Yesterday, I lost my car keys. Right after I parked it. In a place two hours from my home. Spent the rest of the day looking for it. Didn't find it until A trekked out there and "found it" in the breast pocket of my coat - THAT I WAS WEARING THE WHOLE TIME. If that isn't talent, I don't know what is. So of course, I would also pick up the one package of teeny tiny avocados that doesn't actually say "Trader Joe's Teeny Tiny Avocados." Life goes on y'all.
Yes, there are places where you can find it cheaper, like those farmers markets with ridiculously cheap prices or when Shoprite has a sale ($0.49 each!), but day-to-day TJ's has an everyday price that is pretty competitive. I pick up the bags of avocados semi-regularly. Even though they are generally smaller than the individual avos you pick yourself, the amount and pricing works for me. These bags of 4 or 5 avos used to go for $2.99, which then increased to $3.49 at my TJ's. And now, right next to the $3.49 avos are the $2.99 current teeny tiny avos. But I'm bit confused. Those $3.49 avos used to be labeled as "Teeny Tiny Avocados," and I would use half for one slice of avocado toast. But now these $2.99 are the ones labeled as "Teeny Tiny Avocados" and specifically marketed as "single-serving avocados." Wait wait...what? Shouldn't these be like "ultra teeny tiny avocados?" Did I miss something? Is this a ploy to sell smaller avos at higher profit margins? These questions and more...I pondered with a blank face for a good five minutes. This is why I take forever to grocery shop. Anyhoo, I ended up getting this bag of 6 because although these avos were MARGINALLY smaller and had two more than the $3.49 bag. So for me, somehow it worked out in my head that this one was the better value. And all the avocados in the bag I picked up were pretty much ripe and ready to eat - straight to the fridge they went.
And thankfully, smaller avos did not mean bigger pits. Isn't it so terribly disappointing to slice open a ripe avocado only to find that a majority of the center is the pit?
This is right here is the quintessential Mantou Joe brunch. Because the only thing better than spending money is saving it. Smashed avo on white whole wheat toast (an oxymoron if I ever heard one. But basically it's compromised white bread for A) + the best product of 2017, topped off with a microwave poached egg (probably producing carcinogens somehow but so terribly convenient). Add butter or red pepper flakes if you must. Can this be a budget breakfast? Absolutely.
An entire loaf of white wheat bread - $2.49
EBG Seasoning - $1.99
Eggs - $2 (if you're going non-organic...organic then is probably around $5)
Teeny Tiny Avos - $3
I find half of one of these teeny tiny avos sufficient for one slice of avocado toast. So basically, I can get up to 12 servings of avocado toast for $0.79 each, with leftover bread for A's [boring] PB toast and EBG seasoning for other stuff. That's cheaper than McDonald's y'all. (Omai...the day McD's starts selling avocado toast...)
Whenever I would use a normal-sized avocado, I would use a quarter of it for avo toast and wrap up the rest. But it would inevitably oxidize and lose its aesthetic appeal. Now I eat half of this in my toast and save the other half for a salad or something later during the day. No waste. All the avo goodness, without paying the "add avo $2."
All this to say, I love avo. I love that it doesn't cost a fortune. And I love that TJ's is now putting this EBG seasoning right next to the avos for your convenience.
TL;DR: Trader Joe's Teeny Tiny Avocados. They so cute and avocuddly. 8 out of 10.
Yessss - these avocados have enabled me to eat avocado toast on the reg on my tiny budget :D Def one of my faves at TJ's. (Also, I can totally relate re: losing the keys...)
ReplyDeleteI saw these tiny avocados and was just mystified.... i never have a problem finishing an avocado!! Ha! I use half a regular avocado for a slice of toast, but I don’t add an egg. The other half ends up in my salad for lunch or a smoothie the next morning. Regardless i’ll always buy my avocados at trader joe’s because they’re such a great price and I generally have great luck that they aren’t blemished or bad
ReplyDeleteTtrockwood
Yep you can always count on TJs for good avo prices. Sometimes if you compare the teeny tiny ones next to the 4ct bag, they are more or less the same size, so it's a better deal for me to buy the teeny tiny ones. :)
DeleteYour misplaced car keys reminded me of a misplaced driver's license at the airport. Thankfully it happened after passing the TSA checkpoint entrance. What I didn't realize is that I'd automatically tucked it in an inside pocket of my jacket, and when I put my hand in it, the ID had fallen forward leaving a cap, where my hand floundered without feeling it. Even went so far as to get a duplicate ID from the DMV... and then a week later, found it when dumping the contents of all pockets for a wash load.
ReplyDeleteI've found the small avocados suffering an inconsistency. Sometimes they are fibrous or don't ripen evenly (very soft parts and then hard ones). The larger avocados are more consistent, plus a little cheaper per pound. It's easy to store a cut avocado. First wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then tuck inside a hard plastic container or ziplock bag. I find you can go practically 7 days before finishing.
I agree with all Gary said. Except the lost keys. I never lose keys. (Ha... just have multiples laying around!) Teeny tiny cados sometimes have teeny tiny pit and sometimes a giant pit. Sometimes flesh is creamy buttery heaven, sometimes a watery flavorless pap. Sometimes they are fibrous, sometimes black inside, sometimes bitter. But when they're good, they're great. But then again, avocado buying is always like gambling - regardless of size. I look for California grown avocados, available in their season, otherwise Trader Joe's gets Mexico, Peru, etc. The California Haas is best IMO.
ReplyDeleteAgreed! I love the California Haas variety. Unfortunately, the teeny tiny avocados have gotten even teenier since I posted this in March. I no longer purchase them for that reason.
DeleteI think that's because TJ's buys them from multiple sources in different countries, so subject to variation, inconsistency and market conditions. For a while, I was getting at least 2 inedible black avocados in every bag of 6, so I stopped buying for a couple months.
DeleteI love the Teeny tiny avocados from TJs. No waste for me. One teeny one smashed w lemon juice, a sprinkle of salt on two Wasa high fiber crackers. My favorite breakfast and no oxidized leftovers.
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