Trader Joe's Organic Pea Soup

I was quite intrigued when I noticed Trader Joe's was carrying some pre-made soups which were in the refrigerator section instead of in the canned good aisle. I was even more intrigued when I spotted and picked up the Trader Joe's Organic Pea Soup. Thanks to giving into old "childhood food fears" I learned that I really love pea soup so if I can find a convenient version to have whenever the mood strikes, it's a win for me.

 

Ideally the pea soup I'm used to has bits of ham in it, but this is a vegetarian/vegan version. But what sold me the most was the fact that this soup is very thick. I've had pea soups in the past where they're a little on the runnier side and that's just not enjoyable. This is night, thick and hearty while having a bit of texture to it. It's undoubtedly a step in the right direction if you've tried the canned version of this soup in store (you can see that review here).

 

I find it's difficult to really explain how pea soup tastes. If you've had it before, you know the flavor. It's peas ... it's carrots ... and it's whatever flavoring you put into it. Since there's no meat it's straight peas with slight sweetness from the carrots. It's very good and pleasing on the pallet.  Definitely one of my favorite pea soups that I have tried (outside of homemade).

 

A serving, 8 oz/227 g, is 90 calories or 2 points plus values.

Trader Joe’s Organic Split Pea Soup

Pea soup is wiggling its way into my favorite soup of all time. Granted, it took me over 27 years to give pea soup a try … but once I got past the “it’s green!” issue I found the soup was absolutely delicious.  So when I spotted the Trader Joe’s Organic Split Pea Soup I decided to pick a can up.

Once in a bowl and heated the soup is on the thinner side of thick. If you’re used to pea soup with ham in it, you’ll notice a definite flavor difference – which is to be expected. But if you can get past that, the soup is truly not that bad. It could be flavored up a bit with a little bit of extra black pepper. I’ll always feel homemade is so much better but this was great to have on hand for a quick and easy meal. The soup is tasty and filling, so definitely a winner in my book. As mentioned on the products label, it is both organic and vegan.

A serving is 1 cup for 100 calories or 2 points plus values. OR you could have the whole can for 200 calories or 4 points plus values.

Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

This is what I call “Facebook made me do it” – meaning one of those recipes that bounce around on Facebook was posted on my Facebook timeline. After walking thru the kitchen I noticed I had some slightly ripened bananas soooo it was a perfect opportunity to whip up a quick batch of cookies.

The recipe is interesting because it includes no sugar, no dairy and no oil.  I admit, when I recreated the recipe I used skim milk in place of the almond milk since I did not have a container in the refrigerator at the time.

I made 18 pretty decent sized cookies and they were 2 points plus a piece. Not bad at all! These were also a hit … they tasted reminiscent of banana bread (of course, different texture, etc.)

Here’s the recipe I followed:

3 mashed ripe bananas

1/3 cup apple sauce (I used natural unsweetened)

2 cups oats

¼ cup almond milk (I substituted with skim milk)

½ cup raisins (optional)

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Trader Joe’s Reduced Guilt Wheat Crisps

Last year I had heard about how good the Trader Joe’s Reduced Guilt Wheat Crisps were so I picked up a box. I’m a fan of Wheat Thins and so I decided to give them a go. I’ve actually purchased these a few times but realized I haven’t posted about them quite yet ... so here goes!

The wheat crisps are your classic “Wheat Thin” type cracker, except I feel these particular ones taste better than Wheat Thins.  There’s nothing that’s utterly spectacular about them, other than the fact they’re just a really good simple cracker. They’re crunchy, they’re flavorful, and the crackers themselves are slightly bigger than your average Wheat Thin. They’re perfect on their own, with cheese, with hummus and they’re a homerun paired with chive cottage cheese.  The only negative is they are slightly addicting and I do have to stash the box away in the cabinet to avoid eating more than a serving or two.

A serving which is 14 crackers, is 130 calories or 3 points plus values.

QUESTION:

Have you tried Trader Joe’s reduced guilt wheat crisps?