Our Trader Joe’s Favorites

Trader Joes’ has some of our favorite things. It’s a weekly stop for us. I never understood what all the hype was about this grocery store until the first time I step foot in one. If you have been to a Trader Joe’s store, you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t yet and if you have one close by, stop in this week. You’ll be glad you did.

No, I can’t get all of our groceries there each week. It’s a pretty small store and I sure do like it that way. But, we do get a lot of our essentials there as well as sides for meals.

Here are a few of our favorites (and I’d love to hear yours in the comments, too):

Florals & Greenery:

As soon as you walk in the store, this is what you see. Pretty great, huh? Sometimes I go in just to buy fresh flowers and nothing else. Their floral arrangements are top notch. If you have a thing for fresh flowers and greenery like I do, you’ll love it. And yes, every time I’m there, I must take a photo of the flowers.

Greeting Cards:

My husband and I love to buy our greeting cards here. They’re all 99 cents and are just perfect! He purchases them for his clients for birthdays, anniversaries, etc. I buy them because they’re just adorable and I love sending cards to people.

Party Foods:

We love hosting people in our home. When we do, it’s always great to have a favorite to go to that you know others will like too. Some of our favorite party foods from Trader Joe’s are:

• Toscana with Crushed Peppercorns or Syrah Cheese
• Peppered Salami
• Water crackers
• Mini brioche toasts
• Hummus
• Spinach and Artichoke Dip {we love to add a few artichoke hearts from their frozen section in this with a little extra mozzarella cheese and warm it up –mmm!}
• TJ Salsa Authentica
• Tortilla Chips
• Cowboy Caviar
• Pastry Pups – frozen

Favorite Meals:

• Pizza Dough — it’s $1.29 and freezes well.
• TJ Lasagna – frozen section
• Tamales – frozen section
• Orange Chicken and Fried Rice – frozen section
• Pizza – frozen section
• Fish Sticks & Nuggets – frozen

Favorite Side Items:

All these items are great to keep in the freezer. Just pull it out, throw them in a pot or cook however the directions say, and voila – in minutes you have amazing side items for your meal. Easy and quick — my kind of cooking.

• Mashed Potatoes – frozen
• Tater Tots – frozen
• Mushroom Medley – frozen
• Risotto with Asparagus – frozen
• Mac n Cheese – frozen
• Mac n Cheese Bites – frozen
• Green Beans – frozen

Snack Items:

• Crispy Crunchy Broccoli Florets
• Dried fruit — we especially love the peaches, pineapples, apples, and bananas
• Tortilla Chips w/ Authentica Salsa
• Sriracha Potato Chips
• Popcorn with Herbs and Spices (in a bag)
• Hot & Spicy Dill Pickles

Favorite Desserts:

• Pinks & Whites cookies
• Chocolatey Coated Chocolate Chip Dunkers
• Cookie Butter Cheesecake or Cheesecake Bites
• Cookie Butter Ice Cream
• Birthday Cake Bar
• Candy Cane Joe Joe’s
• Key Lime Pie
• Chocolate Lava Cake
• Quadruple Almond Butter Cookies
• Meyer Lemon Cookie Thins
• Cookie Butter Sandwich Cookies
• Gone Bananas – frozen chocolate covered banana bites
• Mini Cinnamon Sugar Churros

What are some of your Trader Joe’s favorites?