Trader Joe's favorites

that cheap *kitten* red wine...I think it's called cheap red wine. Haven't been in ages, but we always used to buy a bunch of that for when people came over to the house...have a couple bottles of good stuff and then bring out the cheap red wine.

Honestly, I can take or leave most Trader Joe's items. However, I was recently introduced to two things that I really like: the 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate Coconut Caramel bar (yum!) and the Creamy Toscano Cheese Dusted with Cinnamon (this is saying a lot because I'm normally not a cheese person)!

Trader Joe's Chocolate Soy Mini Ice Cream Sandwich.

I second these!

I love their Almond Butter but they've been out the last few times I've been there (at 3 different stores) because I think they said they are having issues with their supplier.
Organic Blueberry Preserves - Reduced Sugar - this is AMAZING! I have TJ's Almond butter and these blueberry preserves every morning.
Pumpkin Butter (sometimes this is seasonal).
Love the frozen green beans - either the slim Haricot Verts or the regular ones.
Horseradish hummus.
Refrigerated package of brussel sprouts (the steamable ones and the ones they have seasoned).
The Orange Chicken is fantastic but definitely need to watch portions.
The frozen brown rice is great too. They also have one in the rice aisle that is a microwaveable package that is great.
Almond Milk (their brand) - on the shelves (not refrigerated).
Popcorn with Olive Oil (no dairy so great for those who cannot have dairy) in the snack food area.
The Kettle corn individual packs are fantastic too.
Fresh Produce.
I buy the big packs of various nuts and split them out in packages at home - almonds, cashews, pistachios, so many options (including trail mixes if you need to add some sweets to it).

They have so many things that I love there. It's hard to go wrong.

I recently read an article about rBGH in cows, and Trader Joe's is one of the merchants that claim their dairy and beef are rBGH free. (that means the cows that TJ gets their products from are not treated with recombinant bovine growth hormone. A big plus in my book, so add milk, cheese, yogurt, and beef - check labels and make sure they are labelled rBGH-free).

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup (in a box). I LOVE it with a bit of goat cheese and some bagel chips on top.

Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus!!! AMAZING!!

I love all of their hummus, salsas, and especially their roasted plantain chips.

If you're still looking for suggestions...

*Check their baked goods aisle and see if they have any California Style Complete Protein Bread. You might not be able to find "California Style" in WI, but I really like getting 5g of protein from one slice of bread. I even have a loaf in my work's freezer. :P

*I LOVE their cheeses. There's always an interesting mix.

*I like their cornmeal pizza and their goat cheese pizza. Not sure if it travels well, but they also have premade pizza dough.

*I wasn't able to find it in the TJ's in MI, but I do like their Vegetable Gyoza (frozen dumplings).

*I'll sometimes use their boxed soups as a base for slightly doctored soups (ie adding tortilla chips and cheese to their black bean soup). They also have decent stock.

*I like their jarred beans in tomato sauce.

*I love their premade Indian food - Palak Paneer, etc. It comes in pouches packaged in boxes, and doesn't need refrigeration.

they have an awesome quinoa medley that has precooked quinoa and veg and I just add chicken or tofu to it

I usually stock up on larabars while I'm there, too, but that's not a TJ thing

A couple of my personal favorites are:

-Creamy Spicy Hummus
-Reduced Guilt Mac & Cheese (Absolutely fantastic for a frozen Mac, if you like mac and cheese)
-Soyrizo (soychorizo) Its a little spicy but really delicious!
-Soyaki marinade (SO GOOD!)