Sunday, January 02, 2011

for the love of trader joes

 the other day i was unloading all my yummies from trader joes
only to realize my counter top was full of lovely food!
 not only delicious but in great packaging too.
so i did what any other strange camera obsessed person would do.
i photographed a few items 
& thought i'd share a few of my favorites things with you!

trader joes blueberry preserves
out of this world!

personally, i have yet to try this
little bit was not a fan
but dan gives it a thumbs up


i'll be honest
i bought these purely for the packaging.
no lie.
i've only eaten one.
it was, however, quite yummy


buttery caramels with sea salt.
gone.
every last one.


candy cane joe-joes
please tell me you know all about these.
fabulous
& usually sold out before christmas



 my favorite spaghetti sauce.
i usually make mine from scratch 
& then throw in a jar of store bought to the pot.
i feel they all basically taste quite similar
but this one is wonderful 
& i bet i could pick it out of a taste test, blindfolded

 

frozen steel cut oatmeal
these are awesome!
comes in pack of two
throw one in the microwave, add agave nectar
& you have the perfect winter breakfast

 

introducing our new favorite green veggie
brussel sprouts

who knew bobby flay was throwing down
with pioneer woman
roasted brussel sprouts
the exact same night they made their debut at the knudsen home.
it's a sign
i have a future in cool foodie circles.
i can feel it now.


seriously
pull 'em off their stalk
rinse
cut the little ends
mix with evoo
& sea salt
roast for 20sh minutes at 400
perfect greens!








i love their flowers
i love their salad...the one with dried fruit & blue cheese. power something or other. yummy
i love their flour & sugar packaging
i love their ginormous bottle of evoo. 
but possibly my most favorite tj's item is their frozen orange chicken.


now
if only tj's would open a little closer to our home...

what are your fave's from tj's
do tell


44 comments:

melissa said...

Okay Paige .. I am seriously jealous! No Trader Joe's here :(

Happy, happy New year sweet friend! Happiness, health and blessings galore to you!! xo

Anonymous said...

I wish we had TJ's where I live...jealous girl here!!

Abby

Elizabeth said...

TJ's is the best part of living in Northern CA. The peppermint hot chocolate is the BEST

Tammy said...

Love Trader Joe's! I have two in the Charlotte area! TJ"S is the rock star of grocery stores!!

Tammy :-)

{A*very} Blessed Life said...

Oh Wow! I think Knoxville, Tennessee needs a Trader Joes. I am now wanting some mint hot chocolate! I'm with you, Paige. I would indulge in a lot of these little bits of goodness just for the packaging!

Unknown said...

Happy New Year Paige!

Was just at Trader Joe's this morning spending $144 on groceries for the week. Love everything you photographed - funny my kiddos were not fans of the Peppermint Hot Cocoa either. But I did send our friend from Chicago some Peppermint Joe joe's when her TJ's ran out! That's what friends are for right????

So good to be back home "catching up" with you!
xo~Jill

Nancy said...

Paige we are TJ twins!!! Everything you pictured has been in (or is currently) in my kitchen. I gave the toffee's as christmas gifts, I just wrapped with cellophane and tied with ribbon. Please tell me you will try the Joe Joe's peppermint ice cream! When my family left last Sunday I think I had three bowls :) I have one right done the street and go weekly. My parents do not and request orange chicken everytime they visit. I serve mine with thier birds nests and brocoli. Please tell me you've had those, if not try them! Ok, I'm a bit passionate about TJ's if you could not tell. Lastly, their frozen turkey meatballs and bolognese sauce are simmering away on my stove now!
God Bless Trader Joes ;)

Debra said...

The closest Trader Joe's to me is 2hours away! Everything looks yummy!

I just saw a segment on Good Morning America about roasting brussels sprouts and am dying to try it. Am hoping the family will enjoy them. :)

Hood Canal Gal said...

Hi Page. Happy New Year!
Here in Seattle we have a bunch of TJ's, my sister however, lives in Dallas and she says it hasn't made it there yet! Bummer.
I do believe I'll be making a trip to TJ's soon to try some of your yummy recommendations. I can't wait to try the caramels and sea salt. As always, love your photos. Did you use a 50 mm lens for the photos in this post?

Megan

Dana said...

i keep hearing such yummy things about TJ's.
We don't have one near us....so I decided to google
it (of course!) and see where they are hiding....
Well, it appears that we have NONE in Alabama! But there ARE 8 in Georgia!! They sure need to share the love.
Not sure if i could fit a 3 hour drive into my grocery budget :-(
Thanks for sharing the beautiful pictures!

Lemonade Makin' Mama said...

I love you because I just posted new year cupcakes, and I kept wanting to take a photograph of the pink cake mix box from TJ. I am a trader Joe's junkie. I have to be stopped, because I could buy so many things there that we don't actually NEED... like the sweet/spicy pecans. Oh. My. Heavenly. Word. We love the flatbread pizza with caramelized onions and prociutto. Mmmmmmm.

