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LuckyStar
LIF Adult
Member since 7/14 7274 total posts
Name:
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Re: What's so great about Trader Joe's?
Posted by NervousNell
Posted by LuckyStar
Posted by NervousNell
Posted by LuckyStar
Posted by LastLightGlow
Also, as a busy mom some of the prepackaged “crap” is necessary for survival and probably a tad better than the prepackaged crap I would buy from the supermarket when I don’t have time to cook.
Yeah, I'm not sure why people think it's all prepackaged crap? I think most parents buy some sort of "prepackaged" stuff for their kids, unless you make your own crackers and grow your own bananas.
I buy a ton of prepackaged foods. I was just saying that people talk about Trader Joe's like it's some organic paradise like Whole Foods.
And it's not.
I can get all that prepackaged, generic brand stuff at my supermarket and not travel a long way out of my way to TJ's (I don't have one super close to my home) So I would not go there special or anything.
But when I do go, the prices are definitely definitely much better.
I don’t think you called it crap. If people think its crap I don’t care I just thought maybe I was an unhealthier eater than I’d realized. I will still gladly give my kid those little peanut butter crackers and plop her in front of Peppa while I cook our (rarely but occasionally) prepackaged dinner.
It’s also close by, not usually too crowded and DD likes to look for Marcy the Meerkat which is the filthiest stuffed animal I’ve ever seen.
I have never seen Marcy the Meerkat! Maybe the TJ's I go to is lacking??
Most stores have a “mascot.” The one in Merrick is Marcy. She wears a Hawaiian shirt and desperately needs a bath. We frequently find her with the beer. She was also legit missing for weeks (DD asked the cashier who said no one could find her and he wasn’t kidding). I told DD she was on a cruise.
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Posted 1/9/18 9:23 AM  |
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Hofstra26
Love to Bake!
Member since 7/06 27915 total posts
Name:
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Re: What's so great about Trader Joe's?
They have decent produce but you have to watch the price. They have yummy, interesting snacks. Other than that, not a huge fan. Their bakery isn't great and everything is usually set to expire in a day or two and the dairy is nothing exciting. lol
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| Posted 1/9/18 9:25 AM |
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Salason
♥
Member since 6/05 9878 total posts
Name:
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Re: What's so great about Trader Joe's?
I like it because you can get organic and grass fed stuff much cheaper. And their prepackaged stuff generally has way less crap in it if you read the labels. Some of my staples that I find cheaper there and quick on the go (in addition to produce) is:
Quick steel cut oats
Microwavable quinoa
Grass fed beef sirloin roast
Simply roast chicken
Seasoned filet mignon roast
Guacamole
Organic hummus
multigrain pita chips
organic stevia
Coconut oil spray
kerrygold butter (I think its like $1 cheaper there)
almond meal
coconut flour
almond butter
coconut milk ice cream
My kids also love the freeze dried fruit and the oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
There are still a few things I have to go to a regular grocery store for. My kids don't like their OJ or their waffles. And I wish they had a deli counter.
The wine store in Union Square is also awesome.
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| Posted 1/9/18 9:44 AM |
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Jacquelina
LIF Adolescent
Member since 10/11 767 total posts
Name:
Jacqueline
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Re: What's so great about Trader Joe's?
Posted by MerryChristmas
I have never been to a trader joes in my life. Everyone seems to love it though
I've never been either - there isnt one close enough to me and I am not a person to drive over 30 minutes just to go to a food store.
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| Posted 1/9/18 9:47 AM |
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NervousNell
Just another chapter in life..
Member since 11/09 54921 total posts
Name:
..being a mommy and being a wife!
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Re: What's so great about Trader Joe's?
Posted by Salason
I like it because you can get organic and grass fed stuff much cheaper. And their prepackaged stuff generally has way less crap in it if you read the labels. Some of my staples that I find cheaper there and quick on the go (in addition to produce) is:
Quick steel cut oats
Microwavable quinoa
Grass fed beef sirloin roast
Simply roast chicken
Seasoned filet mignon roast
Guacamole
Organic hummus
multigrain pita chips
organic stevia
Coconut oil spray
kerrygold butter (I think its like $1 cheaper there)
almond meal
coconut flour
almond butter
coconut milk ice cream
My kids also love the freeze dried fruit and the oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
There are still a few things I have to go to a regular grocery store for. My kids don't like their OJ or their waffles. And I wish they had a deli counter.
