When my brother-in-law Nick moved in, we drew an invisible line down the center of the fridge to distinguish his food from ours. The problem is that I keep thinking I have all this food to eat because my fridge is half full! And then it’s dinnertime and I realize the only things on our side are coffee creamer, ketchup, and peanut butter. I’ve been eating a lot of peanut butter sandwiches.
To the grocery store I go!
Yum. Non-peanut butter. Brown rice, lentils, zucchini and squash.
As a follow-up to the original My Favorite Trader Joe’s Products post, here’s a list of the new goodies that I’m lovin’ from my favorite grocery store.
Pre-cooked potatoes – GENIUS! I love adding these to stir-fries or egg scrambles. Of course, you pay a bit for the convenience factor, but they’re really tasty.
Snickerdoodle cookies – These are so good that I can’t regularly buy boxes…. We easily crush the entire package in two nights (or, um, one). Plus, they are free of the eight most common allergens, including dairy and gluten. And yet still taste good. A mystery!
These quinoa and black bean tortilla chips – They taste especially good with the horseradish hummus that I always buy!
$5.99 carton of peaches – I’m sure these won’t be available come next week or so, but DANG. They are SO good. This is my third carton and each peach has been perfectly soft and ripe. Considering that I’m the only one in the house who likes peaches (blashpamy!), that means that I’ve already had 25 or so peaches in the last three weeks…
Gingersnap ice cream – I’m still avoiding dairy because of breastfeeding, but…. if you do eat dairy, PLEASE pick up a carton of this ice cream and think of me as you enjoy it. It’s quite possibly my favorite thing in the entire store.
Power to the Greens – A baby mix of kale, chard, and spinach. A nice change from just regular old spinach.
And last, but not least, this all-purpose cleaner is the bomb. I use it to wipe down counters, mirrors, table tops, and more. It smells good, too – no chemically smell.
What’s your favorite TJ’s product? Any special new finds?
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{ 94 comments… read them below or add one }
Those chips are so good and SO dangerous! I tried their lentil and potato Crunchy Curls recently and those are equally delicious. My biggest obsession (it’s not a new one, I’m really just THAT obsessed with it) is their Greek yogurt spinach+kale dip. It’s incredible.
I’ve been buying the frozen organic brown rice since you talked about it- I love it!!!!! I also buy most of my nuts there. And I also love the Toasted Oatmeal Flakes Cereal. It never gets soggy in milk!
Sometimes it is simply worth it to pay for convenience. Especially if I am going to be tempted by something completely unhealthy otherwise.
Thank you for this post! A Trader Joe’s just opened near me, after a LONG wait for one to finally come to Texas. I am going for the first time soon and will check out these products!
You should try my baked peaches recipe! It’s SO EASY and makes peaches taste 50x better (how is that even possible, right??) Try them! Love them.
http://lifewithacrazypup.com/2012/08/07/baked-peaches/
TJ’s par-cooked brown rice cooks up in about 10 minutes. It is amazing and saves me so much time!
That ice cream is insanely delicious! My boyfriend and I bought it just because it was something we’d never seen and killed the carton in two days!
Pre-washed arugula! White bean hummus! Raspberry jam! Simply almonds, cashews and cranberry trail mix! (I love me some TJs!!)
Definitely their hummus and pizza dough! In terms of new products, I loved the crunch apple cinnamon sticks!
umm, get the blue cheese roasted pecan dip. it is out of this world, soo freaking good. and the salted popped chips, a staple. can’t wait to hear what other people like.
I’ve seen that before and it looks yummy! what do you dip it with? chips? veggies? crackers?
Seriously SO jealous of your fabulous American stores!! I wish our stores were half as fabulous!! I would be ALL over those snickerdoodles and peaches!
my favorites are the honey wheat pretzel sticks, salted creamy peanut butter and prewashed and chopped kale. oh boy i could spend my whole paycheck in one trip to tj’s…
I tried the ginger-lemon ice cream recently and it’s good! I just bought the cookies and cream one too– dangerous, it’s delicious!
