-Whole wheat couscous (which i can only find at TJs and online at specialty stores).
-Frozen Tilapia fillets breaded in whole-grain breading (its like a fish-stick, but whole grain!)
-I agree with all the people who said the produce is amazing
-Greek-style yogurt
-whole fruit popsicles (they are called "fruit floes" and are AMAZING - chunks of real fruit and real juice, and only 60 calories for a delicious dessert or snack...what other popsicles have FIBER for heavens sake?)
-Soups in cardboard boxes (The corn soup is SO creamy, yet low-cal. All of their soups in the cardboard boxes are really reasonable calorie-wise, but taste SO DECADENT).
If you like spicy food they also have these Thai peanuts that have big pieces of red pepper and cilantro in them. I have never seen the frozen brown rice there. I am going to have to look for that.
I second Nancy's mention of roasted red pepper and tomato soup (which is one that comes in a cardboard box, as mentioned by mandalinn).
I also finally found spaghetti squash at TJ's this past week, whereas I had searched other chain grocery stores but could never find it (I did find a sign for it at a Giant a few times, but never the actual product ).
However, I also bought a bag of clementines there this past week, and they were all brown in about 2 days. For me, even TJ's is pretty hit-or-miss for a lot of things. I bought a tub of hummus once either at TJ's or Whole Foods (I don't honestly remember which it was), and when I opened it the next day (after keeping it in the fridge like a good girl!), it was moldy, even though the expiration date on the container was still more than a week away
One thing I did find there that I really like and was reasonably priced was reduced-sugar organic strawberry jelly. At only 25 calories a tablespoon, I'm LOVIN' it on my pbj sandwiches (much tastier than the dietetic grape jelly I had bought a few weeks ago--YUCK!).
Oh, one thing I have found at TJ's and haven't seen anywhere else that I absolutely LOVE is this bag of snap pea puffs. They're about the same texture as cheese puffs, but they are dried snap peas. They have some fat and calories because they are cooked with oil and salt kinda like chips, but they are lower in calories and are SO GOOD to fulfill a chip craving
which Trader Joe's do you go to? I ask because I tried the one in Gaithersburg this weekend (looking for an alternative to Whole Foods and Balducci's) and I was really disappointed in the selections of produce and fresh foods.
For all you lucky NYC shoppers, I loved the Trader Joe's at Union Square when I was working in Manhattan this past winter - now THAT is a store with a great selection of everything (also the Whole Foods at Union Square was awesome, and so much better than any of the WF stores I have been in here in DC/MD.)
I shop at TJ's every week and the list gets longer every time. Here are a few of my favorites:
NF Greek Style yogurt: At only 100 calories per 1 cup serving, this is the lowest calorie yogurt around and tastes great! Super rich and creamy, you would never know it is non-fat.
High Fiber Cereal (yep, that's the name) or Flax Plus Cereal (the flakes not the granola). Taste great and low in calories.
Cinnamon Almonds: Only 140 calories per 1/4 cup, the lowest calorie nuts around. But they are addictive. Also the Candied Peanuts and Cashews (but even more addictive).
Chile Spiced Mango Slices: Only 110 calories per serving!
Turkey Meatballs: Only 50 calories per meatball, a great addition to pasta.
Gerhardt's Chicken and Turkey Sausage (either the chardonnay flavor or the basil pesto flavor): Taste great and only 130 calories per sausage
Pre-made Salads: Esp. the Lowfat Seafood Salad or the Pacific Blue salad. These make an excellent, low calorie meal. They are often my emergency meals when I've had an otherwise high calorie day. I toss out the lettuce and add my own fresh (which you can also get a TJ's) and add a few cut veggies like celery or cucumbers. The Pacific Blue salad is only 200 calories with ALL the dressing. The seafood salad is a little more but I generally find I only need about half the dressing. The nice thing is that they include the nutritional info with and w/o the dressing so if you only use half the dressing, you still know how many calories you've eaten.