The wine store in Union Square is also awesome.
I have to tell DH about the Kerrygold butter! He buys it for his bulletproof coffee and he does a TJ run once a month or so to get some things for his diet that they have their cheaper (nuts, pumpkin seeds, coconut oil, tahini- omg the tahini was insanely cheaper their than at S&S!) I don't think he is aware they even have the Kerrygold there.
Thanks for that tip!
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| Posted 1/9/18 9:52 AM |
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BabyHopes2
LIF Adult
Member since 4/13 1058 total posts
Name:
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Re: What's so great about Trader Joe's?
I love it for quick dinners during the weak, their dips, meats, somethings we love and some are eh.
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| Posted 1/9/18 10:21 AM |
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SusiBee
. . . . .
Member since 3/09 8268 total posts
Name:
S
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Re: What's so great about Trader Joe's?
Posted by NervousNell
I have to tell DH about the Kerrygold butter!
BJ's has it too, in a larger size. I usually but it at Stews, the reduced fat version.
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| Posted 1/9/18 12:08 PM |
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NervousNell
Just another chapter in life..
Member since 11/09 54921 total posts
Name:
..being a mommy and being a wife!
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Re: What's so great about Trader Joe's?
Posted by SusiBee
Posted by NervousNell
I have to tell DH about the Kerrygold butter!
BJ's has it too, in a larger size. I usually but it at Stews, the reduced fat version.
Yeah now that I think of it, he probably got it at BJs. Wonder if Trader's is still cheaper though.
He has to have full fat everything on the diet he is on. I didn't realize they have a reduced fat version. Interesting!
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| Posted 1/9/18 12:10 PM |
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PearlJamChick
No one sings like you anymore.
Member since 7/10 9264 total posts
Name:
Petticoated Swashbuckler
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Re: What's so great about Trader Joe's?
It's what you make of it. I love TJ's for lots of things, but I don't exclusively shop there. Some of the produce is overpriced but some of it is such a steal! My faves:
Meyer lemons
Sweet potatoes
Teeny tiny potatoes
Broccoli slaw
Riced cauliflower
Arugula
Almond milk
Seltzer
Their beer selection is pretty great
Interesting juices
Greek yogurt
Kerrygold
Cheese selection and prices are awesome
Sourdough bread
Cereal that isn't full of crap
Pea/carrot patties and cauliflower/broccoli patties
Masala burgers
Meatless meatballs
Refrigerated ravioli and tortellini
CHOCOLATE ALL THE EFFING CHOCOLATE
Everything but the Bagel seasoning
Olive oil
Ketchup
Nuts
Ezekiel bread that doesn't make me cry at the price
Meyer lemon thin cookies
Lemon pepper papparadelle
Frozen pizzas and appetizers for snacking
Ghost pepper chips/sriracha chips
Nutritional yeast (nooch) great price
I pretty much stock up on most of the shit above every few months.
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| Posted 1/9/18 3:16 PM |
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queensgal
Smile
Member since 4/09 3287 total posts
Name:
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Re: What's so great about Trader Joe's?
I’m not sure it’s worth driving 30 mins but it’s in my town. We go 1-2 times per month. We love it. My one and only complaint is they don’t sell some basic and household essentials. For example, they don’t sell plain white vinegar or sandwich bags.
I love:
Organic produce
Salads like the cruciferous crunch
Nuts and dried fruit
Crackers and snacks for kid
Pumpkin pancake mix. This is the greatest thing ever. We stick up to have all year.
