<p>For the lazy garlic lover…frozen, chopped garlic in little ice cubey trays. Huge time saver and no compromise on flavor, IMO</p>
<p>Can’t believe #20 made it on the list…fresh peppers and onions are WAY better than the mushy frozen ones. Made some last night and had to pitch the remainder…or maybe I am just cooking the frozen ones wrong.</p>
<p>You probably won’t believe this, but I was at COSTCO today & both the cashier & bagger asked what Trader Joes is. :eek: I thought everyone knew about TJs. There is one perilously close to my house.</p>
<p>Our perennial #1 TJ fave: pizza dough. We haven’t ordered delivery pizza in years because of this. </p>
<p>2011 Trader Joe’s Vintage Ale (brewed for TJs by Unibroue in Quebec) is better than the 2010 Vintage Ale. It’s another seasonal item - comes out in Dec & vanishes when the supply runs out.</p>
<h1>15 - raisin rosemary crisps? How did I miss these? Oh goody! We also do love the salt and pepper crinkle cut potato chips but I try hard to not buy them. A truly fun day for me was the time we had a group of 5 couples over to watch movies and DH said, “We need snacks in little bowls all over the room. Do you have any ideas?” Oh yes sireee bob you know I had a good time in the TJ’s snack aisle. Love the wasabi peas in the nut mixes!</h1>
<p>I am so jealous. No Trader’s Joe, No Costco’s within an hour of our house. I think the closest is almost 2 hours away. 
I am feeling very deprived.</p>
<p>I “second” the pizza dough along with either TJs jar or fresh, refrigerated sauce (the later being the better of the two, imo). My pizza tin doesn’t fit in my ovens so I throw it on the top rack of my outdoor gas grill.</p>
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<p>Send a note to the one that’s two hours away asking that they put one in where you live.</p>
<p>We got a Trader Joes last year. So happy.
One of my faves is the tin of jam filled shortbread cookies - they are just like the pepperidge farm ones at about 1/4 the price.</p>
<p>LOL about the seaweed! Must be an acquired taste… ; -)</p>
<p>Some things we buy on a regular basis:
Cornbread mix (the best EVER - surprised it isn’t on the list!)
Brownie mix (also amazing)
Potstickers/egg rolls with the various sauces
Reduced guilt potato chips
Tortilla chips
Salsa (all kinds - pineapple, peach, regular, spicy)
The frozen cubed garlic
Spaghetti sauce/canned tomatoes
Chocolate joe joes
Salted caramel sauce (sooo dangerous)
The seasonal chocolate star shortbread cookies/gingerbread men
Bread and butter pickles
Whole wheat english muffins (plain/cinnamon raisin)
Chocolate covered raisins
Dried fruit (just got some mango…)
Various cereals (currently loving the multi-grain O’s)</p>
<p>I could go on and on - basically our entire fridge and pantry are TJ’s territory! I’m not sure what we ate before the store came to our area. : -)</p>
<p>Hmmm . . . big Trader Joe’s fan here but don’t really go for the items posted by the OP. The mandarin chicken is too sweet for us. Seldom buy cookies at Trader Joe’s. </p>
<p>What we like and buy frequently:</p>
<p>wine (it’s cheap and pretty good)
Ezekiel bread (also cheap there)
The plain red bottled salsa
Doggie chicken strips
Chips (for the salsa)
Frozen turkey meatballs
Frozen battered halibut
Sockeye canned salmon
Various frozen pastas (made in Italy, all outstanding)
Bourbon vanilla cake mix (cannot even describe how good this is)
Cornbread mix (also great)
Joe’s O’s (not sure what it is about them but addictive)
Did I mention wine?</p>
<p>No one has mentioned the masala naan. That’s our very favorite. High cal though.</p>
<p>Regulars at our house:
Australian red licorice (S1’s fave)
Olive oil
LowFat Almond Granola
Sprouted Wheat Bread
Chocolate covered espresso beans (at the register in little tins)
Dark chocolate covered sea salt caramels (only have them at Christmas time)
Vegetarian corn dogs (S2’s favorite - and I think they’re better tasting than regular corn dogs)
Turkey meatballs
Frozen artichoke hearts
Triple Ginger Snaps
JoJos
Prosecco (in the summer)
Spices
Mini packets of condensed chicken broth
Different cheeses
Rosemary pecans with dried cranberries</p>
<p>and then a lot of other stuff that I run across that just looks good!</p>
<p>Anyone like the Tater Tots?</p>
<p>The candied pecans are amazing. Fabulous in salads, tossed in green beans, eaten out of the bag. </p>
<p>The homemade flour tortillas are fantastic and recently they had wheat/corn tortillas. Not the corn ones, I didn’t care for those, but a combo of wheat and corn that is delicious. If you buy their carnitas, which you microwave, and some fresh salsa, voila, you have a read-to-eat filling lunch or light dinner. I only know this because they gave them out as samples one day. Also, their farina hot cereal is really, really good and a very healthy breakfast. Love it. </p>
<p>The frozen garlic is like the Loch Ness monster in that I have never actually found it. I hope one day to stumble onto it.</p>
<p>^The naans are great. My favorite is the Tandoori Garlic. Another item we enjoy is the Toasted Oatmeal Flakes cereal. At dinner tonight my D was raving about the Tater Tots. Must be a “BC thing”. She is graduating from there in May.</p>
