Brighten up your space with these plants for five bucks now at Trader Joe’s (limited) for Halloween (2025) DIA DE LOS MUERTOS – Day of the Dead inspired design.
Pretty cute, huh?
Seen @ Trader Joe’s : BLOOMING MINI SKULL PLANTS, $5. For Halloween
20 Oct 2025 Leave a comment
in All Natural, DIY, Fall Season, fresh, General, Health & Beauty, Mexican, New, News, plants, Prices, Products, Rave, Staple, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, vegetarian, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: #Halloween, healthy, no preservatives, plants, Products, Rave, review, Trader Joes, vegan gluten free, vegetarian
Update on Trader Joe’s CARNITAS (M.I.A) and the realities of business in the current economic environment
20 Aug 2025 3 Comments
in Blog, Discontinued, Mexican, News, Products, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update Tags: discontinued, MIA, Products, Trader Joes
Unfortunately Trader Joe’s Traditional CARNITAS (Mexican roasted pork) went Missing In Action not long ago. Now as we all know Trader Joe’s products can go MIA. Many eventually come back as stock comes in.
Then a reader here reported left a Comment that the Carnitas Discontinued. My heart sank as I have loved that product ever since I had first tried it years ago. Its just the best roast pork cooked in a certain way one could never do yourself. So yesterday when I was at Trader Joe’s I tried to investigate. I spoke with a manager at the Front Desk who looked up the Carnitas on the computer. She told me something interesting which I thought I would pass along as it reveals a little bit not just about Trader Joe’s products but their suppliers they work with.
She showed me the Product page for the Carnitas. It says “Not Orderable” – meaning they did not actually discontinue it – however stores can not order it. The product page explained why: “supplier went out of business“. Yikes!
The page adds that they looking for new supplier for the item. Hopefully they will find one, eventually. But unfortunately for the time being we can’t buy Carnitas anymore at Trader Joe’s. I for one am quite Bummed as I loved it. I could even came up with a hack to make Cha Siu with the Roasted Pork.
Anyway if you don’t see something on the shelf, ask the Front Desk if they could check it for you as thats always the best way I’ve found to get actual info.
Trader Joe’s Chicken Mole Review: A Taste of Mexico
06 Mar 2025 Leave a comment
in All Natural, frozen, General, Mexican, New, News, Prices, Rave, recipe, Recipes, review, spices, Staple, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: dinner, Food, frozen, fully cooked, Mexican, no preservatives, Products, recipe, Recipes, review, Trader Joes
“Dark meat chicken in a smoky and savory chile blend sauce “
https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/chicken-mole-079863
Trader Joe’s says this about their new fully cooked frozen dish CHICKEN MOLE:
“Inspired by recipes from Central Mexico, we simmer boneless, skinless chicken leg meat in a Mole rojo (“red”) sauce. This tomato-based iteration is made with dried guajillo and pasilla peppers, which serve to darken the color of the sauce, while also adding some spicy heat. The flavor is further deepened with spices that include garlic, onion, coriander, and cinnamon.”
“Mole meaning, sauce or mixture, is a traditional sauce found in Mexican cuisine. most moles do not contain chocolate. Our version is a Mole Rojo, made with Guajillo and Pasilla chile peppers along with other spices, in a tomato based sauce. It was inspired by recipes found in Central Mexico. Serve this chicken mole as a tasty taco or enchilada filling, over a bed of rice, or just on its own with a few slices of avocado“
Their descriptions sound pretty good, right? Does it live up to it? I’ve found at least one very bad miss with Trader Joe’s Mexican inspired foods. For example, some time ago I tried tamales that had the nerve to say “Authentic Mexican” on the package. Ha! More like “Not At All Authentic Mexican”. Tasteless. I thought those tamales were an insult to Mexican cuisine: (old review) of Cedar Lane “Authentic” Tamales
So what about the new “CHICKEN MOLE? I read some decent reviews of this dish, so had to try it and see if TJ’s got it right this time. And guess what? Basically I think they did get it right. This does taste pretty authentic. So I was a bit pleasantly surprised to find their Chicken Mole dish to be pretty tasty, and I think I would probably buy it again. Savory and spicy with a nice use of a few Mexican chiles.