Jboo said...

So happy to read this and learn of all TJs has to offer. One just opened here (!!!) and the only thing I've tried is Mac n Cheese bites (seriously yummy), so will be copying you, yet again! :)

Janet

D'Nese said...

I go into Trader Joe's all the time and fall in love with the store. I however, haven't a clue what to go after or where to start. I probably end up buying items just because of the package design and for no other reason. HAHA....

What's the best items there. I've already taken down the ones you listed keeping in mind most are holiday related but I'm all ready to try that orange chicken.

Love your blog by the way. It's very welcoming. Looking forward to reading your posts in the new year.

Kelly said...

Their raspberry preserves are fantastic as well. We also love their rosemary marcona almonds and their dried mangos - yum!

Anonymous said...

No joke we need them closer. Burney and I truck In the direction of Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and Natural Food Warehouse at least once or twice a month. I love our local Kroger and dash in and out at least a couple of times a week but I hold out for the DeKalb Farmers Market every weekend for fresh fish, veggies and fruit. Sometimes I sneak over to WF at LaVista and Briarcliff just to get a few of our favorites in between visits to Norcross. Happy New Year.

Sheila

vintage girl at heart said...

No Joe's here either!!
I miss that and Whole Foods too. ;(
I love packaging too..and I have some of the salted caramels from my sweet daughter's visit back east..I would like to do something crafty with the container. Any ideas??
My daughter in law made phyllo wrapped brussels with parmesean cheese over Christmas and wow..they were yummy!!
Happy New Year!!

Weezie said...

Pumpkin Spice Mix in the fall...

Danielle said...

I love trader joes! It seems that everytime I leave there I have a new resuable bag..hmm.. and orange chicken.. :)

Kelli said...

I {heart} Trader Joe's and I'm excited that there's one pretty close to my home. I love their sparkling cider and their chips and salsa. Ooh and they have some wonderful chocolate filled croissants...yum!!!

Courtney said...

Hi, Paige!

I've been out of the blog loop lately. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. Loved seeing all your daughters on that Christmas card of yours!

I have 4 "must have" items that I just have to get every time I go to TJ's.... #1. Chocolate Sunflower Seed Drops and #2. Lemon Verbena Soap #3. freeze dried strawberries and #4. Charmingly Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.

Sometimes I like to mix items #1 and #3 together big handful scoops at at time... Almost as if I'm eating chocolate covered strawberries! YUM!

Have a wonderful 2011!
Courtney :o)

Shannan Martin said...

No TJs here and it's a good thing, I suppose. My gourmet store is Aldi. Ha!!

ps - I LOVE brussels sprouts! They're on our menu this week.

Unknown said...

I love their raspberry chocolate chip soy icecream... their cheap flowers... their grapefruit mix juice...their frozen dinners and fish... i just love everything there!

Clare said...

happy new year!! love all of those yummy things. we are supposed to be getting a trader joe's here, but for now i will dream about it!! i miss them from DC!!!

Chris said...

Great post! Happy new year, I always enjoy reading your blog. Hands down my favorite TJ items would be the lemon curd, pumpkin butter (in the fall), the multi grain english muffins, pineapple salsa... I could go on more, but these are my staples that I get each visit.

Jodi said...

Love the packaging too! No Trader Joe's around here, bummer! I have always wanted to try brussel sprouts, I am sure I would be the only one in my family to liket them, didn't realize they came on a "stalk" like that tho! :)

Jodi

Jodee said...

We just got a Trader Joe's and I haven't been there yet. It sounds like such a fabulous store. This post is pushing me to get there sooner, than later! Thanks for sharing your favs with us!

Susan R said...

Oh sure...rub it in like that. When Jason and I were first married and still living in San Diego, we only shopped Trader Joes. I was heart broken to find that there was no Trader Joes here in Colorado when we moved here 16 years ago. The only thing we have that comes close (and it's not really that close) is Whole Foods. I so badly wish they had a TJ here. Who knows...maybe someday. Afterall, they are building an IKEA (YEAH) close by, so there's always hope for TJ.

Patina said...

I suggest the Vodka sauce, too! TJ is awesome!

Unknown said...

I just discovered those EVIL cookies this year! My daughter and I ate them until we felt sick. I also love the Steel Cut Oatmeal and I've heard the English Toffee is delish.
I am a packaging freak too so don't feel bad. My whole family knows that unless it's a product that I use often I will pick the product with the best packaging.

Privet and Holly said...

