Ohhh my goshhhh, where my Americans at?!?! Because literally the BEST thing you guys have is the Trader Joe’s grocery store!! NO JOKE! This place is the fucking bomb. I have been twice this year, and I already need to go again.
Canadians…listen up. Take a day off work, drive across the border, grab lunch somewhere cute, do a little shopping, and stock up on everything at Trader Joe’s. Make a day out of it, you know?
But you NEED to go. There are somethings you just don’t get here, and if you do, the price is ridiculous.
Prices are Trader Joe’s are so reasonable. Yes, they are in American Dollars, however, it’s low enough for us Canadians to not be like, WTF?! Trust me, I’m not about paying 7 dollars for a bag of frozen cauliflower gnocchi.
The MAIN thing I love about TJ’s is the ingredients. They’ve got CLEAN ingredients, no added bullshit. I mean, you have to really look, but I’m just one of those people that reads labels. You should be too.
Anyway, let’s get into it! I have lots to share.
This haul was from my last trip over, so somethings are a MUST, and others are so-so.
BAKED BELGIUM WAFFLES:
I feel like you can get these in Canada, but there was something about these, that were just SO GOOD. They’re so fluffy and soft. The outer layer crisps up well, while the inside stay nice and soft. They are an easy breakfast idea as well. All you have to do is pop them in the toaster, mash up some berries over top, and you’re good to go! I’d say grab a box.
CAULIFLOWER GNOCCHI:
OMG!! I cannot tell you how good this is! Literally one of my favourite purchases from TJs ever. Guys, if you love your gnocchi and don’t want all the carbs, trust me on this one, you NEED this. It’s made purely from cauliflower, is SO good for you, and tastes exactly like the real thing. It also takes like 10 seconds to make. You need to pan fry this in my opinion, and pour some really good pasta sauce over it. Guys, even Andrew will tell you he totally loves this! It’s tastes exactly like pasta. Add 8357845 to your cart.
CHICKEN AND CILANTRO MINI WON-TONS:
Another Trader Joe’s win!! You can either have these for dinner with something else, or serve as a snack, pre-dinner. Andrew and I love this when we’re not starving. You get about 15-18 wontons I think, and they are delicious. The only thing is, you don’t get a dipping sauce with it. I personally love a tangy, sweet, sour, and spicy dip to go along with this, so we actually make our own. We add a bit of soy, some chili peppers, and a bunch of other sauces to create one. However, if you’re not picky, soy sauce is also perfect with this. Definitely an add-to-cart.
MANDARIN ORANGE CHICKEN:
MUST!!! Okay, you know how you buy frozen stuff sometimes, hoping it tastes like the restaurant style dish, and it NEVER does? Well this is not like that at all! It tastes exactly (maybe even better) than what Mandarin Chicken would taste like at a Chinese restaurant. We love mixing this in an Asian-inspired stir-fry. Toss in TONS of veggies such as broccoli, mushrooms, bok choy, red and green pepper, and some udon or vermicelli noodles, and you’ve got an incredible lunch or dinner. ADD TO CART x’s 34734785.
MUSHROOM RAVIOLI IN TRUFFLE SAUCE:
Okay, if you know anything about me, you should know that I’m OBSESSED with anything truffle! If I had to choose my last meal ever, it would be the truffle pasta at Gusto 101. (You KNOW what I’m talking about if you’re from Toronto). If you’re not from Toronto, get your butt here and go visit Gusto 101 JUST to have their truffle pasta. It’s actual heaven on earth. SO, when I saw this at Trader Joe’s, I was like YASSSS! For some dumb reason, I only bought one packet. I feel like this is Andrew’s fault. Next time we go, there will be a minimum of 6 in my cart. Because these were amazing. And one packet doesn’t do it for the both of us. So, if two people are eating, you need 2 packets of this. And do 3 or 4 if you want leftovers.