Salad Dressings: Love the fat free vinaigrette, raspberry vinaigrette, and sesame ginger. All are low in calories.
Ground Turkey and Ground Beef: I think their ground beef might be a little more expensive but it is definitely a higher quality than what my Safeway carries.
Soycotash: Mix of frozen corn, soy beans, and red peppers. Yum!
Fat-Free Whole Grain Bread: I love this! Only 70 calories per slice, nice solid consistency, good-sized slices, and slightly sweet taste.
Whole Grain English Muffins: I also love these and they are only 110 calories per muffin.
Pre-Cooked Frozen Brown Rice: This is so handy; it's changed my life!
Frozen Seafood Blend: A mix of shrimp, scallops, and calamari. Great with pasta or rice and a little sauce (you could use one the simmer sauces someone else mentioned).
Frozen Asian-Style Marinated Chicken Breasts: Great for chinese chicken salad. Just pop in the microwave and they're done.
Frozen Salmon Patties: A great emergency meal. Only 80 calories per patty, eaten with the FF multi-grain bread, that's a hot sandwich for only 220 calories. Add some lettuce, mustard, and tomato and you are still under 150 calories. And the patties cook up from their frozen state in about 15 minutes in the toaster oven. Also, they are just salmon, water, and salt. No other chemicals, sweeteners, or preservatives.
Banana Crisps: These were awesome; like potato chips but made from bananas and only 60 calories per cup! But sadly, they haven't carried them for at least six months. Every week I go in with hope anew that I will find my beloved banana crisps and every week, no banana crisps!
Honestly, I think I might starve without Trader Joe's. Sticking to this diet definitely would have been a lot harder.
Jillybean, you know you can return anything to TJ's for any reason and they will give you a refund no questions asked. We once bought a carton of soy milk that was bad (it wasn't sealed properly), so I dumped out the carton and took the empty back next week. They gave us a refund without blinking an eye, even though we could easily have drank the whole thing (in fact, they didn't even ask why we were returning the empty). Another time I bought jar of ketchup then realized I didn't need it, so I took it back and got a refund with no hassle at all. Heck, if you still have the receipt for those oranges, I bet you could just take the receipt in, tell them they went bad, and they'd give you your money back. They are like the Nordstrom's of grocery stores when it comes to returns.
I can toss in a vote for the frozen brown rice and the puffed snap peas - best snack ever! Another great snack is the dry roasted lightly salted edamame. I love it - but people who know what it is don't seem to. Anyone who's ever tried if before knowing what it was liked it though. people are funny about soy products.
I like their frozen tuna steaks, their frozen enchaladas and they make this frozen tart with cheese and carmelized onions. BEST frozen pizza i've ever had and it was a lot healthier than other frozen pizzas.
I have had absolutely no luck with their fresh fruits. Always die before I can use them and i'm talking like one or two days. Will not buy their fresh fruit or veg again.
I love TJ and go there when ever I get the chance. My only wish is that they would carry some items in larger family sizes. I often have to buy two or three packages of things to meet my family size needs.
Man, you guys are making me HUNGRY! We unfortunately don't have a Trader Joe's here in upstate NY. However, my sister in law says she likes to go to the one in NH (she lives in Maine) because they sell a cheap wine there that is fabulous, that she calls 'Three Buck Chuck'. It has a 'real' name, but I cannot remember what it is, but apparently everyone calls it by the nickname. Anyone have any idea what the real name is? Cuz a good tasting 3 dollar bottle of wine is something we should ALL be privy to!!
ThinAgain - the vinter is "Charles Shaw," but you are right, everyone calls it 3 Buck Chuck. I *think* it is only sold at Trader Joe's, but may be wrong about that.
My FIL loves it, but it gives me a "cheap wine" headache after one glass. (and I'm not being a wine snob! I have had other really cheap wines that don't give me such a horrible headache after just one glass)
I like their frozen cherries, frozen mango chunks, frozen mixed berries, and many of their frozen entrees. Their deli stuff is great, too. They have a great guacamole/salsa mix that DS and I love.
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