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Over the weekend, we made a stop by Trader Joe’s. Sadly, we do not a have a Trader Joe’s near our house. We live in Kernersville, NC (just between Greensboro and Winston-Salem, NC), so the closest locations are in Charlotte or Chapel Hill/Raleigh- both are at least 1.5 hours away (however, I just found out that TJ’s is coming to Winston-Salem by the end of this year!!!).
I love shopping at health food stores. When I go to Trader Joe’s, EarthFare, or Whole Foods, I’m like a teenage girl at the mall. I could walk around for hours… just reading labels!
There are alot of items at each place that should not be considered “health foods,” but there are also so many options made from pure, simple ingredients. Check out a few of my favorite TJ’s items. If you have a store near your home, LUCKY YOU!! To find a store, click here.
Thanks to my Facebook Fans for some of these excellent suggestions! Some of these are my regular TJ’s items, but some are new, thanks to your ideas…
Kerrygold Butter: This butter is from grass-fed cows! Need I say more? Check out my posts on dairy and on grass-fed beef (many of the same health benefits of grass-fed beef apply to grass-fed butter). $2.99/each.
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Dark Chocolate-Covered Almonds: This is not a daily treat, but they are delicious! $6.99/each (sorry about the picture-quality here!)
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Salsa Verde: This green salsa is delicious. I did another post on it here. It is made from green tomatillas, and it is delicious on eggs, grass-fed beef with peppers and onions, and almost anything else! $1.99/each
Salsa Autentica: This is regular red salsa, made from tomatoes, but is anything but regular! I love to make my own fresh salsa, but this is not far from it! And sometimes it’s great to have one less thing to make yourself. $1.69/each
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Raw Honey: I have never purchased honey from Trader Joe’s, but I was completely out, so I picked some up. The price was great- $5.99!
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Almond Meal: This is my favorite TJ’s item, because the price is amazing! These 1-lb. bags are $3.99 each. If you buy almond meal from Whole Foods, you will get the same amount for $10.99. The only difference is that the TJ’s almond meal does not come from blanched almonds (almonds that are pre-soaked, skins removed), so you will see some brown almond skins mixed in. This doesn’t bother me… it tastes the same, and I’ll take any price-breaks I can find!
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Dark-Chocolate Covered Pomegranate Seeds: You might notice that the box is empty… that’s because we already finished these off. They were DELISH. What a great treat! $2.99
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Pomegranate Seeds: I cannot even explain how juicy and delicious these are… I’m in love. $3.99
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Sparkling Water: I really like sparkling water. It is a refreshing treat… and you cannot beat the price! $0.79/quart
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Almond Butter with Roasted Flaxseeds: This is the best almond butter I have ever tasted. It is like a dessert. The crunchy flaxseeds add extra flavor! Love it! $4.99
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Sunbutter: I can’t find Sunbutter without sugar ANYWHERE (though, I just found out that I can order it on Amazon – why didn’t I think of that?). This one does contain a little evaporated cane juice, but I went ahead and grabbed one because I’ve never tasted sunbutter, and I’ve been wanting to try it! The reports I’ve heard are true… it tastes JUST LIKE peanut butter. $4.99
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Harvest Hodgepodge Vegetable Blend: We’ll have to throw out the mini corn, but this blend will be an easy “emergency option” for those nights when I just do not have time to chop veggies. And the price is great… $1.99/bag
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Eggplant Garlic Spread: I have not tasted this yet, but it sounds amazing! I think I’ll use it over spaghetti squash, or, as a Facebook fan suggested, on a Paleo Pizza! $2.29
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Coconut Oil: I usually get my coconut oil from Tropical Traditions, or from a little vitamin shop down the street, but I was COMPLETELY out, so I grabbed a jar. Great price… $5.99/jar
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Dark Chocolate: This is soy-free, and amazing. I was hoping for some 85%, but they don’t carry a soy-free 85% in the stores I’ve seen. This one is delicious, and only $1.99!
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Spices: I LOVE 21 Seasoning Salute. It is amazing. I was also out of Garlic Powder, so this is a first-time item for me. Again, the prices are amazing: $1.99/ea
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Baking Soda: I love that they put it in a can. $0.99/ea
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Dark Chocolate (85%): This is probably my favorite item. It does contain a little soy lecithin, which makes me sad. I absolutely love the fruity flavor… DELISH! $1.49
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We also picked up some eggs ($2.99/dozen), avocados ($3.29/4-ct. bag), bacon (but we’re not impressed with it… sad!), wine, fresh raspberries (SO good… $3.49/small container), and garlic ($1.49/2 bulbs).
THANKS TRADER JOE’S!
You can find the Sunbutter without sugar on Amazon. Just look for organic Sunbutter and it comes in a 3 pack for a little over 20 I think.
Thanks for the great list!
SWEET! Thanks Andrea!
