Brussels Sprouts (Frozen)

I .  Finally.  Get.  It.

As a true Brussels Sprouts lover, I never really understood why that veggie has such a bad reputation!  It seems that way more people HATE Brussels Sprouts than any other veggie (well, maybe except okra, but okra should really be in a class by itself…).  Brussels Sprouts are delicious!  Brussels Sprouts are healthy!  Brussels Sprouts are easy to prepare!!  Brussels Sprouts look like adorable little teeny tiny cabbage heads!  I could not understand why so many people turned up their noses at them!!!

But now that I have tasted Trader Joe’s frozen Brussels Sprouts (which I shall refer to as B.S. for the rest of this review so I don’t have to keep writing out the name), I understand why so many people think B.S. are complete BS.

  

Here they are - in the freezer section...

 These are gross.

The texture of them is disgusting.  They are mushy and just do not feel “right” in your mouth.  They do not have the rich, roasted, delicious taste of fresh B.S. .  Honestly, when I ate them they made me gag a bit.  If I could offer up a bit of a comparison; I grew up only knowing CANNED ASPARAGUS (don’t judge!!).  I liked it.  My memory is that my mom didn’t serve (canned) asparagus often, probably because it is so expensive.  But when she did serve it, I really liked it!!  Then, when I grew up and got a kitchen of my own and my sweetheart introduced me to REAL, FRESH ASPARAGUS – oh my…  My heart skipped a beat!  I realized all that I had been missing all of those years!!  Canned asparagus, when put in a head to head competition with fresh asparagus, would LOSE HORRIBLY. 

And frozen TJ’s B.S. would get beaten to a pulp in a side to side comparison with fresh B.S. .

It looks like David was thinking these would be "meh" before we even reached the check out lane!
WHY didn't I go with his instinct and leave these at the store???

These frozen TJ's B.S. are not 100% horrible, they do have a couple of positives going for them:

1.       They are simple to cook – open the bag, plop in a baking dish with olive oil, and roast

2.       They are (presumably) healthy (though probably not AS HEALTHY as fresh B.S.)

3.       They are easier to prepare then fresh B.S. – no rinsing or cutting needed

4.    They are cheap

But all of those PLUSSES get drowned out by the yucky TASTE.  If something doesn’t taste good, no amount of easy preparation makes it worthwhile in my book.

These are so yucky tasting that there are still LEFTOVER B.S. IN OUR FRIDGE.  Folks, there are NEVER leftover B.S. in our fridge!  When I roast fresh B.S. I will gobble down every last morsel, and if I can’t fit one more in my belly, I will eat the leftovers the next morning, cold, for breakfast.  (OK, maybe I am a B.S. freak, but they are goooood!). 

Leftover smelly, mushy, yucky (previously frozen but now roasted) Trader Joe's Brussels Sprouts.

So, that is my take on this sad excuse for a frozen vegetable.  I give them a 1.75.

Here they are as I prepared to roast the little suckers

Here is what David thinks, “I LOVE THESE AND I WANT TO HAVE THEM ALLLL THE TIME!!  Just kidding…  I don’t think they are as bad as Sue does.  They are soft, particularly on the inside, I like that.  I think they are a little bit mushy but that is alright in a B.S.  They don’t have much of a B.S. taste, but that’s alright, they have some.  They’ll do.  They are kinda like potatoes, they will do for a filler-upper and they are quick and easy.  I would give these a 3.”

And here they are "in the wild" - i.e. on our plate.  Yuck.  Waste of plate space.
Notice the other TJ's stuff!  TJ's couscous mixed with TJ's (frozen) edamame, TJ's (frozen) asparagus,
TJ's chicken enchilada (I think that is what it is) topped with TJ's Hatch Valley Salsa, some TJ's black bean sauce thing...
The only super gross thing on the plate was the TJ's B.S. :(

Susan back again:  please don’t buy these.  Other TJ’s frozen veggies are good – the Roasted Corn, for example!!   And their frozen Edamame is my current addiction!  But these frozen B.S. are crappy.  

Price: .99

Rating (average of 2 raters):  2.5

Here are other Brussels Sprouts review links from this blog:

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Brussels Sprouts Parmyere (this was yucky)

Shaved Brussels Sprouts

Brussels Sprouts (a coveted 5 star review!!)