MEXICAN-STYLE ROASTED CORN:
Omg SO GOOD! We had this last week on it’s own with some chicken and broccoli on the side, and it was the PERFECT no-carb dinner. I was truly impressed by this. I definitely had my doubts, because frozen corn is never a good thing. But it just looked so delicious on the packaging, that I kind of bought into it. And I’m SO glad I did. Definitely an add-to-cart.
ALMOND BUTTER:
I’m going to be honest here, and say it wasn’t the greatest. I’ve had better. The butter was VERY pure, and had no added gross ingredients, however, you can get similar in Canada at a Whole Foods or Bulk Barn. I saw this on a lot of Trader Joe’s haul blog posts, so I tried it out. Pass on this one.
CLARIFIED GHEE (BUTTER):
Here’s the thing about butter or ghee. You can cook it on very high heat without it breaking down. Most oils such as olive oils, vegetable oils, and corn oils break down when cooking on higher heat, which is terrible for you. You want oils that won’t break down, such as avocado oils and butter. Their smoke point is usually 450 degrees. So, when we make stir-frys or eggs, we usually use butter or ghee. This particular brand from TJs, I can’t say I love. It’s okay, however, you can get similar in Canada as well. Pass on this one as well.
EVERYTHING BUT THE BAGEL SEASONING:
When I was researching what to get at Trader Joe’s before going, this product came up on every blog. So, naturally I had to try it. And I’m so glad I did. It’s amazing, and so worth it. Grab more than just one bottle because you’ll use it on everything. It’s the best on eggs and avocado toast. But really, you can add it to anything. It just spices up your food well. (Not in a spicy way) Just really good flavour.
ORGANIC SRIRACHA & ROASTER GARLIC BBQ SAUCE:
This is such a Trader Joe’s WIN. I’m ALLL about my sauces! Because HOLY FLAVOUR! You guys, you can marinate chicken or steak in this, use it for all kinds of dipping sauces, throw it in a stir-fry, pour it over the grill on some veggies, I can go on. It’s spicy and SO delicious. We’re almost out of this, so you know what that means.
PEANUT BUTTER CUPS:
I mean, why not right? I felt like we just needed a snack for the drive home, so we picked up a mini bag of these. And they were YUM. But no need to add this to your list.
RICED CAULIFLOWER:
Again, just like the cauliflower gnocchi, this is another alternative to rice. I once tried to make cauliflower rice, because I thought ‘how hard could this be??’ and I was very wrong. It’s hard, and I don’t ever intend on making it again. For some reason, mine turned out wet and mashed. LOL. So, I decided it wasn’t worth making it. This one was amazing! I haven’t actually tried another brand so I can’t really compare, but again, this is a GREAT alternative to rice. NO CARBS. It’s so good over Thai or Indian curries. Add to cart!
KERRYGOLD IRISH BUTTER:
Okay, so I totally swear by grass-fed butter! I made the switch from regular butter to grass-fed about a year ago after listening to a number of podcasts. Every nutritionist sweared by this. And guys, WHAT A FUCKING DIFFERENCE. Like, let me tell you how I have to keep Andrew away from the butter, because he will actually eat it ALL, plain. Yea, gross if you ask me. It’s that good though. If you don’t know about grass-fed vs. grain-fed, let me fill you in quickly: Basically grass fed is where the cows eat their natural diet of grass as opposed to being fed grain. When they eat grass, they produce milk with healthier fats, and nutrients, and less toxins. That’s the simple version. But, in short – you need this butter! We stock up!
Okay, that’s it friends!
If you’re doing a Trader Joe’s grocery store run, make sure you do some research because you don’t want to unnecessarily spend a bunch of money on stuff you won’t use.
You also don’t want to freeze things for too long, as it get freezer burnt and then it tastes different. We learned that the hard way.
Happy shopping!
Xx, kim
+ Have you seen my post on The Best Butter Chicken Ever?!?
++ Also check out this post on Why You Need A Slow cooker, ASAP.
