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Trader Joe's best treats under $5

by WellHeeled on July 29, 2009

If you have a Trader Joe’s near you, and need some foodspiration, here are my favorite treats for under $5.

1. Flore de Moscato ($4.99) – delicious blend of Orange Muscat and Muscat Canneli. Great dessert wine to drink on its own or pair with some flourless chocolate cake. I’m not a big drinker, but I have a terrible sweet tooth. So… dessert wines are totally up my alley.

2. Chocolate croissant ($3.99) – Flaky, buttery pastry rolls with a chocolate log in the middle. Every package has 4 croissants. I’ve already waxed rhapsodic about this particular treat from TJ’s. In a nutshell, if loving these is wrong, I don’t want to be right.

3. Lemongrass chicken eggrolls ($2.99) – a package of 10 mini eggrolls that will bake up crispy and golden in your oven. Juicy chicken filling, with lemongrass and pepper. These treats would be perfect for finger foods. 

4. Vermont apple chicken sausages ($3.49) – 5 pre-cooked sausages with the most delightful sweetness. I like to chop these sausages into thin slices, pan-fry them (no oil necessary) until browned, then just eat them by themselves or fold them into omelets with sauteed mushrooms and caramelized onions.

5. Mango sorbet ($3.99) – Honestly? Honestly?? This taste just like frozen, pureed mangos. This sorbet captures the essence of mango down to the fruit’s last pulpy drop. It’s the perfect indulgence on a Summer night.

6. Pizza Parlano ($4.69) – Best. Frozen. Pizza. Ever. Sausage, pepperonis, onions, bell peppers (i.e. my favorite ingredients on one pizza!). The meats are all nitrate-free, so I can indulge (relatively) guiltlessly. I just make one of these pizza and toss together a salad for a quick and yummy meal for two.

(Can you tell that I love adjectives related to food?)

Share your favorite under-$5 treats in the comments!

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{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }

L.A. Daze July 29, 2009 at 11:10 pm

I love the sundried tomato chicken sausages. So yummy! My only gripe is that they spoil too soon, even though I put them in a ziploc bag after opening and store them in the fridge.

I haven’t seen the chocolate croissants yet…perhaps they don’t have them here in LA? But it’s making my mouth water…

Reply

Kim July 29, 2009 at 11:42 pm

Oh dear, where to start? My favorites were the White Cheddar Soy Crisps, but those have apparently been discontinued. The Fat Free Tart Frozen Yogurt = wonderful beyond wonderful. The TJ’s brand chocolate soy milk is great if you like chocolate soy milk :-)

Also, um…Just Chicken Strips (frozen), and Chile Lime Chicken Burgers (frozen), and my TJ’s had these ribs last week…and the Roasted Red Pepper Eggplant spread…and lordy. I could go on for days. I do love it there.

Reply

Kelly July 30, 2009 at 4:28 am

KETTLE CORN! Sorry don’t mean to yell. :) it’s seriously the best snack ever.

So many other good buys.
Wild frozen blueberries
Greek style yogurt
cheese! Oh they have amazing cheeses for such good prices!
So many more, but I have to go ear breakfast. :)

Reply

Trupti July 30, 2009 at 4:56 am

I love Trader Joe’s Masala Burger. Among sweet things , the chocolate chip Dunk cookies are also awesome.. very very decadent and chocolatey!

Reply

me in millions July 30, 2009 at 5:02 am

Trader Joe’s has THE BEST frozen mac and cheese ever. I needed to yell also, Kelly :) . The mac and cheese is terrible for you and has all sorts of fat and sodium, but if you need some comfort food, I’ve never had better pre-made mac and cheese. It’s priced right around $5, but might be a little more. It’s been awhile since I’ve purchased it. Mental note: need to go to Trader Joe’s!

Reply

Jessie July 30, 2009 at 6:29 am

What is this trader joes?!

Reply

dogatemyfinances July 30, 2009 at 7:47 am

I really do miss Trader Joe’s a lot. Sigh.

Reply

wj July 30, 2009 at 10:10 am

What I love most about Trader Joe’s is that you can splurge on food without spending a lot of money (as you would at Whole Foods). My $5 favorites are:

1) French ham and gruyere frozen pizza
2) shrimp gyoza
3) Italian frozen pizza (Trader Giotto) – in a variety of flavors. They used to have pear and gorgonzola, which does not sound appealing but was a delicious combo!
4) La Boca wine from Argentina – and of course they have a wide selection of quality wines for cheap
5) Tejava iced tea

Reply

Mel August 11, 2009 at 12:12 pm

stawberry or mango mochi balls (that are way more expensive at places like bristol farms)

garlic hummus dip
w/ whole wheat entertainer crackers

their cheeses.

luna bars.

Korean BBQ! Yum!

Reply

Marisol August 19, 2009 at 9:46 pm

Definitely the mango sorbet & chocolate croissants. They are a must! I also like Two Buck Chuck when I want some wine but don’t want to splurge on a $10 bottle. I recently discovered the grilled chicken fajita style burritos. I put them in the over for 45 minutes and omg… so good!

Reply

Will September 5, 2009 at 11:15 pm

I have two extra cases of Flores de Moscato is anyone is interested.

Reply

Allie C December 11, 2009 at 6:05 am

Will, if your Flore de Moscato is still available, please email me at A_Cornelius04@hotmail.com

Reply

Ericka January 24, 2010 at 12:38 am

Will! Do you still have the Moscato & where are you located?

Reply

wellheeled August 4, 2009 at 7:35 pm

I got Kettle Corn today! They are so good. Thanks for the recommendation.

Reply

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