If you had to pick out the single “healthiest” item you could buy at Trader Joe’s, what would you pick?
Here’s the item I might pick – ORGANIC STEEL CUT OATS. Classic. Whole grain. Super food.
One ingredient here: Just Organic steel cut oats
Are oats healthy? There’s a reason horses are fed oats. Frankly these are practically the same as oats horses eat, the real difference being the grains here have been cut smaller. STEEL CUT as the name implies has the oats cut with steel blades, with a grain cut into about 2 or 3 pieces just to make it cook faster. That’s it. Minimally processed.
Steel cut oats are pretty natural with way less processing than even rolled oats which have been partially cooked and are then pressed between steel rollers (rolled) to flatten them, to make them cook faster
As far as oatmeal goes, steel cut oats are my favorite type of oatmeal, as they have a lovely chewy texture and a nice nutty taste. I love them for breakfast.
They take a little bit longer to cook than rolled oats but I think the effort is worth it, as these taste way better. These take about 25 minutes. I generally make a pot of them the night before so they are ready in the morning for breakfast. I usually will make a big enough batch to last us about 3 or 4 days.
How to cook STEEL CUT OATS. The basic ratio is 1:4. 1 cup of oats to 4 cups of water. In a heavy pot, boil the water. Add a pinch of salt (optional but it tastes better) Stir in the oats, and when they start to boil lower the heat till they are simmering stirring occasionally every 10 minutes or so so the bottom doesn’t stick or burn. Let them cook for about 25-30 minutes. We like to add a good sprinkle of cinnamon when we are cooking them. Many times we will dice up an apple and throw that in too.
Optional additions are so many: Some butter or cream, brown sugar, raisins, frozen blueberries or other fruit. Whatever strikes your fancy. You can change them up easily so you can make it different every time. If you are a purist, just eat them plain! Obviously that stuff makes them a bit less healthy but I feel I balance it all out.
Trader Joe’s Organic Oatmeal $4.49 (30 oz tub)
“What are the health benefits of oats” (Google)
Oats are highly nutritious, offering benefits like improved heart, gut, and blood sugar health due to their unique soluble fiber, beta-glucan, which lowers cholesterol and glucose, promotes good gut bacteria, and increases fullness for weight management. They’re packed with protein, vitamins, minerals (magnesium, copper, zinc, thiamine), and antioxidants called avenanthramides, supporting digestion, energy, and providing anti-inflammatory effects.
Key Benefits:
Heart Health:Beta-glucan significantly lowers total and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and helps lower blood pressure by promoting nitric oxide, which widens blood vessels.
Blood Sugar Control:Slows glucose absorption, improving insulin sensitivity and reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Digestive Health:Fiber acts as a prebiotic, feeding beneficial gut bacteria, and helps with regularity, preventing constipation.
Weight Management:Fiber and protein increase satiety, helping you feel full longer and reducing overall calorie intake.
Rich in Antioxidants:Unique antioxidants (avenanthramides) and polyphenols offer anti-inflammatory and protective effects.
Nutrient-Dense:An excellent source of manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, zinc, and B vitamins.
How to Maximize Benefits:
Pair with healthy additions like nuts, seeds, and fruit to boost nutrition and avoid added sugars.
Choose less-processed forms like rolled oats or steel-cut oats over instant varieties to get the most beta-glucan.
There used to be quite a few items you could get at Trader Joe’s that cost a buck or less. There aren’t as many now. There are a few pasta items that still cost 99 cents but this is one I am going to single out. As you can see, its Trader Joe’s ORZO, which is 99 cents for a 1 lb bag.
Orzo is that rice shaped pasta frequently used in Greek and other cuisines. I find orzo just so handy and so useful and very good. So here’s my Ode To Orzo.
The number one thing I love about orzo is the fact of how fast it cooks. Orzo is a pasta that takes just five minutes! It takes longer to boil the water for it.
Many meals when I realize I don’t have enough food I find myself reaching for the Orzo, because it’s ready in no time at all and its pasta so super tasty. All I need to do is dump a cup of orzo into boiling salted water. After five minutes, it’s done; just drain it, add it to a bowl and give it a a nice amount of butter (or olive oil). Grind on some black pepper. Taste if and see if it still needs a sprinkle of more salt. BOOM; your buttered orzo side dish is ready. Optional; Grate on some cheese. Parmesan, Pecorina, Grana or cheddar or goat for that matter.
