We love a stop at Trader Joe’s! It doesn’t feel like grocery shopping to me. Because I really do not enjoy grocery shopping, but I like Trader Joe’s. Maybe Trader Joes’ is fun because I know I get flowers every time or a little plant. Maybe because it is a smaller scale grocery store it goes quicker. Or maybe it is because the food you buy is specialty you feel special and excited for what you get to eat! What is it??
I shared a post HERE about what I buy from Trader Joe’s and recipes we make over and over. And a lot of request came after for a Shopping List. Also none of the things I shared were the frozen food items or treats. So this time around after being asked by several of you to do a Trader Joe’s Shopping List I finally did it! And not only did I share what we enjoy at our home but what over 500 of you told me is your favorite things to buy. Your list was so fun because it pushed me to try a few new things. Although I will say I did not try everything. Only the most popular items that kept coming up and things that I would actually buy to eat for our my family or at least one time to try.
Make sure to print the Free Trader Joe’s Shopping List at the end of the post!
The Top 40 Items from Trader Joe’s from over a 500 person survey-
#1- Trader Joe’s recommended item- Mandarin Orange Chicken
I couldn’t believe how many of you recommended this item! And after researching it is actually the most popular item sold at Trader Joe’s. This is not something I would ever purchase on my own. But we decided to test it for “research” and it was good. It isn’t the healthiest, maybe when guests come over I would buy again if I need something quick!
#2- Trader Joe’s recommended item- Peanut Butter Cups
Again surprised by this! I have bought these before and of course loved them. I have given them as gifts as well. Do I buy these every time? NO. I bought them and kept them in the fridge, surprisingly they lasted about two weeks. I would have one if I wanted a treat after dinner, saved me from eating something worse I guess.
#3-6- Trader Joe’s recommended items- Chips and Breads
This is where I lost track. A lot of these things were recommended more than once. I would say the #3 recommended item is the item I personally buy every single time I go to Trader Joe’s and that is the #3-Plantain Chips. They are inexpensive, paleo friendly and I buy at least three bags. Finn loves to dip them in avocado and I love them as a snack too. #4- Blue Corn Chipsanother kid and hubby favorite along with the #5-Honey Wheat Pretzelsmy girls love to dip in hummus for a snack. #6- Gluten Free Breadcame highly recommended. I did buy it obviously to try and it is great Gluten Free Bread. I don’t normally eat bread, but this was a soft and yummy bread. Great option if you have celiac’s or a gluten intolerant.
#7- Trader Joe’s recommended items- Almond Butter
My kids don’t normally love Almond Butter over Peanut Butter. But the Trader Joe’s brand they really like! The crunchy is my favorite! I refrigerate after opening. And used this to make our Paleo Friendly Brownies.
#8-13- Trader Joe’s recommended items- Frozen Foods
#8- Sweet Potato Fries there isn’t a sweet potato fry I won’t try. And I thought these are great! I would buy them again. It is a small bag, it feed our small family of 5 as a small side. #9- Chicken Potstickersmy kids FAVORITE! I don’t feel too bad letting then eat these as a side-dish to the #10- Riced Cauliflower Stir Frythis is an easy quick and healthy dinner if you add some shrimp and or scrambled eggs to it. I personally still like to make my Cauliflower Rice Stir Fry, but I can see buying this again to have on had for a quick dinner. #11- Sweet Potato Gnocchi this was a fun different dinner. I added some of the Chicken Sausage below to it and added some Marinara to the top. Everyone liked it. #12- Cauliflower Gnocchi-(shown below) we have made this several times. The biggest tip is to not do the boiling method. Cook the Gnocchi on the stove top. We added sausage and the Vegan Pesto sauce below. #13– Garlic Naan this was recommended a lot, would I personally buy it? NO. Was it good? Yes! It was for sure a “treat” not something I plan on buying again unless we have guests and want a yummy garlic bread to go with our meal. I have had it before at Indian Restaurants and it tasted exactly the same. (We already talked about the popular Orange Chicken).
