The Fearless Flyer should land on Monday. In the meanwhile, I’m gearing up for my fall/winter body with all the goodies on shelves. Aside from the usual pumpkin offerings, it seems they have been branching off even more.
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Trader Joes Review
Trader Joe’s Organic Cold Pressed Fuji Apple Spiced Cider
So, I want to make sure I’m not bombarding you all with everything pumpkin. Because this year, it seems that the seasonal flavors are being fanned out to include more apple and maple. Both are welcome additions. I welcome them even more if they are done well….
Trader Joe’s Vermont Ghosted Maple Syrup
The pros: Trader Joe’s Vermont Ghosted Maple Syrup is new and is a very hot combo of maple syrup and ghost pepper.
The cons: This is not for everyone. Anyone sensitive to heat, be warned, this is hot. Also, this was listed as “HOL” on my receipt which usually means it is seasonal. So if you love it, stock up.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Carrot Cake Spread
When a reader, H M, mentioned that this was new to shelves I got excited. And then H M tried it. And gave it a big thumbs down. Intrigued, I hunted for this product….
Trader Joe’s Hot Cocoa Organic Frosted Toaster Pastries
The pros: Trader Joe’s Hot Cocoa Organic Frosted Toaster Pastries is new and dressed up for cooler weather.
The cons: Seasonal based on the appearance of the packaging. Depending on your feeling on frosting, mine were not evenly frosted. Some would prefer if the frosting was left off.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Kingslynn Green Tea
The pros: Trader Joe’s Kingslynn Green Tea looks like a new tea that is done in the same spirit as much of Trader Joe’s coffee offerings.
The cons: If you don’t like the taste of green tea, you won’t be a fan of this. This priced $2 above the organic fair trade green tea already on store shelves.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Stuffed Peppers
The pros: Trader Joe’s Stuffed Peppers make for an easy meal at a reasonable calorie count.
The cons: This might be a regional item as I’ve only seen it a handful of times. In fact, I’ve seen it more via social media than in person.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s To the Power of Seven Green Organic Juice Blend
The pros: Trader Joe’s To the Power of Seven Green Organic Juice Blend is new and capitalizes on green juice popularity.
The cons: The primary flavors are celery juice, ginger spice, and apple. For something that should be healthy, I personally wasn’t blown away by the nutritional information of this product.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Candy Corn Popcorn
The pros: Trader Joe’s Candy Corn Popcorn is a new seasonal item hitting shelves for this autumn season.
The cons: If you truly believe that candy corn is the most revolting Halloween candy, then you will find this revolting as well.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Pumpkin and Sweet Cream Cheese Muffins
The pros: Trader Joe’s Pumpkin and Sweet Cream Cheese Muffins are one of the first pumpkin items to hit shelves for 2018 and they are jumbo muffin sized.
The cons: If Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Bread Mix returns, then opt for that in place of this.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Diner Mac and Cheese
The pros: Trader Joe’s Diner Mac and Cheese is as close as you can get to homemade mac and cheese in a frozen package.
The cons: If you bring this as your lunch you will be consuming over 700 calories.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Pub Cheese
The pros: Trader Joe’s Pub Cheese is a long standing item on shelves and with good reason.
The cons: Cheese snobs might turn their noses up at this.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Marinara Sauce
The pros: Trader Joe’s Marinara Sauce is one of two new refrigerated sauces hitting shelves: this and mushroom medley alfredo sauce. The ingredient list is pretty simple and straight forward.
The cons: It isn’t going to be my first choice in sauce options. This would have been better if they had used San Marzano tomatoes. Keep some EVOO and some basil on hand if you are planning on using this. For the price, there are some equally good options in the jarred section.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Soyaki
The pros: Trader Joe’s Soyaki is the best of two worlds: soy sauce and teriyaki. Yes, this is the viscocity of soy sauce with many of the flavors of a teriyaki.
The cons: The sodium is quite high in this. In fact, 1 tablespoon is 21% of what you have in a day. When I’m marinating something, I never use a tablespoon.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Enchilada Sauce
The pros: Trader Joe’s Enchilada Sauce is a staple item in my household and makes for a quick and flavorful meal.
The cons: The directions add extra steps which can be skipped with minimum consequence.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Cheese Blintzes
The pros: Trader Joe’s Cheese Blintzes are a pretty good blintz that is frozen and relatively easy to prepare.
The cons: These begged for a fruit topping like what is pictured on the box.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Super Sweet Fresh Corn
The pros: Trader Joe’s Super Sweet Fresh Corn is ready to be cooked corn on the cob.
The cons: Far more expensive that buying corn that needs to be husked. My local Trader Joe’s was selling those for $0.29 each.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Squid Ink Spaghetti
I love pasta. I’ll take all the carbs if you aren’t having them. The only time I’ve seen squid ink pasta is on the Food Network or on the menu of some fancy schmancy place….
Trader Joe’s Thomcord Seedless Grapes
The pros: Trader Joe’s Thomcord Seedless Grapes are really tasty and nearly seedless grapes. Yes, they say seedless, but I’ve been known to tell seedless watermelons that they lie.
The cons: There is still a tiny little seed that is sometimes bothersome.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Simpler Wines Rose
The pros: Trader Joe’s Simpler Wines Rose is inexpensive and one of three varieties available.
The cons: Not the best rose out there.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Simpler Wines Peach
The pros: Trader Joe’s Simpler Wines Peach is the best out of the three canned varieties of Simper Wines. Per can these are super inexpensive.
The cons: Not available in all locations. If your taste buds don’t like sweet or anything that tastes like a wine cooler, then skip this one.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Cold Brew Coffee Ready To Drink
The pros: Trader Joe’s Cold Brew Coffee Ready to Drink is a new cold brew that does not need to be diluted in anyway.
The cons: This bottle only contains three servings and when you do the math, this is approaching the cost of a cup of coffee from a lower priced coffee shop.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Asian Style Ground Chicken
The pros: Trader Joe’s Asian Style Ground Chicken is a new pre-marinated product that can make a meal a breeze.
The cons: Nothing really stands out.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Beef Cabbage Rolls
The pros: Trader Joe’s Beef Cabbage Rolls are going to be the least pretty thing I’ve photographed in a while. In fact, they reminded me of a certain overused brown emoji. If you don’t like red sauce, then Trader Joe’s skipped that here.
The cons: Directions are microwave only and I do wonder if this would have held up better using a different method. This might not be a good idea to bring to work (more on that in a moment).
The verdict: …
