What do you love at Trader Joes?

[Anonymous]

Organic olive oil
Organic chicken
Garlic hummus
Nuts!!!
Dried tart cherries
Butter
OJ
String cheese
Other cheeses
Cheap Italian wine
Lavender hand lotion
fish oils & vitamins
Maple-frosted "shredded wheat"
pickled artichoke hearts
refried beans
frozen vegetables
Tarte d'Alsace
Cream cheese
Peanut butter
Organic eggs
Cereal bars
Chocolate chips

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh TJ's how I love thee, let me count the ways...

Ritter chocolate bars
Peppermint waffle cookies,
Butter Almond cookies,
Cranberry goat cheese,
Applesauce squeezies,
Wasabi seaweed snacks,
"Cheetos",
Seasonal teas,
Frozen appetizers,
Trail mix snacks,
Mozzerella cheese sticks,
Face serum,
Dishwashing soap,
Green bean snacks,
Frozen tamales,.
Frozen lasagna,
Frozen breaded boneless chicken pieces
Peppermint Joe Joes,
Choc. covered almonds,
Chocolate peanut butter cups,
Mini cheesecake bite "ice cream"
Frozen macaroons,
Mini ice cream cones,
Flowers and
Wine.

You must have a huge freezer. Do you eat any fresh meat or produce?

Lol. Yes, we eat plenty of fresh meat and produce. I just don't generally buy much of it at TJs. I do get their organic berries in the summer and their bags of avocados year round. But this is the store I go to for most of our "extras". I thought that looked pretty obvious.

And yes we have a deep freezer, since your so curious. The TJ's stuff is pretty small though, the deep freezer is reserved for costco trips and the huge bulk portions of meat we buy from a farm.

[Anonymous]

Quick cook Farro and Barley

[Anonymous]

Frozen pepper slices. Frozen wild-caught fish in small portions. Nuts and dried fruit. "Box" soups like tomato and black bean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone tried the sweet potato gnocchi? I didn't get it cause its high in fat, but it looked good. [/]

So good. I mean it's frozen food good, but I love it, fat and all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I finally decided to check it out and I've decided to make this one of my weekly/biweekly places for food shopping.
I like the prepared salads, they're cheaper than other grocery stores and have a nice variety.

I avoid Trader Joes as I try to eat healthy and avoid processed foods. It's a horrible store if you live a healthy lifestyle.

Translation: "I avoid Trader Joes as I try to avoid food. It's a horrible store if you have an eating disorder."

I don't think that's fair to PP. TJ does have some healthy stuff, but offers a lot of impulse-stuff from the bakery and frozen food sections are not particularly healthy. It's hard to avoid b/c they bunch stuff all together, evil marketing geniuses. In Safeway or Giant you just avoid those aisles.

Sure Trader Joe's has a variety, but if you walk into TJ's and just see junk, then you probably have a screwed up relationship with food to begin with. I try and eat healthy for most of my diet, but that doesn't mean I don't buy Peppermint Joejoes when they're in season (or other snacks at other times), or a little of this and that in moderation. "Clean eating" these days is basically an "appropriate" way of saying you have an eating disorder. The problem is, that those same people also use "clean eating" as a justification for their eating disorder - instead of seeking help or treatment.

Interesting that you are able to diagnose an eating disorder by reading someone's anonymous post. Why are "TJ" customers so militant about defending this store from any criticism. It's just a goddamn grocery store.

I don't get "militancy." I understand that PPs are calling out a ridiculously untrue statement. Yes, there is an amazing or horrific assortment of goodies, depending on how you feel about it, but there's a boatload of healthy options, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I finally decided to check it out and I've decided to make this one of my weekly/biweekly places for food shopping.
I like the prepared salads, they're cheaper than other grocery stores and have a nice variety.

I avoid Trader Joes as I try to eat healthy and avoid processed foods. It's a horrible store if you live a healthy lifestyle.

Translation: "I avoid Trader Joes as I try to avoid food. It's a horrible store if you have an eating disorder."

I don't think that's fair to PP. TJ does have some healthy stuff, but offers a lot of impulse-stuff from the bakery and frozen food sections are not particularly healthy. It's hard to avoid b/c they bunch stuff all together, evil marketing geniuses. In Safeway or Giant you just avoid those aisles.

Sure Trader Joe's has a variety, but if you walk into TJ's and just see junk, then you probably have a screwed up relationship with food to begin with. I try and eat healthy for most of my diet, but that doesn't mean I don't buy Peppermint Joejoes when they're in season (or other snacks at other times), or a little of this and that in moderation. "Clean eating" these days is basically an "appropriate" way of saying you have an eating disorder. The problem is, that those same people also use "clean eating" as a justification for their eating disorder - instead of seeking help or treatment.

