radiator wrote:Someone posted this on Facebook. It does a pretty good job of summarizing people's feelings about Trader Joe's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdB7GDZY3Pk

Here's to the beautiful moms in their yoga clothes! Genius.

Going back to the Trader Joe's fauxmercial by Carl's Fine Films:

http://www.carlsfinefilms.com/

Since speculation is building throughout the blogosphere that this is actualy viral marketing by TJs and not a wholly independent idea, I'm wondering if our ad / marketing gurus (and I know there are several even amon the charter members) have any insights, or even actually know this gentleman. I find the video extremely on point and catchy regardless of motive, and note he directed another of my all-time favorites, the "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" Hershey's Kisses handbell choir.

radiator wrote:Someone posted this on Facebook. It does a pretty good job of summarizing people's feelings about Trader Joe's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdB7GDZY3Pk

Brilliant

pairs4life wrote: They also seem to keep in stock Meyer lemons, which are perfect in coke or coke zero over ice as well as the citrusade I make from time to time, plus they smell like summer.

So I went a couple of weeks ago in search of the cinnamon graham crackers, they are quite good and I like that the list of ingredients is short and recognizable( does anyone remember the old Breyer's ice cream commercial when the kids is trying to read the label?). I discovered these thin Meyer Lemon cookies. OMG! These are fantastic. 9 of them equals a mere 150 calories. Growing up, my sister and I used to love these little lemon cookies. We would occasionally convince our parents to purchase for us at Piggly Wiggly. They were thinner than the coconut cookies but also rectangles. When we got old enough to read the labels, like the kid in the Breyer's ice cream ad, we stopped eating them because the list of ingredients was not recognizable. These TJ Meyer Lemon cookies are divine and hark back to the days of those lemon cookies I ate as a kid, however they are round instead of rectangular in shape. They are thinner than most crackers and don't have that silly sandwich thing going (I never liked the sandwich cookie). Grown-up bonus the list of ingredients is no more than 6 and all 6 are recognizable.

I normally shop at a mix of grocery stores, farms and my small backyard for various ingredients. I haven't been to Trader Joe's in quite a few years, so I was a bit excited to see what I had been missing.

The produce, meats, cheeses, bread and deli items were all virtually a waste of space. This store just doesn't seem to be set up for people who want to cook with good fresh ingredients. The "niche" that this store seems to have in it's prepared foods (frozen and dry). This is all well and good...but it's not what I'm looking for. I did like the selection of chocolate covered nuts, especially since Valentines day was coming up, so we bought a bunch of different varieties. They tasted like chocolate covered... Well, chocolate. Which was actually fine...they just didn't let the flavor of the nut come thru.

All in all...I think Trader Joe's seems fine if I'm looking to throw a party and get food trinkets. They've really got some neat things. But for cooking...or food...I don't get Trader Joe's.

take care,
dan

This my be as close to blasphemy as I can get, but has anyone else tried the Trader Joe's bagels and really liked them? Having lived in NYC for 3 years, I have been on the hunt for bagels that offer more of the "chew" like NYC bagels than what I typically find with every bagel I have gotten from a grocery store here (Jewel, Whole Foods), as well as Einstein's and The Great American Bagel, etc. Sadly it has been a completely lost cause. But on a whim I purchased Trader Joe's bagels, and lo and behold they are actually pretty good! Certainly more substance and taste than I have had yet from any nearby (Oak Park area) food establishment.

Or have I just been away from NYC too long and my bagel memories are now suffering horribly?

borborigmy wrote:This my be as close to blasphemy as I can get, but has anyone else tried the Trader Joe's bagels and really liked them? Having lived in NYC for 3 years, I have been on the hunt for bagels that offer more of the "chew" like NYC bagels than what I typically find with every bagel I have gotten from a grocery store here (Jewel, Whole Foods), as well as Einstein's and The Great American Bagel, etc. Sadly it has been a completely lost cause. But on a whim I purchased Trader Joe's bagels, and lo and behold they are actually pretty good! Certainly more substance and taste than I have had yet from any nearby (Oak Park area) food establishment.

Or have I just been away from NYC too long and my bagel memories are now suffering horribly?

Umm. Grocery store and big chain bagels suck in NYC, too. Have you tried NY Bagel & Bialy?

Umm. Grocery store and big chain bagels suck in NYC, too. Have you tried NY Bagel & Bialy?

