The Autumnal Nerd: Trader Joe's Butternut Squash and Creamed Spinach Gratin

Hello LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers!

For the record, I am a nerd.  A nerd for all seasons, in fact.  For today, I am an autumnal nerd.  I just returned home from a wonderful family reunion in honor of my father's birthday in Chicago, Illinois.  

Upon returning home, my refrigerator and cupboards were bare.  A trip to my beloved Trader Joe's was required!  This is my favorite time of year at Trader Joe's - PUMPKIN SEASON.  When Trader Joe's brings out everything and anything in PUMPKIN FLAVOR.  

I decided that everything I would buy at Trader Joe's would need to have a pumpkin or autumnal theme.  I am such a nerd!  But I have been having a blast trying all these new pumpkin products!  So stay tuned to LilyOnTheLam.com because I will be posting several Trader Joe's product reviews in the next couple weeks!

My first Trader Joe's product reviews is one of my absolute favorite autumnal products:  The Butternut Squash and Creamed Spinach Gratin.  The package describes it as a spinach lasagna but with butternut squash instead of noodles.

The refrigerated food item does not look as pretty as the picture on the box, but the taste is delicious.  Al dente, fresh tasting butternut squash cut into long ribbons with a tasty, creamy spinach filling inbetween with a hint of nutmeg.  It is perfect hearty food for cold weather (or in my case 70 degree weather in Florida).  Like the packaging says, it is good for both a vegetarian entree or a side dish.  I could eat pans and pans of this delicious, hearty stuff!  

Well done, Trader Joe's!  You've made this autumnal nerd's stomach very happy!  This product may get a C for looks but an A+ for flavor!

Ohhhhhh America: Get Your Broccoli Out Of My Cookies

Happy Thursday, LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers!

It is Day Four of "Ohhhhhh America" week - places and things that make me shake my head in shame, sorrow or disappointment (and an occasional thing that makes me smile - like yesterday's post on FOAMHENGE.)  I am shaking it up by having a "New Product Wednesday" product review on a THURSDAY instead of a Wednesday.  (Can you handle it?)

I am crazy exhausted from my new job.  I feel like I am running my own personal sleep deprivation study.  I was supposed to start conference calls at 5:30 a.m. today and I just could not do it.  I got up and rescheduled the call with my European counterparts and then went back to bed.  I had hit the wall and I needed sleep.

Tuesday night, I met Ms. Wrigleyville for yet another awesome restaurant she had recommended to me - The Green Mint Asian Grill in Clearwater.  I will write a post about this super terrific place to get a Bahn Mi sandwich another time.  It is in the same strip mall as "The Fresh Market" grocery store.  This is important to note for the following reason ...

On Sunday, I had made the absolute sacrifice and woke up early (on a weekend!) to drive to Orlando to meet Mr. Cardamom Monroe for breakfast.  Mr. CM's realtor had mentioned that the Las Vegas restaurant Hash House A Go Go had opened in Orlando.  I convinced Mr. CM that we needed to go there and see just how big "monster portions" is ("Ohhhhhhhh America").  I will be blogging about this restaurant in a post I will title "Hash House A NO NO."  

When I set off to drive from Tampa Bay to Orlando, I was sniffling like crazy.  When I don't get enough sleep, my nose starts running.  (LilyOnTheLam Fun Fact!)  I knew it was a bad idea, but I popped a blue Benadryl to combat my nasal drip.  (In Australia, Benadryl is only cough syrup not allergy pills.  I learned this while traveling around Turkey with a bunch of Aussies.  Australian Fun Fact!)

Benadryl makes me very groggy.  

Do you know what's not smart to take when you're driving?  Something that makes you groggy!  (Not So Fun Fact!)  

I met up with Mr. Cardamom Monroe and we "a-went went" to Hash House A Go Go.  The portions were basically 900 pounds of food each.  ("Ohhhhhh America!")  I picked at the carb-tastic platter, but it was overly spicy and not so good ... although I am quite sure I probably still ate 2000 calories worth before I put down the fork.

Then Mr. CM and I walked around Lake Ivanhoe, trying to burn off the caloric gluttony.  It was very hot.  I was feeling bloated, stuffed and sweaty.  Sooooo not sexy!

Mr. CM then had to head to the airport and I was back in the car to head home to Tampa Bay.  The combination of Benadryl, fatty food and the hot sun was NOT good.  When I had about 35 minutes left of my drive to go, my eyes started fluttering.  

I was literally falling asleep behind the wheel in the middle of the day.  

If I had more than 35 minutes to go, I would have pulled over and slept in my teeny tiny backseat.

Frankly, I should have pulled over anyway.  The last leg of the drive was the slowest, most painful part!  I kept slapping my face.  I am sure I was quite the crazy sight for other people on the road.

What was worse was that not only was I falling asleep while driving but I was also intensely craving brownie pillow cookies.  