You can equally expand on buttered orzo with adding a vegetable to that. Perhaps diced fresh zucchini which is a lovely combination especially with some feta cheese for a Greek dish. The Zucchini can cook in the water along with the orzo and be ready when the orzo is in about 5 minutes. Or even easier vegetables? You can use a frozen vegetable. Maybe French Green Beans? Or frozen peas? The green beans can go in with the orzo (about 5 minutes). Add the peas about the last minute or two before the orzo is cooked as those are ready very fast.
It’s great for adding to soups or stews as well. Chicken soup with orzo is fantastic and comforting.
Orzo is fantastic to make whole dinners around. For example, a ONE POT dish of Garlic Butter Chicken Orzo; here’s the recipe.
So this is why I always have some orzo in the cupboard, and suggest you should as well. If not, the next time you are at Trader Joe’s just grab a a package of what I think is one of the handy dandiest items there that only costs 99 cents! The 99 cents pasta (spaghetti, capellini, orzo, etc) and cans of beans there are good ways to stretch your dollar at Trader Joe’s.
I’m surprised I never got around and actually reviewed this Trader Joe’s standard, which is a Classic in it’s own right.
I had tried the other one, Trader Joe’s roasted garlic marinara and liked it. So I thought I it was time to give the original flavor a spin.
First and formost, what a decent deals with these Trader Joe’s sauces, right? A jar still costs less than two bucks. This sauce is a very good what I might call an every day tomato sauce, frankly equal to some big brands that cost more.
You can fix it up easily too. Love garlic? I do. So I added a few cloves of slivered fresh garlic to the pan in a bit of olive oil, let the garlic get a little toasted, then poured in this sauce. Add some more herbs to your liking as well, especially a little fresh basil should you have some. A dash of red pepper flakes perhaps?
Even if you do nothing, this is a very tasty versatile sauce which can not only be used for pasta but for cooking and making other dishes. “Use it as a simmer sauce for chicken breasts or meatballs. Or, let it be the starting point for your own sauce-creation. So many different ways to enjoy this enduring sauce.” https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/tomato-basil-marinara-sauce-045029
I even like the way this one tasted way better than an organic version I tried a while back and gave a fail.
This would also be a good sauce for making your own pizza, using either fresh dough or a crust (or naan) from Trader Joe’s.
I don’t know if it can go toe to toe with Trader Joe’s frankly fantastic (and upscale) Italian CARO SUGO sauce. However that one costs $5 a jar. You could buy 2 1/2 jars of this sauce for that.
If you are on a tight budget Trader Joe’s can help with dinner. Let’s figure, you buy one of their pastas that still cost 99 cents. Grab a jar of this sauce. You’ve spent three bucks and you have dinner.
If your budget allows that might even leave room for some upgrades to say, one of their “artisanal” pastas ($2) and maybe some leeway to add a bread and salad…. $1.99 for a baguette and maybe a $2.29 bag of arugula.
Trader Joe’s ORGANIC RADIATORE pasta is a relatively new addition to the pasta shelves there. They were introduced along with the square rigatoni pasta, which I also gave a great review.
Want to know the translation of “radiatore“? Funny enough it means what it sounds like: “radiator”. Because that’s what these look like. Little radiators.
The shape has all those nooks and crannies which are perfect for taking in and holding a lot of sauce. By the way, did you know the Italian government recognizes about 300 different pasta shapes?
A 1 lb package goes for $1.99. It’s a high quality, bronze die cut pasta, imported from Italy and made from organic durum wheat semolina.
I made this pasta for dinner last night with Trader Joe’s TOMATO BASIL MARINARA sauce (a bargain at $1.99 and it’s excellent). OK, as I am a “cook” and can’t just open a jar and be done with it, I did add two cloves of garlic and a 1/2 shallot sauteed in a tablespoon of olive oil then added a 1/2 jar of the sauce (for two portions). Trust me it made it even better but you could go the easy route and just open a jar.
These radiatore cook pretty fast due to shape, in about 9 minutes. I probably took them out a minute before that (ie, pre-al dente) as I would cook them more in the sauce. I dumped the drained pasta into my pan with my sauce, added about a 1/4 of the pasta water, tossed them over and over for about a minute to let them marry and absorb some sauce till al dente.
I was going to serve peas on the side but as I was making this, my wife suggested I just toss everything in together. Which was actually a great idea as the peas add a nice flavor and texture and got into the nooks of the radiatore. Grated on some of my favorite TJ ROSEMARY ASIAGO which I especially love with pasta.
The texture and taste of this radiatore pasta was perfect and we really loved this dish we came up with “radiatore with peas in tomato sauce” which can now go into rotation. Try this combo! Super easy and delicious, not to mention a bit healthier with added vegetable protein. A little salad and bread made it all perfect.