Interesting that you are able to diagnose an eating disorder by reading someone's anonymous post. Why are "TJ" customers so militant about defending this store from any criticism. It's just a goddamn grocery store.

Hey there. In case you hadn't noticed, this thread is titled "What do you love at Trader Joe's?

I mean, if that's not obvious enough that you're entering a thread where people are going to defend the subject of the thread, then perhaps you best avoid it?

And yeah, if I were a betting woman, I'd bet that someone who walks into a thread proclaiming that they are into "clean eating" and therefore avoid TJs, likely has an eating disorder - (1) based on the fact that they only see TJ's as a place of stuff to avoid, and (2) that someone is so afraid of stuff they *think* they're supposed to avoid. And (3) seriously, what the hell is "clean eating" but code for disordered eating?

[Anonymous]

Corn pasta, at $1.39 a bag. Best gluten free alternative yet. Cheap Charlie bears for my dogs. Frozen fish. Frozen cioppino. Unsweetened almond and soy milk. Dark choc. Pb cups. Really cheap frozen veggies. Bagged spinach---best price anywhere and it lasts longer. Ditto mushrooms. Cheap bagged salad. Peanut butter, which I eat with a spoon and my dog steals the jar off of the shelf. She gets the lid off too, but I don't know how. Cranberry orange relish. TJs gluten free bread.dark chocolate covered ginger.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I finally decided to check it out and I've decided to make this one of my weekly/biweekly places for food shopping.
I like the prepared salads, they're cheaper than other grocery stores and have a nice variety.

I avoid Trader Joes as I try to eat healthy and avoid processed foods. It's a horrible store if you live a healthy lifestyle.

Translation: "I avoid Trader Joes as I try to avoid food. It's a horrible store if you have an eating disorder."

I don't think that's fair to PP. TJ does have some healthy stuff, but offers a lot of impulse-stuff from the bakery and frozen food sections are not particularly healthy. It's hard to avoid b/c they bunch stuff all together, evil marketing geniuses. In Safeway or Giant you just avoid those aisles.

Sure Trader Joe's has a variety, but if you walk into TJ's and just see junk, then you probably have a screwed up relationship with food to begin with. I try and eat healthy for most of my diet, but that doesn't mean I don't buy Peppermint Joejoes when they're in season (or other snacks at other times), or a little of this and that in moderation. "Clean eating" these days is basically an "appropriate" way of saying you have an eating disorder. The problem is, that those same people also use "clean eating" as a justification for their eating disorder - instead of seeking help or treatment.

Interesting that you are able to diagnose an eating disorder by reading someone's anonymous post. Why are "TJ" customers so militant about defending this store from any criticism. It's just a goddamn grocery store.

I don't get "militancy." I understand that PPs are calling out a ridiculously untrue statement. Yes, there is an amazing or horrific assortment of goodies, depending on how you feel about it, but there's a boatload of healthy options, too.

I think the junk outpaces the few "healthy" options about 5-1.

I mean, just look at the lists people have put up: Frozen this, chocolate-covered that, etc. etc. etc. All processed junk food.

[Anonymous]

Coconut cashews!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:their mac and cheese is better than what I can make at home

OK, so you can't cook.

Oh come on - any boxed/prepared Mac and cheese is better than homemade! I like my homemade mac and cheese just fine but the yellow stuff out of the box still tastes better than anything I've made or had in any high end restaurant! Not healthier of course, but better.

[Anonymous]

Eye Candy Aisles 1-9

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I think the junk outpaces the few "healthy" options about 5-1.

I mean, just look at the lists people have put up: Frozen this, chocolate-covered that, etc. etc. etc. All processed junk food.

It is a thread for things people love, you nincompoop. Nobody is going to post about the great price on celery hearts. Talk about sample selection bias.

[Anonymous]

orange cranberries
protein powder
frozen salmon
canned chick peas
cheese (except for the TJs label version - I have had a lot of mold issues with those)
nuts
cereal (most of it is about 1/2 the price of the name brands and tastes better)
morningstar farms "bacon" and "sausage"

don't like their produce (it seems like berries go bad by the time I drive home.....)
their oj is only ok, same for the fresh fish

[Anonymous]

The dark chocolate tins they have near the registers are fantastic. The serving size in 2 triangles, but 1 usually does the trick. I am not a big sugar eater, so this is PERFECT for me.

Also, i like their turkey meatballs