trader joe's fav!

toffee322

hi guys. i live in canada and there is no tj here! sucks i know. i drive an hour to the states about once a month just to go there! just want to see what are you fav purchase there. preferrably healthy-ish and non meat items! thanks!

here's some of my fav that i get every time i'm there!
peanut butter pretzels
kale and spinach dip
pita pockets
non fat yogurt
chocolate covered almond and coffee bean
tortilla chips ( i get different one every time. right now i have spicy flaxseed)
canned soup

i always end up getting different things to try.. it's so much fun shopping there. good price and everything seems healthier!!! thanks for sharing!

marinamoreno

The main thing I LOVE is the Teriyaki BBQ Chicken. TJ's is 3 hours away so whenever we go we completely stock up on it...when we get the craving for chinese take out, this fixes it! Soooo dang good! I know you said non meat items, but it's just sooo good! LOL I also love their Fleur De Sel caramels. Perfect when I'm craving something sweet. I've heard really great things about their Complete Protein Bread but haven't gotten around to try it yet.

darl4339

I just made a stop there at lunch:) I am hooked on their 100 calorie 70% Cacoa Dark chocolate bars. I can be satisfied with one. I also love their chile lime chicken burgers, their women's protein powder (Aria), frozen fruit for smoothies, Diet Hansen's root bear soda, shrimp stir fry, sweet chici sauce, the list is endless. So many goodies!!

LuckyLeprechaun

Joe Joes. Oh, so much better than Oreos. Yeah, I said it.

Their Balsamic vinegar is delicious and WAYYYYY cheaper from them than anyone else, by FAR, so I only buy it there. Ditto on the EVOO.

Those little pre-fab pizzas with mushrooms and sliced garlic.....ahhhhhhh can you smell my breath? SO GOOD

mmddwechanged

Need to bump this thread for ideas:)

Kathymomof4

I can't wait to check it out. We will eventually have two stores in Dallas.

wendybird5

I love their microwaveable brown rice. I mix it with some of their pico de gallo and chunks of avocado and tear a slice of their low sodium turkey for a yummy lunch. The spicy hummus makes a great veggie dip or mayo substitute on sandwiches. Their oatmeal are great as well. The pre made salads also are awesome!

FettsLady

Joe Joes. Oh, so much better than Oreos. Yeah, I said it.

Their Balsamic vinegar is delicious and WAYYYYY cheaper from them than anyone else, by FAR, so I only buy it there. Ditto on the EVOO.

Those little pre-fab pizzas with mushrooms and sliced garlic.....ahhhhhhh can you smell my breath? SO GOOD

Me too on the EVOO - cheaper than anywhere and it comes in glass bottles LIKE IT IS SUPPOSED TO

I haven't tried their Balsamic Vinegar yet - next thing to add to my list.

Mint Dark Chocolate Expresso beans - TO DIE FOR. Too bad they only have them at Christmas.

I love their Mediterranean Hummus - so tasty!

Melissa22G

Their dark chocolate almond bark with crushed regular and salted almonds. (mini)

And their dark chocolate and whole hazelnut bars.

bhannana

Some of my favorite non-meat items:

The Seaweed Snacks ($0.99 ea. and totally satisfies my crunchy-salt cravings in 60 calories. They have a wasabi one too if you like a bit of kick)
Power Berries (I don't usually enjoy fruit and chocolate but these are addicting!)
Their entire cheese department (the truffle cheese is amazing and melts really well)
Coconut Oil (for oil pulling & body oil)
The cartons of soup (Latin Style Black Bean add a bit of greek yogurt or the Tomato Roasted Red Bell Pepper add croutons are my favorite)
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Veggie Gazpacho (I eat it like a salsa with scoops tortilla chips)
Chocolate Almond Milk
Greek Style Feta Dressing (good on everything. Potatoes, Chicken, Salad, Rice...)

