Yay: Quick Cook Steel Cut Oats

I'm not much of an oatmeal connoisseur, but I do know that I like my oatmeal plain and natural. I do not like the packaged instant oatmeal from bigger name brands because they have added sugars and preservatives. If you're looking for a natural, basic breakfast, this is a great option. These oats cook very quickly (just like their title says!): add some to boiling water and you'll have a nutritious breakfast in 5-8 minutes.

Yay: 10 Minute Farro

I never cooked farro before trying TJs 10 Minute Farro. I had tasted it many times before this and always assumed it was a difficult grain to cook, much like rice. I assure you that if I can cook this stuff without messing it up, you can too (I am the world's worst at cooking rice, therefore my entire culinary life changed when I found TJs Frozen Brown Rice). Farro can be quite bland alone, so I recommend finding a recipe; I used this one from Whole Foods found here, making it into a cold salad as a side dish. I am curious how to use it in a hot dish. Do you have any other farro recipes to share?

Yay: Brown Rice

Brown rice can be difficult to cook on the stove top, especially if you're an amateur cook who only eats homemade rice a few times a month. Not to mention cleaning a pot that cooked rice is an annoying chore, thanks to the rice paste reside left behind. Have no fear, TJs frozen Brown Rice is here! Packaged in three separate 10oz. microwaveable bags, you can choose how much rice you'd like to have without having to estimate water-rice ratios used in stove top cooking. In 3 minutes or less, you'll have fluffy, delicious, healthy (well healthier than white rice) brown rice. This little miracle in a bag will cut your food preparation time down drastically!

Nay: 100% Whole Wheat Hot Dog Buns

I've never been a fan of the breads available at Trader Joe's grocery stores, but I was in a jam last 

night and needed some buns for grilled sausages.

So I grabbed these 100% Whole Wheat Hot Dog Buns, and while they're not the worst thing in the world, they're not the best either.

The bread is super dense, giving it the texture you'd expect from old, stale buns.  They're not soft and fluffy, like you'd expect from a typical hot dog bun.  

This is my complaint for nearly all the breads I've tried from Trader Joe's.  

I'm not sure if its due to the ingredients they use, or if they just sit on the shelves for too long. 

In either case, I recommend that you get your hot dog buns from a traditional grocery store.