Trader Joe’s canned LENTILS (plus recipe for French Lentils with Sausages) Quick and easy nutrition and a good source of fiber.


I gathered that people seemed to love the fact that Trader Joe’s added lentils to their line of canned beans. Some people saying this 99 cents can of lentils is a game changer.

As a big fan of lentils, I got a can to try out and review. Yes. These canned lentils are good and certainly couldn’t be easier as all you have to do is open a can and only cost 99 cents!

(French lentil stew with sausages)

Still, just to compare I made my own lentils to compare these canned lentils to lentils I cooked myself using TJ’s dried green lentils ($1.99/lb).

The ones I cooked myself using dried lentils were a tad better than these canned ones, especially in texture, as the ones I cooked were a little less mushy then the canned ones. I’m sure you know that lentils cook fast, unlike most dried beans. Lentils can be ready in only about 18 minutes. Compared to say dried beans which could take easily 2 hours (after soaking overnight).

Not to mention “Bean Economics” of using dried beans or lentils. Dried lentils and beans cost way cheaper than canned. For example a one pound bag of dried green lentils sold at Trader Joe’s are $1.99. That one pound of dried lentils will probably end up making the equivalent amount of perhaps 6 (15 oz) cans worth once they are cooked (they expand cooked).

Still, if you don’t want to make your own lentils than these canned lentils are the next best thing.

Trader Joe’s lentils cost 99 cents for a 15 oz can. The can says “Product of Australia, packed in Egypt”

The ingredients are nice and short: Lentils, water, salt.

How to use these? As they say on the can, you can use cooked lentils in soups, stews, or salads, or combine them with other grains. These will go well for example mixed with the HARVEST BLEND of grains and legumes for a very healthy dish of grains and legumes.

Now right out of the can lentils can taste a little boring. But they are easily jazzed up with some seasonings. Lentils love garlic, olive oil, lemon, cumin and other spices.

EASY LENTIL SALAD – You could just open the can, drain off most of the liquid and dump these lentils in a bowl. Mash up a fat clove of garlic or two. Add that plus a nice pour of good olive oil, EVOO. Add the juice of a lemon, or some good Balsamic vinegar. Grind on some black pepper Toss gently together and you have a nice and quick and easy lentil salad. The lentils could be eaten as is or could go on top of some greens. Maybe add a fried egg on top? Or sliced chicken. Or just fine as is.

Here’s an idea for a quick and easy recipe with a French flavor lentil stew using these lentils plus sausages (omit if you are vegetarian, subbing a bit of Soy Chorizo perhaps)

FRENCH LENTILS WITH SAUSAGES

In a pot brown up some sausages on both sides in 1 tbl of olive oil. Trader Joe’s UNEXPECTED CHEDDAR CHICKEN SAUSAGES or their UNCURED BAVARIAN BRATWURST will work great.

When the sausages are golden brown, remove them from the pan and set them aside. (Tip: i like to score my sausages with 3-4 shallow slashes on both sides before cooking. They open up when cooked)

In the same pot, add another tablespoon of olive oil and toss in a medium onion (sliced) and 4-6 cloves of garlic (sliced). Cook the garlic and onions until the onions are translucent or golden which will take maybe 5-8 minutes. (optional) Adding a tablespoon or two of tomato paste now will add lots of flavor. Cook the tomato paste stirring constantly for 1 minute or so.

Next pour in two cans of Trader Joe’s CANNED LENTILS. If you want it a very soupy stew add all the liquid of both cans. If not drain the lentils first (reserving the juice). Add about 1/4-1/2 cup liquid to the pot. You can add more later, as you see fit to get the right amount of liquid you want for your lentil stew.

Add your seasonings (ground black pepper, dried rosemary, oregano, basil, a pinch of cumin, a pinch of red pepper, if desired)

Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for about 10 minutes. Add in your browned sausages. Simmer on low for about 5 minutes more.

Serve drizzled with more olive oil and some a squeeze of lemon. Combine with some Jasmine rice on the side or just eat with some crusty bread and French Butter!

Want to make French lentil soup instead? Just add all the liquid from the can plus another can of water or stock. Add more chopped garlic. Simmer about a 1/2 hr. You can slice up the sausages, or eat them on the side.