Trader Joe’s Chicken Mole ($6.99) as they say is a mole rojo (red mole) meaning a tomato based mole, made with tomatoes, onions, garlic and most importantly two kinds of chiles, Pasilla and Guajillo which really give it it’s depth of flavor. Its origins are in Central Mexico. The Chicken Mole tasted very savory, with lots of flavor from the slightly smokey chiles (some chiles like the Guajillo chile used in this are smoked). Overall I found the seasonings quite decent and nicely spiced with a depth of flavor from the tomatoes, chiles and other spices, including coriander and cinnamon. Heat wise I would say this is not a super hot but it does have some spicy heat. Its not immediate but sneaks up on you 30 seconds later. I would call this dish a bit spicy, but NOT crazy spicy. For me, I found the heat level just right. Plus you are eating this with other things (maybe avocado, tortillas, rice….) which balances things out.
I liked the fact reading the ingredients that the list is fairly short and overall seems pretty natural with actual ingredients not long chemical names.
Mole Rojo originates from Central Mexico or Oaxaca, the land of 7 moles” a place I’ve been to twice and where I made it my business to taste as many moles as I could. I tasted about 5 of the 7. The place is a culinary wonderland. Every mole I tasted in Oaxaca was fantastic, one of the best being a mole negro sold outside a church by some nice church ladies.
I read someone’s review of this somewhere and they said there was very little chicken in this. Which is also a complaint about TJ’s BIRRIA, which I do agree, there is not a ton of beef in the Birria.
However I thought this Chicken Mole, while I would not say has an enormous amount of chicken, did have a fair amount. Its a bit deceptive as the chicken has fallen apart during cooking so its mostly now shredded plus a few chunks in a good amount of sauce. Now I read someone saying this “has too much sauce”. I don’t really agree with that, as you want a good amount. In a mole the sauce is the whole point, its the star of the whole dish, and the protein is kind of secondary. Does it look like the picture on the package with a ton of chicken? No, lets face it almost nothing looks like the picture on the package.
COOKING: Microwave or Stovetop. I did the Stovetop.
We ate the dish as tacos, spooned into warm Corn Tortillas (TJ’s) with avocado and sliced radishes. Kind of like the picture. Also some rice on the side. It matches great with rice. You could do a rice bowl type thing. You could also make Quesadillas with the mole and cheese, getting it nice and browned up, kind of QuesoBirria style., either in a corn or a flour tortilla. Or a hard corn taco shell. Or you could spoon the mole over rice. It matches very well with avocado. It can easily serve two, maybe three people with other things.
Trader Joe’s Chicken Mole ($6.99) 16 oz.
I would buy it again
Trader Joe’s 16th ANNUAL CUSTOMER CHOICE AWARD WINNERS
27 Feb 2025 2 Comments
in baked, cheese, condiments, fresh, General, Mexican, New, News, Pantry, Prices, Products, Rave, review, snacks, spices, Staple, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: Award, Award Season, Cooking, Customer Choice, Dog, Food, nutrition, PIcks, Products, Rave, recipe, Recipes, review, Trader Joes
Trader Joe’s announced the winners of their 16th annual customer choice awards (2024).
Which, out of all the products TJ’s has, do you think customers awarded as the overall top dog pick? Interestingly enough it’s the same one which has been voted first by customers for the 4th Year In A Row as overall favorite ! Drum roll, please, and the winner is….
CHILI & LIME FLAVORED ROLLED CORN TORTILLA CHIPS
(click for our review)
TJ’s really good snack their Chili & Lime Flavor Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips, were once again voted as as overall favorite. These have been picked 4 years running!
Some time ago I reviewed these and loved them. I gave these delicious, possibly addictive, snacks a big thumbs up. So I am not shocked that these remain to be so popular and got the top Customer’s Choice spot again as these are super.
Though they may not be to everyone’s taste as these pack a punch of pretty intense flavor plus a good leave of heat (like Takis) I find them Spicy Delicious. However my wife for example is someone who doesn’t go for these at all. Even though she likes fairly spicy in general, she doesn’t like these chips. She finds the flavors too strong and too intense, whereas I find them irresistible, and frankly addictive, to the point where once I start eating them at times I have to remeber to stop myself lest I eat the whole bag!
Having said that I do actually sometimes like to counter balance the intense flavor of these chips by pairing them with something which will counter balance them. Knock down the heat a bit. As I mentioned in my review sometimes I actually like to eat these with cottage cheese. I find that a great combination as cottage cheese, something a bit bland, will balance out the flavor. Or sometimes I will enjoy these with some dip which is not too intensely flavored.
