I had my first experience with Trader Joe’s back in September of last year during a visit to Des Moines. To say that I was overly excited to go, and that I was incredibly satisfied with the products that I found would be a complete understatement. I became an instant TJ’s lover and now consider myself a devoted customer ;). So, when I found out that I would be moving to the Omaha, NE area and that they had a Trader Joe’s (and a Whole Foods!), you can only imagine just how excited I was. And now that I have both stores within a 15 to 20 minutes drive of me, I am not sure how I could survive without them ;).
Trader Joe’s products are allll over the food blogging world. I frequently learn about new products to be on the lookout for just by reading what other bloggers are buying, eating, and cooking with. From other food bloggers’ posts, I have also learned about some of the delicious, convenient, and easy meal offerings that can be created using TJ’s products. After reading about some of Trader Joe’s pre-made dinner entrees, I developed the idea for Trader Joe’s Tuesday (yes, another series! ;)). With this series, I will document my taste experiences with making an entire meal out of TJ’s products. After all, we all need convenience and ease on those nights when we simply do not feel like cooking. Trader Joe’s to the rescue!
For my first Trader Joe’s Tuesday, I selected a frozen vegan entrée and a side of fresh produce. On the menu was:
Biryani, which I learned is a curried rice dish…
…and trimmed and cleaned green beans (which are cooked in the microwave in the very bag that they come in!).
Biryani contains curried rice, apples, raisins, vegetables (onions, red peppers, and peas!), and Indian spices. I also added diced pineapple to this dish, which I had leftover from making Pizza Quesadillas.
Not only is the Biryani dish made with all-natural and whole ingredients, but the nutritional facts are fantastic, too! Oh, and all you have to do to prepare it is heat it in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Now that is easy!
I am sure that you are wondering..”how did it taste?” Well, my foodie friends, the taste of this dish was totally spot on! The flavors of the Indian spices combined with the savory rice and vegetables and the sweet apples, raisins, and added pineapple were fantastic. The package says that it serves three people, but I split it into two servings: one for dinner and one for lunch at work. Trust me, it was difficult for me to not eat the whole thing in one sitting! 😉
It looks super colorful and delicious, right? 🙂
As for the green beans…not only does the package state that they are fresh, but they actually tasted fresh! Plus, I was loving the simplicity of just poking holes in the bag and popping it into the microwave for a few minutes. I am pretty sure that anyone can handle making this meal.
I can now say with certainty that my first Trader Joe’s Tuesday experience was a successful and delicious one! I cannot wait to see what the next one brings, and to see what you come up with for your own Trader Joe’s Tuesday experience! 🙂
I am off to Sioux Falls, SD for the remainder of the work week for a conference. Therefore, you will not be seeing a WIAW or a Thursday post from me. Catch you on Sunday!
Now, I need your help. Do you have any “must haves” for meals that you buy from Trader Joe’s? What should I try out next?
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Ha Ha.. oh your poor wallet may be taking a hit as soon as you guys get all settled in Omaha 🙂
TJ’s and Whole Foods has definitely been super rough on my wallet…oops! 😉
I live in the deep South where the closest Trader Joe’s is 2 states (3 hours) away. Grrrrr! I definitely get pangs of jealousy due to the blog world’s love affair with TJ.
This meal looks delicious, and sometimes simple is just what you need. I absolutely love Indian food, though I’ve never had biryani. Might have to try it soon.
I feel bad that you are so far away from TJ’s. But just think, it is probably for the better of your wallet! 😉
I love TJ’s! I am shocked how good some of their freezer meals are. I will have to try this curry rice, curry is one of my absolute favorite flavor combinations.
It was SO good! I cannot wait to try more :).
I think it’s seasonal but when fall comes around get their pumpkin cream cheese..SOO GOOD! They have a pretty good boxed brownie mix too!
I LOVE their pumpkin butter, so I am sure that the pumpkin cream cheese is absolutely fabulous, too!
