Trader Joe's

[echo226]

Why have I never seen this thread before ? Probably too busy eating Joe-Joes ! We have a TJ's fairly close by and I love it and even have some converts. I think I was hooked when I picked up the Bleu Cheese Pecan Dip and ate it with with the Pumpernickle pretzel sticks ! Someone mentioned the the Pear Cider which is also awesome and those pepperment Joe-Joes are fantastic.

Someone up-thread said:

One thing about TJs is if you need to follow a special diet: low-sodium, low-fat, gluten feee, etc. they have guideline sheets showing which products fit into those guidelines.

And I have a small complaint about the absence of a sugar free/carb conscious guideline sheet which is important in a diabetic household. I also questioned something about the nutrition labeling on the Pumpkin Pankake Mix and the store manager had a nutritionist from their corporate headquarters contact me. It was definitely their error and an important one and they were soooo nice about it. I did get the pancake mix gratis by the way. In case you must watch carbs ... TJ's Sprouted Rye, Sprouted 7-Grain and Sprouted Wheat breads are low-carb and very good.

Grocery shopping is one of my least favorite things to do. But TJ's is always fun. It really does make the shopping feel like less of a chore.

[Critical]

Because it's cheaper, I would spend more. I can go into the Dollar Tree and drop $40 with no sweat.
The other night we were doing that. "Oh let's get this, it's only $2.99" Well $70 later........
We did think the produce was great and the cream cheese my daughter got was fabulous.
I will be going back. But I could get in serious trouble in there, let me tell you. I am an impulse food shopper. That's why my husband does a lot of our grocery shopping as he sticks to a list and a budget and I don't.

I don't even step foot in those "bargain" stores unless I have a lot of money to burn. I'm a total impulse shopper at TJ's too. Still, the people who say "It's so expensive" to me seem to not shop there very much and they aren't talking about spending a lot of money there the way you and I are! When I quote them prices on produce and eggs and pasta, they seem genuinely surprised. My cousin had her whole family eating gluten free for a while, which is pretty pricey sometimes. TJ's gluten free products are much cheaper. I mean, they sell the only gluten free pasta (the brown rice pasta) I've seen for under $4 per package.

Tomorrow night is chicken mango sausages.

Those sausages are one of my favorite things at TJ's! I eat them with rice for dinner or eggs for breakfast! They're so delicious. All I do is slice them and saute them in a little olive oil. Because of the fruit sugars, they caramelize a bit. Yum!

I had a little spoonful of the Candy Cane Joe-Joe's ice cream earlier. It's to die for! I'm forcing myself to actually eat dinner before I have any more!

[MRD]

I don't even step foot in those "bargain" stores unless I have a lot of money to burn. I'm a total impulse shopper at TJ's too. Still, the people who say "It's so expensive" to me seem to not shop there very much and they aren't talking about spending a lot of money there the way you and I are! When I quote them prices on produce and eggs and pasta, they seem genuinely surprised. My cousin had her whole family eating gluten free for a while, which is pretty pricey sometimes. TJ's gluten free products are much cheaper. I mean, they sell the only gluten free pasta (the brown rice pasta) I've seen for under $4 per package.


Those sausages are one of my favorite things at TJ's! I eat them with rice for dinner or eggs for breakfast! They're so delicious. All I do is slice them and saute them in a little olive oil. Because of the fruit sugars, they caramelize a bit. Yum!

I had a little spoonful of the Candy Cane Joe-Joe's ice cream earlier. It's to die for! I'm forcing myself to actually eat dinner before I have any more!

I'm going this weekend to get a case and a half of 2 buck chuck for my daughter's wedding, so I may get some of the ice cream and that pear cider.
I can't wait for the sausages. I had something similar not long ago and it was divine.
Oh, I'll be going back to TJ's. I do need to go alone because I wanted to really LOOK and with both husband and daughter with me that was impossible.

[Gutmutter]

I recommend going to page one of this thread with a notebook and pen in hand and writing down everything that sounds good. You won't find everything on your list, but you'll find some amazing things. The 1,000 layer crackers are still my all time favorites. I always get several of the gorgonzola cheese spread with cranberries and walnuts if they have it. Chocolate covered pistachio toffee - incredible. Let us know what you find!

[MRD]

I recommend going to page one of this thread with a notebook and pen in hand and writing down everything that sounds good. You won't find everything on your list, but you'll find some amazing things. The 1,000 layer crackers are still my all time favorites. I always get several of the gorgonzola cheese spread with cranberries and walnuts if they have it. Chocolate covered pistachio toffee - incredible. Let us know what you find!

Good idea!

[WrigleyDogA2]

I don't know if your TJ's will have this, since they kind of customize their stores for the area; but one of mine (I have 3 near-by - very lucky but also dangerous) had this cheese with cinnamon on the edges/rhine area and if you like cheese and/or cinnamon I highly recommend it!

[Columbia, MD]

Just tried their organic pea sprouts for the first time. Nice addition to a salad, or I had them as a side with a bit of honey-mustard dressing.

[MRD]

Oh that cheese sounds good. They had a raspberry goat chevre that looked fabulous.

I'm buying a selection of their cheeses for a cheese tray at the wedding reception. It will be hard to narrow it to 5 as I wanted them all.

And what is "truckle"? They had a cheddar cheese "truckle" in the cheese aisle there last week. Packaged in cloth.

[Unklescott]

And what is "truckle"? They had a cheddar cheese "truckle" in the cheese aisle there last week. Packaged in cloth.

Grafton Village Cheese Co. Cave Aged Truckle Cheese

Grafton Village Cheese Co. Cave Aged Truckle Cheese

Formed into a small, two pound cylinder, Grafton Truckle is aged in natural sandstone caves at Faribault Dairy in Minnesota and it forms a natural rind. This cheese is our new favorite--absolutely delicious with a great glass of your favorite red wine. It's a little different than Grafton's regular cheddar...it's creamy and less sharp than their 3 or 4 year; it's sharpness is more akin to a milder one year. And like a good English cheddar, the cheese near the rind has an earthy mushroom flavor which becomes creamier and sweeter at the center.

Truckle is a word which taps into my inner child... I can just remember all the kids in the back seat on a long car ride repeating truckle, truckle, truckle over and over until everyone joins in gales of laughter. Funny thing is, the word truckle means small wheel...so it's an appropriate name for this stellar cheese.

[MRD]

Thanks Unk. Yum, I am going to try it, it sounds delicious.