What are your favorite products at Trader Joes?

[snoobie]

Some of my favorites are the:
pink lemonade,
corn and chili tomato-less salsa
frozen chocolate covered bananas
lacy chocolate cookies
potato latkes

What are your favorites?

[kotatsu]

the premade mojitos. has saved me TONS of time. I must have tried a ton of recipies and none tasted as good as their premade one. just add a good rum!

Also, I have Will Owen to thank (I'm pretty sure it was him) for those Montana burgers, which are quite tasty. They are in the refrigerated section, in 4-pack (2 sections of 2 burgers each). Get yourself some of their ciabatta rolls are you are in for a fine meal.

Random things - white bean & basil hummus. Chicken enchiladas in the salsa verde (frozen). Italian meatballs (frozen). The turkey cold cuts with the Christopher Columbus-looking guy on the front. way WAY better than anything from hillshire farms, etc.

[HastaLaPasta]

Lately, the Italian Turkey Meatloaf, all of the frozen bagged pastas (fettucine alfredo, gnocci in cream sauce, farafel w/pesto etc.), 99% fat free chicken burritos, three layer dip w/cream cheese, pesto and sun-dried tomatoes.

[NoAddedSweetener]

Oh there is so much to love!!

I especially love their:
goat milk brie
trader Joes O's cookies
Veggie Burritos
Most of their dry pastas (spinach, sprouted wheat, whole wheat)
Alfredo Sauce,
Pizza Dough
All varieties of their Indian food pouches
Spinoza Wheat Bagels
Smoked Salmon...
Ok now, this is turning into my weekly shopping list! Ha...I will stop there.

[trishyb]

agreed - those prepared indian foods sold in the pouches are very good. except from the varieties with paneer, they are pretty low in fat, as well.
other items i like:
artisan multi-grain bread
natural almond butter and peanut butter
frozen organic green beans
organic hearts of palm
roasted red peppers packed in water
cornichons

[goodhealthgourmet]

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/355253
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/301322
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/493206
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/404393
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/324830
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/335808
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/293412
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/300713

clearly a popular topic...and there are even more threads, but i got tired of copying & pasting ;

)

veggie & flaxseed tortilla chips
TJ's greek yogurt [much better than the US-produced Fage!]
packaged nuts & unsulphured dried fruit
organic light string cheese

[mollyomormon]

Love, love, love that TJ's greek yogurt! Thank you so much for turning me on to it! I told another friend about it and she estimated that it will probably save her around $500 a year because of the price difference between it and the greek yogurt she was buying!

I also love:
TJ's non fat cottage cheese
the turkey cold cuts mentioned above
spicy hummus
the pre-cooked beluga lentils
habanero lime salsa
better than peanut butter
graham crackers
popped potato chips
the seasonal pumpkin butter

[goodhealthgourmet]

my pleasure :) i got my dad to switch to it [from Fage, an addiction he picked up from me, of course] now that my folks finally have a TJ's near their house.

you mentioned several of my other faves as well - i love the cottage cheese [when i want salty - usually i go for Friendship no salt added], the lentils, & the pumpkin butter.

try the packaged steamed beets too. they're super-convenient for cutting into salad [with some TJ's baby arugula, packaged walnuts, & goat cheese!]

[mollyomormon]

I have a package of those beets in my fridge right now! I'm going to put up and mix with the beluga lentils and add a little goat cheese to mimic one of the deli case salads at Clementine!

[Jim Leff]

Yeah, goodhealthgourmet, we've done this thread a gazillion times. And I've vastly increased my TJ's scholarship via the suggestions of others, yet not given back. So...