Day 314 - English Peas

The package for these English Peas said to boil water and put peas in for no longer than 90 seconds.  I confess, I left them in a bit longer, because once I put them in the water stopped boiling and didn’t resume boiling until after the 90 seconds was up…  I gave them an extra 25 seconds.  I followed the package instructions for “English Peas” – mince an onion, cook it in olive oil, boil peas, then mix together.

Find them in the fresh veggie department in a little bag

But before cooking them I ate a few peas raw and they were DELICIOUS.  They were super tasty and just screamed “PEA!!!!!”.  They tasted so fresh!  After this first meal that included English Peas I bought them again and ate many of them raw – I put them in salads, plus just ate them out of a little bowl as if I were snacking on nuts.  They are really yummy that way.

Raw, in a salad.  Very tasty.

As for the cooked version – these are much bigger than the peas I am used to, and that is cool.  Even after cooking they are still a bit hard.  I liked that – they are not mushy at all.  (My experience with peas in England was that they were mushy which was a strange pea texture.)  I like these!  They are something different.  It is not often that you happen across a new vegetable (though we have found two other excellent ones (both got 5 star reviews!) this year at Trader Joe’s – kale sprouts and baby honeynut squash, but neither are available right now L.  Still, you can see the reviews of them here: Kale Sprouts and Honeynut Squash (miniature) ).  I like these English Peas and will be serving them as our green veggie with dinner now that we have discovered them at TJ’s.

Here they are cooked, also really good.  Served with an omelet (dijon and fresh pesto for dipping!) and rice.

David agrees – he also liked them.  He thought they had more “snap” when eaten fresh (agreed!) and that the raw version was a bit more fun to eat.  He says he prefers a little French Petite Pois (damn doesn’t that comment sound uppity???).  But he likes these English Peas and says, “They are nice”.

Here David makes an honest mistake in Trader Joe's, confusing PEA for PEE...  I mean, who hasn't done that?

David in London - NOT a mushy pea fan...

Fish, chips, and MUSHY PEAS in London

We do not often have a side dish of just peas (snow peas are the exception).  When I was a student at good old Pawnee Elementary School in Omaha, Nebraska I had a “pea incident”.   A mean lunch lady forced me to eat some of the disgusting, mushy, wrong-shade-of-green peas on my plate.  Being a rule following little girl, I did as I was told.  Then I promptly JUMPED UP and rushed out of the cafeteria (which was also the gym…) to head for the toilets to throw up.  I didn’t make it.  Sorry Mr. Janitor, he had to haul out the infamous bucket of saw dust to cover my green pile of vomit.

Anyway, after that “incident”, peas were never high up on my list of vegetables.  But I can say that I have grown up and they do not make me gag anymore.  We eat TJ’s bagged frozen peas and will now add these delightful English Peas to our menus, too.  You can find them in the fresh veggie department (not frozen).  We like that these are a bit different than your normal run of the mill pea.

Price – $3.49

Rating – 4.25

Day 301 - Honeynut Squash (miniature)

This is easily the most adorable vegetable you could ever have on your plate.  They are teeny tiny itty bitty butternut-looking squash!!!!  They are so cute!!  We had never seen them before and Trader Joe’s had a couple of pretty displays of them so we grabbed one.

Opportunity Buys - LIMITED QUANTITY - go get some!

I cut the squash in half and took all the seeds out.  I put the halves in a glass baking dish and prepared each half differently.  For  David’s I put olive oil over the whole thing, salt, pepper, Kerrygold butter (review here) and brown sugar.  In my half I put olive oil all over, salt, pepper, and a special little treat – Mike’s Hot Honey (review here).  I cooked them in the oven on 350 degrees for 50 – 55 minutes.  Both halves turned out really well.

The World's Most Petite Squash

We both thought this vegetable was GREAT!  David said, “It is sweet, luscious, creamy…  It’s soft inside.  I have no complaints!  With honey or butter inside it is fabulous! What can I say??”

The hot honey half was fun – the heat of the honey had a delayed reaction so you didn’t really notice it until you were almost finished with the bite.  I liked David’s brown sugar half, too (thanks for sharing, friend).

