My Favorites from Trader Joe’s

Do you have a Trader Joe’s near you? Do you wonder what all the hype is about? Well, I did too, honestly. I was resistant to loving Trader Joe’s when we first moved to Lexington. It is in an inconvenient location and I truly didn’t know what the hype was all about.

I am not even sure how the love affair began, but I remember one weekend, my little family of 4 ventured to Trader Joe’s. They had their French Vanilla coffee as a sample that day, and, well, the rest is history.

I am going to share our favorite things from Trader Joe’s in this post. These are the things that are ALWAYS on the list when we make a run to Trader Joe’s. This list is going to consist of Trader Joe’s specific products.

Here is a printable Trader Joe’s Shopping List of all my favorites. Print it out and take it on your next trip!

PRODUCE

TJ’s offers a wide variety of produce. You truly cannot go wrong with any of their produce. They always have seasonal fruits and veggies, which I love, so we can try something new.

Berries – We love their jumbo blueberries. My daughter asks for them constantly. She won’t even eat the smaller ones anymore.

Mini Seedless Cucumbers – Again, my kids are big fans of these. TJ’s is the only place I have been able to find these in stock on a regular basis.

Bagged Salad – One of my favorite ways to eat #asaladaday! The southwest one is a go-to of mine.

Bagged Lettuce — I love their bagged buttered lettuce. TJ’s is the only place I have ever found it!

Mini Zucchini – I’m a sucker for anything mini, and these do not disappoint.

Bananas — Cheap. Enough said.

Golden Mango — A little smaller than the traditional mango, but all the flavor.

REFRIGERATOR

Give me all the dips! They have some of the BEST.

Reduced-Guilt Chunky Guacamole – This dip is made with Greek yogurt and is perfect for chips or veggies. Use it as a topping to your taco salad or other Mexican dishes.

Spinach and Kale Dip – One of my favorites from TJ’s! I love this dip with crackers or veggies. Perfect to serve on a charcuterie board.

Everything but the Bagel Seasoning dip – Really good with chips or crackers. You can also spread it on a bagel or piece of toast.

Hummus – We like the roasted red pepper one, but you really can’t go wrong with any of them.

FREEZER

Riced Cauliflower Stir Fry – Amazing. I eat this paired with a protein, as a side dish, or even by itself. Stock up your freezer with this stuff!

Mandarin Orange Chicken – Pair it will the riced cauliflower above and you have a meal! Quick and easy.

Mini Tacos – We like the beef ones. Easy for a quick meal paired with a side of the frozen corn mix below or beans.

Mexican Style Roasted Corn with Cotija Cheese – Love this as a side dish for any Mexican meal.

Mac and Cheese Bites – Fun appetizer with marinara sauce.

Mini Ice Cream Cones – The perfect size for an after-dinner treat! We absolutely love these.

Dark Chocolate Covered Banana Slices – Another go-to after dinner treat.

Vegetable Spring Rolls — These are DELICIOUS. I love to dip them in TJ’s Sweet Chili Sauce. Even my 6-year-old loves these.

Bambino Pizzas — The kids love these mini pizzas. Perfect to keep in the freezer for a lunch or an easy weeknight meal.

Turkey Corn Dogs — Again, the kids love these. An easy lunch or dinner. I eat them too! You would not know they are turkey dogs.

Uncured Pepperoni Pizza — A $5 frozen pizza. I like to keep a few in the freezer for Friday night dinner!

Handsome Cut Potato Fries — These crisp up nice in the oven. I am not a fan of soggy fries!

Mozzarella Cheese Sticks — These came highly recommended and they did not disappoint. Pair perfectly with TJ’s pizza sauce for dipping.

PANTRY

White Cheddar Corn Puffs – This is TJ’s version of “pirate’s booty” and they are GOOD! Perfect for a snack. The kids love this stuff.

Crackers – I love their crackers. We love the 12 grain mini snack crackers or their Multigrain Crackers.

Dried Fruit Bars – The apple and strawberry are my favorite. 

Gluten-Free Granola – I love the fruit and nut. I eat it like cereal with almond milk.

Buttermilk Protein Pancake Mix – This is the best protein pancake mix I have found. You still get fluffy, tasty pancakes even with added protein.

Sweet Potato Crackers – Another good cracker option. They are the perfect snack size cracker.

Gluten-Free Norwegian Crispbread – These are like a large cracker. I like to eat them with chicken salad or pimento cheese!

Rainbow Trail Mix — This trail mix truly has the best ratio of all ingredients. You don’t feel like you are just getting peanuts. SOOOO good! We love their other nuts, too!

Trader Joe O’s – We love these for breakfast. We always have cereal on hand for a quick breakfast option.

Maple Syrup – I use this maple syrup for my homemade granola or in other recipes. I do not use it for pancake or waffle syrup, only for cooking!

Sweet Chili Sauce — This sauce works great for a spring roll dip or we like to put it on pork chops to back or grill. YUM!

Cereal Bars — Great snack for the kids.

Reduced-guilt Potato Chips — Love a potato chip. These are lightly salted and not too greasy. More of a kettle cooked chip.

Reduced Fat Cheese Puffs — These do not overwhelm you with the fake cheesy flavor and do not leave a terrible mess on your hands. Win, win!

Pizza Crust — These work great to make your own pizza. They are already made and you just put your toppings on. The crust is light and fluffy and crisps up nice in the oven.

Pizza Sauce — Use this for your make-your-own pizza above or to dip those mozzarella sticks in!

Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels — I have never met an item paired with peanut butter that I didn’t like. Snack on them, eat them on the go, or put them on your next charcuterie board for family fun night!

OTHER

A few more TJ’s favorites to add!

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups – Yum. I usually just buy the small bag that has 8-10 cups.

Everything but the Bagel Seasoning – A very versatile seasoning in my opinion! I love it on baked chicken tenders. I recently put it on the outside of a grilled cheese and it was delicious!

Cookie Butter – Proceed with caution. Be prepared to eat more than the recommended serving size. I buy this maybe twice a year. It is dangerous, but oh so delicious!

Lemon Kitchen Hand Soap — I love the smell of this stuff. It is my favorite soap for the kitchen!

French Vanilla Coffee – Our go-to coffee. If you follow me on Instagram, you know what I have deemed all other coffee. I have never really liked flavored coffee, but this one has a very subtle flavor. If we had never had the free sample on that day, we may have never fallen in love with Trader Joe’s.

Chocolate Chip Sandwich Cookies — A friend of mine recommended these and I recommend you proceed with caution. 10/10 recommend.

Fresh Flowers — TJ’s has the prettiest flower bunches. Fresh flowers always put a smile on my face. Treat yourself to a bouquet next time you are there!

Seasonal

A few items that you can only get during seasonal times, but they are worth putting on the list for you to keep your eye out!

Fall Leaf Corn Tortilla Chips — To cute and fun for serving for a fall party, not to mention delicious.

Pumpkin Bread and Muffin Mix — This has the perfect pumpkin flavor and makes the lightest bread and muffins. I will stock up when it comes back out in the fall.

Delicata Squash — My sister-in-law introduced this to me a few years ago and I look forward to every fall when it is in season. We just cut it up, toss it with olive oil, salt & pepper and roast it in the oven. Eat it just like a french fry, peel and all!

Mini Dark Chocolate Mint Stars — If you like thin mints, you are going to want to keep an eye out for these!

I would love to hear your Trader Joe’s favorites! Put them in the comments below.

Enjoy your next trip to this little gem!