Best finds at Trader Joe's...

What are some amazing items you've found at Trader Joe's that you haven't been able to find elsewhere? I just went for the second time today (after not going for nearly a year!) and actually took the time to look around. Here are a few surprising (and lucky) items I found...

• 75% reduced fat Cabot cheddar cheese
• Inexpensive 96% lean ground beef
• Lighter 7-grain sprouted bread (when compared to Ezekiel, and it's nice and soft and NOT FROZEN)
• Whole-wheat, fruit sweetened muffins (Zen Bakery)
• Salmon burgers ($4 for 5)
• UNsweetened dried blueberries
• Goji berries
• Raw pistachios
• CHEAP Greek yogurt (half the price of Fage or Oikos)
• Pre-cooked wild rice
• Maple-syrup and agave sweetner blend
• Raw almond butter
• Frozen chicken tamales
• Wheat bread and buns that are actually 100% WHOLE WHEAT

I love TJ's!

orange flavored dried cranberries! (they are SOOOOO good!~)

stevia extract

individually packaged nuts

smoked salmon

baked tofu

greek yogurt

cubed and peeled squash

frozen pre cooked brown rice

meatless meatballs 

sliced fresh mango

dried chili spice mangos

steamed lentils

cooked/peeled beets (who wants to peel beets??)

frozen tuna steaks

pitted olives

unsweetened soy milk

light wheat bread, 40 cals a slice

I heart trader joes! :)

Ahi Tuna steak. mmmm delicious.

72% Dark or Bitter Sweet pound chocolate bars

Fage Yogurt

Fat free Cottage cheese

Vegan muffins and fiber cakes (I can eat all 4 in one day!)

• Whole wheat spaghetti!
• Frozen raw and peeled shrimp (hard to find elsewhere).
  
• Oil cured pitted olives (also hard to find, in fact I haven't seen them at TJ's lately)
• Ketchup!
• Did I mention whole wheat spaghetti?
  

Their store brand of soft goat cheese for 1/3 less than similar products
Raw, unsalted, hulled pumpkin seeds (loaded with iron)
Frozen baby green and wax beans
Milk for .89 a quart!
Bananas for .19 each (about .29 to .39 a pound)
Excellent dark chocolate
TJ brand of no salt added broths and soups for half the price of other brands
Eggs for less than supermarket prices

There are more things I get from Whole Foods Market that are surprisingly inexpensive and very high quality (love their olive oil).  I go to each store about once every 6 weeks just for my special things.  I don't bother with the produce at either store, TJs because it's just not fresh enough, and WWM because it's too expensive.  For produce I visit a little green grocer every week. 

Trader Joe's sounds really interesting. I have one pretty close to me but have never been to it.

I have been trying to find cheap healthy food. Is Trader Joe's going to be more expensive or cheaper than a regular grocery store? :-)

The Black bean soup is AMAZING. I also love:

Soy Tortilla chips

Tofurky (Very few supermarkets near me have it)

And the cheapest Morning Star Farms Tamoto and Basil burgers I've seen! Woohoo!

Most def. LESS EXPENSIVE!!! IT'S A GOLDMINE!

vegan muffins n fiber cakes, i love them and make ppl bring me stuff when they come to canada. no tj here :-(

Original Post by askewing:

Trader Joe's sounds really interesting. I have one pretty close to me but have never been to it.

I have been trying to find cheap healthy food. Is Trader Joe's going to be more expensive or cheaper than a regular grocery store? :-)

 yes, it's cheaper!  Basic groceries, like dairy products and basic produce like bananas and apples are cheaper.  Their store brand of breakfast cereals are really good and cheaper.  However, watch out for all those specialty items!  You probably won't be able to do all your grocery shopping there, but it is a big help to me. 

I love Trader Joe's fresh salsa!  It tastes soooo good and only has 10 calories per serving!

Great thread!  I love TJs!!!

My favorites are:

*Stevia!!!  Only place I can find it around here.

*The great selection of fish.

*I'm also a big fan of all their different kinds of salsa

*Healthier snack foods and options.

*Their spices and seasonings...so much cheaper than other places!

*I just bought some of the Greek yogurt this week, haven't tried it yet though.  I bought it for the lower sugar content.

*Their tomato and basil soup.  Yum!!!  

*My store used to carry 'Greens with Envy' which was a great blend of different kinds of frozen green vegetables (spinach, edamame, broccoli, green beans).   They stopped carrying it and I'm sooo sad.  I still look every time I go, just in case!

i don't know, I thought it was more expensive? but that's compared to costco and walmart, where I usually go. one ball of mozzarella cheese is the same price as THREE of them at costco. and stay away from their already prepared frozen dinners and such... I find those kind of pricey for only 1 meal. I could get a whole large meal with curly fries and a drink at a fast food restaurant for the same price (not that I would want to just saying though.)

Costco and Walmart are SUPER cheap though - probobly because most of their products are pretty low-quality and mass produced. Also, Costco is a wholesale store.

I think Trader Joe's is "cheaper" than most stores when you look at what you're actually getting. I mean, a loaf of sprouted grain bread from Kroger is anywhere from $5-7 dollars, depending on the brand, when the sprouted bread at TJ's is only $3. The Greek yogurt is only $3 for a 16oz. instead of $6-7, which is a big improvement.

Yesterday I found whole, steamed fava beans (next to the cooked, peeled beets).  I LOVE favas and they are so hard to find elsewhere.  I poured them in the food processor, added tahini, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil.  Viola! Fava Hummus!

I love Trader Joes's, not one here though.  I love the Sunflower Seed Butter since I am allergic to nuts!

My TJs shopping list isn't exactly health-conscious, but it is cheap.

• spiced tortilla chips
• salsas
• low carb chocolate (I'm not doing low carb, I just think it tastes good)
• their frozen foods, especially the frozen chocolate tort
• parmesan crisps
• grapes - really cheap and sweet
• blueberry beer
• nut butters
• bread - great selection, I love the sourdough cheese

Individually wrapped, 100 calorie packs of dark chocolate. It's the PERFECT amount of chocolate.

Also, I LOVE the Tofu Spring Rolls w/ Peanut Sauce for lunch.

Good grocery items include salsas, hummus, ready-to-go indian sauces and a variety of their crisps. Anyone had the Snap Pea ones? Mmm.

As for produce, it's weird, but Trader Joe's sucks in that respect. Everything is wrapped in plastic, in packs of four or else measured by quantity, not weight. You'd think they'd be good for that sort of thing but their produce has always really bugged me. I definitely go Whole Foods for fresh fruits and veggies.

I love a good TJ's shopping trip nonetheless. Their shopping flyers are always so cute and fun to read! And the employees are a lot of fun. Quality store.

We just got one in Nashville, but it is on the other side of town from me, so I've not been yet.  Are the prices worth the trip? 

Red Pepper spread, slightly sweet, slightly spicy, made from red peppers, eggplant, olive oil, 15 calories per tablespoon and very yummy. Great as a dip or as a sandwich spread (love it with tofutti cream cheese). $1.99 a jar!