Here’s a more detailed recipe

https://www.seriouseats.com/french-lentils-with-sausage-wilted-arugula-and-dijon-mustard-recipe

Trader Joe’s EUROPEAN GRAINS & SEEDS BREAD review


Possibly this is the healthiest bread at Trader Joe’s

WHOLE GRAINS & SEEDS. NO PRESERVATIVES. MADE IN DENMARK

Ingredients: Water, sourdough from whole grain rye flour, rye flour, flaxseed, wheat flour, wholegrain rye flour, sunflower seeds, rye flakes, wheat bran…..

1 slice = 120 Calories, 4 gr Protein, and 10 gr of whole grains

Trader Joe’s EUROPEAN GRAINS & SEEDS BREAD is a European / Scandinavian style bread that Trader Joe’s introduced not too long ago. Here’s what they have to say about it :

“Our Danish bakery partner starts with a hearty sourdough rye Bread base, bolstering it with flax seed, sunflower seeds, rye flakes, and wheat bran before baking it to a deep brown hue. The resulting loaves are classically European—moist, toothsome, and somewhat dense, with a slightly sweet, delightfully nutty quality in each thin slice.”

https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/european-grains-seeds-bread-078717

I’m a big fan of these types of dense, hearty loaves of bread, seen all over Europe plus every Scandinavian country. I love these kinds of breads that have lots of whole grains. These type of breads are usually square loaves, sliced on the thin side as they are dense. Hearty, and delicious.

Wonder Bread this ain’t!

Here in the U.S., we don’t see these kinds of breads often enough, so over the years whenever I’ve seen this type of bread somewhere I will generally buy it. Especially pumpernickel breads which I really like.

I was so happy to find Trader Joe’s came out with this style of European bread, which are of course super healthy, compared to most any other breads. Is it any good?

Yes, this bread is good. Trader Joe’s new “European Grains And Seeds Bread” is deliciously nutty, tasty and full of seeds. It is baked for for them in Denmark by a Danish bakery, with the thin slices have a nice, nutty taste from sourdough wholegrain rye and whole wheat flours plus a lot of seeds.

So healthy. I am going to guess this is probably the healthiest bread you can buy at Trader Joe’s.

PERFECT FOR OPEN FACED SANDWICHES

https://www.saveur.com/smorrebrod-eggs-shrimp-dill-recipe/

How to enjoy European Grains and Seeds Bread: What this kind of bread is great for, is making things like open face sandwiches. Probably not so great for your average (thick) sandwich. It may not hold up. You could try thin sandwiches with two slices but really, think I would think about doing Scandinavian style open face sandwiches.

Of course you can just simply spread a slice with (softened) butter, cream cheese, cottage cheese, any cheese you love, jam, ham, or whatever you like. One way I love to enjoy this bread is to spread a slice with butter and top it with thin slices of cucumber or radish and a few grains of sea salt.

You can eat as is, or warm or toast it a bit. As usual with breads, warming it up even a little bit always improves the flavor. But you don’t have to, its fine at room temp.

While I love how this bread tastes there is one area I think they could improve it. The slices tend to break apart if you are not careful with it, as there are so many seeds in it which make it less solid. Which just means you have to be a little gentle with it. So if using butter for example, I let the butter get a bit softened enough to spread easily, least you rip your slice. Sometimes I cut the slices into half or quarters as its easier to handle. Toasting it makes it a bit more firm so try toasting this too. I do really like it just a little toasted.

I made an simple open faced sardine sandwich on this bread and enjoyed it a lot ; it matched great with the fish. SO GOOD!. Try it with your favorite cheese too.

TJ’s says: “When it comes to toppings and fillings, the thin-yet-sturdy slices of European Grains & Seeds Bread are ready for near-infinite riffing: try topping a slice with a pat of Cultured Salted Butter and a swoosh of berry preserves; sliced Cave Aged Le Gruyère and Rosemary Ham, or ripe avocado and a spoonful of Crunchy Chili Onion. Enjoy a slice as the base of an open-faced sandwich topped with Whipped Cream Cheese, Smoked Salmon Pieces, and plenty of fresh dill. If it’s soft & chewy you’re seeking, use un-toasted slices of European Grains & Seeds Bread to scaffold scoops of tuna salad—and don’t forget the pickle on the side!”

