We have had several requests from everyone asking what are our FAVORITE things at Trader Joe’s. We decided to create a list of some of our favorite things at Trader Joe’s that you can use if you are taking a road trip or if you just can’t decide what to buy~ nothing says you have to get everything.

It’s a given we LOVE all the CHEAP, fresh organic produce, but, there are not too many things we don’t LOVE there. We tried to keep it to Trader Joe specific things and list it based on where you would find the items in the store.

CONDIMENTS/SAUCES/SPREADS/SALSAS

All Salsas ~ especially Corn, Smoky Peach and fresh salsa
Arabiatta Pasta Sauce – spicy and good straight from the jar
Balsamic Vinegar ~ it’s delicious and cheap ~ We use it on and in everything
Green olive tapenade, awesome on sandwiches or stirred in pasta
Hot & Sweet Mustard
Light Coconut Milk great for shakes or baking and oatmeal!
Low Sugar Organic Apricot Preserves
Low-Fat Tuscan Marinara
Marinated Mushrooms
Organic Unsalted Crunchy Peanut Butter
Organic Unsweetened Apple Sauce
Pink Himalayan Sea Salt ~ cheap and grinds
Pure Vanilla and Bourbon Vanilla Extracts
Raw honey and pure maple syrup – both are amazing and not too pricey
Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute

RICE/BEANS/PASTA

17 Bean and Barley Soup Mix
Basmati Rice Medley
Brown Basmati & Jasmine Rice
Brown Rice Medley
Harvest Grain Blend

CEREALS

Steel Cut Oatmeal
Trader Joe’s High Fiber Cereal

BAKING

All their flours

REFRIGERATED SECTION

All their premade salads ~ easy go to meal when you don’t want to cook
Avocado’s #1 Guacamole
Guaca-Hummus
Spicy Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus
Spicy Hummus with the salsa in the middle of it

DAIRY

Marinated Mozzarella with Olive Oil
Organic lowfat strawberry & banana yogurt cups – 6 pack – 4 oz containers – small but tasty
Shaved Parmesan
Shredded Pepperjack
Trader Joe’s Greek yogurts are so cheap – LOVE the 0% and the vanilla

MEAT

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs, in the fridge section.
Marinated Carne Asada
Marinated Pesto Genovese Chicken
Marinated Santa Maria Tri Tip
Peppered Turkey Bacon, 2 slices
Smoked Turkey Kielbasa
Southwestern Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Trader Joe’s 97% Lean Turkey Bacon (1 pp a slice!)
Trader Joe’s Mango Chicken Sausage

FREEZER

Brittany Blend Frozen Vegetables
Channa Masala
Chili Lime Chicken Burgers ~ so delicious, eat them without a bun
Edamame Soycatash
Fire Roasted Corn, Frozen ~ smoky, sweet & a great addition to soups, casseroles, etc
Frozen Steel Cut Oats
Lemon Grass & Coconut Curry Chicken Stix ~ fun appetizers
Marinated Chicken Chipotle Skewers ~ add to make a spicy chicken Caesar salad in minutes
Organic Brown Rice, Frozen ~ cooks in 3 minutes & doesn’t taste like instant
Shrimp Gyoza
Soba Noodle Bowl ~ Awesome with steamed Organic Broccoli Slaw

BREADS

Cranberry Walnut Bread, next to all the baked breads
Fat Free Multi-Grain Bread (it has a blue, orange, red wrapper)
Organic tortillas, regular and whole wheat (they are made with flour & corn!)
Pita Breads, cheap and awesome for pita pizza

NUTS/CRACKERS/CHIPS

Dried Apple Rings
Honey Plantain Strips
Honey Wheat Pretzels, do not get often but sometimes you want pretzel crunch
Nuts ~ cheap and come in small packages – We LOVE them all

WINE

2 Buck Chuck ~ all their wines are tasty and $2 a bottle! For cooking or drinking.

Just 6 ingredients! Perfect if you need an easy dish that’s full of protein and nutrition.

