My Trader Joe’s Faves!

I picked up this Green Goddess Salad Dressing, because I’ve heard it is simply fantastic. I haven’t tried it yet, but the name reminds me of my favorite dip at the Melting Pot!! YUMM!! I think I’m going to pick up some already shredded rotisserie chicken at the grocer tomorrow and makes some hearty salads with it. I’ve heard that it pairs great with Trader Joe’s Broccoli & Kale Slaw Salad Kit (it has dried cherries, dried blueberries, sliced almonds and sunflowers seeds in it) and you can also combine a little of their Bagged Shaved Brussel Sprouts in with it. I’ve heard the Green Goddess Salad Dressing is delicious on grilled corn and I can’t wait to try that this summer!

I really love this Chunky Avocado spread! So much easier than buying avocados and making sure they are ripe enough. It lasts all week in the fridge without turning brown. Walmart has this too, but the Trader Joe’s one tastes extra creamy. I love to top toast with it, with sliced cherry tomatoes and a sprinkle of  Penzeys Sandwich Sprinkle.

I didn’t purchase these Fresh Hard-Cooked Peeled Eggs, because I am just a little tired of hard boiled eggs right now (doing two low carb days a week will do that to you!). But, I’ve heard these are REALLY good. Sometimes if you buy prepackaged hard boiled eggs, they can be really bad. But, I’ve heard these taste really fresh and it’s nice that they are from cage free chickens.

I heard about these Cold Pressed Juices on Mix and Match Mama’s Trader Joe’s Faves post (see her post HERE!) and I had to try one. I tried the green juice and I really liked it!!! It is only 100 calories and it shows on the bottle exactly what they’ve packed into it. It does have that distinct juice taste, though and if you haven’t had cold pressed juice before, you may be surprised that this is definitely not a sweet drink. I really want to try the red one next month.

Here is the information on the sides of the bottle for the Cold Pressed Juice. Very clean!

I love that Trader Joe’s opens at 8:00 a.m. There isn’t a store close to our house (closest one is 30 minutes away), but there is a store 18 minutes away from the kids school. I went right after I dropped the kids off and it wasn’t too crowded. I picked up this Turkey Apple Cheddar Sandwich for lunch later and paired it with the Cold Pressed Juice. It was the perfect lunch combo!

This was my first ever Chia Seed purchase! I tried two tablespoons of these in some Trader Joe’s yogurt and it was really good. Chia seeds are tiny, but so nutritious! Read about all of their benefits HERE. Lisa from Coast to Coast has been sharing different ways she adds Chia Seeds to her food. She recently mentioned that they’re surprisingly good in hot chocolate and have a tapioca consistency. I really need to try that soon! Here is a Chia Hot Cocoa recipe I found online that I want to try.

I’ve heard their Garlic & Herb Pizza Dough is AH-mazing and I can’t believe it is only $1.19! The Pizza Sauce is supposed to be really good with it. I’m planning on picking both up on my next trip and then I’ll need to plan out what shredded cheese and toppings to get.

I HAD to pick up this Lobster Ravioli and then when I saw the Mushroom Medley Alfredo Sauce next to it, I knew they’d be a perfect match! EASY dinner and SO, so delicious!

Mix and Match Mama reviewed this Sliced French Brioche Bread in her post and mentioned that it is the PERFECT grilled cheese bread. I made grilled cheese with it and paired the Organic Creamy Tomato Soup (do yourself a favor and get the Low Sodium!) and it was the EASIEST dinner… and, I don’t know if I’ll ever make grilled cheese on Wonder bread ever again! Ha! This Sliced French Brioche Bread would also be GREAT for french toast. I put the bread in my refrigerator right away after purchasing it, so that it stays fresher for longer. This bread is NOT healthy at all, so… it is truly a treat in itself and beware! Ha, ha! I used to buy the tomato boxed soup (they have other flavored soups, if you want something else) for my lunches when I worked in an office.

My kids just LOVE this Very Berry Clusters cereal. I used to get it for them when they were little and I saw they still had it, so I grabbed a box.