You can't see how adorable and tiny it is here...  I served it with a side of pasta and homemade pesto
and eggplant parmesan David made the night before.  Nice combination.

These honeynut squash would be really great to serve at a Thanksgiving meal or dinner party this autumn.  Each person gets half and it makes a perfect serving!  They are pretty and look very seasonal.  I liked it so much I kept the seeds and am drying them to plant in our garden next spring. 

David is trying to be a hipster right now because his final review of these squash is “adorbs” J.  I agree – they are ADORBS.

This is a trick photo.  Doesn't the squash look freakishly HUGE? In reality, it is standing by
the world's smallest jar of  Tabasco.

I am glad that we found this little squash!  We actually have a tradition in our house of buying a regular sized squash and then leaving it on the counter forever.  We never think to cook it.  We usually have a squash on display in some stage of the decay process.  But I think these tiny ones are so cute we would remember to cook ‘em!  A regular sized squash it is just too much for two people.  One HALF of a regular sized squash is enough for two people.  So with these Honeynut Mini Cutie Patooties, cut one in half, cook, and in a two person household everyone gets a perfect sized serving in its own little nature made serving dish!

These are seasonal so get them NOW at Trader Joe’s because they will not have them very long.   Two thumbs up!

Price – .99 (so only .50 cents per serving!!)

Rating - 5

Day 275 - Snow Peas

I LOVE FRESH VEGETABLES.  Love ‘em so much I am kind of picky about them.  Like, don’t try and sell me asparagus that is starting to go off, know what I mean??

In the past, that pickiness about veggies meant only buying them at stores where they were not pre-packaged.  I like to touch them.  To SMELL them.  To see the actual produce – not see it through packaging.  But when I started this blog it meant shifting the vast majority of our grocery shopping to you-know-where, and most of TJ’s produce is in packages.

That worried me.  But not for long. 

Cuz one of the coolest (in my opinion) things about Trader Joe’s is that they really seem to care about freshness.  You know how in MOST STORES they put the soonest to expire stuff in the front, and stack the fresher stuff behind it?  It makes perfect business sense – sell the stuff that is going to go off first, then sell the newer things.  But to me, a customer, it makes the least sense – I end up buying an item that has less “shelf life” when I get it home than if I dug to the back of the stack at the store and grabbed one from there.  Know what I mean?

This photo is unrelated to Snow Peas.  It was taken in January in the Raleigh, NC Trader Joe's.  This is me talking
to the QUESTION GUY, who walked around with that sign so he was easily found to ask any questions to!
I SHOULD have asked him if he knew about the whole expiration date thing with bagged produce and dairy...  

But Trader Joe’s doesn’t pull that stunt!  Trader Joe’s (at least most of the locations I have been to) puts the FRESHEST stuff in the FRONT for you to grab and the stuff that is set to expire SOONER goes in the back.  Isn’t that the most awesome thing???  I have noticed it at lots of the TJ’s we have gone into.  Tonight I was explaining the concept to David, who had not noticed it before (he doesn’t pay as much attention to expiration dates as I do, hence his ability to drink milk after the expiration date I guess…).  I showed him the Half and Half we were buying, and sure enough, the one I picked up in the FRONT had an expiration date of October 15^th, and the one behind it was October 14^th!  Isn’t that cool?  In most stores it would be the exact opposite – push the older stuff onto customers.  I don’t know if Trader Joe’s has a policy about this, if they do it on purpose, if they care so much about freshness that they sacrifice a bit of profit, or if the people who stock the shelves just don’t pay attention and shove the new stuff in the front because it is easier, but WHATEVER THE REASON, I love it.  (It’s the little things…)

Which leads me to:  Snow Peas! 

Trader Joe's Snow Peas - all washed for you!

Snow Pea signage from Washington DC
(I will explain about their signage in a later post)

Pre-blog I would have bought these at a grocery store where I could touch them and choose which ones I wanted.  But now that I shop so much at TJ’s and I know I can TRUST them, I have no problem whatsoever grabbing a sealed bag of these puppies! 

