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.
…
weight loss
Trader Joe’s Zucchini Spirals
The pros: Trader Joe’s Zucchini Spirals are frozen, ready in about 10 minutes, and as easy as can be.
The cons: Trader Joe’s Zucchini Spirals gave up a lot of water, the box indicates that there are 4 servings and I ate the whole thing in one sitting, and is a bit expensive for what you are getting here.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Strawberry Raspberry Oatmeal
The pros: With milk, Trader Joe’s Strawberry Raspberry Oatmeal is a tasty and hearty breakfast. Best at room temperature. Good flavor and balance. Subtle spice of cinnamon. Good amount of fiber to make you feel full.
The cons: Could have been more generous with the strawberries and raspberries. I wish it had a lid, so if I need to come back to it. Something you can make from home with a few pantry items. If you have allergies, this has a long list of items it has traces of.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Meyer Lemon Cookie Thins
The pros: With Trader Joe’s Meyer Lemon Cookie Thins you can have 9 cookies per serving, delicate lemon flavor with a hint of sweetness
The cons: It’s lemon, but doesn’t taste overwhelmingly like Meyer lemon, it tastes just like regular lemons.
The verdict: …
Zucchini Carpaccio Recipe
I recently went to Fig and Olive for dinner. The food was fantastic. There was one item that took me by surprise when we went there: Zucchini Carpaccio. I split an appetizer and it’s something I would have ever had ordered in a million years. Priced at $12 it’s not something I’m going to run there and order on regularly. It’s something tasty, simple, with a good balance between acid, texture, salt, and pepper. On top of everything else, it’s vegetarian and relatively healthy. It’s uncooked and with thinly sliced zucchini you won’t miss it being cooked….
Trader Joe’s Cinnamon Crumpets
The pros: If you like pancakes and English muffins, then this is likely for you as Trader Joe’s Cinnamon Crumpets taste like a hybrid of both. Pleasant but not overwhelming taste of cinnamon. Went well with butter and jam. Low in calories so you can have 2 of these without much guilt.
The cons: Trader Joe’s Cinnamon Crumpets are a bit plain on its own.
The verdict: …
Dieting at Trader Joe’s: 1500 Calories a Day
So you’ve made a New Years Resolution. Perhaps you realize summer will be here eventually. Perhaps for health or personal reasons you realize that it’s time to drop a few pounds. There are plenty of diet programs out there. One I’m most critical of is Jenny Craig. Not that it’s a bad program, but it’s expensive. It also goes against the philosophy of “Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish you feed him for a lifetime.” You are never really taught how to cook. Plus their food is quite expensive and some can even be confused with pet food visually. Since adding time to a set 24 hour day isn’t going to happen, you may need to rely on certain things being already made for you. Maybe it will give you time back in your day or give you just a few more minutes at the gym. So I’ve pulled together of (most) of my reviews and complied a calorie count for each item if you plan on Dieting at Trader Joe’s….
Trader Joe’s Hashbrowns
The pros: Trader Joe’s Hashbrowns are easy, convenient, ready in 20 minutes without much effort.
The cons: Should come in a resealable package.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Crab Cakes
The pros: Trader Joe’s Crab Cakes are super tasty and not fried or loaded with breading crab cake. The are true to their name, crab cakes. They contain just enough binding ingredients to keep their shape, but lack the characteristic fried outside. I don’t think the taste suffered either. If you can’t get past the fact that you are not going to have the amount of breading you might be used to and a fried crisp outside, you’ll find this is a very pure cake made almost entirely of crab.
The cons: For two crab cakes, it’s on the pricy side, but you are getting quality. I did find a small shell in one of my cakes. Not loaded with veggies or herbs either.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Fully Cooked Turkey Breast
The pros: Trader Joe’s Fully Cooked Turkey Breast is moist turkey breast ready in under 45 minutes.
The cons: Expensive compared to buying a whole uncooked turkey. No dark meat option at Trader Joe’s.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Mojito Salmon
The pros: In each package of Trader Joe’s Mojito Salmon you get large pieces of fish (you get 2 in a package), spicy and tasty topping* *(cilantro haters do not apply. If you despise cilantro, please steer clear. You will not like this)
The cons: Took longer than 40 minutes from frozen. You’ll need to like a more poached flavor/visual appearance to enjoy this. Not gluten free. Which is a shame as there is really no need for the wheat ingredients here.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Cinnamon Apple Snack Sticks
Everyday I find myself snacking. Sometimes it’s something healthy, sometimes it becomes a 4th meal of the day. I picked up Trader Joe’s Cinnamon Apple Snack Sticks figuring it’s something that should be both crunchy and taste of cinnamon. To my surprise they remind me of a lightened up churro. If these straws would have ridges on it, it would definitely be similar. Would these be good to dip in chocolate like a churro. Oh yes. So here is what you get for $2.49:…
Trader Joe’s Vegetable Biryani
Trader Joe’s has one of the largest selection of Indian cuisine I’ve seen in any mainstream supermarket. So it’s been fun to experiment before I step foot into an Indian restaurant to compare them to the more authentic experience. I just want to avoid sounding like an idiot walking into one. I’d also want an idea of what I’d like too. So it’s been a pretty good adventure so far. The Trader Joe’s Chicken Tikka Masala and Trader Joe’s Paneer Tikka Masala have been my favorite. So I figured I’d expand my horizons and give Trader Joe’s Vegetable Biryani a whirl.
The good: Three or so minutes in your microwave and an Indian lunch/dinner is ready for you to enjoy. Veggie dumplings were quite tasty. Decent calorie count if you are watching those types of things.
The bad: rice had a strong curry flavor to it, but I felt like it needed just one more element to complete the dish like a sauce.
The Verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Vegan Chicken-less Mandarin Orange Morsels
I’m not vegan nor am I vegetarian. I’m skeptical at best when it comes to those items as far as taste goes. So I picked up Trader Joe’s Vegan Chicken-less Mandarin Orange Morsels. I’ve had Morningstar Farm’s “chicken” burgers and they weren’t bad. So I gave this a shot. What it is “chicken” thats been battered and fried the way you would get in a Chinese restaurant. It was completely surprising to me that it was very good. You might even be able to sneak it past a regular carnivore without them knowing. It wasn’t as thick as a regular nugget, nor was it as moist, but when you cut it open it does look like chicken. So here is what you get for $2.99…
Trader Joe’s Riced Cauliflower
Carbs for some people no good. For some of us we can polish off a whole plate of rice when it is presented to us. So an an effort to cut calories, I picked up this bag to see if it was any good and if it can replace rice in a dish. I know Trader Joe’s Riced Cauliflower can be used for a number of other things, but I’ll let the readers comment on their best uses of this product. For only 25 calories per serving and $2.49, it was worth a try….
Trader Joe’s Steel Cut Oatmeal
Even breakfasts can be a lazy event for me. I want something filling and not something that will cost me an hour workout later in the day. If you enjoy oatmeal in the morning and enjoy the texture of a risotto you’ll probably like Trader Joe’s Frozen Steel Cut Oatmeal. For $1.69 you are paying for comfort of knowing oatmeal with texture (unlike instant oatmeal) is ready in under 4 minutes or less. There is no way to get steelcut oatmeal ready in that amount of time. It’s still less than what you might pay at your local McDonalds and for far less in the calorie count. Don’t let the picture on the package fool you either, you’ll have to add your own brown sugar and fruit if you so choose to….
Trader Joe’s Southwest Salad
Once again, it was Sunday night and I did not pack lunch. A quick run to Trader Joe’s (and about $100 later) meant that most of the freezer aisle had long since been cleared out. So I sought out the refrigerated section for something responsible for lunch. Trader Joe’s Southwest Salad is what I stumbled upon:…
Trader Joe’s Palak Paneer
This is one frozen entree that is frequently unavailable is Trader Joe’s Palak Paneer. I wasn’t sure what to think of it just looking at the package. I’ve enjoyed their other Indian dishes such as the Trader Joe’s Vegan Tikka Masala, Trader Joe’s Lamb Vindaloo, Trader Joe’s Butter Chicken, Trader Joe’s Chicken Tikka Masala and my personal favorite the Trader Joe’s Paneer Tikka Masala Review. What I enjoyed most about the Paneer Masala was the Spinach flavored rice and the Paneer itself. This one is called Palak Paneer because Palak means Spinach. Can this dish be supplemented, yes, the back of the box give you recommendations to serve this with rice. Being that this is my lunch I’m having it without, but I’d highly recommend this with rice….
Trader Joe’s Asparagus Risotto
As we head towards colder weather, is there anything more comforting than a steaming hot bowl of risotto? If the idea of slaving over a stove for at least 20-30 minutes doesn’t do it for you, Trader Joe’s Asparagus Risotto package will get it down to 5 minutes flat in a microwave. The taste was as close to homemade as I’ve ever had and is one of the best risottos I’ve had in the freezer section. My only regret is they only offer the Asparagus which some people might not find appealing. But it is definitely an item that should not be overlooked while in the freezer section at Trader Joes….
Trader Joe’s Meatless Meatballs
Trader Joe’s Meatless Meatballs. The ultimate oxymoron. I grabbed this bag on a whim after trying the Trader Joe’s Vegan Tikka Masala. I have to be honest, if some had given me the Tikka I would have never have known that meat was not a part of it. So I figured, why not give another Vegan dish a try. I don’t feel like I’m eating rabbit food on this one. So here is the breakdown of what you are getting:…
Trader Joe’s Gnocchi alla Sorrentina
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….
Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Macarons
Yes, I know I reviewed other varieties of macarons from Trader Joes. I’ve even included a recipe to make your own macarons. I am very well aware that I’ve encouraged people to Deep Fat Fry your Macarons. This review is on Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Macarons a seasonal flavor that makes an appearance in the fall.
However, like Christmas in August, it’s September and everything is coming up Pumpkin. It’s still early and I haven’t had my fill of pumpkin just let, I figured I’d give these a go. They can easily be missed in the freezer aisle at Trader Joe’s as the box, if not looking closely looks a lot like not so seasonal Mango Macarons….
Trader Joe’s Vegan Tikka Masala
I’m not vegan and for the most part I’m very doubtful when it comes to trying anything labeled as such. I have the image of bunny food and tofu and the knowledge that I will walk away less than satisfied. But I was wrong with Trader Joe’s Vegan Tikka Masala.
This dish took me by surprise. The “meat” fooled me. If you had put this dish in front of me and not told me it was vegan I would have been none the wiser. The meat tasted like a perfectly shaped meatball. I didn’t feel like I was missing anything at all. This is a standout in the Indian section as is Trader Joe’s Paneer Tikka Masala and Trader Joe’s Fish Korma Curry….
Trader Joe’s Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Butter and Sage
Another day, another excuse to not get my kitchen dirty. I love gnocchi. I know how to make it. It takes time which quite frankly I don’t have. There are a lot of high quality gnocchi products in the market. Many of which requires a pot of boiling water which in hot weather is unappealing to do. Enter Trader Joe’s Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Butter and Sage.
I’ll admit, I love all things sweet potato. Especially fries, but that will be another post. So let’s break down the product from Trader Joe’s. …
