Kitchen

[Caitlinh429]

2 Words: COOKIE BUTTER!!! Also, Not Only Is The Fish Ridiculously Cheap But Its Also Wild Caught (Not Farm Raised) & Flash Frozen. Yes, Typically Frozen Meals Have A Ton Of Sodium But You Have To Look At Labels. I Use To Buy Stouffers Veggie Lasagna Until I Found The Much Healthier TJ Version. I Am A Big Fan Of Applegate Meats & TJ Has Those At A Fraction Of The Cost Of My Local Whole Foods, Stop & Shop And Shaws. I Also Am A Huge Fan Of Their Premade Salads Too! Last Trip I Got 6 Bags Full Of Groceries For Under $90. So Yes, IMO It Is Well Worth The Trip!!!

[jackthebear]

On 7/10/2014 ibb38 said:

On 7/10/2014 FunkyHulaGirl said:

Besides the produce, which was exceptional, Trader Joe's products are sourced from non-GMO ingredients. That alone makes it worth the trip...along with the things I can't get anywhere else. I sent a friend some of their Kona coffee cookies, and she went wild over them - I'll have to remember to get some more for her. Their butter cookies are the best I've ever had!

Springers - I know, right?! There are lots of frozen things I want to try, but at this point my freezer space is limited even after I cleaned the freezers out. I'm making another trip to Nashville in September to meet up with someone from the board, so I'll stock up some more on my way home - I should have made a bigger dent in my storage space by then. Also, I don't think I want to risk driving two hours with things like ice cream in this heat, so I plan to stick to things that I've seen recommended here. I have some ice packs I'm going to freeze and put in the cooler, and I guess we could get some ice, if necessary. My friend lives in an apartment and has a little freezer, so she can't get too much at once.

lousgirl84 - just ignore the "food police." Maybe if they ate something a little less "healthy" once in a while they wouldn't be so grumpy!

Other than bananas, my TJ's has the worst produce!!! Wegmans is across the street, I run over there instead. Aldi's- the 'brother' of TJ's is supposed to have great produce. I'm going to make a trip there one day- it's about a half hour away.

I don't think that TJ's is produce is meant to be a produce market, in the one I go to most the selection is small, I usually get Avocados. We buy most of our fruit/veg @ Costco or an independent ethnic market a couple of towns away that is amazingly cheap

[Cookie2025]

On 7/10/2014 HonnyBrown said:

Costco takes cards with a PIN and checks. At least the one here does.

TJs takes cash, credit, debit, gift cards, checks. If you're unsure, check their website or give them a call.

When I lived in LA, TJs was our corner store. There was one everywhere, and they all sold everything.

Here in Maryland, they are in "high end" neighborhoods and I'm not very impressed with them. I go to one 30 miles away.

I live on the next block up from the Towson Store. I love TJ's HOWEVER I have bad luck with the 'fresh' fruit and vegetables. I only purchase those items if I am using them within 2 days - otherwise I hit The Fresh Market or Wegman's - at the last 2 establishments I know the veg and fruits will last over 2 days. Our TJ's is an unreal site on Sunday afternoons - the place is packed. *** TJ's will refund your money if anything does get moldy, ect. ***

[Cookie2025]

On 7/10/2014 FunkyHulaGirl said:

ibb38 - the watermelon and nectarines I got in Nashville were both exceptional. I guess like with any chain, the quality varies depending on the produce manager.

ibb38, I don't know what I'm going to get for certain; I do need to get my friend some more of those Kona coffee cookies, oh, and the frozen chocolate croissants that were raved about on the board, but other than that, I'm going to just see what catches my fancy. When I went to Nashville I just got things like catsup, cookie butter, chocolate, pasta sauce - whatever would survive my driving around with it in my car. I didn't even look at the frozen and refrigerated things since I couldn't get them, so we're going to focus on that stuff this time around.

BTW, their oganic catsup (with no HFCS) is very, very good! I got the marinara sauce, which I haven't tried yet, and also the Bolognese pasta sauce - I didn't care for the latter, as it was too garlicky for my taste.

My recommendation is to try the Coconut Oil for moisturizing your skin and conditioning your hair. You can also use it for cooking too. I cannot live without the stuff. It is $5.99 a jar here.

