What are your must-buy items from Trader Joe's for toddlers?

[Anonymous]

I don't like Costco bananas! They rot quicker, they often have bruises on them, and they come in that plastic bag which is often slimy. TJ's all the way!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bananas

Trader Joe's has the cheapest bananas in town, and my kid goes through them by the bunch.

Also their fresh mozzarella sticks are so much better than string cheese. My toddler couldn't care less, but if I'm going to "share" snacks I want the good stuff!

Plus lots of other things already mentioned here.

TJ's banana are something like 19cents each, whereas you can get 3lbs of bananas for $1.39 at Costco!

The internet tells me that there are 2.5 large Bananas in a lb. So the TJ bananas cost $1.42 for 3 lbs (or really $1.52 for a tad more, since you can't actually buy 7.5 bananas).

Those 3 cents are not worth the price of a membership, or gas to get to Costco.

There were 13 bananas in my last 3lb bag. However, I agree I wouldn't drive to Costco just for bananas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This all sounds so...gross.

+1. Fish sticks?!

Omg, fish sticks are the devil! Clutch your pearls!

Cook fish for your child, not processed crap.

I do. These are for the rare occasion when the date night sitter prepares something for her if I don't have time. Step out of your mommy martyrdom every once and a while, hmm? We've had the same box for 3 months. If you're gonna do fish sticks, theirs are processed much less than other brands. A lot less ingredients.

You don't have to explain. I'm sure the no processed foods mommy does a lot to mess up her kids just like the rest of us.

[Anonymous]

Hummus
Little pizzas (12 to a box)
String cheese
Apple sauce
Apple sauce pouches
Apple/strawberry bars
Rice cakes

[Anonymous]

My no fruit/no veg son actually likes their dried Apple slices. I'll take what I can get.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This all sounds so...gross.

+1. Some of Michael Pollans Rules:

1. Eat food
2. Don’t eat anything your great?grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food
3. Avoid food products containing ingredients that no ordinary human would keep in the pantry
4. Avoid food products that contain high?fructose corn syrup
5. Avoid food products that have some form of sugar (or sweetener listed among) the top three ingredients
6. Avoid food products that have more than 5 ingredients
7. Avoid food products containing ingredients that a third?grader cannot pronounce
8. Avoid food products that make health claims

I don;t know what my great grandmother would think of TJ's.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This all sounds so...gross.

+1. Some of Michael Pollans Rules:

1. Eat food
2. Don’t eat anything your great?grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food
3. Avoid food products containing ingredients that no ordinary human would keep in the pantry
4. Avoid food products that contain high?fructose corn syrup
5. Avoid food products that have some form of sugar (or sweetener listed among) the top three ingredients
6. Avoid food products that have more than 5 ingredients
7. Avoid food products containing ingredients that a third?grader cannot pronounce
8. Avoid food products that make health claims

I don;t know what my great grandmother would think of TJ's.

I think most of you TJ haters have never stepped foot into a trader joes. None of their stuff contains HFCS. Most stuff has no additives. Their yogurt and gummies are colored with plant products for gods sakes.

[Anonymous]

From TJs, I only buy the thick tortillas and mild cheddar cheese. i make the best quesadillas using them, plus green onions.

[Anonymous]

This site has some random TJ haters. I don't get it. It's usually got better things than regular grocery stores. It's great for produce and such.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This all sounds so...gross.

+1. Some of Michael Pollans Rules:

1. Eat food
2. Don’t eat anything your great?grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food
3. Avoid food products containing ingredients that no ordinary human would keep in the pantry
4. Avoid food products that contain high?fructose corn syrup
5. Avoid food products that have some form of sugar (or sweetener listed among) the top three ingredients
6. Avoid food products that have more than 5 ingredients
7. Avoid food products containing ingredients that a third?grader cannot pronounce
8. Avoid food products that make health claims

I don;t know what my great grandmother would think of TJ's.

I think most of you TJ haters have never stepped foot into a trader joes. None of their stuff contains HFCS. Most stuff has no additives. Their yogurt and gummies are colored with plant products for gods sakes.

