Trader Joe's

[Jamie5632]

Greetings all, I am one of the unfortunate suckers that live in a state without a Trader Joe's Colorado is moving towards allowing grocery stores to sell alcohol, so hopefully this exile ends for me soon. I have a friend who moved here from a TJ state and we are making a road trip to the nearest Trader Joe's and I am entirely too excited. This excitement and the fact that is five hours away means I have to do some planning or I will go completely nuts and/or panic and not get what I should have! (She has promised to revive me with their garlic olive oil if I pass out)

Would you lucky frequent shoppers mind sharing your favorites from there so I can compile a list to hopefully keep me on track? I love to cook, bake, you name it and am swooning at the possibilities.

I greatly appreciate it. My friend is no help, she has been away from one for two years and is just as wound up as I am. (Our poor men think we are nuts for going so far to shop, but it is also an excuse, albeit a dang good one, for a girls road trip)

[Google]

 

[Veruka]

Are you bringing a cooler with you? Most of my favorites there are frozen, so I won't be of any help unless you've got a way to transport back frozen food. They've got frozen eggplant cutlets which I LOVE. They're perfect for adding a little bit of spaghetti sauce and cheese for eggplant parmesean. Their frozen mini quiches are fabulous too. I usually keep those in my freezer at all times so that if I have impromptu gathering, I've got something easy to serve. Frozen brownies are fabulous for the same purpose. On the non-frozen front, they've got ginger snap cookies which are outstanding. And if when you walk past the flowers, any of them catch your attention, buy them. Their flowers are SO fresh and last for a LONG time.

[Jamie5632]

Yes, I am definitely bringing a cooler, probably two

[Lucy]

I'm a fan of the garlic naan (frozen section) and lemongrass chicken spring rolls. They also have good pizza dough and a variety of flavored chicken sausages, and tzatziki sauce, in the cold-but-not-frozen area.

[Veruka]

Originally Posted by Lucy

I'm a fan of the garlic naan (frozen section) and lemongrass chicken spring rolls. They also have good pizza dough and a variety of flavored chicken sausages, and tzatziki sauce, in the cold-but-not-frozen area.

The quesadillas in the cold-but-not-frozen section are very good too. The wild mushroom is my favorite.

[psycobabe007]

3 staples I stock up on at Trader Joe's for sure are the canned original marinara sauce (green label), extra virgin olive oil (cold pressed and the best price in town around here), and their stocks/broths. The original marinara sauce has no sugar added and is just the yummiest sauce I have ever tasted. I use it for everything from lasagna to just good ol' spaghetti. They also carry low sodium stocks (chicken, vegetable, beef) that are cheaper than pretty much every other brand around here. I also love their couscous, israeli couscous, arborio rice (rice used for risotto), and their jarred Indian sauces (I looove Indian food and its hard to duplicate some of those sauces). During the summer months they have carne asada available in the meat section.

Enjoy !

[norealityhere]

They have grat prices on their extra virgin olive oil and their pastas. Their organic vodka sauce is very good, also, and quite low in fat especially when you compare it to other brands of vodka sauce.

[iguanachocolate]

for non food items, their honey oatmeal soap is absolutely wonderful. Doesn't leave a film and is very gentle on sensitive skin. Also, they have facial cleansing pasd with teatree oil that are amazing and gentle.

[Ellen]

The Blue Fin Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are exceptionally good summer wines for the price. If you can get Gold Rush Red, DO NOT hesitate!

Non-food stuff:
Nourish Spa and Tea Tree Tingle shampoos and conditioners -- no sulfates, less than five bucks. They're way better than the salon stuff.

French-style truffles (chocolate): No hydrogenated nor partially hydrogenated fats nor high-fructose corn syrups like their supermarket counterparts -- yet surprisingly, they cost less. And are delicious.

[myrosiedog]

Originally Posted by Ellen

The Blue Fin Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are exceptionally good summer wines for the price. If you can get Gold Rush Red, DO NOT hesitate!

Non-food stuff:
Nourish Spa and Tea Tree Tingle shampoos and conditioners -- no sulfates, less than five bucks. They're way better than the salon stuff.

French-style truffles (chocolate): No hydrogenated nor partially hydrogenated fats nor high-fructose corn syrups like their supermarket counterparts -- yet surprisingly, they cost less. And are delicious.

I really thought you'd be the one starting this particular thread.