Like my blog post about cake in a pie crust, The Fresh Market grocery store sells sugar cookies that have a layer of brownie inside.  (Ohhhhhh America!)  I hadn't had a brownie pillow cookie in years, but as I was close to driving off the road I was seriously jonesin' for some cookies.

Need for sleep outweighed need for cookies however.  I drove straight home and it was immediately nap time for LilyOnTheLam.  

So on Tuesday night after having a lovely dinner with Ms. Wrigleyville, I couldn't just drive home when I was steps away from The Fresh Market grocery store.  

Nooooo .... I needed to buy some BROWNIE PILLOW COOKIES.  

Well karma smacked me in the face for wanting some sweet, sweet, brownie inside a cookie, sugar cookies.  

While I was in the grocery store, a four car accident happened down the road.  So by the time I was driving home, I was at a dead stop in traffic.  I drove three blocks in 45 minutes.  I was getting road rage!  

I had an evening conference call scheduled with my China team member and I just watched the clock slowly tick by.  Luckily some cops started directing traffic and I off-roaded over a median (probably not a good idea in a low convertible!).  I made it home right before my conference call started.  Success!  

I paid a high price for wanting cookies!  (And between you and me, they weren't as good as I remembered!  I still ate some anyway!)

The lesson to be learned here is "stay away from cookies!"  If being stuck in traffic for want of cookies did not teach me this lesson, this following horrific tale will.

I was shopping at Whole Foods grocery store for ingredients for a cooking contest/Bourbon party.  (Did I happen to mention I won second place?)  I loaded up my cart with all the fancy ingredients but then I spotted something surprising on the shelf ...

Lemon Broccoli cookies.  

What the what?  

Bitsy's Brainfood Lemon Broccoli Smart Cookies.  

Um, they don't sound so smart to me.  

Lemon BROCCOLI cookies?  I like lemon.  I like broccoli.  I like cookies.  I like lemon cookies.  I like lemon and broccoli.  But Lemon Broccoli Cookies?    

Next to these cookies were Orange Chocolate Beet "Smart" cookies.

And then Zucchini Gingerbread Carrot Smart Cookies.

I don't know what you're thinking, but I am thinking about a TASTE OFF COOKIE COMPETITION.  Tell Bitsy my brain is thinking a taste test is needed!

One particularly rough day at work, I decided to alleviate my stress with the smart cookie taste test.  I whipped out the lemon broccoli cookies first.  Might as well go big or go home.  Time to taste the scariest sounding one.  

The lemon broccoli cookies were beige-gray-brownish sadness in alphabet shapes.  I wanted to spell out "U-G-H."

I put one piece in my mouth and cried out "WHY GOD, WHY?" 

I seriously thought I had accidentally put a cat treat in my mouth.  It was dry.  It was mealy.  And it tasted like hell.  

The first bite was very lemony.  The after taste was pure dirt and broccoli.  If misery and shame had a flavor, this would be it.  I threw out the rest of the small bag.  I wouldn't wish these cookies on my worst frenemy.

I really didn't know if I could finish this three cookie taste test.  That was how bad the first bite of lemon broccoli cookies was ... it zapped my will to live (or even worse, my will to eat!)

I went next to the Orange Chocolate Beet cookies.  These were better but still had the "what the heck is wrong with these cookies?" aftertaste.  If stuck on a desert island with the choice of eating these cookies or sand, I would eat these cookies first.  

I still threw out the rest of the bag.  Blech.

On to cookie #3 - the zucchini gingerbread carrot cookies.  I actually had high hopes for these.  I like zucchini bread.  I like gingerbread.  I like carrot cake.  These are all good flavors.  Certainly cookie #3 had to be the winner, right?

Ohhhh how wrong, wrong, wrong I was.  These didn't taste like zucchini.  These didn't taste like gingerbread.  These didn't taste like carrot.  These tasted like betrayal, anger and insanity.  I wanted to spit them out.  They were not as noxious as the lemon broccoli cookies, but they still made me want to cry.

I'm all about trying to sneak in some health into a snack.  I love a Greek yogurt or cottage cheese based dip versus a fatty sour cream or mayo-laden one.  I like a turkey meatloaf chock full of grated vegetables.  But these darn cookies were hellishness in alphabet form!

So if you're keeping score, full sugar cookies caused me to get stuck in traffic and "smart" cookies made me want to hurl.  

Cookies are evil.  

Better to stick with pie.  

(Or my step-father would say stick with Trader Joe's Cat-shaped Cookies for People.)  

But avoid the cake in a pie crust.

These are the important life lessons I have learned while creating my "Ohhhhhh America" series of blog posts.  

I hope you enjoyed Day Four, there will be three more "Ohhhhhh America posts" for your head-shaking enjoyment this week!

As always, thank you for reading!

New Product Wednesday: Bowties and Butterflies - Trader Joe's Farfalle with 4 Cheeses and Spinach

Happy New Product Wednesday, LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers!

It's time once again for products that are new or new to me!  After a couple weeks' hiatus from Trader Joe's products, I have returned to my reviews in honor of the new South Tampa Trader Joe's!  

