Ever changing Everything Trader Joe's Thread

[sherry7899]

Here is a list of favorite items from Trader Joe's, compiled from various threads on VF:


Please feel free to add to this I'll add more as I think of items. I will also eventually list items I tried and did not like-please add to that list also.

Is it possible to make this a sticky thread? Thanks!

I also recommend this site:

http://www.whatsgoodattraderjoes.com/

Dairy:

Greek Yogurt-plain and vanilla ($2.99 for 16 ounces)

4 ounce containers of yogurt which come in a six pack-they use whole milk, but they are small, so they are an indulgence for me.
I really like the strawberry, banana, blueberry and vanilla flavors. They also sell peach yogurt in this size

-sour cream
-buttermilk
-butter, including Kerry Gold and vegan margarine
-cottage cheese
-liquid eggs, egg whites and hard boiled eggs

Juice: (refrigerator)
-orange juice (32 ounces) is only $1.99. I buy the kind with extra calcium.
They have a variety of other juices in this section, such as pineapple

Refrigerated Items:

-pizza dough-wheat or white $1.19
-fresh pasta-tortellini is only $1.99
-fresh ravioli
-large variety of hummus and dips
-wine country chicken salad
-packages of grilled cut up chicken
-fresh pesto
-ready to bake small pizzas (have not tried them)

Meats:
-large variety of chicken sausage
-very fresh ground turkey
-excellent turkey bacon
-nitrate free hot dogs-beef,chicken and turkey


Cheese:
-huge selection..too much to list (special mention for the lite sliced Muenster cheese, though!)
-string cheese-I like the light cheddar



Grocery/non perishable items:

Large selection of non dairy milks, including almond, coconut, rice, and soy


Nut Butters:
-peanut butter
-almond butter (best price I've seen anywhere). They also have varieties that contain flaxseed, which is really good
-Better N Peanut Butter
-their own version of Nutella-chocolate almond spread

fruit butters:
-love their seasonal pumpkin butter
-fig butter
-apple honey butter (I wasn't crazy about this, but that's just my preference)

sweeteners:
-agave
-honey
-maple syrup (cheapest I've seen it anywhere)

Oils:
-great prices on olive oil, canola oil and coconut oil

spices:
most are only $1.99 a jar, and they have a decent variety


baking mixes/etc:
-banana bread
-pumpkin bread (seasonal)
-truffle brownie mix
-blondie brownie mix (new, have not tried yet)
-their own version of Bisquick, which is much cheaper than the grocery store
-white and white/whole wheat flour and wheat flour
-chocolate chips-only $2.69 a bag
-cocoa powder

Jarred/boxed/canned grocery items such as sauces, etc:
-pesto
-eggplant garlic spread
-bruschetta spread
-tomato basil sauce
-boxed broth for soups-vegetable, beef and chicken. I use the low sodium chicken broth, which is $2.29 for 32 ounces
-their canned lentil, vegetable and split pea soups are very good
-boxed roasted red pepper soup
-boxed tomato soup
-canned tomatoes and tomato paste.
-tomato paste in a tube (great so you don't waste any)
-canned beans (pinto, kidney, chickpeas)
-minced garlic
-parmesan cheese
-salad dressings including their own Goddess dressing
-tuna and canned crab
-almond meal
-panko bread crumbs

Pasta: (dry)
-whole wheat rigatoni
-they also have a variety of gluten free pasta

Bread/Bakery:
-naan bread
-egg bread
-cinnamon raisin bread is REALLY good
-selection of gluten free breads (have not tried any personally)
-English muffins-good price-$1.99 , come in wheat and white
-chocolate peanut butter muffins (enough said!)
-variety of pita bread


Cereals:
very cheap prices on boxed cereal, such as their own versions of Cheerios, Rice Krispies and Raisin Bran
-granola is very good-I really like the lowfat berry granola
-quick cooking steel cut oats
-large variety of oatmeal, including quick and long cooking, and flavored individual packages
-their own version of cream of wheat cereal
-gluten free cereals

Seeds:
-flax seeds
-chia seeds

Coffee:
-huge variety-my DH likes the Classic Roast and their pumpkin coffee (seasonal)

Tea:
good variety for $1.99 a box
-my favorite is the seasonal candy cane green tea

Frozen items: (main dish and side dish)
-good prices for various fish (breaded tilapia, cod, halibut), salmon patties
-chicken tenders and chicken breasts (sell breaded varieties as well)
-potstickers (vegetable, chicken and I think beef or seafood?)
-frozen vegetables
-Asian orange chicken (not the healthiest, but good for once in awhile)
-no guilt macaroni and cheese
-breaded eggplant slices
-pasta single meals
-spiced polenta and peas
-large variety of Indian, Italian and Mexican entrees
-pizza (I liked their chicken topped pizza)
-gnocchi


Frozen (other)
-great price for frozen fruits-blueberries, strawberries, pineapple, mixed berry, mango, cherries
-a ton of desserts-chipwich sandwiches, ice cream, cakes, frozen chocolate chip cookie dough (delicious!), cookie dough tarts,
death by chocolate mini cakes
-frozen fruit bars
-breakfast burritos
-waffles
-variety of veggie burgers and Morningstar Farms products



Produce: (can go bad quickly)

-large selection of mixed greens for very reasonable prices
-good selection of mushrooms, including portabello
-mini peppers in a bag
-broccoli/cauliflower (bagged)
-clementines
-good variety of apples
-fresh herbs
-bananas
-shredded and whole carrots
-green beans
-sugar snap peas
-tomatoes

They have a wide variety of bottled juices, but I have not tried any

-decent stock of cliff and other energy bars for cheap prices

-good prices on protein/whey powder/soy powder

-trail mix-really love the type with mini peanut butter cups, and the type with dried cherries/peanuts/almonds/peanut and chocolate
chips

-large variety of nuts and dried fruits

Health/Beauty items: shampoo, conditioner, soaps, skin care, etc

Pet food and cleaning supplies

Fresh flowers

huge wine/beer selection

large variety of chocolate

Cookies: chocolate chip dunkers, cat cookies, Jojo's (their version of oreos), chocolate chip cookies....

