Trader Joe's Fearless Flyer Review - March 2015

The Fearless Flyer is out! For those of you who are familiar with Trader Joe's, you already know what that means, and I'll bet you're pretty excited! For those of you who aren't acquainted with Trader Joe's, let me introduce you. It's a like a neighborhood grocery store with some healthy foods mixed in. A treasure trove of delicious produce and tasty treats. The Fearless Flyer is TJ's monthly (or maybe semi-monhtly?) 'newsletter' that advertises new products, highlights a few favorites and gives you the good news that certain seasonal goodies are back in stock.

Each time a FF comes out, I like to try a few items and give you some feedback. Perhaps my review will peek your interest to try some of the products for yourself. (And no, I don't get paid by TJ's. I don't even think they know that my blog exists at this point.)

That brings me to my post for today. Although I do enjoy creating fun lunches for my kiddos, sometimes I like to craft my own special lunch. After all, I too need to eat.
So today's lunch is geared towards adults (though you could certainly pack it for a child).
Yesterday, I ate this lunch at home. Today, I brought it to my husband's workplace, and we ate lunch together, with baby in tow.

First, the Cruciferous Crunch Collection. Pure crunchy veggie deliciousness. It reminds me of the Kale Slaw Salad that I crafted back in October. There is no dressing included in the package, which means you can top this salad with whichever dressing suits your fancy.
I chose a poppyseed dressing - yum.

 Chèvre with Honey. This was a gamble for our family, since it's a mild goat cheese, which we don't normally like. BUT I have to tell you - with the exception of LoveBug, we loved it! There's a bit of a pleasant tang, which is complemented by the sweetness of the honey. We spread it on the Tuscan Pane bread, which is reviewed below.

Tuscan Pane. This sliced bread reminds me a generic, store-bought French bread. It is pretty good warmed up and topped with the Chèvre with Honey cheese; there is nothing super special about it.

Organic Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Soup. Oh wow. A creamy tomato soup with a slight tang of red pepper. Delicious beyond belief. And so healthy too!

Honey Wheat Pretzel Sticks. I purchased these as a snack for our family. Overall, they are good. The honey adds a nice sweetness to the crunchy sticks. I found them to be a bit dry at times, so have a drink handy while eating them. Plus side: there seems to be quite a few servings in the bag, which means we still have snacks in this house of seemingly-bottomless-pit children.

A delicious lunch! Crunchy, chilled salad. Creamy, hot soup. Smooth, tangy cheese smeared onto hearty bread. Yum.

Reviews of TJ's December Fearless Flyer items

On Monday's post, I promised our family's reviews of the Trader Joe's products that we tried. All of which were found in the December Fearless Flyer - I wonder why they call it that. Hmm.

For snack at school, I packed Cinnamon Apple Sticks. They are crunchy, with a hint of apple flavor. LoveBug LOVED them, but SuperBoy didn't like them. Oh well, more for LoveBug.

The Multigrain Pita Bite Crackers were a hit with everyone. Personally, I wouldn't say that they reminded me much of pitas, but they were tasty as a cracker nonetheless.

Unexpected Cheddar - Trader Joe's describes it as such: "The smooth creaminess of the Cheddar gives way to a tangy flavor and slightly crumbly texture, a subtle hint of salt crystallization is discovered, and it begins to taste like an aged Parmesan." That description seemed to hold true for our family. A definite "keeper".

The Spinach & Kale Bites were a bit of a gamble. I mean it's practically pure veggies that I was putting in a kid-friendly lunch. LoveBug said they weren't her favorite, and SuperBoy declared them "okay"; however, he wasn't feeling the greatest that day, so I don't know if his opinion counts. :) Hubby and I LOVED these veggie bites. They are definitely better hot out of the oven or warmed in the microwave, but still pretty tasty when they are cold. And I will tell you that they could use a sprinkling of salt. But yum, yum, yummy!