Will this last as a TJ’s product? I hope so. Like all new products, if they see it is selling well they will keep it. However if not enough people buy this, then it may go bye-bye unfortunately. So if you try and like this, keep buying it. I sure will.

I think it’s even gotten a little popular. A few times I have found this sold out, but it seemed to get restocked after a few days.

$3.49 (about 1 lb)

I would buy it again.

Update: Just FYI I did see it recently (5/12/25)

Trader Joe’s Award-Winning SPICED CIDER, review


“How do you know it’s fall? When Trader Joe’s Spiced Cider arrives on our shelves! Our Spiced Cider has been a reliable autumnal indicator for more than 20 years. The 64 fluid-ounce bottle holds the juice of U.S.A.-grown, bursting-with-flavor apples that have been brewed with just the right amount of cinnamon, allspice, and cloves to give each sip that soothing seasonal warmth.”

Trader Joe’s SPICED CIDER is popular. It’s actually won the #1 spot in the “beverage” category of their 16 annual Customer Choice Awards.

I think this spiced cider is very tasty (if a just a little bit on the sweet side for my tastes, so sometimes I add a splash of water). The wonderful smelling spice blend they have added includes cinnamon, clove, allspice, orange peel, orange oil and lemon peel. I find the balance of the spice blend is just right, not too much to overpower the taste of the apples. You can of course drink this cold but you can really also enjoy it warmed up on cold winter nights!

SPICED CIDER is a seasonal (Fall/Winter) product. So get it while you can.

https://www.traderjoes.com/home/discover/stories/cider-to-crow-about

$3.99 (64 oz)

I would buy this again

Trader Joe’s ORGANIC CAESAR SALAD KIT


“Trader Joe’s ORGANIC CAESAR SALAD KIT with croutons, shredded Parmesan and a creamy Caesar dressing.”

I have read that this salad kit is pretty popular among the fans of Trader Joe’s. So I had to finally check it out. Before we begin with my review I should state a few times over the years I’ve made Caesar Salad myself. I mean the real deal. From scratch. Even making croutons (homemade ones are fantastic). Plus making the dressing (Ummm, with ANCHOVIES!)

If you’ve ever done that, or had a Caesar Salad in a decent restaurant then you know how good a real Caesar Salad can be. I mean the Real McCoy is fantastic. So good. You should try making one yourself at least once. Outside of the dressing its really basically three ingredients : lettuce, croutons, cheese…

Here are a few links to give you ideas (Natasha’s recipe looks good. But leaves out the anchovies. So another link with a dressing that has them…. )

https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/caesar-salad-dressing.html

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/229063/classic-restaurant-caesar-salad/

Naturally you can make this salad into something substantial by adding a protein on top of your salad. I could easily see one putting slices of cooked chicken or a piece of cooked salmon on top. Do that and you have a complete dinner, especially with a bit of good bread.

So having said that, let me review Trader Joe’s ORGANIC CAESAR SALAD KIT.

A bag can serve 2 with other food or maybe one very hungry salad lover.

For a packaged kit, it’s pretty good. Does it compare to my homemade one, or one from a good restaurant? Of course not but for just something Grab and Go, again pretty decent. For convenience, I can easily understand why people go for it. Just toss this in a bowl and voila a passable Caesar at a fair price ($4) and all in all fairly tasty and satisfying.

The Romaine was nice and crisp, the crouton very crunchy and are bite size rather than too big for your mouth or fork. So pretty good. But I have a few qualms.

Romaine lettuce – Nice and crunchy! However I did find a few bad pieces which I threw out but only about 6-10. Anyway as with all packages of salad, be sure when you buy it to examine it carefully for quality. Check dates on the packages. Get the best date you can find. If possible, try to use it the day you buy it, or the next one.

Dressing – Again, pretty decent, creamy and tasty (however no anchovies!) Of course its not going to match up against a “real” fresh made Caesar dressing. I did think it tasted decent for a commercial dressing. Looking at the ingredients though no “anchovies” listed and the main flavors of a classic Caesar Salad are Anchovies and Parmesan. In most recipes. Anchovies can be controversial.

