This past week started off like any other week in the meals department. I made a few of my favorite things… Like Copycat Panera tomato soup.
And I roasted a chicken.
The first night I made chicken and rice… But the chicken was SO SPICY we could barely eat it. The whole thing was sort of funny and I declared never to make it again.
What can I say, some recipes are winners… and others, not so much. I ended up freezing the extra chicken for a big pot of chicken soup I’ll make once I buy some carrots.
Trader Joes $33.81
Then as luck would have it, the HH was heading down south for an appointment and so I suggested he stop by Trader Joe’s and pick up a few things. I think salad things and lava cakes were what I suggested.
But he came home with a few more things and then we started talking about how awesome Trader Joe’s is and how if you you were single or didn’t like to cook, Trader Joe’s has all the ready made meals you could possibly want and oh how I wish we lived closer to one because it’s just the best store ever!
And for what you get, the prices are really good too!
Teriyaki chicken and rice… Oh how I’ve missed you.
And big salads… I’ve missed you too.
Trader Joes $36.43
A few days later I was down south visiting a friend and so I stopped into Trader Joe’s. The place was packed but I managed to toss a few ready made meals in my cart.
Have you tried their beef and broccoli? Whoa Nelly it’s spicy!
Pickety bits!
Who doesn’t love those for linner every once in a while?
But the thing I think I’m loving most about Trader Joe’s these days, are the flowers!
I’m not really one for buying cut flowers, but holy cow man! The cut flower selection at Trader Joe’s is only beautiful, but the prices are really, really good too!
Forget about spending $5 on a large London Fog at a coffee shop, give me a bouquet of flowers that I can stare at and that will last a week and you’re looking at one happy clam here.
Okay, so maybe I spent more than $5 on flowers…
But seriously though, I think everytime I’m near a Trader Joe’s this winter, I’m going to have to pop in and pick up a few.
Fresh flowers and ready made meals… That’s what it was all about last week.
How about YOU? Did you pick up anything exciting at the stores this past week? Do tell.
~Mavis
Total Spent This Past Week on Groceries $70.24
- Total Spent in October on Groceries $83.81
- Total Spent in September on Groceries $109.49
- Total Spent in August for Groceries $13.04
- Total Spent on Groceries for July $376.89
- Total Spent on Groceries in June $41.56
- Total Spent on Groceries in May $288.51
- Total Spent on Groceries in April $35.36
- Total Spent on Groceries in March $82.28
- Total Spent on Groceries in February $101.14
- Total Spent on Groceries in January $167.33 {this includes buying groceries on Fair Isle}
- Total Spent on Groceries in 2023 $1,296.36 for our $100 a month grocery budget for 2
Beth says
Mavis,
One of my best friends texted me Friday evening asking me to go on a “date at Trader Joe’s” the following morning because she wanted to know what my favorite TJ’s items are. I spent Friday evening building a list on my phone of favorite items so I wouldn’t forget to tell her anything. We wandered around and both added lots to our carts. Yesterday she texted me that I’m awesome for showing her the Butter Almond Thins…
I decided to order Panera for Saturday evening dinner and the app said their tomato soup is now an “updated” recipe…I immediately thought of you and wondered what you would think of that?!!
Mavis Butterfield says
I don’t know why they would mess with the recipe unless it was to cut costs. If you try it let me know.
Nancy Settel says
Oh my goodness that salad looks amazing, love everything in it. Were those thawed frozen peas in the salad? You can’t beat Trader Joes how I love that place. A little thing I always get there is there Chili Lime Seasoning. Oh my goodness on popcorn or scrambled eggs you just can’t beat it. And the help? Best in the business always so helpful.
Mavis Butterfield says
I’ll have to look for that chili lime seasoning! Thanks.
Ashley Bananas says
I avoid Trader Joe’s but maybe I should wander through sometime. I wonder how their prices fair compared to other markets? Or, if it’s really for boutique items only.
