Trader Joe’s Taste Test: Jicama Wraps, Coconut Chocolate Date Bars & Ginger Drink Mix

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On today’s edition of The Krocks Try, I picked up three products from one of my favorite stores… Trader Joe’s! One of the things I love most about Trader Joe’s is the fact that they rotate in new products on a regular basis. Of course, most of them are not anywhere close to whole food plant-based, so whenever I find some that are, I can’t wait to test them out!

NOTE: This video and post are NOT sponsored by Trader Joe’s in any way. We purchased everything and are providing our honest opinions. Watch the video for our reviews and scroll down below for more information on the products.

Jicama Wraps, $4.49 for a package of 12

I have been keeping an eye out for these Jicama Wraps for quite a while. I first heard about them popping up in other cities months ago, but I could never find them here in St. Louis… until now!

At $4.49 for a package of 12 wraps, they aren’t exactly cheap, but they do make a great healthy alternative to a taco shell.

So what is jicama anyway? You might remember from our salad prep video, we love adding jicama to our salads. It is crunchy root vegetable that looks similar to the inside of a raw potato, but has a bite closer to an apple. We also included the pre-chopped Jicama Sticks on our Top 10 Vegan Trader Joe’s Product List.

Each two-wrap serving has 15 calories and the only ingredient is jicama. Nothing else added.

The flavor is pretty neutral, so it makes a great delivery system for all of your favorite taco fillings. For the video, Brian used a mixture of veggies we already had chopped up in the fridge and added some of Trader Joe’s Spicy Cashew Butter Dressing.

I think these are a fun way to switch up taco night, but with the steep price, I can’t really see buying these on a regular basis. I’d much rather pick up a package of their corn tortillas for around 99 cents. Just make sure you get the ones with only three ingredients: corn, water & lime.

Coconut Chocolate Date Bars, $3.49 for a box of 5

You know I’m a sucker for anything chocolate, so I had to try out these bars! The official name is: “This Coconut Brings Chocolate On A Date Bars.”

You may have heard of their “These Peanuts Go On A Date Bars,” which I have loved for years. I was excited to try out this new variation.

It can be very challenging to find “bars” with a clean ingredient list, but these are pretty much on par with what you’ll find in Lara Bars. Each bar has 170 calories and contains just five ingredients: date paste, almond butter, coconut flakes, unsweetened chocolate chunks and cocoa powder.

I’m not a big coconut fan, but it didn’t completely overwhelm the bars. They have a nice, pleasant, chewy bite to them.

At $3.49 for a box of 5, the price is pretty competitive with any sort of bar you’ll find on the market. Overall, I think these make a nice sweet treat for when you are on-the-go and want to avoid picking up something much more unhealthy at a gas station. However, I think I still prefer the “These Peanuts Go On A Date Bars” over these!

Ginger Drink Mix Packets, $2.99 for a box of 7

Up next, I picked up these 100% Ginger Drink Mix packets. The sign claimed they were a “delicate, easy dissolving powder” with a “sweet earthy” taste.

At $2.99 for a box of 7 packets, it seemed relatively reasonable, but I don’t really have anything to compare it with.

The only ingredient is… yes, you guessed it… ginger powder! Each packet comes in at 60 calories and can be enjoyed cold or hot.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Normally I add fresh ginger root to smoothies and it gives it a nice spicy kick.

Of course, we had to try out both preparation methods. Mixing the powder with hot water was very easy. The cold water version was a bit more difficult, but I think I also filled the water bottle up way too much. User error… 😀

I think we both agreed that this is not something we would purchase again. The hot version definitely won, but in general, unless I was just on some kind of kick to get more ginger in my diet, I wouldn’t go out of my way to drink these for enjoyment. Of course, ginger has a ton of great benefits, so I think these are meant for people who are trying to get that healthy dose in each day.

Almond Beverage Chocolate Bars, $2.99 for a 2.5oz package

Okay… I might have added a bonus item that isn’t exactly (AT ALL) whole food plant-based. These ARE vegan, but definitely wayyy more processed than what we try to stick to on a normal basis.

These definitely fall into the “rare and appropriate” treat category, but man are they DELICIOUS. If you have a chocolate problem like I do, it’s probably best to go ahead and avoid these.

They taste just like milk chocolate and easily break into 16 pieces that are approximately 26 calories each. In theory, if you just ate one at the end of the day, this might work out… but I have not been able to successfully avoid devouring the entire package in one sitting. So this is more of a warning for all you chocoholics out there. 🙂

Again, I will probably only pick these up in the future on very rare occasions, but it was worth trying them out!

The Verdict

While I don’t think any of these products will become pantry staples for us, it was fun to try out some new things.

Watch the video to see our full reviews of each item and be sure to comment and let us know if you’ve tried any of these out!