My Favorites from Trader Joe’s: What To Buy

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I am sure you are all too familiar with Trader Joe’s and the loyalty of its shoppers. It’s almost like once you start shopping Trader Joe’s you don’t go back. After hearing numerous friends rave about their products and watching fellow bloggers talk about their favorites, I decided to see what the craze was all about…and now I understand!

What makes Trader Joe’s unique is that they stock smaller or unknown brands so they are able to sell their products cheaper than other grocery store retailers. This means they also have a lot of interesting new products that you probably haven’t seen before.

I wanted to share my favorites with you whether you’re a Trader Joe’s newbie and need a place to start or a loyal customer looking for new items to try. 

SHOP MY FAVORITES

Matcha Green Tea Mochi 

If you are a mochi lover then you have to try these. It’s great when you want a little dessert, but don’t want to feel too guilty since it’s just ice cream in a bean paste shell. I only wish they stocked more flavors like mango or red bean, which is my favorite.

Red Quinoa

I never understood the appeal of quinoa as a rice substitute until I tried Trader Joe’s red quinoa. I really enjoy using this as a base for my stir-frys, and it is really easy to make. If you’ve been on the fence about eating quinoa then give this one a try. Just be sure to add salt to your water for more flavor.

Sliced Mango 

Does anyone else love mangos, but hate cutting them? It’s messy and I feel like I waste so much of the mango around the core. I normally don’t buy pre-sliced food as I feel like you just pay more for the labor, but this one is worth it. It’s perfect to have your mango already cut up so there are no excuses if you want fruit and it makes for a refreshing end to a spicy meal.

Carrot Ginger Soup 

If you’re having one of those days where you don’t feel like preparing dinner, but still want something healthier than ordering in this would be a perfect choice. I like to add the red quinoa (usually cook it up in larger batches so it’s already prepared) to thicken up the soup and add in some spices like cumin or cilantro. It feels truly gourmet.

Chicken Gyoza Potstickers 

I would consider this my #1 favorite at Trader Joe’s. To say I’m addicted would be an understatement as I’ve eaten these as a meal before. There are very few ingredients, which makes me feel like I’m getting something that isn’t overly processed, and they take less than 10 minutes to make. My favorite way to cook gyoza is to quickly fry them for some color then steam.

The Perfect Bar

The best way to describe this bar is a protein bar that tastes like cookie dough. Yes, you read that right! Depending on the bar you can 12-17g of protein, and feel like you’re eating dessert. It’s great to throw in your handbag if you have a busy day or for post-workout. My favorites are the dark chocolate chip and plain peanut butter. You’ll find these in the refrigerated section near the milk.

Pre-Made Salads

Similar to pre-cut foods, I normally don’t purchase pre-made salads as I don’t want to pay for the labor when I can easily make it myself. However, the price and the nutritional value wasn’t too bad. Just because it’s a salad doesn’t mean it’s healthy, and you would probably be shocked if you looked at the back of most pre-made salads sold at grocery stores. I’m currently trying the lemon chicken and arugula salad.

Cheese Section

I previously wrote about how to create the perfect cheese board as I am a major cheese lover. All of the cheese I used for that blog post was from Trader Joe’s because it’s my favorite place to find decent cheese for a good price. After living in Europe for so many years, I can’t quite justify spending $12 for one wedge of cheese when I know what it really costs. At Trader Joe’s the most I paid for a pretty big wedge of Brie was $7.99. You have to try the French Brie, Aged Gouda, and Roquefort.

Fresh Flowers

I’ve long spoken about my love of fresh flowers because they truly can transform a space and there is something magical about bringing the outdoors in. I purchased a bouquet of white roses for only $6.99 today, and there is always a pretty decent selection of fresh flowers at Trader Joes.

Trader Joe’s Sparkling Water

They do sell other brands of sparkling water, but I normally opt for the store brand because it’s less expensive and tastes the same to me. For entertaining, you could add some fresh mint and blackberries or cucumber to the sparkling water to make it look like you really tried even when you didn’t.

What are your favorite items from Trader Joe’s? Have you ever shopped there before? Let me know in the comments section below!