Today's product review is Trader Joe's Farfalle with 4 Cheeses and Spinach.  Farfalle means butterfly in Italian, but for some reason we call Farfalle pasta "Bowtie pasta."  (Much to my Sicilian's friend ire!)

Whether you call it bow ties or butterflies, I love the Farfalle pasta shape.  I find it holds a nice amount of sauce which gives a great pasta to sauce ratio in each bite.

I have been working like a fiend wrapping up my old job and starting a new job for my current company.  I have a lot to prove to my new team and there just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day to do everything I need to do.

Given the heightened stress environment, I knew I would need to stock my freezer with some easy to make meals.  Now I try not to have a diet heavy on processed foods, but sometimes you just have to go for convenience.

Trader Joe's has several pasta items that range from 300-450 calories.  When I saw that Trader Joe's had microwaveable farfalle pasta with four cheeses and spinach, I knew I had to try it.

This pasta is very easy to make.  The sauce is rich and creamy with a tart cheesy taste.  There is a decent amount of spinach, although I'd love even more.  The entree itself was very filling and made my taste buds happy as well.  

I will definitely get this entree again.  It tastes incredibly rich without being a million calories!

If you're looking for a quick heat and eat meal, check out this entree from Trader Joe's.

"I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" - Rest In Peace, Maya Angelou

Hello LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers:

Wednesday night, I was exhausted.  I had worked from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. with the only break was five minutes to scarf down a Trader Joe's Baked Ziti microwave entree.  I briefly scanned the news and then my Twitter.com account.  

I don't know why, but I get more of my news faster from Twitter before all other sources.  Sure enough Twitter had scooped my regular news again - author and poet, Maya Angelou, died on Wednesday, May 28, 2014 at the age of 86.

Even though Maya Angelou had lived a long life, I was still surprised to hear she had passed away.  In my mind, she seemed not so much human as a force of nature.  A jolt of energy that could not be dissipated. My already weary shoulders drooped further with the news.

I first discovered Maya Angelou when I was in middle school. I had stumbled upon her gritty and "in your face" real autobiography "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings."  It was horrific and yet I clung to it.  So much of what she wrote about, I could sadly identify in myself.  But seeing the absolute horror of Maya Angelou's life through the hazy viewpoint of her child narrator's unworldly comprehension, made me look at my own horrors with a stronger viewpoint.  I was not alone.  If Maya could endure, so could I.  

Sometimes the greatest solace can be derived from knowing that one is not alone; that others have walked the same path and not only survived but thrived.  Maya Angelou's book both shocked and scared me, but also oddly comforted me.  I was not alone and I did not need to be ashamed about the horrors in my own life.

As the years went by, Maya Angelou would pop up in popular culture - talking with Oprah, talking with President Barack Obama.  Her star continued to rise.  Her wisdom and poetry spread to more audiences.  But I still hold Maya Angelou close to my heart for shining a pinpoint of light through my own personal childhood darkness so many years ago.  

I had never met Maya Angelou but her words helped change my life.  What a powerful gift she gave to me and many others.  She may have left the bonds of this Earth, but I hope people continue to read her works and breathe the spirit of her everlasting endurance and perseverance.

Rest in Peace, Maya Angelou … and thank you for everything. 

P.S.  Some of my favorite Maya Angelou quotes …

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

"Nothing will work unless you do."

"When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time."

"The truth is, no one of us can be free until everybody is free."        

Monkeying Around: New Product Wednesday: Trader Joe's Gone Bananas Chocolate Covered Banana Slices

Hello LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers!

Boy, did Memorial Day Weekend go by fast!  I took a few days off to do a five day weekend visiting a friend in Lynchburg, Virginia.  I have been to Roanoke, Richmond and various parts of Virginia around DC, but this was my first time to Lynchburg.  I'll be sharing some of my Lynchburg (Lexington and Charlottesville too) adventures in weeks to come.  Stay tuned to LilyOnTheLam.com!

I am currently transitioning between my current job and an intense promotion to a completely new job in the same company.  Which basically means I am trying to do three jobs at the same time and feeling like I'm not giving anything 100%.  It seems like my "to do" list is 9 billion miles long.  I have to center myself and focus or else I'll go spinning off into stress land!  

I find that many people get so overwhelmed just by the size of their "to do" list that they paralyze themselves and then they can't do anything!  That "to do" list is definitely not going to get any shorter if all one does is stress out about how much they have to do!  So I am trying to stay organized, stay focused and not give in to stressful feelings.  Easier said than done, but ever so necessary!

Today's "New Product Wednesday" (items that are new or new to me) is about a Trader Joe's product I have been raving about to many friends.  In fact, I made my friend drive to Charlottesville, Virginia to buy this product.  

When Dole started selling chocolate covered banana slices "Dark Chocolate Banana Dippers" (and now strawberries too), I was really excited.  They are in portion control packs and I thought it'd be a great, lower calorie dessert option when the chocolate cravings strike.  Plus Costco sells a larger quantity pack for those who want to save money on their per unit purchases.  

