Traders Joe's is coming!! Why should I love it???! :) :)

HealthyChanges2010

What do you LOVE about Trader Joe's?? Tell me why I will love it? Spill it Gang, I want hear all the good stuff I'll be able to purchase and all your favs. Keep in mind I know nothing at all about it, never seen one, been in one. I've been Trader Joe less:sad: :laugh:

lol It'll be new to our area so this is huge to me to hear the news! I'm so excited

Ok, all I Know about Trader Joe's is what I hear on here. All I hear about it is good stuff on here! SHOCKED and amazed we are getting one, this is unheard of, they never build this far in! We finally got a Whole Food about 2 hours or so away but not exactly practical for frozen foods, ya know?

So are the prices decent? Is it totally organtic? Or? Dancing round the room in excitement!!! I even called and emailed them over the years begging, yes begging them to come our way but they said they are a West Coast Store. :sad:

Times they are a changin' YAY.

Ok, I'm ready to hear about Trader Joe's now!

Thanks my MFP Buds:flowerforyou: :bigsmile:

Becca:flowerforyou:

RMX82

They have great frozen meals. I especially like the Pesto Tortellini. Great stuff. Their Chicken Fajita Burrito is amazing as well. It's a really neat organic store. Love it.

That's weird that they said they were a West Coast store. We have them in New England. Massachusetts and New Hampshire for sure, not sure about the others, but I'm sure they are there.

Enjoy!

dumb_blondes_rock

two buck chuck wine haha....seriously though you just have to check it out yourself, it's hard to really explain the wonderment of trader joes. Although it is a bit pricey at times, they have unique foods and a lot of organic things there.

JBennis1013

I like it because of all the foods that you may not find in regular stores. I am by no means into all that organic stuff like some people are. I just go in there and pick up misc. things. One thing that I found that is absolutely delicious are the Trader Joes - Spanakopita they are 60 calories and 2 grams of fat and oh so good. Their peanut satay sauce is great because you can use it on things like shrimp, chicken, green beans etc. Their frozen chicken breast tenderloins are also low fat for chicken that is breaded and makes a good meal. Sometimes I feel that the regular food stores don't carry these things and its awesome to find things that are low in fat and good!

cutmd

Lots of healthy organic produce and meats for cheaper than whole foods.

The best hummus!

Lots of healthy snacks

Frozen wild fish at great prices

Frozen brown rice that takes 3 mins to cook

Bargain priced vitamins and organic teas

Always something new and exotic! :happy: Enjoy!

solvig

Trader Joe's overall has better pricing than a supermarket and they offer a better product. The store isn't an "organic" store so to speak, but they do have a good offering of organic foods if that is what you're after. I have so many favorites at Trader Joe's. The organic cinnamon oatmeal for breakfast is great, their organic vanilla yogurt is the best, I love that their low sodium chicken and veggie stock is actually low sodium and not just slightly but all in all still high. I just had their chipolte salsa on my tacos tonight and it gave them such a kick!

I will usually start at Trader Joe's for my shopping, then supplement at a supermarket for the other stuff that I may not be able to find there. If you want some fun, when you go there, read the labels of stuff that you would normally buy like chicken stock, canned items or jarred sauces then do the same at the supermarket and you'll see such a big difference in calories, sodium and overall ingredients. That's what makes TJ's so great. They offer great and healthy options that you just can't get at a regular store. Don't get me wrong, you can get some good old fashioned junk food there, but overall once you've had the baked cheese crunchies you'll say "Cheetos who?"

Congrats on getting a Trader Joe's and I hope you end up enjoying shopping there because every one I have been to the employees are wonderful and the stores are always kept clean and neat.

witchywoman13

Trader Joes is seriously awesome! If you shop smart there, you can save a lot. For example, bread & cereal products are not only healthy, but inexpensive - whole wheat bread is about $2.50 a loaf, where as at Safeway it is almost $5.00.

My favorite is their Bay Blend coffee . . . it has the best flavor!!!!

4lafz

What I ALWAYS get at Trader Joe's

Coffee (Organic and Fair trade beans and you can grind there if you need to)
Frozen cubes of chopped garlic (so easy to use)
Frozen cubes of chopped basil
Frozen shrimp
All natural boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Great Pecorino Romano cheese
Whole wheat pitas
Great soups and stock in a box
Yogurt - including greek
Trader Giotto's Toscano Marinara Sauce - the best - my Italian friends LOVE it
Outstanding beer and wine and Limoncello
Omega Trail Mix - they have LOTS of good nuts and dried fruits
Artichokes (usually 4-6 in a clamshell)

Can't think of more right now but they have many cereals, boxed and jar items too that I get also. You will love it - not like anything you have ever seen.

flwyland

two buck chuck wine haha....