Non vegetarian items (sorry OP):

Penguin Gummies (they are great in the freezer! The gummy part gets harder and the filled tummies are gooey-er)
Frozen Turkey Meatballs (precooked and only 100 calories in 2. Delicious but a bit high in sodium)
Roasted Chicken Patties (in the refrigerator section. Precooked and juicy when reheated)
Frozen White Fish Vera Cruz
Smoked Turkey Kielbasa (So much flavor! Great in soups and not bad in the calorie department. I use a little bit in cabbage soup for a super low-cal lunch)

Things I didn't really like:

The Quinoa "Super Food" mix (Frozen - reheated the texture was really weird and mushy)
Crispy Snap Peas (They were "puffed" like a cheeto which I wasn't expecting and seemed oily and bland)
Canned Vegetarian Split Pea Soup (I'm just really picky about my pea soup)
Frozen Garlic Fries (they were super garlic-y which was good, but the texture of the fries were a bit weird. May have been user fail though and not the fries)
"Microwave Ready" Brown Rice in the dry goods section in a clear plastic pouch (really off plastic taste and a little too hard even when recooked with extra water. The plastic taste was the worst part though)
Salt & Pepper Dark Chocolate (I like spiced dark chocolate, but there was ALOT of salt and the pepper tasted exactly like the pepper out of a generic pepper shaker)

BarbieAS

Currently eating a 56% cacao dark chocolate bar from there (ok....1 square. But it's all I need!)

Not the healthiest, but their orange chicken (frozen) is TDF. Also VERY bad for you but their cream yogurts (6 pack, fruit flavors) are divine.

Today for the first time I picked up thai lime chile cashews and chive and cilantro yogurt dip. Yum yum yum!

Plantain chips are also a good bet. And their frozen fruits and veggies are great.

I actually just found cheap olive oil at Whole Foods, surprisingly, I'll have to check TJs next time!

And their balsamic...is it thin or thick? I get this 25 year aged stuff that I use as salad dressing and it's about as thick as maple syrup, and I can't eat the thin stuff anymore. But I'd love to find it for cheaper than about $1.50 an ounce.

toffee322

The main thing I LOVE is the Teriyaki BBQ Chicken. TJ's is 3 hours away so whenever we go we completely stock up on it...when we get the craving for chinese take out, this fixes it! Soooo dang good! I know you said non meat items, but it's just sooo good! LOL I also love their Fleur De Sel caramels. Perfect when I'm craving something sweet. I've heard really great things about their Complete Protein Bread but haven't gotten around to try it yet.

i heard so many good things about Fleur De Sel caramels! must be addictive! :P

toffee322

Currently eating a 56% cacao dark chocolate bar from there (ok....1 square. But it's all I need!)

Not the healthiest, but their orange chicken (frozen) is TDF. Also VERY bad for you but their cream yogurts (6 pack, fruit flavors) are divine.

Today for the first time I picked up thai lime chile cashews and chive and cilantro yogurt dip. Yum yum yum!

Plantain chips are also a good bet. And their frozen fruits and veggies are great.

I actually just found cheap olive oil at Whole Foods, surprisingly, I'll have to check TJs next time!

And their balsamic...is it thin or thick? I get this 25 year aged stuff that I use as salad dressing and it's about as thick as maple syrup, and I can't eat the thin stuff anymore. But I'd love to find it for cheaper than about $1.50 an ounce.

i also got their lime chile cashews!!! but i haven't opened it yet. i'm scared that i can't stop eating it once it's open lol!

toffee322

Some of my favorite non-meat items:

The Seaweed Snacks ($0.99 ea. and totally satisfies my crunchy-salt cravings in 60 calories. They have a wasabi one too if you like a bit of kick)
Power Berries (I don't usually enjoy fruit and chocolate but these are addicting!)
Their entire cheese department (the truffle cheese is amazing and melts really well)
Coconut Oil (for oil pulling & body oil)
The cartons of soup (Latin Style Black Bean add a bit of greek yogurt or the Tomato Roasted Red Bell Pepper add croutons are my favorite)
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Veggie Gazpacho (I eat it like a salsa with scoops tortilla chips)
Chocolate Almond Milk
Greek Style Feta Dressing (good on everything. Potatoes, Chicken, Salad, Rice...)

Non vegetarian items (sorry OP):

Penguin Gummies (they are great in the freezer! The gummy part gets harder and the filled tummies are gooey-er)
Frozen Turkey Meatballs (precooked and only 100 calories in 2. Delicious but a bit high in sodium)
Roasted Chicken Patties (in the refrigerator section. Precooked and juicy when reheated)
Frozen White Fish Vera Cruz
Smoked Turkey Kielbasa (So much flavor! Great in soups and not bad in the calorie department. I use a little bit in cabbage soup for a super low-cal lunch)

Things I didn't really like:

The Quinoa "Super Food" mix (Frozen - reheated the texture was really weird and mushy)
Crispy Snap Peas (They were "puffed" like a cheeto which I wasn't expecting and seemed oily and bland)
Canned Vegetarian Split Pea Soup (I'm just really picky about my pea soup)
Frozen Garlic Fries (they were super garlic-y which was good, but the texture of the fries were a bit weird. May have been user fail though and not the fries)
"Microwave Ready" Brown Rice in the dry goods section in a clear plastic pouch (really off plastic taste and a little too hard even when recooked with extra water. The plastic taste was the worst part though)
Salt & Pepper Dark Chocolate (I like spiced dark chocolate, but there was ALOT of salt and the pepper tasted exactly like the pepper out of a generic pepper shaker)

Power Berries! yes i got that too, it's so good! can't stop eating it.
thanks for the list!

toffee322

I can't wait to check it out. We will eventually have two stores in Dallas.

won't disappoint for sure!

80sFanatic88

I love Trader Joe's! I always get their mac and cheese frozen dinner, it's the best. Also Spanakopita or spinach pies, because I love my spinach. And when they have them, I get the vegetable samosa's, they have good veggies, and a little spicy flavor. If you like pasta, check out their ravioli, I love the mushroom ones. Lastly, for deserts, I love their chocolate chunk cookies, ice cream mochi (best flavor is green tea, seriously), and around October they have pumpkin ice cream that is to die for! :happy:

alychil820

Roasted coconut chips! Holy crap, they are SO amazing.
100 calorie dark chocolate bars
Balsamic vinegar
Coconut oil
Kefir for smoothies
All of their produce! Especially those hard to cut fruits that come precut? Like their fresh mango
Brie bites
Creamed honey
Chia
Flax seed
Frozen chocolate covered banana bites
Water bottles! SOOO cheap!

MrsB123111

They have the best hummus ever! I just get the classic flavor bc I'm lame like that.

I also love:
the vanilla bean Greek yogurt
unsweetened vanilla almond milk
the WINE... OMG, the wine
Madarin orange chicken
Thai jasmine rice
stir fry veggies
organic mini cheese and crackers
potstickers

I seriously could name off the whole store! I have a TJ's literally at the end of my street (I walk when it's nice out), so I am an avid shopper!

simplyeater

Love to buy my nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and rices there. Other than that:

Edamame Savory Cracker Thins
Masala Dosas ( freezer)
Veg Panang Curry
Soy Cherry Choc Chip ice cream
Japanese Vegetable Fried Rice
Minestrone Soup
Hummus Guacamole
Cilantro Hummus
Soy Chorizo
Pasta sauces
Olive oil
And their Peppermint Lip Balm!

psych0kitty

I do 90% of my shopping at TJs. Some faves:

vegetable samosas
cilantro-jalapeno hummus
cheese & green chili tamales
3-cheese pizza (not 4-cheese, believe me)
pizza dough in a bag!
traditional latkes
fire roasted tomatoes with green chilis
organic whole milk
organic sour cream (SO GOOD)
dark chocolate caramel black sea salt bar (drooling thinking about it)
svelte ice cream sammiches
frozen chocolate croissants and almond croissants (for treats)
shaved brussels sprouts
cubed butternut squash
organic pea shoots
light cheeses, like cheddar and feta
Fruity O's
buttermilk pancake mix (makes excellent waffles)

I'm sad they no longer carry the Thai carrots. Those were so good. They have so many other good things. Mmm now I'm hungry.

bhannana

I love Trader Joe's! I always get their mac and cheese frozen dinner, it's the best. Also Spanakopita or spinach pies, because I love my spinach. And when they have them, I get the vegetable samosa's, they have good veggies, and a little spicy flavor. If you like pasta, check out their ravioli, I love the mushroom ones. Lastly, for deserts, I love their chocolate chunk cookies, ice cream mochi (best flavor is green tea, seriously), and around October they have pumpkin ice cream that is to die for! :happy:

Good call, I'd forgotten about the mushroom ravioli. I like the chunky portabello mushroom ravioli in the refrigerator section.
I like the mango mochi

Also, someone mentioned the potstickers which I also love! The chicken or the veggie ones are great.
My boyfriend also loves the little mini tacos in the freezer "appetizer" section.

BunkyBumBum

Disclaimer, I eat what I want and work it into my nutrition, so this isn't the place to look if you're only looking for only the healthiest of options and not what is tasty.

I buy the peaches in a jar, they're firm and not squishy like most, and they're packed in pear juice not syrup. I don't usually eat them, but I buy them for my kindergartner who loves them. They're halves, but I dice them and they're such better quality than anything else. The pears are good too, but not as good as the peaches.

