Trader Joe's how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

So if you know me well, you know that I am OBSESSED with Trader Joe's! I literally go twice a week. I'm lucky enough to live about a mile from one, so it's not out of my way at all to stop in a pick up a few things on the way home from work. I have had a love affair with TJ's for a few years now, and I often get asked what I buy there. I honestly buy most of my groceries at Trader Joes, minus a few staples that I get at Super Target (another love affair... I'll save it for a different blog post!).

So here are some items that are part of my weekly routine shopping lists:



1. Reduced Guilt Chunky Guacamole made with Greek Yogurt. OMG.. just try it! It's got all the flavor of guacamole, plus a little extra tanginess from the greek yogurt, and it's only got half the fat and calories of regular guac?! Yes, please! Dip some bell peppers in there and BAM! You've got yourself a healthy snack from the heavens!

2. Spicy Ranchero Egg White Salad. Okay, it's tough to even describe the yumminess of this one. It's egg salad, made with only egg whites, and with a spicy kick to it that makes it so unique and delicious. Best of all, it's only got 100 calories in the whole thing, almost no fat at all, and no sugar! By itself it makes a great high-protein snack, or top it on a whole wheat english muffin with some cheese and tomatoes for a perfect sandwich.

 

 
3. Blueberry Fiber Mini Cakes. Put it this way.12 grams of fiber, 80 calories, only a few natural ingredients, and tastes like cake. Convinced? I have one pretty much every morning. The only bad thing is that they get moldy quickly (because there are no preservatives, as it should be!). In my house, it's not a problem because they go quickly. But make sure you pick a pack from the back so it will last longer. There is also a really yummy cranberry apple flavor, which I actually like better, but my husband doesn't like cranberries.




4. Quinoa and Steel Cut Oatmeal. This stuff is the BOMB! It comes with two frozen "pucks" of oatmeal mixed with Quinoa. For those of you who aren't familiar with quinoa, it is a grain that also acts as a complete protein, meaning you are adding protein to your oatmeal without even tasting it! It also has real maple syrup and brown sugar in it, but only enough to make it slightly sweet. I love that it has all natural ingredients, and it is ready in 2 minutes in my microwave. Even the busiest mornings can have a healthy, filling breakfast. My favorite is to add raisins and cinnamon.



5. Prepared Salads. There are so many amazing prepared salads at TJ's, and no matter what your personal tastes are, you'll find one. The key is to read the ingredients and check out the calorie and fat content both with and without the dressing. Some of the salads are not at all low calorie, or low fat, so don't assume that you are eating healthy because you are eating a salad! But I have a few standards that I love and I always like to have one available in the fridge at home for an easy to pack lunch on the go or dinner. Three of my favorites are the Harvest Chicken Salad, the Mexicali Salad and the Roasted Butternut Squash, Red Quinoa and Wheatberry Salad. They are all reasonable calories/fat for a healthy meal and delicious!


6. Nuts: OMG, there are so many kids of nuts and trail mixes at TJ's its crazy! You do have to be careful, because there are plenty of trail mixes that aren't exactly "clean eating," with lots of chocolate in them, etc. But there are so many great options. I do love that I can get preportioned sizes of raw almonds, so that I can literally grab a pack and throw it in my purse when I'm short on time (which is like, always).

 

 

7. Cold Brewed Coffee Concentrate: Say what? Yeah, it's literally cold coffee concentrate that you mix with milk (or water) to make an instant iced coffee. Or, if you are me, you put it into your Vanilla or Chocolate Shakeology for an instant blended latte or mocha. Can I get a hell yeah? Hell yeah! I love this stuff. No more brewing coffee the night before and then letting it cool. I told you, I'm all about quick tricks that make life easier while still keeping it healthy.

8. Ready to eat shelled edamame: you can find frozen edamame other places, but I've never seen it ready to eat like this. Edamame, or soybeans, are a wonderful snack because they combine tons of protein, fiber and complex carbohydrates. You can sprinkle them in a salad, or just snack on them straight out of the container. I like them with a little bit of chili seasoning and lime juice, but you can certainly eat them plain.




9. Extra Lean ground beef: Only at TJ's have I found 4% fat ground beef, both in a 1 pound package and in patties. I mean at 4% fat, it's as good as eating lean turkey or chicken, but you still get the taste of beef. No need to eliminate hamburgers or beef tacos from your menu when you can get it for 96% fat free!








10.  Healthy 8 chopped veggie mix: This is literally chopped up broccoli, carrots, green cabbage, red cabbage, jicama, green bell pepper, raddish and celery. That's it. It's a perfect base for a salad, you can put it into recipes, saute it, make it into a healthy coleslaw-- it's amazing! I like to just throw some lowfat dressing, tomatoes and even some fresh lentils on it and it becomes a super healthy lunch. So easy, so healthy.





Those are just some of my favorite Trader Joe's gems, but there are more that I love..and they keep on introducing new things all the time! So if you have a TJ's in your neighborhood, give some of them a try!