They give you plenty of dressing. I would suggest add it stages. Don’t put the entire bag of dressing at once. Add about half or 3/4 of the bag of dressing, toss the salad, see what it looks like and if you think you need more then add the rest. You want salads well dressed but not drowning.

(TIP — Fresh LEMON really help this salad so if you have a lemon handy, squeeze on about 1/4 to 1/2 a lemon. Fresh lemon juice will definitely improve the overall taste of this salad quite a bit.)

Cheese – I thought this was one place they do the typical Trader Joe’s skimping. They don’t give you very much grated cheese and its just OK. Not actual Parmigiano I am pretty sure. So I added some of my own cheese, I shaved on Grana Padano with a vegetable peeler. Add cheese if you have some. It will help improve it.

Croutons – The croutons are OK but nothing special. They are well baked (dark) and fortunately bite sized. VERY crunchy. However these seem to be just baked bread. Actual croutons are seasoned. These croutons are nice and crunchy bordering on too hard however they will soften a bit of course when you add dressing.

The quality of these croutons here are not as good as Trader Joe’s packaged croutons – which are very good. Which makes me think. Couldn’t one come up with a pretty easy Caesar Salad yourself just by buying a few ingredients from Trader Joe’s?

I certainly think so. Get a package of Romaine lettuce hearts. A package of TJ’s good croutons. A bottle of Romano Caesar dressing. Some cheese (Parmesan, Grana Padano or Pecorino) With those ingredients you could could make your own Caesar salad which will be better than this one in about five minutes. You could have enough for a few days too and I am guessing it will work out to $2-3 a portion?

So this gets a thumbs up mainly for the convenience, as TJ’s Caesar Salad Kit is Grab and Go and if not great, its pretty decent and OK.

Would I buy it again? Well honestly I am not sure about that. Maybe only if I had to come up with something fast? Frankly I would probably DIY it and buy some Romaine lettuce, croutons, and a bottle of dressing at Trader Joe’s and make it myself with only a little more time and effort.

Now could you open up a can of anchovies and add some (mashed up with lemon juice) to this Kit? Why not!? You would have a way more authentic salad.

Trader Joe’s ORGANIC CAESAR SALAD KIT $3.99

Trader Joe’s SAN FRANCISCO STYLE SOURDOUGH BREAD, reviewed


Trader Joe’s “San Francisco Style Sourdough” is a popular bread at Trader Joe’s. And for good reason. Its just a really good tasting bread which everybody seems to love and it’s priced reasonably at three and a half bucks.

How about this for a review? I buy this all the time. This has consistently been one of my standard Go-To items to pick up whenever I shop at Trader Joe’s. One of my favorites breads they sell, and they have a lot of good breads!

This is a handy bread to have on hand. Good for many purposes.

I bet you love ingredient lists where the list is nice and short, like I do. Which it is here. Basically the ingredients say: “unbleached enriched flour, malted barley, water, salt.”

No preservatives.

Its a round loaf, sliced. The slices here are a bit thinner than another TJ sourdough, their CRACKED WHEAT SOURDOUGH which I also reviewed with a thumbs up. That bread is sliced thicker with about 13 slices to a loaf, while this one has about 16-17 slices per package. One slice has about 100 calories.

The crust looks slightly shiny, typical of sourdough bread, and has a nice hole structure in the interior. Its slightly dense, slightly chewy, with a nice taste and a hint of that “sour dough” flavor. It makes excellent toast.

I love a slice of this toasted, say for breakfast with some butter and good jam. This make great sandwiches of course. You can not go wrong making a grilled cheese sandwich with this. Ditto avocado toast.

I found some (incorrect) rumors online last summer about it being discontinued which seemed to upset lots of people, only to learn it was not discontinued. Just to confirm that again, I just bought it recently (Jan 2025) As it is popular you might find it sold out, on occasion, but just ask at the front desk when they expect to get more in, if they sold out of all the stock that day.

If you haven’t tried this yet, try it. I would say its well worth every penny.

San Francisco Style Sourdough Bread, $3.49 (1 1/2 lb, 24 oz round slice loaf)

I would buy this again

I freeze it for long term storage wrapped inside another bag (double bagged). If its hard to pry a slice off frozen I just use a knife to pry one off. Can last 1-2 months frozen.