My Whole foods (chapel hill) sells the sugar free sun butter, more expensive, still delicious
Great review! I use many of the items you displayed here…but i have not seen the chocolate covered pomegranate seeds…holy smokes i am all over that my next trip! I am lucky, there is a TJ’s about 10 minutes from my office…which i commute an hour to. So I go at lunch time when i need to
I just spent a week in Raleigh, and got to shop at Earthfare. I’m in love. Like you I like just walking around the stores for ideas and the products. I was celebrating a new granddaughter and visiting with my other daughter’s family. Trader Joe’s is a favorite as well. I’m blessed to have one within 20 min, a Whole foods within 20 min, Mom’s Organic Market and a Wegmans.
Holy cow, you have hit the jackpot in your area… all the great natural store AND a Wegman’s! You are indeed blessed!
I love shopping at Trader Joes too. Unfortunately, those of us with Celiac’s Disease need to be a little careful of the Trader Joes brands because they are made in facilities shared with wheat. Otherwise, go for it.
My favorite product there are the packaged bacon and end pieces!
Trader Joe’s should give you money for this post, since I just had my hubby make a store run and he came back with the Almond Butter, the dark chocolate bar, raw honey, cage-free eggs and some nitrate-free bacon! I just sampled the Almond Butter with roasted, golden flax-seeds and OMG! Normally, I like my nut butters creamy, but this stuff rocks!
HAHA! I know… that flaxseed almond butter is INSANE! Glad you loaded up on some goodies…
Jennie
That looks like the stuff in MY cart!
The TJ’s where I normally shop is teeny-tiny. They don’t always have many of the items on your list. I’ve never seen the almond butter with flax seed. I’ve seen the peanut butter with it though. I buy their coconut oil even when I don’t need it because the next time, it may not be there. I wish they would relocate or make the store bigger. And you just reminded me, I forgot I bought some chocolate bars!
I found your blog through facebook, and had to click on the link for a Trader Joes post!:) I love it too! and then to read that you’re a fellow North Carolinian!! woohoo! I’m a Charlotte native, and I don’t know why I get so happy when I find another blogger from NC:) Anyway, I really enjoyed this fun post and saw a few things I’ve never tried, and will be trying tomorrow! I also wanted to let you know I asked Trader Joes about their “raw” almonds, whether they were PPO chemical or steam pastuerized (if you’re not familiar, see Whole New Mom’s blog post on jet fuel almonds), and they are steam pasteurized. Not perfectly raw, but way better than PPO, so that’s good!
I look forward to reading your posts! thanks so much!
Thanks Dana! And WELCOME! It is really good to hear that information about TJ’s almonds. Thanks for sharing!
Three cheers for NC!
Jennie
I cannot believe you missed the chimichuri salmon in the freezer isle!
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So many of these items are my favorite! I just bought the almond butter you have shown here and it is simply delicious…pun intended. I also bought Fig Butter at TJ’s and a spoonfull of the almond butter with a dollop of the fig butter on top makes a wonderful mid morning/afternoon treat.
We also have Sprouts, which is great too. Hopefully they’ll come your way soon too.
I am definitely going to try the almond meal too! That price is amazing! I also bought the 21 Seasoning Salute and used it to make hamburgers today…delish!!!
Our TJ’s is only 20 minutes away.
Peace and Blessings…Eileen
Oh, yum!! You can go shopping for me any time, Jennie! I’m positively giddy about TJ’s coming to WS!!!!
I just found your site recently and bought your e-book right away. And now to find out you live so close – I live in Hickory, but am from Greensboro. Rumor has it that TJ’s is coming to Greensboro too, along with Whole Foods at Friendly Shopping Center. Thanks for all the great suggestions ffrom Trader Joes – I make frequent trips to Charlotte to feed my addiction and pick up bargains. I can’t believe the price for almond meal – I just paid more than $8! at a local health food store. Thanks for the inspiration – I’m relatively new to Paleo, but am loving it so far. I’m trying to spread the word among my friends, but most folks say ” I can’t live without pasta, etc, etc, fill in the blank”. My response is You can DO anything you Want To!!!
Thank you, Mary! It’s neat to hear that you’re from this area. We just found out that TJ’s is coming to Winston-Salem by the end of the year. I’m not sure what that means for the Greensboro rumor… we’ll see!
I love your statement at the end of your comment… SO true!
Jennie
Wow, chocolate covered pomegranate seeds! I had no idea. I don’t go down that aisle anymore, the one with all the cookies and chocolate covered many things – too dangerous. But if I can do a ‘swoop and catch’ just for one item in particular, I may brave it again. Thanks!
Great list! I posted a similar list on my blog not too long ago -
http://themeanestmomma.com/2012/02/29/my-paleo-picks-from-trader-joes/
We have some overlap, but you showed some other new tasty treats to seek out.
Question: do you know if the chocolate covered almonds contain soy lecithin?
Kendra,
Thanks! In answer to your question, I honestly cannot remember about the soy lecithin. I want to say that the answer is “yes,” unfortunately. If I had a box of them, I’d go take a look for you.
-Jennie