My Ode To Trader Joe’s

Posted: March 23, 2011 at 7:00 pm

Oh Trader Joes how I love thee.

traderjoes

You give me all sorts of goods from pastas to coffee.

pasta 6
Roasted Garlic Sausage with Portabella Stuffed TJs Ravioli + Veggies

 icedcoffee2

Your sausages always make an appearance
in our freezer for easy meal deliverance.

spicyjalapenosausages pasta 1

The Sweet Apple & Mango flavors are a breakfast delight.
Even if not the most beautiful sight.

waffles and sausage
Mango Sausage with Peanut Butter Waffles 

Spicy Jalapeno & Roasted Garlic too.

jambalaya
Spicy Jalapeno Sausage + Veggie Jambalaya 

Oh, Trader Joe’s how I love you.

We cannot forget that cereal aisle.
Or the dark chocolate that always makes me smile.

coffeechocolate

Speaking of dark chocolate, TJ’s you amaze me…
with all that you cover from almonds to pom seeds.

 darkchocpomseeds

Then, of course, my favorite White Bean Basil hummus.

roastedeggplantpanini1 hummuscarrots
Perfect for spreading on a Roasted Eggplant Panini or for dipping veggies.  

And your Mandarin Orange Chicken that makes you so famous.

tjsorangechicken
Serious yum! 

You have sauces and salsas of so many flavors.

tjspeanutsauce tjssalsa

They make any dish that much more worthy to savor.

I have searched high and low with no such luck
in finding a comparison to your 3-buck-chuck.

tjscabsav

Even down to your breads, you make everything yum.
In fact, your multigrain thins are the only thing M deems worthy of her tum.

meating tjsthins

And though you suffer an identity crisis, Trader Joe/Jose/Ming,
I promise to still adore you. After all, you make my heart mouth sing.

Question of the Day – TJs fan? How often can you shop there or something like Whole Foods? We usually do our local Kroger, but will stock up on TJs when we can!

**Also, thank you all SO much for your comments and words of wisdom in my The Friend Break-Up post. It’s amazing how many of us have gone through similar situations. It seems there is a great split on whether or not to confront the issue head on or just allow things to move on naturally. I think I’m leaning towards the latter by not extending effort myself in the relationship anymore. I will openly discuss the situation, however, if the opportunity arises or becomes necessary. Once again, thank you for YOUR friendship!

 
100 Comments to “My Ode To Trader Joe’s”
  1. Love these types of posts because they give me ideas on what to pick up the next time I’m there!
    And I read your friend post – but am commenting here 😛
    I think sometimes if people bring nothing positive to our lives, it’s definitely ok to let go. But it’s hard. I have a friend now who I am struggling with the same issue 🙁

  2. Coco says:

    I used to go to TJs almost every week, but haven’t been in a while, mostly because I don’t want to do two grocery trips in a week. Those chocolate covered pom. seeds may be enough to entice me, though! They have the best pitted kalamata olives too . . .

  3. Heather says:

    I wish our TJ’s was closer – it’s closer than Whole Foods, but not close enough to do my weekly shopping there. We always stop when we’re in the vicinity, though, to stock up on our favorites!

  4. YES I love TJ’s!! Have you ever had their chocolate covered peanut butter filled pretzels? They are so addictive it’s scary. Though there are two stores in NYC, I rarely go to them because they get so darn crowded!!

  5. I LOVE TJ’s. Sadly I can really only go during my lunch break because I live so far from our only TJ’s in Richmond. I really hope they build one near me! I stock up during lunch but we shop at Martin’s because it’s the closest grocery store to us. Kroger is just so much further away.

  6. LOVE your song/rhyme! I love TJs! I visit at least once a week if I can (no less than every other week) along with a regular grocery store. I really really like Whole Foods, but I can’t justify shopping there often – it’s too expensive. I have a few select items I like to buy but other than that TJs it is. Have a great day!

  7. Jess says:

    HA! I loved this post! I was nodding my head the entire time! LOVE TJs!!!

  8. I love trader joes!! I actually recently posted the “staples” I usually buy there when I go (which is only about once a month). I love that they have some really unique products and other things (like nut butter, cereal, almond milk, frozen items) are cheaper there!

  9. Can you believe I have only been to TJ’s once?! They didn’t have them in Colorado but now that I am in California, I will be going more. I only briefly explored. It wasn’t what I expected but they seem to have lots of great snacks.