The best thing? Pantry meal. Everything came out of the pantry (and freezer) so a perfect idea for when “you don’t have anything” in the fridge.
Delicious easy dinner for two, which probably cost less than 3 bucks.
Equally good would be the simplest pasta using this radiatore; just Butter and Cheese. Use lots of both.
I would buy these again. — (UPDATE: I looked for them today to buy more and didn’t see them on the shelves…. )
PASTA WITH PEAS recipe (pasta al piselli)
Toss your pasta into salted boiling water. Whatever time it says on the package, you will subract one or two minutes for “pre-al dente”. In a pan or pot, put a tablespoon of olive oil, and a nice pat of butter. (optional) Add 2 cloves of sliced garlic, and cook till golden. You could also add in 1/2 shallot too if you have one, or a 1/4 onion.
Add your favorite jarred (or homemade) sauce to the pan. When the pasta is “pre-al dente” (tests a little hard) add that to the pan and cook, adding in some pasta water (1/4 cup?). Toss in some frozen peas (1/2-1 cup as you wish) Toss everything over and over to mix and cook for about a minute or so, cooking the pasta just till it becomes al dente. That means “to the tooth” just after the pasta is no longer hard to bite and not soft or mushy. Italians hate overcooked pasta.
Plate and top with a nice amount of freshly grated ASIAGO cheese (or Parmagiano or Pecorino) and serve. Bread and a salad will round this out nicely into a dinner
Portions: for two people I usually figure about a 1/2 lb (half the package) pasta, and for sauce about a 1/2 jar but your ratio may vary. Again, Italians like just enough sauce to coat the pasta well but not to have pasta swimming in sauce the way most Americans think you make it.
They say this: “Trader Joe’s Butter Chicken with Basmati Rice is the ultimate #Cookinghacks for this dish. Our Butter Chicken showcases chunks of chicken enrobed in a mild, mouth-watering curry crafted of crushed tomatoes, cream, onions, garlic, ginger, butter…Spiced just so, and partnered with delicate, fragrant grains of Basmati rice, it’s ready to heat and enjoy. Serve it with our other frozen Indian fare – TJ’s Palak Paneer, TJ’s Channa Masala, TJ’s Tandoori Naan – for a feast. Don’t forget the TJ’s Mango Ginger Chutney & sliced cucumbers!” https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/butter-chicken-with-basmati-rice-099032
Search for this, and you learn that it comes up as one of Trader Joe’s most popular items with a pretty loyal following. Trader Joe’s has carried this forever, and it seems to have quite a lot of fans. I had not tried it till now though. Here’s my honest review with what I liked about it, plus as well as things I think could be improved on.
The Good: This is actually quite a tasty Indian chicken dish. The price is very attractive at $4.49. The flavor of this is quite good, with a rich tomato-y sauce. The chicken (I think white meat?) is perfectly cooked and not at all dried out; it’s tender and juicy coated with a tasty, creamy tomato sauce, which includes concentrated tomatoes, cream, butter and spices. The package says this whole thing is just 400 calories. I mean the portion is not huge. They give you mostly rice of course.
I think NAAN is worth eating with this, so you might want some with this too, to scoop up the sauce.
(THEIR PICTURE FROM THE TJ WEBSITE)(you can see about 3 or 4 pieces of chicken)
The Not So Good: I was surprised at the small amount of chicken they actually give you. I wish they gave you a bit more of it, as will you. Which makes me wonder, was it always so? I wacked a picture, probably old, off their website about the product. In that product picture, it looks like they show about six decent sized pieces of chicken. In the package we got, I counted about 4 pieces. Has the amount changed over the last year or so, as ingredient costs have gone up? Someone let me know please via the Comment section, if you’ve gotten this for years, if you think they cut back on the amount of chicken now as opposed to in the past. I just kind of suspect to keep the price the same there may be some shrinkflation ?
I found the basmati rice that comes with this just OK. Less flavorful than if I made my own Trader Joe’s Basmati Rice, which I assume might be a better quality Basmati rice. The taste of this one seemed less and its a bit under seasoned and maybe even undercooked.
A main selling point of this “whole meal” is of course, convenience in that it comes with rice already made. Me, I’m a rice freak, I make rice, daily many times. So frankly I’m not the typical target audience as I can put up a pot of rice in minutes. Hey, my wife’s Asian, and we can have rice 5 days in a row.
I think the rice could stand for a pinch might stand for a pinch of salt. Or put the sauce over the rice as it may balance out. I did not find the dish as a whole salty, nor spicy. I think I would call this “mild” Indian, not spicy, nor has a ton of seasonings and cream of course which mellows things. Ingredients include garlic, ginger, spices….
