My Favorite Products from Trader Joe’s

Yeeee HAW my friends! We are talking FOOD today! Happy happy Foodie Friday.

I was running low on my staples from Trader Joe’s and thought I would make a post about them after I went back to stock up over the weekend. It’s important to mention that Trader Joe’s is not my main grocery store. I use it to supplement trips to my main store because they have some products that are simply just too good to be without. That being said, these are not things that I have to have every week but I love having them as often as I can (and feel like driving to TJ’s for). I used to live a mere mile away from my local Trader Joe’s! Now, I feel like I’m embarking on a journey traveling *all* the way across downtown Raleigh. It’s not far– it’s just not very convenient.

We’ll go in order of this photo of my cart. First up is their brown rice. Anytime I have to buy brown rice that is not this exact brown rice I am disappointed. This rice is so nutty and sticky and has set the bar for what brown rice should be. Three minutes in the microwave sets you up with a great base for almost any dish.

To the right of that is my literal favorite food on this earth. I’m not being dramatic. I. Love. Trader. Joe’s. Mac. and. Cheese. I could eat it all day, every day. I cook mine for 6 minutes and 33 seconds (yes, really) in the microwave and that allows this mac to cook perfectly and even get some crusty pieces around the edges. Omg. It’s INCREDIBLE. Anytime I need to bring a dish for an event I literally buy a bunch of boxes and put them in a serving dish. You shouldn’t live your life eating mediocre mac and cheese. Eat THIS STUFF instead. Not fully pictured: the fact that there were seven boxes of this mac and cheese in my cart in this photo.

Next up is ‘Gnocchi alla Sorrentino’ with tomato sauce and mozz cheese. Listen, I LOVE gnocchi. That being said, I have never attempted to make it before and don’t really have the desire to, either. Additionally, the prepackaged gnocchi that you can buy at most places just isn’t good in my opinion. It’s too gummy and not pillowy enough for my liking. The ONLY gnocc I will eat outside of a restaurant is this stuff. You empty it into a pan with a splash of water and in eight minutes you have yourself perfectly done gnocchi with a delicious red sauce and stringy mozzarella cheese. It’s so good.

Two of my favorite toppings for my famous avocado toast are TJ’s hemp seeds and super seed/ancient grain blend. Hemp seeds are hearty and delicious while adding not much texture or flavor to the toast while the seed blend brings an amazing crunch.

I like to pick up these lil‘ chocolate bars whenever I’m checking out as a last minute buy. They’re thin and snappy and instantly melt in your mouth. I almost never feel guilty after eating one and they make a really good dash of sweetness after dinner to cure any dessert cravings.

Just like with the brown rice, this parmesan is just about the only parm that can sit at my table. It’s so nutty while balancing the right amount of sweetness and umami. I simply won’t make a dish requiring parm if I don’t have any of this stuff on-hand.

If you really, really want to impress somebody for breakfast then you’re gonna need to buy these chocolate croissants. Let ’em rise overnight and in the morning you will bake up some of the most insane “homemade” croissants ever. The chocolate-to-pastry ratio is superb and the outer edge gets to the most incredible golden brown crispy crust after just a handful of minutes in the oven. These bake up to be just as good as a fancy French bakery and you don’t even have to leave your house.. it just takes a bit of foresight/prep work the night before.

I love the teeny tiny potatoes sold at Trader Joe’s because you just have to cut them in half once and roast them and they’ll turn so crispy and delicious because of their small size. The only annoying part is scrubbing each and every little potato but. ..that’s just a part of being a responsible adult. It ain’t that bad for the product you get at the end!

Lastly, it wouldn’t be a trip to Trader Joe’s without them being sold out of one of your favorites. My go-to pasta is the vegetable radiatore that I am certain is also sold at Target. I like this pasta because it’s rainbow (pretty and has some kind of veggie situation going on) and pairs well with sauce and cheese (see: TJ’s parm) because of all the little grooves in this pasta shape. Unfortunately, they were sold out on this last trip of mine but that just means I’ll have to stock up TRIPLE next time I see it!

Some honorable mentions of things I like at Trader Joe’s but don’t consider true “staples” just yet are their Simpler Times Lager (so good and a high percentage! I appreciate that), their mini peanut butter cups (the PB in the middle is ooey and gooey), their frozen falafel (a bit dry as falafel can be but paired with a fun sauce and over their brown rice is yummy) and of course, their fresh FLOWER selection! You can’t beat peony season in particular.

Trader Joe’s is a mecca to so many Americans and I love hearing what everybody’s favorite products are. It seems they are never the same ones from person-to-person. Let me know your favorite Trader Joe’s goodies down below so I can try ’em out!