Ingredients
2 tbsp Nonfat Plain Yogurt
12 spears Kroger Extra Long Asparagus Spears
1 tbsp Minced Garlic
2 tsp Lee Kum Kee Sriracha Chili Sauce
3/4 cup Quinoa (Cooked)
2 Medium Skinless Chicken Breast

Directions
Ingredients (for 2): Bake chicken breast (season how you like) on 350 for 20 minutes. Take out chicken, let cool, then dice into cubes. Dice asparagus stems, sauté with chicken and minced garlic in large pan for 8-10 minutes on medium (add cooked quinoa in a little over half way through, so after about 5 minutes.) Mix siracha and greek yogurt and drizzle on top.

Simple clean salad that goes great with any lunch or dinner!

Ingredients
2 wedge or slice (1/8 of one 2-1/8″ dia lemon) Lemon
1 dash Black Pepper
2 dash Salt
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1.5 cup, chopped Kale
0.2 cup, chopped Pecan Nuts
2 serving (serving = 1 long carrot) Carrots
Directions
Cut the kale along the rib, discarding the thick stem from the middle. Chop the kale small, like shredded lettuce. Add it to a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper and fresh lemon juice. Use your hands to ‘massage’ the dressing into the kale. This will help make the kale a little more palatable. Shred in the multicolored carrots and toss again with a small splash of olive oil and salt. Top with chopped pecans.

So simple, fresh, and quick prep time!

Ingredients
2 oz Avocados
1 can White Tuna Fish (Drained Solids In Water, Canned)
1 serving Red Onions 14g (use a scale)
2 serving tsp Sriracha Chili Sauce
1 medium Roma Tomatoes
0.25 oz Chobani Nonfat Plain Greek Yogurt
1 pocket bread Ezekiel 4:9 Prophet’s Pocket Bread (safeway freezer section or gluten free store next to costco) or a brand of your choice
3 oz Green Giant Romaine Lettuce

Directions: Strain tuna and mix with hot sauce and Greek yogurt. Dice avocado, tomato, and onion and mix together in separate bowl. Bake Ezekiel tortilla on 350 for 10 minutes (until crispy). Add lettuce, then tuna, then avocado mix to the top of the pita and cut into 4!

Coming from a mom of 4 boys. This one is fun when trying to get out of the house and feed the family in one swift swoop!

Ingredients
2 serving (serving = 1 slice) Food For Life Baking Company Ezekiel 4:9 Cinnamon Raisin Bread (found at safeway in freezer section or gluten free store next to costco)
2 tbsp Adams 100% Natural Creamy Peanut Butter
3/4 small (6″ to 6-7/8″ long) Banana
Directions
Toast ezikiel raisin bread and spread peanut butter on top. Decorate as a teddy bear.

A light refreshing meal with low calories and high flavor! Paired with a spicy peanut sauce!

Ingredients
2 serving (serving = 2 tbsp) Bell Plantation PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter (you can get this at walmart in Turlock or the Gluten free store next to costco) it’s awesome!
1 cup chopped Broccoli
squirt of Lime Juice
16 prawn Shrimp
1 tablespoon Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
6 small paper (6-3/8″ dia) Rice Paper
1/2 oz Cilantro
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Ginger (Ground)
1 cup, shredded Cabbage
1 cup, grated Carrots
1/2 tbsp Honey
1/2 serving tbsp Heinz Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 serving tsp McCormick Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
8 oz, boneless, cooked, skinless Skinless Chicken Breast
Directions
Follow instructions on how to soften rice paper rolls.

Spring Rolls:
2 cooked chicken breasts (cut into strips)
16 cooked shrimp (3 per roll)
1 c shredded cabbage
1 c julienned carrots
1 c chopped broccoli
6 rice paper rolls

Spicy Peanut Sauce
2 tbsp PB2
1 tbsp reduce sodium soy sauce
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp honey
1 tbsp fresh cilantro, minced
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/8 c lime juice

Build up your roll and fold up. This is how I built mine: carrots, cabbage, broccoli, meat and shrimp. For the sauce, just mix all ingredients together. Serve and enjoy! Such a great dish to make and take to a party to ensure that you have a healthy option!

