Going to Trader Joe's for the first time...

MrsIH · June 2011

What should I buy?

Going tomorrow, so this is a bit short notice but I'm a little embarrassed to say how excited I am!

vanilla15 · June 2011

I am embarrassed how envious I am of you getting to go!! Stick out tongue It has been a couple of years since i have been but I remember really liking their pad thai mix (it has the noodles and some seasoning, you added the peanuts, meat, etc). Non-food related...their flowers & plants. I lived near a pretty large TJ's so they had a really large selection of the cheapest flowers & plants.

sigh. I wish they would head this way! Have fun tomorrow!

lola808 · June 2011

YUM!!! We usually fill up an entire suitcase when we come home from the mainland. Love that stuff.

Adrian loves the carrot-apple fruit sauces (in the pouches). I also got him a couple boxes of organic white mac and cheese and the mini raviolis from Italy for quick meals. Easy to cook up and add fresh veggies to.

They also have tons of awesome chocolates and dessert items, and yummy baking mixes. I also tried their rice orzo pilaf mix for the first time and loved it -- tasty and not too salty, like most boxed stuff.

I also love their frozen foods and produce and cheese selections. Good, cheap wines, too. Have fun!

mrspresley · June 2011

how exciting!

most of their frozen foods are pretty good if you want some convenience meals...love their bruschetta (in a jar)...sandra gave me some chocolate covered caramel popcorn that was delish! also like their mojito simmer sauce and curry simmer sauces. their chocolate bars are great for baking. if i remember correctly, their shallots are a lot cheaper than the regular grocery store but not sure if i am thinking of another store? they also have mochi ice cream, which you can get at the asian grocery stores too but if you don't go to those often then i'd get the mochi ice cream at TJs instead coffee and green tea are my favorite flavors.

MauiWedding08 · June 2011

ack, I typed a super long reply and it didn't post! I have been relying on their connivence foods way too much lately.

fridge section (by produce) - wheat pizza dough, bruschetta in a tub (is this different than the jar?!), sliced peppers/stir fry veggies/mushrooms. Eggplant pressed sandwich.

cereal: steel cut oats, multi grain O (kind of too sugary for J, but I love them), energy bars in the bread section.

frozen: naan, eggplant punjab, eggplant cutlets and chunks, turkey meatballs, veggies, also the animal crackers (special treat for J) is in this aisle - and chocolate and cookies.

jarred pasta sauce, bread mixes, dried fruit, nuts, fruit leather

if we don't make it to the local meat place i but the chicken sausage (mango is good).

Also a fall/winter fav is the beer cheese fondue in a pouch in the cheese section. yum.

non-food item- shave gel. it's like the Alba kind but cheaper. It's a gel type - very hydrating.

sanae78 · June 2011

I recently discovered their wild mushroom & truffle flatbread. Oh.em.gee. Delish. I'm obsessed with truffle anything.

Everyone from Hawaii always buys the Belgian Butter Almond Thins & Belgian Butter Waffle cookies for omiyage. Sesame honey almonds are really yummy, too.

I love their hummus - the tomato basil one and the guacamole one are really good.

Oh, and they have good frozen ahi that is marinated and you just bake it. I love it since I'm not much of a cook. Oh, and frozen spinach artichoke dip! Almost as good as CPK.

lelekay · June 2011

Wine!!! And pizza dough, guacamole (and I don't even like guac, but I like theirs), and bruschetta. Yum! Oh, and Joe-Joe's (but they are even better at Christmas when they have candy cane Joe-Joe's).

SanHawaii08 · June 2011

you've gotten tons of ideas already! i just wander up and down the aisles every time i go, b/c they're introducing new things all the time, and it's fun to look! i especially like looking at all the dried fruit, the nuts, the cookies and snacks, and the chocolate Stick out tongue

we often get their hummus, cheeses, chocolate covered pretzels (when i could eat cheese and chocolate...sob), rice crackers, nuts, ... oh, and their vegan cookies are surprisingly delicious!

MrsNJSwimmer · June 2011

frozen orange chicken - awesome. super delish and easy to make with a side of the 90 second rice.

I have the naan, but haven't tried it yet.

Bruschetta. Enough said. I will go in there for that if nothing else!

Their energy bars (Clif, Luna, etc) are generally cheaper than any other place around here.

HulaLove · June 2011

I must live under a rock? I have never heard of Trader Joe's.

All these food suggestions sound so yummy, I'm off to eat lunch now!

Married2MrWright · June 2011

Temptation Trail Mix...in their nut/dried fruit section. So delish!

I also LOVE their flax seed tortilla chips. And chocolate covered caramels (in the aisle with the frozen foods). And their Margherita pizza (frozen foods). And any of their sauces (in the canned/jarred food aisle). *sigh* I miss TJs!

MrsIH · June 2011

Thank you SO much for all of the suggestions! WOW, I am in sweet love with TJ's now. I was amazed at the selection and the prices... OMG, so so reasonable! I can't wait to go back already... BTW, I bought the pizza dough and it was amazing. So many more things to try now, the pantry is stocked

Married2MrWright · June 2011

lelekay:
Oh, and Joe-Joe's (but they are even better at Christmas when they have candy cane Joe-Joe's).

YES! We have our BFFs send us a "care package" with boxes of Candy Cane Joe-Joe's every winter. OMG, SO good!

Married2MrWright · June 2011

MrsIH:
Thank you SO much for all of the suggestions! WOW, I am in sweet love with TJ's now. I was amazed at the selection and the prices... OMG, so so reasonable! I can't wait to go back already... BTW, I bought the pizza dough and it was amazing. So many more things to try now, the pantry is stocked

Besides my family, the ocean, and the weather, one of the MAJOR things I miss about not living in CA anymore is TJ's. We essentially did our weekly grocery shopping there for three years (it was the closest grocery store to our house in downtown San Jose). We'd go there and then pop into Target, in the same shopping center, for the rest of our needs (like toiletries, etc.)...but we got about 90% of what we needed each week from TJs. I hadn't bought "national brands" in years and when I moved out here, I was at a loss, at first, of what to get. Thankfully, the Target's here have full grocery stores and a lot of their Archer Farm's Brand items are quite similar to what TJ's offers.

mrspresley · June 2011

Married2MrWright:
Besides my family, the ocean, and the weather, one of the MAJOR things I miss about not living in CA anymore is TJ's.

you'll have to come visit us in Dallas after they open up TJs here! I have no idea when that will be but I'm so excited at the prospect!

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