I often joke that my family really doesn’t need to track me on the Find My Friends app, because chances are you’ll find me at Trader Joe’s. In fact, just last week I was on the phone with my mom when another call came through. I put her on hold because I didn’t recognize the phone number, but since it was from my local area code, I felt it would be prudent to answer the call, just in case it was my twins’ school calling. Nope. It was Trader Joe’s. My mom laughed and said, “what, do they miss you?!” I laughed and said, “no! They were calling to tell me that my pancake bread that I had special ordered came in! How’s that for customer service?!” She thinks I’m nuts. I am. Nuts about Trader Joe’s!
Here’s an insider tip: get to the store early in the morning. It’s super quiet and you can leisurely stroll the aisles and peruse their multitude of products. Although their stores seem small in size compared to grocery stores, they pack a ton of products into those shelves, and if you waltz through them too quickly, you might miss some awesome food! I’ve seen fellow bloggers post amazing photos of meals they’ve whipped up using only Trader Joe’s ingredients, and upon closer inspection, I’ve noticed that I’ve never seen some of the products; there are just so many! If you’re a newbie to Trader Joe’s, you’ll soon come to learn that their food is extremely fresh, much of it is organic, and their prices are easy on the wallet.
Allow me to virtually walk you through the store, as most of them are setup the same exact way. As soon as you enter the doors, you’re greeted by the most beautiful selection of fresh flowers. Whether you need to throw together an arrangement for a dinner party, or you just want fresh flowers to adorn your kitchen counter, you can build your own bouquet with their huge assortment. I’d be willing to bet their prices are the best around.
Just past the fresh flowers begins the produce section. There are long walls of refrigerated products, such as bagged salads, dressing, fresh fruits and vegetables in both organic and non-organic options, dips and spreads, and prepared meat and meatless dishes that you can use for dinners to pair with any of their produce. Just past all of this fresh food is a section of prepared meals, such as sushi, wraps, chicken salads, soups, and other grab-and-go meals.
If you’re ever looking for some Trader Joe’s inspo, head over to my Instagram account:www.instagram.com/twinstantgratification, and peep my photos and stories. I’m always sharing my fave finds!
Produce Section
Any of the salad kits that TJ’s offers are great. I often buy the champs elysees bag, which has mixed greens and shredded carrots, and I make my own salads with other fresh and hearty ingredients. They have fresh bottled dressings, with the Green Goddess one being a favorite in our house. It’s delicious on salads, and equally as good on burritos or fajitas!
Bagged Salads-Featured Favorite
Broccoli and Kale Slaw-this all-in-one pack has the dressing, sliced almonds, and dried cranberries and blueberries to toss up for a complete slaw to be served at BBQs, or to just be eaten as a salad. The dressing is light and sweet and the crunch can’t be beat!
Fresh Vegetables
I usually head to TJ’s on Monday morning and stock up on veggies for the week, to use as side dishes for dinners. I love the riced cauliflower, broccoli florets, and the shaved brussels sprouts. Another staple is the 3-pack of bell peppers that I use to make fajitas. They have haricots verts and other green veggies, such as leeks and artichokes.
There are fruit and vegetable stands in the middle of the large produce aisle, with the foods divided into sections. Here’s where you’ll find most of the tomatoes, potatoes, lemons, limes, avocados, squash, and other produce that doesn’t require refrigeration.
Fresh Fruit
In our area, TJ’s is the frontrunner for the freshest fruit. I love their strawberries, raspberries and grapes.
Dried Fruit and Nuts
TJ’s has a huge selection of nuts and dried fruits. We love the mango slices and the dried apples. I keep the mangos in my car for a mid-afternoon snack, and the dried apples are a great crunchy topping to add to salads! The rosemary marcona almonds are an awesome accompaniment to cocktails.
Cereals and Breakfast Options
TJ’s has their own brands of cereals that are rivals to the big named boxes you see in the grocery store. My favorite cereal that they carry is Puffins. They also have a selection of breakfast bars and granola bars, as well as a variety of oatmeals and other healthy foods-such as flax meal and hemp seeds.
Coffee
TJ’s has a great selection of coffee, with a grinder on site. You can also find some soothing teas!
Dairy
TJ’s has a fairly sizeable dairy section with staples such as milk, eggs, butter, cottage cheese, yogurt, etc. I’ve found that their local farm fresh eggs are way cheaper than even Walmart!