Southwestern Style Chicken Poppers - When I first read about these in the Fearless Flyer, I figured that they were boneless chicken wings with a southwest kick. Nope, I was wrong. Here's how Trader Joe's describes them: We took "the black bean-corn combo made delicious in our Cowboy Caviar Salsa ... added diced white meat chicken, jack cheese, spinach, and southwestern style seasonings, then rolled it all up in a crunchy and colorful tortilla chip crust." It is delicious. LoveBug, Hubby and I could have these poppers in our lunches almost everyday. Good hot or cold. LoveBug said that these poppers were the best part of her lunch, apart from the Candy Cane Joe-Joe of course. :)

The most-anticipated part of the packed lunch ... the Candy Cane Joe-Joe. What is that, you might ask? It's like an Oreo, with a creamy, peppermint-flavored filling, studded with candy cane pieces. And these are only in stock at Trader Joe's in December.
Also, highly anticipated in our household are the Chocolate-Covered Candy Cane Joe-Joe's - oh pure deliciousness!

That's the end of our reviews for the December Fearless Flyer. I hope you got inspired to try a few new things. And if you live anywhere near a Trader Joe's, you most definitely have to try the Candy Cane Joe-Joes.

Lunch is served, courtesy of Trader Joe's December Fearless Flyer

Today's lunch is brought to you by Trader Joe's December Fearless Flyer. Oftentimes, we tend to get into a rut, in this case, a "same-ole, same-ole lunch rut". That is why I enjoy when Trader Joe's Fearless Flyer shows up in my mailbox. I peruse it for some "Out-of-the-Lunchbox" inspiration!

Here is what my family chose to try from December's Flyer.
* Southwest-Style Chicken Poppers
* Unexpected Cheddar Cheese
* Spinach and Kale Bites
* Multrigrain Pita Bites
* Cinnamon Apple Sticks
* Candy Cane Joe-Joe's

On Thursday, I will give you my family's reviews on these products. Until then, see what kind of lunch you could put together from December's Fearless Flyer. I'd welcome your comments and suggestions!

All Things Autumn ... a Kid Review of TJ's foods

Wow, it has been quite the week, as you can surmise by my one-day-delayed posts! Anyways, here are the reviews by my kiddos on the Trader Joe's foods featured in Tuesday's Autumn Lunch.

The Organic Applesauce Cups are kid-approved! I tried one myself, and they taste just like good ole applesauce. It's a winner.

Unfortunately, the Honey Roasted Pumpkin Ravioli was not a success. LoveBug ate them but didn't enjoy them; SuperBoy tasted them and didn't eat any more. I tasted a few bites, and although I'm a pumpkin-lover, I didn't think they were all that great. The filling was supposed to be pumpkin and ricotta; however, all you tasted was pumpkin. And while the pasta part was beautifully colored, it lacked in flavor. A thumbs down overall.

Pumpkin Joe Joe's were a hit. Definitely pumpkin-y, a little too sweet for me, but kid-approved for sure.

Mixed reviews on Roasted Mashed Sweet Potatoes. LoveBug thought they were good; SuperBoy did not prefer them. Personally, I loved them. I loved the taste and texture, and I adore how easy it is to make them. A few orange pucks in the microwave for a few minutes, and presto ... a veggie is served!

Toscana Cheese with Cinnamon - I am seriously surprised at myself, that I actually packed this delightful cheese in the kids' lunches, instead of keeping it for myself! It's that good! And of course, my cheesemongers loved it. I mean, what's not to love - hard, nutty-tasting cheese with a touch of cinnamon. Oh yum!

Lastly, my kids have snacktime in their classroom each morning, so I pack a snack into their lunchboxes for that very purpose. These "This Pumpkin Walks into a Bar" bars are the perfect item. In fact, my kids loved them so much, that I never got to take a nibble. And I guess that's an okay thing.

Hope you enjoyed our reviews of some Trader Joe's Autumn food items. Perhaps, you should go try a new Autumn-themed food too, either at Trader Joe's or any grocery store! Happy Fall!