I have not tried NY Bagel & Bialy, and will certainly give them a try when I am in the neighborhood. I don't plan on being in that neighborhood very often, though, since I live in Oak Park. I admit that buying a bagel from ANY grocery store, including in NYC, is not a smart idea, but seriously, if you just tried Trader Joe's, you might be at least slightly surprised. At least now I can have an edible bagel when I want one that is very easily purchased.

Thought when I was in the Onion Roll on North ave in Oak Park last week, I saw a sign that said that their Bagels were from NY Bagel & Bialy.

The Onion Roll does carry bagels and bialys from NY Bagel... Stopped by on Sunday for my usual fix.

I've never even heard of the Onion Roll, and yet it is extremely close to where I live. Now I can't wait to stop by! Has anyone tried their lox or pastrami sandwiches? I'm having people over for brunch this weekend, and maybe I could get some bagels and lox or other items from them.

They have hand cut Nova, chubs, whitefish (sometimes), cream cheese with chive (although I'm pretty sure it's scallion tops), chopped liver, pastrami, corned beef, bialys, etc. The pastrami and corned beef are good, not great. The Nova is very good and pricey, think $32 / lb

If you're planning on bagels for a crowd - say more than two dozen bagels, I'd suggest calling in an order first, which they'll have all wrapped up and ready when you arrive.

Important point: Cash only, no cards but they take checks

I was at Trader Joe's this morning. Its the only place I know that I can get Agave nectar but not chocolate chips or sesame seeds.
Paulette

paulette wrote:I was at Trader Joe's this morning. Its the only place I know that I can get Agave nectar but not chocolate chips or sesame seeds.
Paulette

It's likely that they were temporarily out of chocolate chips. At both the River North (Ontario St) and Lincoln Park (Clybourn) stores, there are usually two or three varieties of chocolate chips next to the chocolate-covered espresso beans and whatnot, on a shelf above one of the freezer cases in the frozen foods aisle.

I'd like to put in a recommendation for TJ's new line of frozen Indian entrees. I've had the tikka masala and butter chicken so far, and I'm a big fan. $3 or so gets you a very serviceable lunch portion with a side of basmati rice, and I'm two for two of co-workers making a huge fuss about how good my lunch smells.

How are these in comparison to the foil/vaccuum sealed indian (near the soups)? I have had quite a few of these, and I have been very happy when I need a quick meal--indian dish 2 min in the microwave, along with the organic brown or jasimine rice..3 min the microwave and their garlic naan..2 min in a 450 degree oven.

Oh and add this to the reason that I "get" TJs...Annie Chun's noodle/soup dishes anywhere else cost $2.99-$3.99. At TJ? $1.99

I think they compare quite favorably---or, at least, I like those as well. I think convenience Indian food is one of TJ's strengths. The jarred simmer sauces are a great way to use up whatever protein you have lying around. You can count me as a fan of the naan as well - we probably go through a pack every week.

I have a TJ's less than a three minute walk from my house, so fuhgiddaboutit!

A couple new products of theirs that I've been enjoying lately are:

TJ's brand "P,B,& A". Peanuts, berries, and almonds. It's a nut mix, but there's also this kind of dried fruit paste kind of running through the deal, coating some of the nuts. Great sweet/salty snack.

Dark chocolate-covered almonds rolled in turbinado sugar and sea salt. Dangerous!

I go to Trader Joe's for the Tempeh, nuts and non-frozen Indian dishes (in the cardboard boxes). I know that those Indian dishes are high in sodium, but sometimes I don't have enough time to cook Indian foods from scratch.

shorty wrote:I go to Trader Joe's for the Tempeh....

I've tried to develop a taste for this but so far it hasn't happened. I was using Mark Bittman's recipe of just crumbling the tempeh and cooking in a small amount of fat in a frying pan, then adding to whatever grain/starch I wanted. Tempeh just has a funny taste to me. How do you cook it? Did you have to get a taste for it or did you like it right away?

I'm eating less meat and it would be great to have an easy protein source but I tend to buy a packet and just avoid it until after the expiration date (when it is tossed with a small sigh of relief).

I was at CB2 a couple of weeks ago, and needed just a couple of things - half & half, provolone, stuff like that - so against my better judgment, I stopped in. I made the horrific mistake, though, of picking up some of their croissants. Quite possibly the worst I've ever had - spongy, not flaky, and lacking in any kind of flavor other than 'meh.' Added bonus: they went really stale very fast - still spongy, but with an awful, wet-cardboard-y flavor. They weren't cheap, either. What a waste of money. TJ's just annoys me no end.

Regarding tempeh, I do think the taste of the fermentation takes getting used to. I think that with lots of other flavors it is great though.

