M Y 1 0 S T A P L E S F R O M T R A D E R J O E S
(In no particular order)
Here is a list of my main pantry staples that I almost always have on hand from Trader Joes. This list isn’t exhaustive of my pantry staples, just items that always seem to be in my kitchen from Trader Joes and how I use them on a day-to-day basis.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Avocado Oil
-When I’m cooking, I always use either EVOO or Avocado Oil. Sure you can pick up EVOO from your local super market, but you can’t beat the price or quality of Trader Joes. Recently, I’ve started using Avocado Oil because of it’s higher smoke point that EVOO, and my local Trader Joes has recently started to carry it.
Whole Wheat Pasta
-I always have a bag of whole wheat pasta on hand for a quick meal; and trader Joes has a great selection of whole wheat pasta that tastes good. We actually prefer whole wheat pasta now over the traditional stuff. We also like Trader Joe’s pesto (from the refrigerated section) to toss our pasta with!
Chicken Sausage
-We try to go meatless 2-3 nights of the week, but on the days we don’t go meatless we have a selection of chicken sausages on hand in the freezer; again for quick meals. Our favorites are the jalapeño chicken sausage and the hot Italian chicken sausage. We obviously like our food on the spicier side – ha!
Leafy Greens
-I normally grab for the spinach and spring mix bags, but sometimes mix it up with something different. Together, these will normally last us a week. It’s important to eat your leafy greens and having these on hands makes it easy to grab for. I use greens for quick side salads, in egg dishes, on sandwiches, in smoothies, or I pile them up with roasted vegetables and chicken sausage for a quick meal.
Garlic Hummus
-I love creamy, garlick-y home made hummus, but when I don’t get around to making it Trader Joe’s garlic hummus is a close second. Paired with fresh vegetables or pita chips (TJ’s pita chips are my fav!) makes for a quick wholesome afternoon snack!
Nuts
-Trader Joes has a great selection of nuts, and I always have a couple bags on hand for baking, making granola, throwing on a salad, or just snacking on. My favorites are sliced almonds, Thai lime and chili cashews, and pine nuts (for basil!).
Kombucha
-I don’t know about your Trader Joes, but mine has a decent selection of Kombucha’s and I pretty much did the happy dance when I saw them in the refrigerated section for the first time. GT’s Synergy Trilogy or Health-ade Pink Lady Apple are my favorites.
Spices
-Trader Joes doesn’t have the biggest selection of spices, but they do have the basics and you can’t beat the price. The spices I always have on hand are cumin, garlic powder, turmeric, salt and pepper. Also, their chili lime, and everything but the bagel seasonings are some of my recent favorite finds!
Garlic
-I can easily go through an entire garlic bulb weekly. I find that when you add garlic, and other fresh herbs and spices to cooking you don’t need too much salt or pepper. Honestly, I normally buy the non-organic garlic (in the green bag), but they were out when I went to take the picture.
Cheese
-I could make a list of “top 10 favorite trader joes cheeses,” but I won’t bore you with my love of cheese. Besides adding cheese in everything, I love to make small cheese plates. With Trader Joe’s large selection of cheeses I always find myself picking up a different cheese to try. Some of my favorites are feta with Mediterranean herbs, smoked gouda, triple creme brie cheese, grated parmesan, and fresh mozzarella.
//So there you have it! A little peak into some staples I always have in my pantry. I’ll do another post of my top 10 favorite items from Trader Joes that I might not always have on hand, but are my favorite treats from TJ’s in another post (I’m looking at you candy cane Jo-Jos!).
What are some of your Trader Joes favorites?
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