Frozen Foods
Meander into the frozen food aisle and you will be blown away! They have the freezer cases divided by geographic area! In our local store, the first section is Asian fare, which includes the crowd favorite orange chicken, and our personal favorite variety of spring rolls. There are nights when our schedules are hectic and we get home late and just don’t feel like prepping an entire meal from scratch. Throw a bunch of spring rolls in the oven and pour some sweet chili sauce into a bowl for dipping, and it’s better than most Chinese take out places (at least in Florida).
Just across from the Asian food is the Italian section. There are so many varieties of frozen pizzas that you really can’t go wrong with any of them. I’ve personally tried just about all of the pizzas and flatbreads in the lineup. I love the cauliflower crust pizza for a lower carb option.
My hubby and kids love the Margherita pizzas and 3-cheese pizzas. My twins love the mini pizza bagels, as well as the smaller pepperoni pizzas. There are some bougie flatbreads with prosciutto and other schmancy ingredients that are great for appetizers or party bites.
In addition to pizzas, TJ’s offers pre-made frozen pasta dishes. I’ve tried a few of the gnocchi dishes and they did not disappoint!
My husband’s favorite is the cauliflower gnocchi, which sells out before they can even take it off the truck! We love to pair it with either homemade pesto or the TJ’s vegan kale pesto sauce in their refrigerated section.
TJ’s has a plethora of options for lunches, dinners, or parties. They have veggie burgers, regular burgers, a variety of french fries and tater tots, as well as appetizers, all in their frozen section. They easily pop into the oven and come out with crowd pleasing tastes.
After the frozen meat section is the frozen seafoods section. They have everything from swordfish, to shrimp, to salmon, to tuna, for any dietary preference.
Just across from the frozen meats are the frozen fruits and vegetables. These are great for smoothies or dinner sides. We love the Mexican corn. They have it with or without cheese!
Desserts
The next aisle has the frozen desserts-yum! Two of my favorites are the large chocolate chip cookie and the molten chocolate cake. These are delicious when they’re served warm with ice cream mmmm. Speaking of ice cream, my personal favorite flavor is chocolate chip. I’m kind of an ice cream snob when it comes to chocolate chip ice cream. Let me just tell you, TJ’s hit a homerun with their fudge chip. It is by far one of my top chocolate chip ice cream contenders! My twins love it too! In addition to desserts in this particular frozen section, there are some awesome frozen breakfast options! There are chocolate and regular croissants, hash browns, blintzes, and potato latkes-which are just as good as your Bubbe’s!
Breads
In the mood to carbo load? Check out their bread section. TJ’s has great sprouted grain breads-just be sure to freeze them for freshness. They also have a great selection of tortillas and wraps!
They have awesome sweets like cupcakes, brownies, pancake bread, and pan au lait rolls-amazing. The pan au lait rolls are sort of like challah-very sweet, and come in both plain and chocolate chip varieties.
Spreads
Looking for something to put on the bread? Check out the selection of peanut and other nut butters! They even have sunflower butter, which is a great option if your children’s schools are nut-free. And don’t say I didn’t warn you about the cookie butter.
Just next to the frozen sweets section is the section that has baking goods, spices, and canned foods. It’s not terribly large, but I happen to love all of TJ’s spices. The must have is Everything But the Bagel. Sprinkle some on avocado toast with eggs-OMG. I have found some awesome spices and blends that I use to marinate fish and poultry.
Chips and Crackers
Next up is the chip aisle-yay! Here’s a little secret: many of the items in Trader Joe’s are brands that you typically see in supermarkets, but are repackaged and sold under the TJ’s brand. The assorted crackers in the black box? They’re the same as Carr’s. But cost less. Win-win! I love the selection of TJ’s chips and crackers. I haven’t met a chip that I didn’t like. My faves are the longboard tortilla chips because they’re great for dipping and scooping. I also love the sweet potato tortilla chips and the white truffle potato chips. The pita crackers are delicious, and my kids love the peanut butter and cheese crackers that are similar to Ritz sandwich crackers. My staple for my charcuterie boards are the fig and olive crisps.
Cheese
Speaking of charcuterie, TJ’s has the BEST selection of cheeses, hands down. Not only is the variety huge, but the prices can’t be beat. Which is why I’ve saved the best for last! If you’ve visited my Instagram account, you’ll see that it’s peppered with my intermittent cheese displays that I make for gatherings. I. LOVE. CHEESE. Every time I purchase cheeses at TJ’s, the cashiers will comment on the choices and offer their personal favorites, reviews of the cheeses I’m purchasing, or tell me what pairs best with it in terms of crackers or even wine. I love the friendly and knowledgeable employees there!