My favorite TJs staples are– almond butter w/ flaxseeds, polenta, the dried chicken wrapped bones for dogs (charlie’s obsessed!), their organic coffee breakfast blend (so cheap for organic coffee!), soy coffee creamer, frozen pineapple (for smoothies), eggplant hummus, and their rice crackers (for some reason, i like them better than any other brand).
Is your brother in law living with you guys for free? If so then he should share his food with you and your husband! Especially considering you are new parents and don’t have tons of time to grocery shop.
oh no, he pays a small rent. he’s staying with us long-term and has a full-time job and whatnot.
Oh that makes sense. Do you mind having him live there?
No! I loooove Nick. He is awesome.
Well, then that’s cool he lives with you guys
I’m not a huge Trader Joe’s superfan like some people are but man those pre-cooked potatoes look AMAZING! How genius. I might have to stop by after work and pick some up.
We just got a TJ’s in Houston. Well Houston is huge so the TJ’s is still an hour drive BUT still worth a fun trip on a lazy Saturday. My fav find is COOKIE BUTTER! Holy cow I can just eat it with a spoon.
Frozen rice for sure! Also love: half-baked ciabatta rolls (finish em off in the oven), jalapeno hummus, low-sugar maple cereal, and the holiday edition Peppermint JoJo cookies.
I’ve only been to TJs twice but yes, the lemon gingersnap ice cream is amazing! You can’t buy snickerdoodles and I can’t buy that. I tried it once, but won’t buy it again – it lasted 2 days! I also like the spinach and kale yogurt dip.
I love their frozen chana masala meals!
We don’t shop at TJs often (I find that their produce and bread is bad/goes bad way too quickly!) but I do like their pre-made whole wheat pizza dough, which we freeze. And they have great prices on goat cheese!
Did you hear the latest news about arsenic levels in brown rice (even organic)?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jean-halloran/arsenic-and-rice_b_1897182.html
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2012/11/arsenic-in-your-food/index.htm
Something to keep in mind as a breastfeeding mother, and when Henry starts solids! I find it very upsetting, and it makes me SO glad for my local CSA – any large-scale packaged food now just seems so risky!
Yes! The Husband was talking about this last night.
I work in school nutrition and this is causing a LOT of stress for us! Our schools use a ton of brown rice on their menus and they’re worried they need to change the menus (this is a huge headache, as I’m an RD who works for the state govt office that reviews and approves those menus). It is definitely something to be concerned about though, and I personally have completely cut rice out of my diet. If I were BF’ing, I especially wouldn’t want to take that risk.
They have dark chocolate peanut butter cups that are to die for. Yum!!
OMG, agreed. Just tried these for the first time a few days ago – soooo good!
I don’t live near a trader joes anymore (sob) but, when I did I LOVED the rice crackers.. They come in like a blue bag- and they are totally gluten free (although they don’t say it). Super good as just something small to munch on…
I just posted a stellar sangria recipe today, using some of TJ’s wine: http://eatmovebalance.com/perfect-sangria/
We love their roasted tomato salsa (no salt added!). Also, have you seen they now sell chia seeds! I picked up some kimchi from there last week, but haven’t opened it yet. I hope it’s good!
I recently moved and am no longer near a Trader Joe’s. Wah! I love the corn & chile salsa and the sweet potato gnocchi.
Those chips look SO good!
I like the wine selection:-) lol. Last week I also got a “hummus quartet”. It had 4 different kinds of hummus. So awesome.
I also love all the nuts because they are so much cheaper. Along with Sunflower Butter:-)
I miss Trader Joe’s soooo much! After living in AZ and CA all my life and having easy access to TJ’s, I was super bummed when we moved to Utah and there weren’t any here. Apparently we’re getting one at the end of the year though, which I cannot WAIT for! I am a huge fan of their nut butters, dried green beans (sooo addicting!), sushi, and a couple of their salad dressings. There’s plenty of other things I love there too, but those are the first that come to mind!
I love TJ’s but since I’ve been eating vegan, Whole Foods has been my second home lol my bf is definitely like “when are we going back to trader joes” I guess we’ll be going soon. So, the greatest thing I’ve got from TJ’s right now is my organic coconut oil! I keep it by my bed for skin & hair. I love it and I love smelling like coconuts!
