Trader Joe's

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24

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  • hrpeluso
    hrpeluso Posts: 2
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    -TJ's brand nonfat plain Greek Yogurt (add your own cut up fruit)
    -Barbara's Shredded Spoonfulls cereal either as a cereal or as a way to reduce the calorie intake with dried fruits. For example, this plus some of their low salt almonds and some raisins makes a great low cal trail mix if you go easy on the nuts and raisins.
    -Ak-mak stoned sesame crackers
    -low fat babybel cheese wheels (in the little net bag)
    -low fat cheese sticks
    -Fruit floe ice pops (lime is my favorite)
    -fruit and cream ice pops (raspberry and cream or mango cream are awesome)

    Remember to always pair carbohydrate with protein and fat to make the snack satisfying longer. Cheese plus fruit or cracker plus cheese...
  • PeaceCorpsKat
    PeaceCorpsKat Posts: 335 Member
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    OMG - EVERYTHING!

    I love thier steamed lentils, thier Champaign Pear Vinagarette isn't even a "lite" dressing and it uas 45 calories for 2 table spoons. I make broccoli sla with thier produce and some of the reduced guilt kale and spinach dip.

    I love, love, love the african smoke flavor grinder - it's really low sodium for a food spice, and super yummy!

    All of thier cheeses have no growth hormones, even the non organics.

    Pick up the Grilled not Fried Eggplant parm in the freezer section - best meal out there - and only 270 calories! It's a great place to buy Kind bars. I love thier Fire roasted pepers and onions - I start all dinners with those. Thier frozen veg is so cheap and so awesome.

    It is a cheap place to buy nuts and dried fruit.

    The list goes on and on. Take it all in. LOVE TJ's!
  • thepetiterunner
    thepetiterunner Posts: 1,238 Member
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    Oh. My. God. I LOVE TJs!!

    You can check my food diary, but here's what I usually get:

    TJ's Bran Flakes Cereal
    Cut up butternut squash
    Frozen Brown Rice
    Frozen Brown Rice Medley (just look for the brown and purple box)
    Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk (in the dairy case)
    Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies (for when I want something sweet, you get 12 mini cookies for 150 calories)
    Frozen French Green Beans
    Low Fat String Cheese sticks
    Kale!!
    Salad mixes
    Fruit
    Mandarin Orange Chicken (frozen, for when I want chinese food)
    Greek yogurt
    Fresh Raspberry, Apricot, Strawberry or Blueberry Preserves
    Espresso Pillows (tiny toffee-chocolate-covered-espresso beans for when I just want a taste of something sweet, 22 for 75 calories!)

    I could go on and on and on... seriously.

    Totally forgot:
    Chicken Lime burgers (frozen)
    Salmon Burgers (frozen)
    Butternut squash risotto
    Asparagus risotto
    Breaded chicken breast tenderloins

    And:
    Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread
    Cinnamon Raisin Whole Wheat Bread
    Sprouted Breads
  • mbmorse1011
    mbmorse1011 Posts: 492 Member
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    I love Trader joe's too.

    Make sure you have enough time to look around at everything.

    I usually get

    Fruits/veggies
    Sometimes cheese
    They have a nice pre made pizza dough
    I get kefir for my smoothies
    Flax seed oil (also for my smoothies)
    frozen hashbrowns
    frozen french fries
    frozen green beans
    chicken stock (organic low sodium)
    ground hamburger 80/20 (non organic)
    sometimes wine
    I also just bought their face wash, I like that too.

    I haven't always had enough time to look at everything since I run there at lunch time.
  • pinkita
    pinkita Posts: 779 Member
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    I love TJ's! Way better prices than my grocery store and Target.

    If you get chocolate cravings, they sell 100 Calorie Chocolate bars (both milk and dark chocolate). I don't get too many snack-type foods though. I love getting my veggies there--baby carrots, brussels sprouts, English cucumber, etc. I also get Kashi GoLean cereal, unsweetened almond milk (has half the calories of nonfat milk), and in the refrigerated section they have "Spicy Ranchero Egg White Salad," which is only 100 calories for the whole container. I use one container of that with 2 low-carb tortillas--makes a great lunch.

    Have fun shopping!
  • laurarpa
    laurarpa Posts: 244 Member
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    lots of good info from others. I will add:

    avocados
    little rye toasts
    savory thin rice crackers (a serving is 30-some crackers!)
    high fiber cereal - great on greek yogurt with fruit. Good when you need more fiber in your diet :)
    agave
    "just a handful" of mixed nuts/fruits. Love keeping in the car/purse/work for emergencies :)
    I love to buy the little individual cheeses - goat and brie.

    and I never leave without a bag or two of creamy polenta with carrots and spinach. I find the 3 serving bag easily gives me 6 servings and I'm always satisified. It seems so indulgent.
  • amygard71
    amygard71 Posts: 7 Member
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    I do 90% of my shopping at TJ's since my hubby is a manager and he picks it up for me.