RAVE

Trader Joe’s ORGANIC HUMMUS review


INGREDIENTS include: Organic fresh steamed chickpeas, organic sesame tahini, organic sunflower and olive oils, sea salt, organic garlic, citric acid and organic cumin.

You are at Trader Joe’s and want hummus. Wow, you will find so many choices to pick from. So which one should you get to start off with?

I would say you can not go wrong with a classic kind, meaning at least for the moment, ignore those where they have added flavors or additions (I’m looking at you tomato/basil hummus, oh crikey… and that dreaded chocolate hummus, don’t even get me started….)

Stick to Basics. Start with a good simple classic hummus. Like this one. This should give you a base line for decent (store bought) hummus. Later perhaps branch out and start exploring the other varieties with things mixed into it. Or add your own additions, as I frequently do*.

With that in mind if you want a very good, classic hummus, I’d say you can’t go wrong with this one. Trader Joe’s ORGANIC HUMMUS.

INGREDIENTS: Organic fresh steamed chickpeas, water, organic sesame tahini, blend of oils, sea salt, organic garlic, citric acid, organic cumin

I like this hummus. I think it may be one of the best ones they sell. Trader Joe’s organic hummus is a tasty, well balanced, hummus with a deep flavor, one reason being this one has a little more tahini than some others. Tahini or sesame paste is a vital component of hummus, to me, at least. Trader Joe’s does sell some hummus that has NO tahini it it.

You can serve hummus in so many ways. As a dip, along with either warm pita bread, or any bread you love, or crackers. Add some to wraps or sandwiches. Use as a dip for fresh or cooked veggies.

Try mixing a dollop of hummus into your salad dressing. That will give it a nice creamy flavor. Or mix in some Tahini for that matter.

While fine as is, I do like to add a little squeeze of fresh lemon to my tub and mix it in well. Serving it, a drizzle of very good EVOO over the top. Serve with with some warm pita or lavash and a salad. Yes.

Now I’ve been known to make my own hummus, from scratch starting with dried chickpeas but that happens pretty rarely. Maybe I will do that twice a year. However I can zhush up this quite decent store bought one.

(Organic Hummus to which I added my own addition on top: chickpeas sautéed with onions and garlic)

$2.69 (10 oz tub)

Sauteed Chickpea Recipe

https://www.ramonascuisine.com/easy-sauteed-chickpea-recipe/

Trader Joe’s ORGANIC SOFT WHITE BREAD, review


Though this is called “Soft”, rest assured it is not squishy soft. It has a nice crumb with a little structure. In other words don’t mistake the word “soft” here for something like squishy Wonder Bread soft. This is a high quality white bread.

I found this to be a very decent sliced white bread. For one thing, its just great for toast. Looking over the ingredient list one sees that it is fairly short and natural sounding, with no chemical names, no preservatives, no “conditioners”. All organic stuff. Has a little molasses and sesame.

The bread was best I think when I lightly toasted it, or at least slightly warmed it up, which let’s face it, applies to most any bread as far as I’m concerned. Warmed bread always tastes better. One of the reasons I always have a flat cast iron skillet on the stove.

This made nice toast, spread with butter and jam. It was particularly good when we used it to make your typical “egg in a hole”. You know… Cut out a hole using a with a small glass. Toss a nice hunk of butter in a pan, then toast one side till golden brown. Flip it over and carefully drop an egg in that hole. Add salt and pepper and let cook for a few minutes until your desired level of runiness, which in my case is pretty runny. My wife on the other hand likes hers cooked “well done” which I find a total waste as my favorite part is slicing open the yolk with my knife on my plate to let that lovely yolk ooze all over the place. Ha ha! I bet you want one of those right now after reading this don’t you!?

$3.49 loaf (24 oz) This bread is pretty good, priced fairly well, and I would say certainly worth a try if you want some “white bread” for sandwiches, toast and the like.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/egg-in-a-hole-recipe-1925587

Trader Joe’s ROSEMARY BUSH (“mini Xmas tree”)


I’ve seen those Xmas tree style Rosemary Bushes that Whole Foods sells every year. They are cute, shaped to look like a mini Christmas tree. Suitable to serve as a little Xmas tree, and even decorate. $20 each?