Nilla Wafers (vastly vastly better than nabisco...overflowing with good true vanilla flavor and butter)

frozen turkey meatballs (my trick is to steam them, in a steamer basket)

on east coast, organic low-fat vanilla yogurt

oven-roasted turkey slices (I throw cut-up bits into veg concoctions to get more protein)

kashi autumn wheat (much cheaper than in supermarkets)

TJ's banana nut cereal

Joe's O's (much better than cheerio's, but don't buy the organic ones)

freeze dried mango slices (not dried, FREEZE-dried...though dried's very good in hot cereal, if you toss it in at the very beginning)

mango chicken sausage

pre-cooked brown rice (not frozen). handy when in a rush.

popped potato chips

frozen potstickers (not SO authentic or SO delicious, but a damned good fast lunch)

frozen super skinny french green beans

frozen apple blossoms

buffalo jerky (quick protein snack)

low sodium chicken broth in a box (I use it as stock)

Avocado's Number Guacamole (in refrigerated section)

walnut pieces (much cheaper than halves, I gobble a small handful daily for protein, satiation, and health, as walnuts have good nutritional ju-ju)

pump bottle soaps

[goodhealthgourmet]

good call on the refrigerated oven-roasted turkey slices, i forgot about that! i've never seen it in California, only on the east coast.

but whatever you do, stay AWAY from their pre-cooked/convenience chicken items, unless you like mealy meat that smells & tastes like soured chicken broth.

[Diana]

Low ft southwestern salad
the pre made uncooked pizza dough YES!!!
affordable big bottles of OK olive oil and passable balsamic vinegar
nice cheese selection
Fage 0% Greek yogurt
freeze dried strawberries
fresh pre-prepped veggies like butternut, beets and salad bags

[heckonwheels]

The Chinese orange chicken
mini chicken tacos w/ their guacamole sauce
French style vegetables
Havarti cheese
pinwheel steaks
the TJ's seasonal ales
Milton's buttermilk bread
Arborio rice

and of course 2 buck Chuck

Much more, but that's what comes to me right now.

[katiepie]

chicken mango sausages
Middle East flatbread
pita chips
all-natural peanut butter
Greek yogurt... yum!

[meatn3]

My two newest are the:
Dark Chocolate covered Pretzels
Dark Chocolate Roasted Pistachio Toffee

I'm also glad they are now carrying the Snap Pea Crisps baked snack.
I couldn't make it through the summer without their strawberry lemonade!

[madgreek]

In case someone hasn't noticed, I sort-of like the canned smoked trout: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/502956

Their nuts and dried fruits are cheap, and of high quality. The non-fat Greek yogurt tastes great, as does the "European style". "European style" butter is very good, too. I like the criollo chocolate bars a lot. Their cheeses kick ass. I am unable to walk past the belletoile brie without picking up a wedge. I'm also pretty impressed by two buck chuck. In general, it tastes pretty good, and I can definitely name a few wines which cost a lot more that I liked much less. Also, it's (usually) great to cook with.

[The Ranger]

I _really_ enjoy their frozen, breaded halibut "pieces," the four flavored hummus (spicy pepper and sun-dried tomato both rock!), and the jarred marsala sauce has the right heat and garlic. (Those golf-ball-sized blueberries for ~$3 are pretty good, too.) :)

[jeni1002]

European Style Yogurt
Frozen fruit (mangoes, berries, sweet cherries)
TJ's High fiber cereal
Polenta logs
Chevre
Dried fruit
Nuts
Kefir

[snoobie]

I just tried the lasagna polenta with chicken sausage.... It was awfull

[Kate is always hungry]

They have the crispiest, spiciest ginger snaps dusted with crystal sugar. I mix sour cream with maple syrup and dip the cookies in it.

[goodhealthgourmet]

ooh, that sour cream & maple syrup sounds excellent. i'll bet if you thickened it with a little cream cheese or fromage blanc [and maybe even spiked it with a bit of fresh lemon juice], it would make a perfect filling for ginger snap sandwiches...

[Diana]

Do that with cheve and brown sugar mixed together, better consistency and nicer flavor.

[goodhealthgourmet]

good call on the chevre. hey kate, if you try it let us know how it is!

[alliebear]

I really like the veggie masala burgers in the freezer section with the hot and sweet mustard. Also the Indian food pouches.

I always buy the handmade flour tortillas and I got a small loaf of sourdough bread recently that was really good.

The jalapeno hummus is something I recently tried that I liked. I like all the hummus I've tried from there.

Frozen mac&cheese, peanut butter cups, mochi ice cream....

[Teraesa22]

"2 Buck Chucks"-they sell $2 bottles of Charles Shaw's wines.

[MobyRichard]

Newest fave: TJ's coffee ice cream, topped with sliced almonds. Ahhhhh...