I have a $50 gift card to Trader Joe’s. The state of the economy being what it is, I’d like to use it wisely, buy things at TJs that give me the best bang for my buck, and make sure that I’m not buying something there that I can get better (i.e., produce) or for less (i.e., soda) at my regular grocery store or Safeway.
So … what should I buy? We cook most things from scratch, so don’t make use of much in the way of prepackaged boxed foods, prepackaged frozen dinners, etc. My wife eats Kraft mac and cheese about once a month. We do buy lots of frozen spinach and peas, and canned green beans. We don’t really eat cereal. We have pasta maybe 4 times a year.
We are currently in need of some decent extra virgin olive oil. We’ve gotten their Peaberry coffee before, which my wife enjoys. And I seem to recall their cheese selection was once quite good (though I was unimpressed by it the last time I went into a TJs). We don’t particularly need wine (my wife’s in the biz).
I like the triple-cream brie. I think the cheese selection is very good, though sometimes they don’t have what I want. Personally I like the Volcano Roast coffee. I also get the French Roast because it’s good and comes in a big can; but I prefer the Volcano.
I’ve had good results with TJ’s meats. It’s a convenient source for lamb (frozen or fresh). Their frozen fish is usually pretty good too.
Snacks are snacky. They stopped the Cocoa Almonds, which I’d been buying for over 20 years, and replaced them by Black Cocoa Almonds. Not as good. (I like dark chocolate, but the old Cocoa Almonds were better.) The Jo-Jos sandwich cookies are nice every so often (I usually buy a box or two a year), and the Triple Ginger Snaps are awesome. They have Chocolate Cats that, while not awesome, are nice for a quick nibble and they’re relatively low in Calories. The chocolate-covered fruit is the same stuff they sell at airports and tourist traps, only much cheaper.
Just go in and browse. See what looks good. Pick something at random and just try it. Avoid the breads.
I’ve liked their olive oils, especially the big bottle of Kalamata olive oil. Speaking of which, their jarred kalamata olives are a good deal. Their jarred roasted bell peppers (red, or red plus yellow) If they have gnocchi that’s pretty cheap there. The roasted red pepper spread is delicious.
That’s a pretty good aisle for your buck (oil/sauces/condiments) - these items will last long as packaged until opened, and tend to be expensive elsewhere.
Whole wheat couscous
Those little frozen cubes of crushed garlic
nuts, dried fruits, and “pound plus” chocolate bars (for snacking or baking)
The simmer sauces (esp the indian ones)+ frozen garlic naan
Their frozen peas are the best!
Smoked salmon
frozen cajun salmon - goes direct to oven without thawing.
Sounds like you don’t buy much frozen but I’m in love with the beef tamales.
if they still carry it (been a while since I went to a TJ’s), get the cashew butter. Like peanut butter, but made with cashews instead, and very tasty.
My friends swear by their vegan chorizo, even the non-vegan ones, but I haven’t tried it.
I like their Columbian coffee and it’s at least as cheap as other places, if not cheaper.
The nuts and trail mix are all much cheaper than anywhere else; I keep dry roasted almonds on hand at all times. Thanks for that tip about the sesame honey cashews, darn it.
Their cereals are also much much cheaper than the supermarket varieties.
They have a boxed quinoa which is just the amount for a dinner for two with leftovers for lunch the next day, and a nice introduction to the food if you’ve not tried it before.
If you like canned green beans you will flip for their frozen Thai green beans, if you like (mildly) spicy flavors. They’re much fresher than canned beans could ever be, in any case.
Their prepared hummous is delicious, if you like those flavors. I especially like the variant with roasted red peppers.
Their multigrain bread selection is incredible. If you like things beyond the basics, have a look there.
Chocolate chip cookies
butter cookies with the fudge in the middle like mini China cookies
frozen fruit bars
no flour chocolate cake
fresh fruit – excellent quality
jarred tomato sauces
cheeses – the smoked gouda is particularly nice
24 karat carrot cake
frozen lasagna bolognese – best frozen entree ever
smoked salmon
gorgonzola crackers
frozen shrimp
margarita pizza
lemonade
sparkling fruit juices
jarred spreads like the artichoke dip
The other day I picked up a four-pack of mini frosted carrot cakes - think the big cupcake size. Absolutely delicious. Turns out to be 500 calories each. :smack:
Also, Ginger Cats. I adore TJ’s Ginger Cats.
They have a small but diverse aisle of beer and liquor - a mix of local microbrews and some imports. They also have some interesting juices sometimes, and if you drink soy or rice milk, it will probably be much cheaper than at your local big grocery store.
I don’t do many fruits or veggies, but I’ve had excellent luck with avocados - they’re never too ripe nor far from it, nor have I ever gotten one of those duds that just won’t ripen properly.
I know you said you don’t do much prepackaged stuff, but Trader Joe’s has awesome nuke-and-eat Indian food. Their vegetable samosas are fantastic after ten minutes in the oven, and if you want to stretch out the gift card, they have a selection of ‘Indian Fare’ stuff - all sorts of Indian dishes for two bucks a pop. Open the foil packet, dump it into a microwaveable bowl, wait a few impatient minutes, enjoy.
For further Trader Joe’s lust, consult this website. (And please pretend I didn’t just link you to a fansite for a grocery store; I try to pretend I have dignity.)
Alternately, send the card to me and help an impoverished student.
I quite like the Jumbo Raisin Medley in the dried-fruit aisle. I also think their dill pickles are good (both the ones in the canned-goods section and the half-sours in the fridge case).
If you eat powerbars and the like, the prices at TJ’s tend to be quite good. IIRC there are also good deals on vitamins and supplements.
Oh, and the spicy soy & flaxseed tortilla chips are quite good.
Their bottled sauces are usually pretty good. I’m fond of the General Tso and the Ginger Scallion Simmer Sauce. I buy coffee at TJs because it’s the cheapest fair trade coffee in town (Illadelph).
I was going to suggest the Cocoa Amonds, but **Johnny L.A. **says they’ve been discontinued. I tell’s ya, TJ’s is losing their way.
I really like the Madrigal Swiss cheese. It has a strong nutty flavor that all Swiss used to have. Nowadays it seems most grocery store Swiss, even the fancy brands, tastes about like Monterey Jack, i.e. like nothing. Be careful; the Jarlsberg looks almost identical but is an utterly indifferent & lackluster example of the breed.
My all time favorite at TJ’s, if you can stand to wait, are the chocolate mint Jo Jos that are only available in December. Pure goodness and very addictive. I’m not even a “chocolate mint” fan (not even those mint patty things) but these cookies are my favorite. I stock up and freeze them.
Cocoa Almonds: Almonds in milk chocolate, rolled in cocoa.
Black Cocoa Almonds: Almonds in dark chocolate, rolled in black cocoa.
Now, I prefer dark chocolate to milk chocolate. But nowadays everything is dark chocolate! The Cocoa Almonds were a great alternative to dark chocolate overload. They had the sweetness of the milk chocolate set against the bitterness of the cocoa powder, with the nuttiness of the almonds. Black Cocoa Almonds have the bittersweet of the chocolate set against the bitterness of the black cocoa powder. Tasty, but the balance is gone and the almond sort of gets lost. They’re also incredibly messy.
Black Cocoa Almonds are good, but IMO not as good as the original Cocoa Almonds.