OK so the Rolled Tortilla Chips were the #1 Customer Pick. What were the Runners Up in that catagory? Here are the second through fifth place choices, just to give you some ideas of what Trader Joe’s products seem to be most popular with customers:
RUNNERS-UP
2. Steamed Pork & Ginger Soup Dumplings
3. Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese (Limited)
4. Kimbap
5. Vegetable Fried Rice
And what about the number one NEW product?
CASHEL BLUE CHEESE POTATO CHIPS (limited)
RUNNERS-UP
2. French Onion Popcorn (Limited)
3. Garlic Gondolas
4. Strawberry Hold the Cone!
5. Crispy Potato & Poblano Pepper Tacos
FAVORITE BEVERAGE? SPICED APPLE CIDER (yum)
Check out all the winners here:
https://www.traderjoes.com/home/discover/stories/16th-annual-customer-choice-winners
More on Trader Joe’s BEEF BIRRIA (Made Queso Birria Tacos) Video Recipe!
28 Jan 2025 Leave a comment
in bread, cheese, DIY, fresh, frozen, General, Mexican, News, Prices, Products, Rave, recipe, Recipes, snacks, spices, Staple, Trader Joes, Uncategorized Tags: birria, Food, Mexican, mexican-food, product, Products, Rave, review, tacos, Trader Joes
Birria Tacos are all the rage now made popular via social media and food trucks that specialize in them.
Naturally the frozen version available at Trader Joe’s may not equal the best ones from a great food truck, However you can get cook them in a way which will make them closer using the Beef Birria which I previously reviewed and liked.
I made the tacos as per the video above as Trader Joe’s suggests. These turned out quite good done this way! It’s worth a little extra effort.
The cheesy beefy tacos got a little cruchy on the outside with some delicious fried cheese leaking out of them.
As I like corn tortillas that’s what I used but four ones could work as well. I used shredded Mozzarellam, which worked well as the “queso” but so could other cheeses, like cheddar perhaps. Add the chopped onions, cilantro and some lime juice at the end as they say for an authentic birria taco taste.
Though thought thought may turn you off a bit, that orange fat on top that you are dipping the tortilla in, is important for flavor and to give the tacos a crispy texture.
BTW I didn’t realize till recently Trader Joe’s had their own YouTube channel. Fun to check out.
I also later thought this dish could become a beef stew with other vegetables very easily. So I tried par-boiling carrots and potatoes for 5 minutes, then added them to the beef birria. Simmer all together until the carrots and potatoes are tender, which takes about 15-20 minutes with the par-boiling. Add a little water or stock if things get too dry. This turned out quite good and makes it into a Mexican style beef stew, with the veggies getting lots of flavor.
Trader Joe’s ORGANIC MEXICO LA CONCORDIA Small Lot Coffee
30 Oct 2024 Leave a comment
in All Natural, coffee, fresh, General, Mexican, New, News, organic, Pantry, Prices, Products, review, seasonal, Trader Joes Tags: coffee, no preservatives, organic, product, Products, review, Small Lot Coffee, Trader Joes, vegan gluten free, vegetarian
Latest small lot coffee offering from Trader Joe’s. An organic coffee from the La Concordia region in Chiapas. Whole Beans in a Light Roast, and yes it did have some fruity notes with hints of chocolate and caramel as they describe.
This one was pretty good! Especially if you like your coffee from TJ’s a bit lighter as opposed to a medium or darker roast. “Que lo disfrutes!” (may you enjoy it)
$8.99 (12 oz)
“The newest addition to our Small Lot Coffee program, we’re making a return to Chiapas, a state in southern Mexico. This time, we’ve sourced our coffee from a group of growers within the La Concordia region of Chiapas, where the high elevation and oceanic micro-climate create optimum conditions for growing rich, chocolatey, full-flavored coffees. True to form, each sip of Trader Joe’s La Concordia Mexico Small Lot Coffee is indeed remarkably rich, deliciously chocolatey, and fabulously full-flavored, with notes of sticky caramel and fresh berries throughout.”
https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/organic-mexico-la-concordia-small-lot-coffee-078898
RECIPE – Trader Joe’s SOY CHORIZO AND POTATO (papas con chorizo)
20 Mar 2024 3 Comments
in All Natural, cheese, condiments, DIY, fresh, General, hot sauce, Mexican, Pantry, recipe, Recipes, spices, Staple, Trader Joes, vegetarian, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: dinner, healthy, ideas, lunch, recipe, Soy Chorizo, Trader Joes, vegetarian
Many people wonder how to use Trader Joe’s Soy Chorizo, so here’s one idea that I use it for quite frequently. I cook up potatoes and onions and add the Soy Chorizo to it for a very tasty (vegetarian) version of the famous Mexican dish “Papa con Chorizo” (potatoes with chorizo).
