premium priced pasta, but is still affordable. A few pasta pieces lost their cool shape.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Organic Rainbow Cauliflower is new and adds to a growing list of cauliflower products. This is a solid choice if you are looking for a side.
The cons: While cauliflower may help you feel full, there doesn’t seem to be much fiber in this stuff.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Organic Pesto Tortellini has been on the shelves for quite some time. It makes for a quick and easy meal.
The cons: Bland tasting pesto with almost no texture to it.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Organic Italian Artisan Pasta Orecchiette is one of three new pastas on Trader Joe’s shelves. All three are labeled as organic and kosher.
The cons: Mine took closer to 18 minutes to reach an al dente texture. Be sure to test before draining these.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Organic Italian Artisan Pasta Capunti is a new and tasty pasta in a fun shape.
The cons: Other than the fun shape, there was nothing stand out about this pasta.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Organic Quinoa and Rice Hot Cereal is a new item that is mixed in with all the other decadent flavors of the holiday season. This was ready in about 2 minutes.
The cons: You’ll want to add your own mix ins to this. It’s extremely bland on its own.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Organic Midnight Moo is chocolate syrup that is good for sundaes or making chocolate milk (whatever your definition of “milk” happens to be) or any dessert that you can think og.
The cons: This was a previously discontinued item. It would be nice to see this on the shelves on a regular basis.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Organic Chicken Wing Sections are a solid option in the freezer case of Trader Joe’s.
The cons: For a group of hungry adults, this two pound bag might only feed two people so plan accordingly.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Organic Acai Puree Packets add color, flavor, and fiber to your bowl of oats or smoothies.
The cons: Acai is not a cheap item regardless of where it comes from. You may need to compensate for this products lack of sweetness. The packets can be a bit awkward to open.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Organic Tropical Fruit Blend is a tasty blend, especially if you aren’t terrible creative with your morning smoothie.
The cons: The bag should be resealable. The picture on the bag isn’t the most accurate representation of the product. The bananas were not nearly as pretty as they were on the bag and when did strawberries become a “tropical” fruit?
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Organic Cranberry Spiced Apple Kombucha adds to a growing line of popular Kombucha products.
The cons: Kombucha is a bit of an acquired taste. This does have a smidgen of alcohol in it, so if you are avoiding it, please be aware.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Honey Processed Organic Nicaraguan Coffee is new and a mild medium brew.
The cons: If you were hoping for a coffee that does not require some sugar, then you might be disappointed. But the bag does explain the whole “honey processed” name.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Organic Moringa Mango and Ginger Herbal Tea is a nicely packaged and flavorful tea.
The cons: Might not be a flavor combination that everyone appreciates.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Organic Peppermint Cinnamon Tea will seem like a slight odd if not unpleasant flavor combination, but some how these two play nicely together.
The cons: Some of my tea bags had some issues. I had a few stray tea leaves floating outside the bag.
The verdict: …
