Halle Brown

10 Trader Joe’s Items I Keep Buying

I’m thinking of starting a Trader Joe’s Fan Club. It’s my favorite grocery store, and I even chose Trader Joe’s over my closer options even though it’s a 40-minute drive from my apartment. 

I’m moving to OKC soon and maybe one of the best perks is the proximity to Trader Joe’s and Empire Slice House. With these two options only 8 minutes away, I will probably consume too much pizza and too many dark chocolate peanut butter cups. 

Because I only get around to Trader Joe’s once a month, I stock up on the essentials when I go. This is what I’m always buying:

  1. Cilantro Chicken Wontons

When I go to Trader Joe’s, my favorite purchase is the Cilantro Chicken Wontons.  If you decide to follow the pan fry instructions, they might taste better than your favorite takeout. They ring with flavor, a bag is about $3 for about 45 wontons. 

I like to make it with Trader Joe’s Honey Chicken and Trader Joe’s Fried Rice. Or I do a homemade ground turkey stir fry if I need to healthify it a bit. 

Also, they’re great to keep on hand for a little snack! 

  1. Sourdough Bread 

Trader Joe’s has an amazing sourdough flavor. The number one thing to look at on your sourdough bread ingredients is sourdough starter, and Trader Joe’s has both sandwich cut sourdough and the traditional, rustic sourdough, both made with starter.

Honestly, Trader Joe’s has one of the best sourdough bread I can find. I haven’t found one comparable at other grocery chains so if I’m buying bread, it almost exclusively comes from Trader Joe’s. 

  1. Ghost Pepper Chips 

If you’re a fan of jalapeno chips, you have to try these Ghost Pepper Chips. While having a different flavor profile than jalapeno chips, the Ghost Pepper chips pack a spicy punch. They’re also really crunchy (a must). 

They elevate a boring sandwich meal, and they are just spicy enough that you can’t eat too many of them, perfect for portion control.

4. Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Addicting… I need to keep them off the shopping list.

I swear the amount of Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups I can eat in a day is impressive.

They sell them in smaller packs at the front of the store so I try to buy those so I have to limit myself.

5. Salmon

I love Salmon, but it’s always way more expensive than I think it will be. Trader Joe’s bag of salmon comes with four filets (skin on) and runs around $8, much cheaper than other salmon.

Most importantly, the salmon is relatively high quality with full flavor. It’s not the fanciest, nicest salmon, and it isn’t wild, but I like to try and eat salmon a couple times a month, and this is the highest quality but still an affordable option. 

6. Spinach-Chive Linguine 

Ok. I am not a pasta person. BUT THIS LINGUINE *chef’s kiss.* 

The noodles cook up great, it has a slight spinach-chive flavor so you can enjoy pre-sauced bites, and it pairs well with a lighter sauce. Last week, I roasted shallots, cherry tomatoes, rosemary, and lemon in olive oil and tossed the Spinach-Chive linguine into the ‘sauce’. It was the easiest restaurant-quality meal I’ve ever made. 

  1. Non-fat Greek yogurt 

I’m pretty picky with my Greek yogurt, but I think this one has the smoothest consistency. It doesn’t get as watery as the Chobini greek yogurt, and it runs around the same price.

I usually get plain yogurt, but the honey is balanced well, with a perfect hint of sweetness. 

  1. Cashew Ginger Salad Dressing 

Ok. Trader Joe’s has so many great salad dressings, but this is one has a load of flavor. The ginger makes it have a little bite to it, and the overall flavor was fantastic. 

  1. Whole Wheat Pita Bread 

One of my other favorite meals is chicken pitas. Throw some greek dressings on chicken, cook it up and put it on a pita! I also love to make dessert pitas with peanut butter and banana or just a regular old turkey sandwich! 

Their Whole Wheat Pita is amazing and I would 10/10 recommend it for an easy meal. 

  1. Frozen Pizza 

Ok. I don’t love frozen pizza, but Trader Joe’s has a couple I honestly really like. The ingredients are pretty good, they don’t taste super frozen and they help on a Friday night when you know you need to stay in for dinner. 

One of my favorite memories was eating Trader Joe’s frozen pizza with my best friend while watching Luca and drinking Trader Joe’s Rosè!

What are your Trader Joe’s favorites?? Let me know so I can try them! 

hallerbrown

One response to “10 Trader Joe’s Items I Keep Buying”

  1. I like the Trader Joe’s coconut whipped topping in a can. It’s a lot cheaper than any other non-dairy whipped cream options. I also really like the creamy dill dressing which is cauliflower-based, tasty and low in carbs … I can use it instead of mayonnaise on sandwiches or use it as a dipping sauce for chicken nuggets, as well as using it for a salad dressing, of course.

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