Trader Joe’s Dinner Hack

Nice (almost TOO nice in a weird, let’s talk about the amount of fiber in that bread kind of way) employees. Unique products like the Umami seasoning, the Everything But The Bagel Seasoning, and OMG during the holidays they put out some great stuff. They also have really, really, reasonably priced GOOD wine and cheese!

Another reason to love Trader Joe’s is that it’s small. I don’t think I realized it until years of shopping there but it’s somewhat relaxing to have less to choose from. Plus, no trashy magazines. I guess others could see that as a con but I really appreciate those particular qualities.

I’ve personally never understood the hype. Sure they have a few unique, good tasting products. But they are big on premade/prepackaged items and so much of their produce is packaged, which is such a waste. They also ship their produce from all over, not very green friendly. If you have a grocery store near you that locally sources items, you are much better off going there. Also, people seem to have an impression that everything there is healthy and that is far from the truth.

Yup! Me too and it’s shocking how many products have palm oil! However, if I remember correctly, TJ’s puff pastry is butter based NOT palm oil based and it works great for pot pies. Unfortunately, I think it might be seasonal since I can’t find it all the time.

Yes, thank you for saying it! It sounds harsh to say, but the health of our planet depends on people accepting some small inconveniences. Veggies really don’t take long at all to chop–especially if you have one of those quick-chop kitchen tools. I’d love to see CoJ talk more about the problems with plastic, sustainability, etc. (I remember one of their Week of Outfits featured a woman who only wears ethical/sustainable clothes, which was awesome.)

Or just buy already-made frozen pot pies from TJ’s. That would involve quite a bit less plastic packaging than purchasing the ingredients for this recipe separately as suggested in the post.

Agreed. I’m not a fan of waste and try to be as environmentally friendly as is feasible for me in this season of my life, but I am also a proponent of having options available for people who may be differently abled, whether from age or a lifelong disability. They may not have someone available to assist them all the time and pre-chopped veggies, fruits, etc. enable them to maintain a sense of independence they may not otherwise have. I say this having grown up with a disabled uncle. He could handle things like chopping veggies, but there were many things he couldn’t do and our family appreciated the resources available to him when we couldn’t be there.

I’m echoing every woman on this thread–thank you Milka for your post! It makes me very happy to see so many informed consumers speaking up! Ideas to minimize waste but still enjoy convenience: 1)you could meal prep your own frozen veggie mix and reuse plastic bags you already have (better yet glass tupperware) or 2) make pot pies in bulk and freeze extras to pop in the oven for a quick dinner. I second everyone’s sentiment–please more sustainable posts on COJ! I especially think this topic deserves attention with respect to the beauty and fashion industries.