I'm heading to Trader Joes this weekend - what should I put on my list?

midlomel1971

I have a few days off this week and I'm heading to Trader Joe's. The store is in a part of town that I normally don't go to, so I'm going to stock up. Plus, I've only been there a couple times so I don't know what's good.

What are my Trader Joe must-haves? Especially items that make quick and easy (but healthier) dinners and lunches for me to take to work.

kam26001

Sweet potato gnocchi!

pinuplove

None of the things I typically buy at Trader Joe's fulfill the 'healthier' standard. Namely, cookie butter I love TJ's though. Any of their frozen dishes, really. Can't go wrong!

shandy82165

I find their frozen chicken tenderloins a must have for my freezer!

debtay123

Try trader joe's you tube videos- and see what strikes your fancy! Wish we had a TJ near me(sigh)

aeloine

Their cookie butter is KILLER. Lower cals than Peanut butter and goes on everything.
If you can not eat the whole pack at one, get their frozen macarons.
They have awesome veggie pasta and cauliflower rice and amazing microwaveable selections.

ladyhusker39

This might sound odd, but we buy several of the Reduced Guilt Mac 'n Cheese every time we go. There are 6 in the freezer right now. The perfect amount and very reasonable calorie count. And they're very tasty.

apullum

Corn and wheat blend tortillas--80 calories each, good compromise for us as I prefer corn tortillas and my husband likes flour. We both like these.
Oh Yeah One bars--the TJ's here has the birthday cake flavor (highly recommend) and the maple (meh).
Sparkling mineral water if you're into that. I like the cranberry orange flavor.
If you're interested in meatless protein, the vegan crispy chicken tenders are really good, as is the vegan tikka masala.
The chocolate "lovers" bars, especially the dark chocolate. They come two bars to a box and are easily broken into smaller pieces.
Frozen yellow jackfruit curry, though this may not be everyone's cup of tea: https://www.traderjoes.com/digin/post/yellow-jackfruit-curry-with-jasmine-rice
Bamba! Like Cheetos Puffs, but peanut butter. You can have a big portion for 120 calories. https://www.traderjoes.com/digin/post/bamba-peanut-snacks
Bollywood popcorn (do they still have that?)
The chocolate passport if they still have any from the holidays--8 or 10 small single-origin chocolate bars so you can sample chocolate from different parts of the world. 230 calories per bar; my husband and I share each bar for a 115 calorie dessert.
Cornbread crisps are tasty but not nearly as calorie-friendly as the Bamba is.
Dark chocolate peanut butter cups. Tasty but high calorie (200 calories for 3 pieces) and addictive, hence why I only buy the tiny bag at the checkout stand and not the full size box.
Frozen spinach artichoke dip. Surprisingly low in calories for a spinach artichoke dip (45 calories for 1/8 of the package; I'll admit to having eaten an entire box for dinner by myself more than once, but it's probably good to share it.)

ladyhusker39

apullum wrote: »

Corn and wheat blend tortillas--80 calories each, good compromise for us as I prefer corn tortillas and my husband likes flour. We both like these.
Oh Yeah One bars--the TJ's here has the birthday cake flavor (highly recommend) and the maple (meh).
Sparkling mineral water if you're into that. I like the cranberry orange flavor.
If you're interested in meatless protein, the vegan crispy chicken tenders are really good, as is the vegan tikka masala.
The chocolate "lovers" bars, especially the dark chocolate. They come two bars to a box and are easily broken into smaller pieces.
Frozen yellow jackfruit curry, though this may not be everyone's cup of tea: https://www.traderjoes.com/digin/post/yellow-jackfruit-curry-with-jasmine-rice
Bamba! Like Cheetos Puffs, but peanut butter. You can have a big portion for 120 calories. https://www.traderjoes.com/digin/post/bamba-peanut-snacks
Bollywood popcorn (do they still have that?)
The chocolate passport if they still have any from the holidays--8 or 10 small single-origin chocolate bars so you can sample chocolate from different parts of the world. 230 calories per bar; my husband and I share each bar for a 115 calorie dessert.
Cornbread crisps are tasty but not nearly as calorie-friendly as the Bamba is.
Dark chocolate peanut butter cups. Tasty but high calorie (200 calories for 3 pieces) and addictive, hence why I only buy the tiny bag at the checkout stand and not the full size box.
Frozen spinach artichoke dip. Surprisingly low in calories for a spinach artichoke dip (45 calories for 1/8 of the package; I'll admit to having eaten an entire box for dinner by myself more than once, but it's probably good to share it.)

Oh man, I forgot to see if they still had those when I was there. I wanted to pick up a couple for my stash. I bet they're gone by my next visit.

SuzySunshine99

Stir fry sauces are great for a quick dinner. I particularly like their General Tao's sauce and green curry simmer sauce.

MidModJenn

my husband and I are Paleo, so we stick to their riced veggies and their frozen turkey burgers.

magster4isu

Black bean pasta!

MossiO

I like the stuffed flounder. And mahi burgers. And chili lime chicken burgers. And the 21 spice salute!

kenyonhaff

Good cheap coffee
Marinated chicken strips
Cheap cheese ravioli
Good veggie burgers

bisky

I love TJ's wine, quinoa, wild rice blend, lentils, beans, frozen chicken and fish, sugar free chocolate, nuts, multi seed crackers, breads, vegetables, bag of small avocados, small tri-color potatoes, salad mixes and flowers! Take your time shopping there. It is fun. My husband loves their frozen precooked steaks and lambs.

Oh and almond butter and egg white protein powder is very reasonable at TJ's.

