Grocery Shopping at Trader Joe's: A List of "Mostly" Healthy Products

I love shopping at Trader Joe’s! Shopping is just more enjoyable at Trader Joe’s than most other stores! Why? Well, there’s more than one reason:

Trader Joe’s is smaller, which is a refreshing change from all the “superstores” that have an overwhelming amount of products. Trader Joes’s focuses more on quality rather than quantity.
The majority of products at Trader Joe’s are under their own label and many are unique, novelty items that can only be found at Trader Joe’s.
The Trader Joe’s private label products promise to be non-gmo and are free of artificial flavors, artificial coloring, MSG, and partially hydrogenated oils. Read More
Trader Joe’s offers great prices on their products, including a great selection of organic and vegan items.
The vibe at the store is fun! The product packaging is colorful and whimsical, the walls are covered with fun art and the staff is friendly and helpful.
My favorite reason to shop at Trader Joe’s… they’re always introducing new products and changing products with the seasons. This helps make grocery shopping more interesting, adventurous and inspirational!

With all of the great reasons to shop at Trader Joe’s, it’s important to remember that Trader Joe’s is not a “health food” store. I still have to use will power to resist some of the tempting goodies that aren’t so healthy.

To help me stay focused, I’ve created a list of over 50 “mostly healthy” products that I like to purchase again and again. I shop at Trader Joe’s about once a month and focus on items from this list while also keeping an eye out for new and seasonal products.

If you’re fortunate to have a Trader Joe’s near you, check out this FREE list and have fun shopping:

*This list is subject to change, so check in for occasional updates. This is a personal list of favorites and is not sponsored or endorsed by Trader Joe’s. Availability of products may vary from store to store.

Bakery/ Bread

Trader Joe’s has an excellent selection of quality breads, but I tend to stick to the Sourdough varieties. Pretzel Bagels are unique and great for making sandwiches. Trader Joe’s bakery section is very small, which is a good thing! Occasionally, I will indulge and pick up some cupcakes (chocolate peanut butter are the best), muffins, or other seasonal treats.

Sourdough Sandwich Bread
Pretzel Bagels

Nuts & Dried Fruit

You can’t go wrong with anything from this section! Sunflower seeds are great on top of salads (instead of croutons). Brazil Nuts are pricey, but at one a day, they last awhile. Dried Mango is my daughter’s favorite.

Roasted & Unsalted Sunflower Seeds
Raw Brazil Nuts
Soft & Juicy Mango

Snacks

I always have popcorn kernels in the pantry so we can air-pop our own popcorn for movie night! Graham Crackers are great to have on hand for a snack and for s’mores. I’ll usually mix a bag of the popular No Salt PB Filled Pretzels with a salted bag, to cut down on sodium. Trader Joe’s is the only place I can find the “single serving” size Lenny & Larry’s cookies.

Organic Popping Corn
Peanut Butter Filled No Salt Pretzels
Honey Graham Crackers
Lenny & Larry’s Protein Cookies (single serving size)

Treats

I feel better indulging in the treats from Trader Joe’s knowing they are made with quality ingredients and with no artificial colors, etc. However, sugar is still sugar, so I try to practice some restraint when browsing at the selection (usually on the shelves over the frozen foods). We’ve tried many of the treats, but below are my family’s “top” favorites!

Triple Ginger Snaps
Joe-Joe’s
Crispy Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Organic Brown Rice Marshmallow Treats
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Scandinavian Swimmers

Pantry

You’ll always find these staples in my pantry! I prefer to buy these products at Trader Joe’s because of the great price and quality.

Trader Joe’s Cereal
Unsweetened Instant Oatmeal Packets
Taco Shells
Crunchy Almond Butter
Mixed Nut Butter
Organic Reduced Sugar Preserves
Whole Grain Dijon Mustard
Organic Tomato Basil Marinara
21 Seasoning Salute
Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar
Organic Coconut Aminos
Chosen Foods Avocado Oil
Organic Virgin Cold Pressed & Refined Coconut Oil
Organic Strawberry Lemonade
Organic Herbal Tea

Refrigerated

Below are the refrigerated items that I always pick up when I stop into Trader Joe’s. Depending on what I need for the week, there are many other items that I may pick up as well.

Apple Cranberry Quinoa Salad
Cabot Light Whipped Cream
Organic 100% Grass Fed Ground Beef
Goat Cheese
Unexpected Cheddar Cheese

Frozen

Trader Joe’s really shines in its selection of frozen convenience items, meals, vegetables, and fruits. Luckily, we have a chest freezer which allows us room to stock up on our favorites.

Mandarin Orange Chicken
Frozen Pizzas
Party Size Mini Meatballs
Tuna Burgers
Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Cauliflower Gnocchi
Fire Roasted Bell Peppers and Onions
Breaded Mozzarella Cheese Sticks
Frozen Fruit
Fully Cooked Organic Quinoa
Organic Brown Rice
Organic Jasmine Rice

Frozen Treats

No guilt enjoying these low calorie mini frozen treats!

Gone Bananas!
Gone Berry Crazy!
Mini Hold The Cone!

Fresh Produce

I’m a huge fan of the unique Chopped Salad Kits, but you can’t go wrong with any of the greens, veggies, and fruits at Trader Joe’s! They have a great selection of organic… priced competitively.