Mornings are more exciting when you have overnight oats waiting for you in the fridge. This cookie dough version had me flying out of bed when my alarm went off. Overnight oats are like a magical, delicious, surprise the next day. Here’s a cookie dough version- made with chickpeas! You probably never would’ve guessed, but chickpeas have a great cookie dough-like texture. Healthy cookie dough first thing in the morning? I think that’s the start of a great day.

Ingredients
0.3 cup, dry, yields Quick Oatmeal (1 or 3 Minutes)
1/4 cup Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla Milk
1/2 cup Progresso Chick Peas
1/2 tbsp Chia Seed
1 packet Stevia Sweetener or truvia or sweetener of choice
1 rounded scoop Vanilla protein powder

Directions
1. In a food processor or blender, blend together the chickpeas, protein powder, stevia, and 1/4 cup almond milk. Blend until smooth!
2. Combine the oats and chia seeds in a small bowl or Tupperware. Add the chickpea mixture and the remaining 2 tablespoons of almond milk. Stir until combined.
3. Allow mixture to sit overnight. Top with your favorite toppings in the morning!

Looking for a healthy treat?
Ingredients

1 medium Egg
1 oz, edible yield Dry Roasted Hulled Sunflower Seeds
1 large (8″ to 8-7/8″ long) Banana
1 tablespoon Coconut Oil
1 cup Quaker Old Fashioned Oats
1 large Egg White
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
16 serving packets Stevia or 1/2 cup
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tbsp Chia Seeds
2 TBSP Chobani 0% Plain Greek Yogurt

Directions

Mash one large and very ripe banana, add 1 whole egg and one egg white, 2 tbsp greek yogurt, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 cup stevia or coconut sugar, 1/2 cup roasted sunflower seeds,1 tbsp chia seeds and cinnamon. Whisk everything together nicely and add 1 tbsp MELTED coconut oil. Let the mixture stand for 5-10 minutes so it can thicken up thanks to chia seeds. This way you will not end up adding a ton of oats and you cookies will be soft and yummy. 10 minutes later I added 1 cup oats and let it sit for another 5 min. Then baked 8 big cookies at 350F for 15 minutes. Thats it!

Warm up with this quick & Simple Homemade Soup!
Ingredients

1 cup Arugula Lettuce
3/4 cup Roasted Red Pepper
1 tsp, crumbled Bay Leaf
1 dash Black Pepper
1 dash Salt
1 stalk, medium (7-1/2″ – 8″ long) Celery
1/2 cup White Beans (Mature Seeds, Canned)
1/3 tbsp Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 cup Low Sodium Vegetable Broth

Directions

In a saucepan, heat 1 teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Add:
3/4 Cup Puréed Roasted Red Peppers
1/2 Cup Vegetable Broth
1/2 Cup White Beans
1 Celery Stalk, chopped
1 Whole Bay Leaf
Dash of Salt & Pepper

Let simmer, on low & covered, for about 30 min.
Stir in 1 Handful of Baby Arugula, chopped.
Serve! Top Soup with Crumbled Feta Cheese for some bite!

—Soup (without Cheese) is vegan & vegetarian friendly—

super quick and very filling lunch option that won’t disappoint
Ingredients

1/2 can (6.5 oz), drained Tuna in Water (Canned)
6 sprig Cilantro
tbsp Fage Total 0% Greek Yogurt
1/4 avocado
2 medium whole (2-3/5″ dia) Red Tomatoes
1/2 oz Jalapeno Peppers
1 serving Dill Pickle Spears
2 thin slice Red Onions

Directions

Today we stuffed raw tomatoes instead of peppers. The suffing was : tuna, red onions, jalapeneo, baby pickle, lots of fresh chopped cilantro (love it) 1/4 mashed avocado and about 2 tbsp ff greek yogurt. Mix and stuff.