In some states (WA) it's three buck chuck. But it means I don't feel guilty about having only one or two glasses & ending up pouring the rest down the drain because it turned to vinegar.

workoutqueen628

Best store ever. Cheap fruits and veggis. cheap nuts. lots of organic and healthy foods/ snacks to chose from!

solvig

Oh yeah, that's another reason! Their cheese section is fabulous and so much less expensive than supermarkets!!

greendragonfly88

I love Trader Joe's because they have really good pre-packaged kinds of food much cheaper than whole foods or supermarket would for the same thing. I don't usually get produce there, but they have some really fabulous things like teriaki marinaded tofu or frozen vegetable burritos without cheese.

clwatlington

I agree with everything everyone has said. I live in North Carolina and we have a few, and there is one only 25 mins from my house. 90% of the fish is caught right here in the US. Yes!, there cheese section is fabulous. I love everything about it! If you like dried fruits, they have a fantastic section. It's a great place to buy new things to try, because if you dont' like them you won't feel but so bad because it won't cost you an arm and a leg. HAPPY GROCERY SHOPPING.

lsand

We are soon to get a Trader Joe's too! I can't wait!

calabrdm

Their Frozen steel cut oatmeal is cheap and awesome.

Chicken apple sausage ... yum

Triple berry muffins ........ fabulous

The best olive hummus ever....


Have fun... It is great.

My45Chelle

I love Trader Joe's! They have great healthy snacks (Flaxseed tortilla chips, popcorn with olive oil and reduced fat cheese curls) I get all my snacks there for college football weekends with my pals. The store brand hummus is so good, the coffees and even the beauty products (Tea Tree conditioner and non-aluminum deodorant). I can't believe no one mentioned the free sample and coffee stand located at the back of the store. They always have something good and a different coffee to try, everyday! I was there today and bought my fiber filled mutli-grain bread and popcorn. The staff are also fabulous, always willing to help and to inform you about any of their products. Happy shopping! Oh yeah, the trader joe's veggie burgers are great too.

dumb_blondes_rock

Oh i forgot to tell you that they check your eggs for you at the checkout haha....

IsMollyReallyHungry

Well there is not much more to say about the food, so I will talk about the service. They have wonderful and friendly employees. They are awesome and so helpful!! It is like a nice little neighborhood organic food store. Some of my favorites are:

The all natural, no aspertame, no carb, no anything diet black cherry and pomogrante diet sodas

Their lite mozerella chees sticks

Their awesome selection of fortified trail mixes. (they even have single servings with 10 in a bag) This was my new discovery last week!

Their frozen cheese and veggie pizzas are divine.

Thier turkey bacon is awesome too!! the best I have ever had. Taste more like a canadian ham. I bake mine in oven at 400 degrees for 15 min as suggestion on package.

Everything is fresh and organic! I am sure I forgot some but these or things I get there regularly for sure. I always try something new also. And so far most have been very good and repeat buys.

You will love Traders Joes! Awesome chain! Whats not to love!

Fieldsy

Samples...they are good and a great portion

My fiance and I went in there once just to get samples while going out to bars (its on the way...)

dlrcpa

Good selection of frozen appetizers at $3-4 a box. I get 3 assorted boxes for DH and me. We make half of each box + veggies and dip for dinner sometimes - so cheap and easy, Great selection of dried fruits and trail mixes at good prices as other people have already said. I got some food goodies there for Christmas gifts last year - cocoa mix, dried fruit and so on.

Barberoni

the best Tea Tree Oil Shampoo and Conditioner!!! I wish they had Trader Joe's in UTAH. I have my sister send me stuff from the one down in AZ.

JensLogin

Trader Joe's for the WIN!

I love this store. I can second and third almost everything that folks have said here. Great service, great products and most of the time decent prices. Again, a few things can be a bit more, but worth every extra penny!

A few of my favorite things:

Garlic Hummus
Spinach Pizza's
Sesame Ginger Soy Dressing ( I think I might die without this)
Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
Unfiltered Grape Juice
Organic Frozen Brown Rice
Many of their frozen veggies (Use them in a pinch instead of fresh)
Sprouted MultiGrain Bread

I could go on and on.. but I think you get the point!

Side note: My sister relocated from CA to TX, where they do not have a Trader Joe's anywhere near her. When she comes out to visit she stocks up on several non-perishable items and takes them back with her. Several folks have noticed these items and love them as well. Now that is dedication!

HealthyChanges2010

Thanks to everyone for all the terrific feedback! I so appreciate it:drinker:

Looks like it's going to be a great place to shop with lots of treasures to check out that are most definitely new to this area as well as to me!

Becca:flowerforyou:

Superman79

I am an artist for Trader Joes in Nashville.
The reason we are labeled west coast is because thats where we are focused and originated from. Monrovia California.

If you want to eat healthy it's the cheapest there is and still the best quality. We love our customers...mostly. Some really try our patience like when they run into you with their cart or something.

Best prices on Agave, Almond Butter, Cheese and Fish ever.

The only downside is that you can't do ALL of your sgopping there. There are just somes things we dont carry..sorry.

All of our private labeled food is all natural.

We are not a health food store.