Here is what I thought of them:

Color – perfect

Taste – great

Value – good

Cooking instructions – DECEIVING

I cannot single out Trader Joe’s for this, because all brands of bagged “convenience” snow peas seem like they do this now.  Look what the package says, right on the front:

It SHOULD say, "Microwave in this bag if you enjoy pulling pea strings out of your mouth during dinner"

But IF I followed that direction and just nuked and ate these things, LOOK HOW MUCH PEA STRING I WOULD BE EATING!

That pile you see closest to you is the pile of yucky bits.  If we just zapped them in the
microwave IMAGINE eating all the pea string.  Ewwww.

Gross!

You need to rip those stringy bit OUT OF THERE before you eat these things, man.  They are not meant to be eaten.  Snow peas are delicious but not if you have to reach into your mouth after every bite and pull out thick bits of pea string.  Not tasty and definitely unattractive.

See how delicious snow peas can be when you take time to prepare them properly?
We served them with pasta, mushrooms, shrimp, garlic, and parmesan.  

I recommend taking the strings out, then eating some snow peas raw as you are prepping your other ingredients for dinner.  Then cook these up and ENJOY (sans strings, of course)!

Price – $2.29

Rating – 4 (would be higher if the package didn’t tell you to cook them without removing the pea strings)

Day 262 - Spelt Risotto with Vegetables and Chickpeas

It looks good enough in the bag, eh?

We served this with left-over pre-roasted Brussels sprouts (reviewed 2 days ago here http://traderjoes365.blogspot.com/2015/09/day-260-brussels-sprouts-roasted.html) and zucchini cooked with TJ’s 21 Seasoning Salute (a product we discovered this year and really like, reviewed on day 184 http://traderjoes365.blogspot.com/2015/07/day-184-21-seasoning-salute.html ).

Strangely, this dish has both the SCENT and the TASTE of BACON, yet bacon is not listed on the ingredients.  It is a bacon-less, bacon-tasting product.  I guess that that flavor comes from the smoked cheese.

Doesn't it look sorta gross cooking?  The cheese looks like individually wrapped slices of Kraft American!
(It was NOT American cheese, I am just sayin' it looooks like it when you take it out of the bag.)

I like chickpeas, but I admit that they do have a BLAND TASTE.  Let me say this – the CHICKPEAS ARE THE TASTIEST THING IN THIS SPELT.  And that’s not sayin’ much.  Again, this is from someone who likes chickpeas.

The COLORS are pretty – a bit of pumpkin and some greenery.  It is easy to make.  I ate it with a big spoon (David forked it). 

Here it is on our plates.  It looks better than it tastes.

David said, “If you like brown rice – this is your guy.  The flavors are quite nice.  The consistency is great.  Even the al dente-ness of the spelt is quite good.  It is just that it is SO FIRM and so, soooo – healthy…   It’s just not my cup of tea.  I cooked it longer than it says to cook it to make sure that the spelt would be soft but it’s still…  It’s not RICE – let’s not kid ourselves…”

We both agree that we will be fine if we do not eat this one again.

If you still want it after reading this review you can find it in the freezer section.

On a happier note – after visiting 18 Trader Joe’s stores in 10 states (plus one more in a District) so far this year (in only 9 months folks!) we have FOUND THE BEST EMPLOYEE WORKING AT A TJ’S FOOD SAMPLING STATION!  Yes siree, I can safely say that CECILIA, who works at the Trader Joe’s store at Bailey’s Crossroads in Falls Church, VA is the friendliest, most knowledgeable, and honest TJ’s employee we have met.  She steered us away from one product (not to worry, manager, she just replaced it with a BETTER one in our cart!), gave us tips on other products, served us something we had never had (Kefir, to be reviewed soon!), and we ended up with at least 3 products in our cart that we would NOT have purchased had it not been for Cecilia!!!   And get this – when I told her I was doing a blog, she KNEW ABOUT IT!  Yup, she made me feel like a rock star for a second.  (But that is NOT why I am calling her out as the best tasting sample employee ever.  Nope.  She totally deserves that title on her own merit.)  Management of the Bailey’s Crossroads Store – please take time to pat Cecilia on the back, tell her she is appreciated, and give her a raise.  Heck, give the lady a PROMOTION.  She is a great ambassador for your store.  I wanted to include her photo here but she wasn’t keen on that idea.

