Trader Joe's Unsweetened Instant Oatmeal

Review submitted by: Jane Ong

I'm trying to be more conscious of what I eat for breakfast, not because I have a weight problem. It's because my breakfasts that I had all my life were mostly not so healthy.  I actually skipped breakfast quite a lot due to time shortage in the morning.  When I did have time to have breakfast, I often chose breakfast items that were mostly carbs, fats, sugars with not much fiber. Fruits and vegetables of course were very rarely included in my breakfast  So when I saw the Unsweetened Instant Oatmeal during my grocery shopping, I decided to stock it up so I could flavor my own oatmeals with real fruits.  I'm very happy that I bought it because this is the best unsweetened instant oatmeal (130 cal per packet) I've ever tasted.  While I haven't tried it with fruits yet, I'd added 2 tablespoons of low fat milk (16 Cal)  and 2 tablespoon of condensed sweetened milk (130 cal) after it was cooked with water in the microwave per the package instruction, and the oatmeal came out to be so creaming, delicious and filling. Yet, I only consumed 306 calories in total. I really love the extra flavor and crunch added by the ground flax seeds, chia seeds and  quinoa. This is another oatmeal winner of Trader Joe's.

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All Natural Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

Review submitted by: Jane Ong

My friend invited me to a potluck death party yesterday. (Or, do you call it the post-funeral party?)  It was a party to gather all her mother's friends, relatives and everybody who had known her well to celebrate her mother's death.  Wait, this doesn't sound right... I should say, "to commemorate her mother's life on earth".  

I always hate potluck party because: 1) I hate being obligated to bring a dish when I'm not much a social cook or a social baker, 2) the food  that was brought by the attendees was never good 99% of the time regardless of whether the food was grocery-store bought or so-called homemade, and I always left the party feeling hungry.  A potluck party always presents two levels of stress to me, i.e. the stress of  brainstorming on what food to bring, and the stress of acting as if I enjoy the food brought by others to the party when it really sucks.  But yesterday, it was the rare 1% of the chance that I actually enjoyed something at a potluck.  They were the all natural Pink Lemonade Cupcakes that I bought from Trader Joe's. ($ 3.99 for a box of 4 cupcakes).

I am never much a fan of American cupcakes (because they always taste too sweet and loaded with heavy hydrogenated vegetable shortening that I hate, and I grew up with less sweet, lighter, fresher, perishable cakes at Asian bakeries).  These all natural American style Pink Lemonade cupcakes that I bought actually surprised me because they tasted very good.  The cakes were really moist, buttery, and rich in lemon flavor.  The cream cheese icing was light and not overly sweet. Most importantly, the icing didn't have the yucky food coloring taste that I experienced with all the other American store-bought cupcakes; and also the ones proudly home-made by my friends (who drown their cupcakes to death with colors that made them look too scarily colorful to eat).  The icing tasted light but very delicious and the color is a natural coloring from Hisbiscus flower.

I bought 2 dozens of these cakes yesterday and lied to my friend that I made them at home... I have no idea what compelled me to cook up such a lie.  I guess it's because on Instagram, I often see  my friends proudly showing off their signature dishes that I have unconsciously developed a vanity to want to prove that I'm not the barren one who has no signature dish of my own!  So I went to great length to make my store-bought cupcakes look more home-made by topping them with low fat chocolately cat cookies (with no artificial colors or flavors, and no preservatives), which were also bought at Trader Joe's. (16oz tub for $2.99).  

I personally won't top these cupcakes with chocolate cookies again because I don't think chocolate goes well with lemonade...But my thoughtless food pairing yesterday actually made my home-made lie more believable to my friend.  Luckily, the attendees at the party ate the chocolate cat cookies and cupcakes separately, so such an odd combo of flavors didn't ruin the cupcakes. My two dozens cupcakes disappeared at the party very quickly while other attendees' brownies and sheet cakes were sitting on the buffet table, mostly ignored.  May be the attendees at the party were acting as if they liked my cupcakes since I lied that I made them myself.  If you want to find out whether they were faking their reaction on my cupcakes or not, grab a box of this at Trader Joe's and see if you enjoy them.  I do, very much.

