Best of Trader Joe’s

We have to admit, we are relatively new fans of Trader Joe’s, but that doesn’t mean we’re any less addicted. Trader Joe’s doesn’t exist in Wisconsin (at least where we grew up) so we didn’t even know what it was until we moved to San Diego nine years ago. Back then we had this preconceived notion that it was an expensive grocery store so we avoided it for the most part, aside from buying some of their prepackaged meals. It wasn’t until we moved to LA four years ago that we truly discovered how magical TJ’s is. You get quality (and likely organic) food at an inexpensive price!

We live less than a mile from Trader Joe’s so you can imagine how often we go. If you watch our weekly favorites you know we try to share our Trader Joe’s finds there but we realized there are so many things we buy time and time again that you guys never hear about. So we decided to put together this concise list of our favorite items at Trader Joe’s! I do want to mention that we’re vegetarians so there won’t be any meat/poultry no this list.

Note: If we could find a link and photo we included it, but not all items will have one!

Produce: 

Teeny Tiny Avocados ($2.69 for six)– We often only use half an avocado at a time which led to a lot of wasted avo. These tiny avocados are the perfect solution and quite the steal!

 

Southwestern Chopped Salad ($2.99)– This chopped salad is packed with flavor and it always tastes fresh. We usually split a bag and add avocado for a nice lunch.

 

Broccoli & Kale Slaw ($2.49)– This salad has blueberries which makes it a nice mix of salty and sweet.

Organic Pink Lady Apples ($2.99)– We used to buy organic pink ladies from Vons and it was about $6 for four. Trader Joe’s sells bags of like eight for $3.00!

Cold Section: 

Artichoke & Jalapeno Dip ($3.69)– This is our all-time favorite dip, and much more affordable than it’s Costco counterpart.

Vegan Kale, Cashew, & Basil Pesto ($3.69)– We love that Trader Joe’s offers inexpensive vegan items. We’re not vegan but we do prefer to eat vegan when we can. This pesto is amazing and this tub lasts us a while.

Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk ($1.99)– tastes creamier than normal almond milk and the vanilla taste is authentic.

Spicy Hummus Dip ($1.99)– We love ALL the hummus dips at TJ’s but the spicy one is our favorite. It’s so unique and versatile.

Green Goddess Salad Dressing ($3.69)– This salad dressing is really healthy, whole, and goes with everything!

Packaged: 

Organic Tomato Basil Marinara ($2.49)– It’s incredibly hard to find good pasta sauce that doesn’t have a ton of sugar. This one only has 3g per serving and it’s really refreshing.

Organic Red Lentil Sedanini ($3.00)– Since we don’t eat meat we try to get protein in whenever possible and this pasta has been a game changer for us. Of course, it doesn’t taste like regular pasta but it’s much more filling which we love.

Spanish Organic Extra Virgin Garlic Olive Oil ($3.99)– All olive oil should include garlic. Enough said.

Everything but the Bagel Seasoning ($1.99)– This stuff is so good on avocado toast!

Gluten Free Rolled Oats ($4.00)– These are great for baking. We also love eating them for breakfast with fruit!

Organic Chia Seeds ($4.99)– I love putting chia seeds in my overnight oats. I only use a teaspoon per breakfast so this 12-ounce bag lasts me!

Old Fashioned Organic Oats (around $2.50)– These are perfect for overnight oats. Very inexpensive for how much you get!

Pre-packaged meals: 

Mozzarella & Tomato Salad ($3.49)– This was one of the first salads we started buying fro TJ’s and I still think it’s the best! The mozzarella pieces are so creamy and the dressing is incredible. I also don’t think green onions are used enough in general so they’re a nice addition here.

Classic Greek Salad ($3.49)– The classic greek is our go-to salad when we’re trying to eat a little cleaner. It is exactly as it states, a classic greek salad.

Southwest Salad ($3.39)– This salad is one of the healthier varieties and we love that it has beans for extra protein.

Snacks: 

Happy Trekking Trail Mix ($7.49)– Without a doubt, this is the best trail mix you’ll ever have. The dark chocolate pieces make it taste like dessert. We love that the bags come pre-packaged too.

3 Seed Sweet Potato Crackers ($1.99)– These crackers are our favorite snack from TJs. They’re made of only seven ingredients and taste amazing!

Sweet Plantain Chips ($1.99)– Plantains are a new favorite in general for me, and these chips are so good! The texture is unbeatable.

Raises the Bar ($2.79)– Hack: The dark chocolate chunk variety tastes like a dessert when you top it with peanut butter.

Sour Gummies ($1.99)– First of all these are vegan which is incredibly hard to find in the gummy world. They also taste like adult sour patch kids and are the best gummies at Trader Joe’s!

Bakery: 

Gluten Free Whole Grain Bread ($4.49)– This bread is expensive for how tiny it is, we know. But we found that it tastes like regular bread and it’s the perfect size for avocado toast. We make two slices with one teeny tiny avocado and top them with everything seasoning!

Sliced French Brioche ($3.99)– Fact: We love anything that tastes like a croissant. This bread included.

Frozen: 

Gluten Free Cheese Pizza ($4.99)– We’re not gluten intolerant but this pizza tastes some sort of cheesy dip. It’s amazing!

Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese ($2.99)– We may have wept when we first had this. It’s a truly life-changing pasta dish. We also may have wept when we realized it was seasonal.

Spelt Risotto ($2.99)– This is our favorite risotto at TJ’s. The sauce has a bot of a kick and it’s full of veggies.

Organic Roasted Vegetable Pizza ($4.49)– This is our favorite frozen pizza from TJ’s. It has such a nice assortment of veggies and a bit of a creamy sauce.

Penne Arrabbiata ($2.99)– we actually didn’t give this one much thought until we saw it on a list of “best frozen pasta” at Trader Joe’s. You guys, it’s SO good. Spicy with bold flavor in every bite.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi ($2.99)– HOW GOOD are the frozen pastas at Trader Joes? They always taste fresh and full of flavor. This gnocchi has the creamiest butter sauce that’s divine, for lack of a better term.

Desserts: 

Pumpkin Ginger Hold the Cone ($2.99) – When we’re trying to be “better” we buy these mini ice cream cones. They’re decadent and cure our sweet tooth!

Brownie Crisp Coffee Ice Cream Sandwiches ($3.99)– Is there a better combination than chocolate and coffee?

Half Moon Cookies ($2.99)– These are the closest we’ve found to an authentic black and white cookie and they’re surprisingly not terrible for you.

Quadruple Almond Cookies ($3.99)– We are firm believers that everything should be almond flavored. It’s such an underrated flavor! These cookies are small but they’re the perfect snack to have post meal.

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups ($4.29)- They put these by the checkouts for a reason.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies (around $3.99)– We love vegan desserts because they tend to be denser (more oil, no eggs). These cookies are no exception.

Vanilla Chantilly Cream Vanilla Bean Mini Sheet Cake ($3.99)– I know it sounds ridiculous but this is the BEST cake we’ve ever had. The vanilla bean ice cream is rich yet creamy, and the cake is fluffy yet packed with flavor. I wouldn’t be mad getting this for my birthday!

Other: 

Flowers ($2.99+)– Trader Joe’s has the prettiest flowers! Especially for how inexpensive they are. We love getting a small bunch and adding some eucalyptus.

Warm Vanilla Body Butter ($4.99)– This stuff smells just like the Warm Vanilla Sugar Body Spray that Bath & Body Works had like 15 years ago! It’s the perfect warm scent for winter and the formula is super creamy and moisturizing.

All photos were taken from traderjoes.com