Hi Friends! I’m Natalie Mason. I live in Charleston, SC and I am mom to Sterling 12 , Frances Moon 8 and our mini golden doodle Dolly.

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Trader Joe’s| What I Buy

Jan 22, 2019

You guys voted and wanted an entire post on my Trader Joe’s favorites. I think we all love Trader Joe’s, you can’t beat the prices and I love that they are always coming out with new items to try. I took pictures from a recent trip there and broke everything down into groups and then I also tried to list other favorites that I didn’t buy this grocery trip as well.

P R O D U C E

Mixed Cherry Tomatoes – great for salads

Rainbow Carrots- I love these to serve with hummus because they are so pretty.

Shaved Brussels Sprouts- I use these with Kale for salads for lunch.

Organic Apples- the kids love to snack on these

Arugula- easy simple salad tossed with olive oil, lemon juice and Parmesan cheese.

Riced Veggie Melody- great with Asian Salmon or Teryaki Chicken

Basil- use this all the time cooking

Broccolini- so random but this is the kid’s favorite veggie. I roast it with olive oil and a little Parmesan cheese

Myer Lemons- I use these for my hot lemon water every morning and also for dressings.

Baby Cucumbers- I like these so much better than regular cucumbers

Not Pictured but also Love– the butternut squash noodles, Sweet Potato ribbons, Cooked Beets, Cooked lentils, English Peas

N U T S

Raw Sliced Almonds- great for salads

Truffle Marcona Almonds- a staple on my cheese boards

Sweet and Spicy Pecans- these are addictive. I also serve them on my cheese boards also.

Roasted Pine Nuts- Great for salads and also tossed with roasted broccoli

Pistachio Pieces- I use in salads and for snacking

Salt and Pepper- Pistachios- these are Sterling’s favorite snack

Not Pictured but I also Love : Chili Lime Cashews

F R E E Z E R

Meatballs- great for an easy dinner for the kids paired with a veggie

Mini Pepperoni Pizzas- we all love these, easy dinner for kids.

Burrata, Prosciutto and Arugula Flatbread- trust me and leave the prosciutto off and add your own salami or prosciutto. The prosciutto that comes with it is not the best. I usually add a little more mozzarella too.

Cauliflower Gnocchi

Riced Cauliflower Stir Fry- great with stir fry chicken or shrimp. or top with a fried egg.

Vegetable Fried Rice- also great with an egg added in

Cheesy Bites- delicious dipped in marinera for an easy app

Organic Quinoa- this is all I use for my salads. You just microwave for 3 minutes – no pots to clean so easy!

French Flatbreads- I love the Tomato Brie and Ham and Caramelized Onion flatbreads. Great for entertaining just slice into pieces or a nice solo dinner paired with wine:)

Puff Pastry Pups- I always have these on hand to feed the kids at playdates

Not Pictured but also Love: Cauliflower Crust, Mac and Cheese Bites, Feta Onion Mini Tarts

F R I D G E

Vegan Kale Pesto- This is great on tomato mozzarella skewers, butternut squash noodles, so many great uses.

Marinated Mozzarella- I use these for my cheese boards skewered with basil and cherry tomatoes

Brussels Sprouts Ravioli- I love all TJ ravioli this was a new flavor I was excited to try

Green Goddess Dressing- so good on salads and meat and low in calories.

Gruyere, Manchego, Aged Gouda- 3 of my go to cheeses I always have on hand

Chicken Enchiladas- I jazz these up with more green salsa and extra cheese

Tapas Sampler- I love to snack on these thin sliced cheeses

Yogurt- for the kids

Prosciutto

Salami

Not Pictured but I also Love– Burrata Cheese, Marinated Goat Cheese, Shredded Parmesan, Cauliflower Tabbouleh, regular Tabbouleh, peppered salami

P A N T R Y

Salted Toffee Cookies- totally addictive but so good

Parmesan Crisps- a must for cheese boards

Plantain Chips- I love snacking on these with hummus

Low Carb Tortillas- great for tacos and quesadillas

Inner Peas- Kids snack

Corn, Bean and Quinoa crisps- these were a new buy that I loved. Great dipped in hummus

Salsa- I love all TJ salsa

Pink Salmon- a pantry staple for salmon cakes

Marinated Artichokes- great for Greek Salads

Toasted Sesame and Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressings

Whole Wheat Couscous

Farro

Red Lentil Pasta

Not Pictured but also Love: Pearled Couscous, Everything Crackers, Tri color Quinoa, Sun dried tomatoes, hearts of palm, minced ginger, Everything but the Bagel Seasoning, Chili Lime Seasoning

D R I N K S

Juice Boxes- for kids

Seltzer- I love the lemon ginger and blood orange flavors

Blueberry + Pomegranite Green tea- I drink an obscene amount of unsweetened tea and love these three

Tejava Black Tea

Green Tea

Ginger Tumeric Tea- so many great health benefits to this tea

I also want to add I think I am the only person that just does not love Trader Joe’s wines. I am picky about wine and have not found one there I like so if you have a favorite please share!

Leave a Reply

  1. Jill says:

    Every time I am at TJ’s I get the rosemary marcona almonds, the frozen fettuccini, and a jar of everything but the bagel seasoning. Also it is seasonal so it won’t be around much longer but their fondue cheese that you just heat up in the microwave sounds gross but it is so yummy!!!

  2. Natalie says:

    One of the tips I got awhile back is that the Trader Joes RESERVE wines are basically the leftovers from high end wineries that they don’t want to mess with bottling, so they sell it to TJ’s with the caveat that they can bottle it and sell it for much cheaper without mention of the winery. The bad part is if you like something, you’re unlikely to find it again, but the good part is that they are all usually really good. Definitely not two buck chuck- more along the lines of $10-14, but I wouldn’t trust a $2 bottle of wine anyways. 😉

    • Nnurse says:

      I read that those 2 Buck wines are very high in nitrates. Will not buy.

    • Ashley says:

      I agree! I’m not a fan of their super-low-end wines, but the reserves are usually pretty good. The one I’ve found consistently at TJ’s is the chianti, and it is so good! It’s $6, I think, so even cheaper than the other reserves as well.

      Though I do admit to being a sucker for their $1 canned sparkling wine in the summers. I took a bunch of cases to the beach last year and it was the first thing we ran out of!

  3. Rachel says:

    For wines, I love Lazy Bones cab franc. Have you tried that one? It’s only $6.99!

    Thanks for the post! I love Trader Joe’s!

  4. Paige says:

    So helpful! I really appreciate this whole list because when I go to Trader Joe’s I’m always overwhelmed because I want to buy everything!! I love that place!!

  5. Megan says:

    Love TJs! Also good.. three layer hummus, all their pickles, liquid stevia, organic red pepper tomato soup, and sparkling pink lemonade (in a glass bottle). My kids love their frozen GF waffles and GF/DF pancakes. I also always have their frozen peppers and onions on hand to use in recipes!

  6. Tara says:

    We shop Trader Joe’s as our regular grocery store but my top three items that rarely people share are their frozen herbs in cubes in the freezer section (garlic especially since I hate mincing it myself but use it in everything), dark chocolate caramel sea salt bar (sold at the front register and rivals all the expensive brands for just 1.99) and their pumpernickel pretzel sticks which are great alone or dipped in hummus!

  7. Cameron Kendrick says:

    I have never liked their wines and gave up awhile ago. Never had a single one I liked. It helps keep my bill down, although I still manage to spend a small fortune there!

  8. Nicole says:

    What a fabulous post!! Thank you for taking the time to share!

  9. Michaela says:

    Those marcona almonds are my FAVE! So many great picks!