Back to the spelt.  Sadly, it was not nearly as amazing as Cecilia was. 

Price – $2.99

Rating – 2.75

Day 260 - Brussels Sprouts Roasted

We are Brussels sprouts fans.  We normally buy them “raw” (like, what I would call “regular Brussels sprouts” – individual little cabbage-head like sprouts that you have to clean and cook).  But since I need to try a new Trader Joe’s product every single day of 2015 for this blog, and since I am only day 260 and there are 365 days in a year, sometimes we have to buy things we wouldn’t “normally buy” – like these pre-roasted Brussels sprouts!  (If you would like to read my glowing review of TJ’s Brussels sprouts (raw) from day 68, check here:  http://traderjoes365.blogspot.com/2015/03/day-68-brussels-sprouts.html )

But back to these pre-roasted ones.  My first thought after I read the package was, “4 servings!  Haha – clearly you do not know how much I love veggies!  This is 1 serving for our household, 2 at the max!”.  More on that later in the review, but suffice it to say, I was wrong on that estimation.

These come in a little pack in the fresh veggie produce section

I cooked these for 3 minutes in the microwave as the package instructed (with one resting minute after cooking). PEEE-EWWW did they stink!  It really smelled gross in our kitchen!  When I roast Brussels sprouts in the oven they do not stink up the house, so I am not sure what was up with that. 

They are good.  They for sure needed salt and pepper to season them but they tasted good.  David agreed with me.  He pointed out that the texture was also good (though not quite as good as when I roast them at home).  These TJ’s pre-roasted ones are not mushy.  He liked the flavor, too.  He thinks they are “pretty close” to what you get if you roast them yourselves but a little less “crisp” and pointed out that each of the flavors is a bit less of its own note, they kind of all go together a bit more but not in an unpleasant way.

Here they are in action!  Chicken (bought at BJ's, not Costco), brown basmati rice  (to be reviewed soon), and pre-roasted Brussels Sprouts

I feared these would be mushy like pre-cooked veggies in a can.  I guess I am a fresh vegetable snob, I love a green veggie with every meal, and I was nervous about these.  But they were a pleasant surprise. 

Pricing wise – the larger package (I am not sure how big it is, sorry) of raw Brussels sprouts at Trader Joe’s is bigger and cheaper – only $2.49.  However, it does require you to cook them.  So if you value convenience more than price, grab a pack of these pre-roasted ones.

Serving wise – the pack was vacuum sealed so after cooked and opened it was more than I originally thought.  It is 3 – 4 servings.

If you want a quick veggie this is a good option.  It would be nice to have on hand for nights when you don’t have another fresh vegetable around.

Here is an article that TJ’s wrote about this product - http://m.traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article/2247

  

Price – $3.29

Rating – 4.25

Day 202 - Black Beans

A can of black beans is a can of black beans, right?  I mean, how SUPERB or CRAPPY can a can be?  Maybe I just have never bought a super bad brand of black beans.

That being said, these are fine black beans. :)  They are black.  They are beany.  They are good.  As I have mentioned in previous reviews of canned vegetables on this blog, before buying Trader Joe’s brand, I always thought I “needed” to stick with name brand canned vegetables.  I clipped coupons and bought them on sale.  But now that I know TJ’s are just as good as the fancy name brand vegetables that pay for advertising (and coupons!), I will stick to TJ’s!

Not only are they tasty, they are an excellent source of fiber (insert fart joke here)

I served these over rice and topped with chopped green pepper, chopped onion, chopped tomato, and sliced avocado.  YUMMMMMM.  I added salt, pepper, and Tabasco to mine.  Sometimes I do the black beans over rice and kale (also with Tabasco) and that is also a really tasty meal.

See those black beans hiding under all of those tasty toppings???

If you have never tried a store brand canned vegetable, do it.  Cheaper and just as reliable. 

Price - .89

Rating - 4

Day 142 - Teeny Tiny Potatoes

These Teeny Tiny Potatoes, served at our Trader Joe’s dinner party a while back, lived up to their name.  They were indeed teeny and yes, they were tiny.  Maybe, since potato starts with a letter “p”, they should do the alliteration with “p”s instead of “t”s and call them “Petite Puny Potatoes”.  But I guess “puny” has a sort of negative connotation, and these were not really negative.