However, I was highly disappointed.  The Dole chocolate covered banana slices tasted like absolutely nothing.  Bland, bland, bland.  If you're going to take in the extra calories, you better be loving what you're eating - am I right?  Or am I right?

But then when Trader Joe's opened in South Tampa, I saw this item in the freezer case …

Trader Joe's Gone Bananas! Chocolate Covered Banana Slices.  Four slices for 130 calories.  They are not packaged into individual portion control packs like Dole's are, but less packaging is better for the environment.  

There are many Trader Joe's products I like, but would these frozen chocolate covered banana slices be like the Dole ones?  Was this a box of chocolate-covered disappointment?  I wasn't sure if I wanted to set myself up to have my chocolate-covered hopes dashed again!

But the agile little sock money in a kicky hat drew me in.  Maybe I had one more chocolate-covered chance left to give the frozen banana community.

And the result?  Chocolate-covered banana deliciousness!  Trader Joe's Gone Bananas frozen chocolate-covered banana slices are definitely NOT bland.  The dark chocolate is incredibly rich and lovely.  But what really makes the frozen treat is that Trader Joe's uses Thai bananas that are frozen at the right point of ripeness.  The Dole banana dippers tasted like underripe bananas with absolutely no flavor.  The Trader Joe's bananas are incredibly sweet.  Talk about decadent treats!  Each of these frozen bites are a true delight.  

If you're looking for a rich, frozen, chocolatey, banana treat with an adorable sock monkey on the box, THESE are a "must buy, must try, must eat!"            

Great Balls of Fire! New Product Wednesday Trader Joe's Party Size Mini Meatballs Review

Happy New Product Wednesday, LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers!

In my continued tribute to Trader Joe's finally opening a store in South Tampa, I am dedicating yet another "New Product Wednesday" product review post to a Trader Joe's product.

In the Trader Joe's freezer section is this bag of mini meatballs - 6 meatballs for 210 calories.  Now if you read my Trader Joe's turkey meatballs product review, you will know that I giggle every time I say "balls."  Giggle.  Yep, still happens.

You can heat up these frozen meatballs in 20 minutes in sauce on the stovetop.  Or you can heat up the frozen meatballs in the microwave for four minutes.  Do I need to tell you what Miss Lack of Impulse Control and Patience chose?  To the MICROWAVE, people!

Now I have made these meatballs before - I nuked them in the microwave, sliced them in half and fried them in a pan with a slight glisten of red chili oil.  They were very tasty.  But now that I recall my previous cooking attempt, I realize I didn't microwave them for the entire four minutes because I knew I would be finishing them off in a frying pan.  This fact now makes a lot of sense to me … and will to you in a few moments.

My pantry and fridge are pretty bare after being on the road for nearly three weeks.  My stomach was saying "Feed me NOW" - there was no time for creative meal planning.  My stomach decided it wanted mini meatballs with raspberry chipotle sauce (that I bought in New Orleans) and a generous side of steamed green beans.

Nothing says Tabasco Brand Raspberry Chipotle Sauce like a
Hello Kitty washcloth from Osaka, Japan

I set the microwave to cook the Trader Joe's party size mini meatballs.  I pushed 4 1/2 minutes instead of 4 minutes because my microwave is not always the hottest thing on the planet.  I covered the meatballs with a wet paper towel to keep the tiny orbs moist.  

I started boiling water for the green beans when I smelled something burning.  I looked at my ceramic stovetop and figured I must have splattered some oil or food on the range and it was now burning.  I switched the pan to another burner.  That seemed to do the trick.  I turned on all the fans in the area because I have the world's most sensitive smoke detector.

I opened the microwave and a giant cloud of smoke blew straight into my face.  Evidently I had set the mini meatballs, the paper plate and paper towel that enveloped them ON FIRE.  Three of the six meatballs were charred, rock hard black masses.  I threw the whole thing in the sink and saturated it all in water.  I have this neurotic fear that things are still on fire, smoldering and waiting to kill me!

Who knew meatballs were so combustible?  That extra 30 seconds in the microwave must have pushed it all over the line!  Or maybe my old microwave was on its last leg?  I put another batch of mini meatballs in the microwave (after airing it out), but this time no wet paper towel.  Evidently I think wet paper towels are the most flammable substance on Earth!  I set the microwave for exactly four minutes.

When I pulled them out, they were on the edge of overcooked.  Five seconds more and they would have been party size mini rocks.  I was so confused because I had made these before and they turned out fine.  Really my microwave must be dying.  But then I recalled the one and only time I made these meatballs, I cooked them for less than four minutes and then fried them up.  Ahhhh-ha!  

So be warned - you may want to set your microwave for three minutes and then check to see if the meatballs are thoroughly heated through.  Or send me money for a new microwave, because definitely one of the two things caused me to make my house smell like a fireplace!