Cereal
Coffee
Frozen foods like meatballs, waffles, pancakes, fish sticks
Jarred sauce like sracha bbq, General tsaos, enchilada sauce
Boxed Indian meals
Frozen naan
Scallion pancakes
Frozen wontons and dumplings
Organic meats
Deli meat
Cheese
Lotion and hand soaps
Cake mixes, brownie mixes
Peanut butter
Low sugar jam
10 min farro
Some of these things are cheaper than other stores. Some are more speciality for a place like stop and shop but just more available at Trader Joe’s
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| Posted 1/9/18 3:32 PM |
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Mmm777
LIF Infant
Member since 2/13 330 total posts
Name:
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What's so great about Trader Joe's?
I love their vegetable biryanis , Masala burger , samosa
Garlic naan is very good
I just go to the frozen section and out within a few minutes
Love it
Must go soon
The stuff is even better than frozen in an Indian store
Message edited 1/9/2018 3:37:24 PM.
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| Posted 1/9/18 3:36 PM |
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PearlJamChick
No one sings like you anymore.
Member since 7/10 9264 total posts
Name:
Petticoated Swashbuckler
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Re: What's so great about Trader Joe's?
Posted by Mmm777
I love their vegetable biryanis , Masala burger , samosa
Garlic naan is very good
I just go to the frozen section and out within a few minutes
Love it
Must go soon
The stuff is even better than frozen in an Indian store
You think so? Aside from the masala burgers, I don't like any of the Indian stuff. Maybe they changed up their suppliers though...I tried all that stuff a long time ago.
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| Posted 1/9/18 3:46 PM |
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busymomonli
Resident Insomniac
Member since 4/13 2050 total posts
Name:
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What's so great about Trader Joe's?
Trader Joe's and Kohl's: two things people love that I just don't.
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| Posted 1/9/18 4:03 PM |
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Mmm777
LIF Infant
Member since 2/13 330 total posts
Name:
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Re: What's so great about Trader Joe's?
Posted by PearlJamChick
Posted by Mmm777
I love their vegetable biryanis , Masala burger , samosa
Garlic naan is very good
I just go to the frozen section and out within a few minutes
Love it
Must go soon
The stuff is even better than frozen in an Indian store
You think so? Aside from the masala burgers, I don't like any of the Indian stuff. Maybe they changed up their suppliers though...I tried all that stuff a long time ago.
Absolutely
And I agree with poster above , love kohls
What can I say 
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| Posted 1/9/18 8:20 PM |
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DancinBarefoot
06ers Rock!!
Member since 1/07 9534 total posts
Name:
The One My Mother Gave Me ;-)
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Re: What's so great about Trader Joe's?
My regular purchases include: organic corn, organic applesauce, organic milk, organic whole wheat bread, their whole wheat wraps & chicken nuggets because they don't contain additives, fillers or soy, farro, rice crackers, salt & pepper potato chips, enchilada sauce (YUMMY!) and a variety of their salsas, shredded cheese, Applegate Farms cold cuts.
Stuff I buy when I feel in the mood: fried mac & cheese bites, chocolate covered pretzels, organic lollipops, organic chocolate, and frozen waffles.
When I need it, I always get organic chicken broth from there. It's $1.99 vs. $4.99 at any of the supermarkets.
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| Posted 1/10/18 8:18 PM |
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KateBennetReel
LIF Adolescent
Member since 10/15 555 total posts
Name:
Keep
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Re: What's so great about Trader Joe's?
The coconut milk is good and affordable. Nothing extra added, just straight up coconut milk which is hard to find.
Kerrygold butter is slightly cheaper here.
Yummy organic milk. It just looks & tastes better than the other ones on the market.
Organic chicken -same differences as the milk.
I love the pre chopped veggies. It can get pricey, but i'm already there for all the above, the pre chopped & peeled stuff is worth the time i save.
GF & DF Frozen Waffles
Organic frozen fruits for smoothies
Tea
Cheaper Kcup Coffee
Cereals
The cheeses & nuts
Apple smoked Bacon
grass fed beef, burgers
wild sockeye salmon
Coconut aminos
Coconut sugar
Ghee
Organic Coconut Oil
Organic Olive Oil
Ketchup without HFCS
Jelly's & Jams without HFCS
Unfiltered organic fruit juices
A lot more food without a lot of the bad stuff
I find other markets charge so much more for a lot of this stuff.
