[kms7z]

I ADORE Trader Joe's, but unfortunately live 2 hours away from the nearest one. This week I have to go to DC for business and am planning on stopping at TJ's. Any ideas of what I should stock up on? Here's what I am getting so far:

roasted soy nuts
decaf tea
decaf coffee
cheap wine
cheap cereal-- not sure what kind yet
maybe some healthy whole grain crackers?

any other ideas?

[Misti in Seattle]

Oh definitely stock up on the fresh salsa! It is in plastic tubs in the refrigerated section. It is the best ever!

If you are a snacker try the Pirate's Booty, Veggie Booty, etc. They are nutritious snacks and yummy!

[NotTheCheat]

I love Trader Joe's! I do most of my shopping there if possible.

For cereal, I really like their Organic Morning Lite (on the sweet side), but they also have good prices on the Kashi cereals. The have the best price I know of on Kashi and Luna bars.

I love their soups - the Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato is my absolute favorite (boxed). Their bottled salsa verde is also great. I also buy a lot of their frozen stuff (especially veggies), but I'm not sure that you want to buy frozen with a 2 hour drive home.

[Misti in Seattle]

Their Marinara Sauce in the can is good also

[penpal]

TJ's has really good Irish style steel cut oatmeal. I also am addicted to their corn & chili salsa (I have to be careful not to inhale the whole jar at once!)

Their "Two Buck Chuck" wines aren't bad (actually $2.99 a bottle). I've had worse wine and paid more. They also have some nice Pino Gris wines which are a little more expensive, but still a good deal.

TJ's bags of lemons can't be beat for the price. We buy all of our nuts there also: raw almonds, walnut halves & pieces and brazil nuts. Some of their packaged frozen meals are very good. We just had the chicken chili soup or stew - very tasty and not very high in calories. They have great prices on all of their cheeses (which I unfortunately can't have much of any more - too expensive in the calorie dept.!) The Ak-Mak wheat crackers are delish and they have a big range of Kashi cereals. I have to avoid the cookie aisle as it's just too tempting!

Their unsweetened frozen mixed berries with black cherries are also one of our favorites. I could go on and on..... Have fun shopping!

[cadwell125]

i love the low-carb la tortilla factory torillas they have there. their granola, jam, and peanut butter are also great. if you like spaghetti sauce, the one with italian sausage is great (and only 50 calories a serving too!). the double cream brie is awesome, and if you have a cooler, the frozen fish, frozen french onion soup, and sharon's fruit sorbets are terrific. if you like cookies, try the chocolate mini-meringues (110 calories for 13!) tjs also has good prices on supplements, vitamins, and meal bars (i get the luna bars -- they're delish). oh yeah -- orange flavored cranberries! yum!
can you tell i love trader joe's?

[lovemygordie]

I absolutely LOVE Trader Joe's. I recently moved from a place that didn't have Trader Joe's, and don't know what I ever did without one! I like a lot of the same things that others have already mentioned. Here's a list of my favorites:

whole wheat pitas
whole wheat tortillas
whole grain tortilla chips
Kashi Good Friends cereal
multigrain crackers
Smooth and Mellow blend coffee
almonds
boxed soups (red pepper and tomato, butternut squash, sweet potato)
canned artichokes
salsa
cilantro jalapeno hummus

They also have some good dog treats if you have a dog! On a non-food related note, be sure to check out their shower gels. I got a great citrus scented body wash called Refresh...only $1.99 for a good-sized bottle!

[mandalinn82]

On my list:

-Joe's O's - cereal - like cheerios, but with a better nutrition profile.
-LOWFAT PARMESAN RANCH DRESSING - I use this on EVERYTHING - it has 15 calories a tbsp and a ton of flavor. I use it on sandwiches as a sub for mayo (keeps the bread moist AND adds tons more flavor), as a dip for veggies, on salads, etc. They also have a cilantro variety my fiance loves. Its in the section with the veggies.
-Frozen whole grain tilapia fillets - basically, tilapia fish with a whole grain breading. Reasonable on the calories, these make a great meal if you serve with some veggies - relatively low carb, and all good fats and carbs. They bake up crispy in the oven. Squeeze a bit of lemon on top and...mmmmmm. I haven't found a better substitute when you're craving something with that crispy, fried texture.
-Dairy is super-cheap at Trader Joes. I usually pick up eggs, skim milk, and yogurt while I'm there. French-style yogurt is great in the morning - I add some chopped berries and splenda and it makes a low-cal treat for breakfast.
-Veggies - I find they are SO much cheaper at TJs. Especially red bell peppers - you can get a package of 3 of these at my trader joes for $2 - and you'd pay $4-5 at a regular store. The pre-chopped stir fry mix is a great time saver - just cook up some lean protein, add in the bag of veggies and whatever sauce you'd like, serve over rice - its a 20 minute meal with no chopping. Also good - tubs of basil - you can make lowfat pesto with the basil, a few tbsp of pinenuts (which they also sell), a couple cloves of garlic, and chicken broth instead of the standard olive oil - makes a great sandwich spread or pasta sauce.
-Roasted Red Pepper soup - also they have a creamy corn soup with almost no fat, about 100 cals per cup, and it feels so decadent. Also, stock up on chicken, beef, and veggie stock (I use stock in place of oil almost everywhere)
-Beverages - When I go to TJs, I get a bottle of unsweetened cranberry juice and a case of pellegrino mineral water. Then I make myself little low-cal spritzers with the pellegrino and a splash of the cranberry - its tart but delicious.
-Lunch meats - I especially like the low-fat italian turkey and the roasted pork loin lunch meats. 100% meat, lower calorie than some supermarket varieties, and tons of flavor. My favorite TJs sandwich - italian turkey breast, roasted red bell pepper, basil, baby greens, and parm ranch dressing on toasted 100% whole wheat bread - giant sandwich for 300 calories, and high in fiber.

Can you tell I'm a TJs nut? Its a bit far for me as well, but I happily make the drive...what I spend on gas, I usually make up in food savings.

[phantastica]

Just yesterday, my friend and I were driving and noticed that they're putting up a Trader Joe's - first one ever here! Yay! She's a CA native and was very excited to see that.

[kms7z]

thanks for all of the great suggestions-- i'm deifnitely gonna try the soups, tortillas, cereals, coffee/tea, snack items, and produce (lemons!). i wish i lived closer so i could take home some refrigerated/frozen items.

[LindaT]

I go there every week and am very lucky as it is on my way home! I can get so many things much cheaper at TJs and the quality of merchadise does seem fresher

My usual list is: fresh veggies and fruit - cheaper than grocery store, unless something is on super duper sale at my local market.

egg whites - cheaper than grocery store

cottage cheese - ditto

Wild salmon, ahi tuna and tilapia - cheaper as well

nuts - almonds, walnuts, pignolis - cheaper

spices - cheapers

La tortillas - lots cheaper than grocery store. whole wheat pita bread

Steel cut oats and multigrain hot cereal

roasted red pepper and eggplant spread - the bomb on chicken wraps with veggies

Boxes of chicken and vegetable stock - life saver for low fat sauteing

cooking sprays - canola and olive oil - cheaper than PAM

and I could go on and on. They recently discontinued, at least here my favorite tofu cheese.. Bummer! Gosh that stuff was good. If you see Tofu rella, give it a try. Lower fat, but more importantly lower saturated fat.