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Not all in the same meal, of course. This is me trying Trader Joe's foods so you don't have to! Also me catching up on photos I haven't blogged yet.
Post-Thanksgiving, since I hadn't actually had any turkey-- we went out for Chinese food at some restaurant-- I decided to try Trader Joe's turkey pot pie. I paired it with their brussel sprouts to ensure my vegetables quotient was met.

Verdict: Bleh. The cranberries do NOT go well inside a turkey pot pie. The sprouts were okay but also not my favorite; I could taste the bitterness, which is always a concern when dealing with brussel sprouts.
Next we have Trader Joe's Kung Pao chicken. I wanted to see how it compared with the sort of kung pao I make for myself. Here's how it looks in the pan...

(I actually added the pineapple to give it a bit of sweet'n'tart)
It's not actually 'unpack and bake in the oven'. Given the amount of work I did to cook this-- sautee the chicken, then heat the veggies, then mix in the sauce and such-- I would say it's probably better to just make my own in the future.
Verdict: Okay flavor, but not exceptional. It does taste similar to restaurant kung pao.
Finally, we have homemade frittata muffins!

These came out pretty decently. They're made with frozen spinach and bits of spicy sausage. However, there's really not that much substance to them, three plus some English muffins are needed to make a meal, and since I only made 6, that wasn't really a great use of time.
Also, I need to keep in mind however convenient and cheap Trader Joe's frozen spinach is, it just doesn't taste as good as real baby spinach. :( My older brother's philosophy, which I see as increasingly wise, is to get the most expensive version of any given thing, to be assured of getting good results.
Post-Thanksgiving, since I hadn't actually had any turkey-- we went out for Chinese food at some restaurant-- I decided to try Trader Joe's turkey pot pie. I paired it with their brussel sprouts to ensure my vegetables quotient was met.

Verdict: Bleh. The cranberries do NOT go well inside a turkey pot pie. The sprouts were okay but also not my favorite; I could taste the bitterness, which is always a concern when dealing with brussel sprouts.
Next we have Trader Joe's Kung Pao chicken. I wanted to see how it compared with the sort of kung pao I make for myself. Here's how it looks in the pan...

(I actually added the pineapple to give it a bit of sweet'n'tart)
It's not actually 'unpack and bake in the oven'. Given the amount of work I did to cook this-- sautee the chicken, then heat the veggies, then mix in the sauce and such-- I would say it's probably better to just make my own in the future.
Verdict: Okay flavor, but not exceptional. It does taste similar to restaurant kung pao.
Finally, we have homemade frittata muffins!

These came out pretty decently. They're made with frozen spinach and bits of spicy sausage. However, there's really not that much substance to them, three plus some English muffins are needed to make a meal, and since I only made 6, that wasn't really a great use of time.
Also, I need to keep in mind however convenient and cheap Trader Joe's frozen spinach is, it just doesn't taste as good as real baby spinach. :( My older brother's philosophy, which I see as increasingly wise, is to get the most expensive version of any given thing, to be assured of getting good results.