Try it All @ Trader Joes

Lists on TJs website

bschaade — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:28:52 +0000

One of the things about TJs that I love is their dedication to helping their customers. This is true in the store, and it is also true of their website. Trader Joe’s website has several lists that they have created to help their customers who are interested in a certain type of food. They have lists of gluten-free products, low sodium (140 mg or less per serving) products, fat free products, vegan/vegetarian items, quick meals, and kosher items. These lists can be found here.

They seem to do a good job of keeping their lists updated; the low sodium list was last updated October 10, 2009. TJs tells you that this isn’t everything in their store that falls into the category, but it is a good place to get started.

Low sodium let downs

bschaade — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 19:36:53 +0000

So, due to some recent health issues, I have been trying to watch the amount of sodium I eat. My doctor’s recommended 2,000 milligrams or less of sodium a day, which is pretty much what the USDA recommends for everyone. Well, let me tell you, it is not easy to do! It seems like anything that is processed in any way has more sodium than you would think! I knew that many frozen meals and soups had lots of sodium in them, but I didn’t realize how much was in a simple slice of whole wheat bread (150-200 mg per slice!) or a tablespoon of ketchup (200 mg per tablespoon). Soup, a winter time staple for me, apparently cannot be made without a salt lick or two added to the pot.

So, I’ve been looking for some products to substitute into my daily life that would help me lower the amount of sodium I’m taking in. Two products I tried from Trader Joes were the low sodium organic butternut squash soap and the sodium free whole wheat bread.

The soup was promising in that it was only about 70 mg of sodium per cup, which is less than one quarter of the sodium in ‘regular’ soup. It comes in a cardboard container that allows you to pour out the amount you need and refrigerate the rest. That was great. The soup itself wasn’t so great. It just didn’t have much flavor and was a thick consistency that wasn’t appealing to me. I ended up giving the rest of the carton to my mother-in-law to try. It really just wasn’t to my taste at all.

The next product I tried was the zero sodium whole wheat bread. I was very sceptical of this, as I have tried to make bread without salt myself and have had very little luck. This bread was very dry and not very tasty, due to the lack of salt, I’m sure. I would never use it as a sandwich bread. However, it wasn’t terrible when I toasted it and added a bit of peanut butter to it. So, it wasn’t a complete fail. I should also note that I have not seen 0 sodium bread anywhere else, so I do appreciate that TJs carries a product that no one else does.

Overall, neither of the low sodium products I tried were fantastic. Salt, I am finding out, is truly the spice of life! However, given the necessity for this kind of a product in my life, I would buy both of them again and try to doctor them up to make them more palatable to me.

Shredded Wheat Yumminess

bschaade — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 14:50:13 +0000

Trader Joes has a good cereal selection at their stores. Some of it is simply good prices on other name brands (ie: Kashi), but they also have their own line of cereals. I’ve tried several of them, and I’ve been pleased with all that I’ve tried. My favorite right now is Frosted Maple and Brown Sugar Shredded Bite Size Wheats.

These mini wheats are very tasty. Each tiny biscuit has a thin layer of maple and brown sugar frosting on it, packed with a deliscious little burst of flavor. Nutritionally, these are pretty good. 200 calories for a 1 cup serving, 1 g of fat, 0 sodium, and 5 g of fiber. Not bad for something that tastes this good! Like most cereals, it is fortified with vitamins and minerals. I like it with milk, either in a bowl or a coffee mug as I run out the door in the morning. It’s also good dry as a snack.

Soft and Juicy Mango

bschaade — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 14:20:06 +0000

What yummy fruit product from Trader Joes is so sweet that even my 3 year old believes it is candy? The ‘soft and juicy’ dried mango, of course. This stuff is deliscious, but just like candy, is best in moderation. According to an employee at TJs, the mango is sliced, dried, and then soaked in a mixture of sugar and mango juice, and then re-dried. It gives the mango a wonderful texture. My son is convinced that it is candy and asks for this as a treat! Because of the sugar content (23g sugar per 1/4 cup), I try to limit our intake. But if you need a sweet treat, dried mangos from TJs are the way to go!

Frozen Garlic, Cilantro, and Basil

bschaade — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 13:56:20 +0000

I love to try the new and exotic things I run across at TJs, so much so that sometimes I forget about all the staples to my kitchen that I pick up there. One of those staples are the cubes of frozen herbs they sell. My store carries garlic, cilantro, and basil in this form. It’s an ingenious little idea, really. I like to cook, but mincing garlic is not high on my list. And, unfortunately, when I purchase fresh herbs, they tend to wilt before I can use them all up. Not a problem with frozen cubes! I just pop a few into whatever sauce/soup/rice dish I”m making, and they quickly melt in, adding a bright layer of fresh herb flavor.