A couple of ideas:

1. Make sausage crumbles. In a small saucepan, boil the tempeh in enough water to cover until it puffs up and absorbs most of the water. Then fry in a tablespoon or so of oil with sausage-style spices. There is a more specific recipe in the Post-punk Kitchen cookbook. This is similar to Bitrman's recipe, but I think the water helps the texture quite a bit.

2. I make a sort of crazy grapefruit and tempeh salad. Start with arugula, pieces of grapefruit and toss with a grapefruit vinaigrette. For the tempeh "croutons", I cut it into half inch pieces, pan fry each side in a neutral oil, then finish it at the end with some red wine and soy sauce. Somehow, to my taste anyway, the funky tartness of grapefruit compliments the tempeh. The contrast between the hot tempeh and the cold salad is nice too.

Otherwise, I'd suggest stir frying with a strong sauce like black pepper, or cook in a peanut sauce to mellow it out.

I'd love some ideas on more traditional preparations if anyone has some.

sundevilpeg wrote:I was at CB2 a couple of weeks ago, and needed just a couple of things - half & half, provolone, stuff like that - so against my better judgment, I stopped in. I made the horrific mistake, though, of picking up some of their croissants. Quite possibly the worst I've ever had - spongy, not flaky, and lacking in any kind of flavor other than 'meh.' Added bonus: they went really stale very fast - still spongy, but with an awful, wet-cardboard-y flavor. They weren't cheap, either. What a waste of money. TJ's just annoys me no end.

Try the frozen croissants (they have plain in addition to chocolate). You have to proof them overnight, but they're on par with most bakeries in the city and are fresh exactly when you want them.

TJ baked products on the front racks are mostly "meh" except for the pretzel baguettes. I never do my (room temperature) bread shopping there; in that department, TJs is for frozen naan and croissants.

Thanks for the tempeh suggestions. I'll give the water "puff up" and the peanut sauce a try.

I love TJ's. I am a mere 2 blocks away from the busiest one in the Midwest (Grace and Lincoln). The items I usually get:

Black Licorice Scotty Dogs (I don't even like black licorice, but these are plain awesome.)
Candy Cane Joe-Joes. Only in the winter and they taste of Christmas.
Green Chile and Cheese Tamales. $1.99 for a two pack. Worth it, but a bit high in calories.
Black Bean Enchiladas. Also cheap. Low calorie count, but still tasty.
Greek yogurt.
Lemon curd. I put a tiny bit of this in my Greek yogurt. Just enough tart and is delicious.
Sun-dried tomatoes jarred. I love adding them to pasta.

There are other items, but these are the ones I truly love.

The items not to get:

Frozen fish. Well, some of the fish. According to Greenpeace's list of grocery stores that do not buy sustainable fish, TJ's is 17 out of 20. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/1 ... 30891.html

Produce. Most of it is just not good. Tends to get old quickly. However, if I am there, I will pick up a few Pink Lady apples.

rockpaper: thanks for the information about TJ's practice of selling fish that are on the endangered 'red' list. i dont buy fish at TJ's, and hadnt really given it any thought before. but i just sent an email to the corporate headquarters explaining that i cannot, in good conscience, shop at their stores until they stop this practice. on their website they say they will try to work with the monteray bay aquarium seafood watch list, but that they may carry endangered fish anyway. there is no remotely acceptable reason to do so, and they dont provide one. justjoan

grits wrote:

shorty wrote:I go to Trader Joe's for the Tempeh....

I've tried to develop a taste for this but so far it hasn't happened. I was using Mark Bittman's recipe of just crumbling the tempeh and cooking in a small amount of fat in a frying pan, then adding to whatever grain/starch I wanted. Tempeh just has a funny taste to me. How do you cook it? Did you have to get a taste for it or did you like it right away?

I'm eating less meat and it would be great to have an easy protein source but I tend to buy a packet and just avoid it until after the expiration date (when it is tossed with a small sigh of relief).

I just stir fry it in some BBQ sauce. My kids liked it a lot. I was surprised. I love it because it lasts a long time, it is easy to cook, and it is good for you. It is also pretty cheap. I have not spent the time to find other recipes for tempeh yet. I think that it is an acquired taste. I personally prefer tofu, but I like having the option of cooking tempeh since it is good to have some variety.

Boy, I sure get TJ's. I'm on weight watchers, lost 40 lbs (all I can lose), and I have found all sorts of creative ways for filling foods from TJs, and a lot cheaper too. The aisles don't have as much room and new people treat the aisles like a big supermarket and squat their carts right in your way. . . . hahaha

I am really going to miss their Tomato Chutney. 2 tablespoons are 1 point, so just a light spread on sandwiches or anything is almost no points with great flavor addition.

