Trader Joes

[K8ling]

There's a Trader Joes in VA Beach which is going to be my only option for gluten-free food...any suggestions?

I have never been there but have been intrigued by the posts. What should I try while I am near one?

[Emilushka]

One of my favorite things is their $1 ramen-style noodle bowls. That's dirt-cheap for gluten-free noodles, and they're tasty!

I also really love their precooked lentils as an easy addition to other cooking.

[Judy3]

One of my favorite things is their $1 ramen-style noodle bowls. That's dirt-cheap for gluten-free noodles, and they're tasty!

I also really love their precooked lentils as an easy addition to other cooking.

I want a Trader Joe's closer to me!!! The closest one is 120 miles away

[Emilushka]

I want a Trader Joe's closer to me!!! The closest one is 120 miles away

Our closest is about 50 miles. I don't go that often. I honestly found that it's not worth it to go to the tiny one that's close to us because there's so much gluten-free stuff in town (read: NOT AN HOUR AWAY) that I can eat.

[GFinDC]

TJ's has gluten-free brown rice tortillas. They are not kept in the frig like most gluten-free items though. The TJ's near me they were near the wine section on a wooden rack near the bottom. Strange place to display them I thot but what the hay, I eventually found them. I guess they think while people are getting their two buck chuck (TJ's brand wine) they will want some gluten-free tortillas to go with it. I am pretty sure they sell an almond meal that people like also.

[GlutenFreeManna]

Hi, I'm in Virginia Beach. The Trader Joes here is really small and not a lot of gluten-free options. Their brown rice pasta is good and I like their gluten-free pancake mix. They also recently started carrying Udi's bread, so that's exciting. I mostly go there for the produce, though. If you want a really good place to go for gluten free stuff in Virginia Beach check out Navan Foods while you're here: Open Original Shared Link

Also another good store in the area is Farm Fresh. Variety depends on which store you go to, but they have a Gluten free aisle and some stores have a gluten free freezer case.

[Judy3]

TJ's has gluten-free brown rice tortillas. They are not kept in the frig like most gluten-free items though. The TJ's near me they were near the wine section on a wooden rack near the bottom. Strange place to display them I thot but what the hay, I eventually found them. I guess they think while people are getting their two buck chuck (TJ's brand wine) they will want some gluten-free tortillas to go with it. I am pretty sure they sell an almond meal that people like also.

I had some brown rice tortilla's (not TJ's) and they were gross... ate a few for wraps for lunches and they fell apart right in front of my eyes... Threw the rest away. The texture and taste of them was like partially cooked pasta and not al dente!! Maybe I'm still getting used to this different texture thing I don't know but I'd rather not eat if that's all there is... ackkkkK!

[K8ling]

Hi, I'm in Virginia Beach. The Trader Joes here is really small and not a lot of gluten-free options. Their brown rice pasta is good and I like their gluten-free pancake mix. They also recently started carrying Udi's bread, so that's exciting. I mostly go there for the produce, though. If you want a really good place to go for gluten free stuff in Virginia Beach check out Navan Foods while you're here: Open Original Shared Link

Also another good store in the area is Farm Fresh. Variety depends on which store you go to, but they have a Gluten free aisle and some stores have a gluten free freezer case.

THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!!! I was so worried about getting food there. Grandma is a little confused on the whole gluten-free thing so I will be doing my own cooking and shopping for Christmas. Thank you soooo much.

[GFinDC]

I had some brown rice tortilla's (not TJ's) and they were gross... ate a few for wraps for lunches and they fell apart right in front of my eyes... Threw the rest away. The texture and taste of them was like partially cooked pasta and not al dente!! Maybe I'm still getting used to this different texture thing I don't know but I'd rather not eat if that's all there is... ackkkkK!

Acck-thtpft Bill the cat! (Doonesbury) I usually rinse the tortillas with running water on each side before I heat them in the microwave. That softens them and they don't crack so much when folded. Honestly, I don't mind the taste of the ones I've tried. But I don't think I have the most sensitive taste buds in the world either. To me the rice wraps are not about taste so much as just something to hold the contents. I haven't tried making wraps ahead of time and keeping them until lunch, so not am sure if the water thing works out well when stored for a few hours. I just rinse them quickly to get them damp, the water softens them up a lot when heated. Other wise they tend to crack and break apart into crumbs.