After near death by conflagration, how were the meatballs?  Not bad - like the Trader Joe's turkey meatballs, they would have tasted better in sauce.  They were OK but they do not beat homemade meatballs.

If you're having a party and have a really good sauce, throw these bad boys in a crock pot with the sauce and I think you'll have happy guests.  But if you're sitting at home watching "Million Dollar Listing New York" over a plate of steam greened beans and naked party size mini meatballs that have just a splash of raspberry chipotle sauce, you're probably not going to be the happiest meatball camper.

Not terrible, but not the best ever.  I give the Trader Joe's Party Size Mini Meatballs a six on a ten point scale.

What's your favorite Trader Joe's product?  

New Product Wednesday: Trader Joe's Kettle Cooked Potato Chips with Sea Salt

Happy New Product Wednesday, LilyOnTheLam.com Readers!

In my ongoing homage to the new South Tampa Trader Joe's store, New Product Wednesdays features another Trader Joe's product that is new to me - individual size bags of Trader Joe's Kettle Cooked Potato Chips with Sea Salt.

If you're a regular LilyOnTheLam.com reader, you may recall that I have zero impulse control.  (Read all about it here on my post entitled "Quit Stalking Me On Social Media."  It could also be titled "One Woman's Struggle Against Wicked Cheez-Its.")

I was having some insane salt and carb cravings.  Here's a tip - if you're having naughty food cravings, maybe you shouldn't go to a grocery store on an empty stomach.  You think I would have learned this lesson, say a hundred years ago - but no!  I'm an idiot!  

I wandered the salty snack aisle like an addict going through detox who wakes up in a pharmacy.  (By the way - the movie "Drugstore Cowboy" is one of my favorites.  If you haven't seen it, please do so ASAP!)  I knew I couldn't bring a giant bag of chips home, because I would eat the entire bag.  No, mandatory portion control was needed here.  I picked up a six pack of Trader Joe's 150 calorie kettle chips with sea salt instead.

I don't allow myself potato chips very often.  It just feels like a gateway drug to one hundred pints of Ben and Jerry's.  But if I am going to "do" potato chips, I am going to "do" it right.  I like kettle chips because they have more of that "oomph" of deliciousness.  Now normally when I indulge, I do the Cape Cod brand 40% reduced fat kettle chips.  Because of this, I think I have altered my palate.  Like a habitual diet Coke drinker who then drinks a regular Coke, I think full fat kettle chips taste extra greasy to me because I am used to eating reduced fat ones.

The Trader Joe's Kettle Potato Chips were crazy crunchy and surprisingly hearty tasting for a light chip.  I found them to be on the oily side, but like I mentioned - this could be because I'm used to eating reduced fat kettle chips.  They were satisfying and there was a decent amount in the 150 calorie serving size bag.

I still prefer my Cape Cod Kettle Chips, but the Trader Joe's kettle chips were a close second in taste comparison!  Check them out for yourself!

What's your favorite Trader Joe's snack food?  Let me know in the comments section below!

Of Maturity and Meatballs - New Product Wednesday - Trader Joe's Turkey Meatballs

Happy New Product Wednesday, LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers!

In my continuing tribute to Trader Joe's grocery store finally arriving in South Tampa, I am dedicating this New Product Wednesday post to yet another Trader Joe's product.  "New Product Wednesday" are for new products or products that are "new to me."

Today's product review is … Trader Joe's Turkey Meatballs!

Now before I talk "meatballs" with you … let's talk maturity or lack thereof.  I will guarantee you that at least five times during the writing of this product review, I have said "balls" to myself and then given a Beavis and Butthead style laugh.  I may be 9000 years old, but I have the maturity level of an 8 year old boy … an immature 8 year old boy.

When I was a kid I thought that maturity was something that naturally increased with age - like getting taller each year, I thought it was something you just grew into.  In retrospect, for a smart little kid, I was also pretty naive.  Not really a good combination, but I have managed not to get into the cars of strangers offering candy (YET) … so I guess I grew up "OK."  

I think I was in junior high school … or maybe even high school, when I realized that there were fifty year olds walking around this Earth with the same level of maturity as my classmates.  I remember being quite literally stunned speechless.  I tried to fathom how someone could live decades upon this Earth and seemingly not mature.  

As I grew older, I met more and more people who seemed to stop maturing in their early youth.  I did not know how it happened, but I was determined to actually gather some wisdom and learning from the world around me.

I find that the events that have shaped my personality (and maturity level) the most are ones where I had to "rise to the occasion."  In college, when I was a dorm RA and I was woken up at 4 a.m. (with a test scheduled for 7:45 a.m.) by a student contemplating committing suicide - there was no time for "Can I deal with this later when I am older and hopefully wiser?"  

I feel like my life is an endless stream of people throwing down the gauntlet and I have to pick it up, rise to the occasion and make it work.  I don't regret this in my life.  It has shaped me in ways that I feel make me very strong.  But sometimes I wish things were just a little easier.