At some point Trader Joe’s must have been “inspired” (nicer than copied) to make them too. They started offering the same type of little rosemary bushes, and for cheaper, of course!

The other day I saw this rosemary bush at my Trader Joe’s, which they start selling around Thanksgiving. The plants looked really healthy and smelled great of course. They were $10.99. I decided to get one, thinking this will serve two purposes. For this holiday season it will be a mini Xmas tree – in addition of course to supplying some fresh rosemary! To avoid damaging the rosemary bush I will probably not decorate it much. OK maybe a few cotton balls? Maybe some little led lights around the bottom?

Be sure to spray these once a day as they can dry out very easily. I have found rosemary trickier than it appears, as they can easily be over watered, yet let them dry out too much and that can be bad as well.

Whole Foods sells these for about double TJ’s price?

Trader Joe’s Rosemary Bushes, $10.99 (2024)

Tips here for keeping rosemary healthy and going all year. Fingers crossed!

https://growagoodlife.com/propagate-rosemary-plant-from-stem-cuttings/

Update: They don’t last forever for me. A few months, then sections turn black. Mine always eventually seem to croak no matter what I do (sob). Still, they served their purpose as a mini tree!

Trader Joe’s ANCHOVY FILLETS in olive oil


For year I’ve been buying the little cans of anchovies in olive oil at Trader Joe’s, sold in a yellow can under the famous Italian-American “CENTO” brand for as long as I can remember. I try to always have at least one can in the pantry, as anchovies are so useful for cooking (trust me)

Today I saw that those yellow cans of anchovies come in a new can now sold under the TJ brand: “Trader Joe’s Anchovy Fillets In Olive Oil”. Even the sign below them not only says “Cento” they even wrote the (R symbol – for registered trademark)! Perhaps they just didn’t get around to changing the sign. I think they had a price increase from $1.49 to $1.79.

(and now $1.99 I think! Summer 2025)

In any case, anchovy fillets are great to have in the pantry. Have a least one there for whenever you need it.

Anchovies can add a ton of flavor to many dishes. They are just full of UMAMI. Even the Romans used them (well as garum) a kind of fish sauce made from anchovies, just like Thai Nam Pla fish sauce.

Don’t be afraid of anchovies. They’re an amazing ingredient. For example when you have “nothing for dinner”, just go in the pantry. Grab a package of spaghetti or capellini and a can of these anchovies. Start with 3-4 cloves of garlic, chop and toss in your pan, then pour in 2 tbls olive oil and let that sauté for minute. Now add in a can of anchovies (or half a can if this is your first time). Crush them up with a spoon. As they cook they will dissolve into your anchovy garlic pasta sauce. Toss in your pasta (undercook it two minutes) and a 1/2 ladle of the pasta water and let it come together mixing it well for a minute or so. Cook for a minute plus or until just al dente. Add chopped parsley, maybe some toasted breadcrumbs or panko. A squeeze of lemon. Voila a yummy dinner. Your welcome!

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/17167/sicilian-spaghetti/

Anchovies match incredibly well with tomatoes and especially tomato sauce. Want to add something special to your jar of store bought sauce which will give it a ton of flavor and make it taste homemade? Try smashing a few anchovy fillets up with a knife into a paste and toss that into your sauce on the stove. Let them mellow for 5-10 mins on a simmer.

TIP: If I just use a few fillets from the can don’t use the whole can up I put the left over anchovies in a little glass jar. Cover with oil. They will last a month or two in the fridge.

Here is a recipe I found on the TJ website for UMAMI DRESSING using a can of anchovies.

Umami Dressing

  • 1 package Anchovy Fillets in Olive Oil, drained and diced
  • 3 Garlic Cloves, minced
  • Juice from two Lemons
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
  • 1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp EVOO
  • 1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt, or to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper or to taste

In a medium bowl, mash the anchovies and garlic with a fork to form a paste. Add the lemon juice and mustard and stir until well incorporated. Slowly whisk in oil until it starts to emulsify. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired. Makes about 1 cup of dressing. Serving ideas: over bitter greens (radicchio, kale, arugula, Belgian endives) with freshly grated Parmesan, dress a Niçoise salad or as a dip for crusty bread

By the way, looking closely at the two cans, I see the yellow ones say Product of Morocco. The green ones say Product of Albania —

(google) “Albanian anchovies, particularly those sourced from the Adriatic Sea, are known for their high quality and are a popular culinary ingredient. Albania is a major exporter of fresh and processed anchovies, with some anchovy products being processed in Albania from anchovies caught in the Cantabrian Sea”

Trader Joe’s HIGH FIBER CEREAL


High Fiber. Low Fat. Low Sodium. Vitamins.