[GlutenFreeManna]

THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!!! I was so worried about getting food there. Grandma is a little confused on the whole gluten-free thing so I will be doing my own cooking and shopping for Christmas. Thank you soooo much.

Navan would be your easiest stop for everything you need gluten free (minus fruits, veggies and meats). You can browse the website and see what all they have. It's a small family run store with only allergen free specialty items (I think everything she has is gluten free, but some items are also dairy free, soy free, etc.) but there's so much variety there you should not have any problem getting things. I'm overwhelmed by the number of choices when I go in there and I always wish my grocery budget were bigger, lol. If for some reason you can't get to Navan then don't worry-- most of the grocery stores here have a small selection of gluten free items. The hardest thing to find is the bread--Navan has the most variety as far as breads, Farm Fresh stores with a gluten free freezer section (not all of them have them) have the second most variety (at least 2-4 bread brands per store) and Trader Joes is the lowest--they only have Udi's and Food for Life and they only started carrying Udi's recently. Harris Teeter is a another chain here where I am seeing more gluten-free flour mixes lately but I haven't seen any gluten-free bread there yet. Same thing with Food Lion. As you can see there are MANY grocery stores here. I haven't found any store with NO gluten-free items, most will have at least some type of gluten-free pasta and a gluten-free flour mix (mostly Bob's Red Mills) just some store might not have what you are looking for. Even Walmart has gluten-free pasta. So, no worries you won't starve. I hope you have a stress free Christmas dinner.

[Judy3]

Acck-thtpft Bill the cat! (Doonesbury) I usually rinse the tortillas with running water on each side before I heat them in the microwave. That softens them and they don't crack so much when folded. Honestly, I don't mind the taste of the ones I've tried. But I don't think I have the most sensitive taste buds in the world either. To me the rice wraps are not about taste so much as just something to hold the contents. I haven't tried making wraps ahead of time and keeping them until lunch, so not am sure if the water thing works out well when stored for a few hours. I just rinse them quickly to get them damp, the water softens them up a lot when heated. Other wise they tend to crack and break apart into crumbs.

Yes sir that's exactly what they did, cracked and broke apart into crumbs. I'm trying to get used to this new textures of things and I'm not having much success. Do you ever get used to it? Crumbly, melting bread (yes it was UDI's and it dissolved in my mouth before my teeth hit the meat and veggies inside. Toasted and then taking to to the office doesn't work either. sigh.. I'm doomed to a life of salad lunches... one month into this and I'm starting to hate it... I think I'm in the anger part of grief? lol

[sb2178]

Try soup. I second (third?) the awful-ness of brown rice tortillas. I'd rather eat salad. Or soup!! Crackers are generally safer for travel, esp. if packed in separately.

For TJ, they have very affordable chocolate. Their Ritter Sport bars are nicely priced. You can also get mochi stuffed with ice cream... (should be gluten-free, but I haven't read their label since last year). Also a good source of PB and non-PB butters.

[anabananakins]

There's a Trader Joes in VA Beach which is going to be my only option for gluten-free food...any suggestions?

I have never been there but have been intrigued by the posts. What should I try while I am near one?

Snickerdoodles! The trader joes ones are super yummy. *plans another trip to the US for purposes of stocking up on snickerdoodles and udi's bread*

[jess-gf]

TJ's has a hearty and tasty gluten-free lentil soup and gluten-free chicken meatballs in the refridge section. Their brown rice pasta is good, and they have gluten-free pasta sauce too. Hmm they also have gluten-free vanilla merengue cookies I've been nomming for about a week! At my TJ's they have lots of gluten-free food interspersed with the mainstream stuff, but usually it's easy to find because it has a little "g" icon in a bottom corner. I also noticed they have Udi's bread, and I tried one of their own gluten-free english muffins this morning. Not too bad.. didn't taste exactly like Thomas's but it was tasty with some jam.