Trader Joe’s Mandarin Orange Chicken is their #1 seller and I purchased it for the first time and my family all really enjoyed it! I served the Vegetable Fried Rice on the side and one bag of the rice was definitely not enough for our family of four. I’ll be buying two bags of the rice next time. The Vegetable Fried Rice was DELICIOUS!!!!

Ok, I am a scallops girl. It is MY favorite food. I saw this Saucy Scallops with Mushrooms in the freezer section and was hesitant to buy it… I just didn’t think it’d be good. But, WOW!! Just make sure that you take it out of the oven and mix it midway through the baking time. I had it for dinner one night when my husband was out of town and then I enjoyed it so much, that I had it for lunch the next day. It has 2 servings in it. It is PERFECT for Low Carb day!! I am getting another bag of this on my next visit. I need to let my husband try it next time.

I picked up this Himalayan Pink Salt Crystals, because I’ve been wanting a little pink salt in my kitchen. Ha! I haven’t tried it yet, though.

While in the store, I had at least 3 employees tell me that I HAD to try these Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups and that they were better than a Reese Peanut Butter Cup. SOooo, in the cart they went… and… YUM. You gotta try these!

Items I Plan to Purchase at My Next Trader Joe’s Shopping Trip:

I really did not plan out what I was going to buy at this visit, I just put random items that interested me in my cart. For my next visit, I’d like to get more of these items that I really enjoyed and then I’ve done a little research on popular Trader Joe’s items that I want to look for and try at my next visit.

Produce:

• Teeny Tiny Avocados (These are supposed to be perfect for a one person snack!)
• Organic Cherry Tomatoes (Supposed to be super sweet!)

Cheese:

• Unexpected Cheddar Cheese. (One of Trader Joe’s MOST popular cheeses. It’s both cheddar and parmesan and supposed to be unbelievable.)
• Sharp White Cheddar Cheese w/ Carmelized Onion (Supposed to be a game changer for your charcuterie board, or makes a fancy grilled cheese.)

Packaged:

• Taco Seasoning (I want to start buying this, because there are glowing reviews about the flavor and it is all natural.)

Jars:

• Bread and butter pickles (I just found out that pickles are low carb and that Trader Joe’s has some of the best!)

Nut Butters:

• RX Nut Butter (I BELIEVE you can find this at Trader Joe’s, I need to look for it.)
• Trader Joe’s Almond Butter

Alcohol:

I’ve heard these are good, but I probably won’t buy all of them on my next trip.

• Schloss Biebrich Rose Champagne
• Sara Bee Moscato
• Vino Verde in the tall green bottles.

Bread/Crackers:

• Crisp Bread (Perfect for Low Carb Day. Spread with a topping.)
• Plaintain Chips

Frozen:

• Frozen Brown Rice (Takes 3 minutes to cook and has the best flavor and texture.)
• Cauliflower Gnocchi (I’ve heard this sells out quickly. I’ve also heard to not prepare it using the package directions, because it won’t taste very good. Everyone suggests to pan fry it with some EVOO.)
• Riced Cauliflower Stir Fry (Add shrimp for a low carb meal.)

Home/Beauty:

SO many people RAVE about the Home and Beauty items at Trader Joe’s. I want to pick up 2-3 of these on my next trip to try.

• Yellow Lemon Kitchen Soap
• Honey Mango Shave Cream (This is a REALLY popular item, who would have known?!!)
• Body Butter (Usually comes in vanilla but they have seasonal scents).
• $5.00 Hair Mask (Another REALLY popular item!)
• Lemon Cookie Candle (Supposed to smell amazing and would be perfect for Spring/Summer!)
• Greeting Cards. (Only $1.00 and SO cute!)

Plants/Flowers:

• Flowers. I’m thinking about picking myself up some flowers each time I visit.
• Herbs Plants. (These are supposed to be AMAZING, I’ve heard the BASIL is huge.)

Summer/Seasonal:

• Lemon Basil Pasta Salad (Great in the summer as a side with grilled chicken or a burger.)

Are you a Trader Joe’s fan? What are some of your favorite items to purchase?