Price: $1.99
Serving: 1/2 package, 5.8 oz.
Calories: 300
Fat: 23%, 15g
Sodium: 21%, 500mg
Protein: 7g
Carbs: 12%, 35sg
Fiber: 4%, 1g

for taste
for horrible nutritional value

Trader Joe says: Trader Ming’s noodle boxes were inspired by the noodle carts on the streets of Bangkok, Thailand. In Bangkok, people enjoy all kind of wonderful fods from street vendors. In a way, the streets are really just one big open air cafe. We have imported three great flavors from Thailand and now you have an easy way to eat these noodle dishes.

Abi says: While all you vegans out there may be hip-hip-hooraying for Trader Joe’s three new ’soba in sauce’ offerings, the rest of the noodle-eating public should do without these dishes. Sure, the sauce is edible, they cook up in two minutes, and no refrigerator or freezer is required. Unfortunately, you’re spending $1.99 on some pretty mediocre noodles in sauce. I’d eat this meal in desperation, but knowing that instead of consuming a box, I could eat a Lean Cuisine and a Dove Dark Chocolate Bar, I’d go with the chocolate-including option. If that doesn’t convince you, then think about the pool of oil that I encountered at the bottom of my noodle box. Ew.

Stay tuned for reviews of the Kung Po noodles and Pad Thai, coming Thursday and Friday. As of writing this review I haven’t tried those meals. Who knows, they may be insanely delicious.

Hey Vegans, Vegetarians, and Trader Joe’s aficionados, there’s a new type of noodle lunch out there. East coast TJ’s locations are now carrying Pad Thai, Peanut Satay Noodles, and Kung Pao Noodles under the Trader Joe’s brand.

HeatEatReview.com will give you the scoop on these meals next week, starting with the Peanut Satay Noodles. No, Trader Joe’s didn’t send them to us for free. Instead, we (meaning Abi) dropped six bucks in an effort to satisfy a major case of curiosity.

If any of you West Coast HeatEatReview readers see the product in your stores, please let us know!

None of the information in the review has been confirmed. So, we may just be adding to the Trader Joe’s rumor mill. That or they really do sell other brands with replacement packaging.

Price: $2.79
Serving: 1 package, 9.5 oz.
Calories: 470
Fat: 35%, 23g
Sodium: 26%, 630mg
Protein: 18g
Fiber: 12%, 3g

Trader Joe says: Made with organic pasta, extra virgin olive oil and basil.

Amy says: Sound the alarm folks! I am hittin’ you with (what i consider to be) some super duper news. Are you ready? Brace yourself foo! OK, well, once upon a time in San Diego (why the locale matters I know not) I was chatting with my cousin about the merits of Amy’s Kitchen and Trader Joe’s. I love these companies passionately for all of the goodness they have dropped into my life. My cousin worked for a food broker that dealt with Amy’s and she informed me that sometimes Trader Joe’s would get Amy’s products and put their own packaging on them. If you haven’t figured out what I am insinuating here then well, I suppose I will have to spell it out for you. This tortellini bowl is essentially Amy’s, though I checked it out and the nutrition varies a touch, but the taste, hot diggity!!!

I never got to review Amy’s tortellini bowl. I was daunted by Abi’s tremendous review, but it seems that fate works in mysterious and wonderful ways so here we go!

Trader Joe’s tortellini bowl is what every frozen meal should strive to be in terms of yumminess. The sauce is basil-ly delcious and the tortellini, although not al dente, were cooked evenly and had delightful cheesy center. Also, Abi noted that Amy’s tortellini got a little tough in the microwave. I paid extra attention to this while inhaling my meal and I only found one that was slightly chewy. It seems that Trader Joe’s was able to fix the problem which Amy’s presented, or maybe my microwave is better than the one at work. The best part of this discovery was, well, I guess that it existed at all, but also, the price. Even with the raincheck from Giant the Amy’s tortellini bowl is often more expensive.

The drawbacks here are that I don’t think every Trader Joe’s carries this product as I only found it upon my return to California and unfortunately, good products do not make for funny reviews. I am sure that Abi will make every attempt to track one or eight of these bad boys down at every Trader Joe’s in the DC metropolitan area. I wish you luck on this mission.

[I've made an attempt to track down this bowl at multiple Trader Joe's in the DC area. I'm sorry dear readers, but I haven't found them at the Fairfax, Alexandria, DC (woo!), or Silver Spring Trader Joe's. I'm a little bummed about this and beginning to think that maybe this product is only available on the West Coast. --Abi Jones, Ed.]

[These are definitely available at the Foggy Bottom Trader Joe's in DC, and the Menlo Park and Mountain View locations in CA. - Ed.]

Upsides: delicious and plentiful sauce, peanuts, plenty of veggies. Downsides: three big hunks of chicken required a knife and I was hungry in an hour…

Price: $2.59
Serving: 1 bowl, 12 oz.
Calories: 340
Fat: 8%, 6g
Sodium: 17%, 400mg
Protein: 16g
Carbs: 19%, 56g
Fiber: 11%, 3g

Trader Ming says: Keep Frozen

Abi says: I could write a review about this bowl. It was pretty good and deserves the four stars I’ve bestowed. Upsides: delicious and plentiful sauce, peanuts, plenty of veggies. Downsides: three big hunks of chicken required a knife and I was hungry in an hour. I feel like I should preface this chat by noting the Amy is half-Chinese.

Abi:Most popular category on the website is chicken, followed by vegetarian
Abi:That could just be because that’s what we have reviews of
Amy:Yes, and most people are smart enough to know that beef is gross as a frozen entree
Amy:Are there pork frozen meals?
Abi:Yeah
Amy:There are?
Abi:Nicole reviewed a boneless pork rib
Amy:Oh, like hungryman?
Abi:The McRib of frozen meals
Amy:oh grossssss
Abi:and Banquet
Abi:Also, anything with pepperoni probably has pork
Amy: those things should be banned
Amy: oh yeah
Abi:pepperoni is delicious!
Amy:ok
Amy:i will give you pepperoni
Amy: and maybe sausage
Amy: like on bagel bites
Amy: but that is it
Abi: ooh, Bagel Bites
Abi:I am hungry
Amy: not me
Amy: I ate way too much lunch
Abi: hmmm Trader Ming’s isn’t holding up
Abi:Freaking chinese food
Amy:Most chinese food goes fast
Abi: What’s up with that?
Abi:It was relatively low in sodium too
Amy:I think the Chinese like eating
Amy:So they made food that digests quickly
Amy:So they can eat shortly after eating
Abi:Italians like eating too, but you’re not super hungry after some lasagna
Amy:The Chinese are smarter
Abi:But they’re not exactly Renaissance men
Abi:ok, that was bad, I’m sorry
Amy:i will let it slide
Amy:this time
Abi:I think this will be my review for the meal, our chat
Amy:I am all for it