TIP: If you want to make this into a more substantial meal you could add a can of drained chick peas (99 cents) into this. I did. After the sauce is defrosted enough to take out the chicken, add a half (or whole can) of drained chick peas. Or you could add another dish perhaps make the excellent CHANNA MASALA chick peas in a tasty sauce to serve along with this. With that two people might be able to enjoy the two dishes as a meal.
Ingredients look pretty normal and natural without additives.
If for example you took this to work for your lunch, it would make a nice easy meal, only needing tossing into the microwave. Or don’t feel like cooking, add a salad and this could suffice as dinner. Drizzle perhaps with some greek yogurt and serve with their very good Mango Chutney.
I happened to see this in New Items shelf when is right next to our Checkout Line. This came out at Thanksgiving for the holidays obviously as it can make a nice Gift item for the Holidays. It’s a trio of authentic Italian pasta sauces from Puglia, Italy (for $9.99) Each jar is about 10 ounces.
I haven’t tried it but I found details on Trader Joe’s website….
“Packaged in a beautifully bespoke box, Trader Joe’s Italian Tomato Pasta Sauce Trio will delight even the most discerning foodies on your list. This handpicked selection of Sauces comes to us from Puglia, Italy, from a supplier who not only specializes in sauces, but also grows the very tomatoes that form their tasty base! With varieties including Roasted Vegetable, Cherry Tomato, and Puttanesca, each jar offers a true taste of Italy, bursting with bold tomato flavor in every spoonful.
The first Tomato Sauce features chunks of Roasted Vegetables (namely, zucchini, eggplant, and bell peppers), a blend that imbues it with mild, well-rounded flavor. The second is made with Datterini Cherry Tomatoes (also known as “Baby Romas”), resulting in a Sauce with a sweeter and more intense Tomato flavor, its brightness further enhanced with fresh garlic and basil. Lastly, the Puttanesca follows a classic Tomato Sauce recipe that includes chopped Kalamata and Chalkidi olives, capers, and anchovies, resulting in an unctuous, supremely savory experience. Each jar provides a generous 2-3 servings, enough to coat about half a pound of pasta.”
Probably a nice gift for many. I sure wouldn’t mind someone gifting me this!
Of course, this will be “Limited” so grab one while you can if you are interested….
They would be absolutely perfect to serve to guests over the holidays!
These are a wonderfully delicious French butter cookie, coated with a layer of excellent chocolate.
Trader Joe’s says this: “These Cookies are, indeed, made for us in France. The usual cookie-dough suspects—flour, sugar, egg yolks, milk, leavening, and salt—are combined with cultured French butter (13% of the recipe) to create a dough that is shaped into thin rounds. The baked biscuits are coated in rich, Dark Chocolate (40% of the recipe), yielding an exquisite Cookie that is at the same time: smooth, crunchy, chocolate-y, and buttery!”
Even if these didn’t have any chocolate, you would say these were great butter cookies. But they were dipped in chocolate, coated with a nice generous bit of excellent French chocolate too, which puts them out of this world.
These were a big hit with both of us. We really found these to be a super delicious treat.
My only problem with these? There’s way too few of them in the package! So you may want to buy at least two.
$2.99/package (4.76 oz)
Someone at my local TJ’s came up with “try with a dollop of peanut butter”. Yeah, baby.
Trader Joe’s got two new artisan pastas in this month. A spiral radiatore and this SQUARE shaped rigatoni. Both look perfect for our favorite (hearty?) sauce.
I got the square rigatoni to start with for review as I have never seen a square rigatoni before and could not resist trying it. It looks cool, right? First thing I thought was this: but after cooking is this going to stay square when it’s softer?! Well guess what, the answer: YES it does stay square as you can see….
TJ’s says this: ” What makes this pasta noteworthy? It starts with the Italian pasta maker sourcing high-quality, organic, and local durum wheat semolina, then going the extra mile to mill the flour themselves. High-quality tools are equally essential —bronze-coated extruders are used to produce thick, textured noodles that deliver a perfectly al dente texture, which helps support the heftiness of its partnered sauce while maintaining a delicate chew….Pair this uniquely shaped Pasta with a hearty Bolognese sauce and be in awe of how much sauce clings to, and even fills, each noodle. It is a natural choice for baked pasta dishes, as it can hold up well in a casserole without losing its shape.”