NP. just because it doesn't contain HFCS doesn't mean it's "good" for you. TJ's is the worst, it's ALL packaged food! aisle to aisle! except their horrible produce section and bad meat. I go in there once a month. I get 4 items.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I think most of you TJ haters have never stepped foot into a trader joes. None of their stuff contains HFCS. Most stuff has no additives. Their yogurt and gummies are colored with plant products for gods sakes.

NP. just because it doesn't contain HFCS doesn't mean it's "good" for you. TJ's is the worst, it's ALL packaged food! aisle to aisle! except their horrible produce section and bad meat. I go in there once a month. I get 4 items.

So why, pray tell, do the TJ haters even come into these threads? I don't get it. Spend your energy elsewhere you fools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This all sounds so...gross.

+1. Some of Michael Pollans Rules:

1. Eat food
2. Don’t eat anything your great?grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food
3. Avoid food products containing ingredients that no ordinary human would keep in the pantry
4. Avoid food products that contain high?fructose corn syrup
5. Avoid food products that have some form of sugar (or sweetener listed among) the top three ingredients
6. Avoid food products that have more than 5 ingredients
7. Avoid food products containing ingredients that a third?grader cannot pronounce
8. Avoid food products that make health claims

I don;t know what my great grandmother would think of TJ's.

I think most of you TJ haters have never stepped foot into a trader joes. None of their stuff contains HFCS. Most stuff has no additives. Their yogurt and gummies are colored with plant products for gods sakes.

NP. just because it doesn't contain HFCS doesn't mean it's "good" for you. TJ's is the worst, it's ALL packaged food! aisle to aisle! except their horrible produce section and bad meat. I go in there once a month. I get 4 items.

NP. If you want to purchase groceries based on the above criteria, feel free. If the rest of us want to buy food that is not entirely "good" for us, yet is delicious or convenient or whatever, we are free to do so. Get over it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This all sounds so...gross.

+1. Some of Michael Pollans Rules:

1. Eat food
2. Don’t eat anything your great?grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food
3. Avoid food products containing ingredients that no ordinary human would keep in the pantry
4. Avoid food products that contain high?fructose corn syrup
5. Avoid food products that have some form of sugar (or sweetener listed among) the top three ingredients
6. Avoid food products that have more than 5 ingredients
7. Avoid food products containing ingredients that a third?grader cannot pronounce
8. Avoid food products that make health claims

I don;t know what my great grandmother would think of TJ's.

I think most of you TJ haters have never stepped foot into a trader joes. None of their stuff contains HFCS. Most stuff has no additives. Their yogurt and gummies are colored with plant products for gods sakes.

NP. just because it doesn't contain HFCS doesn't mean it's "good" for you. TJ's is the worst, it's ALL packaged food! aisle to aisle! except their horrible produce section and bad meat. I go in there once a month. I get 4 items.

Yes, I'm sure you buy no packaged food. Zip. Zero.

I buy cereal, granola bars, veggie straws, crackers, and a few other processed foods there. Mostly we but organic produce (variety isn't huge but prices are good!) hummus, pasta, broth, etc. stuff like that.

I don't believe you if you say your toddler eats no processed food.

[Anonymous]

http://www.whatsgoodattraderjoes.com/?m=1

[Anonymous]

Well, our kids are 4.5 so preschoolers instead of toddlers. But we buy all of our fresh nuts there. My wife is allergic to peanuts. We need to have tree nuts that were not processed in a facility that processes nuts. In the supermarket, it's hit or miss and some of the products don't have allergy warnings and there's no one to ask. I went into TJ's once and asked. The guy could not find the info, but took my contact info. He contacted the main office and ultimately called the processing plant and found out that the tree nut processing plant is peanut free. So we just play it safe and get our tree nuts, dried fruit and trail mixes there for us and the kids.

Our kids attend a nut-free (tree nut and peanut) school, so we get sunbutter for the occasional sandwich (also an occasional treat for my wife).

The fish sticks are a nice "treat" for the kids once or twice a month (and for the militant anti-processed food person, yes, we have normal fish for meals routinely).