The other thing I love about these things? At my store, they are $1.99 a package, making them an extremely affordable alternative to fresh herbs. I try to have all three on hand all the time.

Uncrystallized Candied Ginger

bschaade — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 03:17:18 +0000

Now, I realize that not everyone is a freak for the flavor of ginger like I am. However, if you really like ginger, you’ll love TJ’s uncrystallized candied ginger. It is simply small pieces of ginger, sweetened with sugar. Because the ginger flavor is so strong, they are pretty spicy–but delicious! I like to suck on one until I can’t stand it any longer and bite into the gummy goodness.

These would be great chopped up and added to a spice cookie. (Yes, chopping them up would probably be a bitch, since I’m sure they would stick to the knife….but just think of a warm molasses or spice cookie with small studs of ginger throughout it….yum!)

The next time I am pregnant, I’m definitely going to keep these on hand. I think the ginger would be very soothing to a tummy with morning (noon, and night) sickness. The only ingredients are ginger and sugar–so no nasty processed-ness here. Plus, the pack such a flavor punch that one or two small pieces are plenty to make your mouth sing. According to the nutritional information, 6 pieces are 100 calories, so one or two isn’t going to derail your diet.

Roasted Garlic Chicken Sausage, Sugar Snap Peas, and Whole Wheat Cous Cous

bschaade — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 04:33:24 +0000

It was a whole Trader Joe’s dinner tonight. We had the roasted garlic chicken sausages, steamed sugar snap peas, and whole wheat cous cous. It was all a hit! The chicken sausage had a nice, mild flavor. It comes fully cooked (without any preservatives!), so you just have to heat and serve. Only 120 calories per sausage and not an unreasonable amount of sodium either! My 1 year old thought they were great!

The sugar snap peas were delicious, but the best part about them was the price. $1.69 for a pound of frozen sugar snap peas. That is cheaper than my local grocery store when they put them on sale! They are a great frozen veggie to keep on hand…quick and healthy. We love them!

As for the whole wheat cous cous…I’m a big fan of any side dish that is ready in 5 minutes. They sell regular cous cous at TJ as well, but the whole wheat is healthier and has a deeper flavor, in my opinion. This is another item that you just can’t beat the price. Cous cous in my regular grocery store is pretty expensive–$2.00 and up for a box that probably serves 4. The whole wheat cous cous (which I can’t even find in the regular grocery store) is $1.39 for a big box that serves upwards of 20. The last time I was at Trader Joe’s, I bought 4 boxes of cous cous. Seriously. It is that good.

(Also, if you are worried your family won’t like the whole wheat cous cous, try mixing the regular and the whole wheat 1/2 and 1/2. I did this at first to get my husband on board with the whole wheat kind.)

Carrot and Ginger Soup (Trader Joe’s)

bschaade — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 03:40:09 +0000

This soup had a very smooth consistency and good flavor. For me, the ginger flavor was not pronounced enough, but I realize that not everyone is the ginger fan that I am. It has a rich, almost butternut squash-like flavor to it. At only 80 calories a cup, it is a very healthy option for lunch or a snack. Serve it with a salad and some crusty bread for a simple dinner. The carton suggests that you add a dollop of yogurt to the top of the soup to enhance its creaminess. I didn’t do this (as my refrigerator is broken and my yogurt all turned into sour cream), but I think it would be nice. This soup come in a 4 cup cardboard container with a spout for pouring. That makes it very convenient to have a bowlful for lunch and save the rest for later. I would buy this again.

Fage Greek Yogurt

bschaade — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 00:22:56 +0000

I’ll come right out and say it….I was disappointed in this product. I’ve read rave reviews about it, so maybe my expectations were too high. Basically, Greek yogurt has a thicker consistency and milder flavor when compared to plain yogurt. I liked the consistency, and the flavor was fine. However, there really wasn’t enough of a difference to me to warrant purchasing it again. It was more than twice the price of the regular plain yogurt I buy, with nearly half of the product. I’ll certainly finish the container I have, but probably won’t buy again.

Raw Brazil Nuts (Trader Joe’s)

bschaade — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 23:28:59 +0000

Brazil nuts are my favorite, but at a regular store, they are only available as part of a can of mixed nuts. I was very excited to see that I could buy a whole bag of nothing but brazil nuts for about $4.50 a pound (which matched the best price I could find for them online without shipping). Unfortunately, they are only available in the raw, instead of roasted, form. I bought some anyway and tried them. Very good….but just not the same as nuts that have been roasted and salted. So, now I’m on a mission to learn how to roast my own brazil nuts. Tips, anybody?