    I love Whole Foods, but it is also much more expensive so I can’t go there often. 😉

  10. I like TJ’s a lot, but there are some things I just can’t buy there. And their selection is slim. So I don’t do my regular shopping there, but I do go in once a month to pick up those tihngs that you can only get at TJ’s.

    I love the dark chocolate covered pom seeds. I like to mix them with chopped up dried apricot. OMG.

    Also, Tina, I wanted to tell you, you are officially my inspiration moving forward. I had a baby 6.5 months ago and haven’t been able to try to lose weight (long story) but it looks like I’m finally able to start an exercise regimen. Hooray!

  11. I LOVE Trader Joes but I don’t shop there too often because there isn’t one very close by. When I do stop there I make sure to stock up!

  12. So cute 🙂 You listed all of my favorites! I love Trader Joes but it’s a 45 minute trip, so a trip there is a special treat!

  13. ahhh this post makes me SO JEALOUS! i seriously wish they would TJs overseas..!!!

  14. love, love, loved this spot!

    so funny how we all go to TJ’s and yet buy different stuff and everything they have more new stuff!

    I try to go weekly, but sometimes it’s bi-weekly and I spend anywhere from $25-$50 on mostly dry/frozen stuff.

  15. Aw I have the same salad dressing! I LOVE TJ’s so much – I just wish there was one closer to me!

  16. Kendra says:

    Hi Tina, just a quick question regarding workouts…what do you recommend for ab training – how often per week, and how many exercises at a time? How often and how do you train your abs?
    Kendra

    • Tina says:

      I generally do the abs that are done at the end of the group fitness classes I take 2x/week (kick and weights). They are about 5 minutes worth of different moves every time. Other than that, I love all kinds of planks (I think they are the most effective), also decline crunches, moves on the stability ball (rollins and rollouts), oblique twists. I will stick those in workouts occasionally. I would say I do abs no more than 2-3 times a week. And abs are always worked when doing things like running or lifting weights!

  17. Dawn says:

    We have a trader joes about 25 min away but I hate going to that part of town…..however, with the news about Spicy Jalapeno Sausage I will HAVE TO make a trip now!

  18. WAIT, is that an old picture or does the TJ’s by you still have the peanut vinaigrette? They told me it was discontinued!
    I love Trader Joe’s so much. It made my year that they opened 2 new stores in NYC.

    • Tina says:

      That is a recent picture but from a new bottle we stocked up on awhile ago. So it may have been discontinued since then? If so…darn it all!

  19. Caitlin says:

    Probably the biggest downfall to Texas is NO TRADER JOE’S! Can you imagine?? I miss it so much – for their cheap produce and amazing little gems like chocolate covered everything, peanut butter filled pretzels and sweets and treats. Seeing that Whole Foods is headquartered in Austin, I don’t see a TJ’s coming here any time soon. I shall have to live vicariously through others! Enjoy that chicken…mmm I am missing it now!

  20. Stephanie says:

    We don’t shop at TJ’s every week…but when we do it feels like Christmas!!!

  21. Mmmm…the pasta looks really good 😛

  22. […] had a few requests to share some of the recipes of meals I have shared in recent posts, like my Ode to Trader Joes. I originally didn’t think to share them because they are a) more just throwing things together […]

  23. Okay, I love TJ’s – and I think my most favorite part of this post is when you said he had an identity crisis – HA!!! So funny!

  24. teresa says:

    Brilliant!! We LOVE Trader Joe’s too.
    I find that to do it perfectly, I need to do it all. A little regular market, a little Whole Foods and also Trader Joe’s.
    Rarely do it perfectly.
    You definitely have me hankering for TJ’s!!

  25. I love trader joes but I don’t have one in TX!! Used to love it when I was back in DC! Instead I go to either sprouts, central market or whole foods.

  26. I so wish we had a Trader Joes in Canada, I would love to check it out!

  27. Missy says:

    No Trader Joes in South Florida (why? I have no idea) but there is a whole foods 3 minutes from my apartment and work and I go there a whole lot.

  28. Two buck Chuck really is the BEST. All of the varieties are delish and they’re great to have on hand! I haven’t tried the white bean hummus but I’m dying to!

  29. I have a new found liking towards Trader Joe’s. A store recently opened near us… and I am still trying to feel my way through the store and their products. I am guessing I should spend a bit more time walking and checking out their unique products. 🙂

    I thought the best part of the store was their tiny shopping carts – so my little ones could push and shop… as well as limit HOW MUCH I purchase there. LOL 🙂

  30. Such a cute post! Trader Joe’s owns my soul.

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