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| Posted 1/10/18 10:45 PM |
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PennyCat
Just call me mommy :)
Member since 7/08 19084 total posts
Name:
Jib
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Re: What's so great about Trader Joe's?
Posted by LuckyStar
Posted by NervousNell
Posted by LuckyStar
Posted by NervousNell
Posted by LuckyStar
Posted by LastLightGlow
Also, as a busy mom some of the prepackaged “crap” is necessary for survival and probably a tad better than the prepackaged crap I would buy from the supermarket when I don’t have time to cook.
Yeah, I'm not sure why people think it's all prepackaged crap? I think most parents buy some sort of "prepackaged" stuff for their kids, unless you make your own crackers and grow your own bananas.
I buy a ton of prepackaged foods. I was just saying that people talk about Trader Joe's like it's some organic paradise like Whole Foods.
And it's not.
I can get all that prepackaged, generic brand stuff at my supermarket and not travel a long way out of my way to TJ's (I don't have one super close to my home) So I would not go there special or anything.
But when I do go, the prices are definitely definitely much better.
I don’t think you called it crap. If people think its crap I don’t care I just thought maybe I was an unhealthier eater than I’d realized. I will still gladly give my kid those little peanut butter crackers and plop her in front of Peppa while I cook our (rarely but occasionally) prepackaged dinner.
It’s also close by, not usually too crowded and DD likes to look for Marcy the Meerkat which is the filthiest stuffed animal I’ve ever seen.
I have never seen Marcy the Meerkat! Maybe the TJ's I go to is lacking??
Most stores have a “mascot.” The one in Merrick is Marcy. She wears a Hawaiian shirt and desperately needs a bath. We frequently find her with the beer. She was also legit missing for weeks (DD asked the cashier who said no one could find her and he wasn’t kidding). I told DD she was on a cruise.
I didn’t read all the comments, just that this thing is a mascot so I imagined a person dressed in a costume... and when you said you frequently found him with the beer I thought that meant he inappropriately drank on the job, and he hasn’t been seen for weeks maybe because he was drunk.  A stuffed animal makes so much more sense!!!!!
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| Posted 1/11/18 12:22 AM |
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MrsT809
LIF Adult
Member since 9/09 12167 total posts
Name:
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Re: What's so great about Trader Joe's?
I came across an article from Fortune about brands behind Trader Joe's that was interesting. It said the yogurt is made by stony field for example. It referenced this article that was pretty interesting too about products made by Tates, naked juice, Stacy's pita chips, tribe hummus.
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| Posted 1/14/18 9:46 AM |
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drpepper318
MIR MIR MIR!
Member since 6/07 8274 total posts
Name:
me
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Re: What's so great about Trader Joe's?
I like Trader Joe's but the one by me is always so crowded unless I go right before it closes, so I hardly ever go. Maybe once every few months. I get a few specific things I love from there, and then I love to just go down every aisle looking for new stuff. I think heir prices are good for certain things but not everything.
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| Posted 1/14/18 9:54 AM |
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GoodThoughts
Dreams do come true
Member since 2/12 2259 total posts
Name:
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What's so great about Trader Joe's?
Their cranberry pistachio bites are heavenly!!!
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| Posted 1/15/18 6:15 PM |
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LuckyStar
LIF Adult
Member since 7/14 7274 total posts
Name:
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Re: What's so great about Trader Joe's?
Posted by PennyCat
Posted by LuckyStar
Posted by NervousNell
Posted by LuckyStar
Posted by NervousNell
Posted by LuckyStar
Posted by LastLightGlow
Also, as a busy mom some of the prepackaged “crap” is necessary for survival and probably a tad better than the prepackaged crap I would buy from the supermarket when I don’t have time to cook.
Yeah, I'm not sure why people think it's all prepackaged crap? I think most parents buy some sort of "prepackaged" stuff for their kids, unless you make your own crackers and grow your own bananas.
I buy a ton of prepackaged foods. I was just saying that people talk about Trader Joe's like it's some organic paradise like Whole Foods.
And it's not.
