Are you overwhelmed when you go to Trader Joe’s? Like you hear all these great things about it, and then when you go…you can’t seem to find anything? Me too!

I rarely shop at Trader Joe’s. But I wanted to start shopping there more often–I like their concept of a small store with higher quality items. People rave about Trader Joe’s, so I asked my friends what their favorite items are to buy at Trader Joe’s.

Best Trader Joe’s Products

Chocolate covered sunflower seeds! Oh and freeze-dried fruit. Their chip aisle is good too! man I don’t sound very healthy..~Audrey
Chocolate covered caramels with sea salt. The best!~Donna
Pork, their sweet and sour bags of chicken (kids love them) their version of pirates booty, their brand turkey bacon and so much more!! Oh, kids love their mac and cheese balls too~Sarah
Cheese puffs (pirate booty-type, but 1/3 the price!) Frozen eggplant! Cookies (whose ingredients all make sense!) Tapenade! Frozen meals! Ooh, my mouth is watering!~Megan
Spicy black bean dip. We always stock up!~Erica
Their pizza too! OH and their apple bars~Sarah
My husband loves raw almonds, they have good prices on nuts. I buy frozen organic spinach, frozen blueberries, frozen mango, frozen burritos, they are DH go to for lunch on weekends. Their cheese prices are really good as well. Skip the produce – not the best.~Shannon
I also buy their sunflower butter for when kids have to bring peanut free lunches. Not so much anymore now that we left KSPS. ~Shannon
Sesame sticks~Judi
Spinach dip, their cheese section is awesome, make your own pizza with the ciabatta bread and sauce and cheese, frozen Mac and cheese, cheese puffs, cookies! French vanilla ice cream. I could go on…~Jackie
Dark chocolate peanut butter cups! And almonds! They also have a good frozen veggie fried rice that is great the bag is orange I believe. I get that along with a frozen teriyaki chicken that is a quick easy meal and really tastes good.~Jen
Cookie butter!!!~Mary Fran
The bars- like nutrition but no chemicals and Cheap! Nutrigrain not nutrition #Stupidphone~Lynn
And the frozen rice Chinese things, potstickers~Lynn
Chocolate covered sea salted almonds.~Blake
We like the sparkling lemonade and the flaxseed chips.~Karen
Coconut spray~Cheri
Joe’s O’s. What Cheerios used to taste like (yummy and crunchy) and 1.99 a big box. Any of their cheeses, especially the roasted pecan blue cheese dip. Yogurt (any), Turkey meatballs, any frozen veggie, the big bottle of olive oil with the bar pour spout attached, any cookies or candy. Lots of good stuff without crap like HFCS added.~Janice
They have several of the exact specialty products in Aldis…owned by the same company but in a much less interesting package. I’ve cross-compared. Amazing. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trader_Joe’s ~Stephanie
potstickers, black bean dip, all sorts of ravioli’s, granola bars, cheeses, olive oil, cinnamon and sugar grinder … and of course, the stuff to make lentil salad (the fresh lentils in the produce section, lettuce/greens and the lime dressing)~Jen
Some tasty frozen eggplant dinners and other vedge things for fast meals. Plus loaves of bread.~Deborah

Well, there you go! That makes about 50 of my friends’ favorite “must buy” items from Trader Joe’s. What are some of your favorites? Tell us in the comments!

Trader Joe’s Recommendations from my Readers

Chai tea bags, Rosemary snack crackers go great with cheese, pumpkin coffee, gingerbread coffee, the frozen scones, especially pumpkin, and the flavored olive oils are good.
quinoa and black bean tortilla chips, TJ hand and foot balm (my most recent discovery) works if you have eczema and every other cream burns!, just mangoes, roasted cashews, crushed garlic, lemon cookie thins (close comp to girl scouts)
If you love garlic you have to try the Many Clove Garlic Sauce! It’s in the aisle with the pasta sauces.
Peanut butter and jelly chocolate bars. The BEST ever! The great coffee selection also. Love the sweet potato chips and blue cheese pecan dip.
Frozen cauliflower rice!!!! It’s been healthy and delicious and super easy.
I only use their 100% White Whole Wheat Flour. Like their baking section, good cocoa powder, vanilla extract and last week I found coconut flour for fun. Also, they have a great price on coconut oil.
I’d walk if I had to….to get the 3 seed sourdough bread @ Trader Joe’s! Makes such yummy toast!
Call ahead to make sure they have it in stock…..it goes fast!!!
I don’t get to go to Trader Joe’s often but here is what I love to buy when I do go:
Mandarin Orange Chicken
Crushed garlic
Honey Pretzel Sticks
Kettle Corn
Blueberry Goat Cheese log
Ginger Mints
Sweet Basil chicken sausage
Pesto Tortellini
Corn Salsa
Non-Food:
Tea Tree Oil Face Wipes