Trader Joe’s and Weight Watchers

Ever since I went to Trader Joe’s back in November, I’ve wanted to go back. You can read about my first trip here.    It’s a little bit of a drive, down in Sarasota, and it’s hard to get down there with everything we have going on. I also wanted to go on a weekend so that hubby could go. Yesterday was finally the day! We decided to hit the road early and my mom joined us. The drive over the Sunshine Skyway was pretty, but the bridge will always freak me out.

Being back on WW, I decided to plan ahead and try and make a list. Thanks to the interwebs, I found a couple lists of Trader Joe’s popular items and their WW points plus values. This made it much easier, although I totally would have gone through the store with my handy dandy WW iPhone app and calculated points on whatever I wanted. I ended up doing that for a few things not on the list.

My last trip consisted of a lot of carbs (pasta), sweets, and alcohol. This trip was much different. I knew going there I would not be buying certain things, such as the most evil Cookie Butter and even posted as much on Facebook when we were headed there. Accountability rocks. When we got there, I even took a picture of the evilness in all it’s glory on the shelf and posted a picture about how I was NOT buying it. Which by the way, did you know they now have a Chunky Cookie Butter? Holy yummy goodness, I can only imagine. I steered clear of that too. I could totally have it, 2 points for a tablespoon, but I am here to tell you there is no way I could stop at one tablespoon. Best to just not have it. Nanci – 1, Cookie Butter – 0

We were there probably about an hour and a half. I had my lists printed out and my iPhone app out. I checked just about everything I bought, except for anything I knew was 0 points. I made out pretty well and can’t wait to make many yummy meals with everything I bought. Here goes… And yes, I have four Trader Joe’s bags, one of them insulated. A girl has to be prepared.

Here is a list of what I bought and the WW Points Plus values, just for you! (ppv = points plus values)

Reduced Guilt Tortilla Chips – 3 ppv / 14 chips

Reduced Carb Whole Wheat Tortillas – 1 ppv / 1 tortilla

100-Calorie Pack Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies – 3 ppv / bag

99% Fat Free Blueberry Wheat Bran Muffins – 2 ppv / 1 muffin

Butternut Squash Soup – 2 ppv / 1 cup

Fat Free Balsamic Vinaigrette – 1 ppv / 2 tbsp

Cilantro Salad Dressing – 1 ppv / 2 tbsp

Marinated Mushrooms With Garlic – 0 ppv / 1/3 cup

Pineapple Salsa – 0 ppv / 2 tbsp

Mild Fresh Salsa – 0 ppv / 2 tbsp

White Bean & Basil Hummus – 1 ppv / 2 tbsp

Guacamole Hummus – 1 ppv / 2 tbsp

Sliced Prosciutto – 2 ppv / 1/4 package

Peppered Uncured Turkey Bacon – 1 ppv / slice

Roasted Potatoes with Roasted Pepper and Onions – 2 ppv /  3/4 cup

Frozen Steel Cut Oatmeal (Brown Sugar & Maple Syrup) – 4 ppv / packet

Shrimp Fried Rice – 4 ppv / 1 cup

Frozen Organic Brown Rice – 5 ppv / 1 cup

Frozen Stacked Eggplant Parmesan – 6 ppv / 1 cup (1/2 package)

Frozen Eggplant Parmesan (Not Fried) – 7 ppv / whole container

Frozen Asparagus Spears – 0 ppv / 12 spears

Frozen Harvest Hodgepodge – 1 ppv /  3/4 cup

Frozen Fire Roasted Bell Peppers & Onions – 1 ppv /   3/4 cup

Frozen Kale – 0 ppv /   2/3 cup

Frozen Artichoke Hearts – 0 ppv /  3/4 cup

Avocado -  2 ppv /  1/4 avocado

Asian Veggie Stir Fry (produce) – 0 ppv

Broccoli Slaw (produce) – 0 ppv

Shallots – 0 ppv

Another fun trip in the books! I’m sure I’ll make another trip down in a couple months. For now, I’m good with what I bought. On our way back, we stopped by PDQ in St. Pete for lunch. I absolutely love their salads, it really hits the spot.

For dinner last night, I had the Trader Joe’s Eggplant Parmesan (Not Fried) frozen entrée. I baked it in the oven and it was really good! I’ll have to get it again next time I go to Trader Joe’s. The flavor of the sauce was just right. I also made a salad to go with it – baby spinach, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, Trader Joe’s Marinated Mushrooms (YUM!), and homemade Italian dressing. The eggplant entrée was 7 points for the whole tray, I ate about 2/3 of it, and just 1 point for the salad. So 8 points for a filling dinner.

If you have a Trader Joe’s near you, what is your favorite go-to item from there?