I just made the simplest pasta that day just to test it out quickly just butter and cheese; We liked this pasta quite a bit. Its great and tasty of course as I’ve found all of the artisan pastas from Italy the sell are (these are all high end pastas, organic durum semolina, bronze die cut….) But ideally this shape will excel and be perfect for a heartier sauce, especially something like a Bolognese or ragu, meat sauce as they suggest, or a baked pasta. Greek Pastitsio anyone?
Cooking time on the bag is 13-14 minutes. This two new ones including this one were $1.99 (1 lb) I would buy it again (PS they say these two new pastas are LIMITED editions, grab them while you can)
“Coffee was originally introduced to farmers by the Thai Royal Family… This relatively unknown region of the coffee world has blossomed into one of the top 20 coffee producers worldwide…. 100% Arabica beans, Mae Kha Jan, Chiang Mai small lot coffee is medium roasted producing a coffee with full body and notes of cherry and dark chocolate.”
“This relatively unknown region of the coffee world has blossomed into one of the top 20 coffee producers worldwide”.
“Relatively unknown”? To me, unknown for sure as I don’t think I’ve ever come across a coffee Thailand before, and I am pretty sure this is the first Thai coffee I’ve tasted.
Here’s my honest review of this new Thai coffee.
Is this latest TJ’s Small Lot coffee find any good? Is it worth you’re buying?
I answer with a huge, “YES” to both questions. Color me very impressed.
I don’t know if most of the coffee from Thailand is anywhere near this good, but all I can say is I found Trader Joe’s newestsmall lot coffee, Thailand Mae Kha Jan Chiang Raireally tasted fabulous.
One of our readers, commented that, “it’s divine” and I agree. This small lot coffee is right up there with the very best of all those Trader Joe’s has come out with. Sure, I think they had a few clunkers here and there, but the coffee finders at Trader Joe’s who travel the world looking for good coffee made by small producers, have from time to time, brought back some really excellent finds over the years to us coffee lovers, and this is one of them.
I ground up the beans, which smelled lovely, then brewed the coffee up, as usual, in my Moka pot. The aroma of it brewing smelled great. It even produced some crema too as you can see.
My cup of coffee was smooth and full bodied, well rounded with no off notes anywhere. Yes one can easily detect subtle notes of cherry and dark chocolate, as they describe on the package. I found this coffee just so pleasant to drink. I think it’s my new current favorite at Trader Joe’s.
It is quite accurately described as being a Medium Roast, which in this case it is exactly and I found perfect for it’s flavor profile.
Here’s some more of what Trader Joe’s has to say about this Thai coffee:
“Thailand has become a rising star in the coffee world over the past few decades. Much of this coffee production happens in the northern Thai border region, commonly called the Golden Triangle. It’s from this region that we get the small lot Trader Joe’s Thailand Mae Kha Jan Chiang Rai blend.
As part of our Small Lot Coffee Series, these beans are sourced from the Mae Kha Han Mill, one of the top dry coffee mills in Thailand. Although the mill is in the lowlands, the coffee is grown in the high mountains around it, at elevations between 1,100 and 1,500 meters. This Coffee is fully washed with a 12- to 24-hour wet fermentation process where the pulp is removed and the beans are fermented in water. This method, common in Thailand and Indonesia, results in a clean, consistent flavor. Each sip offers tasting notes of dark chocolate and cherry.”
This is just so good you can’t stop drinking it. As you know the Small Lot coffees are “limited editions”, they won’t be around forever. If you see this, I’d offer up this Small Lot coffee is well worth trying, as long as you can find it. $9.99 (12 oz) For this level of coffee quality, that’s not bad.
I went back and bought another bag of this for my pantry.
All I can say is: This is SO GOOD! So refreshing. So delicious.
It’s more to the everyman taste than some Ginger Beers I have had in the past, especially real real Jamaican ginger beer, which while I love, some people may find too too strong with way too much ginger flavor. This is just more like the best ginger ale you ever had, well balanced with a perfect ginger flavor plus a little bit of lemon and lime in the background. It’s one of those things that was next to me on the Check Out line, just asking for you to put in your basket and I could not resist, for which I am very glad because I now have a new favorite beverage.
Trader Joe’s sells these for about $1.15 each or or pack of 4 for $4.49 (12 oz each)
“Made fom a time-tested recipe with ingredients that include water, sugar, ginger juice, lime and lemon juices from concentrate, and ginger extract, our Ginger Beer has a refreshing, gingery bite, and mild carbonation. The addition of lemon and lime juices adds a zesty, citrus zing, and also helps establish the right acidic balance.” -TJ’s
Trader Joe’s Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants) 
Recent Comments