That gingersnap ice cream was my favorite until I found out that I’m allergic to dairy.. bummer! It’s so good that I actually miss it!
And thanks for pointing out the snickerdoodle cookies. I was just thinking that TJs didn’t have any allergen-free cookies/sweet snacks, turns out I was wrong!
My go-tos are nut butters, gluten free oats, and hummus. They’re all good and less expensive at TJs than other places!
They also have gluten free chocolate chip cookies that are pretty good too!
I need to try that all purpose cleaner! I’ve been looking for something because I use Fantastik and I know it’s full of chemicals and I hate using it on my counters…
Post like this always make me so jealous! We don’t have TJ!!!!
Uuuugh! I can’t WAIT for our TJ’s to finally get built. Between you and Katie, I’ve got a list of products a mile and a half long to try. At least hope is on the horizon now!
Hands down my favorite is the edamame hummus. It is the best hummus I’ve ever had!
I would so love to live near a TJ’s! I think that gingersnap ice cream is definitely something I could get behind. You should try this peach leather recipehttp://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/homemade-fruit-leather/
It would be perfect for races or long runs.
I recently discovered that cleaner, too. I love it!
My favorite products as of late… egg white salad, frozen brown rice, pre-cooked lentils, the greens mix you posted, the giant box of peaches, whole grain frozen waffles, extra sharp white cheddar slices, the goat cheese & sun dried tomato ravioli (the only “flavor” I like – tastes restaurant quality), chicken broth concentrate packets, banana nut cluster cereal, and so much more… but those have been the items on my list for the last few weeks.
With my last box of peaches, I took half and washed, dried, chopped and froze them as soon as I got home. I’m working on a “peach pie” protein shake. Still getting it just right, but it’s SO SO good. It literally tastes like liquid pie. I’ll miss in-season stone fruits!
Oooh I love those chips too! Those gingersnaps look tasty.
I also love their sesame seed cashews, and their hummus. SO good!
Healthy: Seaweed snack
Unhealthy: FLEUR DE SEL CARAMEL SAUCE. I sometimes eat a spoonful straight from the jar.
wait wait wait the trader joes gingernap ice cream is gluten free???? If so you might of just changed my life.
No… I wish. It also has gluten in it… So sad.
I hate to say this, but have you read the ingredients on the white bean and basil hummus? Pay attention to the soy sauce. WHEAT! Not gluten-free at all. Sorry! It’s a shame, too, because I had never had it but wanted to try, and my sister brought some back for me, only to find out neither of us could have it! I thought it’d be GF since you’re always raving about it!
Oh nooooooooooooooooooooo. That is so disappointing. I hate it when stuff like that happens. WTF is gluten doing in hummus anyway.
The soy sauce is the problem. It’s often hiding in there, so watch out for that if you didn’t already know. Tamari is safe, though. Now, why do they have to flavor this particular hummus with soy sauce — that I can’t tell you! But maybe if enough people complain …
YES! Last night I discovered the Guilt-Free Greek Yogurt & Kale Dip. It is ah-mazing! The woman at the check-out desk told me I was going to love it. Then she said if I didn’t like it (or didn’t like anything), I could bring back my receipt and they’d credit my next purchase! I heart TJs!
I LOVE the Tj’s frozen mochi ice cream ball things. i don’t even know what they are called, but they are sooo good. i also like their pita chips (i honestly think they are better than stacy’s) and the red curry simmer sauce. ridiculous. the only problem, is in manhattan the stores are teeny and the line goes around the entire store!! but a crowded trader joe’s is better than no trader joe’s
xo
Love those chips and also the sweet potato chips. I also am obsessed with the edamame hummus. Yum!
Oh I really wish we had a Trader Joe’s here. Horseradish hummus sounds amazing.
Ohh how I love TJ’s! I actually have to steer clear of all the snacks and desserts completely or else I will just go nuts and buy everything. However, I do get the Bon Bons when I have guests coming over. One time I served 2 Bon Bons, a stem of frozen grapes and a few strawberries in individual cups and it was a hit—so cute and easy! I have heard they have packages of pre-boiled eggs, and while I probably wouldn’t buy that, it would be handy for someone who struggles with making time for breakfast in the morning!