They are pretty cheap for such delicate little items

They are adorable little potatoes – so delicate and sweet.  Not really Barbie sized, but maybe Cabbage Patch sized potatoes. 

They are SMALL I tell you, teeny!

 As far as taste goes, they were fine.  Nothing “wooooow” like extra special potato-ey, but I mean, they did taste like potatoes. 

Bowl of teeny tiny dinner party potatoes

If I were to rate them on my own, I would give them a 4.  But since they were part of the infamous Trader Joe’s dinner party, I must take into account the opinions of the guests and then average our ratings together.  Let me peek at the guest comments now:

-          “Tasty, fun, nice texture”

-          “ksfkdl;akdlfj” (this guest had bad handwriting and I cannot read their comment)

-          “Fun, tasty”

-          “Okay for what they are.  But who needs potatoes to be that small?”

-          “Kind of ordinary, good crisp bite of skin, tender potato”

Price - $2.29

Rating (average of 6 raters) – 3.75

Day 123 - Shaved Brussels Sprouts

We served these at our Trader Joe’s dinner party last month.  We love Brussels sprouts and knew at least one of our guests did, too.  We had never bought this bag of SHAVED sprouts, so thought we would give it a try.  I had seen someone write online that they were really good and that the recipe on the bag made a great dish.  So what the heck – we tried them!

Shaved Brussels Sprouts - they look a bit like cole slaw

I gotta say – I was disappointed.  The recipe (which had balsamic vinegar and bacon in it) was easy to prepare, but didn’t come out all that great.  It tasted way more “balsamic-y” than Brussels sprout-y.  We prepared two bags (we had six adults at the party) and had loads left over (which we eventually threw away), so I assume the other guests weren’t too keen on them, either.  Maybe if they were prepared a different way and we didn’t follow the balsamic glaze recipe they would be better.  I guess I should give them another try sometime…

Bits of bacon in there - see them?  This is the cooked dish

If I rated them on my own, I would give them a 3.  But since this is from the dinner party, I shall now look at what other people wrote and average the ratings.  Let’s take a peek:

-          “A nice novelty, but the balsamic-bacon preparation kind of mushed up all the flavors.”

-          “Delightful combination of savory bacon and sourness.”

-          “Conveniently pre-chopped, lovely recipe on the package.”

-          “Ok, kind of “small bits” not my fave.”

-          “I think this could grow on me, but initial reaction is modestly appreciative.”

Two of the raters - see how SERIOUSLY they took their rating duties???

Well, it looks like our guests appreciated these puppies more than I did!!  (Then why didn’t they eat more of them???)

Price – $2.79

Rating (average of 6 from the dinner party) – 3.75

Day 116 - Baby Zucchini

We have eaten this vegetable from Trader Joe’s several times, so I was surprised when I looked at the blog and realized I had not yet reviewed it!  But now that I made it again and served it at our recent Trader Joe’s dinner party, I am glad I hadn’t already reviewed it.  If I had, I am sure it would have gotten a lower rating than it will now.  Let me explain.  J

This zucchini is very small.  In fact, I think they need to change the name and re-market it.  How’s this:  TEENY WEENIE ZUCCHINI.  Isn’t that fabulous??  Better than, “Baby Zucchini”, right??  Teeny Weenie Zucchini is catchy!  Trader Joe’s corporate, if you are reading this, you can send me a check for “naming assistance” at any time. 

This comes in a little package in the fresh produce section

The other times we cooked this, I steamed it.  And the result was PRETTY, but MUSHY, teeny weenie whole zucchinis.  For some reason we decided this was the green vegetable to serve at our recent dinner party, but then we both said, “Wait, isn’t it sort of yucky and mushy??”.  So we decided (thanks to David’s suggestion) to cut each one in half length-wise and SAUTE them.  I used a mix of olive oil, lemon juice, and pumpkin seed oil in the pan (and added freshly ground salt and freshly ground pepper).  The end result was much tastier teeny weenie zucchini than the mushy steaming technique.  These are inexpensive to purchase and pretty on your plate, too.  One cooking suggestion on the package is GRILLING, and I think that would make them tasty, also.  So I guess what I am saying is, don’t steam these suckers.