Mavis Butterfield says
Much better than Shaw’s or Scammaford, that’s for sure.
Katelyn says
I do 90% of my weekly shopping at Trader Joe’s. It’s MUCH less expensive than any other option where I live.
Holley says
I just TJ’s little pumpkin cookies for breakfast!!! Gotta love a good Trader Joe’s haul!!! Enjoy!
Dawn says
I am so overdue for a TJ’s visit!
Rosemary says
I just pulled chicken & rice and beef & broccoli from the freezer for meals today and tomorrow. I made these meals a few weeks ago. I still have a few more in the freezer, but I do love ready-made meals as well! One of my favorites is Barber’s stuffed chicken (I buy it when it is BOGO at Publix). I also buy the Minute Rice (in the cups) (and I stock up when I find a sale) – one minute in the microwave and it is done. Goes great with my stuffed chicken. Ready-made meals work well for me this time of year as things are starting to get busy – it’s like having a helping hand!
PS: I love your salad! I put cheese, salami, beets, roasted peppers, tomatoes, different types of lettuce, black olives, cucumbers in mine and I toss it with raspberry vinegar and olive oil – makes a hearty meal!
Tammy says
I love Trader Joe’s! I try to only go for basics, about once a month. It’s easy to throw a lot of stuff into the cart!
Lana says
Not being snarky here but when I go in a TTJ’s all I see is frozen meals and such and we just do not enjoy them. Give me a good store with ingredients like Aldi or Lidl and I am very happy.
Diana says
I have to say I agree! I view Trader Joe’s as a good store for working people that don’t have time to meal prep. For me it looks like a fast food store. I would much rather go in my garden or to a local farmers market and eat food that was just picked. I will admit I love to cook and really enjoy making fun and different meals.
Lana says
Thank you!
Karin says
Even on my working days, four per week, I rather make my dinner from scratch than eating readymade meals with lots of salt, sugar and carbs in it. The Kung Po chicken I saw in the photo is made in 15 minutes, including the chopping of the chicken and veggies.
Homemade is always healthier.
FeralCat says
I also don’t love Trader Joe’s. A lot of the frozen convenience foods are good and novel at first, but I get sick of them really quickly. I am a vegetarian, and the frozen items are really heavy on refined carbs. The food is inexpensive because the ingredients are cheap and not so healthy. TJ’s is what I ate at times in college, but I have become a much better cook since then.
KC says
Trader Joe’s does have a lot of good ingredients (their frozen fruit section is glorious; nuts and seeds and dried fruit, likewise; produce section often has a weirder range than normal; cheeses; breads; things like almond flour).
But yes, the place TJs absolutely shines the best at is when people want tasty food with a lot of different flavors and want to skip a large chunk of the prep work, while spending less than they would on takeout; the people who either do not especially enjoy cooking or who don’t have the time to cook the things they want to eat. Fancy appetizers that look like you either spent hours on them or got them from a caterer, but that cost less than 1/10 of what catered ones would have cost and only require baking from frozen? Bagged salads that are actually interesting and fresh? Pickety bits? Full meals that aren’t TV dinners but that take very minimal prep work and can be combined to result in a lot of different outcomes?
If you want to cook straight-up cheap without any “premium” ingredients, Trader Joe’s is not the place, for the most part (like many stores, they often have one or two things that they’re the cheapest place to buy, but… not all that many). But there’s so much delicious stuff there for treats (some of them very inexpensive!), or for convenience food that tastes like real food, or for fancy goodies…
Lana says
I guess you are not familiar with today’s Aldi or Lidl either. Both stores are full of better options and gourmet foods with at least triple the products over TJ’s and at less cost. We don’t cook cheap, we cook homemade from scratch.
Sue S. says
We have a Trader Joe’s in Hyannis!!! I’ve given up on shopping at Stop and Shop except for cat food which I just ordered on Amazon instead. And best of all, Trader Joe’s is supposed to be moving – to my town – as soon as they can get out from under the objections of Roche Bros. and probably Stop & Shop. It’s great because I buy more real food, and spend less. Love it!