I love the high protein extra firm tofu. Slice that up and bake it (20 minutes each side at 375 degrees) and it will work like sliced turkey for a sandwich (bake it a little longer and it turns into Tofu Jerky . . .yummm. . . . I gotta be really careful about just binging on it as it comes out of the oven. You can marinate the slices before baking with whatever or just sprinkle gobs and gobs of seasoning on each side. You can bake it a million ways by accident and it still comes out. Even tastes good cripsy! whew

They have this lo-cal "Half and Half" that is 1 point for about 6 tablespoons. Put that with some of their Deluxe Frozen Berry Mix (1 cup=1 point) or their Very Cherry Frozen Berry Mix and it turns into ice cream ala Ben and Jerry's !!!! go figure. I of course use a lot of Splenda but the Stevia they sell is cheaper and works. I use Steviaside myself when using Stevia because it is good for the liver and so darn concentrated. They even have bags of frozen Strawberries (1.5 cups = 1 point) and frozen Blackberries(1 cup= 1 point). Not to mention the 4 types of blueberries(I have found they aren't as sweat as summer fresh picked).
Of course, you people in Chicago don't have to experience any of the harse winters of the Pacific NW so you have fresh berries all the time . . . . . .

Thier Steel Cut Oatmeal(1/3 cup, 1 cup water) takes only 5 minutes to cook and with half a scoop of their high-end Whey/Cassein Protein powder, is only 3 points (again, I dump splenda or stevia on it). I don't even use milk or any other animal fatty artery cloggers (I don't care how "low-fat" it says). Now, if you have no calories/points left for the day, the Oat Bran (1 minute, 1/3 cup per 1 cup water) is half as calorically dense as oatmeal (1 point). Combinations of these cereals with protein powder and those frozen berries mixes can really keep you from looking pregnant (men too) when you are not. Got a double chin? I hear they are in fashion these days along with looking pregnant (men too) . . . . . NOT!!!

Moving over to the fruits and veggies:
t
They have organic apples of all sorts (if there is one thing to buy organic, it's apples because you eat so much of them).
they're bagged triple veggies (carrots, cauliflower, brocolli) blows the doors off in terms of stuff to carry around to work, wherever to get your 7 servings etc yada yada. And cheaper than the big industrial food stores. Same goes for their salad leaves. Did I mention their extra firm high protein tofu? Oh, well, you can bake it and chop it up for your soups and stews to make them chewy.

And last but not least, the piece de la resistance . . . . .$1.99 for canned alaskan pink salmon no salt added . . . .that's 50 grams of protein. Take your Balsamic vineagar, basil leaves, any seasoning you can find, add one apple diced, a bunch of lettuce leaves in maneagable size, put in bowl, add half can of salmon, sprinkle dill to get rid of the low-tide taste (all fish have that taste-restaurant secret is to cook in dil) add a spinkle of lemon and you now have a 4 point meal that just goes and goes and goes and you end up drinking the vineagar afterwoords it tastes so good. . . .need that "meat and potatoes" hit . .oink oink. . . .this will do it.

thank you TJs

caveat:
please don't argue artificial sweetners with me. save that for another thread. overweight will kill you way before any artificial sweetener. However use honey or nothing if you still don't believe that.
disclaimer:

Ha...you sound like a friend of ours, who is a point-counting fiend. Name a food, she'll tell you every permutation/cooking technique and the resulting point value.

Gotta say, it does work though...I did it for a few months before my wedding (along with seeing a personal trainer twice a week) and ended up dropping 22 lbs. Of course, all 22 of those pounds found their way back over the next five years, and brought friends too.

Oh, and

HungryJohn wrote:Of course, you people in Chicago don't have to experience any of the harse winters of the Pacific NW so you have fresh berries all the time . . . . . .

all 22 of those pounds found their way back over the next five years, and brought friends too.

hahaha you're funny!
Yeah, it's been a year, but I NEVER want to go back. Had to buy all new clothes and threw away the old ones. Now I'm working on the emotional reasons that I binge. www.hypnosisdownloads.com has some great inexpensive hypnosis downloads for eating. I never knew about the "binge trance" or how misereable an emotional mess I am. Oh well, off to overeaters anonymous now, I guess. I love being skinny. I was skiing with a 40 lb backpack and now I don't carry it around my skis are slower and easier on the turns, which means I can do steeper.