They are cute lil things

If I rated these on my own, I would give them a 4.0.  Now let me look at the reviews our guests wrote and add their comments here:

-          “Very delicate and tasteful”

-          “Very tasty but slightly mushy.  Goes very well with the filet mignon roast, but I love zucchini.”

-          “Very good size.  Just the way you’d want baby courgettes to be.”

-          “Nice presentation, but more skin and less flesh than normal sized zucchini.”

-          “Simple.  Delish.”

Note – we bought way too many for the dinner party, and last night I cooked more of them by chopping them up into very small chunks and sautéing them with thinly sliced Portobello mushrooms and shrimp.  We put that over pasta and it was really good!  So that is another cooking option for these!

Price - $2.49

Rating (6 ratings averaged together) – 4.5

Day 102 - Vegetable Pad Thai

I love Pad Thai – I often order it when we go out for Thai food.  So I would really like to find a great frozen Pad Thai to eat at home.  Sadly, this is not it.  It isn’t awful, but it is nowhere near the taste of Pad Thai you get at a restaurant.

Try as I might, I could not get mine to look as pretty as it does on the bos

I think part of the problem is cooking it in the microwave (which is the first method listed on the packaging) – the noodles just get gloppy and yucky.  Even with a large amount of stirring around it didn’t ever get “saucy” or appetizing.  And let me just say – there is a reason “bean sprouts” are listed first on the ingredients – this dish is chock full of ‘em.  Sadly, they are sort of the stringy sprouts, not the robust, tasty ones.  Drat. 

Here is how it looks in REAL LIFE - after lots of stirring to try and make it prettier (and tastier).  Note the Sriracha bottle...

I used copious amounts of Trader Joe’s Sriracha (which got a glowing review on day 45 of this blog) and that helped make the meal more palatable.

Cheap lunch, but not that great

In a nutshell – this will fill you up if you need to eat a quick lunch, but it will not leave you begging for more.

Price – $2.69

Rating – 2.75 

Day 84 - Whole Kernel Corn

Basically, a can of corn is a can of corn, no???

And yet…  At SOME grocery stores, I choose to buy the name brand corn (Green Giant and the like) instead of the plain label store corn.  “Why??” you ask.  Well, I am sure it is psychological, but I sometimes think the fancy brand MUST be better, right??

Wrong.  And Trader Joe’s brand just proves it.  This can of corn at Trader Joe’s tastes equal to any fancy brand you see advertised on tv.  I have eaten this corn as a side dish (just warmed with butter on top) and I have eaten it cooked into main dishes (most recently in a chicken chili that was supurb!).

Simple can, simple vegetable, tasty

Trader Joe’s corn is good.  It should not be dismissed just because you do not see commercials for it on television or coupons for it in your Sunday newspaper. If you are going to eat a canned vegetable, this one is worthy of your spoon (or fork, I am not judging).  Get it.  Eat it.  If you like corn you will like it.

Price – $.89

Rating – 4.25

Day 75 - Persian Cucumbers

I like a good cucumber in the summer time – slice it up, add some sliced onion, soak it in vinegar and water…  Tasty!   Or how about this – slice up a cucumber and toss it in a big green salad – delicious!  I had seen these smaller Persian cucumbers before but had never bought them.  Then recently I was visiting a friend in St. Joseph, MO and her husband brought some home from a local (non Trader Joe’s) grocery store.  He served them like a snack – a healthy appetizer as it were.  Just rinse and EAT.  No need for slicing.  No need for pickling.  No need for dipping or topping with something – just eat! 

Tasty, compact little crunch snacks!

The next time we were at Trader Joe’s I picked some up.  They come in a pack of 6 for $2.49, which equals 42 cents each.  So for less than you would plop down on a Snickers bar, you get a crunchy, tasty, HEALTHY snack!  We liked them so much we threw a few in a Ziploc bag in our carry-on for eating during a recent long flight!  A cool thing about them is that, unlike salty snacks, they don’t make you THIRSTY.  In fact they are quite juicy so help quench your thirst a bit!  Also, unlike snacking on carrot sticks, they are not boring!