I can get all that prepackaged, generic brand stuff at my supermarket and not travel a long way out of my way to TJ's (I don't have one super close to my home) So I would not go there special or anything.
But when I do go, the prices are definitely definitely much better.
I don’t think you called it crap. If people think its crap I don’t care I just thought maybe I was an unhealthier eater than I’d realized. I will still gladly give my kid those little peanut butter crackers and plop her in front of Peppa while I cook our (rarely but occasionally) prepackaged dinner.
It’s also close by, not usually too crowded and DD likes to look for Marcy the Meerkat which is the filthiest stuffed animal I’ve ever seen.
I have never seen Marcy the Meerkat! Maybe the TJ's I go to is lacking??
Most stores have a “mascot.” The one in Merrick is Marcy. She wears a Hawaiian shirt and desperately needs a bath. We frequently find her with the beer. She was also legit missing for weeks (DD asked the cashier who said no one could find her and he wasn’t kidding). I told DD she was on a cruise.
I didn’t read all the comments, just that this thing is a mascot so I imagined a person dressed in a costume... and when you said you frequently found him with the beer I thought that meant he inappropriately drank on the job, and he hasn’t been seen for weeks maybe because he was drunk. A stuffed animal makes so much more sense!!!!!
I have tears running down my face I'm laughing so hard.
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| Posted 1/15/18 8:50 PM |
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rebeccamol
LIF Adult
Member since 10/13 975 total posts
Name:
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What's so great about Trader Joe's?
I love it!! and there are items that I would be so miserable without!
The cauliflower stirfry
chili lime burgers
gluten free mini cupcakes
best goat cheese
roasted peppers and onions
theres so much more, love this place
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| Posted 1/19/18 1:08 PM |
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klingklang77
kraftwerk!
Member since 7/06 11487 total posts
Name:
Völlig losgelöst
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Re: What's so great about Trader Joe's?
Posted by SusiBee
Haven't been in a long time, but when I go, it is usually to buy certain frozen fruits and veggies, some of the desserts. Sometimes the frozen salmon burgers.
Cat Cookies
Gerolsteiner mineral water
Cabot butter
Dried fruits
That's about it.
Can't stand the one in Westbury, it is so crowded and so is the parking lot.
You like Gerolsteiner Wasser? I’m picky about water and that’s one water I don’t like. Mit oder ohne Kohlensäure?
Lidl is opening soon in the US. So much better than Aldi or Trader Joe’s!
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| Posted 1/19/18 3:25 PM |
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MST9106
My life:)
Member since 6/06 9589 total posts
Name:
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Re: What's so great about Trader Joe's?
What?! OMG I love TJs! I do half of my shopping there and half in my regular supermarket.
I get my dairy and meats from TJs only. Not only because it is organic/natural but because the prices are much better than the regular supermarket. I pick up certain fruits and vegetables and I usually stock up on some frozen side dishes, pizzas (their cauliflower pizza is so good), certain quick meals like mac n cheese for the kids, pesto tortellinis, spinach raviolis, bbq pulled pork, for the nights that we get in late and eat a quick dinner before or after our evening activities. I also like their snacks selection such as cliff bars (they're like 1/3 of what you put pay in a regular supermarket), nuts, crackers, puffs for the kids, I mean I could go on and on. They have beautiful fresh-cut and potted flowers and I love their lavender dryer sachets.
As you can see, I'm a big fan and have been a customer for years:)
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| Posted 1/19/18 3:29 PM |
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NervousNell
Just another chapter in life..
Member since 11/09 54921 total posts
Name:
..being a mommy and being a wife!
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Re: What's so great about Trader Joe's?
Question on the Cauliflower pizza crust....we looked at it since DH is doing a very low carb diet and can't have regular pizza crust. And making a cauliflower crust is just such a pain so I tbought, perfect!
But it still has 17 g of carbs per serving. That seems like a lot for a cauliflower crust no? Am I missing something?
It has corn flour, cornstarch and potato starch listed as ingediants. So I guess it's more of a good gluten free option than a low carb option?
Message edited 1/20/2018 7:38:35 AM.
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| Posted 1/20/18 7:36 AM |
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