I really love Trader Joe’s. Something about the whole experience brings me a lot of joy. I love that each establishment is uniquely decorated to match the town that it’s in. I love that there are fresh flowers right at the entrance. I love that it’s not MASSIVE so I can get in and out fairly quickly. I love the variety of flavors and products.
What is this list, and what is it NOT?
This is not an exhaustive list of every grocery item offered there that I love… but a glimpse into the items we buy very frequently, and the ones my family members request if they know I’ll be shopping there. Seasonal items are not included!
This list is plain old regular grocery shopping items, just ones that are specific to Trader Joe’s. IE: I often buy apples and bananas and cucumbers at TJ’s … but those foods aren’t WHY I went out of my way to grocery shop there. So produce is mostly excluded on this list, too.
Nothing about this article is sponsored, because Trader Joe’s already has my whole heart and I will do anything for them. Happy employees giving my kiddos stickers and helping me out to my car with my bags each trip? PRICELESS, FRIENDS.
Here we go!
Baby Wild Arugula
Lots of grocery stores sell arugula, but it’s surprisingly challenging for me to find it both pre-washed and NOT combined with spinach. Don’t get me wrong- spinach is great, but I prefer a simple lemon juice/olive oil dressing with my arugula that doesn’t really work well with the spinach. This is cheap, too! It’s usually only $1.99. (Looking for more veggies? I wrote all about 10 hacks to get more veggies to your plate HERE).
Family Size Cheese & Tomato Frozen Pizza
There’s tons of options for frozen pizza at Trader Joe’s. Some have much more exciting toppings than this one, but my boys LOVE when their pizza arrives on their plate veggie/meat free (haa!), and I love the flavor of this one with all the different cheeses! It’s a big step above the standard frozen cheese pizzas I’ve bought elsewhere, and the thin crust is good too.
But… I’m not sure what family this pizza is feeding to be honest. It’s never enough for our family of 5. We often do this one alongside another (more interestingly-topped)…often a supreme frozen pizza from Costco.
Peaches & Cream/Mango & Cream Combo Yogurt Cups
So… these are delicious. Admittedly they are pretty sweet, so … I don’t really do these for my one year old. But the rest of us devour them! I’ve always been a little particular with chunks of fruit in my yogurt, so I love that these are blended and smooth. The mango flavor is harder to find, too. These also come in strawberry/banana combo and the blueberry/vanilla. I recommend them all!
Unique Dry Pastas
I get a few bags of pasta every time we shop at Trader Joe’s. There’s so many varieties to choose from and I have yet to meet a pasta I haven’t enjoyed. These colorful radiatore shapes below are pretty fun to eat! They also have quinoa and brown rice pastas that my boys willingly eat. Don’t forget to grab one of their pasta sauces too; the autumn harvest (seasonal) jarred sauce is very good.
Honey Wheat Pretzel Sticks
A friend brought these (and a bunch of other Trader Joe’s snack items) for me after I had my first son. Years later we are still enjoying them (I mean not that same bag…gross). They pair well with string cheese to make a filling snack for kids or adults, and are juuuust sweet enough.
Chocolate & Peanut Butter Joe-Joe’s Sandwich Cookies
You know those foods where you bite into them and you know your life will never be the same? These cookies are that for me. Hands down, the very best “Joe” cookie offered at Trader Joe’s, in my opinion. The rest are “eh” in comparison. They are a little on the pricy side, but very rich (food-wise).
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
These are classic Trader Joe’s goodness. We love either these dark chocolate ones or the mini milk chocolate pb cups… both are scrumptious. If you’re trying to decide between these and the PB Joe’s listed earlier… the answer is YES. (And for good measure, you could also throw in the peanut butter pretzel bites covered in milk chocolate).
Bruschetta Sauce & Tuscan Bread
This is a match made in heaven. I don’t buy one without the other. I learned about this bruschetta sauce from the Feeding Littles instagram account. And oh baby I’m glad she shared that knowledge because I think it’s delicious. I toast the bread, cut it in half, and top it with a big spoonful of this tomatoey goodness. My baby likes it, too!
Sweet Apple Chicken Sausages
There’s several different flavors of chicken sausage, but this one is my favorite. I slice it up and roast it with sweet potatoes, red onions, broccoli, or brussels sprouts. The other flavors (onion/garlic, basil I believe) go well in pasta dishes.
Spinach Tortellini
Speaking of pasta dishes… Trader Joe’s has a ton of different tortellini and ravioli options to choose from. Some are more unique (lemon, ricotta, mushroom, etc.), but this classic is the one I keep coming back to. They cook up sooo fast, and my family all eats them. I often get this one and another to try, OR two of this. One isn’t enough to feed our crew.
Thai Style Yellow Curry Sauce
We like to sautee pieces of chicken & slices of onion (chunks of potato would be great too) and then add this sauce. Paired with steamed rice for an easy and delicious weeknight meal!
Soft Strawberry Licorice Twists
I buy these as the husband-offering. He loves these…and admittedly, it’s easily the best licorice I’ve tasted.
Salsa for Days
Trader Joe’s has a huge array of salsas available to try. I like buying the salsa authentica and the basic green salsa as well (both for $1.99) to dump into the crock pot to make moist and flavorful shredded chicken. This pineapple one is great, too.
Frozen Roasted Corn
There’s a lot of standard frozen vegetables you can buy at Trader Joe’s, but this is one of the more unique options! I love to throw it into chilis, soups, Mexican-inspired casseroles and bowls, and more.
Cinnamon Schoolbook Cookies
My boys (ages 3.5 and 6) looooove these. They are so pleased if I show up at home with a box of them, and have thought up lots of different ways to eat them. Either plain, as dippers into applesauce, or in a bowl with milk as a “cereal” of sorts are the most popular methods as of late. It’s especially fun to find the letters for their name and spell it out on a plate for them (or have them do it themselves!).
I would bet your alphabet-learning kiddos would love them too.
That’s it!
Do you have a Trader Joe’s near you?
What are your family’s favorite items from Trader Joe’s?? What do you buy there most frequently?
I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
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