Depending on your mood, you will find any type of cheese that your little heart desires. Anything from mild to spicy, sharp to sweet, hard to soft. They even have containers of grated cheese, bags of shredded cheese, and burrata-one of my absolute favorites! Here’s my rule of thumb when crafting a charcuterie tray: always get a brie-like cheese, then add in two or more cheeses to the spread. I tend to play it safe with Port Salut, since it’s a mild cheese. I will then go a little bold with the third cheese. There’s a wine infused cheese, truffle cheeses, sharp cheddars, or so many other choices that will please a variety of palates. I love that they have variety packs of cured meats, and a seasonal favorite of mine is the truffle salami. Unfortunately, it’s only available around November and December. You can make a beautiful cheese board with any of the cheeses that TJ’s offers. Add in some freshly sliced apples, crackers, nuts, dried fruit, and fig butter, and you will be the hit of the party! Don’t forget the beer and wine-they have a huge and wallet-pleasing selection! You have to check it all out for yourself!
Without further ado, here is the shopping list! This is not all-inclusive, but instead is meant to show you how you can pretty much get anything you need at Trader Joe’s, rather than a traditional supermarket. Feel free to print it out and bring it with you to the store! If you can’t find any items on the list, ask a friendly associate to point you in the right direction or help you special order anything that may be out of stock. Their customer service can’t be beat!
Shopping List
Produce
⃞Strawberries
⃞Raspberries
⃞Grapes
⃞Asparagus
⃞String beans (haricot verts)
⃞Broccoli florets
⃞Riced cauliflower
⃞Shaved brussels sprouts
⃞Champs elysseys salad
⃞Green Goddess Dressing
⃞Broccoli and Kale Salad Kit
⃞Jicama
⃞Avocados
⃞Heirloom tomatoes (multicolor)
⃞Kumato
⃞Grape tomatoes
⃞Basil
Spreads/Dips
⃞Meditteranean hummus
⃞Vegan Kale Pesto
⃞Kalamata olive hummus
Prepared Meals Section
⃞The Perfect Bar-dark chocolate/peanut butter
⃞Jicama salad
Dried Fruits/Nuts
⃞Just mango
⃞Dried fuji apples
⃞Rosemary marcona almonds
⃞Sliced almonds
⃞Pignoli nuts
⃞Pistachio nuts
Cereal/Breakfast Bars/Granola
⃞Almond butter granola
⃞Hemp seeds
⃞Flax meal
⃞Puffins cereal (original)
⃞Granola bars
⃞ This fig/apple/strawberry walk into a bar breakfast bars
Dairy
⃞Eggs-many TJ’s have eggs from local farms
⃞Herbed butter
⃞ Trader Joe’s brand butter-salted and unsalted
Frozen Foods
⃞Margherita pizza
⃞Cauliflower pizza
⃞3-cheese pizza
⃞Pepperoni pizza
⃞Pizza bagels
⃞Flatbreads-any of the varieties
⃞Cauliflower gnocchi
⃞Eggplant cutlets
⃞Party meatballs
⃞Turkey meatballs
⃞Meatballs (beef)
⃞Mexican style roasted corn
⃞Outside-In stuffed gnocchi
⃞Vegetable spring rolls
⃞Chicken spring rolls
⃞Mango and sticky rice spring rolls
Desserts
⃞Chocolate lava cake
⃞Chocolate chip cookie
⃞Fudge chip ice cream
⃞Chocolate croissants
⃞Potato latkes
⃞Hashbrowns
⃞Silver dollar pancakes
Breads
⃞Sprouted grain bread
⃞Sprouted grain sourdough bread
⃞Reduced carb tortilla wraps
⃞Pancake bread
⃞Pain au lait-plain and chocolate chip
⃞Brioche Bread (sliced)
⃞Cinnamon croissant bread
⃞Whole wheat mini pitas
⃞Beer bread mix
Spreads/Jar Sauce/Dips
⃞Creamy peanut butter
⃞Almond butter
⃞Cookie butter
⃞Cocoa almond spread
⃞Sweet chili sauce
⃞Fig butter
Snacks/Chocolate
⃞Joe Joe’s (oreos)
⃞Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
⃞One Pound Dark Chocolate Bar
⃞Dark chocolate, turbinado and sea salt almonds
Chips/Crackers
⃞Longboard tortilla chips
⃞Cheese sandwich crackers
⃞Peanut butter sandwich crackers
⃞Fig and olive crackers
⃞Cracker assortment (black box)
⃞Pita bites
⃞White truffle potato chips
⃞Sweet potato tortilla chips
Tamar Blazer is an attorney-turned-twin mom, with a passion for her family, friends, writing, good food, home decor and laughing. When she’s not lamenting on her lack of sleep, you can find her doing one of the too many projects she likes to take on, usually with a twin on either side.