Snack items:
-blue tortilla chips
-vegetable tortilla chips
-flaxseed tortilla chips
-pita chips-taste the same as Stacey's brand, but cheaper!
-dark chocolate covered almonds
-dark chocolate peanut butter cups and mini peanut butter cups (great for baking)

Seasonal items:

(fall):
-pumpkin butter
-pumpkin bread mix
-pumpkin pancake mix
-pumpkin coffee
-various holiday pies
-stuffing mix
-garlic mashed potato mix
-jarred apples-can use in apple pies


Winter:
-candy cane green tea
-tons of cookies and holiday chocolates

[glamgal]

Thanks so much for starting this thread, Sherry! We just got a Trader Joe's near my home and I've already tried some of the items you've listed. Here are my thoughts on what I've tried so far:

Cookie Butter - Delicious!!! Especially on waffles mixed w/ maple syrup.

Frozen Waffles - Love these! Deep waffle holes / pockets for toppings.

Almond Oatmeal Exfoliating Soap (bar) - My favorite! (Thanks, Sherry!)

Rosemary Marcona Almonds - Ohmygosh...so good!

Not a fan of their frozen enchiladas or taquitos, though. I won't purchase again (black bean taquitos, chicken taquitos, cheese enchiladas, and chicken enchiladas).

[Pam]

Your lists made me do a search and Trader's Joes are to open here nx summer! Currently none in Colorado, but at least 2 are planned, one in Boulder and one in Denver.

[Laura S.]

I buy their frozen chicken breasts and tenders by the bag and always have some in the freezer. It is soooooo convenient.

I really like their chicken sausage as well. I get the version with garlic in it.

My favorite trail mix/nut mixture is the Salty and Sweet one. Like Sherry said, *sigh*.

I like their flatbread, the version with everything on it. They substitute for bread for me sometimes. We don't have much bread because DH is gluten free and I don't want to eat it all myself.

My favorite thing from there would probably be labled as "bad" by many people, but it is sooooo good. It's Wild Mushroom & Black Truffle Flatbread. It's in the frozen food section.

My favorite veggie is their frozen grilled asparagus. I pull out a few spears at a time and cook them for specific meals. I also get backs of corn and peas and broccoli and other veggies, especially for DH's veggie soup and/or fried rice.

I really like the cheap price of their canned crab. I add it to seafood chowder and use a can of it in my linguini with white clam sauce.

I also like their olive oil spray and I buy regular olive oil there once in awhile. Their prices on maple syrup can be much cheaper than other places as well.

They have a low fat shredded cheese blend that is really good and lasts for a long time.

I'm sure there's more, but that's my standard list...

I posted the above list on another thread at some point. I'd add to that:

Turkey bacon - There's is really good compared to what you can buy in our regular grocery store.

Turkey, Spinach, & Swiss wrap - When I can get these, they make a really easy lunch or dinner and they have about the least amount of calories of all their pre-made wraps.

Bags of shrimp - If you like shrimp, these bags are really handy. I tend to open one, distribute the shrimp in equal portions among containers, pour some cocktail sauce on top of them, and take them for lunch.

[glamgal]

Originally Posted by Laura S.

Bags of shrimp - If you like shrimp, these bags are really handy. I tend to open one, distribute the shrimp in equal portions among containers, pour some cocktail sauce on top of them, and take them for lunch.

Oh, good to know! My husband would love this for lunches and it would be super easy to do!

[sherry7899]

Thanks, Laura! I'm sorry that I missed adding your suggestions.

Jennifer-I've been avoiding the cookie butter-it's bad enough that I love the chocolate almond spread

Sherry

[Lauracat]

The frozen Meatless Meatballs - we discovered that if you bake them in the toaster oven, they get crispy and taste a lot like falafel!

[sherry7899]

Thanks, Lauracat! I liked their turkey meatballs but now I'll try the meatless ones.

Sherry

[Laura S.]

Originally Posted by sherry7899

Thanks, Laura! I'm sorry that I missed adding your suggestions.

No problem. They were in the "how much do you spend on groceries" thread that morphed into a TJ thread. I didn't even look to see if there were other comments (and there had to be since I was responding... )

[sherry7899]

I made Trader Joe's frozen Ravioli with Spinach/ricotta and tomato basil sauce. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was! The sauce is frozen into cubes, but as you cook it, the cubes melt into a light tomato basil sauce. I cooked it on the stove instead of the microwave. I thought it would taste better that way. It only takes seven minutes on the stove. They have microwave directions also. I'm glad to have a quick dinner option.

The bag says three servings, but we're more likely to get 2.5 servings out of it. Since I'm sharing it with my son (DH is eating something else) we will have some left over. Each serving is one cup...it's hard for me to stick with that amount for pasta, but I'm trying. I'm sure we could stretch it to three servings with a salad and vegetables on the side.

Sherry