Trader Joe's Autumn Lunch

The original plan was to make a Trader Joe's PUMPKIN lunch, filled with all things pumpkin as advertised in the October Fearless Flyer. However, when SuperBoy and I finally got to Trader Joe's mid-month, half of the coveted pumpkin foods were already gone. Wow, people must love pumpkin!

Therefore, this lunch morphed into a lunch of delicious, autumn food items found in Trader Joe's October Fearless Flyer.

Today's Autumn Lunch consists of:
* Organic Applesauce Cups - a package of 4 cups comes in 3 different flavors - Regular, Cinnamon, or Wild Berries. $1.99 for 4 cups, which is pretty much the same price as other name-brand applesauce cups.

* Toscana Cheese with Cinnamon - It's back, albeit for a limited time! One of my absolute favorite cheeses. Here's how Trader Joe's describes it nutty flavor of aged Parmesan and the creamy texture of farmstead Cheddar, generously coated in cinnamon". Yum! $7.99/#, but it's usually around $5 for a wedge.

* Roasted Mashed Sweet Potatoes - Found in the freezer section, this little pucks of delightfulness turn into mashed sweet potatoes after a quick stay in the microwave. Delicious, easy and nutritious! $2.49/6 servings.

* Pumpkin Bars - These are like a Nutri-Grain or other fruit-filled cereal bar, except there is pumpkin on the inside! $1.99/6 bars, which is the same price (if not less!) than name-brand cereal bars. (I packed this bar as my kids' mid-morning snack.)

* Pumpkin Joe-Joe's - Oreo-type cookies and Autumn collide in these pumpkin-spiced cookies from Trader Joe's. $2.99 for a 10.5-oz box.

* Honey-Roasted Pumpkin Ravioli - these beautiful pockets of pumpkin and ricotta are sure to delight any pumpkin-lover!  $3.49/2 servings.

Kid reviews to be posted on Thursday.

Product Review of TJ's August Fearless Flyer

On Monday, I made a nutritious, packed lunch using only 5 ingredients, all of which were from Trader Joe's August Fearless Flyer. And I promised kid-approved reviews of that lunch and its components. So here they are ...

(1) For the dairy component: TJ's Organic Lowfat Yogurt Squishers were a hit! LoveBug described them as "yummy", and SuperBoy cheerfully said that they were "great".

(2) The protein part: TJ's Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets. You already know that I LOVED them, and my son agreed that they were "great!" My daughter said that the nuggies weren't her favorite, and I had to agree that they did taste much better hot and fresh from the oven. (Guess what I'm gonna eat for lunch today ... the last serving of nuggets!)

(3) Grains: TJ's Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffin. The kids raved over these, wanting another one for snack that afternoon! LoveBug described them as "moist, blueberry-filled, with a tiny taste of maple". That should give some hope for those that are GF; delicious muffin options await for you at Trader Joe's!

(4) Fruit: LoveBug kept telling me about the "granola bar in my lunch", by which she meant the TJ's two-ingredient Fruit Bar. I tried the Apple Mango, giving LoveBug and SuperBoy the Apple Strawberry and Apple Banana respectively. They were tasty and chockfull of fruit bits - two types of fruit, no preservatives, no yucky stuff. We can't wait to try the Apple Coconut Fruit Bar.

(5) Veggies - Lastly, the Inner Peas. I really wasn't sure what my kids would think of these. I taste-tested these along with my mom-in-love (who was visiting), and we adults agreed that they were "crunchy and salty at first, but left a weird aftertaste". On the other hand, My kids. Could. Not. Get. Enough. They LOVED those crunchy, baked pea snacks! Fortunately, there was enough leftover to pack another serving for the next day's lunches. Woohoo for pure veggies getting into my willing kids. I couldn't be happier!

Trader Joe's Lunchable

Today's lunch is brought to you by Trader Joe's and their August Fearless Flyer. We happen to be lucky enough to have a Trader Joe's down the road from us, but if you don't have one of these awesome stores, you can easily substitute foods from your local store.

The point of my Trader Joe's lunchables is two-fold: (1) a healthy lunch that is (2) easy to make. Therefore, if you grab an item from each food group (dairy, grains, protein, fruit, veggies), you can quickly and easily make a portable, healthy lunch. No matter what grocery stores are around you.