ZERO CHOLESTEROL

NINE GRAMS OF FIBER PER SERVING.

Fortified with 8 Vitamins Plus Iron.

What’s not to like?

OK let’s be honest This is not going to win any awards for the way it tastes, however its not bad. It tastes OK. In fact once I got used to it, I kind of like the taste.

Frankly you don’t buy this for the way it tastes. You would buy this because it’s High Fiber, and because its one the the healthier cereal options you will see in the cereal section at Trader Joe’s This is a very easy way to get more dietary Fiber into your diet.

Trader Joe’s HIGH FIBER CEREAL has 9 grams of dietary fiber per serving (2/3 cup). That is about 33% or 1/3 of the recommended daily amount of fiber

I usually buy granola, which tastes better My wife buys this. As the name implies the main purpose of this cereal is simple, fiber. It does this mainly from all the different types of bran it has – wheat, corn, and oat bran are in this cereal. Bran is the outer coating of grains., which is often removed from most grains except from “whole grains”. That’s what the “whole” indicates. Bran is loaded with fiber and it is usually stripped out.

Not here. Its actually added! Here’s the ingredient list….

Ingredients: wheat bran, corn flour, corn bran, cane sugar, whole wheat, oat bran, whey, salt…… Fortified with vitamins plus iron (60% of the DVI for Iron).

This has 9 grams fiber per serving. My granola has about 5 grams (2/3 cup).

So on the fiber front it delivers. It is not exciting taste wise but is OK. Especially as you are probably not eating just this by itself. You are likely adding things…. milk or a milk type beverage. Yogurt? Fresh fruit, like perhaps some sliced banana, maybe berries, apples or other fresh fruits or maybe some dried fruits. Yogurt or Kefir… so this is just one part of your breakfast bowl. That’s what I do. That stuff will make it taste fine. I do put a bit of granola on top of everything.

My wife buys this high fiber cereal as she feels she needs more even more fiber in her diet, though I think we eat pretty well in the fiber department. Still she says has trouble staying “regular” and High Fiber cereal helps!

Also in the plus column: is it’s low in calories, very low in fat, is low in sodium, has zero cholesterol, PLUS this cereal is low in Added Sugars, compared to almost any other cereal Trader Joe’s sells. So really compared to many others, this is a “healthy choice” in the Trader Joe’s cereal department. Maybe the healthiest cereal they sell?

It looks like little bits of brown stringy things which I assume have been extruded and baked. I am not very familiar with Nabisco’s FIBER ONE cereal but its a little similar, though I think the shape of that cereal is thicker that this.

Taste wise? I doubt anyone would say “this is the best cereal I ever had”. The best I would say is its”not too bad”. No really, I think it tastes it’s OK. Fairly neutral in flavor, it is nice and crunchy. A bit naturally sweet. It taste healthy. Generally I myself use it like a topping, and put it on top of my breakfast mixture of chia seeds, fruit, yogurt and sometimes kefir. I sometimes add a little bit of granola on top of everything to improve it all. But again, if you want an easy way to add some extra fiber in your diet, this cereal is certainly an easy way to add some to your breakfast in the morning, which will be good for you!

(You can compare to FIBER ONE)

Other things I get from Trader Joe’s for breakfast that are healthy, high fiber are Steel Cut Oats. Chia Seeds……

Personally I have always liked the classic GRAPE NUTS cereal – which is also pretty high fiber, and prefer it to this however my wife prefers TJ’s High Fiber cereal. She doesn’t like Grape Nuts. She has brought this home quite a few times now, which means she really likes it, and says it works to keep her regular! Just saying if that’s what you are looking for too, this will probably be good for you too! 😉

“the recommended daily amount of fiber is 28 grams per day” so this is just one part….

High Fiber Cereal $2.99 (14.5 oz)

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