Paige, I share
the love for
TJ's {as they
are affectionately
known at our home}
and have one about
15 mins away. Haven't
been able to share
my b.sprouts love,
though....I'm the
only one who will
eat them! Love their
naan {a yummy Indian
bread} as well as the
puff pastry frozen
pizza : ) Happy first
Monday of 2011!
xx Suzanne

Martha said...

you know my love and obsession with tj's...love your pics...I was wanting to try the peppermint cocoa and for the girls...but they were sold out at ours...and the peppermint joe's...i wish ours was closer too...it's about 35 minutes away...but definitely worth every visit
xo

Katie said...

LOVE Joe-Joes!!!! We bought some for a party this year and they didn't last very long at all!

Tracy ~Seeking Refinement~ said...

i. know.

i'm obsessed with Trader Joe's.

O.B.S.E.S.S.E.D.

Hi, I'm Tracy & I'm obsessed with Trader Joe's....

"Hiiiii Traaaaacy..."

love your photos, Paige!

Tiffany said...

Hey Paige,

TJs is my second home! if it werent for them I don't know what I would feed my family! And I cannot imagine living where there wasn't one - yikes!

i have to literally force myself to not buy things just because of the packaging - its hard! Such a fun post!

xoTiffany

Dana @ Cooking At Cafe D said...

I just gave my niece a Christmas/ House Warming gift of a bunch of my favs.

The Raisin rosemary crackers are new and fantastic with a jelly over goat cheese (or cream cheese.)

Love the TJ's sun dried tomatoes in oil in the jar. Chop a few of those up and blend with cream cheese for a tasty dip.

Lately, we've been warming up Pear Cinnamon Cider and putting in TJ's Paso Robles Muscato. Very soothing.

It was fun reading about your finds. Must try that blueberry jam now :)

Rachel said...

I love TJ's! Do you ever wondered how you shopped before them? How did we do it? Peppermint Joe-Joe's are so yummy. I need to try a few of your other favs!

Some things I love from there: pumpkin butter, scallop jalapeno pastry bites (great party food!), oatmeal dunker cookies...I could go on and on!

Unknown said...

I was a TJ's fan in Atlanta... now I live in Anderson, SC and we just got one in Greenville....Yippee! I am also guilty of buying their products just because of the packaging, but some of our favorites are the dark choc. covered blueberries and the powerberries. I bought the peppermint hot chocolate for Christmas treat (haven't even tried it yet) and we LOVED the Gingerbread coffee. We are roasted brussel sprouts fans at this house. I do the same thing with frozen ones and then toss with diced pancetta that I "fry up" in some olive oil.... so delicious!!! Enjoyed your post... a friend sent me here because she knows I love Trader Joes:)

Jen Kershner said...

My faves are their pitas, reduced guilt pita chips, hummus, all natural eggs, beer, reduced fat caramel corn and their entire cheese section! Now, I'm adding some of your things to my list and I'm going to see what everyone else recommends and then I will spend the rest of the afternoon resisting the urge to run to TJ's. Although mine is just about 10 mins away so I shouldn't be complaining!

Jen Kershner said...

P.S. You feel free to fed ex me a candy cane joe joe as my store has been sold out.

Lolo @ The Adventures of Stig and Lolo said...

What would we do without TJ?? TJ (Trader Joes) and TJ Maxx...kinda funny how they have the same name! I love that you can run in there and grab all sorts of things...fast. You cant get totally distracted because there are only 4 aisles. Unlike the big grocery stores which take forever to shop at! Ok, #1 - I love that I can get amazing fresh flowers and plants. There orchids are beyond reasonable. #2 - peeled garlic. Need I say more? #3 - belgian chocolate pudding. I add a tad of whip cream and some raspberries to it and presto-quick dessert! #4 - SPICY CHAI mix. This is my new fav. I add a small heap to my english breakfast tea....so yummy! #5 the only maple syrup that I buy - is "the jug" as my kiddos refer to it. Its pricey, but the best maple syrup ever!
Thanks for the TJ fix :)

XOX
Lolo

ps - lvoe the steel cut oatmeal too! Sure beats the other way - soaking overnite!!!

Shannon said...

LOVE Trader Joe's!! Ours is about 20 mins. away and I seriously get so excited when I get to go. I think everything I have ever bought there tastes amazing. Two items we are always stocked with is their Orange Chicken and their pizza dough :)

Tracey Bower- Bower Studio said...

I decided I wanted to be a hot tea drinker (I don't like coffee) and have fallen in love with TJ's Candy Cane green tea- LOVE! And with cute packaging to boot.
We've recently discovered their jarred Indian Masala sauce too... so good.
Other favs: sea salt brownie bites, their 4 cheese frozen pizza and their version of Cheetos!

Jen Kershner said...

Pecan Praline Granola! I just remembered it. So, good and the price can't be beat!

3 Peanuts said...

You are killing me here. We do not have traders Joe's and I would LOVE that salted caramel. That is my favorite!!! I am also salivating over the peppermint hot choc and the toffee. How pathetic is it that I am coveting your groceries!