Perhaps this is why I also try to embrace some whimsy and do not chide myself for a Beavis and Butthead reaction to a post on meatballs (Heh heh - balls.)

So back to the purpose of this blog post: a product review of Trader Joe's Turkey Meatballs.

I like these meatballs because they are super easy.  They are fifty calories per meatball.  Keep them in the freezer.  Pop them in a pot of sauce or nuke them in the microwave - quick and easy.  On their own, they taste like a regular meatball to me.  They honestly could use a little more seasoning.  But in tomato sauce, they "come alive" and perk up.

These are not the best tasting meatballs in the world, but if you're looking for something quick, easy and lower calorie than a regular meatball - then check out Trader Joe's Turkey Meatballs.

Heh heh …. balls.  ;-) 

New Product Wednesdays: Is This Fish Delish? Trader Joe's Gluten Free Battered Halibut

Happy New Product Wednesday, LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers:

If you are a regular reader, you probably know that on Wednesdays I feature a review of a new product or a product that is new to me.

In honor of the South Tampa Trader Joe's which opened last month, I have been featuring reviews of some of their latest products.  For this New Product Wednesday, I am featuring an item from their freezer section:  Trader Joe's Gluten Free Battered Halibut.

I love, love, love fish and chips.  Deep fried fish and potatoes- what's not to love?  Throw some malt vinegar and fresh ground sea salt on there and I am in heaven!

I have been trying to eat light, but when I am craving something really naughty I like to bake a piece of battered or panko breaded fish to feel like I am having a "fast food" type experience without the fast food calorie count.  Listen, when you are dieting, you have to do whatever trick helps you!  

Two pieces of the Trader Joe's battered halibut are 170 calories.  The batter is light and crispy.  However I found the fish to be rather thin and therefore not a lot of flavor in comparison to the batter.  I would rate it as "Just OK."

In comparison, if you're looking for a good frozen fish, I prefer the Trident Seafoods Panko Breaded Tilapia in the freezer section at Costco.  One piece is 180 calories, but is is much thicker, savory and overall feels like you're eating something much more caloric.  Even though I can have two pieces of the Trader Joe's battered halibut for roughly the same calories as one piece of the Trident Seafoods breaded tilapia, my taste buds and stomach much prefer the tilapia.

So if you're looking for a good frozen fish to satisfy a fish and chips craving, I'd recommend you bypass Trader Joe's and if you are a Costco member, go their frozen food aisle instead.

New Product Wednesdays: Desserts On A Diet: Trader Joe's Hold The Cone Mini Chocolate Ice Cream Cones

Happy New Product Wednesday, LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers:

I wrote this blog post and then gremlins came along and somehow deleted it before I could publish it.  Needless to say the previous post was the most amazing thing I have ever written.  It was my "War and Peace" and now it is gone.

What?  You question how a product review on a mini ice cream cone could be the definitive literary gem of the millennia?  Puh-lease!  Drop your skepticism and embrace the reality!

My masterpiece is now gone - lost to the ether.  And we are all a little less beautiful due to its passing.  Sigh.

I can't even try to recreate the post - it would be a futile attempt.  It is a cruel, cruel world!

OK … enough tears … back to the subject matter at hand:

Hopefully you are a regular reader who knows that on select Wednesdays, I post "New Product Wednesdays" product reviews on items that are new or at least new to me.

Today's New Product Wednesday is another Trader Joe's review, in honor of the new South Tampa Trader Joe's that opened in March 2014.

It is the Trader Joe's "Hold The Cone!" (love a good pun) Mini Chocolate Ice Cream Cone.  

These little babies are 70 calories each and eight to a box.  Meaning that you could eat the entire box and still be at about the same calories as eating half a pint of Ben and Jerry's gourmet ice cream.

For a sugar addict like me, having lower calorie options for when my cravings hit is a very good thing.  But how do they taste?

The chocolate coating and the crunchy cone are delicious and reminiscent of higher calorie ice cream cone novelties.  The chocolate ice cream however tastes more like an inexpensive version of a frozen milk chocolate mousse versus a rich ice cream.  It's not bad, it just doesn't taste exactly like ice cream.

However for 70 calories each, these mini cones are a tasty treat that won't blow your caloric intake for the day.  Plus you feel like a giant holding a tiny cone which I guess is a positive if you're into that sort of thing.

I would definitely purchase these again.  They made me feel like I was having a higher calorie treat but I didn't hate myself in the morning for eating one (or two).

What's your favorite Trader Joe's dessert?  Let us know in the comments section below!

New Product Wednesdays: The Best Thing Since Sliced Cheese: Trader Joe's Slicing Brie Cheese

Happy New Product Wednesday, LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers!

Hopefully you are a regular reader who knows that on select Wednesdays, I post "New Product Wednesdays" product reviews on items that are new or at least new to me.

Today's New Product Wednesday is another Trader Joe's review, in honor of the new South Tampa Trader Joe's that opened in March 2014.