Here’s my recipe . We substitute Trader Joe’s soy chorizo for real pork chorizo making this dish vegetarian. Some people may not even know that its vegetarian when they taste it. In fact, though I’m not vegetarian I like this quite a bit as its a bit healthier. I make this dish about every other week as an easy dish which is good to have on hand in the fridge as it can make a few things. This is especially good as a filling for quesadillas, tacos or burritos, it works really well with eggs too mixed into it. You can make up a whole package of the Soy Chorizo to have on hand for the week.
INGREDIENTS
Trader Joe’s SOY CHORIZO
Trader Joe’s TACO SEASONING (optional)
Potatoes (waxy potatoes are best, like Red potatoes, Yukon Gold or similar) 1 pound
Onion (medium – diced)
Fresh garlic (optional, chopped)
(optional – fresh cilantro)
I usually make this for about 2 people/portions. Adjust amounts as needed
RECIPE – Soy Chorizo with Potatoes
Boil about a pound of potatoes cut in half in lightly salted water. Cook for about 12 minutes or so or just until done, meaning when a knife goes in pretty easily.
Drain and rinse them with cold water until they are cool enough to touch. Cut the potatoes up into bite size pieces.
In a cast iron or non-stick skillet, sauté an medium size onion (diced) in about a tablespoon of olive oil for a few minutes (add a few cloves of fresh chopped garlic too if you like). Toss in the diced potatoes. Let potatoes and onions sauté together on medium heat until the potatoes take a little bit of color which may take about 10 minutes or so, stirring gently every 3 minutes. Sprinkle on some Taco Seasoning (optional) if you like. If you are not using it, just add a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
Next add your Soy Chorizo. Lower the heat. Gently mix in and combine the Soy Chorizo into the onion and potatoes. How much chorizo to use is up to you. I usually add about 1/2 the tube for about about a pound of potatoes but you can add more or less as you see fit.
Saute the mixture on low heat for about 5 minutes or so and it’s ready. If you like cilantro, sprinkle on a big handle of it, chopped up, which brightens the dish really nicely.
Optional: Eggs work great with this mixture. If you want them at the end just mix in 3 beaten eggs and let the eggs cook slowly until done. Serve immediately with warm tortillas or make quesadillas with this as your stuffing.
PAPAS CON CHORIZO is a tasty mixture which is great for tacos or burittos and my favorite, cheese quesadillas. To make those,use flour tortillas, (or corn if you like) and sprinkle some grated cheese on the tortilla in a lightly oiled pan. Top with the potato mix, fold in half and cook for a few minutes on each side until the cheese is melted. For even cheesier ones, also put a little grated cheese under the tacos and let them get golden brown and a little crusty. These are really my favorite. And if you want to use corn tortillas instead, those will also be great with this filling.
Besides tacos or tortillas, mix this potato mixture into scrambled eggs for a great dish.
Enjoy.
Trader Joe’s BLACK BEANS (with recipes)
30 Jul 2023 Leave a comment
in All Natural, can, DIY, General, Mexican, News, organic, Pantry, Prices, Products, Rave, recipe, Recipes, snacks, spices, Staple, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, vegetarian, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: Cuban, Food, healthy, Mexican, product, Products, Rave, review, Trader Joes, vegan gluten free, vegetarian
“High in iron and protein and a great source of natural fiber”
So what’s the best (not to mention one of the healthiest) things you can buy for less than $1 at Trader Joe’s? Probably a can of beans for 89 cents.
Just a few years ago, TJ’s used to have a number of items one could pick up for a buck or less, but these have dwindled to a mere handful, especially over the last year due to price increases at all supermarkets.
However one tasty and healthy food you can still buy at TJ’s for less than a buck at TJ’s are canned beans. Here I will focus on the ever so useful black beans. However TJ’s has lots of kinds, including chick peas (garbanzos) and red and white/canellini beans as well. All are good and I always have a mix of at least a few cans in the pantry.