Just found a guacamole made with half greek yogurt. It’s delicious and guilt free!
Love those snickerdoodle cookies. The gluten free chocolate chip cookies are surprisingly really good, too. also loving the new power to the greens. Wasabi seaweed snacks remain a favorite of mine. And the red curry sauce is amazing. Can’t wait for cooler weather to enjoy a bowl of curry. Their corn pasta is a good gluten free option. Nice to not have to go to Whole Foods. And I love their popcorn with olive oil and sea salt.
I’m looking forward to discovering new favorites; it’s been nine years since I’ve lived near a Trader Joe’s. I’ve driven by our TJ’s (FL’s second — Sarasota) twice now, but it’s jam packed with people hunting parking spaces, so it will be a while before I go there.
Why isn’t anyone talking about the ROASTED SEAWEED. It’s crazy crack for me and I can’t go to TJs without buying at least 5 boxes. I’m also a big fan of the $1.99 Soyrizo!
Unsulfured/unsweetened dried mango!!! I’m in LOVE with it. I also love those black bean/quinoa chips and my boyfriend loves their salsa because it’s not chunky. TJ’s isn’t my regular grocery store but they just put one in right near me and I’m sure I’ll find myself there more often because I love everything I’ve ever found there!
I so miss TJ’s since we moved to an area without any (GASP) but when I did go, I loved the sea salt mini brownies… so, so good. Especially combined with some red $3 Chuck (the wine). Also their Guacamole hummus was fab-0.
I need to get my hands on those peaches. It’s my favorite fruit when it’s just perfectly ripe. I am obsessed with the Japanese Fried Rice. I add some extra tofu and it’s so good!
Everything people listed sou D’s delicious! My favorite are the super greens, organic hummus dip and dark chocolate almonds with sea salt and turbinado sugar. So good!!!
I love Everything from Trader Joes. I get so excited when i go there. My new fav are these Cinamon Crumpets, they are in the bread section, similiar to english muffins but lighter/fluffier. Toast it (must toast it) and top with almond butter and sliced banana….awesome!
I also was excited about the new greens- all three of my favorite greens in one package!
Also love the peaches- though at our TJs (in VA) they only had nectarines this week…still good though! One of my favorite products is the coconut water ice pops!
The powerberries are THE BEST. YUM!!! I also love the prechopped butternut squash. Such a time saver!
man, I want those peaches! I need a trader joe’s near me. I love slicing one up to top greek vanilla yogurt.
These posts are so great. I always have such a hard time navigating through that store – this provides great ideas! I also make a bee line for their organic beans and broth and go out the door – next time I will have to look around more.
My favorites are the Very Cherry mix, Salsa Autentica, gluten free waffles, tomato and roasted red pepper soup, and the sugar, coffee, and chocolate grinder.
LOVE TJs – my absolute fave is the dark chocolate sea salt almonds. YUM
They are talking about making a TJ’s in Burlington, VT. We need one so badly. I stock up whenever we’re out of state.
My current fave is – the sea salt caramel topping.. (just a spoonful for a little dessert goes a long way. yum) and an always fave.. their Organic boxed Tomato Soup. Perfect for a cold day and quick lunch!
When we get a TJs I’ll be able to stock up on more of their frozen foods
I need to try those Snickerdoodles! I love their new Greek pumpkin yogurt in smoothies. I’m also into their tomato & basil hummus and frozen mango chunks. I buy those religiously every week.
I love the TJ’s sunflower seed butter. And their breaded eggplant cutlets. And their trail mix. And their frozen Indian foods. Basically, my list could go on and on!
It’s so funny that you posted this today, because I have a TJ’s trip planned for tomorrow! A local store is set to open here in November, but for now I rely on road trips to get my TJ’s fix, and tomorrow is one of those days
I’m looking forward to buying dried white peaches (SO good, and hard to find anywhere else), nuts/trail mix, and sun butter!
dark chocolate covered power berries, frozen artichokes, double roasted salsa, and of course all the wine…
I don’t know what took me so long, but I finally tried TJ’s hummus sampler–and it’s been amazing. Seth and I are both hummus heads, so instead of buying multiple tubs to get us through the week, I just bought the sampler and we’ve loved having the variety.