When I was a kid, I went to Europe with my high school French class.  For one week, we lived with a family in Aix-en-Provence.  It is amazing how close you can get to a host family in a week.  I was very sad to leave them, as were my classmates with their host families.  

(Side note:  If you're a normal, awesome American family - please volunteer to host Exchange students.  It means the world to kids!  I still, 8 billion years later, have fond memories of my one week with a host family.)  

Our next leg would be a long train ride that seemed like it took days to get to Geneva, Switzerland.  Unfortunately after the train journey, they put us directly on a two hour tour bus.  God forbid we stretch our legs!  We were only staying overnight in Switzerland and then flying back to the States the next day.  

After spending 902 hours on a train, a two hour "trapped in a bus" tour was not what any of us wanted.  Our tour guide knew we were leaving the next day, so with every monument she pointed out she said "If you ever get back here, you'll have to check this out."  It was six years before I returned to Geneva.  No tour buses for me for that trip!

After the long train ride and the tour bus ride, we were next deposited at some chateau-like place with basically every school group in the world.  We stood in line for what felt like seven months.  At the end of the line we were given one half-melty piece of cheese, 3 small boiled potatoes and a gherkin pickle (actually a cornichon but I was 13 years old and had no idea what a cornichon was!)  

After 30,247 hours trapped on mass transit, my schoolmates and I could not believe our dinner was a piece of cheese, 3 tiny potatoes and the tiniest pickle.

This, ladies and gentlemen, was my introduction to the Swiss traditional meal of raclette.

For those not already familiar, raclette is basically melty cheese.  Its origins supposedly came from some Swiss guy who left his big wheel of cheese too close to the fire.  He cut off the melty bits and ate it with meats, boiled potatoes and bread.  Voila - a food tradition was born.  Usually raclette is always served with boiled potatoes, cornichons and pickled baby onions.

Raclette differs from fondue in that you have melty slices of cheese versus a big pot of molten cheese. 

If you go on YouTube, there are several videos of happy Swiss and French students having raclette parties in their meager apartments.  I swear Europeans can make any simple meal look like the best party ever!

My family later lived in Zurich and had their own favorite raclette restaurant.  It was very good and each person received their own insulated mini sack of boiled potatoes for their raclette.  I personally cannot get enough of Swiss rosti (Swiss Hash Browns).  I don't think I ever met a potato I didn't love at first sight!   

Because I am addicted to buying kitchen gadgets that I then almost never use (I'm looking at you Hong Kong "Egg Waffle" Maker!), I purchased the Swissmar Swivel 8 Person Raclette Maker.  I have wanted a raclette maker for quite sometime now.

Could I put a frying pan on low and achieve the same melty cheese result?  Well yeah, probably.  But click here to see my beautiful raclette maker!  It has a cooking stone, a grill plate and eight raclette cheese trays for melting!  AND IT SWIVELS!  

Can you tell I am enamored by gadgets?  I needed a raclette maker so I could be the Tampa Bay raclette queen!  However now I needed some cheese!

Traditional "raclette cheese" is a semi-firm cow's milk cheese, that reminds me of a mild, soft Emmentaler.  You can order it online and many of the larger cheese shops carry it.  However Trader Joe's has a nifty raclette pack of pre-sliced raclette cheese that fits my raclette cheese melting trays perfectly.  No hassle, no fuss, simply easy!  I love Trader Joe's!

But for my dinner party, I knew not all of my guests would enjoy the flavor of the raclette cheese so I wanted to have a variety of cheeses they could melt.  After all this is Florida, not Switzerland - we're allowed to break some traditional raclette rules.  (Don't tell the Swiss that we melted an aged habanero cheddar - AND IT WAS TERRIFIC!  We also had boiled purple Peruvian potatoes - we're breaking all the rules here!)   

When I went to Trader Joe's to pick up the raclette - I noticed a rectangle of brie in the cheese section.  SQUARE BRIE?  What the heck?  Did I fall into bizarro world?  Brie is ROUND not in a rectangular block.  But then I realized square brie would fit my raclette melting trays … a-ha!  Perhaps there was genius in this odd shape, after all!

The brie was creamy, rich and mild and two rectangle slices fit perfectly in each of my raclette cheese melting trays.  It melted deliciously with the "skin" of the cheese helping it hold its shape.  I would definitely buy this brie again - both for eating regularly with fruit and crackers, as well as in my raclette maker. 

My dinner party was a HUGE success.  My friends had never heard of raclette and were eager to try "as long as it isn't something like haggis" they warned.

I will be having another raclette dinner party this summer so that I can say "see, I needed this expensive raclette maker - I have used it twice!"

(Confession:  To be even more ridiculous, not only did I buy the swivel-tastic raclette maker for 8, I bought the mini raclette maker for two for when I am just making raclette for myself or myself and a friend and I don't want to bust out the big raclette maker.  I am considering using the mini raclette maker as a seduction tool.  "Hey there, tall dark and handsome - do you want to come back to my place for some melty cheese?"  I'll be the talk of the town!)

