at Costco and Trader Joe’s…
Tuesday, July 26, 2022
I have to admit that I was stumped for a post idea for today. I shopped at both of these stores very quickly yesterday and thought I would just squeeze a little ol’ post out of it.
I don’t enjoy going to Costco. I know some people love it, but it just feels overwhelming to me. And, I wasn’t supposed to go to Costco yesterday. Tom went for me on Sunday and didn’t find the item that I have come to rely on heavily. I will tell you what that is in a minute. I was determined to find it or find an alternative even though I knew I would be sad.
I also quickly scanned for new items and came home with a few.
These are 2 WW points for me and really delish! I took a chance on them and tried one immediately upon getting home. Confession: I would have had one in the car but I couldn’t open the package easily without a knife!
They are kinda like if an Oreo and an ice cream sandwich had a baby, it would be this!
Here is the elusive item:
I have been buying two packs of these at a time and I put most of it in the freezer. These are key to so many of my meals coming together quickly. If Costco ever stops stocking these I will be very sad. I had to ask an employee and he had to “go find them” and he told me “we just didn’t put them out”. What????? Costco, what is wrong with you?
I took a chance on these. The serving size is four pieces and that would be 4 WW points for me. So, I can have just one piece and it will be 1 WW point. Remember that I am really working on my protein so the full serving would give me 10 Gs of P.
I have been wanting to try some Real Good products. I didn’t get a chance to test these out yet. I will tell you soon if they are in fact real good. I would probably be find with “kinda good”. And, they claim to have 20 Gs of P. I could even stuff some more of my chicken strips in them!
And, that was my Costco haul. Do you buy any of these products? Any new to you products you think I would like?
Later in the day, I ran to Trader Joe’s to try to find my favorite frozen jasmine rice.
I grabbed these because Jack likes to order them at a few restaurants.
I plan to make my bread with tomato and ham from Spain soon.
I got this dipping sauce for the gyoza.
And, the frozen rice was out of stock so I got this. I have gotten much better at making rice on the stove so no big deal.
My kids love sour candies!
I have been looking for some sort of protein bar so I grabbed this. It’s bad. I will just eat a banana for a snack.
Tom loves a sugar cone so I got these for him. We have Heath ice cream in the freezer right now.
These bagels are the best I have tried in town. They are better than the few bagel places we have in town. They go bad quickly so I keep them in the freezer.
The baguette and ciabatta are great to keep on hand in the freezer, too.
And, that is it!
What are your favorite things to get at Trader Joe’s? I will be honest and say I don’t love their chips and crackers. I don’t jump on the bandwagon with a lot of the things other people gush about.
Hope you enjoyed shopping with me!
Amy
Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa 
I have not been to TJ’s in ages! It’s a dangerous place for me as I get tempted by so many yummy treats! Looks like you got some great items!
xo,
Kellyann
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I’m kinda bored with it, to be honest. I think it will be fun when they switch to fall stuff? I agree – I really avoid those treats that will tempt me.
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I actually bought those enchiladas last week. They are pretty good and easy to cook. I ate them with chips and it made for a good, quick meal. I also like those chicken strips! I bought some keto protein bars last time as well and they were just okay. They are so small that it is definitey a snack and not a full size bar in my mind :).
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Oh – good to know! Aren’t the chicken strips great? I really love them for any meal that requires already cooked chicken. I think I need to just eat a natural food for my snack like a banana. I feel weird about what ingredients are in the bars. The ONE birthday cake was recommended to me but they are nasty to me. Ha!
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I found the Bare nuggets when I went to Costco on Friday! They’re a hit, even though I personally haven’t had one yet. My Jonah loved them when he made them in the air fryer Friday night. Have you tried the Kirkland brand protein bar? They come in a box with two flavors- chocolate chip and brownie. I will say that we didn’t love them at first, because they only have 2 grams of sugar, but now we love them! You know how when something is low in sugar it tastes salty? That’s what I thought at first, but like I said, we’ve really acquired a taste for them now. I’ll try to remember to send you a picture of what they look like on Instagram.
I haven’t been to TJ’s in forever, but I’d love to go soon. Maybe I’ll do that on Saturday. I feel you on blog content, though not this week, with all the link ups. I do sometimes feel like I’m scraping the bottom of the barrel, so to speak. This one was a great idea, though! Have a good one, my friend.
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Oh, I’m so glad. The Bare nuggets are great to have on hand for a quick meal or to top a salad with! I will look at those Kirkland bars. I feel like I just need to eat a piece of fruit for my snack and not something so artificial anyway. I totally what you mean about getting used to less sugar. Sugar is in everything we eat in this country!
I am kinda bored with TJs but I will love when they do their seasonal stuff in the fall. Yeah, I am rarely at a loss for topics and words but I think I just was in a bit of a slump!
You too!
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I used to go to Costco every other week in Pittsburgh. Same with TJs. Since we moved to the midwest in June of 2020, I have been to Costco twice (twice in TWO YEARS bc it’s over an hour away) and I’ve been to TJs zero times. I don’t even know where the nearest TJs is.
I buy the AppleGate chicken nuggets for a healthier option…I just get them at Walmart!
