Trader Joe's Uncrustables. That's clearly what we've got here. Not the first time TJ's latched on to a popular food concept and developed their own store brand variety of it. Probably won't be the last. Let's see how they stack up to the leading brand.
Let the duel begin. Big Joe's offering comes out swinging with the certified "vegan" label right on the box. Not sure what might be in the Smuckers product that would deny its vegan status, but it is not considered officially vegan. I think it's because their sandwiches are processed on the same equipment as the Chocolate Uncrustables which contain some dairy.
Price: Smuckers Uncrustables are showing $4.39 for the four pack at all retailers in my area as of the time of composing this review, while TJ's product is $3.79. You might get a coupon deal or a BOGO once in a while with the name brand, but on a day to day basis, Trader Joe's wins again.
Variety: There's only one flavor of Trader Joe's Crustless Peanut Butter and Strawberry Jam Sandwiches. Smuckers offers not only strawberry, but also grape, raspberry, honey, and the previously-mentioned chocolate hazelnut variety. I think they might have a couple new flavors, too. Round 3 goes to Mr. Smucker.
Peanut Butteriness: I like TJ's product on this count. It's a very rich, wholesome peanutty flavor. It feels and tastes more natural than the leading brand. There's also an extra gram of protein in Joe's Crustless PB&Js. I'll give this round to Trader Joe.
Jam/Jelly: There's not enough strawberry jam in this sandwich. I'm okay with a PB&J that heavily favors the PB element, but folks who want a sweeter jelly situation might lean towards classic Uncrustables. The judges favor Smuckers on this go around.
Bread: Both products offer similar white bread made with unbleached enriched wheat flour. Neither Sonia nor I think either product has a significant advantage over the other in this instance. This round is a draw.
The net weight of Trader Joe's product is 8.89 oz as compared to only 8 oz in the case of the Uncrustables four pack. So not only are TJ's crustless sandwiches cheaper, but they're actually slightly larger than their competition.
No knockouts. No disqualifications. Just a good, clean fight. And with that, we'll turn to the judges. By a narrow but unanimous decision, Trader Joe's product wins the bout.
Sonia and I would both buy this product again, found in the frozen section. Thaw for 2 hours in fridge or 1 hour at room temperature to prepare. We'll probably buy Smuckers Uncrustables again, too, since they're available pretty much everywhere and we appreciate the different flavors. We both give Trader Joe's Crustless Peanut Butter & Strawberry Jam Sandwiches eight and a half out of ten stars.
I like eggs, but I usually have to be in the mood for eggs. Sonia, on the other hand, could eat eggs three times a day, every day. I was brought up with scrambled eggs most of the time. I went through a dippy egg phase when I got a little older. Now I'm used to the beautiful wifey's egg bites which generally contain spinach, onions, and peppers—and she uses the yolks.
I prefer whole eggs over egg whites, but even still, I'll give Trader Joe's Harvest Vegetable Hash Egg White Bites the thumbs up. Cottage cheese in eggs was strange to me when I first encountered it, but I've grown to love the combo. Throw in some veggie chunks like sweet potato and butternut squash, a few spices like rosemary and sage, and finally add some asiago cheese to the mix, and you've got a pretty tasty breakfast.
At $3.79 for two, these egg white bites are about two full dollars cheaper than the comparable Starsucks offering. They're still not exactly cheap, but for a good amount of wholesome protein that's not only palatable but super convenient and easy to prepare, it's not a bad value at all.
One minute in the microwave, let stand one minute, and that's it. Sonia and I ate our first two bites on camera in the video review below. I got the "harvest vegetable hash" confused with the "holiday vegetable hash" we reviewed last year. They're both similar concepts. I suppose they just changed the name so they could roll this product out with the fervent foray of fall foods. Fair enough.
Sonia likes this product a tad more than I do, but we'd both buy again in the end. Gluten free. They'll apparently last in the fridge for nearly two months. I give Trader Joe's Harvest Vegetable Hash Egg White Bites eight out of ten stars. Put the beautiful wifey down for eight and a half.
This little pack of dog treats has a lot going for it: it's got real chicken as the top ingredient, it contains dried bone broth, it's resealable, and the treats are soft and tiny—perfect for our small senior dogs.
Our puppers Alfred and Sadie turned 13 years old last month. They're in pretty good shape for their age, but they aren't as active as they used to be, so we have to be a bit more choosy about what treats we give them. Oat flour and rice flour are the second and third ingredients, respectively, and I understand there are different schools of thought about giving dogs grains and flours. Some say dogs should avoid grains as much as possible. Others say whole grains are a good source of dietary fiber.
Fortunately, we'll only be giving them a couple of these treats each day, so such a small amount of flour won't really affect them either way. The product even specifies on the bag that these are dog treats as opposed to dog food. They shouldn't represent more than ten percent of your dog's daily calorie intake.
Bone broth contains collagen, which is perfect for helping older dogs maintain healthy fur, skin, and joints. It can also boost their digestive and immune systems. It's even known to detoxify the liver.
The doggies seem to like taste of the treats well enough. Anything with chicken is usually a hit with them. There's even molasses in these mini morsels. Bonus points for being chewy and bite-sized even for our chihuahua-mix mutts.
$3.99 for the 6 oz resealable bag, found in the pet section. Would buy again. Alfred and Sadie give these treats eight out of ten paw prints.
