Trader Joe’s. Oh, how I love you.
If you’re not already a TJ’s convert, here are three quick reasons why you should be:
- None of their private label (Trader Joe’s) products have artificial ingredients, GMO’s, or artificial trans fats. These are things you’ll find routinely in a store like Safeway, so this alone should encourage you to make the switch.
- Most of what they sell isn’t bad for you. Sure, you can find unhealthy food anywhere, but compared to other grocery stores, TJ’s keeps a healthier consumer in mind.
- They’ve kept the price of bananas the same for 15 years.
I’m going to let you in on a secret.
I’m that girl who actually loves grocery shopping. It’s not a chore for me.
There’s something fun about shopping the aisles, checking things off my grocery list app, and having a fully stocked kitchen at the end of it.
Whether you love or hate grocery shopping, I’ll walk you through my Trader Joe’s haul. I’m giving you all my favorites: the staples, the honorary mentions, and the things we normally buy that weren’t included in this trip. This has been a heavily requested blog post, so I’m excited to bring it to life.
The Process
I’ll save my full weekly process of meal planning and list making for another post, but suffice it to say I always walk into TJ’s with a list on my phone. I know exactly what I’m there to get for the week ahead.
These are the tried-and-true foods we buy every single time we go.
Staples
Ezekiel Bread. This is my all-time favorite bread, and since it’s sprouted, full of nutrients, and has no flour, it’s always going to win in my book. We eat avocado toast every morning on this bread, and it’s divine. Like, I could continue this habit for the rest of my life - not kidding.
Two tips for this bread:
No. 1: it’s much better toasted than eaten at room temp. The texture is so much better.
No. 2: keep it in the freezer and take individual slices out when you’re ready to eat them. Because it lacks preservatives, it’ll go bad faster than Dave’s Killer Bread or other brands.
Avocados. Speaking of avos, they hold a spot on every single Trader Joe’s Haul we do. I usually buy 5 at a time. Aside from the morning toast, they’re always in our weekly salads or homemade guac.
Lemons. I use 90% of the lemons we buy in my water. I find that by squeezing some in my water, I tend to drink more of it. I’ve got an 80 ounce pitcher in the fridge that I fill to the brim and squeeze half a lemon into. I aim to finish at least that pitcher each day.
Limes. I use them to freshen up dishes like homemade guac, soups, sauces, shrimp, etc.
Bananas. We primarily use these for morning smoothies. One banana goes in each, along with frozen pineapple, mango, spinach, and water.
Pineapple. Cut it up, bag it, freeze it, and use it daily for morning smoothies.
Honeycrisp Apples. I love having these on hand for afternoon or evening snacks. They’re perfect with Trader Joe’s raw almond butter.
Larabars. Also great for snacks. I’ve got three in my workout bag at all times, just in case I get hungry. I’ll grab one if we’re heading out the door and I’m starving, too. Favorite flavor: peanut butter.
Hummus. There are inevitably about 5 tubs of hummus in our fridge at any given time. It’s a go-to dipper for carrots, crackers, or cucumbers, which is what we use it for 90% of the time. The other 10%? We spoon it on top of a salad or mix it into the dressing. That’s amazing, too. I’ve tried (and love) all their flavors, but my favorite is the classic hummus.
Mild fresh salsa. Another go-to snack dipper, along with blue corn tortilla chips.
Granny Smith apples. Years ago I said, “how ‘bout we try apples instead of crackers” on our cheese board and they’ve never been the same since - in a good way. We use Granny Smiths, since they’re so tart! Slice them and top with sharp cheddar or cambozola. The other main thing I use green apples for are in salads. They’re a flavorful addition in every season, on almost any salad.
Nuts. TJ’s has the best trail mixes. We put them in a big bin in our pantry and eat them for snacks every day. Here are the varieties we always have in our Trader Joe’s Haul:
- Thai cashews (for a snack)
- Toasted slivered almonds and low salt pistachios (for salad toppers)
- Truffle marcona almonds
- Pine nuts (for pesto)
Coconut milk. Another TJ’s staple for us. We use it in curries, soups, Thai noodle dishes, and more.
Bell Peppers...for weekly Taco Tuesday, when we make tacos, burritos, enchiladas, or taco salad. Or homemade curries in the winter.
Chicken. It's already pre-grilled and pre-sliced, so it's easy to put on top of salads or eat as a quick snack.
Seasonal produce. In this case, butternut squash and delicata squash made the list. In the spring, it’s asparagus and peas. In summer, it’s berries, watermelon, peaches, and zucchini. In the fall, it’s mushrooms, pumpkin, squash, and figs.
Cheese. We primarily eat cheese as a topping for salads, pastas, or on a date night cheese board. We’ve always got sharp cheddar, blue, goat, feta, and parm on hand.
Onions + garlic + ginger. We’ve got a big bowl on our counter full of red and yellow onions, garlic, shallots, and ginger. I love having them on hand; they add flavor to nearly every meal.
Other things we buy all the time
Beans. It wasn’t included in this Trader Joe’s haul, but we’re always stocked up on black, pinto, kidney, and garbanzo beans. They’re part of most dinners, whether it’s tacos, salads, soups, or grain bowls.
Sweet potatoes. Mashed, roasted, sauteed, or baked, these guys are a constant rotation in our house.
Bagel seasoning. One of the best TJ’s obsessions. It’s sold in the spice area and if you haven’t tried it, you’re missing out. Best on avocado toast, but can be used on countless other things like scrambled eggs, salads, and more.
Frozen fruit. Smoothies are one of our staples, so our freezer is stocked with berries of all varieties, mango, peaches, and spinach.
Ground flaxseed and hemp seeds. We put these in the morning smoothies for quick and easy added nutrition.
Dark chocolate peanut butter cups. My unequivocal weakness. I swear those little bags whisper to me in the checkout line!
So much of speed on the water and on the erg is determined by our habits, and a bit part of that is what you fuel your body with.