Plus, on Thursday, I will give you the kids' reviews of these products.

Today's lunch consists of:
(1) Dairy: TJ's Organic Lowfat Yogurt Squishers - these yogurt tubes come in a box of 8 for $3.19, which is about $0.40/tube. You have a choice of 8 Strawberry yogurts in a box, or a combo or Cherry and Berry yogurts, 4 each in a box.

(2) Grain: Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins - my family is not gluten-free, but I know of several families that are GF. I figured we would give these blueberry-filled bakery treats a try, and on Thursday, we'll let you know the verdict. $3.99 for 4 muffins, making them each a dollar.

(3) Protein: Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets - Omg. I know that I said I was gonna give you our reviews on Thursday, but wow. After I baked these for the kiddos' lunches, I tried one. Wow. These might be the best store-bought, oven-baked chicken nuggets that I have ever eaten. $4.99/16 nuggets. 1 serving is 4 nuggets, making a serving $1.25 each. Not exactly cheap, but for GF and non-GF eaters alike, these nuggies (as my kids used to call them) are perfect.

(4) Fruit: Fruit Bars - these are relatively new to Trader Joe's. The thing I love most about this new product? There are only 2 ingredients, and both are fruit. No preservatives, no additives, nada. Four different flavors - Apple Banana, Apple Coconut, Apple Mango and Apple Strawberry. $0.99 each for pure fruit goodness.

(5) Veggies: Inner Peas - Baked green pea snackies with a touch of salt. On Thursday, I'll let you know what my kids thought of them. $1.49 for about 3 servings, making it a doable $0.50/serving for veggies!

To assemble, I baked the chicken nuggets ... and taste-tested them of course! While the nuggets cooled a bit, I cut the blueberry muffin to fit into the lunch container. Inner Peas go in one section, and chicken nuggets (so yummy!) plop into the other small section. Add a lid, and pack the Yogurt Squisher and Fruit Bar on the side. And presto - LUNCH!

For less than $4.25. More expensive than a school lunch, BUT much more healthy! And super easy to make.

By the way, if you are packing the lunches the night before like I do, I would wait to add the Inner Peas until morning. The refrigerator can add moisture to the baked pea snacks, making it less than desirable. Other than that, you're good to go!

Trader Joe's Lunchable

It's back-to-school time for some; however, in our state, we've still got 2 weeks. But I decided that this lunchable is packable for school (for those who have started) or for the park (for those of us who are struggling through the last few weeks of summer).

One of my favorite stores is Trader Joe's. Not only are the employees friendly and knowledgeable, but the store is clean, well laid-out, and full of yummy things. My kids enjoying tagging along to look for the Octavia puppet (our store's mascot), which the employees hide in different places all over the store. Once they find her, the kids are given a sugar-free lollipop or a piece of fruit in exchange for Octavia's location. Today, she was on top of the mini chocolate biscotti.

In order to keep this lunchable simple, I popped into Trader Joe's to pick up a few remaining items to add to the other TJ's items I already had at home.

Here's my basic ingredients for today's lunch: Sesame Honey Almonds (protein). Extra sharp cheddar cheese (dairy). Sesame Sticks (grain). Sugar Snap Peas (veggie). Dried Mandarin Oranges (fruit).

After I trimmed the snappeas and cubed the cheese, I placed 4 silicone baking cups into a small, plastic container.

Cheese cubes go in one silicone cup. For aesthetic purposes, I made sure to NOT place the orange foods in the yellow cup. Orange and yellow would blend together too much, and I wanted to make them pop visually.

Diagonally across from the cheese, goes the other orange food - dried mandarin oranges.

Sesame sticks - my current craving - fill up another baking cup.

Sesame honey almonds, the protein component, complete the fourth cup.

Lastly, the deliciously crunchy snappeas get tucked in between the baking cups.

And voila! A Trader Joe's Lunchable that was easy, relatively affordable and involves no cooking!