Trader Joe's

I have one near my work. My least favorite thing is their produce.

I eat the black bean and corn enchiladas pretty regularly. Their hummus is decent. They have nice tofu (extra firm and sprouted). Their organic frozen berries are pretty cheap as is their organic pb.

2 buck chuck.

I'm a frequent TJ's shopper. Some of my staples:
- chili hot sauce
- organic tofu
- organic hummus
- spiced soybeans
- baked beans
- vegetarian chili
- organic peanut butter
- almond butter with flaxseeds
- organic frozen blueberries
- spiced apple cider in the fall
- etc.

They are great and I'm lucky to work about 5 minutes away from one.

I'm in love with the fresh mozzarella sticks.

Oatmeal
Frozen veg
Coffee filters (coffee is good but expensive)
Hamburger buns
Veggie burgers (not much variety but a full dollar cheaper than Meijer!)
Tofu is cheap

I think produce may vary from store to store because some people say it's great, but not so much at my store. Hardy stuff like onion, apples, etc are generally OK but refrigerated produce is often a little off.

Flowers! They have super prices on great flowers and I always like bringing my wife home some when I go!

Anyway, this may sound weird, but their frozen section in general is really great ... they have a lot of delicious choices ... for me, while some of these are not unusual, my staples from them are:

Frozen French Green Beans
Coffee and Cocoa (no sugar, just a coffee and cocoa blend) ... much of their coffee is great
Salami & Cheese Snacks (more like a small meal, but the kids and us love them for lunches)
Chili and Lime Thai Cashews, delicious
If you are an oreo lover, their Joe Joe's are great
17 (or whatever) dried bean and barley mix is a great deal (and make the recipe on the back, but puree it) ... comes out like a split pea that is super yummy (and healthy)
Great wine and beer selection if you're into that
Frozen Turkey Meatballs
Frozen Fish, especially Tuna and Mahi Mahi (they have great prices)

They are not a health food story by any means, as they stock a lot of junk food too, but you can some really good stuff.

Probably my grocery store of choice ... depending on where we lived we've actually used them as our primary grocery store ... they are actually quite affordable.

But again, check out that frozen food section (and samples) as they often rotate in and out some good products

Balsamic vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
Lemon pepper pappardelle
Brown basmati rice
Turkey bacon
Chicken sausage (several varieties)
Nuts
Cuban black beans
Fruit jams
Salsa
Cheese
Frozen seafood (salmon, crab cakes, tilapia, etc.)
Frozen veggies
Peeled beets (refrigerated veggie section)
I only buy fresh produce if I know I'm going to use it within a couple days, otherwise I find it goes bad quickly!

We just got a Trader Joe's in our town. I have heard lots of good things about them. Tell me what are some of your favorite things to buy there and what are some of your least favorite things? Thanks

Best*
–Trader Joe's Uncured Chicken Hot Dogs
–Trader Joe's original hummus
–Calbee Snappea Crisps
–Trader Joe's Green Tea
–Trader Joe's Quinoa and Black Bean Chips
–Trader Joe's uncured peppered turkey bacon
–Simply Lite Low-Carb Dark Chocolate with Almonds
–frozen chicken tenderloins (great for making strips or nuggets)
–"Just a handful" nut single packs (great for on-the-go)

*all of these are gluten free

Worst
–the produce at my store tends to be slim pickin's and not always in the best shape

LOVE Trader Joe's!! My Top 3 Items are:

Frozen vegetarian burritos
Organic Oats and Flax Instant Oatmeal
Just a Handful of Nuts Snack Packs

Just a Handful Size of Trek Mix or Cashews. Prepackage size helps me limit my portions.
Frozen Quinoa Melange.
For my occasional treat I eat a square of the Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate with Whole Hazelnuts. Yum!

baby broccoli, pre-cut butternut squash, pomegranate seeds, and teeny tiny potatoes from the produce section. Organic chicken breast tenders and lean stewing beef from the meat section.
They do have really good cereal, baked goods, etc. but that's not what I'm eating these days. :frown:

-Unsalted almond butter
-Chocolate hemp protein powder (also comes in vanilla)
-Frozen quinoa with vegetable melange
-Super Spinach Salad
-Tofu burgers
-Vanilla Soy coffee creamer
-Popped Chips
-Fruity Flakes (both flavors- they are dried fruit bits)
-Fresh stir fry mix (comes in a bowl)
-Trader Ming's Sesame salad dressing (delicious on salads or as a marinade)

I could go on and on. I drive 30 minutes just so I can shop there. I love that store. I just went there this morning!

COOKIE BUTTER! AMAZING!

Quarts of organic plain yogurt are cheap
California complete protein bread
Fig butter!! (it's a fruit spread, not butter)
breakfast cereal is pretty cheap
organic plain soy milk, in the green box-- only 2 ingredients: soybeans and water. Maybe salt.

JUNK but worth it:
chocolate-dipped almond crescent cookies
nitrate-free hot dogs
pretty much everything above the freezers... look out

Avoid the produce, except keep an eye out for deals on berries.
And for gods sake do not get the $2 wines... headache in a bottle.

I don't really buy their processed foods, because I stay away from processed foods in general. The thing I love most is their prices on organic produce. And their cheese. They have amazing cheese.