Gwenn Ferguson says
I honestly think I miss living close to a Trader Joes MORE than I miss living close to a Costco. Since Costco is about 45 min away, we mostly get “stock up” stuff like tp, pt, evoo….stuff like that.
But Trader Joes, I miss the weekly fresh flowers I would buy myself, the freezer meals, cheese selection (although Aldi covers most of the cheese needs we have) and other stuff that work perfectly for two people. Although my weekly food spending might have been higher, we had far less food waste.
Loy says
Unfortunately, we live in the northwest and have no Aldi or Lindl. The nearest Trader Joe’s is 2 1/2 hours away. We have a group here that has been trying to get Trader Joe’s to come for years—interesting fact: Trader Joe’s is now owned by Aldi.
SueD says
ALDI Nord owns Trader Joe’s. ALDI Sud owns the ALDIs in the States.
Sue says
I love our Trader Joe’s, I never can find much at ALDIs.
Orange chicken and the chicken fried rice was my husbands favorite. I still keep it in my freezer for a quick meal.
When my husband passed, I was shopping and the manager heard about it and while I was checking out he gave me a dozen red roses. They are great people.
Kippy says
A friend and I go to TJs once a month. First we stop for coffee (my treat to reimburse for the gas). We went today. I was going to get stuff to make soup but the TJ fresh made soups cost less.I always get a wrap sandwich, chocolate cat cookies, sweet potatoes, and a bag of fruit. Their greeting cards are $1 each and very nice. The meat is too pricey for the budget but I’ve had the spatchcock chicken and it is yummy. Nonorganic raw almonds are also a monthly purchase. The frozen food is often too high in sodium.
Mavis Butterfield says
I never noticed the greeting cards… Thanks for the tip! 🙂
Gwyn says
I had heard years ago that Aldi and Trader Joe’s were started by brothers that didn’t get along. I am very fortunate that Aldi’s is 10 minutes away, and LDL and Trader Joe’s are each about 20 minutes away. I can pick and choose based on what is on my list. But I will say that I especially love to shop the holiday products. Trader Joe’s has the best canned pumpkin.
Michelle says
Never been to an Aldi or Lidl. They aren’t any where Central WA… Neither is Trader Joes. Darn. Although, the last time I went to traders Joe’s I realized it wasn’t the best place to shop for a family of 8. But def a great store for a smaller family. Wish I had more affordable options. Stuck with Safeway and Walmart (which is getting crazy expensive too).
Sue says
Trader Joe’s lets you try new and different cuisines at a very reasonable price point. It’s fun place to shop when you want the occasional convenience meal without the high cost of takeout. Their Palak Paneer is a hill I will die on! They also have plenty of items for healthy eating and scratch cooking. They have rarer produce like Meyer lemons, which are seemingly unsourceable anyplace other than Whole (Paycheck) Foods.
Aldi’s a great for fruits/veggies and other basics. Organic, non-cured deli meats are cheaper than the deli counter at Stop n Shop.
And Stop n Shop has great loss leaders. 10 sweet bell peppers for $10? Yes, thank you!
I will buy basics (flour, sugar, etc) in bulk and frozen veggies at Walmart, but never meat, chicken, fish, or eggs.
Every store has their good points as well as products to avoid.
Terry McA says
Alas, I have no Trader Joe’s near me, but Aldi is a half hour away. I visit them whenever possible (unfortunately not often). This week it was French Onion Chicken, Cube Steaks, Burgers, and Chicken and Cheddar Tacos.
Melissa says
Fun fact: Trader Joe’s has a podcast. They talk about how they bring in new products, seasonal offers, how pricing works, how store locations are chosen… it’s like a peek behind the curtain. For us, we think they do a good job of keeping it interesting.