Meatless Monday: Trader Joe’s Gorditas

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The samples strike again at Trader Joe’s! This time we tried the new Trader Joe’s Gorditas. These are, as the box notes, pouches of corn masa filled with beans, cheese and chilies. For the sample they were heated up in the microwave and served on a plate with some salsa.

Trader Joe's Gorditas

YUM! They were really good

They reminded us of one of our favorite foods: Pupusas! These are yummy little disks, resembling a stuffed corn tortilla. Pupusas are originally from El Salvador. We just love them! We have had them stuffed with all kinds of fillings from Chorizo to beans to cheese- or a mixture of everything.

After contemplating returning for a second sample…hehehe.. we bought a package instead and thought YES! these would be a great Meatless Monday type dinner. .

The directions said to heat in a microwave or in a pan on the stove…. Of course I only read that after I stuck two of them on a foil –lined pan and tossed them in the oven!  This was because I wanted some time to make tangy coleslaw to top the Gorditas with. This is how Pupusas are served, a golden cake filled with beans and cheese and topped with a vinegary cabbage salad.

Trader Joe's Gorditas and Slaw

Trader Joe's Gorditas and Slaw

The end result? A lovely, easy dinner with rich tasty Trader Joe’s Gorditas and tangy crunchy coleslaw.

Have you tried Trader Joe’s Gorditas yet? What did you think?

Trader Ming’s Pad Thai and Satay

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We recently made a quick and unplanned visit to Trader Joe’s just before lunchtime. We took this “opportunity” as a sign to try something new for lunch. We selected Trader Ming’s Pad Thai Noodles and Sauce and Trader Ming’s Peanut Satay Noodles and Sauce. We purposely avoided the sushi and sandwiches as is our usual and instead headed for the middle of the store. Today we were searching for a hot lunch item that would also be happy at the office.Yummy Trader Joe's Lunch boxes

There are just some of those busy days when getting a lunch together while you are trying to get out the door just seems like too much. On those days I want to have some “sure things” ready to just “grab and go” and I wanted to try some of the Trader Joe’s items that do not need to be refrigerated or frozen.

Noodles and Sauce

Both of these lunch items come in cardboard “takeout” boxes that double as a serving dish. When you open up the box there are two packets inside. One holds the noodles and the other one holds the sauce.

When I first read the box, somehow I was convinced that I had to boil water and use that to hydrate the noodles- like this was a dry Ramen noodle product. But Wait! That is not the case with this product.  The noodles were fully cooked and soft in their package. The sauce was also nice and “saucy”.

What the directions want you to do is to open up both packet and mix them up in the little take away boxes, and then microwave to heat up for 2 minutes and WOW ! You have lunch.

So easy, right? But we don’t have a microwave….eeks!

Bowls of Noodles

Good news, these heated up like a charm on the stove. I only added a few spoonfuls of water to “get it going” in the pan as the sauces were on the thick side.

Bottom line: these were just delicious! We each tried both of them and well, I am not sure which one I liked better. They both were just wonderful.

So the next time you are planning what to take into the office for lunch…. Hey even if that is your home office, OK? You should give these Trader Ming’s items a try. They heated up quick, the sauces were rich and thick and they were a yummy lunch overall.

If you were at home, we would suggest adding some leftovers to these meals. A few cooked vegetables or some leftover chicken would bring these meals to a new level. OR a sprinkle of peanuts (for the Pad Thai) would be a nice touch…

What did you think of these products?

Trader Joe’s Bags and Contest?

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Trader Joe’s has an impressive selection of re-usable grocery bags. The last time we were at Trader Joe’s they had a big new display of the bags- OR maybe it was just because we were in the rarely -used –by –us 15 Item or Less checkout and the bags are close to that lane. Whatever the reason, there sure are a lot of fun bags at our store. We stopped to look at all the varieties and choices, and wondered if maybe we needed to add to our collection or not? Hmmmmmmm

Great Bag Selection at Trader Joe's

Great Bag Selection at Trader Joe's

As it was, we had 3 re-usable Trader Joe’s bags with us- all used many times and we discovered that we liked each bag’s size and features for different reasons. One of the bags we like to use for produce and another bag is good for when we purchase the toilet paper and tissues (the bag fits these items perfectly).

For us the Trader Joe’s bags work at times outside of a trip to Trader Joe’s. We have our favorite Trader Joe’s bags for going to the library, and another (an oldie) that has a long handle and is good when we are going to the Laundromat (apartment living, dontcha know..)

I also get a chuckle when I see Trader Joe’s bags just out, on campus, in the airport etc… It makes me feel like there is a secret society of Trader Joe’s gourmets all around me.  OR maybe just bag lovers, OR maybe both?

So where is the most unusual place you have taken a Trader Joe’s bag? OR where is the most unusual place you have seen a Trader Joe’s bag??

Should we start a contest?? Maybe on Facebook?? Who is interested??

Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter Cups Trax Mix

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OK-YUM! Trader Joe’s has combined smooth creamy mini peanut butter cups with dried cherries, almonds and cashews! Appropriately called Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter Cups Trax Mix.

Trader Joe's Peanut Butter Cups Trail Mix

Trader Joe's Peanut Butter Cups Trail Mix

We spotted this new trail mix on the “new items” shelf at Trader Joe’s on a recent visit. This is one of my favorite places to check out, just before we check out, just to see what is new in the store. As you know, Trader Joe’s has so many great items that even regular shoppers don’t get to know all of them. This New Items area gives us a head start, right?

Trader Joe's Peanut Butter Cups Trax Mix

Trader Joe's Peanut Butter Cups Trax Mix

OK back to the Peanut Butter Cups Trax Mix. YUM! Yes I said that, but I will say it again. The crunchy nuts, and the chewy dried cherries are wonderful together. AND then add the rich chocolate and peanut butter mini cups and this Trax mix is a home run!  I can see a baggie of this Peanut Butter Cups Trax Mix going into a lunch in the near future…. I guess that is IF there is any left!

Now the only thing I want to mention is the potential for a melt down with this product.  Here in Tucson it is still fairly hot out (Yikes today’s high is 100) and therefore this product might not be the best kind to include in a lunch or backpack to take for a quick snack. We usually stick to the fruit-and –nut only Trax Mix until the temps are under the 70’s. Just FYI

Have you tried this yummy Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter Cups Trax Mix? What did you think??