Saturday, January 23, 2021

My 5 Favorite Trader Joe's Items

Who doesn't love Trader Joe's? I'm fortunate to live less than a mile from the iconic grocery store. Trader Joe's has grocery staples, but also many unique items that you suddenly find you can't live without! The store is constantly introducing new items and rotating seasonal items in and out of the store. I've been shopping there more frequently since the pandemic started due to their strict masking policy. Employees have been limiting the number of people allowed in the store at any time.

Today I'm sharing 5 of my favorite items from Trader Joe's! Only 5? It wasn't easy to narrow it down, but these 5 items are currently the ones that send me back to the store for more.

Trader Joe's Organic Vanilla Pea Protein Powder

The former owner of my CrossFit box hipped me to this product and it was love at first scoop. The price was right, too, only $13.99 for a large tub. Sweetened with sugar(yay!) it tasted better than any of the comparable products which are sweetened with stevia and other odd-tasting sweeteners. On a recent trip to TJs, I couldn't find it and employees told me they weren't able to order it. Fingers crossed that it comes back.

Hold the Cone

These little ice cream cones covered with chocolate have my heart. Naturally, I love the chocolate ice cream version, but TJs offers vanilla, chocolate chip, and seasonal flavors as well. They are perfect for when you just want a little treat! Or two.

Organic Acerola Puree

I'm always looking for something different for my morning smoothies. When I saw this Acerola puree in the frozen section of my TJs, I was pretty excited! A quick Google search told me that Acerola is a fruit that grows in South America. Loaded with Vitamin C, this puree blends well with a variety of fruits. I also buy Acai puree from TJs as well. 

Butternut Squash Ravioli (or other ravioli)

I love having these prepared ravioli in the refrigerator for a quick dinner. Butternut squash ravioli is my favorite, but I have tried several different varieties and they are all delicious. I serve the butternut squash ravioli with a browned butter sage sauce. Yum!

Pie Crust

I take pride in my homemade baked goods but I do not like making my own pie crust. Sorry, not sorry. Call me lazy, but pie crust is one of those things that is high effort/low reward. My default premade pie crusts have been Pillsbury, but Trader Joe's frozen roll out pie crusts are very good as well. They are great to have on hand for quiche or fruit pies and I always keep a box in the freezer.


Are you a Trader Joe's shopper? What are your favorite items?
I <3 Trader Joe's! Here are 5 of my current favorite items! @oldrunningmom #running #runchat #FitFiveFriday
I'm linking up with the ladies of the Fit Friday Five! Darlene, Michelle, Renee, Jenn, and Zenaida are bringing back the Friday Five!



28 comments :

  1. You are speaking my love language! The three products that we get from TJ's that we just can't get anywhere else are Hold the Cone (yes you can get ice cream cones anywhere but not tiny ice cream cones), This Fig Walks into a Bar (I call them "appropriately sized Fig Newtons"), and the S'mores bites. I'm a huge fan of their coffee, their single serve guac packs are cheaper and better than Holy Guacamole, and their meat prices are often very good. Plus I love that you can buy any beer by the bottle instead of having to get a 6 pack.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am just in love with the tiny cone! I will have to look for the s'mores bites. There are so many good products--have you seen the jicama tortillas/wraps?

      Delete
  2. We have only one Trader Joe's in our state and its not close and on an extremely busy roadway....so we don't get there often. Usually to by a gift card for our son in L.A. who frequents his just a half mile away from him.
    I love Trader Joe's and wish there were one closer by.

    Anyway here goes;

    1. Grilled artichoke hearts
    2. Dark chocolate roasted pistachio toffee
    3. artisanal cheeses - great quality, low prices
    4. Rustico bread
    5. low salt chicken broth

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jealous that you live so close to one. The closest one to me is in the South Loop and I rarely go in that direction. But I would have to check it out for those little cones. I am also interested in the protein powder.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Waiting to hear back on the protein powder...I hope it comes back!

      Delete
  4. I have not been to Trader Joe's in years but now I really really want those little ice cream cones! Thanks for clueing me into those

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kind of a mixed blessing, right? I rediscovered TJs this year and yeah, it is my old new favorite place!

      Delete
  5. Our nearest TJ's is FAR (like 35 minutes), so I don't get there often. I love their carmelized onion cheddar, and all their little frozen appetizer things. And their wine selection.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm not as wowed by their wine selection--maybe it's just my TJs? But I've been finding all kinds of good stuff lately.

      Delete
  6. I rarely go to Trader Joe’s but I do like those little ice cream cones and the butternut squash ravioli.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I stopped going for a few years but I'm back, baby! Just for the cones alone...

      Delete
  7. Oh, how I miss Trader Joe's! I love their innovative products, especially their nut varieties.
    Ironically, TJs belongs to the German company Aldi Nord, but they haven't expanded to Europe. Maybe one day...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I knew that TJs was part of Aldi, but guess what--I don't like shopping at Aldi! I may have to try it again.

      Delete
    2. Funnily, I don't like shopping at Aldi either! Such a different experience from TJs!

      Delete
  8. Love Trader Joe's!! Thanks for the tip on the protein powder - I'll have to give that a try.

    ReplyDelete
  9. They have the best peanut butter. We get the regular TJ's crunchy salted that you have to stir. It's ruined me for any other PB. We were on vacation a while back in a state with no TJ's so bought some Adams at the grocery store. I literally could not eat it, ended up giving it to a friend who didn't know the difference. :-)
    TJ's full fat Greek yogurt is also extremely good tasting. You can get it either in a single serving or a larger tub, they seem to be the same product.
    Finally, they have a frozen pizza which they call a tarte (a la Francais) in the freezer section. There are 2 or 3 different kinds, our favorite is the D'Alsace with ham, onions, and Gruyere.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Our closest TJs is about 2 hours away so I don't get to go much but when I do and it's around christmas I LOVE the peppermint JO JOS!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh yes! I wanted to include them on my list, but, yeah, 5 things!

      Delete
  11. I LOVE Trader Joe's--we've got a number of items on our shopping list that stay on there week after week. I love the organic dates, we drink their Ethiopian dark roast coffee, their pizza dough in the refrigerated section is vegan (both kinds), they carry the vegan butter I prefer, their unsweetened unflavored almond milk is great, OK so I'm showing my fandom.

    Love them. My not so secret safety net plan should I ever get laid off? I'll apply to work there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've considered applying for a job there! The employees are always so happy!

      Delete
  12. I LOVE trader Joe's. It's not nearby but that's one of the reasons I like to run at The Crossings. lol

    I always have that ravioli in my freezer.

    I buy their meats too. Also like their stews and soups.

    Darn, I didn't know about those cones!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. You are SO LUCKY to live close to a TJs! Ours is about 20 minutes away, which isn't bad but just enough to make it inconvenient. I love their nut butters- the salted, crunchy almond butter is the only almond butter I'll eat! And they have some great non-dairy milks- hemp and soy- that don't have all the weird ingredients most of those milks have. My ONLY complaint about Trader Joes- like you experienced with the protein powder- is that I find it fairly common for them to be out of certain items. When you go there specifically to get your favorite things, it's annoying if they don't have them. btw I don't like Aldi either! Somehow it has a depressing vibe.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. YES! I have only been to Aldi once and yeah, I didn't feel happy when I was there!

      Delete
  14. Out of these, I think I’ve only had the ravioli — and it is a favorite. I love the frozen fire roasted peppers, the frozen chocolate croissants, and staples that cost so much less there, like nuts and Kalamata olives.

    ReplyDelete