#14-16- Trader Joe’s recommended items- Meats and Sea Food
#14- Sea Scallops we all loved these so much!! And we buy them often. We had them with Kevins Smashed Sweet Potatoes. Trick is to make sure the scallops are dry and the pan is hot before cooking them. #15-Red Shrimp we cooked these to go in our Cauliflower Rice, they were really good. And we typically buy a bag whenever we go to Trader Joe’s. #16- Chicken Apple Sausage another item we always buy. My favorite is actually the Italian Chicken Sausage. We eat them with salads, with marinara sauce or just alone.
#17-24- Trader Joe’s recommended items- Sauces, Dips and Seasonings
#17- Kosher Dill Pickles the only place I will buy pickles, no dye. #18- Fresh Bruschetta Saucea lot of you suggested this! On top of baguettes or pasta. I think I am going to try it over chicken. (check expiration date, it expires quickly)#19- Vegan Kale Cashew & Basil Pestoanother popular suggestion. I used it on top of Cauliflower Gnocchi, it was awesome! #20- Reduced Guilt Chunky Guacamolethis is always a winner! I buy it for parties especially. #21- Tomato Salsa and Mango Salsawere both a popular suggestion. I haven’t met a salsa I didn’t like, so I always grab a bottle. #22- Green Goddess Salad Dressingvery healthy dressing that is Paleo too. I buy it almost every time I go to Trader Joes. #23- Everything but the Bagel Sesame SeasoningBlendno brainer. Buy it. Put it on eggs, homemade bread, chicken! Use it onTHIS recipe. #24- Coconut Aminos- we use this instead of soy sauce. I use it in the recipe shown below, our homemadeCauliflower Stir Frywith the fresh chopped cauliflower rice in the produce section at Trader Joe’s.
#25-27- Trader Joe’s recommended items- Salads and Veggies
#25- Crunch CollectionI like to add this salad mix to a basic greens to stretch the salad and break it up! I shared what I eat with itHERE. #26- Tropical Mango Kit really any of their seasonal salad kits are always good! I grab these to mix in with other salads or for parties. #27- Teeny Tiny Avocadosmany of you recommended these and say you always buy them. I do too! Love that they are tiny, Finn will eat a whole one for lunch with the Plantain Chips!
#28-33- Trader Joe’s recommended items- Sweets
#28-Hold the Coneperfect size mini ice-cream cone for kids. I don’t buy them every time but I prefer getting these over ice-cream because it is more of a controlled size! #29- Peanut Butter Cupsalready talked about these! #30-Scandanavian Swimmers Kevin loves these, if you like a gummy treat then you will like these. #31- Honey Mints– My personal favorite treat. I typically buy a bag when I go and they last us a long time. I will have one when I am craving a sweet or my family is all having cookies and I want something. #32- Dried Fruit Mangos so many of you recommended these A LOT! I like them but they still have sugar, so not really a healthy treat, they are a sweet treat. #33- Chocolate Croissants 🥐we looked for these and couldn’t find at our Trader Joes- but holy cow a lot of you love these!
#34-40- Trader Joe’s recommended items- Non-Food
#34- Tea Tree Tingle Shampoo and Conditioner I have read before this is a popular item- especially if you have young kids in school to help prevent lice, tee tree is good for that. I tried it for the first time and I am hooked! It smells amazing and your head does tingle! #35- Plants and Succulents always love their selection! I actually prefer to buy a plant more than flowers because they last longer and they are affordable at Trader Joes.#36- Gift Cards for $1! I always stock up on some of their unique cards to have on-hand. #37- Argan Oil– I use this after I wash my face or I will use it to take off my makeup. And it is a great oil for your hair before you flat-iron it and or after you curl it. I use it on the ends of my hair, as a smoother. #38- Facial Cleansing Oilnot a harsh cleanser, I use it on my girls too. An oil is so much better for your face. #39- Facial TonerI apply this toner after I wash my face, before I go to the gym and don’t want to put make-up on. Also I spritz some on after I put on my make-up to take-away from that make-up face. You know….too powdery. #40 Fresh Flowers you can’t really go wrong for less than $5 for a bunch of flowers. I personally love to get eucalyptus when they have it for $3
Want to print this info out? You are in luck! The talented @aplettersand I created a Trader Joe’s FREE Shopping List for you! You can also add items to it.
Head HERE for Trader Joe’s Meals I like to make often!
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