I’m also really into their Carrot Ginger Soup in a box.
Me: The lentils that you helped me discover, steamed beets, all their hummus, everything crackers/bagel chips, almond butter, spinach, kale, and feta pie (can’t remember the exact name, but it’s in frozen), frozen brown and mixed rice, jalapeno cheddar crunchies, veggie sausage, all their nuts, raw oats
Fiance: Fig walked into a bar bars, bacon cheddar dip, frozen falafel, cookie ice cream sandwiches with chocolate chips, veggie corn dogs
Ohhh I want to add to my list the Falafel chips, Power Berries, and the frozen spinach dip.
I see my favorite product in the picture of the cleanser. It’s the dark chocolate covered almonds with sea salt and turbinado sugar. Another new favorite is the coconut chips. But I need to stop buying those since the 2 bags I bought “mysteriously” disappeared within a day.
Soy orange creamsicles, frozen gyoza potstickers & chipotle salsa. HOLY CANNOLI! I haven’t lived in the same city as a TJ’s since I left Pittsburgh 4 years ago. I’d bring a cooler & stock up when I visited my bf (now hubs) in Atlanta & mom in Charlotte. Our TJs opens here NEXT MONTH!!!! CAN.NOT.WAIT!!! (Of course I’m also looking for a job out of town right now. Watch me move the week before they open…)
Why hasn’t anyone mentioned their pickles? OMG I die for their Kosher Dill Pickles; the seasoning or brine they use in the jar is insanely good. Sometimes I have to stop myself from eating the whole jar in one go. I also have been known to call my store to make sure they have enough in stock to justify my long trek out there to get it! I also love their Blue Bran mini fiber cakes.
I love Trader Joes but I’ve never tried any of those products! I definitely want to pick up some of that all-purpose cleanser. I HATE the kind that smell like chemicals.
Reduced guilt mac & cheese mixed with frozen spinach and soycatash. Love.
Dark chocolate sea salt turbinado almonds. Amazing. I ate them by the container while pregnant and still do. Also, the edamame rice crackers. And the pomegranate Greek yogurt. . With the horseradish or edamame hummus. To die for. I hoard all of it b/c we live over an hour away!
I love the sesame covered honey almonds and the edamame hummus!
Gingersnap ice cream? YUM! Trader Joes needs to come to Canada!
TJ’s House Whip and cereal bars are amazing. I especially like their facial cleansing wipes and moisturizer (AKA TJ’s Oil of Olay). The closest TJ’s to Greensboro is in Chapel Hill so I know I look like a crazy lady with 5 boxes/bottles each of such randomness.
Love the quinoa and black bean tortilla chips!
We got TJ’s here in Staten Island last November and man, does my vegan self LOVE IT!! That cedarwood cleaner is one of my favorites (parsley plus being my top one) – - I use it for everything and it smells so fresh! Also, on your recommendation I got the frozen brown rice and popped a back in the microwave last night. So fast and SO TASTY. Also, honey and sesame covered almonds? Amaze-balls. I even put them in Annie P’s bars and they added so much flavor
Ever since you mentioned the packaged boiled eggs, my cooking laziness has gone to a new level (in a good way!). I’ve been buying the pre-cut onions, pre-boiled eggs, pre-cut potatoes…it actually means I cook MORE because there’s less work involved.
So many favorites!! Frozen brown rice, frozen pasta chicken & mushroom dish (waaay better than those Bertolli meals), frozen turkey meatballs, dark chocolate peanut butter cups, pomegranite seeds, fresh mozzarella cheese sticks (nothing like regular ones), guacamole, and the TJ’s brand pop chips and pirate’s booty!
I heart TJ’s prodcuts and love seeing what everyone else is buying.
Those quinoa chips are my favorite and I will have to go find that ginger snap ice cream. I just picked up some turkey meatballs. They are delish and super easy to make!
damn soy sauce.