Definitely colorful and delicious-looking!
Oh wow. I have been to both WF and Trader Joe’s lately but mostly in just the produce section 😉 Let’s see what I can think of… Trader Joe’s Almond milk I’ve heard is pretty good, as is their cookie butter. They also have some Ginger Snap cookies that my college friends are obsessed with. Um, there roasted salted seaweed is also amazing (if you like seaweed that is… 🙂 ) Their sunbutter and almond butter is pretty great too.
Hmm… that is basically all snacky stuff though. Not very helpful for making meals! Lol. Sweet jelly pepper always looked good. And KathEats made some Tempeh the other day from TJ’s that looked amazing: http://www.katheats.com/orange-marmalade-glazed-tempeh
I am a BIG fan of their almond butter! I will have to try the sunbutter and cookie butter, too! And I have never tried seaweed, but I am totally open to the idea.
Thanks for the recipe link! It sounds fabulous :).
I want to go to a TJ’s soo bad! And a Whole Foods! Small town problems…
I feel ya! The closest grocery store to me is 15 minutes away, and the closest grocery store with organic products is a good 30 minutes. WF and TJs are just special occasions for us as they are both super far away 🙂
I totally understand. My hometown was NOWHERE near a TJ’s or WF’s. I feel super blessed to be close to them now!
The paneer dish is good, as well as the spinach lasage, the penne arrabiata, the stir fry, and the pesto pizza and the spinach pizza! and the eggplant parm! They are all SO yummy!
I love everything about this meal!
I don’t do a lot of the packaged foods, but I love TJ’s for their win deals. 😉
Their light coconut milk is my favorite and it’s in a BPA free can! Score!
Oh how I wish we had a TJs in India- it always sounds so good…especially their cookie spread and almond butter!
For whatever reason, I think TJ’s has the BEST frozen green beans I’ve ever had. If I want or need green beans, that’s where I get them from. How do they get them to be so fresh-tasting?!?
I’ve only been in a Trader Joe’s once. A few years ago I visited a friend in LA and he took me there. I can hardly wait for one to come to my area.
Oh well, I need to dream on! I always see Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods stuff in the blogger worls and always have to accept that I will never get it 🙂 I will now just live vicariously through you 🙂
Sadly we don’t have a Trader Joe’s here in Australia but I’ve heard rumours they may be planning to change that. I certainly hope so!
I am completely OBSESSED with TJ’s! Not only for the tasty and rare finds, but because of their low prices 🙂 The green beans are one of our produce staples but we never have tried that rice… I’ll have to keep an eye out for it!
They ALMOST build a Trader Joes in my town, but ultimately decided that while we were “healthy conscious” enough, there isn’t enough young people that will frequent their store. Upsets me a little, but it’s interesting to hear a grocery store knowing that YOUNG people are their key demographic! Nearest one is now 90 minutes away 🙁
I’ll just drool over everything you make from there. I only ever hear wonderful things.
LOVE me some TJS! I love their sunflower butter, hummus, kettlecorn popcorn, and well… tuna steaks 🙂
You know what, theres a trader joes right across the street from me and I never shop there. I shop at Sprouts and Fresh and Easy, simply because the prices are better on a lot of things. TJ’s does have some really unique items though!
LOVE your Trader Joe’s Tuesday idea! TJ’s made becoming – and now being – a vegan so much easier. Try the Chicken-less Mandarin Morsels (http://www.veganiowan.com/2013/01/trader-joes-chicken-less-mandarin.html) – they are SO much better than the chicken version!
Trader Joe’s is the BEST (aside from that bug in their spinach yesterday, whoops!)!! I love their quinoa and they have a ton of great gluten free items. 🙂 YAY for Trader Joe’s! That rice is a definite must have for my next visit…
I love TJ’s! I love that there are so many options for easy food prep! Can’t beat that 🙂 My must have is cookie butter — obsessed!
Oh TJ’s, that store owns my heart!