Cheaper than a Snickers bar...  Easy to transport, too!  

I will keep some of these in our fridge for munching on. 

Price - $2.49

Rating – 4

Day 68 - Brussels Sprouts

Here’s the deal – I am picky about my fresh vegetables.  Vegetables are basically my favorite food group (maybe tied with cheese…) so I want GOOD vegetables!  I am the type of shopper who touches, examines, and even at times SMELLS the produce.  And yet….  I like Trader Joe’s brussels sprouts, even though they are sold in a sealed BAG so are untouchable, squeezable, or SMELL-ABLE! 

BRUSSELS SPROUTS ARE DELICIOUS!

In other stores I would carefully look through the bin of loose brussels sprouts to choose the ones I want.  At Trader Joe’s, you can peek through the clear parts of the bag and check the “sell by” date, but that is as far as you can go. 

And in my experience that is JUST FIIIINE.  I have never gotten a bad bag of brussels sprouts at TJs (and trust me, I have eaten my share of their sprouts).  I buy and cook them year-round and they are always fresh and tasty.  In fact I made some for dinner just this evening.  The package says it is five servings, but in our experience one bag equals four servings (then again, we like us some brussels  sprouts!).

Price – $2.49

Rating – 5

Day 55 - Baby Broccoli

When we have “regular” (as opposed to “baby”) broccoli, I normally cook it in a steamer.  However, when we have BABY BROCCOLI I sauté it.  And THAT, my friends, may be the reason baby broccoli is tastier than “adult broccoli”!! 

Find it in the fresh vegetable section

This vegetable is a staple in our house (I crave green veggies – I like to have at least one with every dinner).  The 8 oz package is just enough for two people (well, it is enough for two people to each have a serving, then for one person (ME!) to have seconds!). 

Here is how I normally cook it – wash, cut the end tips off, heat up some EVOO and sriracha in a pan, put baby broccoli in, cover, after a minute or two add some fresh lemon, salt, and pepper, cover and cook a few minutes more.  You have to turn them a couple of times while cooking and oh man – are they good!  The sriracha mixed with lemon makes an amazing burnt-like sauce.  Note:  if not everyone in your house likes HOT stuff, do it without sriracha.  Last night I made them without it, I just used EVOO, pumpkin seed oil, and lemon juice.  Still tasty!

Preparing to cook

On a dinner plate!

Baby broccoli is the more tasty child of adult broccoli. 

Price - $2.79

Rating – 4.5

Day 46 - Cauliflower

Cauliflower has never been on the top of my “favorite vegetables” list.  I just prefer my veggies to be GREEN, thank you very much!  But ever since we discovered ROASTED CAULIFLOWER, I have had to re-prioritize my vegetable preferences and cauliflower is sneaking its way up near the top!!

My first experiment with roasted cauliflower was from a recipe that claimed the little florets would “taste like popcorn and even kids would love it!”.  It was true, I loved it (though technically not a kid).  The second recipe was one that had loads of zingy flavors in a Greek yogurt sauce covering the head of cauliflower – oh man it was good!  Then last night I did a much simpler, and equally (perhaps more?) delicious version of a whole roasted cauliflower (ingredients were olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and capers (also fresh parsley, which we didn’t have so I skipped, cuz that’s how I roll).

Leftovers!  Day 2 of roasted cauliflower - it was just as tasty the 2nd day

 The point is:  give cauliflower a try.  Even if you have previously found it to be bland, dull, and yucky.  Try to roast it!  Google – there are loads of roasted cauliflower recipes.  In fact, if you have one you love please put a link in the comments section here so I can try it. 

Note:  I was not sure if the price for a head of cauliflower at Trader Joe’s, $2.49, was good or not.  So I drove RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET, a one minute drive, to Safeway to compare.  Guess what?  The Safeway price was $3.99!!!!  $1.50 more than Trader Joe’s! 

Oh Safeway...  Don't say, "Every Day!" with an exclamation point, unless you mean,
"Charging too much for cauliflower EVERY DAY!"

 Pick up a cauliflower when you are at Trader Joe’s and ENJOY IT.  I sure have!

Price – $2.49

Rating – 4.25