    These things are great:

    Hummus
    frozen fish
    reduced fat cheese crunchies
    nuts
    peanut butter
    butter lettuce
    meringue cookies
    all the frozen veggies
    olive oil
    greek yogurt
    organic sprouted 7 grain bread
    unsweetened green tea
    frozen chicken breasts and tenders

    there are so many more things too but these are the things I buy all the time.
    Also, they are cheaper on staples like milk and eggs too :)

    Happy shopping!
  • laurarpa
    laurarpa Posts: 244 Member
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    oh yeah - lowcarb tortillas are great too!
  • LittleSimoni
    LittleSimoni Posts: 24
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    Love Trader Joe's. Some of my favorites snacks

    Just a handful of Almonds (210 cals a bag)
    Dried Jeju orange snacks
    Low-fat cheese sticks
    Edamame hummus (I use veggies)
    Black bean/ Quinoa chips (high in cals but yummy)

    Not snacks: (frozen)
    Beijing stir fry - really good, just add your own protein
    Japanese fried rice
  • stiggysworld
    stiggysworld Posts: 17
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    I love the margherita puff pastry pizza. It's my standby if I'm running late and don't have time to make a lunch. Just a little cheese and tomatoes. Definitely helps stop the pizza cravings.

    This fig walks into a bar
    Chewy chocolate chip granola bars
    Produce is always fresh where I live
    Mango sorbet

    Actually, we got our Easter ham there and it was amazing! My husband likes their sourdough English muffins. Just be careful because a lot of their bread products don't have a lot of preservatives so they can bad quickly.
  • lorenzoinlr
    lorenzoinlr Posts: 338 Member
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    Do NOT try the blue potato chips or the regular crinkle cut ones with salt and vinegar if you have any kind of addictive personality. I deeply regret that I did. Also, AVOID the cheddar cheese popcorn.
  • LonnaRox
    LonnaRox Posts: 38 Member
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    Try their frozen chicken mini tacos ... but bake them, don't microwave. 8 of them (2 servings) has 380 calories and 20 grams of protein.
  • kaitimae
    kaitimae Posts: 727 Member
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    Love TJs!

    Goat cheese medallions
    Wasabi almonds
    This Fig Walked Into A Bar (cereal bars)
    cheapo olive oil
    garlic stuffed olives
    butternut squash soup
    three-layer hummus
    cashew butter
    ginger cat cookies
    frozen lime bars

    I am SO GLAD you said Ginger Cat Cookies! They are absolutely my favorite thing at TJ's. Just a tad spicy, and a nice dessert for not a whole lot of calories. And they are low fat.
  • heidikat72
    heidikat72 Posts: 42 Member
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    I absolutely LOVE their hummus - especially the horseradish one, has a nice kick to it but they have a lot of different flavors which is nice for variety. They also have really good prices on nuts and some are even in lower sodium options like the pistachios. but my new snack obsession from there is the thai chili lime cashews - delicious! they also have some good nondairy ice cream options. typically have nice produce and if you eat cheese, they have a great cheese selection.
  • meg7399
    meg7399 Posts: 672 Member
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    Be careful at Trader Joes... a lot of their food isn't any healthier than what you'd find in the junk food section of a grocery store. Their prices are high as well.

    That being said I love their gnocchi.
    It is true...they are not a health food store! They do have a good amount of organic and minimally processed choices. They just do not carry name brands, and do have some healthy choices...other than that its just another grocery store option. Nothing there is any healthier for you than at a grocery store. However, their prices ARE pretty low...owned by Aldis.
  • verbalriot
    verbalriot Posts: 90
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    Try the fire roasted frozen corn! It's like crack.

    And I second the edamame hummus...so good!
  • runninggirl54
    runninggirl54 Posts: 38
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    reduced guilt skinny fries are in the snack aisle....they are awesome. also the fire roasted tomato salsa is yummy, portion sized bags of reduced cal/fat popcorn is tastey.
  • ImperfektAngel
    ImperfektAngel Posts: 811 Member
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    Every time you shop there, try their samples, thats how I got familiar with their foods. :D
  • skinnyack
    skinnyack Posts: 683
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    DON"T DO IT- they have these horrifically wonderful things called Peppermint Jojos that only come out in the winter but regardless it is worth it to NEVER EVER GO THERE. Because if you see them you will be hooked.

    Just kidding- My typical list is:
    Reduced sodium turkey breast (slices)
    Miltons whole grain bread
    yogurt cheese- jalapeno or regular
    oodles of produce (organic when possible- and it's usually very possible)
    Kefir or Greek yogurt
    eggs (cage free organic)
    vitamins when needed
    Organic marinara sauce- I love theirs- basil one is good too
    I second the gnocci being great but I try to avoid it
    almond butter with flax seeds- YUM
    Sweet potato chips (in the tortilla chip section)
    Their salsa's are fantastic
    currently loving the Green Fin red table wine (Organic)- 3.99/bottle and it's fantastic
    all the jerky's are good
    I avoid the frozen aisle except for the frozen mango chunks- but in a pinch I have tried a lot of them and they are typically very good.
    Bring your own bags and they enter you into a gift certificate contest I believe
  • klmnumbers
    klmnumbers Posts: 213 Member
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    They have oodles of dried fruit. I basically live on banana chips and kettle corn from there as snacks. They're a re-sale-r, so lots of their food is going to be frozen, but not all of it is too high in sodium. Some of their frozen food is heavenly (i.e. any of the Indian food), and the turkey chili (while high in sodium) is chock full of protein and amazing.
    What's a re-sale-r?

    oh, oops. Didn't see this reply. Generally, they sell food produced by a variety of manufacturers but repackage it to have a Trader Joe's or Trader Jose's (etc) label on it, but TJ's doesn't actually produce the food. That is one of the major reasons they don't sell soda - because coca cola wouldn't allow them to repackage.

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