<p>I love reading everyone’s lists! Mmm, I will have to look for the bourbon white cake mix. I have heard the chocolate cake mix (with frosting) is really good but I usually just go the homemade route… We also get granola, olive oil, black beans, the frozen artichoke hearts (love those), and various cheeses. Just bought some kind of whole wheat tortilla, and they are really delish! Also like the white ruffy (fish) because it doesn’t taste or smell fishy at all. White ruffy + tortillas + brown rice + black beans + pineapple salsa = a really easy and yummy dinner. Now I’m hungry…</p>
<p>I was at Trader Joes and had to deliberately walk by the frozen section. I’m on a low-carb diet and Tater Tots aren’t low carb and I can finish half a bag of them pretty quickly. They are a great value at a buck a pound.</p>
<p>Student here, but I do all my own cooking and absolutely love Trader Joe’s. It’s my main source of groceries. Here are some of my favorites…</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Quick-Cook Steel Cut Oats - they have such a nice texture and almost nutty flavor, yet they cook so quickly. I cook three servings at a time and then reheat on MWF mornings. I only add fruit to it; no other additions needed. A great breakfast staple.</p></li>
<li><p>2% Greek Yogurt - best greek yogurt I have tried. Much, much better than Fage, etc. in my opinion. They do have non-fat, but I find the 2% worth it, and it really isn’t that much worse than the 0%. I love the flavor (and this is coming from someone who absolutely hates any other type of yogurt!). This is my T/Th breakfast (yes, I eat the same thing every single week ;)) </p></li>
<li><p>TJ Chicken Apple Sausages - great taste, pretty good value. I like to have them on the weekend’s sometimes. They taste a lot better and are a lot cheaper than similar brands/ideas such as Applegate, IMO. </p></li>
<li><p>I like their selection of chicken a lot. Trader Joe’s has great novelty products, but I think they have a great selection of chicken at affordable prices. Overall, their meat section isn’t my favorite in that it’s all pre-packaged, but I buy a lot of their chicken. </p></li>
<li><p>They have a nice selection of teas. In particular, the Jasmine Green tea is a really nice, mild green tea, almost reminiscent of what one might have in a Japanese restaurant. I also picked up some black mango tea, which I thought sounded good - I like it, but probably not a repeat purchase. </p></li>
<li><p>I enjoy the Guilt-Free Mac & Cheese, and I’m not surprised to hear the Mac & Cheese is a top-selling item, because they always seem to be low on it! I’ve never tried the regular kind, but I usually have the guilt-free as a treat for lunch on the weekend. </p></li>
<li><p>I’m surprised this hasn’t been mentioned yet, but the 100 Calorie Chocolate Bars are great! They don’t have any artificial ingredients; they’re simply a smaller portion of chocolate. However, it feels like a pretty large amount of chocolate for 100 calories. They make a really nice treat. I like them in both dark and milk chocolate. Yes, you might be paying more for the 100 calorie serving sizes (as opposed to portioning one’s own chocolate), but I find it worth it. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>I buy a number of other things at Trader Joe’s on a regular basis, but those are some of my favorites I thought might be worth mentioning. I do buy a lot of vegetables, fruits, etc. there, but figured those weren’t necessarily worth mentioning. </p>
<p>Also, I wouldn’t have guessed the roasted seaweed to be so popular, but seeing as I came home this winter break to discover that my family’s favorite snack is none other than (you guessed it) Trader Joe’s Roasted Seaweed, I can’t say I’m too surprised! My dad also loves their gummy bears, which I do have to say are much better than other “regular” gummy bears I’ve tasted.</p>
<p>I really love Trader Joe’s, to the point where I can’t imagine not living near one…and I find the prices can’t be beat on a lot of things.</p>
<p>Favorites at our house:</p>
<p>Coffee<a href=“decaf%20French%20roasted”>/u</a>
cheeses<a href=“I%20love%20every%20kind,%20but%20esp.%20the%20grated%20packets%20of%20parm,%20mozz.,%20cheddar”>/u</a> plus gruyere & cheddar, Dubliner)
Nuts<a href=“best%20prices!”>/u</a>
frozen vegies triple-colored peppers, peas, corns, etc
cookies esp chocolate dipped dunkers and the oatmeal choc chip
precooked meals esp their eggplant towers and pizzas
appetizers hummus, guacamole,
fresh breads
cereals
Indian foods my kids love the green tuna, and a few others
snacks granola bars, chips, bananas, yogurt…</p>
<p>Double roasted salsa, black bean taquitos(!), frozen tamales(!), raw almonds, bananas, Balance Bars, soy milk, frozen mac n cheese(!), frozen soy balls (which I simmer in their) organic marinara, red pepper hummus (which I smear on their) sprouted wheat bagels(!). So many yummy foods. I don’t shop at the regular market anymore, I shop Traders and Growers Direct for produce. Buy paper goods at Costco, and laundry/personal items at Target.</p>
<p>I can never walk out of TJ’s without their rice vinegar (I use it as a salad dressing without any oils) and kefir (cheapest price around). I also like their Quattro shredded cheese blend and cauliflouwer priced by the head, not lb, which makes it about 50% cheaper than regular grocery store prices. My family also likes TJ’s pita crackers. My latest find: “black” tomatoes that actually tasted like real tomatoes. :)</p>
<p>Here is one more thing that I love about shopping at my local TJ’s: their happy, friendly, helpful employees.</p>