Trader Joe's Must Haves

I'd consider myself an expert on this topic

You’d think I would write something about all of the food consumed and glasses of wine I drank for Thanksgiving, but here I am, writing about the promised land of Trader Joe’s. “I have to run to Trader Joes” as a NYC resident is quite a loaded statement. I love her, but I question if it’s really worth taking the train 40 minutes round trip, shop, inevitably wait in a line that wraps around the store to check out, end up spending over $100 when you thought you’d spend maybe $50 and you’re not sure how you did that, and then figure out how to carry your heavy ass bags home (because you never actually stick to your list and always over buy and one time you even had a haul so heavy you pulled a muscle in your back so incredibly badly that it took a year of 3x a week chiropractor appointments and $900 later because insurance wouldn’t cover it…. I digress…).

All of that to say, I do love a good ol’ TJ’s run. I have spent countless minutes (maybe hours) of my life watching TikToks of Trader Joe’s product reviews, recommendations, new products, etc etc. That’s kind of sad when you think about it, but here I am (!), ready to spread that info to all of you, my 40 something subscribers. I have put a lot of time and effort and deep thought into the list below. There are 2 categories - the A Team, which are things I always have on hand or make sure to pick up when I’m there, and the Honorable Mentions, things that are good and worth trying, but I don’t necessarily seek out every time I shop. Without further ado…

A TEAM PRODUCTS

• Apple & Strawberry Fruit Crusher Pouch (I am 5)

• Artichoke Hearts (both the plain and the marinated in the jar, preference for the marinated ones but the canned make life so easy when cooking)

• Avocado Oil (great price for the size)

• Calabrian Chiles

• Chili Lime Roll Ups

• Chocolate Covered Pretzels

• Crispy Chicken Strips

• Crunchy Curls (I do know that they kind of taste like nothing but man that crunch is addicting)

• Cumin Chickpeas (this makes the best easiest hummus)

• Eucalyptus

• Frozen Berry Medley

• Hand Soap (smells yummy and lasts forever and is very reasonably priced)

• Hashbrowns

• Kimbap (I’ve eaten at least 2 of these a week for the past few months)

• Mini Bouquet of Flowers (they’re like $3.99 and so cute and last for weeks!)

• Mini Brie Bites

• Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels

• Pita Bite Crackers

• Scallion Pancakes

• White Cheddar Boxed Mac and Cheese

HONORABLE MENTIONS

• Butter Chicken

• Campari Tomatoes

• Chicken Shawarma Thighs (I don’t usually cook with meat at home but these are so bomb and easy to cook in the air fryer)

• Corn Chip Dippers (just a glorified Frito)

• Dairy Products in General (they’re just so much more affordable + their cheese selection is pretty solid)

• Garlic Chicken Sausage

• Hot & Sweet Jalapenos

• Juice Shots (the Acerola Cherry one is my fav)

• Palak Paneer

  • Also the frozen bags of white rice since this dish doesn’t come with rice

• Pop Up Sponges (good to keep stocked in the cleaning supplies)

• Salad Bags (shoutout Dill-Licious)

• Spicy Tempura Nori Chips (the bag is like 1/3 full the rest is air but these are so addicting)

• Tortilla Chips ($3 is better than spending $5+ on a bag of Tostitos)

• Trimmed & Cleaned Leeks

Lastly … the not so great list. I’m not even going to break this out into it’s own category to spare these items from complete shame and utter embarrassment, but these are things that are just .. not good in my humble opinion: the thanksgiving stuffing flavored chips (not what I was expecting, made my tummy hurt, why are they so popular, they are just a heavily seasoned chip and nothing more), the bread (why does it go moldy legit after 2 days unless you freeze it immediately), the tinned salmon (it is so beyond oily and you absolutely get what you pay for), the red pepper hummus (it is just weird to me I don’t know what else to say, it tastes artificial) and last but not least…. the everything but the bagel seasoning, crackers, nuts, anything with that flavoring. I know I will get hate for this but I just DON’T GET IT!! I have never gotten it! It feels like the craze has died down a bit since 2020 but omg why is everything everything but the bagel … grow up!

I hope you think of me the next time you’re strolling the aisles aimlessly, or, likely completely over-stimulated. Shoutout Mr. Joe for building a community around grocery shopping! I do like the topic of grocery stores as I spend so much time shopping and have found it to be therapeutic, so naturally I added to the “things for my Substack” list a deep dive on the supreme grocery experience… Stew Leonard’s.

See you next week!

xo - Al.YouCanEat