I especially like having black beans around as I find black beans really useful to come up with a quick meal or side dish. For instance for some fast and easy CUBAN BLACK BEANS.
I’ve been known in the past to make black beans from scratch, meaning soaking dried black beans, etc etc. But sometimes I’m lazy or forgot to soak them the night before, so I just open up a can of beans. However I always doctor them up and you should too. Straight out of the can black beans are OK but boring.
With very little effort you can make them very tasty into Cuban Black Beans.
EASY CUBAN BLACK BEANS – For a fast and easy recipe – sauté about 4 cloves of chopped garlic and 1/2 a chopped onion in a good slug of olive oil for 5 minutes. Then add a can or two of black beans; dump them without draining into the pot. Add dried oregano and ground cumin. Let it simmer for 10-15 minutes. Before serving I suggest you mash up about 1/3 of the beans with the back of a spoon or a potato masher, as this gives a lovely creamy texture. Voila, you have a nice dish of Quick Cuban Black Beans, a perfect match for a plate of rice or tortillas or what ever you want to serve with these.
They will go great with Carnitas. These will match well with TJ’s CORN TORTILLAS too and of course some Thai Jasmine Rice.
Spend a little more time and you can really make a decent Cuban or Mexican bean dish with a few more ingredients so follow the links below for some recipe suggestions. BTW for a little more you can buy Organic beans, now $1.09.
Trader Joe’s HORCHATA ICE CREAM
12 Jun 2023 Leave a comment
in dairy, fresh, frozen, General, ice cream, Mexican, New, News, Prices, Products, Rave, snacks, sweets, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: Food, no preservatives, product, Products, Rave, review, Trader Joes
If you’ve never heard of it before, “horchata” is a beloved and famous Mexican drink. It’s made from milk, rice, water and cinnamon and super refreshing served ice cold on a hot day. I didn’t know of horchata until I first visited Mexico years ago. I absolutely fell in love with it with my first sip.
Well this new ice cream from Trader Joe’s is “inspired” by this Mexican drink. They say its a “sweet cinnamon and rice ice cream with horchata flavored cookie pieces”. The little pieces add little bits of crunchiness in the smooth ice cream. I found TJ’s new flavor to be quite good. In fact, our pint went pretty fast! Here’s what TJ’s has to say….
https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/horchata-ice-cream-074184“The popular Latin American beverage called horchata [or-cha-ta] is creamy and sweet, like ice cream. With no good excuse not to, we decided to take it all the way there—from smooth beverage to frozen dessert! Trader Joe’s Horchata Inspired Ice Cream delivers all the delicious flavors of horchata in every spoonful.
Like many ice creams, its rich base includes cream, milk, egg yolks, and cane sugar. We horchatized it by adding cinnamon and brown rice flour, plus a touch of sea salt. And since inclusions are fun, we also added pieces of horchata-flavored cookies, contributing a nice textural variation.”
A pint of Trader Joe’s HORCHATA ICE CREAM is $3.79.
Trader Joe’s PINEAPPLE SALSA
22 May 2023 Leave a comment
in All Natural, condiments, jar, Mexican, Prices, Products, Rave, snacks, spices, Staple, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, vegetarian, WhatsGoodAtTJ?
You pretty much can’t go wrong with TJ’s PINEAPPLE SALSA. It’s one of Trader Joe’s best selling salsas and not for nothing. It hits all the right notes to make a good all around salsa. For one thing it’s not spicy. They say Mild to Medium (I say Mild) so this salsa is good for folks who say they don’t like it too spicy. Me I like spicy but I still like this too and can add something spicy to up the heat if I want. The Pineapple Salsa gets a nicely balanced subtle sweetness from pineapple blended into a tomato based salsa. The subtle sweetness adds a nice touch and counterbalances any spiciness. I add a few Sweet Hot Jalapeneno‘s on top if I want spicy. Another good thing about this is that it’s the cheapest salsa they sell as it’s only $1.99 and all the other ones cost more now. It has no preservatives and no artificial ingredients. Tasting wise, it was quite nice on tacos and quesadillas and some black bean burritos with cheese. You can use it for things other too. TJ’s says try it with cream cheese and crackers. Interesting. I would buy this again.
Trader Joe’s Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants) 
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