<p>Wow, what have I unleashed? 3,405 hits on this thread?! Thanks for your enthusiastic responses.</p>
<p>Raw cashews and almonds
TJ’s Cuban black beans
TJ’s lentil vegetable soup
TJ’s hummus
reduced guilt pita chips
simmer sauces
santini extra virgin olive oil
TJ’s chai tea latte mix
Frozen chicken enchiladas with frozen garlic
greeting cards (very cute designs)
TJs laundry detergent and dishwash detergent (both green products)
at Christmas: chocolate advent calendars and Snowman sugar cookies in the cute gift box tied with a red ribbon
TJ’s tomato basil organic pasta sauce</p>
<p>Things you can get elsewhere but are cheaper at TJs:
pots of basil
orchids
Barbara’s shredded oat cereal
Acme take and bake bread
dry pasta, all types</p>
<p>Sorry I can’t limit myself to 10 items even on paper!</p>
<p>I shop at TJ’s now more than at Costco, because D’s departure to college meant our food consumption went down 40%.</p>
<p>The TJ’s items I’m always after are:
- Raw nuts/dried fruit
- Shredded carrots
- Greek-style yogurt
- Frozen naan bread
- Frozen mixed vegetables (the ones that already have some sauce/spices added in) for quick side dishes
- Calamari rings
- Mochi ice cream
- Italian sliced bread
- Bananas
- Packs of thingly shredded steak for quick stroganoff or mexican dishes</p>
<p>I can go on and on…
And waiting times in the lines at my local TJ’s have never been more than 5 minutes, even the day before Thanksgiving.</p>
<p>I asked a worker in the store, who did not know if it had been discontinued but could not get a definitive answer whether they were just out of it or if it was discontinued. It did not bode well that there was no such label where the frozen veggies were kept. I am disappointed because it sounds like my kind of blend. Didn’t have time to pursue it further because I had to get home quickly.</p>
<p>Oh, I forgot:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Organic tomato and roasted red pepper soup (in boxes); my kids love this. I often mix in fresh baby spinach and shredded parmesan.</p></li>
<li><p>Brown rice pasta (several shapes)</p></li>
<li><p>King Arthur 100% White Whole Wheat Flour; ours carries this. Nutritionally, it’s whole wheat flour, but it has a very mild taste. It can be used instead of white flour in things like muffins and quick breads, and no one will know the difference.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Checkout lines are usually short. One reason I shop at TJ’s is that it is so easy and pleasant compared to the supermarket. They do have a very limited selection, but I have managed to adapt our eating habits to match their offerings.</p>
<p>I have been shopping at Trader Joe’s since I was a boy. We certainly have items that are on our top ten list</p>
<ol>
<li>Flour Tortillas</li>
<li>Frozen Mahi-Mahi</li>
<li>Brocolli/Califlower combo</li>
<li>Frozen Bon-Bons</li>
<li>Good French wine for less than $10</li>
<li>Orangina</li>
<li>Blood Orange Italian Soda</li>
<li>Carne Asada</li>
<li>Fresh tulips and iris’s</li>
<li>Frozen French Toast</li>
</ol>
<p>-Belgian chocolate pudding
-kosher chicken (best tasting ever!)
-dried slab apricots
-Irish butter
-fresh squeezed juices
-Applewood smoked bacon
-TJ’s dark chocolate, pecan and raisin bars
-cheeses (amazing price)
-Pacific brand smoked salmon
-Margarita mix</p>
<p>oh yes I forgot about the frozen naan bread and the dried slab apricots, both terrific; also frozen ahi tuna. And as far as I can tell, the greens with envy and the shelled edemame have disappeared from our store’s frozen section. That is part of the adventure (and occasional disappointment) with TJs–I guess sometimes their cheap suppliers discontinue things or they are no longer as cheap and are dropped.</p>
<p>Redondo Dave and patient, how do you cook the mahi mahi and tuna?</p>
<p>Mathmom, thanks for the Stonyfield tip. I’ll try it!</p>
<p>I was told by another mom that the greens with envy or something very similar can be found at Whole Foods, Krogers and Ralphs. We only have WF around here of the three (she shops out of area a lot when visiting family), so I’ll be checking them out. Though I like WF, it’s just too big and too expensive for me. Also not “interesting” enough. TF is just the right size with whimsy for this kind of shopping and their prices seem fair to me.</p>
<p>We had the Mahi-Mahi last night. It comes already in a great marinade. I grill it for about four minutes aside depending on the size of the pieces of fish. Sometimes some of the pieces are a somewhat strange cut. For a family of four hearty eaters, two packages work great. It is once of the best tasting fish you can have. We have served to some of the kid’s friends that were not big fish eaters and they were looking for seconds.</p>
<p>Didn’t read through the thread yet, but will! Love Trader Joe’s… go every week.</p>
<p>This is multiple items, but a great weeknight dinner: Pizza dough, pizza sauce, cheese, pepperoni, mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, etc. Hubby likes fat free feta and whole wheat dough. Kids assemble them as they please. Good times.</p>
<p>Also like in no particular order:
The 4 to a clamshell artichokes. Everyone gets their own. Good price too.
Frozen vegetable bird’s nests (veggie tempura)
Chicken gyoza w/ soyaki dipping sauce
Frozen edamame in the shell
“A Blueberry Walked into a Bar” granola-ish bars
Fat free bean dip
High lycopene tomatoes (really sweet)
TJ hummus & sea salt pita chips</p>
<p>Love the sample table and the staff is great, but have found (at least my local TJ) the bakery to be a little inconsistent in freshness and can’t keep the cheap orchids alive.</p>
<p>I failed to mention the unfiltered concord grape juice my cardiac-challenged hubby loves. (Super healthy)</p>
<p>Love Trader Joes–there are things there that can’t be bought anywhere else in my neck of the woods!</p>
<p>Frozen Green Beans in a fiery Thai sauce (great hit when you bring it as a dish to potlucks)</p>
<p>Succotash that uses soy beans instead of lima beans (called “Soycatash”)</p>
<p>Greek style yogurt (cheaper than at local grocery store)</p>
<p>Arabian Joe’s Middle Eastern Flatbread–I have tried flatbreads from all of my local grocery and specialty stores, but nothing is as good as those from Trader Joes!</p>
<p>I’m writing down all these suggestions. I have to start cooking healthfully for hubbie, now, and he’s very, very selective in what he likes (plus we’re on strict budget). These are great!</p>
<p>After reading, I did some grocery shopping there this week. I found some of the cheeses and nuts were less expensive than at my regular grocery store. </p>
<p>The favorites after eating a week’s worth of goodies: </p>
<p>shaven beef (this is paper thin beef)-used this beef in a stir fry.
already prepared rice-nice and quick to prepare when rushed
chicken marsala-so so good
pretzel slims</p>
<p>Thanks to those that listed their favorites. Oh, and by the way, we still have that chocolate lava cake to try!! I bought a couple of packages.</p>
<p>The flatbread is one of my favorites. I think it is almost as good as the stuff my SIL buys at the Lebanese market. I love it with the med. style hummus with sliced grilled chicken. Add some grilled peppers and it is one of my favorite meals.
I have never tried the marsala or the shaven beef or some of the frozen items. I am making a list.
The lava cakes! They are very good made in the microwave and to die for made in the oven.</p>
<p>mom60, on my next trip I will need to pick up some flat bread, and while there I will pick up some hummus. </p>
<p>The shaven beef is nice because it is just a different in texture from the cubed beef that I cut at home. The slices were long, so I cut the slices into at least thirds.</p>
<p>I couldn’t find the lava cake.</p>