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I think there is something kinda nice about just going to one store. By having so many choices, it kinda makes me want to go to all of them! I will have to look for those. I do like to do a Walmart stock up every few months. We have a Walmart neighborhood market that is just the grocery part of a big Walmart.
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Costco and Sam’s always feel overwhelming for me. I’ve never really shopped there due to my lack of at home storage but I know they have some great things. I almost always buy that prosciutto at TJ when I go. 🙂
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Totally! And, we just don’t have freezer space, so I get that. We don’t have an extra fridge or freezer. Their freezer stuff takes up tons of room. Right now my freezer could not be more full and we desperately need to eat from it for a few weeks. That prosciutto is really good!
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Our Trader Joe’s is a 25 minute drive so we go every once in an while. We have a Sam’s membership. I look forward to your WW meals. I’m stuck in a rut right now with meals. What are your go to snacks?
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Once a month is good. I think their freezer stuff is probably the best. I don’t live close to a Sam’s so that’s why I am a Costco person but it is so overwhelming to me to go there. We don’t have tons of freezer space and don’t have an extra freezer either.
Aww thanks. I am kinda boring and do a lot of the same meals. I am really into my bowls that use cauliflower rice as a base. I do a Greek bowl, a Burrito bowl, a Teriyaki bowl, etc. My ultimate go to snack is popcorn. I also have string cheese, hard boiled eggs, dum dum suckers, sometimes Baked Lay’s, high protein yogurt with some frozen fruit. I plan to start doing more apple slices with melted peanut butter. Make sure you are getting enough protein – I try to get 30 grams of lean protein per meal.
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Trader Joe’s must have items in our house at all times:
Salted sunflower seeds (for salads), Cesar dressing, Unexpected Cheddar Cheese, Buffalo chicken dip (I put it in deviled eggs), creamy cauliflower jalapeño dip, gyro meat, vegetable fried rice, jasmine rice (frozen), chicken gyoza, gyoza sauce, everything but the bagel seasoning, umami seasoning, tempura shrimp, and Argentinian red shrimp. The other day when I went to get my staples they were out of the jasmine rice and I was so disappointed, but went back the next morning and they had stock so I bought 6 boxes.
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It’s so funny because everyone has a different list. I love to read blog posts about it! I have learned to make my own rice really well finally! Why is rice so hard. So, now I am using a couple of bags up that I have. I will definitely get more rice next time I go because it’s so good!
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I don’t like to go to Costco either! The parking lot is a mess with no spots, and the crazy lines for gas give me anxiety. I’ve been eating no sugar added Fudgsicles for 40 calories/each. One is enough! I’m interested to see how you like the Costco protein bites. I go by a TJ on the way to work, and luckily the parking is fine. My sons love the Swedish fish too. One had Type 2 diabetes, so I try not to buy them too often. I like their selection of teas, and we buy pasta and jasmine rice. I like the EBTB seasoning and the EBTB crackers. I’ve found that their tortellini isn’t very good (Aldi’s tortellini is much better), but TJ’s frozen pizzas and frozen lasagna are excellent. My sons really like the TJ Choc Chip Dunkers cookies.
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I’m going to try their delivery. I was just reading about it in my Costco magazine. I have not had those fudgesicles since I did WW in the 90s but those were so good! I think you just have to know what is a good deal and what you like and stick to your list. I like to go there about once a month to stock up.
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I haven’t been to TJ’s in awhile, although I love many of their products. The last time I went the prices felt really high so I need to give it another try and see how they compare. I love Costco, but our store is so crowded that it definitely feels overwhelming. I end up going to Sam’s more often because it is usually empty! Thanks for the fun post!
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I didn’t go much this summer. I think I traded it for Whole Foods. Have you tried Costco delivery? I think I will try that sometime soon. Sam’s is really inconvenient for me. I had a membership for diapers 20 years ago and then I never went so I quit it!
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What a fun blog post!!
TJ’s overwhelms me. . .there is so much there. Sometimes we use it as a “date night” though — go and pick out things we both want to try.
I’m a Sam’s over Costco girl (I know, weird). In fact, was just as Sam’s Club yesterday. I prefer their meat, produce, and paper products over Costco. We have both memberships, though, b/c Costco is closer — all the kids get gas there and that is where we buy our dog food and my husband’s GF bread. Their supplements have become a staple, too, as have their stuffed peppers, my daughter’s favorite. Their shredded vacuum-packed roasted chicken might be something you want to look into — we buy that for making enchiladas.
I bought the Dove ice cream treats on your recommendation — although I like small “tastes” those were a bit TOO small for me — ha! Delicious though. The full-size, on the other hand, might be too big
Have you ever tried making your own protein balls? Much superior to anything you can buy!!
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It used to overwhelm me more. Now, I kinda know the lay of the land and our store is very small. I think there could be a need for both. We get our gas at Kroger and get better rewards and prices there. Plus, it is closer and way less crowded. The Dove are still fine for you if you have two and the other ones on a stick are pretty small.
I have made the protein balls that have oats and peanut butter but these are like egg and vegetables and sausage I think. I am willing to try again. That would be a fun challenge. I would like to make this type.
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Love that chicken too and the enchilada things from Costco are so good hope you like them
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Right? I haven’t try the enchiladas yet but I hope to soon!
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