Man I love me some TJ’s I miss working there!! I wasn’t a frequent frozen buyer, but I do buy the precooked lentils and beets a lot. The pizza dough is amazing..the vegan desserts. The boxed Punjab Indian meal is amazing with rice!
Sounds delicious! I need to start checking out TJs more often. The problem is I live 2 minutes from Whole Foods. I see so many great things though – I’ll have to plan a trip.
I absolutely love TJ’s!!! I always have to stock up on their salsas, black bean dip and quinoa black bean chips! They also have frozen, fire-roasted corn I put in all my crock pot soups! YUM! I need to make another visit soon!
I love the idea of a TJ Tuesday! Did you think the meal was salty? I always thought there was a lot of salt in TJ’s frozen meals… And for other tj meal ideas, does cookie butter count as a real meal? 😉
Oh that looks so good! I love trader joe’s and every time I go I always pick up baked blue chips and chunky guacamole…oh and a million other yummy things, that place is hard on my bank account 🙂
Trader Joes is awesome. I love their jalapeño hummus, mediterranean dip and kale chips
This is such a fun idea for a blog series! I adore TJ’s and having some easy meals to throw together made with their products is always a good thing. This biryani green bean combo sounds super tasty!
i love TJs! but the closest one is 90 minutes away, so i never buy frozen foods. enjoy!!
Oh how exciting! I love Trader Joe’s. If you’re a wine fan, definitely check out the “3 buck chuck.” They have great, cheap wines! I also love the dark chocolate orange candies. Yum!
I am beyond thrilled that you are doing this series! I love Trader Joes but always seem to buy the same thing and rarely try new stuff until it is recommended to me! I just love the things I always buy so much it is hard to neglect them! hehe!
I’ve never heard of biryani but it looks delicious!
I loove Trader Joe’s! They carry so many products that Whole Foods stocks, but for half the price (sometimes more!). I now buy coconut oil, goat cheese, grass-fed beef, guacamole, olive oil, spices, butter, and a number of other items there, and save big time on my grocery bill. 🙂 A recent discovery: coconut chips! They are SO SO SO good!
Your biryani dinner looks delicious, and I love the addition of pineapple! I’ll have to give add this one to my cart next time I’m there!
Happy Thursday, love! xoxo
I can never walk out of Trader Joe’s without having compulsively grabbed about 10 times more than what I walked in for. Love that place…they always have great deals and delicious finds. Fun post!
I love Trader Joe’s! It’s actually cheaper here in SoCal for me than a regular grocery store!
It’s so colorful! Makes me wish that we had a Trader Joe’s nearby!
how funny I went to Trader Joes for the first time ever and I was like kid in a candy store. Def. going back again soon and will check out the biryani 🙂 I am so happy you will have TJ near you too
Oooh, I will have to look for Biryani the next time I’m at Trader Joe’s. Your dinner looks really tasty!
I’m thinking of going to the Healthy Living Summit as well this year. Hopefully we can meet up there!
I just learned tonight that Trader Joe’s has discontinued the frozen pack of Biryani Rice you describe here. It was a family favorite that we would have nearly every week. I would add a can of garbanzo beans and sometimes some diced mock chicken. I would often have to use two to three bags to meet the demand of our family of four. The product has been replaced with a smaller, boxed item that is with a hotter spice and a vegetable dumpling. I prefer the product they discontinued.
What a bummer! 🙁 That stuff was delicious!
I just heard about the rice today too 🙁 SO disapppointed!! My dad loved that rice as much as I did…..looks like I will have to experiment making it on my own! They do carry a similar product with small veggie dumplings….not nearly as good ( they had it for trial today and even the person cooking it said that it was bland ) and who needs the calories.
Hi ,thank you for sharing your blog post…It so helpful!!! give me some advice.I will wait for your reply
Hi ,thank you for sharing your blog post…It so helpful!!! give me some advice.I will wait for your reply….vv
Awesome Dishes. I will try this biryany.