Getfit4Jess

Wine
Orange Chicken (in the frozen section)
Veggie fried rice (in the frozen section)
reduced guilt spinach and kale dip
reduced guilt mac and cheese
everything seasoning
Ravioli
Fresh flowers (cheapest place I can find them $3-4)

vanorderkati1

Every thing but the bagel seasoning! I put it on toast and avaacdo it’s SO GOOD.

jordandills

Frozen riced cauliflower, salsa (honestly any variety I've had from there has been good), frozen salmon burgers, frozen chile lime chicken burgers, and chile lime seasoning mix.

ccruz985

Cookie butter, idgaf. Chicken cilantro wontons. Ok I'm at a loss.

Cbean08

banana chocolate chip protein muffins
inside out carrot cakes (definitely a treat, but super delicious)
everything but the bagel seasoning
bread (love their breads! tastes way better than other stores)
hummus
pre-packaged salads (if you like those. they are a lot less expensive at TJs)
tea bags

Make sure you do a full walk around the store though. They might have things that you love that no one else has mentioned. I've never had a bad item from TJs so it's worth taking the risk to try something you haven't had before.

Tried30UserNames

How come people always think TJ's has healthy food? It's just a lower priced grocery store, isn't it? I shop there a lot, but it's for the prices and the little cups of coffee, not the health. They have cheap wine, cheese, flowers, frozen broccoli, and non-gmo corn chips I like. Most of their fresh produce is packaged in bulk so you have to buy the whole thing and then throw half of it out when it rots so other than onions, I get my fresh produce elsewhere. Their dark chocolate covered caramels and dark chocolate peanut butter cups are really addictive. Their gluten free pasta is the second best on the market with the best price.

2017aspiration

The frozen stuff that’s lite! (That’s how they spell it on the packaging). String cheese, apples, a ton of their stuff is pretty healthy and relatively cheap. A lot of their almond / etc milk is good on cereal, Greek yogurt

darlibby

I usually stock up on booze and frozen Indian meals. I also like their natural peanut butter.

laur357

Cookie thins - lemon and gingersnap are crispy and sweet, and very low calorie (a serving is 9, I usually have 4 with tea for ~ 80 calories).

Frozen prepared meals - we like them on gym nights because they're fast, pretty tasty, and help us avoid take-out. Mandarin Orange Chicken or Shiitake Chicken over broccoli slaw and a few of their potstickers is a nice sub if you're trying not to order Chinese takeout. Or mushroom ravioli with leftover pork tenderloin and steamed veggies.

Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa mix. I think it's seasonal, so might not always be available. Whatever, it's fast and yummy, as far as cocoa mix goes.

Marinades and sauces- tikka masala simmer sauce and red curry are standards at our house. Flavorful, and a little goes a long way to liven up lean meat and veggies or reheat leftovers. We make curry pizza abominations on their naan too.

Pita crackers - whole wheat and flax. Nothing especially healthy about these, they just taste really good. Nice with hummus or a tiny bit of fancy cheese (speaking of cheese, I just had a lovely tasting selection of Trader Joe's Spanish cheeses - tiny portions of a few cheeses with tiny prices).

Marinara #99. I like the flavor for a jarred sauce - basic and simple, and lots of garlic.

Cheese. Definitely a better deal for your "fancy" cheese needs, at least where I am.

This list is getting intense. Anyway, TJs is our closest store, and the prices are usually better for fresh produce and dairy than our local chain market (I had a bok choy snafu and discovered that a bag of TJs baby bok choy was $6.50 less than the regular supermarket - I wanted to die).

midlomel1971

Thanks Laur357! I wish it was closer and they had one on my side of town!!

sgt1372

Tried30UserNames wrote: »

How come people always think TJ's has healthy food? It's just a lower priced grocery store, isn't it?

I shop at TJ's occasionally but I'd hardly call it a "lower priced grocery store."

There are some lower priced items at TJs (which are generally the only things I buy there) but many things are as high or higher than at other stores, especially the prices on meat and prepared products.

The appeal of TJs seems to be the different (from other stores) variety of food products that they carry. I give them that and always find it interesting to see what's there but I seldom buy any of them because of the price.

socajam

Their cooked lentils is a must buy.
They can be eaten hot or cold, if you are in a rush throw them with something and dinner is ready. Lentils are full of protein and iron - you cannot go wrong.
Also their tin coconut milk is organic.
This is also a must buy - look for their coconut oil - comes in a box of 14 packets, so you do not have to weight anything.
100% cranberry juice is a steal at their price.
Cauliflower rice - good buy when you are low on calories. You can eat the whole packet, about 100 calories.

lporter229

Trader Joe's has a frozen seafood blend (shrimp, scallops, calamari) that I really like for things like paella, risotto and curries. I usually buy a few bags to keep in my freezer so I can make a quick meal if I don't have time to go to the grocery store. I also second the frozen spinach and artichoke dip. Again, I like to keep it on hand in case I have unexpected guest or have to take something to a get together last minute. It's microwave ready in less than 5 minutes. They also have great wines for the price and good prices on fresh cut flowers, which is usually the only time I splurge on them other than at a farmer's market.

JoRocka

new wheels for your far w/ how messed up your tires will be.

honestly I don't think there is anything special about TJ's other than their 4.99$ bottles of wine- which is the only thing I shop for in there.

socajam

JoRocka wrote: »

new wheels for your far w/ how messed up your tires will be.

honestly I don't think there is anything special about TJ's other than their 4.99$ bottles of wine- which is the only thing I shop for in there.

Everyone's opinion is different and obviously yours is.
I love the quality of their food along with wholefoods. And there don't give you any crap if you have to return something.

Lift_Run_Eat

Gone Banana's (frozen chocolate covered bananas)
Ginger Turmeric Tea
Ghost Pepper chips
Everything but the bagel seasoning

Seriously the only reasons I go to Trader Joes.