Trader Joe's Happenings

I hope your holidays were great!!!  Sorry again for the lag in posts last month.

I'm trying to get my camera working properly (I think it's a simple battery issue, but still....).  I have some pictures from this week's shopping trip, but can't quite post them.  Hopefully in the next couple of days I'll figure it out.

Until then - some Trader Joe's happenings/news.

TJ's recently asked fans what items are their favorites.  You can check out the list of the top 33 products here.  p.s. I see that their frozen Orange Chicken is #1 on the list and I had noticed it at the store this past week.  I will be getting this product next week and "reviewing" it for anyone needing an additional opinion :).

They are hosting a "2010 Trader Joe’s Nickel Chef Recipe Competition".  You can find all the info here, but the basic gist is that it's a competition calling for recipes that are simple and quick.  The theme ingredient are their "Fire Roasted Red & Yellow Peppers" (which I've had and are amazing).  The deadline is January 18, so if you have good recipes get them in soon!

Trader Joe's News

Trader Joe's this week in blogs...

• Trader Joe's meat scare - here and here and here (there are more, but I think you get the gist)
  
• New Trader Joe's openings - Raleigh, NC
• Product reviews - Brownies and mini croissants  and love for Joe Joe's
  
• Wine reviews (for those who can buy wine at their store) - 2007 Blue Fin Petite Sirah ($3.99) and one from Good Grape
• Recipes using TJ's ingredients - Polenta French Toast
  

New item on the blog's side bar

Today I went through the October 2009 Fearless Flyer.  Sadly, I hadn't picked it up yet this month.  I don't think I'd seen it or I think October is going much faster than expected.  I did blog about the Almost Fearless newsletter I got via e-mail from Trader Joe's.

Anyway, I went through and circled a bunch of things that I'd like to get at some point.  They are all things that we've never tried, but that I plan to purchase (as the budget allows from week to week).

I thought it would be kind of fun to have a rotating list of things we plan to pick up and try at Trader Joe's.  I will keep it as a side bar on the right side of the blog.  I will try to get the items within the month they are featured in the Fearless Flyer and I'm adding what page they are on, just in case you are interested as well.  When we pick something up and try it, I'll try to write about it and take it off that list.

If there are things you've tried and love, feel free to comment any time!  I love to know what's good and what could be passed up on.

Trader Joe Locations

As I start on this fun journey, I wanted to post some helpful links. Starting with how to find Trader Joe locations.

If you're wondering if there is a Trader Joe location in your area, check here.

Other TJ's links

• A few recipes - go here
  
• The Fearless Flyer (their "ad") - here
• You can sign up for their eNewsletter is here
  

Why Trader Joe's (and Whole Foods)

I am so happy to have Trader Joe's in the area and to start this blog! Here is the what, why, and how of it all.

What...
So, the plan for this blog is to share meal plans, recipes, ideas, and special treats that are from Trader Joe's with a little bit from Whole Foods. AND - to do it all for $50 per week (totaling somewhere between $200-250 per month).

We've been on a $200 per month budget this past year not shopping at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods (much). So, no absolute guarantees here. I can say, however, that we used to shop at Trader Joe's all the time and I have gone (for fun) to write down prices on our normally used items.

I will strive to be as truthful as possible about where our food is coming from for the integrity of this "experiment". And, lastly on the what...I'm sorry if you do not have Trader Joe's nearby and this is then, of course, of no use to you. For others who do and are hoping to stick to a tighter budget...I hope this may give ideas.

Why...
Before we moved to the east coast, we shopped almost exclusively at Trader Joe's. Once moving here we've switched it up, due to not having one closer than 45 min away. We've been on a $200 per month budget up till now (including everything - TP, shampoo, wine, etc.) so the plan is to stay as close to that as possible. If you want to check out those meal plans you can find them at my other blog (see the food label).

On September 25th a Trader Joe's opens up almost right across the street from us! So, now back to meal planning...Trader Joe's style.

Why the passion for Trader Joe's? Fair question - especially if you've never been to one of their stores. You can read some of the reasons why I love TJ's in this post from a year ago. Beyond those reasons, it is a really great company to support.

Recently I read this post that highlights a guide called The Better World Shopping Guide - 2nd Edition: Every Dollar Makes a Difference. The book "grades" companies based on these factors - Human rights, environmental issues, animal protection, community involvement and social justice issues (generally good things to get on board with :)). In the post it quickly highlighted a few different companies and their grades.

I was delighted, although not surprised, to see that TJ's had an A-. (See the other grades here.) This only helped me to be more determined to do the extent of my shopping there.

Trader Joe's will tell you that you probably cannot exclusively shop there. Although I've just about done that in the past, I am realizing that I will have to shop another place or 2 as well. This is mostly due to the fact that I have started using more dry beans and lentils and making other items from scratch. For example, off and on I make our bread from scratch. TJ's tends to only carry yeast during the winter months. Hence, the problem.

To offset the things we cannot get there, I will be shopping at Whole Foods for those additional items. Did you see that they got an A grade?

At Whole Foods I will focus on getting things like beans & lentils which are in their bulk section and are as cheap as any other grocery store. They often have great sales on produce as well.

They have told me that there sales run from Tuesdays through the following Wednesday. I know of a couple of blogs that post those sales and I will be checking out our local store as well since the prices vary by region.

How...
Another fair question. It can be a bit tricky at times. But, let me reassure you, it's also very fun.

Things to keep in mind.

• We are a family of 3. 2 adults and a 2.5 year old.
• We've cut quite a bit of meat out of our diet. We do love a good steak every once in awhile and love salmon, so we are not fully vegetarian. But, in the everyday aspect of eating, we do tend have smaller portions of meat or cut it out of the meal completely.
  
• I make most of our sweets from scratch (brownies, oatmeal cookies). And our snacks are stuff like homemade popcorn.
• We've started using dry beans and make those up.
• Sometimes I make our own bread.
  
• I make lunch stuff like hummus.
  
• We eat most meals at home, including most lunches.
  

That is all that is coming to mind in this moment!

Let the fun begin!!! :)

Welcome Trader Joe's Fans!

To anyone who may read this first post... I wanted to have a "starter post" before my "first post" explaining more about the blog (coming on Wednesday!).

To any Trader Joe's fans, or soon to be fans, welcome! I plan to post meal plans, recipes, favorite products, and some TJ's happenings...and, all on a budget.

I've decided to start this blog because I enjoy blogging, tend to be passionate about Trader Joe's, and a store is opening up right down the road from us this Friday!

I will write a long post Wednesday sharing much more information about the company and this blog. Then, I'll hopefully be posting some fun pictures from our town's grand opening of the store (that's happening on Friday morning). Then, the regular Trader Joe's meal plans and all will start on Monday!

Thanks for reading! Should be fun.