We buy the Low-fat cat cookies, they're about the same as graham crackers nutrition wise, but they're a nice change for snack. I like the original, but my husband likes the ginger because they're spicy.

I buy pretty much all of my frozen vegetables there, the fine green beans, the super sweet corn, the brussels sprouts - it's all better quality than anything I get at the local mega grocer.

My whole family thinks their string cheese is the best. I buy the regular stuff, not the low fat.

Their freeze dried strawberries and bananas are great for cereal/snack when you can't have fresh (I'm sure the others are good too, but I only buy the ones my kid will eat as well).

The dried apple chips are also really good, nice and crispy.

White cheddar corn puffs are excellent for snacking (don't like the sour cream one). It's basically a cheesy poof, and sometimes you want some sort of junk snack, at least these are healthier.

The vanilla joe-joe cookies will be the death of me. I don't buy them often, but when I do they go fast.

Their maple brown sugar instant oatmeal is the best. Apple cinnamon is good too, has bits of dehydrated apple in it, but I don't really care for apple cinnamon flavor so it's not my cup of tea.

Their vanilla almond crunch cereal is really good. Their organic honey crunch n oats cereal is fine as long as you don't have to smell it. I won't buy it, not because of taste or texture, but because when you add milk it smells almost like perfume and that's weird to me.

The frozen brown and jasmine rices (steam in the bag) are perfect when steamed. Not mushy, not icky, just like perfect rice.

I always buy vanilla from there, the bourbon vanilla or the regular for baking. It's cheaper and better tasting than even the "pure vanilla" I get at the regular grocer. You can really taste the bourbon in that one.

Their soyaki sauce is also pretty good, it's a bit sweet for my tastes but the best tasting "jarred" chinese sauce I've tried. I do not like the island soyaki, waaaay too sweet.

There is undoubtedly other stuff, it's all pretty good - except their coffee (bitter) and pasta sauce (runny). I also find that the mini bagels go moldy really fast unless you keep them in the fridge.

BunkyBumBum

Oh! And even though they're soy based, the meatless meatballs are tasty. My husband (a meat eater) even likes them.

dmpizza

Birds nests

And

Mini peanut butter cups

mathteacher2010

Love Trader Joe's! My food list is loaded with stuff from there!

My favorites:

Almond butter (a staple for me!)

Cinnamon roll bread (a staple for my husband)

Frozen crab cakes

Frozen turkey burgers

Their whole wheat pasta

PB Cups (only occasionally)

Pita Bites crackers

I could go on and on, but these are the most purchased!

triciab79

I only use their extra virgin katamala olive oil. It is so much better than even the more expensive olive oils. I also love love love their cheese selection. They have a Syrah soaked toscano cheese that is like a mild nutty parm its perfect for salads and Caesar wraps. They have great cheap wines too.

lalarox

Frozen Garlic Naan is TO DIE FOR!

Polenta Provencale with spinach and peas (also frozen)

Butternut Squash Gratin with Creamed Spinach Gratin

I could literally eat these 3 things every day for the rest of my life.

Warchortle

worked there for 4 1/2 years and would say the company is pretty legit.

Mixed berry blend
Light Cheese actually taste good
Turkey Chili
Soy Chorizo
Chicken Sausages
All the dips are good: Guacamole with yogurt and Kale dip with yogurt
Their green drinks are fairly good and are inexpensive.
Best deals on coconut / almond / soy milk

Frozen aisle is beast. Indian meals that are 1.99.

latprin

Banana nut clusters cereal is delicious

lustingforfitness

The mandarin chickenless nuggets are AMAZING!! One package can stretch between two people if you're eating at proper portion sizes--my girlfriend and I get that every time we go there. You should also branch out and try their wraps in their fresh section--sooooo good! They have good prepackaged salads that aren't too expensive either. It's nice "fast food" to have when you're on the go! Their vanilla almond clusters cereal is delicious as well, I used to eat that with fresh fruit and soy milk for breakfast every morning for a few months!

StheK

I get almost all my food at Trader Joe's. I love their chive and cilantro yogurt dip- i use it in place of cream in soups (butternut squash soup, they have the squash already cubed!) and in place of mayonnaise in egg salad. I eat their sprouted tofu several times a week. I love their sandwich slims and their amazing selection of cheeses. I use their vanilla whey protein powder for shakes. I also love a lot of their frozen food, but I don't get much of it anymore because I am trying to make my food fresh these days. And their chocolate- so much amazing chocolate!