To sum up - Trader Joe's Slicing Brie Cheese is delicious and in a versatile shape.  And I need to keep my credit card away from kitchen gadget stores.

What is your favorite cheese from Trader Joe's?  Mine is their Unexpected Cheddar.  Tell me your favorite in the comments section below.    

Every Day is Wednesday! Trader Joe's Mini Mint Ice Cream Mouthfuls

Happy Thursday, LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers! 

If you are a Bravo TV "Million Dollar Listing New York" fan, make sure you check out my episode recaps at AllAboutTheTea.com.

If you read yesterday's blog post, you will know that I have resurrected my "New Product Wednesday" feature where I talk about products that are new or at least new to me.  In honor of the new Trader Joe's in South Tampa, I am declaring that "Every Day is Wednesday!" by posting a "New Product Wednesday" post not only on a Wednesday, but a Thursday too!

GASP!

Yes!  We're going rogue here - and not in a sneering Alaskan governor way.

Now that there is a Trader Joe's in Tampa, I have the "freedom" to purchase all the frozen treats my sugar-lovin' heart desires.  When I would drive to Naples or Sarasota, I didn't trust that ice cream type items would stay cold enough even in my vault of a cooler.  But now I live merely minutes from Trader Joe's, so hold on to your waistline - it's time for DESSERT!

But since I have lost over 35 pounds, I am not in any big hurry to pack back on the belly weight.  I pushed aside the higher calorie frozen treats and tried to find something that would satisfy my sweet tooth without destroying my diet.

My eyes fell upon these … Mini mint ice cream sandwiches - 60 calories each.  Even if I ate the entire box, it would be less calories than a pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream.  But how did they taste? 

These mini mint ice cream cookie sandwiches are one cool customer.  The minty ice cream and chocolatey cookie are a nice bite.  It definitely takes the edge off a dessert craving.  I was able to just eat one and feel like I had a nice treat, instead of wanting to eat it all.  And that is a good thing!

Is it incredibly fatty rich tasting?  No.  And if you don't like mint, then skip these because they have a powerful mint flavor.  But if you're looking for an easy to eat mini ice cream sandwich with a strong punch of mint that won't blow your diet, you should check these out.  I think they taste better than Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches, albeit these are much smaller.

Have you tried the Mini Mint Ice Cream Mouthfuls from Trader Joe's?  What did you think of them?  Give your feedback in the comments section below!

New Product Wednesdays: Trader Joe's Pita Crisps with Cranberries and Pumpkin Seeds

Hello LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers:

Welcome back to "New Product Wednesdays!"  I used to have a weekly LilyOnTheLam feature where every Wednesday I would feature a product that was new or at least new to me.  Since Trader Joe's has (FINALLY) come to South Tampa, I thought I would re-establish "New Product Wednesdays" to feature some of my new favorites (and not-so-favorites) for my local readers who wish to check out the Trader Joe's experience!

Normally I try to keep chips, cookies and crackers out of my house.  The reason is because I have ZERO impulse control. Apparently I took that potato chip slogan "Bet you can't eat just once" as some sort of federal law against eating in moderation.

However when I went to Trader Joe's, I went on an empty, growling stomach.  (Hello worst mistake EVER and I do it way too often!  I'm an idiot!)  Needless to say, all sorts of "naughty" items hopped into my shopping cart.  I did show some restraint - instead of the 400+ calorie ice cream sandwiches, I went with 70 calorie mini chocolate ice cream cones, for example.  So I wasn't completely off my rocker, but still …

One item that looked fun and interesting were Trader Joe's Pita Crisps with Cranberries and Pumpkin Seeds.

Astronaut Hello Kitty says: In space, no one can hear you scream or eat.

130 calories for 9 pita crisps

These little darlings were able to stay in my cupboard for a grand total of four days before I opened the bag.  I'm pretty sure that's a world record in my house.  

These pita crisps are definitely a "must purchase."  They taste like little squares of cinnamon toast, not in a chemical way like a certain cinnamon toast cereal out there.  But really like a classic cinnamon autumnal toast.  They remind me of my childhood - eating bread slathered in butter, sugar and cinnamon before going off to battle - err, I mean my all-white except for me and a few others - elementary school.

These pita crisps would be OVER THE TOP with a shmear of goat cheese and a thin slice of strawberry.  

They were soooo good, I had to put these pita crisps on lockdown.  I need to hire a security guard to keep me out of my pantry.  I seriously could have eaten the entire bag and would have had a big smile on my face!

If you like crunchy, cinnamon-y, sweet but not overly sweet, pita crisps - you need to try these Trader Joe's Pita Crisps with Cranberries and Pumpkin Seeds!

What's your favorite Trader Joe's product?  What is your least favorite Trader Joe's product?  Let me know in the Comments section! 

P.S.  If you're a USA Network "Chrisley Knows Best" fan - check out my April 8, 2014 episode recap at AllAboutTheTea.Com.