Trader Joe’s Cocoa and Sea Salt Instant Oatmeal Ain’t Half Bad

I have to say, I was skeptical about Trader Joe's Cocoa and Sea Salt Instant Oatmeal. I'm more of an apple cinnamon gal, and to be totally honest, my favorite TJ's oats are the rolled oats in a bag. You can do them in the microwave, too, and they're way tastier with a better texture…

ByMichelleJanuary 19, 20220Comments

Product Review

We Tried Trader Joe’s Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Bites

When I first saw Trader Joe's Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Bites I wondered if I could fool myself into believing they were really little donuts. I threw them in the air fryer, preheated to 400F and air fried them for 10 minutes. When they came out with a nice crackly crust dusted with cinnamon.sugar, I…

ByMichelleSeptember 1, 20210Comments

Cooking Just for Fun

What’s New at Trader Joe’s – April 2016

Here's a quick look at some of the new items at Trader Joe's this month, spotted at stores in Washington state. The new offerings run the gamut from soups to condiments to dessert. TJ's also has a new Moroccon Mint Tea (not pictured - 64 oz. plastic bottle) which is surprisingly good, not too sweet,…

ByMichelleApril 26, 20160Comments

Breafkast Cooking Recipes

(How Ya Like Them) Apple Cider Oatmeal?

Apple Pie Spice, Pumpkin Spice, Chai Spice. They're not all the same, yet at this time of year, people will slap any old label on a spice blend with a lot of cinnamon in it to make it sound new. We're keeping it honest today -- this is Apple Pie-spiced thanks to a Penzeys sample, but what…

ByMichelleNovember 6, 20140Comments

Baking Recipes

Chocolate Chip Banana Oat Loaf

I bought a 4.5-lb. bag of Toll House chocolate chips at Costco. Joke all you want about whether or not anyone needs 12 rolls of paper towels or 6 packages of toilet paper at one time, but come the holidays, it’s the place to go. Need a 10 lb. bag of sugar for about the same cost as 5 lbs. at the grocery store? Costco. You’re doing spiced nut mix for an office party? Costco. You need to restock your bar? Costco. So when I bought that bag of chocolate chips, it was without a lick of regret. I even felt like I was being somewhat restrained, since there was a 10 lb. bag of another brand. The thing is, I made this chocolate chip banana oat loaf with the regular chips but it didn’t produce the “chocolate in every bite” effect I was looking for. For that, you need the minis. Good thing I have no problem with keeping a well-stocked chocolate chip pantry.

ByMichelleNovember 6, 20132Comments

Baking Dessert Recipes

Gluten-Free Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Back of the bag recipes have sustained us for ages. Our grandmothers clipped recipes from paper board cylinders of oatmeal, from the backs of chocolate chip bags, and ordered recipe booklets from Betty Crocker and Jello. Some of those recipes stand the test of time because manufacturers just keep putting them on the packages, like the Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe. But others are lost to the ages because there was no where else to get them. It's in that spirit that I'm bringing you these cookies from the back of the Trader Joe's Rolled Oats bag. (And we all know how transitory products can be at Trader Joe’s.) So, oatmeal cookies. But not just oatmeal, Gluten-Free Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip.

ByMichelleJune 25, 201211Comments

Baking Photo One-offs

Banana Breakfast Cookies

I was a hold out for a long long time on Larabars. The texture always kind of weirded me out - they're just a little too soft, y'know? But after trying the Ginger Snap and more recently the Coconut Cream Pie, I'm on board. They're like Samoas without the chocolate! And they were a perfect…

ByMichelleMay 23, 20120Comments