Trader Joe’s Offers Quality Foods at Surprisingly Great Prices

If you’re not familiar with Trader Joe’s, you ought to be.

Trader Joe’s is what I’d call a unique, specialty grocery store that stocks quality products at surprisingly low prices.

When I first discovered Trader Joe’s, roughly ten years ago, I fully expected the merchandise to be priced much higher than the typical grocery store, simply because of the chain’s quirkiness and selection of unique foods.

In fact, even after frequenting the store for some time, I still believed I was paying a premium for the groceries I was getting, but was content with that belief considering the high quality of the products.

It wasn’t until I sat down and took the time to study prices paid at Trader Joe’s compared to similar – not exact because Trader Joe’s doesn’t sell name-brand products – merchandise at a traditional grocery store.

Much to my surprise, I was getting those high-quality products for a much better price.

Not that I wasn’t sold on Trader Joe’s before, but that sealed the deal.

Turns out, if you read the Trader Joe’s story on their website, lower cost and saving money is a big part of Trader Joe’s.

In part, their “Our Story” description says, “Most importantly, we started packaging innovative, hard-to-find, great-tasting foods under the “Trader Joe’s” name. That cut our costs and saved you money. Still does. And that’s important, because “Value” is a concept we take very seriously.”

And they really do. Without a doubt, you’ll get an excellent value when shopping at Trader Joe’s.

The only downside is its limited number of locations. Trader Joe’s is expanding its footprint throughout the U.S., but finding a store near you may still be a difficult task.

Here’s a link to Trader Joe’s List of Stores PDF.  And a link to the Store Finder on the Trader Joe’s website.

Hopefully, you’ll have a location nearby. Because if you haven’t already been, you need to give Trader Joe’s a try.

And to get you started on your Trader Joe’s adventure, here are a few of the go-to Trader Joe’s products that always seem to make their way into my cart.

The majority of items my wife and I have tried over the years have been very good. And we continue to try new foods all the time.

The following, however, are a few of our old stand-bys that we recommend without hesitation.

Give them a try and let us know what you think. And don’t be shy about suggesting your own favorites to give us, and all readers, something different to grab on our next Trader Joe’s visit.

Prices may vary depending on location.

 

Our Trader Joe’s Favs

 

Vegetable Bird’s Nests

$3.29

If you’re looking for a vegetarian-type food, or simply something that tastes great, Trader Joe’s Bird’s Nests are for you.

While the name’s a little funny, it is fitting since the individual pieces do look like a bird’s nest. A mixture of onion, carrot, kale and tempura batter make up the main ingredients. And wow, you’d never think such a combination would taste so good.

Soy sauce packets are included, and I find it enhances the nests’ flavor rather than covering it up. Of course, if you’re not a soy sauce fan, pass it up and enjoy the nests on their own.

The taste, and somewhat the texture, reminds me of onion rings, but, likely a tad healthier.

A Trader Joe’s cashier once suggested baking an extra few minutes – above what the directions recommend – and boy was he right. The extra baking time makes them much more crispy and enjoyable.

Each box includes 8 nests, enough to serve as an appetizer, side dish, or even a light meal.

Never thought I’d enjoy a “vegetarian” dish so much.

 

Eggplant Cutlets

$2.49

Keeping with the vegetarian theme, when my wife is in the mood for meat-less meals, we’ll pull out these fantastic tasting eggplant cutlets.

Lightly breaded, they become crispy after baking, making them ideal for eating on their own, using as a sandwich filler, or our favorite, eggplant parm.

Just bake them in the oven, topping with Italian cheese for the last minute or so and plate them next to your favorite spaghetti and sauce. Really good.

There are a number of cutlets in each box, so we can easily get two, if not three, full meals from a single box.

 

Mandarin Orange Chicken

$4.99

My wife and I used to live in a city where we could get really good Chinese food from a number of different restaurants. Even though our Chinese options were plentiful, we’d still eat the Mandarin Orange Chicken every once in a while because we liked it so much.

A few years ago we moved to a new city where the Chinese food options are mediocre at best.

Trader Joe’s (Trader Ming’s) Chinese dishes have filled the gap.

Both the Mandarin Orange Chicken, and the next entry in our go-to Trader Joe’s foods are just as good as any Chinese restaurant dishes.

Like the other dishes I’ve mentioned, the chicken is battered and requires baking. Once baking is complete, the chicken pieces are tossed in the included mandarin orange ginger sauce.

If you like an orange chicken dish at your local Chinese establishment, you’re sure to like this.

One bag is more than enough for three servings, and could probably be stretched to four…unless you’re like me and love it so much you could eat the whole bag yourself.

 

Kung Pao Chicken

$4.99

While I like Trader Joe’s Mandarin Orange Chicken, I really like the Kung Pao Chicken.

That’s probably because I tend toward spicier Chinese dishes in general. And while the Kung Pao Chicken is spicy, it’s not overpoweringly so.

Unlike the other Trader Joe’s offerings I’ve highlighted, the Kung Pao Chicken isn’t baked; rather, it’s prepared in a sauté pan, adding the included ingredients as the main part of the dish cooks.

Yes, it involves a little more preparation, but I believe it’s completely worth the extra effort.

And, like the Orange Chicken, two people can eat a very full meal from one bag and have some left over. A group of three to four, especially if kids are involved, are sure to leave the table satisfied.

 

Trader Joe’s Brown Rice

$2.99

Usually, when we have one of the Trader Joe’s Chinese dishes, we serve it with rice.

Recently we discovered Trader Joe’s has its own microwavable rice pouches, making the rice prep when we have Chinese easy and convenient.

One pouch – there are three pouches in a box – makes more than enough rice for each bag of Chinese.

I can’t say there’s anything stupendous about the rice, but, it’s good quality, and easy to grab while shopping at Trader Joe’s so you’re sure to have your rice accompaniment on hand when the hankerin’ for Trader Joe’s Chinese hits.

Wrap Up

These are few – but far from all – of our favorites from Trader Joe’s.

In future posts, I’ll pass along other items we’ve found that are unique, great tasting and a fantastic value.

Until then, don’t hesitate to comment below with your Trader Joe’s favorites.