Trader Joe's Top Ten Must Haves

It’s no secret that I absolutely love Trader Joe’s! The employees are all so nice, the food selection is great, and they have unbeatable prices! The prices are the same in NYC as they are in Michigan which I haven’t seen in other grocery stores in the city. There’s also an exclusive Trader Joe’s wine shop that I love. I usually get three bottles for less than $30, and they taste delicious. I’ve been to about five different Trader Joe’s in Manhattan and my favorite one is in Soho. It’s my favorite because it has the widest isles and the least amount of people. In the Michigan TJs, I could roam the aisles care free, but that’s not the case in NYC, it’s very crowded and the isles are usually very narrow, so you always feel in the way. It can be an overwhelming experience, so I try to stick to my Soho Trader Joe’s.

Jon and I go to Trader Joe’s every other week because it’s not super convenient to get there. We have to take the subway, so we usually just get basics like chicken and eggs from the grocery store in our basement. When we do go to TJs, we stock up on our favorites! I’ve compiled a list of our top ten items that we always stock up on. Some are exclusively sold at Trader Joes, while others we could probably find elsewhere, but we think these ten items are a must!

This list isn’t in any particular order, I love them all. Let me know if you guys have any recommendations, I’d love to try some new things out 😀

Almond Milk Cheese – this I cannot find in regular grocery stores and I use this on my pizza and nachos. The cheese melts easily and has a lot of protein per serving. Regular cheese sometimes makes my face breakout, so this has been a great alternative for me.
Garlic Naan Bread – this is delicious! We use this to make our pizzas and we always have some in our freezer
Pizza Sauce – this is my go-to, it’s low in calories and sugar and tastes great on my pizzas
Almond Butter – this has a great consistency, and I don’t have to keep stirring the oil into it like other almond butters I’ve tried.
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups – these are so good!!! I like having one after dinner to satisfy my sweet tooth. They’re the size of a mini Reese’s peanut butter cup so it’s the perfect little treat
Garlic Salt Grinder – we use this on EVERYTHING! It’s our go-to seasoning and a must!
Thai Sweet Chili Veggie Burger – this is delicious! I don’t have them every day, but they’re a good and quick snack for me. They taste really sweet and you just pop them into the microwave and they’re ready to go
Dried Fruit – I love their dried fruit, it’s basically like candy! My favorite are these dried mangos. I also recently saw these cute little dried apricot packs that are perfectly portioned because otherwise I could eat the entire bag! Side note, their trail mixes and nuts are delicious too!
Wine – I’m no wino/wine snob so I love all their wine! The wine store in NYC is a decent size and has every type of wine you could think of. I usually stick to the chardonnay, but I’ve tried some Pinot and it was really good! I’m keeping a list of all the different ones that I try so that I can venture out and keep exploring new ones.
Plants – I have become a plant lady! I am such a sucker for the Trader Joe’s little plants! They’re just so little and come in really cute pots and are only a few dollars. I bought one for my grandma, and I just loved it so much so I bought one for myself when I moved to NYC, and it’s still alive! I also got this cute little cactus and other little succulent. I think they’re a great addition to the apartment.