Trader Joe’s Top 30 Favorite Items

If you read our blog regularly you know that we are both big fans of Trader Joe’s.  We definitely have our staple products that we can’t live without.  We get asked a lot about our favorite items from TJ’s so we thought it was about time that we came up with a list to share.  Honestly we had almost 50 items on our original list but we somehow whittled it down to 30.  So here’s our list, in no particular order…

Green Dragon Hot Sauce – We are absolutely obsessed with this sauce.  Pile it on eggs, rice bowls, chicken, you name it.  Somehow it makes everything better!

Organic Coconut Cream – We use this stuff all of the time.  Dairy free coconut whipped cream anyone?  Yes please!  We use this like it’s going out of style, also great in smoothies and baking as well. Get our recipe for coconut whipped cream by clicking on the link below.

http://www.goodthymekitchen.com/coconut-whipped-cream/

Plantain Chips – Yum!  The perfect snack to satisfy a chip craving without actually having a bag of potato chips.  A bag of these doesn’t last long in either one of our houses.

Organic Brined Whole Chicken without giblets – Cooking a whole chicken can seem intimidating but it’s actually a cinch! This chicken has already been brined for you so it’s always juicy and the giblets are already removed.  This is a must try for a delicious roasted chicken at home!

Organic Cacao Powder – Without a doubt one of our most used products when it comes to baking and smoothies.  Funny that they spelled it wrong on the sign!

Here is a link to one of our most popular recipes using cacao powder.  http://www.goodthymekitchen.com/peanut-butter-chia-chocolate-protein-cups/

Rolled Oats – Overnight oats, protein balls, cookies….yep, you need these GF rolled oats in your life. Check out this awesome recipe for apple cinnamon overnight oats. http://www.goodthymekitchen.com/apple-cinnamon-overnight-oats/

Balsamic Galze – We love to drizzle this balsamic glaze over bruschetta, margarita pizza, panzanella salad and caprese salad…among other things.  It’s simply balsamic vinegar that has been reduced down until it reaches a thick, rich, syrupy consistency.

Cauliflower Pizza Crust – We have put this pizza crust to the test with our own kids and it passed with flying colors.  Skip the gluten and try this cauliflower pizza crust instead, It’s delish!

Spanish Extra Virgin Olive Oil – We are always talking about the importance of using good quality olive oil.  It’s REALLY important!  This olive oil is smooth and goes with everything, and the price is right!

Semi-sweet Chocolate Chunks – Really?  Do we really need to explain this?  Just buy them, you won’t be sorry.

Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage – This is our go-to Italian sausage that we use in soups and pasta.  The fennel flavor is out of this world and it’s not spicy so the kids love it too.  This sausage adds a ton of flavor to any dish.  We always remove the casings before cooking it up. This is one of our favorite recipes for pasta with sweet Italian chicken sausage.  http://www.goodthymekitchen.com/pasta-with-sweet-italian-chicken-sausage-peas/

Coconut Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate – Um, yum.  This sells out fast and for good reason, it’s amazing.  Great iced with almond milk or we incorporated it into our chocolate-coconut cold brew brownies which are flourless, gluten free and vegan. Check it out for yourself…  http://www.goodthymekitchen.com/chocolate-coconut-cold-brew-brownies-gluten-free-flourless-vegan/

Mediterranean Hummus Snack Pack – These are a great on the go snack, they end up in our kids backpacks weekly.

Organic Virgin Unrefined Coconut Oil – 9 out of 10 times we use this oil when baking.  We also use it in our protein balls and other recipes as well.  Unrefined coconut oil will still give you that delicious coconut flavor, refined coconut oil removes thet coconut flavor.  We love the coconut flavor so we always buy unrefined coconut oil.

Sweet Potato Fries – Always a crowd favorite these fries are SO good.  They cook up perfectly in the oven, we love to serve these fries alongside a turkey burger.

Organic Chia Seeds – This whole grain food is loaded with fiber, protein, omega-3 fatty acids among other nutrients.  We add this to our homemade granola bars, cookies, protein balls, and tons more! Click here for our recipe for homemade granola bars using these chia seeds.  http://www.goodthymekitchen.com/toasted-granola-bars/

Uncured Apple Smoked Bacon – This bacon is outa this world.  Nitrate and preservative free, if you’re going to have bacon, have this!

Pure Maple Syrup – We beg you to buy the “real” stuff when it comes to maple syrup.  There are so many fake maple syrup brands out there with an ingredient list a mile long.  This stuff is the real deal and you can tell a huge difference in the taste.  We call for pure maple syrup in so many of our recipes, it’s worth spending a little more money on good quality maple syrup.

Cambozola Blue Cheese – This is really a cross between brie cheese and blue cheese, it melts in your mouth and you need it in your life.

Everything but the Bagel Blend and Chile Lime Blend – This is your 2 for 1 photo, they are both so amazing that we couldn’t just choose one.  The everything but the bagel seasoning is great on well, pretty much everything!  We love the chile lime on avocado toast, fish tacos, chicken and mexican street corn. Here is one of our favorite simple grilled chicken recipes using the chile lime seasoning.    http://www.goodthymekitchen.com/chile-lime-chicken/

Sunflower Seed Butter – This sunflower seed butter is a great alternative to a nut based butter for anyone with allergies to tree nuts.  The taste is amazing, you would never guess it’s made from seeds.

Organic Brown Rice Pasta – In addition to penne, they also sell spaghetti and fusilli.  Made from brown rice this pasta is gluten free but isn’t gummy like a lot of GF pastas on the market.

Frozen Crushed Garlic Cubes – We like to keep these in our freezers, in case we ever run out of fresh garlic we always have a back-up with these frozen garlic cubes.

BBQ Pulled Pork – Sometimes busy nights call for a pre-made dinner like this bbq pulled pork.  Just heat it in a skillet for a few minutes, pile it on a bun and dinner is on the table in 5 minutes flat.  This also comes in chicken and beef, which are equally as good.

Organic Tricolor Quinoa – Another one of our favorite ingredients, quinoa.  We use it in a ton of our recipes and this tri-color makes everything prettier.  In case you’ve been asleep the last few years, quinoa is one of the most protein rich foods you can eat, it’s  a complete protein containing all nine essential amino acids. Try this recipe for roasted vegetable quinoa salad with maple balsamic vinaigrette.   http://www.goodthymekitchen.com/roasted-vegetable-quinoa-salad-with-maple-balsamic-vinaigrette/

Organic Ketchup – If you haven’t purchased organic ketchup yet you are missing out.  There is a huge difference in taste between organic and the other stuff….just give it a try and we can almost guarantee that you won’t switch back.

Quattro Formaggio – We love this cheese for topping on pizza or sprinkled over pasta.  Melts like a dream and will broil to the perfect golden brown.

Organic Riced Cauliflower – Riced cauliflower is a great alternative in place of grain rice.  It comes frozen so you can defrost it anytime for a quick and healthy cauliflower rice bowl. Pile on your favorite veggies and protein and you will have a meal in no time! This cashew chicken with coconut cauliflower rice is one of our GTK most popular recipes http://www.goodthymekitchen.com/cashew-chicken-with-coconut-cauliflower-rice/

Just Coconut Chunks – Our new favorite smoothie ingredient, this is a new find for us.  A great smoothie add in for some extra protein, texture and flavor.

Cilantro and Chive Yogurt Dip – This dip is the bomb, everyone else must think so too because it sells out fast.  We dip veggies and pretzels in it, use it on sandwiches and wraps and even as a dip for salmon burgers or on top of a buddha bowl.

Let us know your favorites at TJ’s! Happy Shopping!!