I am by no means the first blogger out there to do a Trader Joe's report. I do like seeing what others are buying though, and since it's been YEARS since I've stepped in a TJ's, I'm jumping on the bandwagon!
Trader Joe's obviously does a lot of seasonal items, and being like errrry other fall-lovin' girl out there, I was excited to see what was on the shelves. Sidenote- I definitely felt like a weirdo taking photos of products all over the store.
Like most grocery stores, TJ's starts you out with the produce. I did buy some bagged kale and salad, but forgot to take a picture. Pretend I did. Let's otherwise start our tour!
Holy ravioli! They are definitely hitting it hard with the ravioli. As much as these looked delicious, I passed. Notice the "Protein Palette" on the bottom- crackers, salami, and almonds. Nutritionally it's pretty meh minus the almonds, plus for that price point, you could easily assemble your own protein pack at a lower cost (with leaner meat and whole grains).
I am a fan of their pre-marinated meat. It saves time and money- rather than having to buy specific spices/ingredients you might not have, it's already pre-seasoned. I picked up a spatchcooked lemon herb chicken that I roasted later on in the week.
I am a huge fan of sprouted whole grain bread. I've said it before but it's important that when choosing bread, you choose 100% whole grain. We still need to be mindful of total calories though- these slices are the perfect size and pack a good nutrient content, while also being a great price point (I'm looking at you, Whole Foods). I chose the 7-grain bread to try.
I don't care that this is organic- I mean, as long as it's affordable and high nutrient I'll buy it organic or not. I like that this is high fiber and low sugar. I did purchase this and we are halfway through the box!
My husband and I drink tea daily and this time of year, nothing is better than a hot chai....
...but please steer clear of this pre-made Chai mix. Look at how many grams of sugar! YOWZA. I buy the plain unsweetened chai, mix in my unsweetened almond milk, and add a tiny squirt of stevia.
It's hard to find crunchy almond butter, so this was a yes for me. I love to pair it with an apple or on my sprouted grain toast.
I picked up these snack bars for the kids' lunch boxes. I wouldn't really say they're super nutrient packed, but there is less sugar/more nutrients than your basic chocolate covered Quaker/Sunbelt bar.
Yes please to tricolor quinoa for $3.99. Is it nutritionally different than plain white quinoa or red quinoa? No. But it looks more fun.
I love their boxed soups- I've tried most of the flavors and love them all. Pair them with a hearty grilled sandwich (ahem, coming soon to Instastories) and you have a soup-er easy fall meal. GAH I AM THE WORST. I bought the tomato & roasted red pepper, along with some broth to have on hand.
This is a new product and I've heard that it is the next big craze- I bought two boxes but haven't yet tried it. Hearts of palm come from...palm trees. Weird. Look at how many grams of fiber you get for the low calories. I'm planning on pairing this with some roasted garden tomatoes, pesto, and ricotta. I'll report back.
Weh-hell-ell. Isn't this fancy? It comes with teeny wooden spoon. I've come across a few recipes that call for herbs de Provence and truthfully I've just winged my way around them. I passed on this but oof, it sure looks fun.
I have purchased many tubs of this stuff over the years. It's a great product at a great price point, but to be honest, I make my own now and it's even cheaper.
This caught my eye. I do like the whole cauliflower-subbing trend...
...I'm not super impressed by the nutrition. If you were to make a sandwich using this, you'd be getting 3 grams of saturated fat, which comes from the grated parmesan cheese. Plus it was $3.49 for the package (you could make two sandwiches). For that same price, get the whole loaf of whole grain bread instead. This could be a good option, however, for people with diagnosed gluten intolerance/Celiac disease.
I thought about buying this but passed- yes it has butternut squash as an ingredient, but the main ingredient is enriched flour (NOT whole grain!).
I've never had this flavor before- sounds good to me! Be sure you pick unsweetened sparkling water- I noticed that some of the flavors had added sugars.
I have bought these in the past and have learned my lesson. They are a do-not-buy for me because I have zero self control around chocolate + peanut butter.
YES to these though. I can eat 2-3 and my sweet tooth is satisfied.
I bought this because I was intrigued, ha. It's definitely not a health food (it's basically honey, cream, and sugar) but hoooooly smokes it is SO good. I made a whole wheat pumpkin bread and smeared some of this on a slice for a treat. Delish.
Okay so this is a great example of a product that looks healthy, but the label tells another story. 260 calories per patty- yes, you get 26 grams of protein. But a regular burger patty made of extra lean ground beef gives you the same protein with fewer fat grams (about 5 grams) and fewer calories (~140 calories). Sure, this is a good option for someone who is vegetarian or vegan, and it's by no means a "bad" food- just another reason to read labels.
If it was just me, I probably would've bought these to try.
Okay, time to pay and check out...and then go home and show the things I forgot to photograph!
Like this oat-based milk alternative. I did read the label and gasp- purchased it anyway. That's a LOT of sugar, but I bought this knowing that I'd be using a splash in my coffee as a treat, rather than a beverage to add to cereal or chug down. Moderation, my friends.
I did treat myself to a little $4 bouquet. And contrary to what it looks like here, I do have five fingers on my left hand.
I bought three of these bags of frozen cauliflower and butternut squash "risotto" and paired that with a roasted turkey tenderloin, which I diced up and added.
It was REALLY good! I will make again- high fiber, high protein, and the whole family ate it up.
I had also picked up this box of semi-DIY nut butter bars. I figured they could be more easy snack options for the kids. Because I am me, I added some dark chocolate chips to the mix too. Tip: don't stir these yourself. I tried my best to "stir to combine" but ended up dumping into my stand mixer to let it do the work.
We are all digging these- will buy them again. And yes, I'm pretty sure her shirt is also tucked into her undies. #Pottytraining.
My trip to Trader Joe's was successful- I found some winners, and spotted some not-so-much-winners, as is the case with any grocery store. It's always fun to find some new products!