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Heart Healthy Whole Grain Blueberry Oatmeal With Flaxseed & Plant Sterols

Review submitted by: Jane Ong

Even though I love having breakfasts in restaurants during the weekends, making breakfast during the weekdays have always been part of my getting-ready-for-work morning ritual.  Okay, by "making", I really mean "microwaving".  For more than two weeks, I have been having this Trader Joe's whole grain instant blueberry oatmeal every weekday morning ($3.99 for a box of 8 packs), and every weekends afternoon as snacks.  This is the best tasting instant oatmeal I have tried and it tastes like homemade, when microwaved with water according to the direction.  I like to add a couple tablespoons of low-fat milk after microwaving and a drizzle of condensed sweetened milk to add more creaminess and taste to it.  I like this oatmeal so much because it's really flavorful with oats and whole grain.  The blueberries add just a hint of sweetness.  This oatmeal is very mild and subtle on sweetness.  While I hate all the overly sweetened instant oatmeals out there, I do love to add a drizzle of condensed sweetened milk to this unsweetened Trader Joe's instant oatmeal for texture and for the perfect level of sweetness for myself.  For some reason, this instant oat meal is best microwaved with water, not milk.  So milk should be added after microwaving and not during.

I have been suffering from acne breakout in recent months and I suspect that it could be due to my lack of fiber in my diet, (of course my work stress too).   This is what prompted me to start a daily dose of this oatmeal.  Whether having this everyday will help me clear my skin or not, I have yet to see, but I have found that since I have been eating this everyday for about 2 weeks now,  my digestive system has been improved and I'm no longer suffering from constipation.

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Southwest Chicken Quesadillas

Review submitted by: Jane Ong

I have to admit, I'm no expert in Mexican food, I had never had Mexican food until I moved here to Los Angeles.  Even though I like Mexican food, I rarely have it because I just like Asian food more. I like Mexican food enough that I can eat it everyday for the rest of my life if the only kind of Asian restaurant near me is PF Chang.  

The last time I had a quesadilla was probably 3 years ago. When I saw the above box of frozen chicken quesadillas in Trader Joe's freezer ($3.69 for a box of 2), I remembered how I liked it so I bought a box to try out. The flour tortillas are supposed to be filled with white meat chicken, Monterey Jack and Pepper Jack cheeses, corn, bell peppers, spinach and black beans, with mild jalapeño peppers, and Mexican style spices. I wasn't disappointed, the quesadillas tasted rather good for frozen food.

If I have to rate these frozen quesadillas, I will give them 4 stars out of 5.  They make great meals during those times when I leave work so late that all my favorite restaurants are closed. I also like eating one of them for breakfast when I wake up in the morning feeling hungry and miserable. (Each quesadilla has 400 calories).

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Trader Joe's Streusel Topped Blueberry Muffins

Review Submitted By: Jane Ong

Even though I can make delicious banana nut muffins from scratch,  I always go to Trader Joe's to get its Streusel Topped Wild Blueberry Muffins whenever I crave for blueberry muffins ($3.99 for a box of 4).  They taste really natural and not overly sweet with the corn syrup that is widely used in a lot of cheap baked goods in discounted warehouses and the typical supermarket chain.  They expire fast but they can be stored in the fridge and are really good for several days. They are light and fluffy after being warmed up in the microwave for 20 seconds.  I also feel good and clean after eating them, which from my experience indicates that there is no hydrogenated vegetable shortening.  I can't tolerate margarine and vegetable shortening because I feel nauseous every time when I consume a baked product that has it.  Regardless what the bakery tells me, I can absolutely feel the presence of such hydrogenated oil because my body for some reason just rejects it every time and makes me feel sick.  I like these muffins at Trader Joe's because they don't make me feel sick at all.  Each muffin has 320 calories and it's good for my portion control for breakfast.  I stick to only consume less than 500 calories for breakfast.  I don't think I can make these muffins any cheaper based on my hourly pay at my job.  Between spending an extra hour at work and spending an hour making my own blueberry muffins, I'd rather get them from Trader Joe's.  I still will make my own if only I can find a really good recipe and I have the free time:)

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American Grown Sweet and Juicy Comice Pears

The sweet good pears are worth buying again again. It's pear season and we again went to Trader Joe's to buy  Harry & David's pear gift boxes, not to send as gifts, but for ourselves to eat. The price this year is $6.99 per box vs  $5.99 when we first tried them last year..  These are Comice pears grown in Medford, Oregon. and they are all good this time around.  They were very sweet, juicy and delicious. We loved the creamy texture. These pears were so good we will keep buying them whenever we see them at Trader Joe's.  

American Grown Sweet and Juicy Comice Pears

It's pear season and we recently found Trader Joe's selling  Harry & David pear gift boxes at only $5.99.  These are Comice pears grown in Medford, Oregon.  Except for one pear that wasn't so great, all of the pears in this box we bought were very sweet, juicy and delicious. We loved the creamy texture. These pears were so good that we are going to Trader Joe's to get another box.