[Deadeye Daisy]

FHG:

If you're into TastyKake items, best place to get them is at the Flowers Bakery Outlet stores in TN, GA & AL. They're distributed by Flowers as is Wonder Bread & Nature's Own.

Prices are better than WalMart. The last week of the month, most items go for $1 - $1.50 a box. Rebular prices are generally $2 or $2.50. Always a good selection. My new 'go-to' for TastyKakes are the Chocolate Bells. Upside down chocolate cupcakes filled with cream, covered in chocolate. Peanut Butter Tandy Kakes and of course, Butterscotch Krimpets. Flowers also carries the individual packages, as does Publix.

Marietta TJs is one of the three I go to. My favorite, though is the one just north of the Marietta store on Crossville Rd (actually Hwy 92; it's down the road a little bit from a good size Aldi's, the new outlet mall and one of the few BJs in GA.

If needed, the Publix just west of the Crossville Rd. TJ's carries dry ice. I only get if I'm getting ice cream at TJs.

[Deadeye Daisy]

For those of you who say Costco doesn't accept other credit cards.

They DO. You can place online orders at Costco (or Sam's club) with ANY credit card. I prefer using one of my Amex cards, but I have a friend who orders Costco gift cards and pays for them with her VI or MC, then uses the cards at Costco stores. Also, they don't require her to have a Costco membership when using the Costco gift card in the store.

I often order extra value gift cards from Sam's for DS. He doesn't have a Sam's club near him, so doesn't have a Sam's card. I order under my account and pay with his Amex card.

[okaywitheasypay]

enjoy! Have a nice trip --just no 'Thelma and Louise' stunts on your road trip--unless you see a Brad Pitt type hitchhiker .

I love TJs. Aldis also . I agree with Pie1993 about their coconut oil it is great . I also love their peppermint shampoo for me and my dogs.

ot="The cats were allergic, so we got rid of the kids"! Daisy this makes me smile every time I see your posts!

[HonnyBrown]

On 7/11/2014 Pie1993 said:

On 7/10/2014 HonnyBrown said:

Costco takes cards with a PIN and checks. At least the one here does.

TJs takes cash, credit, debit, gift cards, checks. If you're unsure, check their website or give them a call.

When I lived in LA, TJs was our corner store. There was one everywhere, and they all sold everything.

Here in Maryland, they are in "high end" neighborhoods and I'm not very impressed with them. I go to one 30 miles away.

I live on the next block up from the Towson Store. I love TJ's HOWEVER I have bad luck with the 'fresh' fruit and vegetables. I only purchase those items if I am using them within 2 days - otherwise I hit The Fresh Market or Wegman's - at the last 2 establishments I know the veg and fruits will last over 2 days. Our TJ's is an unreal site on Sunday afternoons - the place is packed. *** TJ's will refund your money if anything does get moldy, ect. ***

Pie, yes they will refund your money, but I'm not going to drive 30 miles to return a moldy peach!

The LA stores, I never had a problem with dirty produce or produce going bad quickly. The TJs out here are so disappointing to me.

Do you go to the farmers markets for your produce?

[HonnyBrown]

FHG, make sure you all are nice and hungry when you get there!

[Ibby114]

On 7/10/2014 FunkyHulaGirl said:

ibb38 - the watermelon and nectarines I got in Nashville were both exceptional. I guess like with any chain, the quality varies depending on the produce manager.

ibb38, I don't know what I'm going to get for certain; I do need to get my friend some more of those Kona coffee cookies, oh, and the frozen chocolate croissants that were raved about on the board, but other than that, I'm going to just see what catches my fancy. When I went to Nashville I just got things like catsup, cookie butter, chocolate, pasta sauce - whatever would survive my driving around with it in my car. I didn't even look at the frozen and refrigerated things since I couldn't get them, so we're going to focus on that stuff this time around.

BTW, their oganic catsup (with no HFCS) is very, very good! I got the marinara sauce, which I haven't tried yet, and also the Bolognese pasta sauce - I didn't care for the latter, as it was too garlicky for my taste.

I'm not great picking out produce to being with... but I'll have to expand my options when I go next time. I usually go for the turkey meatballs and gluten free waffles (with a sachi insulated tote on hand!) - a few containers of their soup, and I love their pesto hummus. One disappointment was their single serve ('keurig') coffee- there was 1 choice and the coffee was pretty weak. I hope they offer more choices in the future!