We are a Discount Gourmet food store though.

etarre

Love the lowfat, high fiber muffins, the vegan corn dogs, the sushi rolls, tamales, etc....I could go on forever!

They used to have great BBQ pulled pork, but I haven't found it lately.

My fave, for many years, has been the reduced fat smoked gouda.

Superman79

We still have the BBQ pork.

pfenixa

I live in VA and we have them here too. Actually, there's one within 5 miles from my house.
They're not a health store, but they definitely carry more "healthy" items than regular grocery stores. Gotta be careful to avoid thinking everything there is healthy because there's a number of items that'll get ya. I'm still changing and adding different foods and getting used to nutritional values so I go to TJs for little stuff. I haven't bought the loaves of bread but their english muffins and bagels have less sugar and sodium than the stuff you'd find elsewhere. They do have a large section for dried fruits/trail mix/nuts, but most of the nuts aren't available unsalted. Huge selection of booze and cheese tho! I don't really check those out, but I do like to pick up their 8 pack of California rolls. :happy:

HealthyChanges2010

I am an artist for Trader Joes in Nashville.
The reason we are labeled west coast is because thats where we are focused and originated from. Monrovia California.

If you want to eat healthy it's the cheapest there is and still the best quality. We love our customers...mostly. Some really try our patience like when they run into you with their cart or something.

Best prices on Agave, Almond Butter, Cheese and Fish ever.

The only downside is that you can't do ALL of your sgopping there. There are just somes things we dont carry..sorry.

All of our private labeled food is all natural.

We are not a health food store.

We are a Discount Gourmet food store though.

SuperMan to the rescue once again! :laugh: Thank you for the feedback SuperMan! Good to hear it from someone from the 'inside' so to speak. I appreciate your feedback as well. :flowerforyou:

Becca:drinker:

elloradannon

My family is vegetarian so it is pretty much the only place we can shop that is affordable (Whole Foods is amazing but WAY more expensive). They have meatless versions of almost everything that are delicious and low cal/fat. Also, I find that buying the organic foods is not too much more expensive, unlike other stores. For example a can of regular garbanzo beans are .89, whereas organic are 1.09, Here are our favorites!

-Dark chocolate covered power-berries
-3 grain Tempeh
-Super firm organic tofu
-Pomegranite Limeaid (mostly my husband is in love with this)
-frozen potstickers and hodgepodge veggie mix
-vegan chocolate chip cookies (not low calorie but SO delicious)
-marinara sauce
-meatless balls
-vegie corn dogs
-Yves meatless ground (you MUST try this... best ground beef alternative. period.)
-Earth Balance non-dairy buttery spread
-Soy dream vanilla soymilk

the list goes on and on.... I LOVE TRADER JOE'S and you will too!!!

Ryhenblue

We finally got a Whole Food about 2 hours or so away but not exactly practical for frozen foods, ya know?

Actually I've been driving 2 hours to Costco this whole Summer here in Colorado. I bought 2 coolers and a bunch of ice packs. I buy my fruits and vegetables there fresh and frozen. I also buy frozen snacks, cheese, hummus and other stuff. The items stay cold or frozen the whole trip back.

Superman79

I am an artist for Trader Joes in Nashville.
The reason we are labeled west coast is because thats where we are focused and originated from. Monrovia California.

If you want to eat healthy it's the cheapest there is and still the best quality. We love our customers...mostly. Some really try our patience like when they run into you with their cart or something.

Best prices on Agave, Almond Butter, Cheese and Fish ever.

The only downside is that you can't do ALL of your sgopping there. There are just somes things we dont carry..sorry.

All of our private labeled food is all natural.

We are not a health food store.

We are a Discount Gourmet food store though.

SuperMan to the rescue once again! :laugh: Thank you for the feedback SuperMan! Good to hear it from someone from the 'inside' so to speak. I appreciate your feedback as well. :flowerforyou:

Becca:drinker:

Some of the best items to be buying from trader joe's when you're losing weight are as follows:
Organic Produce...esp. Baby Spinach. (Eat at least half a cup per day everyday)
Light Coconut Milk (Base for Coconut milk fruit smoothie)
frozen berries...great for the smoothie or adding to oatmeal.
Granolas
Kashi High Fiber & High Protein cereal. 13g of protein, 10 g of fiber in one cup and only 140 cal.
Almond Butter...much healthier than peanut butter.
Agave Nectar. It may be high in natural sugars but it doesn't spike your glucose levels and therefore is diabetic safe in most cases.
Stevia ...for the diehard serious about cutting out the sugar.
Olive Oil...doesn't translate to bad fats when cooking.
Breads...we have tons of sprouted breads and our Ezekiel Bread is half the price of anywhere else!
Nuts and dried fruits....we have tons and all for amazing prices...you'd be nuts not to buy your nuts from TJ's
Fish and Chicken...Awesome prices...awesome products...it's how we roll!

Those are just a few of my favorites...I try to avoid as much processed foods as possible.